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Uber Technologies on Sunday chose Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive of travel company Expedia Inc, as its chief executive, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter, handing him the challenge of leading the ride-services company out of a nearly year-long crisis.
Khosrowshahi, 48, would take on the daunting task of mending Uber‘s image, repairing frayed relations among investors, rebuilding employee morale and creating a profitable business after seven years of losses.
He would also have to contend with the legacy of Travis Kalanick, Uber‘s pugnacious co-founder, who was ousted as CEO in June after shareholders representing about 40 percent of the company’s voting power signed a letter asking him to step down amid growing concern over his behavior and the behavior of senior managers under him.
The Uber board of directors has been meeting daily and deliberated on its pick for CEO throughout the weekend. A spokeswoman said on Sunday that the board had voted but was declining to disclose its choice publicly until after informing employees.
A Uber spokesman declined to comment. A representative for Expedia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Khosrowshahi was not known to the public to be among the top candidates for the job.
He beat out Jeff Immelt, chairman of General Electric Co and one of the finalists for the job, who said earlier on Sunday he was no longer in the running. Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, had also been a leading candidate.
Khosrowshahi, who ran Expedia for 12 years, would bring an end to a company culture built on founder control. Kalanick enjoyed sweeping authority on the board and nearly complete autonomy in running the company, a governance style that often wreaked havoc.
Uber has been embattled by allegations of sexual harassment, a lawsuit alleging trade-secrets theft, a federal criminal probe over use of software to evade city regulators, and allegations of executives mishandling the medical records of a victim who was raped by her Uber driver in India, among other controversies.
Despite the controversies, Uber is still a growing company. Last week, the company reported a 16 percent increase in ride bookings and 17 percent jump in net revenue for the second quarter over the previous period, and its losses shrank by 9 percent.
Among Khosrowshahi’s first tasks at Uber would be filling a slew of executive vacancies, including those of chief financial officer, chief operating officer and general counsel. In the absence of top leadership, Uber has been run by a 13-person committee.
Uber investor Benchmark Capital complicated the CEO search when the firm filed a lawsuit earlier this month against Kalanick to force him off the board and rescind his ability to fill two board seats. The legal salvo has divided the board and shareholders.
What role Kalanick has in the company going forward is a critical question whose answer remains unclear. Benchmark has accused Kalanick of meddling in the CEO search as part of a scheme to regain power, an accusation Kalanick has called “meritless.”
In a previous statement, Kalanick said he would support the new CEO “to guide Uber into its next phase of growth and ensure its continued success.”
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Recorded coverage of an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons on the falling hedgehog population, from Tuesday 10 November. | {
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A proposal to charge firms a £1,000-a-year fee to bring in an EU skilled worker after Brexit was quickly dropped by the Government following an angry backlash.
Employers’ groups and pro-EU politicians spoke out against the idea after it was floated by the immigration minister, one branding it “idiotic”.
The “immigration skills levy” – already being introduced for staff from the rest of the world – could be extended to the EU, Robert Goodwill said.
But, within hours, faced with the fierce criticism, Downing Street insisted the levy would not be brought in.
Theresa May’s spokeswoman said: “He seems to have been misinterpreted and his comments taken out of context.
“What he said was there are a number of things that some people may suggest could be the way forward.
“At no point did he say it’s on the agenda. And it is not on the Government’s agenda,” she told a regular Westminster briefing.
Earlier, Seamus Nevin, of the Institute of Directors, said: “Charging £1,000 for each EU worker would hit businesses who are dependent on skills from abroad.
“The UK needs these companies to do well if we are to make a success of Brexit. We urge the Government to reconsider this proposal.”
And Ufi Ibrahim, of the British Hospitality Association, described the proposal as “very worrying for the hospitality and tourism industry.
“The minister’s suggestion would increase the costs for hospitality and tourism businesses and would lead to higher prices for consumers,” he added.
Prominent Conservative backbencher Anna Soubry said: “This would be a tax on successful businesses.”
And Don Foster, for the Liberal Democrats, said: “This is the most idiotic thing to come out of a Minister’s mouth since ‘red white and blue Brexit’.”
The criticism came after Mr Goodwill said the Brexit result showed voters believed that companies are relying too much on migrants from outside Britain.
They had made clear that not enough was being done to ensure that “the skills are available from our own people”, he told a House of Lords inquiry.
Mr Goodwill said an apprenticeship levy, later this year, would help the Government meet its commitment to train more than three million more apprentices by 2020.
And he added: “In April this year, we are also bringing in the immigration skills charge for non-EEA skilled workers.
“If you want to recruit an Indian computer programmer on a four-year contract, on top of the existing visa charges and the resident labour market test, there will be a fee of £1,000 per year.
“So, for a four-year contract that employer will need to pay a £4,000 immigration skills charge.
“That is something that currently applies to non-EU and it has been suggested to us that could be applied to EU.” | {
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Slavoj Žižek, a DiEM25 early signatory, casts his critical eye on the ‘disorder’ of the EU in the light of Brexit. He reminds us that “crises are painful and dangerous” but they are also “the terrain on which battles have to be waged and won”. He writes that the Brexit outcome offers us “a unique chance to react to the need for a radical change in a more appropriate way, with a project that will break the vicious cycle of EU technocracy and nationalist populism.” In a manner reflecting fully the DiEM25 manifesto, he concludes that” “The true division of our heaven is not between anaemic technocracy and nationalist passions, but between their vicious cycle and a new pan-European project which will addresses the true challenges that humanity confronts today.”
Late in his life, Freud asked the famous question “Was will das Weib?”, “What does a woman want?”, admitting his perplexity when faced with the enigma of the feminine sexuality. A similar perplexity arouses today, apropos the Brexit referendum: what does Europe want?
The true stakes of this referendum become clear if we locate it into its larger historical context. In Western and Eastern Europe, there are signs of a long-term re-arrangement of the political space. Till recently, the political space was dominated by two main parties which addressed the entire electoral body, a Right-of-centre party (Christian-Democrat, liberal-conservative, people’s…) and a Left-of-centre party (socialist, social-democratic…), with smaller parties addressing a narrow electorate (ecologists, neo-Fascists, etc.). Now, there is progressively emerging a one party which stands for global capitalism as such, usually with relative tolerance towards abortion, gay rights, religious and ethnic minorities, etc.; opposing this party is a stronger and stronger anti-immigrant populist party which, on its fringes, is accompanied by directly racist neo-Fascist groups. The exemplary case is here Poland: after the disappearance of the ex-Communists, the main parties are the “anti-ideological” centrist liberal party of the ex-prime-minister Donald Tusk and the conservative Christian party of Kaczynski brothers. The stakes of Radical Center today are: which of the two main parties, conservatives or liberals, will succeed in presenting itself as embodying the post-ideological non-politics against the other party dismissed as “still caught in old ideological specters”? In the early 90s, conservatives were better at it; later, it was liberal Leftists who seemed to be gaining the upper hand, and now, it’s again the conservatives.
The anti-immigrant populism brings passion back into politics, it speaks in the terms of antagonisms, of Us against Them, and one of the signs of the confusion of what remains of the Left is the idea that one should take this passionate approach from the Right: “If Marine le Pen can do it, why we should also not do it?” So one should return to strong Nation-State and mobilize national passions… a ridiculous struggle, lost in advance.
So what does Europe want? Basically, Europe is caught into a vicious cycle, oscillating between the Bruxelles technocracy unable to drag it out of inertia, and the popular rage against this inertia, a rage appropriated by new more radical Leftist movements but primarily by Rightist populism. The Brexit referendum moved along the lines of this new opposition, which is why there was something terribly wrong with it. To see this, one should only look at the strange bedfellows that found themselves together in the Brexit camp: right-wing “patriots,” populist nationalists fuelled by the fear of immigrants, mixed with desperate working class rage… is such a mixture of patriotic racism with the rage of “ordinary people” not the ideal ground for a new form of Fascism?
The intensity of the emotional investment into the referendum should not deceive us, the choice offered obfuscated the true questions: how to fight “agreements” like TTIP which present a real threat to popular sovereignty, how to confront ecological catastrophes and economic imbalances which breed new poverty and migrations, etc. The choice of Brexit means a serious setback for these true struggles – suffice it to bear in mind what an important argument for Brexit was the “refugee threat.” The Brexit referendum is the ultimate proof that ideology (in the good old Marxist sense of “false consciousness”) is well and alive in our societies. For example, the case of Brexit exemplifies perfectly the falsity of the calls to restore national sovereignty (the “British people themselves, not some anonymous and non-elected Brussels bureaucrats, should decide the fate of the UK” motif):
“At the heart of the Brexit is a paradox worth articulating! England wants to withdraw from the bureaucratic, administrative control of Brussels, control seen as compromising its sovereignty, in order to be better able to organize the dismantling of its sovereignty (by way of more radical submission to the logic of global capital) on its own. Does this not have the markings of the death drive? The organism wants to die in its own way, on its own terms. This is the paradox at the heart of American Republican thinking: we want to ‘take back our country’ in order to be better able to submit it and pretty much all of life to the logic of the market.”(Eric Santner, personal communication)
Is this paradox not confirmed by a quick look at the conflicts between the UK and the EU in the past decades? When they concerned workers’ rights, it was the EU which demanded limiting the weekly work hours, etc., and the UK government complained that such a measure will affect the competitiveness of the British industry… In short, the so much vilified “Brussels bureaucracy” was also a protector of minimal workers’ rights – in exactly the same way as it is today the protector of the rights of the refugees against many “sovereign” nation-states which are not ready to receive them.
When Stalin was asked in the late 1920s which deviation is worse, the Right one or the Leftist one, he snapped back: “They are both worse!” Was it not the same with the choice British voters were confronting? Remain was “worse” since it meant persisting in the inertia that keeps Europe mired down. Exit was “worse” since it made changing nothing look desirable. In the days before the referendum, there was a pseudo-deep thought circulating in our media: “whatever the result, EU will never be the same, it will be irreparably damaged.” However, it’s the opposite which is true: nothing really changed, just the inertia of Europe became impossible to ignore. Europe will again lose time in long negotiations among the EU members which will continue to make any large-scale political project unfeasible. This is what those who oppose Brexit didn’t see: shocked, they now complain about the “irrationality” of the Brexit voters, ignoring the desperate need for change that the vote made palpable.
For this reason, one should fully support the EU stance that the UK withdrawal should be enacted as fast as possible, without any long preliminary consultations. Understandably, the Brexit partisans in the UK now want have a cake and eat it (or, as a commentator viciously remarked, they want a divorce which will still allow them to share the marital bed). They desperately want to strike a middle road (Boris Johnson’s proposal that the UK should maintain free access to the common market was quite appropriately dismissed as a pipe dream).
The confusion that underlies the Brexit referendum is not limited to Europe: it is part of a much larger process of the crisis of “manufacturing democratic consent” in our societies, of the growing gap between political institutions and popular rage, the rage which gave birth to Trump as well as to Sanders in the US. Signs of chaos are everywhere – a couple of days ago, the debate of the gun control in the US congress turned into a banana republic chaos, with congressmen involved in rough-and-tumble that we usually associate with Third World countries… Is this a reason to despair?
Recall Mao Ze Dong’s old motto: “Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent.” A crisis is to be taken seriously, without illusions, but also as a chance to be fully exploited. Although crises are painful and dangerous, they are the terrain on which battles have to be waged and won. Is there not a struggle also in heaven, is the heaven also not divided – and does the ongoing confusion not offer a unique chance to react to the need for a radical change in a more appropriate way, with a project that will break the vicious cycle of EU technocracy and nationalist populism? The true division of our heaven is not between anemic technocracy and nationalist passions, but between their vicious cycle and a new pan-European project which will addresses the true challenges that humanity confronts today.
In his Notes Towards a Definition of Culture, T.S.Eliot remarked that there are moments when the only choice is the one between heresy and non-belief, when the only way to keep a religion alive is to perform a sectarian split from its main corpse. This is what has to be done today. Now that, in the echo of the Brexit victory, calls for other exits from EU are multiplying all around Europe, the situation calls for such a heretic project – who will grab the chance? Unfortunately, not the existing Left which is well-known for its breath-taking ability to never miss a chance to miss a chance…
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Five Nights at Kaiser's Wallpaper (1080p) By kick299 Watch
1 Favourite 2 Comments 270 Views
I know nobody is going to use this but I got bored.
IMAGE DETAILS Image size 1920x1080px 964.28 KB Show More
Published : May 13, 2017 | {
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Although VESA adaptive-sync displays were introduced after Nvidia officially announced its FreeSync technology, FreeSync, or VESA Adpative-Sync has risen in popularity due to the loyalty free licensing. As a result, the number of VESA Adaptive-Sync enabled monitors have exploded in recent years, vastly overwhelming the number of G-Sync enabled monitors currently on the market.
Nvidia, likely realizing this has surprisingly decided to add support FreeSync or VESA Adaptive-Sync enabled monitors, with a catch. Not all monitors will are created equal, and not all will be “officially” supported. Adaptive-Sync enabled monitors that have gone through Nvidia’s testing to ensure proper functionality will be added to the “officially supported” list while others will not.
Likely this support will come through a series of driver updates with an included “supported” list. However, if you’re worried about the number being small, you’d be right. Nvidia has already announced that there are over 500 monitors on the market that have been officially tested, and only 12 have past. Users with unsupported monitors will still be able to enable G-Sync, but Nvidia does not provide any guarantees or support that they will work correctly.
This announcement was came at Nvidia’s official CES event which also provided the list of officially supported monitors. Several top brands such as ASUS, Acer, AOC, and BenQ were listed among the officially supported list. Official support will begin January 15th with a simple driver update.
There’s no telling what the future of G-Sync will be at this point, now that VESA Adaptive Sync and G-Sync will both “work”.
Officially Supported Active Sync Supported Monitors
The FreeSync enabled monitors that are confirmed to receive a G-Sync compatibility update from Nvidia are:
Acer XFA240
Acer XG270HU
Acer XV273K
Acer XZ321Q
Agon AG241QG4
AOC G2590FX
Asus MG278Q
Asus VG258Q
Asus VG278Q
Asus XG248
Asus XG258
BenQ XL2740
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Performers, Ticket Sellers Fear Decline in Business as Times Square Rules Kick In View Full Caption
TIMES SQUARE — Hours after the city’s new designated activity zones went into effect, Times Square’s cadre of costumed characters and ticket sellers said the rules are already taking a toll.
On Tuesday, the city began enforcing eight “designated activity zones” to which commercial activity in Times Square’s pedestrian plazas is restricted following the passage of a bill supported by the Times Square Alliance and other groups.
On Tuesday afternoon, many characters said they were already earning less than they had when they’d been allowed to roam freely through the plazas.
“It’s very hard to get customers,” said Iron Man impersonator Abel Farfan, 41, as he stood between two of the new boxes.
The performer, who has been working in Times Square for two years, said he’d only made $1 in two hours.
A Minnie Mouse impersonator named Rose, who was working alongside Farfan, said she had brought in “nothing” as of midday.
“It’s difficult now because everybody is together — it’s too [many characters],” said the 40-year-old, who declined to give her last name.
Some customers who approached her for a photo as she walked between zones became disinterested when she told them the photo would have to be taken inside one of the boxes, she said.
“People say, ‘Why?’” she said. “The people [don’t] pay for us.”
Making money, The Hulk impersonator Alex Lucero explained, hinges on approaching people and suggesting they pose for photos.
“Out here, in Times Square, we have to look for people — otherwise, nobody is going to take a picture,” the 35-year-old said.
“I think it’s really bad, because we don’t have any space,” he added.
Ticket sellers standing in the boxes, meanwhile, felt they’d been unfairly included in the legislation.
“It’s really upsetting because this is going to destroy livelihoods,” said comedy club ticket seller Dana Fuchs as she stood in one of the boxes in Duffy Square.
“Get rid of the bad apples — don’t lump [in] the people that worked with integrity.”
Some police officers told ticket sellers they would get arrested for speaking to customers outside the boxes, she said.
But a few officers told her that stepping outside the boxes was “fine” as long as cash exchanges took place within them, she added.
“This inconsistency to us is so scary because we have rent due,” she said.
Several Gray Line bus ticket sellers — including a 45-year-old man who gave his name as Victor — said they’d been told by their supervisors to keep inside the boxes.
Others continued seeking potential customers on street corners on Tuesday afternoon, paying no heed to the zones.
“I don’t know,” said a Broadway ticket seller who declined to give her name when asked if she was required to sell tickets inside the boxes. “I couldn’t say.”
Go New York ticket seller Barry Alfusainey, 34, said he felt the city “want[ed] us all to be criminals, selling drugs on the street.”
“We pay a lot of taxes,” he said. “They’re putting us in a cage like this when we’re just doing a legit job.”
Fuchs and a few costumed characters spoke of plans to sue the city, on the grounds that the new law is unconstitutional.
“I’m going to challenge the law,” Batman impersonator Jose Escalona-Martinez, 42, said.
He paid a visit to Times Square without a costume on Tuesday to see how the new rules were playing out.
“It’s not great. Look at this,” he said, pointing to a box where a group of costumed characters were working. “Right now, [the city] is for the rich people, and they don’t care about the poor people.” | {
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Jemar Tisby is a Ph.D. student in history and a former school teacher and principal. He is the President of the Reformed African American Network and co-host of the "Pass The Mic" podcast. Follow him on Twitter @ JemarTisby .
(CNN) On Saturday night, Jordan Edwards, an unarmed 15-year-old African American male, was shot and killed by a police officer while leaving a party in Balch Springs, Texas. The bullet struck Jordan in the head, and shortly thereafter the teenager was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Initially, the police claimed that the car that Jordan got into was reversing "aggressively," and the officer shot back in response. But the police chief has since said that video evidence showed the exact opposite, and that the officer's actions "did not meet our core values."
Across the nation, people expressed rage. Jordan wasn't armed. He wasn't a suspect. He didn't resist arrest. How did he end up dead?
Along with the pain and anger came stories of his exemplary character. According to Lee Merritt, the attorney for the Edwards family, "Jordan was a straight-A student and a standout athlete who was beloved by his schoolmates." A statement by the Mesquite Independent School District, where Jordan attended school, said he "was a good student who was very well-liked by his teachers, coaches and his fellow students." And Chris Cano, the parent of one of Jordan's football teammates, stated , "He was not a thug. This shouldn't happen to him."
But if you think Jordan didn't deserve to die because he was a good student, then you're missing the point. Jordan's achievements don't make him any more valuable than a person who had trouble in school and a history of bad decisions.
What makes a person's life precious is simply the fact that he or she is a living, breathing human being. As wonderful a teenager as Jordan was, his death would be no less tragic if his record had been less admirable.
Many times, the public will look at someone's record of rights and wrongs to determine whether that person "deserved" to die. Resist that impulse.
Christians value life based on a foundational biblical principle called the "imago dei" (image of God). In Genesis 1:26, God says, "'Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness." That fact of our creation, inherent to us all, gives us worth. Regardless of people's wealth or race, everyone is "fearfully and wonderfully made."
JUST WATCHED Police change story on teen's fatal shooting Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Police change story on teen's fatal shooting 01:42
That Jordan was a beloved son, brother and friend, as well as a hardworking student and athlete, make his death even more poignant, but that's not what makes his life precious and his death devastating.
This isn't to say that actions don't matter. It is not to imply that a person's conduct is inconsequential. What a person does makes a difference, especially in the instance in question.
But too often people bring up a person's history to make him into a hero or a hoodlum. They want to create a monster who doesn't merit mercy or a moral exemplar whose life is more valuable than the average person's. Neither villainizing nor valorizing does justice to the fundamental dignity everyone deserves.
Jordan's death should cause us to re-evaluate how law enforcement officers are being trained. It should elicit calls for information and accountability if criminal wrongdoing is discovered.
Most of all, Jordan's death should bring about mourning. His parents will never again drop off their son at school and wave goodbye to him. His friends will never hear another joke or see another smile from him. His teammates will never again get to say "nice play" or "good hustle."
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Unfortunately, there will probably be another event like this one. An unarmed person, perhaps African American, will be killed under dubious circumstances by those empowered to protect the public.
The next person who ends up a hashtag may not be as virtuous as Jordan, but that doesn't mean he or she is any less deserving of dignity. Our sorrow shouldn't depend on whether someone got straight As. | {
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A terrorist group linked to al-Qaida killed one U.S. service member and two Pentagon contractors in an attack in Kenya on Sunday, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said.
Al-Shabaab, which joined forces with al-Qaida in 2008 and is based in Somalia, launched the attack on a Kenyan military base near Manda Bay, according to a statement from AFRICOM.
Two Defense Department members were wounded in the attack, and are in stable condition, AFRICOM said. They are being evacuated.
AFRICOM said that the attack on the base “involved indirect and small arms fire.”
“After an initial penetration of the perimeter, Kenya Defense Forces and U.S. Africa Command repelled the al-Shabaab attack. Reports indicate that six contractor-operated civilian aircraft were damaged to some degree.” (RELATED: US Kills Dozens Of Somali Extremists In Airstrikes)
The U.S. military uses Manda Bay Airfield as a launch point for missions in Africa.
The Kenyan Defence Forces said in a statement that the attack started at around 5:30 a.m. local time, and that at least four al-Shabaab members were killed.
“The attempted breach was successfully repulsed. Four terrorists bodies have so far been found,” the Kenyan military said.
“The airstrip is safe. Arising from the unsuccessful breach a fire broke out affecting some of the fuel tanks located at the airstrip. The fire has been put under control and standard security procedures are now on-going.”
This morning at around 5:30 am an attempt was made to breach security at Manda Air Strip. The attempted breach was successfully repulsed. Four terrorists bodies have so far been found. The airstrip is safe.https://t.co/CXoAWBgXC4 — Kenya Defence Forces (@kdfinfo) January 5, 2020
Al-Shabaab took responsibility for an attack in Mogadishu that killed 79 people Dec. 28, 2019.
U.S. forces working with the Somali government conducted three airstrikes against al-Shabaab strongholds in response to the Mogadishu attack. AFRICOM said four terrorists were killed in the strikes.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. | {
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Nigel Farage has said that the Brexit vote could be overturned if Leave campaigners do not step up efforts to fight for their cause.
The former Ukip leader said he was increasingly worried that pro-EU campaigners were dominating the argument, while Leave supporters had just "closed the doors" after securing victory in the 2016 referendum.
Mr Farage, who is seen by many as an architect of Brexit, also reignited the debate this week when he said a second referendum was necessary to stop the "whingeing and whining" of prominent Remain backers, who have failed to accept the result of the vote.
A snap poll conducted after his intervention found 55 per cent would opt to remain in the EU and 45 per cent to leave if there was another vote. The original vote was 52 per cent to 48 per cent in favour of Brexit.
In an interview with The Observer, Mr Farage said: "The Remain side are making all the running.
"They have a majority in Parliament and unless we get ourselves organised we could lose the historic victory that was Brexit."
In a rallying cry to Eurosceptics, Mr Farage signalled the need to hold the Government's feet to fire to ensure it does not offer too many concessions to Brussels.
He said: “I think the Leave side is in danger of not even making the argument.
"The Leave groups need to regather and regroup, because Remain is making all the arguments. After we won the referendum, we closed the doors and stopped making the argument.”
It comes as Theresa May's flagship Brexit legislation was set to return to the Commons, where it faces a number of challenges from opposition MPs before it heads to the Lords for scrutiny in the coming weeks
Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA
SNP, Green, Liberal Democrat and Plaid Cymru MPs have tabled an amendment to the EU (Withdrawal) Bill that would stop ministers from using sweeping powers to take the UK out of the single market and the customs union after Brexit. | {
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Real Madrid legend Jose Maria Gutierrez ‘Guti’ has been in Real Murcia’s shortlist to coach their club during the final third of the season. However, Murcia president Victor Galvez revealed this morning some interesting news.
“Guti will be the coach of Real Madrid so he won’t coach Murcia,” said Galvez when asked about Murcia’s next coach. “I wish Zidane had stayed for two more days so that we could’ve completed the deal for Guti,” he added.
It seems that Real Madrid are still weighing their options to replace Zinedine Zidane. The favorite to become their coach was Mauricio Pochettino but Tottenham president Daniel Levy refuses to let him go and Los Blancos will not negotiate. The same happens with Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool. Both men are under contract and will not want to force their way out of their club, so it’d be up to Madrid to send a good offer for them.
In this scenario, it seems that Guti could finally be the man to replace Zidane. The former player revealed that he won’t be coaching Real Madrid’s Juvenil next season and it also seems that Santiago Solari will stay with Castilla, so after Zidane’s departure the door seems open for Guti to become the coach for the first-team. | {
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BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) – The federal government says it has taken action against a Bradenton church that was allegedly distributing a product equivalent to industrial bleach as a way to treat coronavirus.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says a federal court filed a temporary injunction earlier this month against the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing and four people associated with the organization.
Genesis II is not your typical brick and mortar church, its congregation is online and one of their leaders tells 8 On Your Side the church is simply exercising it’s rights.
Church leader Jon Grenon has been reaching out to followers online saying the recent interest in the church has certainly not all been positive.
“We’ve been basically attacked, wrongfully accused of doing something,” Grenon said.
The injunction orders Genesis to immediately stop distributing what they call a “Miracle Mineral Solution.” The FDA says it’s an “unproven and potentially harmful treatment” that the church was selling to treat COVID-19 and other diseases.
“The court found that the United States has demonstrated that Genesis and the associated individuals named in the injunction are violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C) by unlawfully distributing MMS, an unapproved new drug and misbranded drug,” FDA officials said in a news release. “When combined with the included activator, MMS has a chlorine dioxide content equivalent to industrial bleach.”
Grenon disagrees with that, “I call it holy cleansing water. Even though it has many different ways. Chlorine dioxide, MMS, etcetera. To me it’s essential, it’s a sacrament.”
The news release from the FDA also says the court found a danger that the church would continue violating the law without the temporary restraining order against them.
“Despite a previous warning, the Genesis II Church of Healing has continued to actively place consumers at risk by peddling potentially dangerous and unapproved chlorine dioxide products,” FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. said. “We will not stand for this, and the FDA remains fully committed to taking strong enforcement action against any sellers who place unsuspecting American consumers at risk by offering their unproven products to treat serious diseases.”
The FDA says it, along with the FTC, previously issued a warning letter to Genesis about selling MMS. According to federal officials, the group made it clear they “had no intention of taking corrective action and would continue to sell MMS.”
“This is especially concerning to the agency as the FDA has received reports of people experiencing serious adverse events, including respiratory failure, life-threatening low blood pressure, acute liver failure and QT prolongation after drinking certain chlorine dioxide products,” FDA officials said.
The official announcement of the injunction from the FDA says the “seller” is from Bradenton. The temporary restraining order was filed by a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The order is against Genesis as well as four individuals – Mark Grenon, Joseph Grenon, Jordan Grenon and Jonathan Grenon, the FDA says. It lasts through May 1 but the FDA says there will be a hearing to extend the injunction.
“The complaint, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), against the Bradenton, Fla. seller and the seller’s most responsible individuals, seeks to restrain and enjoin all defendants from labeling, holding and distributing unapproved new drugs and misbranded drugs, including MMS, in interstate commerce on a permanent basis,” the FDA news release says. “The FDA requested the DOJ to bring this case on behalf of the U.S. Government. The claims made in the complaint are allegations that, if the case were to proceed to trial, the government must prove to receive a permanent injunction against Genesis.”
Grenon tells 8 On Your Side that they are within their rights and they don’t plan on changing what they are doing.
LATEST ON THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: | {
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(Picture: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Traditional Christmas fare might be all about animal produce – turkey, pigs in blankets, and mince pies (which traditionally use hard fat of beef or mutton) – but thankfully now there are more vegan and veggie options.
Morrisons is bucking the meaty trend and offering a vegan alternative to festive favourites, pigs in blankets.
So instead of chomping on carrots and humous at your next Christmas party, you should be able to get in on the act of eating festive food to your heart’s content.
The supermarket’s vegan ‘sausages’ are made from tomato, potato, mushroom, and basil, wrapped in an aubergine blanket.
Sold in packs of 10, Veggies in Blankets are available now in Morrisons stores nationwide and cost £2.50.
They’re currently part of the three for £6 offer on Christmas party food, which also includes the vegan Sweet Potato Stacks and vegan Vegetable Tempura Nests.
‘Pigs in Blankets are arguably the best part of Christmas dinner. We’ve listened to customers who are looking for more plant-based options over the festive period and created a vegan version,’ said Morrison’s party food expert Simon Whittle.
As well as party food, the Morrisons vegan Christmas offering includes products such as The Best Cranberry and Pistachio Nut Roast and a pumpkin and sticky fruit festive stuffing.
If you fancy other Christmassy vegan foods then Asda is also offering a few treats. You can get a dairy-free cheeseboard which includes the traditional mature cheddar alternative, said to be full-bodied and smooth, a garlic and chive mature cheddar alternative, and a Wensleydale and cranberry alternative for those wanting something a little sweeter.
Last year the supermarket was also said to be the first to launch vegan mince pies, which don’t traditionally contain any meat if you were wondering. But it’s the animal fat that makes them non-vegan friendly.
MORE: Should veganism be considered a philosophical belief?
MORE: Morrisons will sell wonky Brussels sprouts for 75p next week
MORE: Why do we eat turkey at Christmas and how many are eaten each year?
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Here’s a chap called Nick Heath who’s a rugby commentator and journalist and also a podcast producer.
But it’s the commentating bit we’re really interested in. Because in the absence of any live sport, all postponed because of coronavirus, Nick started commenting on everyday life as he saw it and shared the videos on Twitter.
And they really will make your day better.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Find A Brunette A Seat With The Blonde Girls Qualifier.#LiveCommentary #LifeCommentary Getting tenuous now. pic.twitter.com/XEyrvBxPIR — Nick Heath (@nickheathsport) March 18, 2020
8.
And there was this PS from Nick.
Glad I've entertained a few this arvo with my old Barry-Davies-cum-Alan-Partridge commentary style larfs. I do try and do it properly most of the time. Fond memories of calling the game of the @Womens6Nations when the world was a very different place. https://t.co/1BQABbTnNb — Nick Heath (@nickheathsport) March 17, 2020
You can follow Nick on Twitter here and find the videos on YouTube here.
These are good too.
I always liked the idea of 'Inside The Commentary Box' where there's an accidental symmetry between what's happening inside to what's happening outside.#LifeCommentary pic.twitter.com/ezGYjYnNPU — Nick Heath (@nickheathsport) March 19, 2020
I always liked the idea of 'Inside The Commentary Box' where there's an accidental symmetry between what's happening inside to what's happening outside. Here's another one.#LifeCommentary pic.twitter.com/3xKTSTH47X — Nick Heath (@nickheathsport) March 20, 2020
READ MORE
This ‘conference call in real life’ will be hilariously familiar to anyone working at home right now
Source @nickheathsport | {
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New Zealand researchers say they've found a potential alternative to controversial poison 1080, and it's hiding in our native bush.
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Researchers from the Cawthron Institute say tutu, a native plant, has long been known by Māori to be toxic to both animals and people, but a recent study has shown that the active ingredient can be extracted and used to target rats.
Scientists extracted the active ingredient, tutin, using a purification process, and tested it on lab rats. The research found that a lethal dose killed rats faster and more humanely than many other existing pesticides.
In the study, a dose of 55 mg kg−1 killed rats within half an hour on average. In comparison previous research has shown it takes up to 10 hours on average for a lethal dose of 1080 to kill a rat, and up to 11 days on average for lethal dose of Diphacinone, an anticoagulant poison used by New Zealand councils for pest control.
The study also found the rats had a shorter period of consciousness before death when compared to poisons like 1080, brodaficoum and cholecalciferol.
Lead researcher Dr Shaun Ogilvie says tutin could well be an effective alternative to other rat poisons on the market.
“At this dose, tutin could be considered more humane than all other presently available rodenticides in New Zealand”, he says.
Dr Ogilvie says harnessing Māori knowledge, or Mātauranga Māori was key to the study, which found that some Māori have been particularly vocal in opposition to pesticides like brodifacoum and 1080.
“We had some discussions with kaumatua in Tuhoe country, they suggested in actual fact there's quite a few toxins already available in the forest”
“Māori have placed-based knowledge about naturally occurring plant toxins that would be considered more appropriate to use, because they evolved in this environment.”
The tutin was extracted from wild-sourced plant material. Technical manager of Cawthron Natural Compounds Andy Selwood says the study helped scientists to understand the chemistry of tutin.
“This may help us in the future if we need to prepare this on a larger scale”, he says.
“There's not going to be a silver bullet, or one solution to this problem, but I think the more tools we have available, the better we can start controlling these invasive species.”
Forest and Bird says we need to keep developing different pesticides, but in the meantime 1080 is “the best we’ve got”.
Forest and Bird’s Chief Conservation Advisor Kevin Hackwell says fluoroacetate, the toxic component of 1080 is also found naturally in many plants including in puha.
“So it is possible that a Mātauranga Māori approach could also have worked with fluoroacetate– 1080”.
Mr Hackwell says it’s likely that potential new pesticides “will complement, rather than replace, well-established and effective tools.”
The tutu plant can be toxic to other animals, including humans. Sheep and cattle have died after eating it, and in 2008, 22 people fell ill after eating tutin-contaminated honey.
Dr Ogilvie says it’s already known that tutu is dangerous to humans, so all the usual safety precautions should be taken with it.
The researchers say there’s still plenty of work to be done – they need more funding to test tutin in the field and on other pests such as possums. Testing also needs to be done to ensure there’s a minimal chance of secondary poisoning. | {
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A jersey of football players holds an iconic and value for the player. The no 10 jersey always remind of Pele and Maradona both wearing this shirt and is important key member in the team winning the world cup. AC Milan has retired the number 6 that worn by France Baresi and no 3 that worn by Paolo Maldini and will only be given to the son of the both of this player.
Franco Baresi jersey number 6 retired by AC MIlan Paolo Maldini jersey number 3 retired by AC Milan Maradona No 10 Pele No 10
Today we will look at Manchester United iconic no 7 jersey that is worn by the great player all the time. This jersey number carry a significant responsibility to perform for Manchester United where they need to be good technically , have a great fighting spirit, never give up and always carry the team on their shoulder, and scoring an important or making an important contribution for the team.
The tradition of this no 7 started by a player from Belfast and his name is George Best. The winger whom is 2 footed, can play in left and right side was found by the Manchester United scout Bob Bishop in Belfast and contacted Sir Matt Busby and said that “he had found a genius”. He signed with Manchester United and form the United Trinity with Sir Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law . Winning the League title in 1965 the first title after the Munich disaster, Best come to fame when he did not follow the tactical instruction of Sir Matt Busby to defend against Benfica that had won the European Cup twice by beating Barcelona and Real Madrid and take the game to Benfica and the end result Benfica beaten 5 – 1 in Portugal. The result that send shockwave in Europe at that time and George Best performance dubbed by the Portugal press as “O Quinto Beatle ” or “The Fifth Beatle” with the reference to the famous band group The Beetles at that time. Best finally won the European Cup at 1968 final in Wembley and scoring 1 goal to make score line 4-1 and making Manchester United to be first English team to win the European Cup. En route to the final they knocked out the great Real Madrid team in the semifinal with 3 -3 draw in Bernabeu and George Best had scored 1 goal that was claimed to the best goal that he had scored. A sweet victory for Sir Matt Busby and Sir Bobby Charlton after the Munich disaster that destroy the whole team. Later George Best was destroyed by alcohol, girl and he did went bankrupt after retiring from football. Best had passed away due to alcoholism in 25 November 2005. He had started the no 7 jersey legacy. The United Trinity legacy had been shrines in form statue in the Old Trafford.
George Best with Sir Matt Busby with the European Cup in 1968 Best terrozing benfica defender in 1966 Quater Final of the European Cup The United Trinity statue in the Old Trafford
After George Best creating a legacy with no 7 jersey in 80’s come Bryan Robson nicknamed “Robbo ” and Captain Marvel that wear the number 7 shirt . A box to box attacking midfielder he is also a tenacious and never give up type of midfielder and due to this he always get injured in the crucial time hence Manchester United unable to won a league title in 80’s and also with Liverpool dominating domestically and in Europe it was a daunting task at that time. When he is fit he is an absolutely driving force for the team at that time. This is typical when he helped the team to overcome Maradona’s Barcelona in Old Trafford 3-0 and overcome the first leg defeat of 2-0 in Nou Camp in 1984 Cup Winners Cup quarter final but as usual he was injured again in the semifinal against Juventus and Manchester United miss his driving force and was knocked out by Juventus. He is the longest serving captain of Manchester United. He is also will put the team ahead of personal glory as shown in 1983 FA Cup final against Brighton he was on hat trick and on to become the first player after 30 years to score hat trick in FA Cup final but instead allow regular penalty taker Arnold Muhren to score. With the FA Cup win on that year he had become second English player to lift the trophy. He had added another FA Cup win 1985 by defeating Everton hence stopping from winning the treble as Everton had won the League Title and Cup Winners Cup on that year. After Sir Alex Ferguson had replaced Ron Atkinson Robbo still in favor with the manager and had added the Cup Winners Cup medal in 1991 by beating Barcelona hence become the first English Team and first team from British Isle to lift an European trophy after the 5 years ban on the English team due to Heysel tragedy in 1985. Robbo had won the Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1992-1993 seasons after 26 years since they had last won the title in 1967. This is also the year of inaugural English Premier League that previously had been called as Division One.
The next wearer of the no 7 is the catalyst of the Manchester United dominance in 1990’s Eric Cantona. When Cantona at the Leeds United and helped them to win the title in 1991-1992 season to increase the squad strength Leeds chairman Bill Fothery had contacted Sir Alex Ferguson (SAF) to check whether Dennis Irwin is for sales or not. Both parties agreed that Dennis Irwin is not for sale and Sir Alex Ferguson had asked about Cantona and after discussion with Howard Wilkinson the Leeds United manager the deal had been completed. Cantona had arrived in half season where United in 10th place and only lost twice and clinch the title in 1992-1993 seasons and their dominance started from here. Cantona was given the number 7 shirt in the following season and helped United retain the league title and won the FA Cup by beating Chelsea 4-0 in the final completing a domestic double. In the season 1994-1995 Cantona was banned for kungfu kick at the Crystal Palace supporter and was banned for 8 months. He was sorely missed as United had crumbled and lost the title to Blackburn Rovers. When had had returned United team with the blend of experienced and youth player from the class of 92 won the Premier League title and overhaul Newscastle United 13 points led and also won the FA Cup by beating Liverpool in final. Cantona had scored with a brilliant volley that led commenter Peter Barkley passionately screams Cantonaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Manchester United becomes the first team to win the double twice. Cantona had become the first player outside from British Isle to lift the FA Cup as he captained the side. Cantona had helped United to retain the title in 1996-1997 season but unable to retain the FA Cup as they had been knocked out by Wimbledon in fourth round replay. Eric Cantona also unable to add a European silverware as United was knocked out by Borussia Dortmund in the semifinal. Cantona had retired at the age of 30 and this had become his final season. His technical ability, swagger and arrogance was remembered until now by the Manchester United fan and he was awarded the Overseas Player of the Decade in 2003. His goal celebration against Sunderland in 1996 where he beat 3 players and chipped the goalkeeper and celebrated it with looking around the Old Trafford that “look how great I am” is an iconic moment.
One of the Fergie Fleding youth team that become a celebrities is next wearer of the shirt. He is David Beckham coming from the class of 92 with Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs he had become a household name after the goal against Wimbledon. He was given the no 7 shirt after the retirement of Eric Cantona in the 1996-1997 seasons but he did not won any silverware on the 1997-1998 seasons as Cantona was missed and with Roy Keane long suspension Manchester United had failed to retain the title and lost to Arsenal. In 1998 in the World Cup second round against Argentine Beckham was red carded after retaliated to Diego Simeone tackle and was mercilessly and viciously booed in all the stadium in England except Old Trafford as he was blamed for the England failure in World Cup. David Beckham had taken all the abuse on the chin and has performed at his peak in 1998-99 seasons and helped Manchester United to win the treble and become the first English team to win the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champion League. They also had become the first English team to win the Intercontinental Cup after beating Palmeiras from Brazil 1-0.Playing in the right wing and excellent crosser of the ball and superb free kick taker; he was instrumental for the team goal scoring with crossing from the right hand side. He had moved to Real Madrid in 2003 after fallout with his mentor SAF and scored his last goal against Everton in his trademark free kick. His crossing ability was sorely missed by Ruud Van Nistelrooy as his goal scoring record had dropped significantly upon Beckham departure. David Beckham is less skillful than Cantona and George Best but he had pin point crossing , abiliy to curve goal in free kick and in long shot , superb wing play with Gary Neville in the right hand side and great fighting spirit. His iconic moment was the goal against Barcelona in 1998-1999 group stage with a free kick , long range against Deportivo La Corune in 2002 quarter final, proving the corner for Ole Gunnar Solksjaer to score the winning goal in dying minute in 1999 final and may more. He was given a standing ovation when he returned to the club in 2010 for second round clash against Manchester United when he is playing for AC Milan.
After David Beckham departure, Manchester United had arranged a friendly game against Sporting Lisbon as preseason game. A young boy had terrorized Gary Neville in the right hand side and led the Manchester United player urge to sign this young boy. Making his debut against Bolton Wanderers in 2003 and made a mockery of the Bolton Wanderers with terrific dribbling skills. The boy is non-other than Christiano Ronaldo who wear the number 7 shirt on the first season itself. He was first dismissed as show man but in 5 years he had become the completer finisher and attacker. Christiano Ronaldo is able to score from header, 2 footed, long range and also free kicks. He is also a complete attacker where he can left, right and center. The player had that George Best had said that is compliment for him when he was compared with Christiano Ronaldo and Johan Cyruf had said that Ronaldo is better than George Best and Dennis Law.He had scored 42 goal in 2007-2008 to help Manchester United to win UEFA Champion League for 3rd time and also helped to win the Premier League for 3 consecutive year stating 2007, 2008 and 2009. The 2009 is a history making as they had equaled Liverpool record of 18 titles . He also had helped United to reach final again in 2009 to become the first team after AC Milan to win the Champion League twice in a row but was beaten by Barcelona. He also had become the first Manchester United player to win World Player of Year Award in 2008. His long range short against FC Porto in 2009 quarter final, free kick against Portsmouth in 2008 Premier League that left the goalkeeper David James stranded, the powerful header against AS Roman in 2008 Quarter final , free kick against Arsenal in 2009 semifinal , and many more had contributed to the team winning the important games. He refused to celebrate the goal that he had scored when Manchester United meet Real Madrid in 2003 second round due to the respect for the club.
All this players is tenacious, has an excellent skill, willing to fight for the club and was exceptional. The player that wears the number 7 shirt after Christiano Ronaldo is Michael Owen, Antonios Valencia and currently Memphis Depay all failed to live up this. Currently Memphis Depay in his first season and for the look of thing he maybe the next player to live up to the iconic no 7 shirt performance.
The no 7 will always be remembered by fans as all this player had contributed to Manchester United way of play entertain and at the sometime winning the trophies.
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Communist Party of Great Britain
Marxism
An Introductory Course in Five Parts
Published: 1946-49
Transcription\HTML Markup: Brian Reid
Proofreader: Chris Clayton
Public Domain: Marxists Internet Archive (2006). You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet Archive” as your source.
Contents:
1. The Aims of the Communist Party
2. Capitalist Society: Elements of Political Economy
3. The State and Democracy
4. The Labour Movement in Britain
5. Dialectical and Historical Materialism | {
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So you have never heard anyone ever complain about anything I just listed? Then you, my friend, clearly haven’t looked hard enough. Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there. And trust me when I say it very much is.
Also, I’d like to thank you for helping me win my anti-SJW bingo. Let’s see ‘it isn’t offensive to me’, ‘you’re just being sensitive’, ‘but what about the story’, ‘they probably didn’t mean to sexualize them’, ‘BOO SOCIAL JUSTICE’. Let’s pick this apart, shall we?
'It isn't offensive to me': Well congratulations. You're entitled to feel that way. But you're not entitled to trying to silence people who ARE offended.
'You're just being sensitive': No, I'm being critical of the media I consume and letting my own voice be heard. Also? Representation is an issue to be sensitive about, as well as problematic aspects of said media. In fact, critique of such things can be helpful. Take the prostitute in MOTA for example- people protested it and told Bioware it was offensive and why. With that knowledge, they were able to improve on that in Maevaris Tilani. There. An example on how talking about such subjects can be helpful.
'Representation has taken over the game'- because heaven forbid we have stories not focused on cishet white guys and not have LGBTQIAP or POC characters with agency in a company that's all about marketing to every demographic possible. That would just be absurd.
'Sexualizing them isn't a problem'- it is. It's dehumanizing, impractical, objectifying, and it only is there to cater to a bunch of dudebros and, therefore, perpetuating misogyny and objectification of women. I'm sure they didn't mean to, but they did.
'STOP BEING SOCIAL JUSTICE'- How about you stop being so blase and neutral to flaws I'm allowed to call out in a video game company and not just reduce it to 'crazy SJWs'- chances are you'll learn something. | {
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Bret Contreras wants you to know he's read every single article T NATION has ever published. (That's online and print, buddy.)
Passionate about training? You bet your ass.
Speaking of asses, Bret also wants you to know that yours is weak and ugly, and he means that in the nicest way possible. But you should still do something about it. (He also wants you to know he regularly massages the ass of one of his clients who just happens to be a figure competitor.)
Bret wants you to know a lot of things, but that's just because he wants to know a lot of things, too. That's why he received his Masters degree from ASU, his CSCS from NSCA, took a full year off to conduct EMG research, wrote a book about glutes, and is planning to head back to school for his Ph.D.
In fact, Bret's so eager to share his knowledge about bodybuilding, speed, new exercises, and sports training, that he'll start ranting immediately after answering the phone for your interview.
But I guess you really didn't need to know that.
T Nation: Hello? You there? Hold on. Shit. Let me turn this thing on.
Bret Contreras: Sorry about that.
T Nation: Nah, it's cool. We're recording now. What were you getting all pissed about? Something about being "anti-bodybuilding?"
Bret Contreras: I was saying that a lot of experts seem to be anti-bodybuilding. While I agree the vast majority of people see more results when they follow a routine that hits each major muscle group two or three times per week, I believe that every person should experiment with HVT, HIT, HFT, EDT, body-part splits, upper/lower splits, and total body training to find what works best for them.
There's no need to bash any particular system. We all have unique physiologies so we all respond differently to various exercises, splits, volumes, frequencies, intensities, and densities. In fact, the best part of strength training over the long haul is discovering our own unique system.
T Nation: Good point. I've also noticed a lot of guys shitting on the bodybuilding philosophy in the past couple of years, but I think it's making a comeback.
Bret Contreras: I agree. But I've seen a lot of strength coaches and corrective exercise types who employ sport-specific training but wouldn't be caught dead using bodybuilding techniques. However, bodybuilders have been preaching about developing intense mind-muscle connections, reaching optimal levels of body composition, and hitting the muscles from a lot of angles for many decades. Are you telling me their athletes can't benefit from all that?
We all know the sport-specific crowd trains "movements, not muscles." Now they have to teach people how to activate certain muscles like their glutes because they were too focused on the movements. They didn't pay any attention to the muscles.
If you're performing the right strength exercises through the proper range of motion and squeezing the right muscles, then muscle activation takes care of itself. Had we listened to what bodybuilders have said all along and applied it to sport-specific training there would be no need for activation work.
T Nation: That's going to piss some people off.
Bret Contreras: Yeah, but that's okay. It's time for a change.
If a coach prescribes solely axial lifts for his athletes like squats and deadlifts without prescribing anteroposterior lifts like hip thrusts and back extensions, then the athlete will be robbed of maximum glute and hamstring activation and sprint speed development.
Had we listened to the bodybuilders about hitting muscles from various angles we wouldn't have been overly-focused on performing standing barbell and dumbbell exercises and would have been more open to supine, prone, and quadruped movements. And our athletes would be faster because of it.
I don't think there are many trainers right now who are raking in the dough, and considering that people hire trainers for a myriad of reasons including fat loss, muscle gain, increased strength, enhanced speed, and improved health, it's very important for trainers to have a good understanding of each sub-field of strength training so they can be of maximum benefit to their clients.
T Nation: Let's forget about the trainers for a minute and talk about the guys who are in the gym busting their ass. You wrote me an email a few days ago and said they were married to the methods. What did you mean?
Bret Contreras: Most guys have too many goals or none at all. I think each month you should choose a new primary goal. I don't care if it's to gain ten pounds on your bench press, perform two more reps on a chin-up, or gain five pounds of muscle.
But too often we're married to our methods to reach our goals in what we think will be the quickest manner possible.
In strength training we have a lot of divisiveness. There's a time and place for every type of training and we should look at all of these methods as "tools" to help us reach our goals. Guys like Christian Thibaudeau and the late Mel Siff truly understand fitness. They have an appreciation for all types of training, are very open-minded, and can see value in most methods. These are my favorite types of experts. I don't like when people make judgments about certain exercises or training systems having never tried them.
I mean, get good at Bulgarian split squats and single leg RDL's and you'll swear by them. Do HIT training for two months and you might see the best gains of your life.
If you've been training for strength but want increased power, put the strength work on the back burner and focus on speed-strength, explosive strength, and reactive ability.
However, many people have serious hang-ups with abandoning their favorite exercises or methods for a period of time. You can't train for maximum power, maximum strength, maximum size, and maximum conditioning at the same time.
T Nation: But what if a particular method has been working great. Are you saying we should change it up even if we're consistently making gains?
Bret Contreras: Not at all. I'm just saying that your new goal will require you to add something in. To do that, you must take something out. So if you're still getting a benefit from a certain exercise, then sure, keep it in. But I bet there are other parts of your program that aren't doing much for you.
And you gotta know the difference. Most guys will still keep the bench press even though they haven't progressed on it for months. They simply can't let go of an exercise or method in order to advance at something new.
Nate, if I told you that you had to increase your vertical jump by five inches in the next two months or I'd molest your dog in the worst way, what would you do?
T Nation: Wait, what? That's weirdest threat I've ever received.
Bret Contreras: I don't know why I just said that. But, still, what would you do? Let's say you're a strong, powerful squatter. You'd likely improve your jump the most by eliminating squats for two months and doing solely plyometrics, Olympic lift variations, jump squats, and medicine ball work. But many people could never get over the mental hurdle of taking two months off squatting in order to reach that goal.
I've met people who continuously re-injure their lower back from squatting and deadlifting. Their goals should be to rehabilitate themselves so they can lift pain-free. Avoiding squats, deadlifts, and good mornings for a month and sticking to all single-leg work will allow them to stress the hip and thighs while reducing the stress on their lumbar spine. Their strength could be maintained while their back is being rehabilitated.
T Nation: Good point.
Bret Contreras: One final example. I know a lot of guys who want to lose some fat but can't seem to tighten everything up. They're typically really strong guys who are addicted to being big and strong. They lift big and eat big. If and when they ever decide to lighten up the weight, do more reps, hit the muscles from more angles, perform some cardio, and tighten up their diets, they're usually very pleased with their new bodies.
Think of Christian Thibaudeau and Dave Tate. These guys have always been strong, but now they're strong and ripped. The mental hurdle of dieting down for big strong guys is usually a very tough one to get over. But if they can do it, you should be able to.
T Nation: All right, man, I gotta ask. Why the glute fetish?
Bret Contreras: Good question! I remember being 15 and my mom bought me a set of barbells. I'd do curls and military presses and push-ups and stuff, but I never knew how to do anything for legs. One day it occurred to me that I could get bigger legs and a better butt. I don't know why it was such a quantum leap for me. I had friends who played football and the girls would say, "Oh, he has a nice butt," and I wanted them to say that about me.
More recently, I read about glute bridges from guys I respect like Robertson, Cressey, and Boyle and thought it was a good exercise. Then I was watching a UFC fight and this guy was full-mounted on the ground. I couldn't figure out why the dude on the bottom didn't buck the other guy off. In truth, I knew he was tired and less powerful, but I still thought it was a movement that most guys have no power in. So I thought about putting a barbell on there, and the weighted glute bridge was born.
People think I'm psychotic because I wrote a 675-page E-book on the glutes. It's just something I think everyone needs to work on.
T Nation: You told me earlier you actually massage your clients' glutes. What's up with that?
Bret Contreras: It's something I picked up from Charlie Francis who would get so in tune with his clients. He was their trainer, their masseuse, and their coach. I stopped doing 12-hour days training clients to focus on writing, but I still trained a handful of people. I found out I could help them break down scar tissue with a foam roller, lacrosse ball, or by using my thumbs and elbows and it really did miracles with their form and their firing patterns. It's not that weird. And I don't just massage their glutes. There are other body parts, you know.
T Nation: Fair enough. I also heard you don't like to get sore from training. What are you, a wuss?
Bret Contreras: Ha! Hardly. But I'm glad you brought it up because it's rarely talked about in strength training. Soreness is not an indicator of muscle growth and can very easily impede progress. Due to individuality and differences in anthropometry, everyone has exercises that get them really sore, and those exercises are often the one's for which they are the best suited. For me it's deadlifts and walking lunges. Deadlifts make my lower back very sore and walking lunges make my adductor magnus and lower glutes sore as hell.
But if I get too sore from these exercises, it's hard for me to get a good workout the following day (or even the following several days), even if I'm doing upper-body work. Also, if my adductor magnus is crippled I won't be able to do any high-quality hip extension work until the pain subsides or I might pull the muscle. So it's to my advantage to avoid getting too sore on these exercises.
This leaves me with several options. I could avoid the exercise altogether, which is not a good choice. I could perform several sets but not go too hard on any sets, which is also not a good choice. I could perform dynamic work (explosive sets with lighter weight) which is a decent choice, or I could just do one hard set and walk away, which is the best option in my opinion.
T Nation: But would that one set still give you a training effect?
Bret Contreras: Definitely. It would if you came back and hit that same muscle group one or two more times that week. Why cripple yourself when we know that working the muscle more frequently is better?
If you're sore, you won't get a good training effect at all. So it's okay to perform just one or two sets of an exercise if it decreases soreness and allows you to function better throughout the week.
But you don't do it on every body part. Personally, I often avoid high rep deadlifts and walking lunges. I once deadlifted 405 pounds for 12 reps and was crippled for nine straight days. I once did 20 walking lunges with 245 pounds and was crippled for nine days as well.
T Nation: Something about the nine days...
Bret Contreras: Must be. But I won't do that ever again. I always deadlift after I squat, so my hips and low back are already warmed up, but now I do 405 pounds for one rep and I use that set to determine how heavy to go for my work set. If 405 feels heavy, I might do 475 for one set. If 405 feels like cupcakes, I might go for 550 for one set. Then I'm done.
Now, squats and the bench press don't get me that sore so I might do five sets of them. Everyone has their lifts where they should limit their total amount of sets due to extreme levels of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) production.
T Nation: After seeing your glute bridge variations, I'm crowning you King of the crazy-ass exercises. You got any others for us?
Bret Contreras: Man, you have no idea. A few years ago I remember hearing some guys at my gym say that lunges are for pussies. I remember thinking to myself that walking lunges are probably the most difficult exercise I do. One hard set can force me to lie down for five minutes gasping for air.
I'd rather do a hard set of squats, deadlifts, or weighted chin-ups any day of the week than walking lunges. I then realized that these close-minded guys were referring to bodyweight lunges and had never tried a hard set of barbell walking lunges.
Last year I overheard a guy at my gym telling another guy that single-leg RDL's are a "sissy exercise." I tried them and sucked at them because I wasn't very coordinated. Luckily, I decided to stick with them. Now I can perform 5 deep reps with two 100-lb dumbbells and they're an amazing exercise for me.
T Nation: Okay, but where are you going with this?
Bret Contreras: What I'm saying is, until you try it you have no idea how effective an exercise will be. And just because it looks crazy doesn't mean it won't kick your ass. One exercise I'd like everyone to try is the pendulum quadruped hip extension.
You know why most of the butt machines at the gym suck? Because they're made for women. They're too small, uncomfortable, and don't have enough weight on the stack.
The pendulum beneath the reverse hyper is the perfect tool to allow you to maximally target the glutes. Just place a mat underneath the machine, get on all fours, place a heel against the pendulum bar, position the body far back so the heel is almost touching the butt, hold onto the side rails for support, and extend the hips, keeping the knee at around a 90-degree angle and avoiding any rotary motion at your core.
This exercise absolutely kills me. The plate-loadable bar allows you to load up as much weight as your want. I can do 100 pounds for ten reps and 125 pounds for five reps. When I'm finished with the set, I feel like I got run over by a truck. My core is demolished, my glutes are on fire, my quads are pumped, and my lungs are gasping for air. How many glute isolation exercises have this effect?
Sure, it's a "machine exercise" but machines are okay in sport-specific training if they hit a certain muscle really hard, train a functional movement pattern, and as long as the big basics are covered in the program.
The pendulum quadruped hip extension will get you strong glutes and increase your hip hyperextension strength which will transfer over to running and sprinting.
T Nation: I'll have to try that one. Let's wrap up. Is there anything else pissing you off?
Bret Contreras: At the risk of sounding like a typical meathead I'm going to go out on a limb and call for a "return to strength." Don't get me wrong; I believe there's a time for unstable training, unilateral and bilateral exercises, free weight and machine exercises, closed chain and open chain exercises, compound and isolation exercises, and stretched-position and contracted-position exercises. I believe we need to learn how to activate certain muscles, get flexible, and get the core really strong.
T Nation: However, how long does this take?
Bret Contreras: After a solid year of glute activation, stretching, and core training, those qualities should be brought up to par. After that, glute activation work doesn't need to be performed. You simply need to integrate level-appropriate glute strengthening exercises like hip thrusts and pendulum quadruped hip extensions into your strength program.
The total amount of stretching can be reduced once adequate flexibility is reached, and if you're doing exercises like full squats, Romanian deadlifts, chin ups, dips, and Bulgarian squats, then you're already doing loaded stretching during your strength workout.
I think we can easily go overboard on things like warm-ups, mobility work, flexibility, activation, movement prep, and core work.
If I'm training an athlete, then I'll spend more time warming them up.
But when I'm ready to lift, I want to slam an energy drink, listen to some insanely loud music, do a few warm-up sets, and start lifting my balls off. | {
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„Chiar vreau să vă anunț public că nu mai accept insultele din partea Guvernului României față de munca pe care o fac”, a spus, vizibil iritată, Corina Crețu, răspunzând la întrebările ziariștilor.
(De la minutul 21:30)
„Nu înțeleg această tensiune care s-a creat între mine și guvern spunând lucrurilor pe nume. Avem bani la Bruxelles pentru proiecte de infrastructură, nu avem proiecte”, a acuzat Corina Crețu, care este membră a Partidului Social Democrat condus de Liviu Dragnea.
Aceasta a oferit și exemple concrete, citând cazul autostrăzii Târgu Mureș - Iași, unde Guvernul de la București a decis recent ca tronsonul Târgu Neamț - Iași să fie realizat în parteneriat public - privat, deși există bani europeni pentru construcția acestuia, inclusiv pentru studiile de fezabilitate.
„Pentru Târgu Mureș - Iași în primul rând este o prioritate a Comisiei Europene, și o spun cu toată sinceritatea, de aici, de pe podiumul Comisiei Europene, avem nevoie de a completa proiectele de infrastructură care conectează Europa, mai ales Republica Moldova, Moldova, de Europa centrală și de est. Avem bani pentru studii de fezabilitate, nu avem nicio solicitare pentru aceste studii de fezabilitate”, a spus Corina Crețu.
Aceasta a arătat că vine dintr-o vizită din Grecia unde a inaugurat, printre altele, un tren de mare viteză, în cadrul unor proiecte demarate pe trei perioade de programare, respetiv 20 - 21 de ani.
Comisarul european a argumentat că, odată demarat un astfel de proiect, fiecare guvern va fi obligat să-l ducă mai departe.
„Dacă noi ne oferim și putem face acest studiu de fezabilitate până în 2020 - 2021 și să înceapă construcția, cred că am face un pas înainte și am fi un pas important. Din păcate am văzut că în ședința de guvern Guvernul a anunțat că vrea să facă această autostradă pe sistemul parteneriat public privat”, și-a exprimat Corina Crețu dezamăgirea.
Ea a avertizat că specialiștii Comisiei „nu sunt confortabili cu această abordare pentru că înseamnă o deprioritizare a acestei investiții”.
Corina Crețu a afirmat că este datoria sa, în calitate de comisar european, să avertizeze toate statele membre, „deci implicit și România despre riscul pierderii sau dezangajării de fonduri și mai ales în domeniul infrastructurii, având în vedere că sunt lucrări complexe, care durează ani de zile”: „Trebuie să îmi fac datoria și să spun că atunci când o țară riscă să-și piardă șansa la dezvoltare pentru generații întregi”.
Ea a subliniat că, în cazul României, a făcut eforturi „extraordinare” pentru creșterea gradului de absorbție. „Am fazat foarte multe proiecte, în valoare de 3 miliarde de euro, practic am degrevat bugetul național de 3 miliarde de euro, bani care ar fi fost pierduți”, ajungându-se astfel la o rată de absorbție pentru perioada 2007 - 2013 de peste 90% în condițiile în care când a preluat mandatul de comisar european era de doar 50%.
„S-au pierdut 2 miliarde de euro, din păcate în domeniul cel mai vulnerabil și cel mai necesar pentru România, cel al transporturilor. Pentru perioada 2014 - 2020 facem eforturi supraomenești să evităm dezangajările de fonduri”, a avertizat din nou Corina Crețu, care a cerut „proiecte noi, mature”.
În prezent există în analiza Comisiei „un singur proiect major, proiectul de metrou Otopeni - Gara de Nord”. „În rest așteptăm Craiova - Pitești, Târgu Mureș - Iași, Podul de la Brăila. Autoritățile române sunt cele care au solicitat schimbarea programului de infrastructură mare, dânșii ne-au dat niște deadline-uri care au fost deja depășite cu mult, la metrou angajat sub semnătură că vor depune în decembrie acest proiect de metrou, ne aflăm în noiembrie 2018 și nu-l avem depus la finanțare”, și-a continuat comisarul european acuzațiile la adresa guvernului de la București.
„Ceea e vreau ca oamenii să înțeleagă - din partea noastră există toată disponibilitatea, dar atâta vreme cât nu avem proiecte nu avem ce analiza și nu avem deci ce cofinanța. Mai simplu de atât nu văd ...”, a spus Corina Crețu, ridicând din umeri.
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You will receive an email with details on beta testing if your submission was chosen. | {
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This ICO Project Wants to Detokenize Itself
Digipulse, a Latvian startup offering “crypto-inheritance” services, has decided to completely detokenize its business. Only two of its clients signed up on the platform using its native tokens. The team also says it doesn’t like to rely on price speculation but wants to create value with its service.
Also read: Cars and Pizzas for Crypto in Russia, Crypto Valley in South Korea
Creating Value Rather Than Speculating
The young Latvian company that news.Bitcoin.com reported on recently, Digipulse, has announced a decision that’s not very typical for ambitious startups in the crypto space but on the other hand, it makes perfect sense, given the circumstances. Company CEO Normund Kvilis has just explained in a blog post why the team wants to completely detokenize its business model.
In order for Digipulse to become synonymous with digital asset inheritance, it needs to create value with its service, rather than token price speculation, Kvilis notes. He also points out that despite all advantages, the Digipulse token value fluctuates based solely on speculation – a process that doesn’t support a sustainable business development. The chief executive of the project goes on to say:
Therefore, in what appears to be a rare case in crypto, we’ll be offering our investors several token exchange options before delisting the Digipulse token from exchanges on December 15th, 2018.
Mr. Kvilis admits it wasn’t an easy decision but adds that the data collected by Digipulse shows the token isn’t fulfilling its main objective. “Out of the 320 service sign-ups we’ve had until July 25th, only two people have actually allocated tokens to the service, meaning that only two people have actually used the DGPT token for its main purpose,” he says in the post. Over 20 million DGPT tokens were issued during the token sale.
All Tokens to Be Removed, Delisted and Burned
Digipulse now plans to remove all of its tokens from circulation and delist DGPT from crypto exchanges before mid-December. After that, it will burn all coins, including tokens allocated to the founder and the company. Instead, it offers investors with token holdings exceeding 10,000 DGPT a direct stake in the company’s equity. All other token holders will be provided with various options relating to the use of the Digipulse platform, including extended and even lifetime access in some cases, the company CEO promised.
The startup conducted its Initial Coin Offering (ICO) in October of 2017 to raise funds for its ambitious project to offer unique crypto-inheritance services. The idea was born when co-founder Normunds Kvilis experienced health issues while on a business trip. “It occurred to me then that there was no provision for my own crypto assets, should something serious happen to me,” Kvilis said recently, quoted by the ICO Examiner. “That was essentially where Digipulse came from – I realized there was simply no service on the market for this kind of thing,” he explained in July.
Essentially, Digipulse uses a blockchain-based vault that allows its users to upload data which is then stored securely for as long as the platform observes online activity from the account holder. In case no activity is observed over a period of time, the platform sends an automated message to a specified recipient with details on how to access the vault’s contents. The service also covers any situation requiring automated transmission of assets, documents, passwords and wallet keys, in accordance with certain pre-set criteria.
What do you think about Digipulse’s decision? Should other ICO projects detokenize their business? Share your opinions in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock.
Bitcoin News is growing fast. To reach our global audience, send us a news tip or submit a press release. Let’s work together to help inform the citizens of Earth (and beyond) about this new, important and amazing information network that is Bitcoin. | {
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Living in this Bathingsuit this summer 🍊🍊 Best thing, it is made from recycled ocean plastic 🥰🧡 #anzeige @sqorpios #sqorpios #beachwear #bathingsuit #bikini #ibiza #sustainable #recycledplastic #swimwear | {
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on •
Electrify America has released its new national plan for the the 30-month period beginning in July and it mostly focuses on building DC fast charging locations at 18 metro areas across the country with a smaller focus on adding sites along regional highways near some cities. That general focus is consistent with the separate Cycle 2 plan for California released late last year.
The company, created as one part of Volkswagen’s legal settlements resulting from it’s “dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal, is required to spend $2 billion dollars over 10 years. The planning is split into four investment periods of $500 million each. California receives 40 percent of the investment under the settlement so $300 million goes towards the rest of country.
The company plans to spend between $145 million and $165 million on metropolitan area DC charging at sites with typically 5 charging spaces that will support 150 kW CCS charging rates. At least one of those charging spaces would include support for CHAdeMO. Some sites could have as few as 3 charging spaces or be limited to 50 kW charging rates while others could have as many as 10 spaces depending on expected utilization and the available site facilities.
Of the 18 metro areas, five are completely new. They consist of Atlanta, Baltimore, Honolulu, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Nine of the areas are carried over from Cycle 1 but will get substantial new funding. Those areas are Boston, Chicago, Denver, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle and Washington, DC. Four additional new metro areas are adjacent to existing areas including Boulder, Colorado near Denver along with Bridgeport, Connecticut near New York City and finally Bremerton and Olympia near Seattle, Washington.
The large majority of these new metro DC charging sites are planned to be near retail shopping locations with a few located selectively at multi-unit housing complexes along with some dedicated stations aimed specifically at “shared mobility” drivers such as taxis and Lyft or Uber vehicles.
About 10 existing metro locations built in Cycle 1 will be upgraded for faster charging or to install additional charging equipment.
Some additional highway and regional routes would support travel outside of metro areas and receive between $65 million and $85 million in spending. Substantial regions of the country in the western US will continue to lack highway charging such as Wyoming and the Dakotas.
Electrify America plans to set aside up to $5 million to experiment with adding renewable energy generation and may build two custom charging sites with equipment designed to charge automated driver-less vehicles.
A total of 215 new DC charging sites are expected to be added during Cycle 2 in addition to the 484 sites defined under the Cycle 1 plan. Schedule estimates show that between 30 and 50 of the new Cycle 2 locations may be operational by the end of 2019.
Overall, a total of about $235 million is expected to be spent on new charging infrastructure with the remaining $35 million going to educational and marketing efforts and $30 million going to support the company’s operational business overhead.
In addition to spending on new charging sites described in the Cycle 2 plan, the company expects to spend some Cycle 2 funds on completing approximately 28 sites planned as part of the Cycle 1 network.
The new plan does not seem to include the substantial investments in 240V “level 2” AC charging at several hundred workplaces and multi-unit residential complexes that were included in the Cycle 1 plan. Instead, the plans call for some DC fast charging sites to be located near clusters of high-density residential housing.
Confirming previous statements by company officials, subscription-based pricing will be enabled through Electrify America mobile apps. Although not stated in the new plan, the new apps are expected to become available within the next two months, according to an company executive.
As in the Cycle 1 plans, no money is being spent on hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell cars. Electrify America says it was unable to identify investments that would be consistent with a viable long-term business plan. The company owns and operates most of the DC charging it is installing and is allowed to make a profit.
The new plans do not mention the use of stationary on-site battery storage that was recently disclosed as part of 100 or so Cycle 1 locations being completed this year.
See also: Tesla battery storage going to 100+ Electrify America locations in 2019
For the first time, the company plans to spend $10 million on advertising its own charging locations. In addition, it will spend $25 million to improve general public awareness of zero-emission vehicles similar to spending done in Cycle 1. As part of this, it expects to develop a new television ad campaign similar to the “Jetstones” advertising in Cycle 1.
The new national plan still requires approval from the EPA but the company has already had an advanced review and feedback session with the agency and its Cycle 1 plan previously received swift approval in 2017.
See also: Electrify America proposes metro DC charging, no H2 stations for CA cycle 2
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Holy cow! I honestly wasn't expecting this, I'm seriously blown away. My Santa got me a bunch of succulents and a cute little terrarium kit. I love all of it. I can't wait to get a few ferns to grow in the terrarium, and I'm gonna need a bigger succulent shelf haha! Thank you so much, Santa, this honestly made my day! I can't wait to get to planting my new babies.
p.s. don't feel bad about not sending it personally! I totally understand and it doesn't matter to me either way. I love the gift regardless. | {
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2019年03月28日 09時57分 メモ
Microsoftがエイプリルフールネタを禁止に
4月1日のエイプリルフールになると世界中のさまざまな企業があの手この手でウソをついてユーザーを楽しませてくれますが、Microsoftはこの風習に嫌気がさしているようで社内にエイプリルフール禁止令を敷いたことが明らかになっています。
Microsoft leads the way in banning April Fools’ Day pranks - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/27/18283674/microsoft-april-fools-day-ban-pranks-internal-memo
Microsoftのマーケティングチーフであるクリス・カポセラ氏が、2019年3月25日に従業員に対してエイプリルフールに参加しないようにと警告したそうです。海外メディアのThe Vergeが独自に入手した社内メモによると、カポセラ氏は「エイプリルフールによるポジティブな影響は限定的であり、望ましくないニュースサイクルが発生する可能性がある」と、エイプリルフールを禁止する理由について社員に説明しています。
さらに、「私は人々がエイプリルフールのために多くの時間とリソースを費やしてきたことを理解していますが、この日に何か面白いことを試みることで得られる何か以上に、失う何かの方が多いと思っています」と、エイプリルフールに参加するメリットが少ないという見解をカポセラ氏は示しています。
エイプリルフールについたウソが裏目に出るというのはよくある話で、The VergeはMicrosoftのエイプリルフール禁止は「おそらく安全策」と一定の理解を示しています。その理由として、過去にGoogleがエイプリルフールネタから謝罪を余儀なくされてしまったケースなどが挙げられています。
なお、過去にMicrosoftはエイプリルフールネタとして「Windows PhoneをMS-DOS風の見た目にしてしまうネタ」や「Microsoftの検索エンジンBingをGoogle風の見た目に変更するネタ」などを行ってきました。
エイプリルフールは500年もの間続いている伝統ですが、近年はもはや企業のアピール合戦となりつつあるところも否めません。Microsoftは明らかに技術的な観点からエイプリルフールへの参加を見送り、これまでの「エイプリルフールに参加しなければ」という風潮を変えようとしていますが、この動きが他の多くのハイテク企業に届くのかどうかは2019年の4月1日になってみなければわかりません。
なお、GIGAZINEではエイプリルフールに便乗していろいろと仕込みまくっているサイトを4月1日の0時から24時まで、文字通り24時間ネットにぺっとりとはりついてリアルタイムでまとめまくるのでお楽しみに。
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Design represents the graphical displaying of the website page. It should be noted that there is no separation into blocks and other functional components here. For that reason, if you want a responsive theme out of your standardized graphics, you’ll have to select its structure first.
When the issue is about conversion into a Drupal design theme, it is usually represented as a Photoshop or Sketch file, and beginners are horror-stricken. This is because alongside standard graphical element transfer the developers should strictly meet UX standards. In other words they should keep the convenience and intuitivity of all navigational components. In this article we’ll discuss how to make the conversion. Also we’ll discover whether it is rational to appeal to a third-party organization for PSD to Drupal conversion service.
Design to Drupal theme conversion: the major challenge
The major challenge of PSD to Drupal theme conversion is the fact that a Drupal theme consists of numerous small parts, blocks and components. So it is a complicated task for the beginner to reconstruct everything that was displayed on the picture. To make Drupal theme development crystal clear for you, you should focus on the following three principles:
Every web page in Drupal is a set of functional elements, with each of them having its own default partition; To perform conversion you should pick the sharp texture out of the functional elements of your page and extrapolate it to the developed design; Your theme should contain only the details that make the default partition different from the targeted one.
Three fundamental steps in Design to Drupal theme conversion
The overall conversion process can be divided into three global stages. Let's discuss these in detail.
1. Photoshop theme development
Before you start working with any drawing program you should list the ideas of your site design on paper. The purpose of this is that not every greenhorn designer can wade through innumerable page elements to see how they fit together. In most cases the comprehension of how to “replenish” them into adaptive design comes too late, when a lot of time has already been spent on drawing. Moreover, when you’ve got a paper plan, it is much easier to draw again. So be organized.
It's true that you can have a turnkey design created in Photoshop or any other drawing program, but it is still a good idea to put it down on paper. Then it is easier to see whether the page functionality is logically constructed. Also, if you see the necessity to make changes in a finished PSD sketch, you can make changes that were foreseen; that will save you time and money.
Talking about pattern-making tools for future themes creating, Photoshop fits perfectly. To process a PSD-file you already have in the right manner, you’ll have to divide your sketch into layers using the slicing tool. Each layer should be saved as a separate file. (Analyzing your design on paper can bring you to the conclusion that there is no need to do this with some layers, or vice versa). Then all files should be placed into one directory. Thus you can create a couple of already-finished drawing interpretations in Photoshop, making some “banks” (directories) with different sets of layers. This approach will help you to select the best compilation.
2. PSD to HTML conversion
To convert the sketch to the Drupal theme, you need to analyze the functions of the future site and detect components that are used to build specific functions. Afterwards, you can find out which components must be changed.
To simplify this stage, draw up a table (you can even do it on paper). Mention all the mandatory site objects in the left column. The user’s member ledger, recycler, videoplayer, price catalogue, blog, feedback field, address bar, etc. are some examples of such objects. The next column is used to address modules for each component implementation. The last column is to describe the features of each component mentioned earlier (e.g., which financial operations can the user perform within your site).
This is how you detect if there are any components or characteristics in your list, and some of those are represented in the Drupal plugins by default. And this is the starting point to develop wireframes.
Usually when developing wireframes, the majority of the web designers tend to use paper tracing. While doing that, they start with the inner pages of the site (despite the prototyping seeming easy, you should set the connections between all the navigating components at the start). In such a manner, you’ll move consequently to the start page of your site and the fns root directory.
It must be separately noted that even when you have a completely turn-key design to work with, do not neglect prototyping. The mentioned outlines can make you think of created graphical site representation as such, avoiding distractions on picture aesthetics.
After a detailed prototypes workup, you can link them with site functionalities by default, and also with Drupal plugins, detected in a table drawn up earlier. In particular, Drupal plugins are responsible for database content pull and storage. In fact, they represent the database content in HTML-wrapper. At this time, the theme determines how the context will be represented on the page. It is performed by means of HTML-tags, which are processed with CSS. As a result, your work on the theme will be reduced to the correction of the HTML-wrapper code of the database contents. To start the theme conversion, you need to create the new file 'style.css' and make changes to it.
3. HTML code integration into major Drupal theme
At this stage of conversion of the sketch to a Drupal theme, you’ll have to transfer the newly-created HTML-code to the Drupal engine.
To accomplish this, you just need to select one multiple of the frameworks proposed by a specific engine. Next, build all the components that can be installed without any conversion into the framework and then start the styling by means of CSS.
To translate the idea into action, you should create a new directory and place your theme files there. While doing so, all the changes will be placed into the style.css file. Then, you’ll have to rename the prior theme for your site to stop “uploading” it automatically.
Summary
Now, let’s summarize! Despite the design, the Drupal conversion procedure is simple, and it requires specific Drupal skills from the web and layout designers. So, if you want to get a maximally seamless and logical solution, the best idea is to refer to good professionals (aka our company Anyforsoft). Our squad masters the expert level of PSD to Drupal conversion services provision. Therefore, we offer the conversion of any sophisticated and fantastical design to its “pixel perfect” HTML-version. And you will be able to represent your business within the boundlessness of the Internet. | {
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“The One With The Sonogram At The End” (season one, episode two; originally aired 9/29/1994)/“The One With The… | {
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A Billowing Swirl of Red Sand! [Monday Meeting Notes]
Monday Meeting, News
Yes, the red sands of Mars explode around your booted feet as you parry and lunge through the ruined courtyard of the ancient complex!
You must be in the world of Cavaliers of Mars!
Its Kickstarter starts tomorrow, 9/19 at 12 noon Eastern US time, and we hope to see you there! Not only will you get a chance to learn more about Rose Bailey’s new swashbuckling game, but you’ll also get a chance to meet Onyx Path‘s new Kickstarter runner: Jammin’ James Bell!
Jammin’ James is joining us to run and manage our Kickstarter efforts after many years in customer service, retail sales and management, and we know you’ll enjoy talking with him during each phase of our Kickstarters. Some of you might remember James as one of the founders of Fiery Dragon Games going as far back as the d20 craze of years ago, so not only does he know the business and customer service side of things, but he has a long love for tabletop RPGs and all forms of gaming!
Which brings up another addition to our little crew, but first, I want to digress and just go into the way Onyx Path is set up in regards to our projects and the developers who head up the projects.
From our beginning over five years ago, Onyx Path has been almost a central hub, if you will, with very few actual employees. But around that hub spin all of our game lines, and each of those has traditionally had a freelance developer and a team of freelance writers responsible for creating the text for each of the projects for that line.
Following the metaphor, because we must, Onyx Path as the hub at the center exerts a gravitational pull, but we have tried very much to give our developers and their teams the autonomy to create as they need to within the bounds and agreed upon parameters of that gravitational pull.
I’ve gotten the impression over the years that some of our community are imagining we’re some sort of Disney or Hasbro sort of corporation with departments issuing orders and exerting a micro-managing control over each and every stage of the creation process. That’s just not the case, and quite deliberately not that way.
How we do things has been based on the procedures for making our projects that we developed over decades at White Wolf. You could say that our book creation process is developer-driven, which I prefer to marketing or bottom-line driven creative processes.
It’s not perfect, though, as some recent project and line-based adjustments have shown. While still holding to our creative emphasis, we’ve also been evolving and tweaking our development process and the role developers have in the making of our projects for the past several years. More recently, Onyx Path has been able to afford to bring on additional folks to help our developers do that voodoo that they do so well.
As part of this initiative to continue to evolve how we do our books, I’m thrilled to be able to announce that Fast Eddy Webb, our long-time co-worker, the guy who kept White Wolf actively publishing any tabletop RPG material at all during the CCP days, the creator of Pugmire, is coming on full-time at Onyx Path in order to add his considerable organizational and creative developer abilities to individual projects, but also to assist other developers with their projects, as well.
Don’t worry, he’s still running Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau, too!
Many Worlds, One Path.
BLURBS!
ON SALE!
KICKSTARTER:
Cavaliers of Mars Kickstarter starts at 12 noon Eastern US time, on 9/19/17!
ON AMAZON:
We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook store on Amazon! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle. Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies: Vampire: the Masquerade‘s Endless Ages, Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage 2, Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Truth Beyond Paradox, Chronicles of Darkness‘ God Machine Chronicle, Mummy: The Curse‘s Curse of the Blue Nile, and Beast: The Primordial‘s The Primordial Feast!
And now you can get these books in the Barnes and Noble Nook store too!
And here are six more fiction books:
Andand six more more:
Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
(Kindle, Nook) Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)
(Kindle, Nook) Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)
(Kindle, Nook) Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)
(Kindle, Nook) Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)
(Kindle, Nook) Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)
We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the Screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there!
https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire
Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://theonyxpath.com/press-release-onyx-path-limited-editions-now-available-through-indie-press-revolution/
You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages! And Screens…so many Screens!
And you can now order Pugmire: the book, the screen, and the dice! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=296
ON DRIVETHRURPG.COM:
From out of the Dreaming, the C20 Jumpstart: Yours To Keep PDF and PoD goes live on Wednesday on DTRPG.com!
The PDF and PoD versions of C20 are now on DriveThruRPG.com: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/210616/Changeling-The-Dreaming-20th-Anniversary-Edition
Twenty years ago, White Wolf published Changeling: the Dreaming, the fifth of their promised five game-lines that together comprised the World of Darkness. Seen by some as a lighter, more fantasy-based setting in the modern-day, and by others as the darkest game White Wolf had yet created, players had to face the question of what happens once creativity and magic fades from their world.
This 20th Anniversary Edition of Changeling: the Dreaming returns to that deceptively bright yet terrifying world and both compiles and completes the concepts of the previous two editions. Led by veteran White Wolf and Onyx Path developer “Blackhat” Matt McFarland, our writing team consists of longtime Changeling creators like Ian Lemke, Jackie Cassada, Nicky Rea, and Peter Woodworth, as well as familiar names such as John Snead, Maggie Carrol, Matthew Dawkins, and Krister Michl. One and all are dedicated to making Changeling: the Dreaming Twentieth Anniversary Edition the most playable edition yet – while not losing the wonder, awe, and majesty that Changeling is known for.
A revised and up to date look at the World of Darkness through the eyes of the Kithain – what has happened to the Dreaming in the last 20 years, and what is the state of Glamour and dreams?
through the eyes of the Kithain – what has happened to the Dreaming in the last 20 years, and what is the state of Glamour and dreams? Rules for all of the kiths including in 2nd ed, plus fan favorites from other books: selkies, piskies, clurichaun, and both Arcadian and Concordian sidhe.
Rules for the Gallain: The inanimae, the hsien, the Nunnehi, and others!
An overhauled and reimagined system for fae magic, including new Arts and the powerful but dangerous practice of Unleashing!
New full-color beautiful artwork as well as classic Changeling illustrations including remastered full page pieces of the kiths by Tony Diterlizzi.
Now available, this all-new Trinity Continuum: Aeon poster, featuring the art we used for the cover of the StoryPath Booklet at this year’s GenCon! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/220904/Trinity-Continuum-Aeon-Poster
And this version for art lovers is without the logo: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/220905/Trinity-Continuum-Aeon-Poster-sans-logo
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: After the Fall (Demon: The Descent Constantinople 1453-1458). The Ottoman conquest shatters Constantinople…and also the God-Machine’s grip on it. Unchained flock from all over the world to seek their fortunes in rebuilding the city. But is the Machine really gone, and if it is, can the Unchained face the horrors it drove into the shadows?
On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/217978/Dark-Eras-After-the-Fall-Demon-the-Descent
Calling all Good Dogs! The Pugmire Core Rulebook PDF is now available on DTRPG.com!
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/204313/Pugmire-Core-Rulebook
And the actual physical book, screen, and dice, are available to order on the IPR and Studio2 websites!
Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: A Grimm Dark Era (Changeling: The Lost Grimm’s Tales). With the publication of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, the Lost find themselves subject to the strength of stories, to a degree never before seen. As numerous stories reach greater audiences, the power of tales redefine what it means to be a changeling. Here, we explore a shift in the veil between fiction and reality, and find changelings who escaped by embracing the odd rules of the fantastic.
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/217370/Dark-Eras-A-Grimm-Dark-Era
On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG!
From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Lily, Sabre, and Thorn (Changeling: The Lost Swashbuckling France 1600s – early 1700s). In the Age of Reason under the reign of Louis XIV, enlightenment went hand-in-hand with court intrigues. The Sun King’s court influenced a time when changeling freeholds gained increasing unity and communication. It is a time of adventure, deception, betrayal, and passion — the roar of cannon, the rustle of silk, the ring of steel. The joys and sorrows and outrageous fortunes of the swashbuckler — these are all too well-known to the Lost.
On sale in PDF and PoD versions at DTRPG.com this Weds!
Satyr Phil Brucato beckons you once more into the Annex of Mage: The Ascension with this 300 page follow-up to M20. The M20 Book of Secrets is NOW on sale in PDF and PoD versions at DTRPG.com! http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214133/M20-Book-of-Secrets
More Than Magick
For mages who think they have everything, this trove of treasures expands upon the wealth of material presented throughout Mage: The Ascension’s 20th Anniversary Edition. New Traits, new rules, essays, answers, information… the Secrets are revealed within.
Enter the Annex
Building upon the M20 core rulebook, this Book of Secrets features updated rules and setting material, such as…
An M20 FAQ Genres & Resources
Matters of Focus Justice & Influence
New Abilities, Archetypes, Merits & Flaws
Expanded Rules for Combat, Resonance, Wonders, Computer Systems, and More
This Ascension Continues…
What dark secrets do the eldest vampires hold? Find out in Thousand Years of Night for Vampire: The Requiem! Advance PDF version available now on DriveThruRPG.com. http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/214130/Thousand-Years-of-Night
You may think that with a multitude of people coming, going, dying and running away, we’d be tired, done, or ready to give up.
Instead, I find myself restless, looking for the next thing.
There’s always a next thing, and I for one am not yet ready to die.
– Elder Kincaid, Daeva Crone
This book includes:
• Detailed instructions on creating elder vampires, including how to base chronicles around them
• A look into the lives of elders, how they spend their nights, who they work with, and why including their roles in both their clans and covenants
• New Devotions, Merits, and Rituals for elder vampires
• The kinds of creatures that pose a threat to elder vampires, including Inamorata, Lamia, Sons of Phobos, a new elder conspiracy, and more!
CONVENTIONS!
Fast Eddy Webb will be running Pugmire during the online convention Gauntlet Con: http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/ which runs from Oct. 20 – 22. Here is the sign-up link for the event which will be live-streamed. Currently three of six seats are still open: https://gauntlet-con.firebaseapp.com/event-detail/-KsmNjZtiH5ARXA6T6vb
In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. November 2-5: https://www.gameholecon.com/ Monica Valentinelli (Hunter: the Vigil 2e, Dark Eras), Manda Collis (Exalted 3e), Scott Holden (Scarred Lands), Matt M McElroy (Operations Manager) and other folks from the OPP crew will be there!
Also in November, the Onyx Path crew including Rich, Matt, Lisa, Neall, Dixie, and Meghan will be at the first ever PAX Unplugged in Philadelphia, November 17-19. http://unplugged.paxsite.com/
Planning ahead for 2018, we’re heading back to Midwinter Game Convention in Milwaukee, January 11-14, where we’re going to be bringing a big crew of many of your favorite Onyx Path designers and we’ll be running demos and making some special announcements at the show! http:// midwintergamingconvention.com
And now, the new project status updates!
DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):
First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)
M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Monarchies of Mau (Monarchies of Mau)
Night Horrors: The Tormented (Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition)
(Promethean: The Created 2nd Edition) Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)
They Came From Beneath the Sea! Rulebook (TCFBtS!)
Redlines
Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)
Second Draft
WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)
Tales of Good Dogs – Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)
Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)
Development
Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)
SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)
Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)
Scion: Origin (Scion 2nd Edition)
Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)
Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)
GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)
Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)
The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)
WW Manuscript Approval:
Editing:
Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)
DtD Night Horrors: Enemy Action (Demon: the Descent)
Post-Editing Development:
W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)
Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)
M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)
C20 Ready Made Characters (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)
Indexing:
ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:
In Art Direction
W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook – Art at WW for approval.
Art at WW for approval. Cavaliers of Mars – Prepping KS.
Prepping KS. W20 Changing Ways – Some of the halfs are in and at WW for approval.
Some of the halfs are in and at WW for approval. Ex3 Monthly Stuff
Scion Origins – Art almost all in.
Art almost all in. Ring of Spiragos
Beast PG – Art approved.
Art approved. VtR Half Damned – Art is in and headed to WW for approvals.
– Art is in and headed to WW for approvals. Book of Freeholds – AD’d.
AD’d. DtD Enemy Action – AD’d… contracts and notes sent out.
AD’d… contracts and notes sent out. C20 RMCs – Progressing with sketches.
Marketing Stuff
In Layout
Prince’s Gambit – Remaining art is arting.
– Remaining art is arting. Beckett’s Jyhad Diary – Layouting.
Layouting. Wraith 20
Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – At Josh for layout.
Proofing
VDA Jumpstart – 2nd proofing.
At Press
Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.
Shipped to shipper. Scarred Land PGs & Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – On a boat to the US. PoD files processing.
– On a boat to the US. PoD files processing. Dark Eras: God’s Own Country – PoD proof on the way.
– PoD proof on the way. VTR: Thousand Years of Night – Errors discovered at GenCon, getting fixed.
Errors discovered at GenCon, getting fixed. Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition) – Deluxe Edition cover and Screen in the works.
Deluxe Edition cover and Screen in the works. C20 Jumpstart PDF – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Wednesday !
PDF and PoD versions on sale this Wednesday CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology PDF
Art of Mage – Prepping for PoD.
– Prepping for PoD. Pugmire Trick, Condition, and Initiative Cards – PoD proofs ordered.
TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: My good friends Adam and Sue had a lovely and fun wedding celebration this weekend. You don’t know them, but they’re cool. And now happily married! | {
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Derechos de autor de la imagen AFP Image caption Tras los primeros positivos en Nicaragua y El Salvador, Haití es el único país de América Latina que no reportó oficialmente casos de coronavirus.
Los gobiernos de Nicaragua y El Salvador confirmaron este miércoles los primeros positivos por coronavirus en sus territorios.
Según informó la vicepresidenta nicaragüense, Rosario Murillo, en su país se trata de un hombre de 40 años que viajó a Panamá y regresó a Nicaragua el pasado domingo vía aérea.
En cuanto a El Salvador, su presidente, Nayib Bukele, afirmó que su paciente es una persona que muy probablemente entró al país "por un punto ciego" tras haber estado en Italia.
Así, pese a que sus protocolos frente al covid-19 han sido radicalmente diferentes, el virus acabó por llegar a dos de los pocos países en el continente americano que aún no habían registrado casos.
* En este mapa puedes ver la situación del coronavirus en todo el mundo:
Mapa del coronavirus: propagación global, 22 de abril de 2020 Esta visualización se basa en datos periódicos de la Universidad Johns Hopkins y puede que no refleje la información más actualizada de cada país. Desliza para ver el mapa Total de casos confirmados Número total de muertes 2.524.433 177.503 Casos 100.000 10.000 1.000 Casos Muertes EE.UU. 824.065 44.996 España 204.178 21.282 Italia 183.957 24.648 Alemania 148.453 5.086 Reino Unido 129.044 17.337 Francia 117.324 20.796 Turquía 95.591 2.259 Irán 84.802 5.297 China 83.864 4.636 Rusia 52.763 456 Brasil 43.368 2.761 Bélgica 40.956 5.998 Canadá 39.405 1.915 Holanda 34.139 3.916 Suiza 28.063 1.478 Portugal 21.379 762 India 20.111 645 Perú 17.837 484 Irlanda 16.040 730 Suecia 15.322 1.765 Austria 14.873 491 Israel 13.942 184 Arabia Saudita 11.631 109 Japón 11.512 281 Chile 10.832 147 Corea del Sur 10.694 238 Ecuador 10.398 520 Polonia 9.856 401 Pakistán 9.749 209 México 9.501 857 Rumania 9.242 498 Singapur 9.125 11 Emiratos Árabes Unidos 7.755 46 Dinamarca 7.695 370 Noruega 7.241 182 Indonesia 7.135 616 República Checa 7.033 201 Bielorrusia 6.723 55 Australia 6.647 74 Serbia 6.630 125 Filipinas 6.599 437 Qatar 6.533 9 Ucrania 6.125 161 Malasia 5.482 92 República Dominicana 5.044 245 Panamá 4.821 141 Colombia 4.149 196 Finlandia 4.014 141 Luxemburgo 3.618 78 Egipto 3.490 264 Sudáfrica 3.465 58 Bangladesh 3.382 110 Marruecos 3.209 145 Argentina 3.144 151 Tailandia 2.826 49 Argelia 2.811 392 Moldavia 2.614 72 Grecia 2.401 121 Hungría 2.168 225 Kuwait 2.080 11 Kazajistán 2.025 19 Bahréin 1.973 7 Croacia 1.908 48 Islandia 1.778 10 Uzbekistán 1.692 6 Irak 1.602 83 Estonia 1.552 43 Omán 1.508 8 Azerbaiyán 1.480 20 Nueva Zelanda 1.451 14 Armenia 1.401 24 Lituania 1.370 38 Eslovenia 1.344 77 Bosnia y Herzegovina 1.342 51 Macedonia del Norte 1.231 55 Eslovaquia 1.199 14 Camerún 1.163 43 Cuba 1.137 38 Afganistán 1.092 36 Ghana 1.042 9 Bulgaria 1.015 47 Yibuti 945 2 Costa de Marfil 916 13 Puerto Rico 915 64 Túnez 901 38 Chipre 784 12 Nigeria 782 25 Letonia 748 9 Andorra 717 37 Crucero Diamond Princess 712 13 Guinea 688 6 Líbano 677 21 Costa Rica 669 6 Níger 657 20 Kirguistán 612 7 Albania 609 26 Bolivia 609 37 Burkina Faso 600 38 Uruguay 543 12 Kosovo 510 12 Honduras 510 46 San Marino 476 40 Territorios Palestinos 466 4 Malta 443 3 Jordan 428 7 Taiwán 425 6 Senegal 412 5 Reunión 410 Georgia 408 4 República Democrática del Congo 350 25 Mauricio 328 9 Guatemala 316 8 Montenegro 313 5 Mayotte 311 4 Sri Lanka 310 7 Isla de Man 307 9 Kenia 296 14 Venezuela 288 10 Somalia 286 8 Vietnam 268 Mali 258 14 Isla de Jersey 255 14 Tanzania 254 10 Guernsey 241 10 Jamaica 233 6 El Salvador 225 7 Paraguay 213 9 Islas Feroe 185 Congo 165 6 Martinica 164 14 Gabón 156 1 Ruanda 150 Guadalupe 148 12 Sudán 140 13 Brunéi 138 1 Guam 136 5 Gibraltar 132 Camboya 122 Myanmar 121 5 Madagascar 121 Trinidad y Tobago 115 8 Etiopía 114 3 Liberia 101 8 Bermudas 98 5 Guayana Francesa 97 1 Aruba 97 2 Mónaco 94 3 Maldivas 86 Togo 86 6 Guinea Ecuatorial 83 Liechtenstein 81 1 Barbados 75 5 Zambia 70 3 Cabo Verde 68 1 Antillas Holandesas 68 10 Islas Caimán 66 1 Guyana 66 7 Bahamas 65 9 Uganda 61 Libia 59 1 Haití 58 4 Polinesia Francesa 57 Benín 54 1 Islas Vírgenes Estadounidenses 53 3 Sierra Leona 50 Guinea-Bissau 50 Nepal 42 Siria 42 3 Mozambique 39 Eritrea 39 Isla de San Martín 38 2 Mongolia 35 Chad 33 Esuatini 31 1 Zimbabue 28 3 Antigua y Barbuda 24 3 Angola 24 2 Timor Oriental 23 Botsuana 20 1 Laos 19 Malawi 18 2 Nueva Caledonia 18 Belice 18 2 Fiyi 18 Namibia 16 Dominica 16 Santa Lucía 15 San Cristóbal y Nieves 15 Antillas Holandesas 14 1 Islas Marianas del Norte 14 2 República Centroafricana 14 Granada 14 San Vicente y las Granadinas 13 Montserrat 11 Islas Malvinas o Falkland 11 Islas Turcas y Caicos 11 1 Groenlandia 11 Burundi 11 1 Seychelles 11 Surinam 10 1 Gambia 10 1 Nicaragua 10 2 Vaticano 9 Crucero MS Zaandam 9 2 Papúa Nueva Guinea 7 Mauritania 7 1 Bhután 6 San Bartolomé 6 Sahara Occidental 6 Islas Vírgenes Británicas 5 1 Sudán del Sur 4 Santo Tomé y Príncipe 4 Anguila 3 Yemen 1 San Pedro y Miquelón 1 Ver más Fuente: Universidad Johns Hopkins y autoridades locales.
Nicaragua: sin medidas restrictivas
Murillo destacó que el primer caso en su país resultó contagiado en el exterior y se encontraba estable tras presentar síntomas como fiebre, dolor de garganta y tos seca.
"Toda persona que haya tenido contacto con él, toda persona de su familia que presente síntomas, inmediatamente se procederá a tomar la muestra para realizar la prueba", dijo Murillo, según reporta el diario local Prensa Libre.
Las autoridades sanitarias nicaragüenses aseguraron en varias ocasiones estar preparadas para atender a las personas afectadas por el nuevo coronavirus.
El gobierno mantiene un protocolo frente al coronavirus bastante inusual: no puso en marcha medidas como el cierre de fronteras, restricción de entrada de viajeros o la imposición de cuarentenas obligatorias, como ya implementaron otros países.
En cambio, el pasado fin de semana convocó a una marcha ciudadana en Managua llamada "Amor en tiempos del covid-19", en contraste con la recomendación de organismos sanitarios mundiales de evitar multitudes a fin de no propagar la enfermedad.
"Porque es el mundo entero el que está enfrentando la pandemia del covid-19, Amor en tiempos del covid-19, unidos en barrios, comarcas y comunidades para cuidarnos juntos", dijo Murillo al convocar la marcha.
Derechos de autor de la imagen Reuters Image caption El gobierno de Nicaragua desafió las recomendaciones sanitarias internacionales de evitar multitudes con la convocatoria de una marcha este pasado fin de semana.
El Salvador: entrada por un "punto ciego" al país
Solo minutos después, El Salvador confirmó también su primer caso de coronavirus.
Bukele dijo que el paciente ya estaba aislado tras haber viajado a Italia y entrado al país centroamericano por un punto ciego en Metapán, en el occidente del país.
En este municipio se ha impuesto un cordón sanitario de 48 horas. Bukele dijo que aún no se había identificado a las personas que pudieron tener contacto con el paciente.
"En estas 48 horas vamos a hacer el proceso de hacerle pruebas a las personas que posiblemente estén contagiadas y esperamos descartarlas", dijo el mandatario.
"Ojalá que la irresponsabilidad de una persona no cueste miles de vidas, trabajaremos duro para que eso no suceda", agregó en cadena nacional.
Tras conocerse este primer positivo, Bukele aseguró que el país está listo para atender hasta 1.300 casos de covid-19.
Derechos de autor de la imagen AFP Image caption Salvadoreños y extranjeros residentes que ingresan a El Salvador deben pasar una cuarentena obligatoria en albergues del gobierno.
Su gestión frente al covid-19 es radicalmente opuesta a la llevada a cabo hasta ahora por Nicaragua.
El Salvador, de hecho, fue el primer país de América Latina en prohibir el ingreso de personas extranjeras a su territorio como medida para evitar la llegada del virus. Bukele lo ordenó el pasado 11 de marzo.
Entonces, también decretó que todos los salvadoreños y extranjeros residentes que llegaran al país debían someterse a una cuarentena de 30 días en albergues u hoteles destinados para este fin.
Entre tanto, el covid-19 sigue cobrando víctimas en la región. La Secretaria de Salud de México anunció este jueves la primera muerte en ese país de un paciente infectado del coronavirus.
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: President Obama’s remarks have now concluded. As soon as an archived copy of the video is available, it will be posted on The Lede.
As my colleague Helene Cooper reports, Osama bin Laden has been killed, according to a United States official. The White House has announced that President Barack Obama will address the American people in the next few minutes. When Mr. Obama begins speaking, his remarks will appear in this live video stream from the White House Web site: | {
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(In this February 8 item, corrects last name of DOC commissioner to Brann from Braun in fifth and eighth paragraphs)
Slideshow ( 2 images )
NEW YORK (Reuters) - An undercover investigator dressed as a jail officer was able to smuggle scalpel blades and drugs into the main city jails in Manhattan and Brooklyn, a city watchdog said on Thursday, the latest sign of ongoing troubles in the city’s jail system.
The report from the city’s Department of Investigation (DOI), which examines misconduct by city employees, was issued on the same day that federal authorities in Brooklyn unsealed an indictment charging two corrections officers and five inmates with smuggling drugs inside the Manhattan jail.
Together, the two investigations highlighted the smuggling that continues to plague the city’s jails, most notably the notorious Rikers Island jail complex, according to DOI officials. The report comes after a similar 2014 sting operation in which an undercover investigator brought weapons and drugs through six Rikers entrances.
“Three years after a DOI undercover investigation demonstrated serious flaws in DOC security screening, the problems remain,” DOI Commissioner Mark Peters said in a statement, referring to the city Department of Correction.
DOC commissioner Cynthia Brann said the department had made progress in enhancing jail security.
“Notably, DOI didn’t find fault with our policy but urged us to better apply our procedures which we are committed to doing, and we have already begun implementing significant reforms,” she said in a statement.
The department cited statistics showing it has greatly increased its contraband finds among jail visitors since 2014, including a spike in weapons confiscations to 533 in 2017 from 88 in 2014.
Brann also said the two arrested officers would be suspended and, if convicted, fired.
Since 2014, more than two dozen corrections employees have been charged with smuggling contraband into city jails, according to the DOI. U.S. prosecutors said the two officers charged on Thursday accepted thousands of dollars from inmates in exchange for bringing marijuana into the Manhattan Detention Complex, known colloquially as “The Tombs.”
Rikers Island, which has been plagued by pervasive violence and smuggling for years, has received most of the attention, prompting Mayor Bill de Blasio to call for sweeping reforms at one of the United States’ largest jail complexes.
But Peters said Thursday’s report shows the problems are also present at other city facilities.
DOI officials recommended that the DOC screen corrections officers at staff entrances with drug-sniffing dogs, eliminate unnecessary pockets on their uniforms and place their personal lockers outside the front-gate entrances, among other measures. The DOC has agreed to adopt those improvements. | {
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Yoshino Koharu, the lead of P.A. Works' Sakura Quest, has inspired the latest Nendoroid from Good Smile Company, and hard work has never looked so cute.
791
Nendoroid Yoshino Koharu
"Please don't call me normal!"
From the anime series "Sakura Quest" comes a Nendoroid of the girl who serves as the "King" of the Chupakabura Kingdom - Yoshino Koharu! She comes with three face plates including a cheerful smile, a surprised expression as well as a cute chewing expression for when she fills her mouth with manjuu steamed buns.
Optional parts include a cape, crown and scepter, as well as the "sword in the stone" which can also be removed from the stone and held by Yoshino. One of the famous Chupakabura manjuu steamed buns is also included for her to enjoy - a huge selection of parts to bring out Yoshino's personality and recreate your favorite scenes from the series! Be sure to add her to your collection!
Product Details
Product Name Nendoroid Yoshino Koharu Series Sakura Quest Manufacturer Good Smile Company Category Nendoroid
Price
¥4,444 (Before Tax)
Specifications Painted ABS&PVC non-scale figure with stand included. Approximately 100mm in height. Sculptor Kazuyoshi Udono Cooperation Nendoron
Purchases of Nendoroid Yoshino Koharu from the GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP will include a "It's My Fault" Cage Plate as a bonus
See more photos on GSC's blog
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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime. | {
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A purported drug cartel hit man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance and alleged killing of 43 college students in southern Mexico in September, authorities said Friday.
Felipe Rodriguez, alias "The Brush" or "The Stubborn One," is a member of the Guerreros Unidos gang and believed to be the "material author" of the killings, the Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. It did not give further details.
Officials say the 43 students were rounded up by police Sept. 26 in the Guerrero state city of Iguala and handed over to Guerreros Unidos gang members, who allegedly killed them, burned the bodies at a trash dump and threw the remains into a river.
So far only one of the students has been positively identified by DNA testing on human remains, and family members and others have expressed doubts about the official account of the disappearances. They continue to press for information on what happened to the other 42 and have asked investigators not to close the case.
Authorities suspect the former mayor of Iguala, Jose Luis Abarca, of ordering the kidnappings. Abarca has been in custody since November along with his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda, who has been charged with organized crime and money laundering.
More than 90 suspects have been arrested in the disappearances, most of them municipal police officers. | {
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I thank Bob Shanteau, California traffic engineer and cyclist, for this link.
The paper, from the U.K., puts numbers on the problem with bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities in collisions with large trucks.
A quote:
Lorries are involved in around 4,200 fatal accidents in Europe every year, according to the European Transport Safety Council. In Belgium, 43% of cycling fatalities involve lorries, while in the Netherlands it’s 38% and 33% in the UK. Lorries cause more than 50% of cyclist deaths in some cities, like London.
And another:
The analysis highlighted the time lapse between drivers checking mirrors, making observations through a window, and then pulling away. ‘If this time period is four seconds, this is enough time for a cyclist to undertake the HGV, with the driver being unaware of his or her presence,’ the paper says.
Bob posted the link on facebook, and a discussion is underway.
The study recommends that trucks be designed for better visibility.
That would help if the bicyclist is next to the cab, or in front of the truck, but a bicyclist who has not yet advanced as far as the cab is only going to be visible in a mirror, or not at all.
Knowledgeable bicyclists avoid riding into this trap, but the cities of Boston and Cambridge — now increasingly, other communities, invite bicyclists into it with bike lanes striped up to intersections and past driveways where trucks turn right.
The cities’ actions place all the responsibility for preventing the collisions on the truckers’ seeing and avoiding bicyclists whom, as the study shows, they often cannot see. | {
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FILE PHOTO: Film producer Harvey Weinstein attends the 2016 amfAR New York Gala at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan, New York, U.S., February 10, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
(Reuters) - Insurer Chubb Ltd is refusing to pay for Harvey Weinstein’s legal defense against 11 lawsuits that accuse the movie producer of sexually harassing or assaulting women over the past three decades, according to a court document filed on Wednesday.
Units of the insurer have together issued 80 policies to Weinstein and his family between 1994 and 2018, including coverage for personal liability, according to Chubb. That would normally cover legal costs to defend against claims of damage or injury caused accidentally, but the insurer said Weinstein’s conduct was intentional.
The co-founder of the Miramax studio and The Weinstein Company was one of Hollywood’s most influential men before more than 70 women accused him of sexual misconduct, including assault. He denies having non-consensual sex with anyone.
He faces many legal cases, including one brought by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman accusing him of civil and human rights violations.
Chubb Indemnity Insurance Co and several other Chubb units asked New York State Supreme Court to issue a judgment declaring that the policies’ terms exclude defending charges in the lawsuits, specifically sexual assault, discrimination and intentional acts.
A representative and lawyer for Weinstein did not immediately respond to requests for comment. | {
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When Cormac McCarthy writes an essay on the origin of language and the history of the unconscious mind, you can expect to find yourself wiser after reading it. The author, who has a cult fanbase for his novels The Road, All the Pretty Horses, and No Country For Old Men, doesn’t disappoint in his new piece for the science magazine Nautilus.
It turns out McCarthy has been thinking about the unconscious and how it relates to human language for a couple of decades. He has indulged this exploration as a member of the Santa Fe Institute, a nonprofit organization whose researchers study the “underlying, shared patterns in complex physical, biological, social, cultural, technological, and even possible astrobiological worlds,” according to its website.
And now McCarthy has somehow distilled the lofty ideas, unanswered questions, and epiphanies collected during this long inquiry into a beautifully written narrative.
But of course he did. That’s his calling, as he writes in the essay: “The facts of the world do not for the most part come in narrative form. We have to do that.”
“The Kekulé Problem” begins with McCarthy’s take on one of history’s most famous dreams: the German chemist August Kekulé’s vision of the ouroboros, a snake eating itself, which provided a visual answer to his question about the shape of the benzene molecule. He shared that solution with the world in an 1865 paper.
This story raises a logical problem, points out McCarthy (who favors minimal punctuation and doesn’t use apostrophes in negative contractions):
The problem of course—not Kekulé’s but ours—is that since the unconscious understands language perfectly well or it would not understand the problem in the first place, why doesnt it simply answer Kekulé’s question with something like: ‘Kekulé, it’s a bloody ring,’” To which our scientist might respond: “Okay. Got it. Thanks.” Why the snake? That is, why is the unconscious so loathe to speak to us? Why the images, metaphors, pictures? Why the dreams, for that matter. A logical place to begin would be to define what the unconscious is in the first place. To do this we have to set aside the jargon of modern psychology and get back to biology. The unconscious is a biological system before it is anything else. To put it as pithily as possibly—and as accurately—the unconscious is a machine for operating an animal.
The rest of the essay gently sinks into that question, examining what the unconscious doesn’t do (like tell us to keep breathing), and where it excels (in solving mathematical equations, for instance).
It’s actually so common for mathematicians to solve problems in their dreams that George Zweig, the Russian-American physicist and friend to McCarthy, calls sleeping the Night Shift. The unconscious teaches us—our conscious, decision-making brain—lessons through recurring dreams, McCarthy explains, writing this hilarious dialogue for that mysterious part of our primeval minds:
Here the unconscious may well be imagined to have more than one voice: He’s not getting it, is he? No. He’s pretty thick. What do you want to do? I dont know. Do you want to try using his mother? His mother is dead. What difference does that make?
While language is useful for describing problems, thinking is an unconscious act, McCarthy demonstrates, pointing out that because of language, we can remember novels and books—but we do that using concepts and visual representations in our mind, not by remembering the words we read.
He describes language as a force that at some point took possession of our brains, like “a parasitic invasion”:
The sort of isolation that gave us tall and short and light and dark and other variations in our species was no protection against the advance of language. It crossed mountains and oceans as if they werent there. Did it meet some need? No. The other five thousand plus mammals among us do fine without it. But useful? Oh yes. We might further point out that when it arrived it had no place to go. The brain was not expecting it and had made no plans for its arrival. It simply invaded those areas of the brain that were the least dedicated.
Eventually McCarthy does offer an answer to that question of why Kekulé’s unconscious conjured up the snake. I won’t share it, but I’ll tell you it’s related to the unconscious mind’s long history, dating back to the earliest humans of two million years ago, predating language by about 900,000 years.
Read the whole essay at Nautilus to find out, but keep in mind it’s just a hypothesis. After all, as McCarthy writes, “How the unconscious goes about its work is not so much poorly understood as not understood at all.” | {
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テレビアニメ「プリキュア」シリーズ第15弾「HUGっと！プリキュア」が、2月4日よりABC・テレビ朝日系にて放送される。
「子育て」をテーマに、プリキュアが「子供を守るお母さん」として、赤ちゃんのため、人のため、世界のために戦う本作。突然現れた不思議な赤ちゃんを育てる主人公・野乃はなを中心に、母の持つ温かさ、優しさ、強さ、そして少女たちが抱く大人への憧れなどが描かれる。
ストーリーは、中学2年生のはなの転校初日からスタート。前髪を切りすぎる、遅刻をするなど失敗を重ねるも新生活に胸を躍らせていた彼女の前に、不思議な赤ちゃん・はぐたんと世話係のハムスター・ハリハムハリーが空から降ってきた。そこへ、はぐたんの持つミライクリスタルを狙う悪の組織・クライアス社が出現。はなは「はぐたんを守りたい！」という強い気持ちによって元気のプリキュア・キュアエールに変身する。また、はなのクラスの学級委員長・薬師寺さあやが知恵のプリキュア・キュアアンジュに、はなのクラスメイト・輝木ほまれが力のプリキュア・キュアエトワールに変身して、ともに戦うこととなる。
プロデューサーの1人である梅田和沙は、本作について「プリキュアシリーズはこれまで15年間「戦うヒロイン」を描いてきましたが、一番身近な『おかあさん』こそ女の子にとっての『つよく』『やさしく』『カッコイイ』ヒロイン像を体現しているのではと考え、本作では『子供を守るおかあさん』としてのプリキュアを描いていきます」と語った。
HUGっと！プリキュア
ABC・テレビ朝日系 2018年2月4日（日）スタート 毎週日曜8:30～9:00
梅田和沙（プロデューサー）コメント
今回の「HUGっと！プリキュア」は、愛情・友情・親愛を示す行為である「HUG（ハグ）＝だっこ」をその名に冠する、愛にあふれたプリキュアです。不思議な赤ちゃん「はぐたん」を守り育てるため、襲いかかってくるワルモノたちとの戦いや、日々のお世話に大忙し。そんな多忙な毎日を「子供を守る母の愛」で明るく乗り切っていきます。
プリキュアシリーズはこれまで15年間「戦うヒロイン」を描いてきましたが、一番身近な「おかあさん」こそ女の子にとっての「つよく」「やさしく」「カッコイイ」ヒロイン像を体現しているのではと考え、本作では「子供を守るおかあさん」としてのプリキュアを描いていきます。その一方で、「おかあさん」として赤ちゃんと向き合うだけではなく、中学生の女の子として自分自身とも向き合い、これまでのシリーズで描かれてきた「友情」「夢」といったテーマも変わらず丁寧に描いていきます。
悩みも忙しさもたくさん抱えて大変ですが、元気良く、知恵をしぼって、力の限り立ち向かっていきます。そんな「HUGっと！プリキュア」の活躍を、どうぞご期待下さい。
内藤圭祐（プロデューサー）コメント
「HUGっと！プリキュア」はまさに「子どもを守るおかあさん」。主人公の野乃はなは、不思議な赤ちゃん「はぐたん」を育みながら、仲間との友情を育んでいきます。時に、おしごと体験を通じて社会性を育むこともあるかもしれません。子育てに、おしごとに、（もちろん敵との戦いに！）と、めちゃくちゃ多忙な日々ではありますが、めちゃくちゃパワフルに突っ走ってゆく、そんなプリキュアの姿を通して「なんでもできる！なんでもなれる！」「未来は無限大！」というめちゃくちゃポジティブなメッセージを届けたいと思っております。
また、2018年はプリキュアシリーズ15周年目という節目の年でもあります。シリーズとしてこれまで大切にしてきた想いもしっかりと繋いで、15周年目ならではの仕掛けと、「HUGっと！プリキュア」ならではの可愛くてカッコいい「プリキュア」をお届けできるよう、スタッフ一同製作に全身全霊を捧げて参ります。「HUGっと！プリキュア」、皆さまどうぞよろしくお願いいたします！
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A new anti-choice organization meant to be an even more extreme version of the National Right to Life Committee has picked its first president — and they chose someone who embodies the growing schism within the anti-choice movement.
The National Personhood Alliance, which was formed last month by a disaffected former Georgia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, announced last week that it had named Molly Smith, president of Cleveland Right to Life, as its first leader.
Cleveland Right to Life caused a stir in the anti-choice movement last year when it vowed to oppose the reelection of Sen. Rob Portman, an abortion rights opponent, because of his support for marriage equality. This prompted National Right to Life president Carol Tobias to send Smith a letter informing her that her chapter could no longer be affiliated with the national group because it “embraced an advocacy agenda that includes issues beyond the right to life.” Smith then fought back, blasting National Right to Life for distancing itself from anti-gay politics in order to keep the support of Sen. Portman.
The most prominent split in the anti-choice movement is about the strategy of allowing rape and incest exemptions to abortion bans — National Right to Life has supported bills that include exemptions, arguing that such bills are better than no legislation at all, while the National Personhood Alliance’s members oppose any hint of compromise in abortion bills.
But Smith’s appointment as the new group’s president highlights the larger divide within the movement. As the anti-choice movement’s leaders get savvier about pushing their message to a wider audience in ways meant to appear more moderate (pushing for “health” regulations that close clinics rather than picketing them, for instance), they are inciting a backlash among those who see anti-choice activism as an integral part of a larger war.
Leaving the issue of LGBT rights alone is a smart strategic decision for leading anti-choice groups, as is the willingness to accept “compromises” like rape exceptions. But by rejecting this kinder, gentler makeover of the movement, the National Personhood Alliance reminds us of what is still at the heart of the opposition to abortion rights. | {
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TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) - More than 100 workers were arrested Tuesday at an Ohio meatpacking plant by federal agents following a yearlong immigration investigation, the second large-scale raid within the state in the past two weeks.
The investigation focused on whether the company knowingly hired people who are in the country illegally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
The agency said it also was looking into whether many of the workers were using fraudulent identification belonging to U.S. citizens.
The arrests come as the U.S. government steps up its focus on businesses that hire people in the country illegally as part of a broad range of immigration crackdowns under President Donald Trump.
The 146 arrests in one of the largest workplace immigration raids in recent years happened at Fresh Mark's meat processing plant in Salem, in northeastern Ohio. Immigration agents and local authorities also carried out search warrants at the company's three other locations in Canton and Massillon.
Most of the workers detained were from Guatemala, said Khaalid Walls, an agency spokesman.
A message seeking comment was left with the company Wednesday.
No criminal charges have been filed against Fresh Mark, but authorities say the investigation is continuing.
The company makes bacon, hot dogs, ham, and lunch meat for the Sugardale and Superior's brands.
Fresh Mark is a member of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's self-policing program that's described as a way for employers to verify workers are in the country legally and to spot fraudulent documents, the agency said.
Members of the program aren't immune from prosecution for workforce compliance violations, the agency added.
"Unlawful employment is one of the key magnets drawing illegal aliens across our borders," said Steve Francis, head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations unit in Detroit.
Two weeks ago, immigration agents arrested 114 people at a garden and landscaping company in northern Ohio. Authorities said they planned to charge workers for crimes including identity theft and tax evasion. | {
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The Federal Reserve is putting some of its post-crisis actions under a magnifying glass and not liking everything it sees. In a white paper dissecting the U.S. central bank's actions to stem the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009, Stephen D. Williamson, vice president of the St. Louis Fed, finds fault with three key policy tenets. Specifically, he believes the zero interest rates in place since 2008 that were designed to spark good inflation actually have resulted in just the opposite. And he believes the "forward guidance" the Fed has used to communicate its intentions has instead been a muddle of broken vows that has served only to confuse investors. Finally, he asserts that quantitative easing, or the monthly debt purchases that swelled the central bank's balance sheet past the $4.5 trillion mark, have at best a tenuous link to actual economic improvements. Williamson is quick to acknowledge that then-Chairman Ben Bernanke's Fed, through liquidity programs like the Term Auction Facility that injected cash into banks, "helped to assure that the Fed's Great Depression errors were not repeated."
There is no work, to my knowledge, that establishes a link from QE to the ultimate goals of the Fed—inflation and real economic activity Stephen D. Williamson St. Louis Fed vice president
But as for spurring inflation, reducing employment or otherwise generating sustained economic activity, the results, particularly for QE, are "at best best mixed." In addition to muted inflation, gross domestic product has yet to eclipse 2.5 percent for any calendar year during the recovery, while wage gains, and consequently living standards, have been mired around 2 percent or less. Read MoreThis is 'more damaging...than the Great Recession'
"There is no work, to my knowledge, that establishes a link from QE to the ultimate goals of the Fed—inflation and real economic activity. Indeed, casual evidence suggests that QE has been ineffective in increasing inflation," Williamson wrote.
"For example, in spite of massive central bank asset purchases in the U.S., the Fed is currently falling short of its 2 percent inflation target," he added. "Further, Switzerland and Japan, which have balance sheets that are much larger than that of the U.S., relative to GDP, have been experiencing very low inflation or deflation."
The primary place where QE seems to have worked is in the stock market, where the has soared by 215 percent since the recession lows in March 2009. Elsewhere, though, deflation fears have permeated and interest rates have remained low. Interestingly, one of the biggest fears Fed critics have espoused about its activities has been that the bloated balance sheet would drive inflation by releasing that "high-powered" money into the economy and driving up prices. However, the inflation rate for the U.S., and for much of the other developed world where central bank activism is high, has remain muted, at least by conventional measures. Read MoreFed's trillions haven't helped worker paychecks
In Williamson's view, that's a product of policymakers wed to the Taylor rule, which dictates the level of interest rates in regard to economic conditions. The thinking essentially is that low rates beget low inflation, trapping central banks in zero interest rate policies (or ZIRP). "With the nominal interest rate at zero for a long period of time, inflation is low, and the central banker reasons that maintaining ZIRP will eventually increase the inflation rate. But this never happens and, as long as the central banker adheres to a sufficiently aggressive Taylor rule, ZIRP will continue forever, and the central bank will fall short of its inflation target indefinitely," Williamson said. "This idea seems to fit nicely with the recent observed behavior of the world's central banks."
Steven Williamson Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis | {
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Well, this won’t take any pressure off No. 1 Kentucky.
Former Wooden Award winner and NBA superstar Anthony Davis, who led the Wildcats to the 2011-12 national title, guaranteed a Kentucky NCAA championship in 2015 during an interview that was released by Red Bull on Monday.
He even leaned toward the camera for emphasis.
“The team that will win the NCAA tournament in 2015 … the one and only best team in the world, University of Kentucky Wildcats,” Davis said. “That’s a guarantee. Kentucky Wildcats, bleed blue.”
With its struggles in matchups against Ole Miss and at Texas A&M, No. 1 Kentucky hasn’t exactly looked invincible in recent weeks. Per ESPN Stats & Info, the Wildcats have shot just 33.9 percent from inside the arc since Christmas, the worst 2-point field goal percentage in America. They even lost their unanimous hold on the No. 1 slot in the latest Associated Press Top 25.
During this week’s SEC media teleconference on Monday, John Calipari admitted that his team has some things to address and questioned if it had lost its “swagger.”
Davis isn’t concerned, it seems.
He even suggested that this season’s undefeated Wildcats, a team featuring nine McDonald’s All-Americans, could compete with his Kentucky squad. Davis’ squad featured four first-round draft picks in that summer’s NBA draft.
“This team right here is a great team,” Davis said. “They’re an unbelievable team. Great defense. It’d be a tough matchup.” | {
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Lance Hohaia: Retiring from rugby league
St Helens half-back Lance Hohaia has announced his retirement from rugby league with immediate effect due to health concerns.
The New Zealand international has revealed he decided to quit seemingly due to the after-effects of his Grand Final knockout after he was punched unconscious by Ben Flower in Saints’ 14-6 victory over Wigan Warriors at Old Trafford.
Hohaia, who has been with St Helens since 2012, is now seeking medical advice.
Hohaia said in a statement: "I have been experiencing recurrent post-match concussion-type symptoms since returning to play.
"I am seeking medical advice to understand any potential effects to my long-term health."
St Helens had earlier issued a statement confirming Hohaia's retirement, although they declined to give a reason, while praising his contribution during his time with the club.
“St Helens announce that Lance Hohaia has informed us of his retirement from rugby league and will therefore not play for the club again,” St Helens said in a statement on their official website.
“Lance has been a valued and integral member of the squad for the last three-and-a-half years and we thank him for his service.
“We wish him and his family well in their life after rugby league with St Helens.”
Hohaia, who won 29 caps for the Kiwis, made 185 appearances for New Zealand Warriors from 2002 to 2011before joining Saints on a four-year deal.
He went on to make 78 appearances for Saints in a variety of positions, including full-back, hooker and half-back, and played an influential role in the absence of playmaker Luke Walsh in helping them reach the 2014 Grand Final.
His appearance at Old Trafford lasted barely two minutes after he was twice punched by Flower who became the first man to be sent off in a Grand Final.
Hohaia's final appearance in Super League was in a 11-8 win at Huddersfield on Easter Monday. | {
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india
Updated: Feb 14, 2019 00:08 IST
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report on 11 purchases by the Indian Air Force (IAF) is in the news for what it says about the Rafale deal, but pertinently, it has highlighted several issues in the procurement process followed by India to buy weapons and systems including heavy-lift helicopters, attack choppers and trainer aircraft, and asked the government to change the process to cut delays and keep the military operationally ready.
The audit of a deal for radars highlights how defence acquisition is beset with delays. The report found that IAF took 96 months to buy 11 Doppler weather radars in contrast to the Indian Meteorological Department, which made the same purchase in just 11 months.
In a 141-page report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, the CAG said the IAF’s qualitative requirements for heavy-lift helicopters were aligned to the features of US defence firm Boeing’s CH-47F Chinook choppers.
The Chinook edged out Russian firm Rostvertol’s Mi-26 helicopters to win the $1.18 billion deal for 15 choppers. IAF has been operating Mi-26 choppers since 1987.
“The max payload capacity was reduced to 11,000 kg as against the 20,000 kg of Mi-26 helicopters. Seating capacity was also reduced to 45 troops as against the 82 troops of Mi-26s. The max under slung load was reduced to 10,000 kg as against 20,000 kg of Mi-26. The revised ASQR parameters matched those of Chinook helicopter,” the report said.
Air Staff Quality Requirements (ASQRs) are the specifications put out by the air force for the equipment it needs.
On the Chinook purchase, the defence ministry said broad ASQRs were necessary for multi-vendor bids, a contention rejected by the auditor. CAG said contrary to the ministry’s claim, the ASQR did not broaden the competition. The request for proposal was issued to six foreign military contractors in May 2009, but only two responded. India ordered 15 Chinook helicopters in September 2015, of which four arrived this week.
CAG also found that ASQRs were revised five times between 2006 and 2009 based on what vendors had to offer rather than what IAF really needed. The requirement for chaff and flares — defensive countermeasures deployed by military aircraft — was missing in the May 2009 RFP, which was amended in September 2009.
“This highlights the lack of professionalism in fixing ASQRs in the defence acquisition process,” the report said. CAG highlighted delays at different stages of acquisition including contract negotiation and approval by the competent financial authority (CFA).
“While the contract negotiating committee took a considerable period of 27 months as against one-and-a-half months prescribed in DPP-2008 (Defence Procurement Procedure), it achieved a price reduction of 2.17%,” the audit found. Also, CFA approval took 10 months instead of the prescribed four.
Unrealistic benchmarking of costs, delays in price evaluation, incorrect framing of ASQRs and poor post-contract management are the common thread of several air force acquisitions in recent years, CAG found.
Scrutinising the $ 1.1-billion Apache helicopter deal inked with Boeing in September 2015, CAG said that ASQRs were changed based on the advice of the US firm.
“While revising the ASQRs in 2009, IAF deleted three parameters and diluted one operational parameter based on the suo moto suggestion of Boeing though AgustaWestland was able to meet those parameters,” the report said. The ministry, however, said that the parameters were modified based on information from different sources and not merely one company.
The report said preparing ASQRs with inputs from a few vendors posed the risk of aligning the parameters to their platforms. “The ASQR parameters which could not be met were changed/deleted and fresh tendering was done. If these parameters were not needed and they should not have been included in the first place,” the CAG said.
It found that the defence ministry also bought missiles that were past their shelf life as part of the same deal. It said the US government was supplying missiles whose normal life of 10 years had expired and the ones to be fitted on the attack helicopters would be 14 to 16 years old at the time of delivery.
The report revealed that a simulator for C-130J pilots was installed in December 2012 but training began on it only in November 2016 due to a pending usage rate contract with Lockheed Martin. CAG said according to an IAF probe report, one of the reasons for the March 2014 C-130J crash was “inadequate experience and training” of the crew. The five-man crew was killed in that crash near Gwalior.
CAG’s observations are based on the fact that personnel involved in acquisition, whether in the ministry or the services, have not undergone defence acquisition training, said Air Vice-Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.
“In all advanced countries, such training is mandatory. The US, for instance, has a defence acquisition university that trains people involved in the procurement cycle. Without doubt, we need to fix our procurement procedure,” Bahadur said. He added that service and operational matters should be left to the services. | {
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BERLIN - The German government on Friday rejected the findings of a damning report on Saudi Arabia by its own spy agency and called Riyadh a key partner in regional conflict resolution.
The highly unusual spat between the chancellery and foreign ministry on one side and the BND foreign intelligence service on the other hand erupted when the latter on Wednesday released a report accusing Saudi Arabia of a destabilising shift in foreign policy.
"The until now cautious diplomatic stance of the older members of the leadership of the royal family is being replaced with an impulsive policy of intervention," it said. In particular, the BND focused on the role of Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who holds the defence portfolio and other powerful posts.
The BND said he and his father King Salman, who acceded to power in January, appeared to want to establish themselves as the "leaders of the Arab world" by advancing a foreign policy agenda "with a strong military component as well as new regional alliances".
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Friday it was crucial that Berlin has a "coherent position" on the role of Saudi Arabia in the region.
"The assessments by the BND that were published do not reflect this coherent position," Seibert said. "Those who want progress on the pressing issues in the region - and there are many - need constructive relations with Saudi Arabia."
"Those who say that do not deny that there can be differences of opinion and differences in our political systems. But Saudi Arabia is a very, very important factor in the region." He highlighted Saudi Arabia's participation in meetings in Vienna aimed at finding a political solution in Syria and plans to host a meeting of opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer insisted that Berlin had a "good and trusting" relationship with the BND in the analysis of the Middle East. But he said the role of the BND, which reports to the chancellery, was to provide "information that the government requests" and "not to supply journalists with information".
Mohammed bin Salman has largely spearheaded Riyadh's handling of the war in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition supporting the government against Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels.
Rights groups have repeatedly criticised the strikes, saying they have hit areas where there are no military targets. Nearly 5,000 people have been killed in the war, more than half of them civilians, according to UN estimates. | {
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Considering all that fans of the Columbus Blue Jackets have had to endure, you could forgive them for being a dour and dwindling bunch. No need to rehash it all. We know what they've been through, and bearing all of it in mind, we're fairly sure this guy simply shouldn't exist:
View photos
Yet he does.
Seriously. Look at that face. Then scroll down to the sweater under it. This guy should make you feel downright ashamed of yourself as a hockey fan. Oh, what's that? Your team is 0-2? Yeah, well, this guy is a Columbus Blue Jackets fan and he was photographed looking like this.
I think giddy Bill Gates up there could teach us things about life. I would sign up for his goal-setting workshop.
What's more, here he is at the infamous Columbus draft lottery party, at the moment Blue Jackets fans were forced to settle for the second overall pick:
View photos
"Hooray, it could have been worse!"
Inspirational.
This guy has no business being this happy. But he is. And thus, you, fan of another team, have no business ever being sad about anything even remotely related to your team. Ever. | {
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Clinical and Bioanalytical Insights in the Research and Development of Respiratory drugs
Substantial success has been realized in the treatment of common respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and respiratory allergies. By acquiring a deeper understanding of inflammatory mechanisms, new targets for treating these diseases are becoming available. Consequently, researchers are poised to unlock potential advances in research for unmet medical needs for often life-threatening respiratory disorders such as cystic fibrosis (CF), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and an infectious diseases such as Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
The use of biomarkers such as inflammatory cytokines and more specific biomarkers in blood and sputum provide for studying intermediate endpoints. For large-scale respiratory trials, alternative emerging pharmacodynamic evaluations will be presented that can fill the gap in sensitive outcome measurements.
Learning
This webinar will provide an R&D update in the respiratory area and cover the need to increase the performance of clinical trials by using new biomarkers and efficient study designs, based on modeling and simulation exercises and new site management models. | {
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The Cuban President, Fidel Castro, has left South Africa after a two-day state visit, which followed the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Durban.
During his visit, Dr Castro addressed the South African parliament, urging it to continue peaceful and orderly changes in the country.
The speech was welcomed by the governing African National Congress but was boycotted by two opposition parties the Democratic Party and the Freedom Front.
Later Dr Castro laid a wreath in the township of Soweto in commemoration of an anti-apartheid protest in 1976.
President Nelson Mandela gave Dr Castro South Africa's highest civilian award for foreigners, the Order of Good Hope.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service | {
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About GPFI
The Global Partnership on Financial Inclusion or GPFI was founded in 2010 following the G20 Summit in Seoul, which determined that global financial inclusion was a one of the main pillars of the G20’s global development agenda. At that same meeting, the G20 Financial Inclusion Action Plan was created.
Members of the G20, interested non-G20 countries, and relevant stakeholders are all welcomed at the GPFI Forum. As part of the G20 Financial Inclusion Action Plan, the GPFI works to encourage collaboration and coordination between national, regional, and international stakeholders.
The 2018 GPFI Forum
The purpose of the 2018 GPFI Forum is to discuss the technological trends in digital financial inclusion.
The agenda includes topics of discussion such as:
Blockchain and financial inclusion
Innovative regulatory approaches to financial inclusion
Interoperability for inclusive digital payment systems
Access to finance by women
During the forum, presenters will share specific country case studies of successful financial inclusion policy or implementation. Understanding the achievement of others will help better position our current and future products offerings for success.
WeTrust Advisor Michael J Casey
Our advisor Michael J Casey, blockchain expert, author, and MIT Media Labs educator will be giving the keynote speech on the first day of the GPFI Forum. The day’s talks, including the keynote by Casey, will focus upon how blockchain can be applied to financial inclusion. Details of his speech topic haven’t yet been released, but if it’s anything like his new book, The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything, it will be riveting.
Also in attendance at the GPFI Forum will be Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Visa, Ripple, Lazard, Monetary Authority of Singapore, Vice Minister of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Aldukheil Financial Group, World Bank Group, SME Finance Forum (International Finance Corporation), Alliance for Financial Inclusion, Dubai Future Foundation, Better than Cash Alliance, ID2020, Pagos Digitales Peruanos, OECD, Women’s World Banking, Diamond Bank, representatives from several Central Banks, and many more.
We’re honored to be taking part in the G20’s Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion Forum this year in Saudi Arabia. Enabling financial inclusion is part of our mission; we can’t wait to share our vision and learn how others are working to make that happen. | {
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【1月29日 AFP】イランのモハンマドジャバド・ザリフ（Mohammad Javad Zarif）外相は29日、イスラム教徒が多数派の7か国からの難民と旅行者の米国への入国を一時禁止するとしたドナルド・トランプ（Donald Trump）米大統領の決断は「イスラム過激派への偉大な贈り物だ」と皮肉った。
トランプ大統領は27日、イスラム教徒が多数を占めるイラン、イラク、リビア、ソマリア、スーダン、シリア、イエメンからの難民と旅行者の入国を一時禁止しビザ（査証）発給を停止する大統領令に署名した。
これについてザリフ外相はツイッター（Twitter）への投稿のなかで、ハッシュタグ「#MuslimBan（イスラム教徒の入国禁止）」を用いて「過激派とその支持者たちへの偉大な贈り物として歴史に記録されるだろう」と皮肉り、「集団的な差別はテロリストの勧誘活動を支援するものだ。深まる断絶を、支援者らを増やそうとする過激派の扇動家らに悪用されるだろう」と述べた。
先にイラン外務省は対抗措置として米国人のイラン入国禁止を示唆する声明を発表したが、ザリフ外相は有効なビザを既に所持している米国人は対象外だと説明。「米国とは異なり、われわれの決定は過去にさかのぼるものではない。有効なイラン入国ビザの所有者は誰でも喜んで歓迎する」と述べた。
イラン外務省は米国への渡航を計画しているイラン国民に対し、問題に直面することがないよう、出発前に「徹底的に確認」するようにとの渡航情報を発表している。(c)AFP | {
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TV host and political commentator Rachel Maddow took to the air to discuss what she declared a “fake news” story that was sent to her show, using a full 10 percent of her time to silently stare at the camera.
In the middle of attempting to denounce a false “top secret” document that she implied was sent to her by the Trump administration to ruin her credibility, she spent nearly three minutes in extremely awkward silence.
WATCH:
Aside from the occasional lip smacking, blouse adjusting or paper shuffling, Maddow spent the time sitting silent at her desk, leaving only the wind of the empty studio to fill the audience’s ears with the feeling of the cold emptiness of a slow news day.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. | {
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Visitar los centros de trabajo para conocer la situación de la plantilla, solicitar la afiliación a los y las trabajadoras o requerir a la gerencia que se publiquen los cuadrantes y que se cumpla el convenio colectivo. Estas son las actividades que realizan los y las delegadas sindicales en cientos de empresas, un trabajo dirigido a velar por el bienestar laboral de la plantilla.
Para tres personas que trabajan para Burger King esto ha supuesto la imposición de un expediente que, en el único caso en el que se ha resuelto, ha supuesto un despido.
Para CCOO «estos hechos son un acto flagrante de represión sindical, sobretodo teniendo en cuenta que se producen meses antes de la celebración de elecciones sindicales en la empresa«.
«El sindicato va a responder a la empresa Burger King de la manera más contundente posible, con todas las vías legales a su alcance. Porque atentar contra la libertad sindical supone un agresión a los derechos de los y las trabajadoras«, indican desde el sindicato.
CCOO lamenta que Burger King «haya decidido judicializar las relaciones laborales, ya que esta estrategia tan cortoplacista no beneficia a nadie, ni a la plantilla, ni a la empresa«.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. | {
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Synchropack
Advanced transmissions require a smooth shifting system for driving comfort in cars and other road vehicles. AVTEC's ingeniously designed Synchropack offers great performance, comfortable gear shifts and easily integrated into manual and automated manual transmissions.
A synchronizer, or "synchro", is a conduit for smooth shifting from one gear to next, thereby matching the speeds of the gear wheels during the shifting process.
The performance originates from careful design of synchro & friction system, tolerancing, material selection to ensure un-interrupted torque transfer providing high durability and service life.
Synchronizers play crucial role on future development of hybrid and electric vehicles
Types: Single & Multi cone (Double & Triple cone)
Sub-components: Sleeve, Hub, Inner ring, Intermediate ring, Outer ring, Dog crown, Synchro ring, Inserts
Material:TSynchro ring Brass, Steel
Coating: With and without Carbon Lining
Diameter Range: 70 to 100 mm | {
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Sean Manners is the candidate for the Green Party in the riding of Beaches-East York in this fall's federal election.
By AMANDA GIBB
Sean Manners of The Green Party will be running to be the Member of Parliament for the Beaches East-York riding in this fall’s federal election.
Manners, 29, has called Beaches East-York home since he was four years old, despite moving around for school.
Manners went to the University of Toronto to complete his degree double majoring in political science and environmental ethics and completed his masters in environmental policy at Memorial University in Newfoundland.
Manners passed up on the opportunity to pursue his Ph.D. to run for office.
“I’ve always wanted to be involved with politics to some degree. Ever since I was a kid, I liked the idea that I would be able to help those who feel like they’ve been downtrodden,” said Manners.
Two years ago, he was contracted to work on a government report called “Canada’s Changing Climate” as a researcher and an author. The report was about how climate change impacts Canadian communities, and Manners had the opportunity to travel around.
Manners said he had the opportunity to talk to people firsthand about how environmental change impacted their lives due to events including increased rain, flooding, intense heat, crop rotation, and weather unpredictability.
“Canadians are actually being affected by climate change. It’s not just a political issue. What’s political is using climate change as the words to describe the phenomenon, although a lot of other people are seeing it as an environmental change or a change in their livelihood,” he said.
Manners plans to address numerous key issues in his campaign, and the main and overarching issue is that of climate change.
He said that he wants to make sure that a right to water is recognized as a human right, that Canada put an end to large-scale exports of water, and to reduce overall emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2050. He also wants to stop using fossil fuels and switch to renewable options.
Another of Manners’ campaign plans would be about democratic renewal.
“Proportional representation needs to happen. But it’s also clear to me we need to look at how we’re undemocratic in other forms. We need a mechanism to hold our MPs or our government of the day accountable for their actions,” he said.
Manners said that there are many social justice issues that he would want to address in his campaign.
Manners said that he wants to eliminate student debt and significantly decrease tuition and that there is a need for a national Pharmacare plan to cover prescription drugs and to better serve mental health services.
Manners also wants to ban all handgun and assault weapons. Manners’ family was personally touched by gun violence. His cousin Jordan Manners was the first student to be shot to death in a Toronto school back in 2007.
“I was young and it was traumatic for our whole family. But since then, so many people, to the point where it can make me nauseous, have been touched by gun violence either directly or indirectly. And it is senseless, to say the very least,” said Manners.
Manners said that we need to get people involved in making decisions again.
“I do actually give Canadians respect of being able to explain themselves what is happening and what is the cause. Our job as politicians is to listen to that, report back to our constituents all of the time. Politicians should not be asking for forgiveness; they should be asking for permission.”
Manners will be running against Liberal incumbent Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Conservative Nadirah Nazeer, NDP candidate Mae J. Nam, People’s Party of Canada candidate Deborah McKenzie, and None of the Above Party candidate Joe Ring.
For more information on Manners, please visit: https://www.greenparty.ca/en/riding/2013-35007
For more information on Liberal candidate Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, please read https://www.beachmetro.com/2019/09/20/federal-election-2019-nathaniel-erskine-smith-seeks-re-election-for-liberals-in-beaches-east-york-riding/
For more information about NDP candidate Mae J. Nam, please read https://www.beachmetro.com/2019/09/20/federal-election-2019-mae-j-nam-running-for-the-ndp-in-beaches-east-york-riding/
For more information on Conservative candidate Nadirah Nazeer, please read https://www.beachmetro.com/2019/09/20/federal-election-2019-nadirah-nazeer-running-for-the-conservative-party-in-beaches-east-york-riding/ | {
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EXCLUSIVE: DreamWorks is in talks with the estate of author John Steinbeck to make a new version of The Grapes Of Wrath. The novel was turned into a classic 1940 film by John Ford, the director who won one of two Oscars out of the seven nominations the picture received. I’d heard this suddenly became a hot movie property, and that Steven Spielberg swooped in to take it off the table over other bidders. I’d also heard that Spielberg was eyeing it to direct, but DreamWorks said definitively that he is only interested in producing the picture, and will absolutely not direct it. It might be awkward turf since director Ford was one of Spielberg’s formative influences. There is some rationale to this, if DreamWorks was looking to capitalize on the 75th anniversary of Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. That anniversary happens next year, and Spielberg is next committed to directing Jason Hall’s adaptation of American Sniper with Bradley Cooper starring.
For those who didn’t read it in high school, The Grapes Of Wrath is about a poor family of tenant farmers forced to move off its land in Oklahoma because of drought and hopeless economic conditions. Spurred by the promise of high wages for farm workers, the Joads head to California, but are beaten down by poverty and hunger in the Great Depression. The film introduced the defiant and tragic protagonist Tom Joad (played by Henry Fonda), who has been an enduring symbol for social reform.
Among those chasing the book were Robert Redford, whose Sundance label was looking to partner with Dark Shadows producer David Kennedy to turn The Grapes Of Wrath into a miniseries at FX. That was until Spielberg came in with the feature and convinced the Steinbeck estate this was the way to go. The rights to the classic novel come with complications, however. Fox made the original film and even though the domestic rights reverted to the Steinbeck estate, the foreign rights to the film are controlled by that studio. Presumably, Fox will have the option to be involved in this feature, whatever form it takes. | {
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Advertisement:
With Elon Musk predicting that ‘up and down’ flights to Mars will launch in the first half of 2019, his company which was a mere dream 10-15 years ago is now winning the race to colonise Mars. Little do people know is that these Mars rockets will be using the same technology that Elon Musk could one day use to launch his own airline.
Let’s skip current air travel times, and let’s skip supersonic travel such as Boom aircraft which will in the next 10 years travel from London to New York in 2-3 hours for the same price of a business class ticket.
What Elon Musk plans is literally on another level. With his BFR rockets, a flight from London to New York would take 25 minutes, and Los Angeles to Sydney would take 50 minutes. What is even more exciting is that the technology to power these flights are already being developed. I am going to delve into what these flights could be like and if they will ever come to exist.
What would the flight experience be like?
By watching the video above, the first thing that comes into my mind is how will passengers sit in the spacecraft? With a vertical launch at 18,000mph, seating is clearly going to be very different to what you would see on an American Airlines Boeing 777. The chances are you will look like a spaceman whilst flying on this aircraft – so despite the incredibly quick flight times there is going to be training required to fly the aircraft and you will have to wear a spacesuit – it will be interesting to see how these problems are dealt with.
With the launch of BFR earth to earth flights, we could see for the first time intercontinental commuting
Also due to the flight time – we expect there would just be one class of seating. With all flight times under 1 hour, a flat bed probably isn’t going to be needed.
How much would tickets cost?
No one knows for sure, but according to Dinkin’s estimate with the passenger part of the BFR craft being able to hold around 850 passengers in a one-class configuration, and the average cost of a single launch coming in at $1,055,000, that would mean a price of $1200 per seat. But with economies of scale and competition, this could come down significantly over time.
Advertisement:
What could this mean for the world?
With the launch of BFR earth to earth flights, we could see for the first time intercontinental commuting. With the prices for these flights being on par with economy tickets there would be no reason to say that you could live in Hawaii for the weather, yet work in New York 5 days a week – with a one way flight between New York and Hawaii taking just 35 minutes – this time is probably a lot quicker than most commutes in big cities around the world today.
How possible is this?
Now, this is what everyone wants to know – how possible are earth to earth BFR flights? Right now this entire idea of intercontinental space flights seems like a fantasy. The good news is that compared with a normal rocket SpaceX BFR rockets are 100% reusable so they are more like a plane than a rocket. Furthermore, the prototype BFR rockets are already under development so time will tell.
With up and down Space X flights rumoured to launch in the first part of 2019 and with the BFR rockets due to begin testing in the early 2020’s it is hard to tell when intercontinental flights will become a thing. My estimate is that we could see the first test flights for intercontinental passenger travel in the 2040’s – so, for now, you will just have to suck up the long flight times, or in a few years try and fly on Boom supersonic flights.
Advertisement:
How much of his plans are for press and media attention?
Elon Musk has come under fire recently during the Thai caves rescue operation – with people thinking his proposed idea for a submarine was just to get free press from the back of a near tragedy. With this being said, Elon Musk has already achieved a lot with SpaceX, Tesla and Paypal so despite his intercontinental travel concept looking like a fantasy we think one day in the near future it will become a reality.
If you enjoyed this article, please be sure to favourite Simple Flying and keep coming back for more great content! | {
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Thousands of fans paid tribute to former Montreal Canadiens captain Jean Béliveau at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Monday, where his body lay in state.
The doors were open to the public between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Thousands of visitors paid their respects on Sunday as well.
The famous hockey player — a lifelong ambassador for his beloved Habs — died Dec. 2 at the age of 83.
He will have what the Quebec government calls a "national funeral" on Wednesday at the Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral in Montreal.
A bronze statue of the Béliveau has been on display in front of the Bell Centre main entrance since Wednesday.
'My idol, my captain'
Tributes poured in for the man who meant so much to many Canadians.
Béliveau was Yvan Cournoyer's first captain on the Montreal Canadiens. He went to the Bell Centre early Sunday morning to pay his respects.
"The week was so hard," he told Radio-Canada. "I hope people will come see my captain, he deserves it."
"Jean was my idol and my captain."
Paul Toutounji is one of thousands who spent Sunday morning in line at the Bell Centre. He said Béliveau was a role model who united people in all he did.
Paul Toutounji is one of thousands who lined up at the Bell Centre to say a final goodbye to Jean Béliveau. (Tanya Birkbeck/CBC)
"He was leading by example all the time," said Toutounji.
He said he finds inspiration in Béliveau's memory, adding that Béliveau makes him a better person in his day-to-day life.
"For me, it was a priority to come today," said Tatounji.
Tribute in Quebec City
Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume has proposed renaming Coliseum Avenue in honour of Jean Béliveau, who played for the Quebec Aces in the 1950s.
The Coliseum in Quebec City has also opened its doors to the public for the signing of a book of condolences.
The book will be available on Monday, before being presented to the Béliveau family.
On Saturday, workers at the Coliseum unfurled a huge banner on the arena's south facade to pay tribute to Jean Béliveau.
Fisher covered Jean Béliveau's career almost from the very beginning, writing about the hockey legend for close to 60 years 6:04 | {
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People are flocking to supermarkets in many places in the country since the government announced 21-day long lockdown, starting Wednesday.
🙏🙏👏👏👇👇 👍
An example of Social distancing outside a grocery shop... pic.twitter.com/yODpyz0boc — Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) March 25, 2020
Though the government assured there was plenty of stock, people are seen panic buying essential goods at grocery shops stores, local independent stores and corner shops, anticipating full-on lock down days ahead.
The sudden peak in demand has cause severe strain in the system. As hundreds of shoppers picked up goods, shops are trying hard to keep up with the rising demand. Despite the best efforts some shops are finding it difficult to replenish the stock quickly.
Shopkeepers are resorting to innovative methods to follow instructions laid down by the government. Police have announced that they would close down shops that violate the official guidelines in relation to the coronavirus outbreak.
In Puducherry Milk booth.
Social distancing... pic.twitter.com/1nhoZZkyhS — Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) March 25, 2020
People are patiently standing in line outside the stores, maintaining safe distance, as only limited number of people are allowed inside. Some shops have even marked out designated locations for shoppers-in-waiting to maintain social distancing outside the shop. As private security staff maintained strict vigil, each one goes inside with sanitizer sprayed to disinfect the hands.
Meanwhile, authorities have warned sops against hoarding of goods and price gouging. | {
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Devonta Freeman on if his contract situation is a distraction, "No. Where I grew up, going home from school, dodging a bullet. That's a distraction." | {
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The authorities based in Philippine have alarmed users about two crypto platforms that are presumed of being scams.
Two crypto platforms were suspected of filing scams by the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). One of these two provides customers with a significant income in a short period of time, while the other promises to pay the users who invite new members into a “referral chain” scheme.
Onecash Trading is the first platform suspected for scams
The Market Regulator issued an alert notice to Onecash Trading platform – a digital asset retailer that says 200% will be allocated to pay back investors in just 8 weeks. The SEC also stated that Onecash isn’t officially registered in the SEC’s portfolio.
According to the Advisory:
“In its Facebook Account Onecash Trading is inviting the public to sign up to their website through a sponsored link and deposit an amount of P1,000 ($20) as an enrollment fee. Upon activation thereof, a member may opt to become a Trader with a promise receiving 25% return of investment every Thursday for eight consecutive weeks without doing anything or to be a Builder wherein a member shall be receiving P 50.00 ($1) per direct and indirect invites up to the 10th level.”
Through the endorsement, SEC refers to most of the investment schemes involving fiat or digital coins (Bitcoin, Dash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Monero, SIbcoin, Mooncoin, Ripple) which are recognized as “securities” thus going under the watch of the regulators.
The commission has warned users to stay as far away from the investment schemes as they rehash that the company will pay back the invested money in a short term and at a higher rate than the standards.
The SEC agency has announced that any agent, vendor, distributor from the OneCash Trading team who will continue to sell the platform’s services that violate the current regulations will be fined up to $ 100,000 or will go to jail for up to 21 years.
PBB150 Trading has received an advisory too
The other platform is called PBB150 Trading– a MLM crypto asset. Within this platform, users gain points when their number increases. The SEC also has identified a “chain referral” system and issued a cautionary advisory.
According to the advisory, “PBB150 Trading has no physical products and is engaged in what they called the ‘4th earning system,’ where according to PBB’s CEO, Leonardo Dano Labastida, members may buy a digital currency called “Kringles,” amounting to P55.00 ($1.1) each (maximum of 20 Kringles per account), with a promise that said amount would become P80.00 ($1.6) in a span of two weeks.”
The identification data of every person involved in activities that violate the current regulations will be submitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for appropriate penalties. | {
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SAP APO PPDS - Production Planning & Detailed Scheduling
Introduction and Course Overview
SAP APO DP – Dement Planning
SAP APO SNP – Supply Network Planning
SAP APO GATP – Global Available to Promise
Creating a sales order in the SAP ERP System with an availability check in the SAP SCM (APO) System
Decision of the check method
Demonstration and configuration of the basic methods of the availability check in SAP SCM (APO):
Product availability check
Product allocation check
Check against the forecast
Demonstration and configuration of further methods of the availability check in SAP SCM (APO):
Rules-based availability check (Integrated Rule Maintenance and substitutions based on Interchangeability Master Data)
Calling up production as part of the availability check in SAP APO (Capable-To-Promise, Multi-Level-ATP)
Simulation functions in SAP SCM (APO)
Functions of the Redistribution in SAP SCM (APO)
Backorder Processing
Order Due Lists
Event-Driven Quantity Assignment
Reassignment of Order Confirmations
Introduction into the Scheduling methods in SAP SCM (APO) | {
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Heritage Pharma settles price-fixing allegations for $7M: 6 things to know
Heritage Pharmaceuticals, a generic drugmaker in Eatontown, N.J., agreed to pay a settlement on May 31 to resolve allegations of to fix prices for its diabetes drug glyburide, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Six things to know:
1. The Department of Justice accused Heritage of conspiring with competitors to fix prices, rig bids and allocate customers for glyburide between April 2014 and December 2015.
2. Heritage will pay more than $7 million to resolve the civil and criminal charges related to the price-fixing.
3. The Justice Department is investigating the entire generic drug industry for price fixing, and under the terms of the agreement, Heritage will cooperate with that probe.
4. Jeffrey Glazer and Jason Malek, two former Heritage executives, already pleaded guilty to price-fixing conspiracy charges. Their sentencing hearings are scheduled for September.
5. "American consumers have the right to generic drugs sold at prices set by competition, not collusion," said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department. "Heritage and its co-conspirators cheated and exploited vulnerable American patients to pad their bottom line."
6. Heritage said that it has revamped its leadership team in the wake of the allegations. "We are pleased to put these issues behind us and focus on Heritage's future," William Marth, global president and CEO of the Heritage Group, North America and Europe, said in a news release.
More articles on pharmacy:
Viewpoint: The $2.1M drug price record won't last long
J&J to cut 61 jobs in New Jersey
Mallinckrodt to spin off generics unit
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Britain’s beloved boffins have solved a centuries-old mystery: Where is the body of Richard III ? Famous for his historic if short rule, his unfortunate disabilities, and a rather spiffing Shakespeare play, Richard was killed at the battle of Bosworth Field, August 22, 1485–marking the end of the Middle Ages in Britain. But the king’s body remained lost until just now.
The British science team identified him positively using two techniques. One may be familiar to you if you’ve watched the TV series Bones: An anthropological study of the skeleton revealed evidence that said this body had scoliosis, just like Richard, good teeth (unusual among lower classes), and that he suffered injuries and fatal wounds that match historic evidence about his death.
The other technique used mitochondrial DNA–a tiny spiral of genetic material that’s passed down from mother to child. It’s different than the “normal” DNA you think of as residing in all the cells in your body because during reproduction this type of DNA doesn’t get juggled with DNA from a child’s father. Instead it only bears the stamp of its female bearers, plus some random mutations through time. This means it’s easy to track the relatives of one woman through history, which is why mitochondrial DNA has led us to believe humans are all descended from one early woman.
In the case of Richard the Third, the DNA was match found in Michael Ibsen’s body. He’s a living relative of Richard, being the 17th great grand-nephew of Richard’s older sister Cecily. Ibsen and the body found in Britain share a rare strain of mitochondrial DNA and this, combined with the evidence from the bones themselves, has led to a positive ID. Finding Richard the Third’s body now was a boon because this particular line of DNA is about to die out because Ibsen’s only sister has no children of her own.
You may remember that a positive ID for Osama Bin Laden was achieved via a related DNA technique.
Such skillful DNA unraveling is one of the technological marvels of our time. And that despite the fact that it’s fraught with emotional, moral, and technical difficulties.
[Image: Flickr user Bolckow] | {
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The Tigers captured the AL Central crown with a 90-72 record in 2014 before the Orioles made quick work of them in the ALDS. Now, the Tigers will look to retool a bit this offseason and, once again, there will be an emphasis on fixing the bullpen.
Guaranteed Contracts
Arbitration Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projections via Matt Swartz)
Contract Options
Joakim Soria , RP: $7MM club option ($500K buyout)
, RP: $7MM club option ($500K buyout) Alex Avila, C: $5.4MM club option ($200K buyout)
Free Agents
Other Payroll Obligations
Prince Fielder: $30MM to be paid 2016-20
Any discussion of the Tigers’ offseason has to start with pending free agent Max Scherzer. The 2013 Cy Young Award winner says he’d like to return to Detroit, but it’s not that simple. The two sides were discussing a possible extension in the spring before things stalled and the Tigers took the unusual step of releasing a statement on the matter.
“The Detroit Tigers have made a substantial, long-term contract extension offer to Max Scherzer that would have placed him among the highest paid pitchers in baseball, and the offer was rejected,” the statement read.
The Tigers reportedly offered a six-year, $144MM extension, identical to the deal Cole Hamels signed with the Phillies in 2012. The Scott Boras client, meanwhile, may have been seeking an eight-year deal. Now, Scherzer stands as the top available free agent on the open market after another strong season and it’s feasible that he could exceed that average annual value of $24MM on a six-, seven-, or maybe even an eight-year deal with an opt-out clause in the middle. That’s probably too rich for the Tigers’ blood.
If Scherzer goes, the Tigers will have a hard time pursuing a comparable replacement. The market offers appealing alternatives like Jon Lester and James Shields, but the Tigers already have about $151MM tied up between guaranteed contracts, arb raises, the $6MM they owe the Rangers for Prince Fielder and the options on Alex Avila and Joakim Soria. Shields will require four or five years to sign, and Lester could require six or seven, making the fit unlikely. Even second-tier options like Brandon McCarthy and Francisco Liriano could prove too expensive, barring a significant boost to 2014’s Opening Day payroll of $163MM.
As such, it’s not a given that they’d sign anyone to fill the void left by a likely Scherzer departure. In-house options like Robbie Ray, Kyle Ryan, Kyle Lobstein, Drew VerHagen, and Buck Farmer could vie for jobs in the starting five. That’s not apples-for-apples, of course, but the Tigers could get by with a core four David Price, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez, Rick Porcello, with their fingers crossed for a bounce back from Verlander.
In the bullpen, the Tigers have to decide on whether to exercise Joakim Soria’s $7MM club option or buy him out for $500K. In 44 1/3 innings last season, Soria turned in a 3.25 ERA (his 2.73 xFIP gives him more credit) with 9.7 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9. It’s tough to imagine the Tigers not exercising that option. For starters, the Tigers gave up two of their best prospects in starter Jake Thompson and reliever Corey Knebel to land Soria in July, and that would be a mighty steep price to pay for a ten-week rental. Soria wasn’t sharp in his 11 innings of regular season work in Detroit (though in his defense, he was also injured), but that doesn’t mean a ton in the grand scope of things and injuries didn’t help matters. The Tigers would be wise to keep Soria in their historically shaky bullpen, and recent comments from Dombrowski indicate that they’re going to do that.
Beyond that, Tigers might want to do some tinkering with their bullpen and Dombrowski has said that it will be towards the top of their list. Joba Chamberlain seemed to be paying back the Tigers’ one-year, $2.5MM investment nicely in the first half of the season but he turned in a 4.01 ERA after the All-Star break and might not be asked back. Coke, another former Yankee, had a very rough start to the year but improved in the second half, which could leave the door open to a return. Jim Johnson, who came aboard on a minor league deal after his head-scratching 2014 with the A’s, didn’t fare much better in Detroit and will probably wind up elsewhere. We know that Soria, Nathan, and Al Alburquerque figure to be in the pen, along with left-hander Blaine Hardy and perhaps Ian Krol, though his first year in Detroit was disappointing. Flamethrower Bruce Rondon will return at some point, though it’s not clear when, as he is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Beyond that grouping, question marks and injury troubles abound, which should lead to yet another close examination of the team’s bullpen. As Tim Dierkes recently noted, the Tigers drafted Andrew Miller and almost landed him in July before the O’s beat them to the punch, so they could make a run at him this winter. However, he’d require a significant investment, possibly a four-year deal, so he could prove a tough fit as well.
Scherzer isn’t the only significant Tigers free agent hitting the open market, of course. There’s mutual interest in a return between Detroit and designated hitter Victor Martinez, but he’ll have a number of suitors offering significant money. Martinez turned in a .335/.409/.565 slash line last season and, as Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com wrote recently, he’ll be seeking out a four-year deal. The Tigers will surely attach the qualifying offer to him, but the soon-to-be 36-year-old might price himself out of Detroit, especially if he’s married to the idea of a four-year pact. If Martinez goes, the Tigers could to the trade market with an eye on Adam Lind, though they’d probably want to find a platoon partner to go with him. It’s also conceivable that Ryan Howard’s left-handed bat could be a fit for them if the Phillies absorb the vast majority of his remaining salary.
At shortstop, Dombrowski says that the prognosis on Jose Iglesias is positive and he will be expected to take the full-time job if “he returns to the form of the past.” The Tigers could turn to Eugenio Suarez to fill the gap if Iglesias isn’t 100%, but they also might want to explore adding a depth option on a minor league deal.
The Tigers would love to have a healthy Andy Dirks back in 2015 for his projected salary of $1.63MM, but it’s far from a given that he can stay on the field after missing all of 2014 thanks to back problems. Utility man Don Kelly (.245/.332/.288 in 95 games) is also arbitration-eligible and likely on the bubble. As Dombrowski recently indicated, the Tigers could look to put Rajai Davis back in the corner outfield (his natural position) and slot J.D. Martinez on the opposite side and find a center fielder elsewhere.
Colby Rasmus is on the open market and, as recently noted by MLBTR’s Jeff Todd, guys like Dexter Fowler, Drew Stubbs, Jon Jay/Peter Bourjos, and maybe Desmond Jennings could be available via trade. Jeff recently pointed out a few potential left-handed-hitting trade possibilities that could make sense alongside Davis, such as Matt Joyce or David DeJesus, Alejandro De Aza or David Lough, Shane Victorino, Michael Saunders, and Ben Revere. This is all speculative, of course, but there should be plenty of full-time or part-time options available on the trade market for Detroit. Speaking of the outfield, Torii Hunter sounds like he wants to continue playing and would like to re-sign with the Tigers, but he’s not sure if he could accept a reduced role.
In the long term, the Tigers have a great deal of guaranteed money locked up in aging players. Meanwhile, they have shipped out a great deal of young talent including Willy Adames, Drew Smyly, and the aforementioned Thompson and Knebel. At some point, one has to wonder if the Tigers will be left with an over-the-hill core and an over-harvested farm system.
The Tigers have shown a willingness to spend in the past, but last year’s two major trades — Prince Fielder-for-Ian Kinsler and the Doug Fister swap — seem to indicate that ownership is still conscious of the bottom line. With only so much wiggle room, the Tigers will have to be creative in addressing their needs and wants this winter.
Steve Adams contributed to this post. | {
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Police in New Westminster are investigating reports of a possible shooting near Moody Park.
According to statement, officers responded to reports of gunfire in the area of 9th and St. Andrews streets at around 4:40 p.m. on Monday.
Authorities found several people at the scene, but no one was injured, police said.
The NWPD's Major Crime Unit and forensic team have taken over the investigation.
"Investigators are speaking with witnesses and other parties who may be involved. Thankfully, no one was injured as a result of this alleged shooting," Sgt. Jeff Scott said in the release.
"Because we are still in the early stages of the investigation, detectives are working hard to determine what exactly happened."
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact investigators at 604-525-5411 and quote file number 2019-13117. | {
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“We will no longer purchase products from companies owned by Vista Outdoors. We will be donating proceeds from the remaining inventory we have of Giro helmets to Everytown for Gun Safety.”
— Leah Benson, Gladys Bikes
Revelations this week that several major bicycle brands are owned by Vista Outdoor — one of America’s largest sellers of assault weapon ammunition and accessories, and a staunch supporter of the National Rifle Association (NRA) — has sent shockwaves through the Portland bike scene.
We’ve heard from several readers who now plan to boycott products from Bell Sports, Giro, Blackburn Design, CamelBak, Raskullz, and Copilot. But for bike shop owners who sell helmets, racks, packs and child seats, the issue is much more complicated. Some say they’ll boycott the brands until ties to the NRA are severed, others say they’ll steer clear of them in the future, and one was in such a moral quandary, they asked to remain anonymous.
Immediately after our story posted we heard from several Portland shops who said they’ll boycott all Vista Outdoor brands.
Clever Cycles, who doesn’t currently sell any Vista Outdoor products, wrote on Twitter that it’s, “Terrible to hear that a company pedaling child seats and safety equipment is also supporting an industry of terror,” and, “We are proud to not carry any products that @VistaOutdoorInc distributes.” Go By Bike owner Kiel Johnson shared that, “We won’t sell those brands either!” Mel Birgé who owns Recumbent PDX says, “I would never knowingly sell products from a weapons manufacturer. We didn’t sell Bell, Giro or Blackburn and now we won’t start.”
Upon hearing the news of Vista Outdoor’s ties to the NRA, Gladys Bikes owner Leah Benson wrote on her shop’s Facebook page that, “This is frustrating and disappointing on a whole multitude of levels. Of Vista’s many brands, we currently only stock Giro helmets, and we had just placed a fairly sizable (for us) order with them. I’m not going to lie: This puts us in a tricky place financially. That said, there are a lot of things that are more important than money (for instance: human life); we’re committed to finding a way to not support them moving forward.”
Benson shared more with us in an email this morning:
“We will no longer purchase products from companies owned by Vista Outdoors. Additionally, we will be donating proceeds from the remaining inventory we have of Giro helmets to Everytown for Gun Safety… I know that some folks will disagree with my opinions or tactics here, and I respect that, and won’t deny that this is a relatively easy decision for me to make since Gladys is small and our pre-season investment in these brands was not nearly as large as other shops in the area. I respect that every shop has good reason for the choices they’re making with regards to Vista; we all have different ways of existing in business and in the world.”
All three of those shops are relatively small. And Clever Cycles doesn’t even carry the brands, so they don’t have much to lose by coming out strong against Vista Outdoor.
Cyclepath owner Bill Larson also doesn’t carry Vista Outdoor products, saying they just discontinued selling Giro and Bell last year, “Due to a dislike for Vista’s typical business practices.” (That’s a sentiment we heard several times over the past few days. Shop owners told us Vista Outdoor’s corporate culture, failure to protect the retail prices of their products, and selling to online discounters made them hard to work with.) Larson added that he didn’t know about Vista Outdoor’s NRA ties before this week. “I can honestly say that if I had learned about this topic while still carrying their brands, it would’ve shaped our buying decisions,” he shared with us via email. “There are many brands to choose from in the market now so theres no reason to stick with a brand if they don’t offer a compelling reason to be on our shelf. We truly believe in voting with our dollar.”
What about shops that do a significant amount of business with Vista Outdoor? Their responses revealed just how difficult it can be to extricate business dealings from moral stances in these days of corporate dominance in the bike industry.
Metropolis Cycles has been doing business on North Williams Avenue for nine years. Co-owner Nathan Roll said they currently sell products from Giro, Blackburn and Bell and have done so for several years, before the brands were acquired by Vista Outdoor.
Here’s his statement:
“We are deeply dismayed by this news, and are trying to determine how to proceed. We were previously unaware of Vista’s connection to and support of the NRA. I personally find the NRA’s rhetoric and actions reprehensible and disgusting, and would happily cut ties with anyone that supported them, but as the owner of a business, it’s not that easy, for several reasons. The simplest is that we have thousands of dollars of their merchandise already in stock, and have committed to buying thousands more through the course of the coming year. In addition, we have a relationship with the brand(s) and their employees, none of whom had a say in who purchased their employer. Some of them are our friends and neighbors, and this clearly affects their livelihoods. We are currently re-evaluating our relationship with Vista Sports, but as I’m sure you are aware, the bicycle business is hardly lucrative, especially for small neighborhood shops like us, and we can’t afford to give away product, or even discount it deeply in an effort to unload it. The Giro/Bell duo is also by far the largest player in the domestic helmet market, and though there are alternatives, we will have to consider them carefully before making any decisions.”
Sellwood Cycle Repair celebrated its 25th year in business in 2017. It’s a local institution and its influence goes well beyond Portland. Owner Erik Tonkin has helped design and influence several Kona Bicycle Company models over the years and he’s a force in the racing scene, having supported an all-women cyclocross racing team through international competition this past season.
Tonkin told me this morning he carries a large amount of products from Vista’s brands. Even so, he’ll support a boycott. Here’s his statement:
“Sellwood Cycle Repair will support a boycott of Vista Outdoor. This means we will not buy products from Bell, Giro, Blackburn, and CoPilot — and that we could even return existing inventory, which is substantial. I was sad to learn a few years back these companies had been acquired by Vista. At the time, I was most disappointed because — for the first time ever — we’d be doing regular business with a vague holding company rather than a focused or independent bike businesses, like Kona Bicycles, Giant Bicycles, Quality Bicycle Products, Cyclone Bicycle Supply, and the list goes on. And then there was Vista’s substantial investment in shooting sports, not to mention its support of the National Rifle Association. I need a specific, stated purpose to support a boycott — a goal or an outcome to pursue. For me, that goal is to ask Vista to drop its support of the NRA — or failing that, to sell off its brands Giro, Bell, Blackburn, and CoPilot.”
And then there was the bike shop owner who didn’t want to be identified:
“Well, this is an ethical dilemma I wasn’t expecting to confront this morning. My initial reaction is ‘fuck those guys’. We vote with our wallets. The idea of me giving money to a company that then gives it to the NRA is revolting. So I’ve been talking about this to the management and staff. The issues that are raised are matters of consistency. Are we going to hold all of our suppliers to a standard, and if so, what is the line? I’m afraid that if we dig deep enough into any of our suppliers, we’re going to find stuff that is undesirable. And in order to not be hypocritical, we would have to do so. I don’t know what to do at this point. Does the good (supplying well designed and produced bike stuff that help keep cyclists safe and comfortable) outweigh the bad? I’m in a bind. I could take a stand and say we’re not buying products from those companies. It might make a bit of a difference at some point, and now that this is public, I’m sure more will consider if they will support the companies. We sure will. One thing I have to consider is that Bell-Giro is our #1 most profitable brand, percentage wise. If we drop them, our sales will drop and profits will drop. It is likely that we would have to lay someone off or otherwise cut payroll. How would that person feel about my decision? It is already difficult to be a small business in this day. I don’t have the luxury to make a lot of decisions by how my heart feels. Sadly…but I do what I can do.”
Given the #NRABoycott effort that’s sweeping the country, there are probably more shoes to drop in terms of what happens at Vista Outdoor. They purchased these bike brands very recently in an effort to diversify their holdings because the gun market is so vulnerable to political winds. If they don’t want to cut ties to the NRA, they might end up selling these non-gun brands. As the gun debate heats up, companies might have to choose: They can sell guns or bikes, but not both.
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and [email protected]
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Donald Trump said he’d love to testify under oath during the impeachment inquiry and is “strongly” considering it. Here a few other things he’d love to do almost as much:
1. Jog for an hour with ankle weights on a treadmill.
2. Drink a gallon of lime vinegar.
3. Roll around naked in an ant pile.
Seriously -- Trump will never give about squeezing Ukraine officials for dirt on Joe Biden, or anything else he's done. The moment he'd raise his right hand and solemnly swear is when to expect a lightning bolt to split the Capitol rotunda.
Carl Hiaasen [ Carl Hiaasen ]
The Big Orange Trumpster is psychologically unequipped to tell the truth, and surprisingly inept at faking it.
Experienced liars usually say they can't remember, can't recall or have "no recollection." Trump provided answers like that when Special Counsel Robert Mueller sought an interview, but the responses were submitted on paper and composed by Trump's attorneys.
Whenever the president gets in front of a live microphone -- and a huge TV audience -- all he wants to do is perform. He can't help himself. He gets seized by an uncontrollable urge to toss away the script and start shooting off his mouth.
That’s okay for a campaign rally at a fairground in Pensacola, but it would be phenomenally idiotic to try that approach as the main witness in an impeachment inquiry.
Trump, whose ego is as big as the Hindenburg, truly believes he's sharper than all the people advising him and all the people investigating him. There are no 12-step programs for such a disorder.
If he actually chose to testify, he wouldn't have the self-discipline to tell the safe lie and claim to have gaps in his memory. He'd rather preen and improvise, which would be a nightmare for the Republican lawmakers who are struggling to defend him.
Perjury is an impeachable offense. That's how Bill Clinton got nailed -- not for having sex with a White House intern, but for lying about it under oath.
Clinton, whose ego is as outsized as Trump's, never testified publicly before Congress. He was way too smart for that.
Trump isn't as nearly as clever, but he won't testify, either. His staff would lock him inside the West Wing pantry before they'd let him take a motorcade to Capitol Hill and sit down in front of that House committee.
The whole family -- Melania, Jared, Ivanka, Tiffany, even Don Jr., and Eric -- would stage an intervention, if necessary, to keep Trump from speaking under oath.
And while part of the president's psyche is undoubtedly itching to stage a dramatic performance for the impeachment panel, a more primal part doesn't want to be spending all day, every day, with criminal defense lawyers.
Trump has seen what happened to close associates who got caught lying, a growing list that includes his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen, campaign manager Paul Manafort, national security adviser Michael Flynn and, most recently, his flaky pal Roger Stone.
All were prosecuted, convicted and are either in prison or await sentencing. Clearly the president has drawn a lesson from their fates: He has ordered key administration officials not to appear before the House committee investigating the Ukraine deal.
As a result, not one of the men who could supposedly exonerate Trump has given sworn testimony, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Ramblin' Rudy Giuliani.
Either the president is scared that one or more of them might pull a Gordon Sondland and cop to the truth, or that they'll get charged with perjury if they lie.
Meanwhile, it's not as if Trump is being muzzled. He can still rant festively at rallies and lie feverishly on Twitter, though he might be more credible with a grammar coach at his side.
The new White House position is that while the president would like to testify in person, he's been advised not to do it because the House proceedings are (despite the vocal presence of many Republicans) partisan and unfair.
That was the line last week from ex-Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, an amusing addition to Trump's lightweight media-crisis team. "A sham court," Bondi called the impeachment inquiry after conceding that Trump would "probably not" appear.
She spoke those words less than 48 hours after the president tweeted that he was "strongly" considering testifying. Obviously, he wasn't serious. It was just another dumb, impulsive lie.
Be honest. If you were his attorney, would you let him flap that big mouth under oath?
Carl Hiaasen is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Readers may write to him at: The Miami Herald, 3511 NW 91st Ave., Miami, Fla., 33172.
© 2019 Miami Herald. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC | {
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She's won multiple awards for her comedy... and now she's in serious running for the best daughter award.
Amy Schumer, 35, showed her generous spirit when she bought back her father's farm after the family had to sell it when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
The comedienne revealed what she had done in an Instagram post Monday, sharing a pic of herself telling her dad via FaceTime what she'd done.
Scroll down for video
Making his day: Amy Schumer revealed what she had done in an Instagram post Monday, sharing a pic of herself telling her dad Gordon via FaceTime she'd bought back the family farm
Amy also shared a video taken by her father when she was a child, that showed her running through cornfields at her family's farm.
'Video from the farm when I was running away in the cornfield and my dad was taunting me because I wanted him to come with me,' she explained.
'We lost the farm when we lost everything else. But today I got to buy it back for him.'
Personal attachment: The comedian posted a video of when she was young and running through the fields at her family's farm
She captioned the post: 'Video from the farm when I was running away in the cornfield and my dad was taunting me because I wanted him to come with me'
Little Amy! The video shows a the comedian as a cute little girl playing in the fields around her family's farm
Amy has spoken about her father's illness and how it has effected her multiple times throughout the years.
When talking to Barbara Walters in 2015 for ABC's The 10 Most Fascinating People special, the 35-year-old revealed how hard it is to watch her dad go through the progressively debilitating disease.
'In terms of my dad being sick, it was just confusing to me, especially the way MS works,' the Trainwreck star admitted.
'He was in physical pain. That's when I kind of took the lead and took care of everybody in my family.'
Tough times: The Trainwreck star revealed to Barbara Walters in 2015 that it's sometimes hard to watch her dad suffer
Close bond: Amy often shares pictures of her dad on social media, highlighting their close relationship
Dinner with comics: Amy also shared an Instagram snap of herself dining with comic Dave Attell
Comics and meat: The comedienne also shared a snap of the comics eating meat
'Some days he's really good and he's with it and we're joking around. And some days I go to visit my dad and it's so painful. I can't believe it,' Schumer went on.
The comedienne was only 12 years old when her father was diagnosed with MS. A few years later her parents divorced.
And that is how her sense of humor began to take shape.
Happy: The comic looked in high spirits after the purchase as she made a casual appearance while out and about in New York
'I seek laughter all the time. I think that's something that also comes with having a sick parent is you don't know what's going to happen and so I'll be like, 'I'm psyched my legs still work!' the blonde star told CBS Sunday Morning With Charles Osgood last July.
The Inside Amy Schumer funny woman - who's dating furniture designer Ben Hanisch - also said her father's illness affects her relationships.
Amy continued: 'Everybody I meet and I'm like, 'Yeah, he's cool, but would I push him in a wheelchair? You know, would I want him to push me?' So, yeah, I go there pretty quick.' | {
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Tragedy has struck for Brazil as they have lost their star player Neymar for the rest of the World Cup due to a back injury and will also be missing their captain Thiago Silva for tonight's game against Germany. However, there is still hope for the hosts and here are five reasons why they should remain optimistic ahead of their semi-final with Germany...
1. Luiz Felipe Scolari
The Brazilian manager has never lost a World Cup match with Brazil. He has proved himself a skillful and talented manager that led the Selecao to a World Cup victory in 2002 before taking them this far even though he had to cope with a personal loss. In between his stints in charge of Brazil he also led Portugal to a World Cup semi-final and the final of Euro 2004.
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2. Home advantage
The rowdy crowd at Belo Horizonte will be one-sided and every time Brazil pick up the ball the cheers will be heard all around the country – the same goes for the boos every time a German touches the ball. The fans have proved to be the Selecao’s 12th man and tonight will be no different.
Shape Created with Sketch. Neymar's best and worst moments of the 2014 World Cup Show all 9 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Neymar's best and worst moments of the 2014 World Cup 1/9 Neymar scores his first against Croatia After going a goal behind in the very first match of the tournament courtesy of a Marcelo own goal, Neymar got his tally off the mark as he scored from long range to drag Brazil level. GETTY IMAGES 2/9 He adds his second in controversial circumstances Despite a stop-start, jerky run up, Neymar converts from the penalty spot to give Brazil the lead and they would go on to secure a 3-1 victory. However, the Croatians were infuriated by what they perceived as a dive from striker Fred to win the penalty. Not that it mattered to Neymar, who duly took his chance from the spot. GETTY IMAGES 3/9 But was he lucky to be on the pitch? A stray elbow on Luka Modric could have warranted a red card for Neymar, but he escaped with a yellow and was on hand to score later in the match when the opportunity arose. Getty Images 4/9 Tears of pride Neymar in tears during the Brazil national anthem before the game with Mexico, such is the importance of the occasion GETTY IMAGES 5/9 Neymar left frustrated against Mexico An unimpressive Brazil side were left hugely frustrated by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. In a man-of-the-match display, Ochoa kept out a close range header from Neymar to see the match end as a goalless draw. GETTY IMAGES 6/9 Back on form and back in the goals You can’t keep a quality player quiet for long though, and unfortunately for Cameroon, their dismal World Cup campaign came to an end at the hands of another Neymar brace. Taking his tally to four goals, Neymar put himself in the reckoning for the Golden Boot, although his injury has put paid to that dream for now. Getty Images 7/9 Caught with his pants down Despite being the poster boy of Fifa’s World Cup, the governing body confirmed that they were investigating Neymar for allegedly breaching sponsorship rules by partially showing the top of his underwear that may or may not have been part of a sponsorship stunt. Eventually, Fifa conformed they would take no further action. GETTY IMAGES 8/9 Neymar’s penalty prowess sees off Chile After a hard-fought 120 minutes, Brazil and Chile were locked at 1-1 courtesy of David Luiz and Alexis Sanchez strikes. Mauricio Pinilla and Sanchez both saw their penalty shootout efforts saved by Julio Cesar, but Willian and Hulk followed suit. With the weight of a nation on his shoulders, Neymar coolly slotted home from the spot, which turned out to be the match-winner as Gonzalo Jara then hit the post to send Brazil through to the quarter-finals. 9/9 One assist, no goals and a trip to hospital sees Neymar done The forward had seen his impact in the quarter-final against Colombia somewhat limited due to the rough and tumble nature of the match – although the Brazilians were just as guilty of using the tactic against James Rodriguez. His corner allowed Thiago Silva to bundle the ball across the line for the opener, before Juan Camilo Zuniga’s ill-timed knee in the back cracked on of Neymar’s vertebrae and ended his run at this year’s World Cup. GETTY IMAGES 1/9 Neymar scores his first against Croatia After going a goal behind in the very first match of the tournament courtesy of a Marcelo own goal, Neymar got his tally off the mark as he scored from long range to drag Brazil level. GETTY IMAGES 2/9 He adds his second in controversial circumstances Despite a stop-start, jerky run up, Neymar converts from the penalty spot to give Brazil the lead and they would go on to secure a 3-1 victory. However, the Croatians were infuriated by what they perceived as a dive from striker Fred to win the penalty. Not that it mattered to Neymar, who duly took his chance from the spot. GETTY IMAGES 3/9 But was he lucky to be on the pitch? A stray elbow on Luka Modric could have warranted a red card for Neymar, but he escaped with a yellow and was on hand to score later in the match when the opportunity arose. Getty Images 4/9 Tears of pride Neymar in tears during the Brazil national anthem before the game with Mexico, such is the importance of the occasion GETTY IMAGES 5/9 Neymar left frustrated against Mexico An unimpressive Brazil side were left hugely frustrated by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. In a man-of-the-match display, Ochoa kept out a close range header from Neymar to see the match end as a goalless draw. GETTY IMAGES 6/9 Back on form and back in the goals You can’t keep a quality player quiet for long though, and unfortunately for Cameroon, their dismal World Cup campaign came to an end at the hands of another Neymar brace. Taking his tally to four goals, Neymar put himself in the reckoning for the Golden Boot, although his injury has put paid to that dream for now. Getty Images 7/9 Caught with his pants down Despite being the poster boy of Fifa’s World Cup, the governing body confirmed that they were investigating Neymar for allegedly breaching sponsorship rules by partially showing the top of his underwear that may or may not have been part of a sponsorship stunt. Eventually, Fifa conformed they would take no further action. GETTY IMAGES 8/9 Neymar’s penalty prowess sees off Chile After a hard-fought 120 minutes, Brazil and Chile were locked at 1-1 courtesy of David Luiz and Alexis Sanchez strikes. Mauricio Pinilla and Sanchez both saw their penalty shootout efforts saved by Julio Cesar, but Willian and Hulk followed suit. With the weight of a nation on his shoulders, Neymar coolly slotted home from the spot, which turned out to be the match-winner as Gonzalo Jara then hit the post to send Brazil through to the quarter-finals. 9/9 One assist, no goals and a trip to hospital sees Neymar done The forward had seen his impact in the quarter-final against Colombia somewhat limited due to the rough and tumble nature of the match – although the Brazilians were just as guilty of using the tactic against James Rodriguez. His corner allowed Thiago Silva to bundle the ball across the line for the opener, before Juan Camilo Zuniga’s ill-timed knee in the back cracked on of Neymar’s vertebrae and ended his run at this year’s World Cup. GETTY IMAGES
3. Team unity
We have all seen Brazil making their way onto the pitch in a straight line where each player holds the shoulder of the one standing in front of him. Scolari’s team consists of players that are all on the same page and Neymar’s absence could work well here as there will be no one-man show.
Video: Sam Wallace previews Brazil vs Germany
4. Germany are the preferred semi-final opponents for eventual winners
Tradition is once more on the side of Brazil as the last two times Germany made it to the World Cup semi-finals they got knocked out by Italy and Spain who both eventually won the competition in 2006 and 2010 respectively. Brazil have the tools to make it a hat-trick, therefore history could repeat itself tonight.
Brazil can still win even though they're without Neymar
5. The past
Brazil are determined to exorcise the 1950 demons of the Maracanazo where the Selecao lost the final to underdogs Uruguay. That is a match that haunts the yellow shirt to this day and this group of players are on a mission to erase the memory once and for all.
The best league in the world is back. Join The Independent for an online event, as our panel discusses the most uncertain start to a season in Premier League history. Click here to find out more and book your free ticket today. | {
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Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
From relaxation, to quelling appetite, to killing pain, I've recently been using an herb called “Kratom” (ever since I injured my back several months ago and I needed something other than an opioid based painkiller to stop the discomfort and allow me to sleep and engage in my normal day-to-day function).
When I first used Kratom, I felt the effects within minutes – and also experienced a pleasant euphoria, and even a drop in appetite, with none of the side effects of a painkiller and none of the psychosis of something like marijuana.
Advocates say the herb kratom offers relief from pain, depression, and anxiety. Scientists say it may hold the key to treating chronic pain and may even be a tool to combat addiction to opioid medications. But the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is now trying to ban this potent herb, citing an “imminent hazard to public safety.”
So is kratom safe?
Addictive?
How do you use it?
What are the different strains?
What else can kratom be used for?
In today's podcast with Chris Bell, you'll discover the answers to all these questions and much more. This is a must listen, in my opinion, especially since President Trump just declared the opioid crisis in America a “national emergency”.
Chris “Boar” Bell is an American director, producer and writer, known for his documentaries Bigger, Stronger, Faster and Trophy Kids and Prescription Thugs. He is the brother of Mark Bell and Mike Bell, both of whom were featured in Bigger, Stronger, Faster. In 1997, Bell obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Film Production from the University of Southern California. He currently resides in California, where founded his film production company Bigger Stronger Faster Inc, which is devoted to producing educational documentaries, films, and TV shows…
…Chris also happens to be an expert in all things kratom, and even claims in this video that kratom is “the cure for the opioid epidemic”.
During our discussion, you'll discover:
-How Chris went from being in intense pain 24-7 to nearly destroying his stomach with ibuprofen and advil to being completely addicted to opioid based painkillers…[8:55]
-How Chris originally discovered kratom…[20:50]
-What kratom is and where it comes from…[23:45 & 25:00]
-How you feel when you take kratom…[26:05]
-The difference between the different kratom strains, like red, white and green…[27:25]
-Whether kratom is safe on the organs…[31:15]
-Where Ben and Chris get their kratom…[38:20 & 40:45]
-Whether kratom is addictive or habit-forming…[42:15]
-If kratom is banned by WADA or USADA…[47:10]
-Whether kratom can be combined with anything to enhance its effects…[50:50, 52:50 & 54:00]
-How long kratom takes to “hit your system” and how long it lasts…[59:25]
-The new kratom documentary Chris is working on…[60:30]
-And much more…
Resources from this episode:
-My podcast on “Drug Dealer, MD”
–Leaf Of Faith Instagram
Show Sponsors:
-Rover – The nation's largest network of 5-star pet-sitters. Go to Rover.com/ben and use promo code “BEN” to get $25 off.
-Kettle & Fire – Go to BengreenFieldFitness.com/chickenbroth and get 20% off your order or chicken broth!
-Organifi – Go to BenGreenfieldFitness.com/organifi Discount code BEN for 20% off your order!
-Podchaser – Want to help me make this podcast even bigger? For the next week or so, you can visit the site and leave ratings and reviews for episodes you want to see commemorated. To keep it simple — 1. Head to BenGreenfieldFitness.com/podchaser 2. Log into Podchaser. New user? If so, enter “Patreon” to get FREE access. 3. Rate and review your favorite episodes! Don’t forget to log in and vote. Thanks in advance for your support!
Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Chris or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!
Also published on Medium. | {
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This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BOISE, Idaho — Two Idaho legislators are working on a bill that would make abortion murder in Idaho.
Rep. Heather Scott, (R-Blanchard), and freshman Rep. John Green, (R-Post Falls), released a draft of the Abortion Human Rights Act, according to EastIdahoNews.com. The bill would repeal the Idaho statute exempting women or anyone participating in abortion from being charged with murder.
“If you look at our Idaho code, we define life as a fetus. And it’s considered murder if you kill a fetus,” Scott told EastIdahoNews.com. “But we just give an exemption if you have an abortion.”
Here’s what the law currently says:
Idaho code 32-102 defines an unborn child as a person. “A child conceived, but not yet born, is to be deemed an existing person so far as may be necessary for its interests, in the event of its subsequent birth,” the code reads.
The killing of a human embryo or fetus is included under Idaho’s murder statute, 18-4001. However, an exemption exists in Idaho Code 18-4016. The statute prohibits prosecuting the woman having an abortion and the person who performs the procedure.
Scott said, if passed, the Abortion Human Rights Act would repeal that exemption.
By repealing the exemption any abortion — without exception, such as risk to the mother’s life — performed in Idaho would be considered murder. The woman who had the abortion and the person who performed the abortion could both be prosecuted for murder.
“We either define life as a fetus, or we don’t,” Scott said. “A woman can go out of state if she needs an abortion. But we just wouldn’t do it in our state. We’ll protect life in our state.”
The Idaho Democratic Party declined to comment on the bill. Party spokeswoman Lindsey Snider said the party does not take stances on specific legislation. However, the 2018 Idaho Democratic Party platform says, “(The party) upholds an individual’s right to choose and their access to reproductive medical care.”
Green said he rejects the idea the bill would go against federal law or Roe v. Wade. The 1973 United States Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade legalized abortion across the country.
If passed in Idaho, the proposed Abortion Human Rights Act could spur legal action against the state based on Roe v. Wade.
“This is about enforcing Idaho’s statutes and Idaho’s sovereignty,” Green said.
The proposed legislation would not allow the prosecution of anyone who has had or participated in an abortion in the past.
EastIdahoNews.com reached out to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, but it declined to comment.
KSL's Idaho News Section Looking for more news about the Gem State? Visit KSL's Idaho news section for more stories about Idaho politics, events, and features.
“The Office of the Attorney General does not comment on proposed legislating,” said Scott Graph, a spokesman for the office.
Scott and Green’s bill comes on the heels of New York’s newly passed abortion law, which would allow women to abort their pregnancies after 24 weeks if the fetus isn’t viable or to protect the woman’s life or health.
Sen. Dan Foreman (R-Moscow) proposed a similar bill in 2017. The bill would have charged women who had and doctors who performed abortions with first-degree murder. It did not find traction during the session.
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Consumers will save up to £40bn thanks to a revolution in the way electricity is made, used and stored, the government says.
New rules published today will make it easier for people to generate their own power with solar panels, store it in car batteries and sell it to the national grid.
Phil Taylor, professor in energy systems at Newcastle University, told Radio 4's Today programme these technologies are already available but are "expensive" and not yet "proven" to work on a large scale. | {
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Donald Trump’s desperate attempt to block a New York grand jury subpoena seeking his tax returns, which he once promised to publicly release, makes you wonder anew why he is so keen to prevent anyone from looking at those records, even in secret.
But the case also raises the more momentous question of whether presidents have an unqualified right to quash such demands as long as they occupy the White House.
Columnists In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.
Trump’s view, as U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero summarized it last month, is that “the person who serves as president, while in office, enjoys absolute immunity from criminal process of any kind.”
Marrero rejected that claim as “repugnant to the nation’s governmental structure and constitutional values.” And on Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit agreed.
The subpoena seeking Trump’s returns from his accounting firm is part of a probe by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., who is investigating hush payments received by two women who say they had sexual relationships with the president before he was elected. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, is serving a prison sentence for federal crimes related to those payments, and Vance is reportedly curious about whether the scheme also violated a state law prohibiting falsification of business records.
If political foes like Vance are allowed to launch criminal investigations that might implicate Trump, he worries, the proliferation of such probes could have a crippling effect on his presidency. While that concern is hardly frivolous, Trump’s audacious solution puts both the president and his cronies above the law at least temporarily and perhaps permanently, depending on statutes of limitation and the impact that the passage of time has on the availability of evidence.
Which brings us, weirdly enough, to Trump’s 2016 boast that “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” If Trump actually committed such a crime while in office, 2nd Circuit Judge Denny Chin wondered during oral argument last month, what recourse would police and prosecutors have?
”Local authorities couldn’t investigate?” Chin asked. “Nothing could be done? That is your position?”
Trump’s lawyer, William Consovoy, did not hesitate. “That is correct,” he said, while noting that Trump could be prosecuted after leaving office.
That position did not sit well with the appeals court, which noted that it seems inconsistent with the relevant precedents. Way back in 1807, Chief Justice John Marshall, while overseeing the treason trial of Vice President Aaron Burr, upheld a subpoena seeking documents from President Thomas Jefferson for use by the defense.
Marshall deemed it “not controverted” that “the president of the United States may be subpoenaed, and examined as a witness, and required to produce any paper in his possession.”
In 1974, when the Supreme Court unanimously upheld a subpoena directing President Richard Nixon to produce audio recordings and documents for use in the Watergate-related prosecution of senior administration officials, it likewise held that “neither the doctrine of separation of powers, nor the need for confidentiality of high-level communications, without more, can sustain an absolute, unqualified presidential privilege of immunity from judicial process under all circumstances.”
The Court reiterated that point in 1997, when it allowed Paula Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton to proceed. “The president is subject to judicial process in appropriate circumstances,” it noted.
The Trump case, which the Supreme Court is expected to hear on appeal, is novel in the sense that it involves a local criminal investigation, as opposed to a federal prosecution or a civil lawsuit. But unlike the Nixon case, it does not implicate the president’s conversations with his advisers. And unlike both the Nixon and Clinton cases, it does not even involve demands on the president himself.
It is surely possible to address Trump’s legitimate concerns about presidential prerogatives without granting him the blanket of protection he seeks. The rule of law requires a more discriminating approach.
Send letters to: [email protected]. | {
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In the last couple of weeks there has been plenty of speculation around:
Why I left Google
What happened to my book ‘Social Circles’
What I’m working on at Facebook
I never intended to write publicly about why I left Google, but it seems necessary to give people some facts that they can refer to, and not have people speculating and making stuff up.
Before I get into specifics, I want to say that I still hold tremendous respect for Google. I worked there for four years, loved the company, and busted a gut to help them ship great products. I learned an immense amount from a lot of very smart people.
I also want to remind people that this post is my own personal opinion – take it or leave it at face value.
I left Google for a variety of reasons
The main reason I left was that there was an opportunity at Facebook that I felt I couldn’t turn down (see section on my role at Facebook below). Having said that, there were other factors that made my decision to leave for a competitor easier. Google is an engineering company, and as a researcher or designer, it’s very difficult to have your voice heard at a strategic level. Ultimately I felt that although my research formed a cornerstone of the Google social strategy, and I had correctly predicted how other products in the market would play out, I wasn’t being listened to when it came to executing that strategy. My peers listened intently, but persuading the leadership was a losing battle. Google values technology, not social science. I also moved because the culture had changed dramatically in the few years I was at Google. It became much more bureaucratic and political. I don’t think it’s appropriate to get into it here, and other ex-Googlers have written about this more eloquently than I could.
Google blocked me from publishing my book
Many of you have asked me why my book ‘Social Circles‘ was delayed, and why it has been removed from Amazon. I wrote the book in collaboration with Google, and in June 2010 they officially gave me written permission to publish it. The book content, the title, and the cover all existed prior to Emerald Sea (Google+). However, after the PR frenzy around the leaking of the project in July 2010, Google verbally rescinded permission to publish, and blocked me from publishing until after Google+ launched. I understood and respected their decision at the time. However, they continue to block it. Now that Google+ has launched, I honestly can’t see why they don’t respond to my emails requesting permission to publish. The book contains no proprietary information, it is based almost entirely on research from 3rd parties (mostly universities) and any Google research referenced is already in the public domain.
The goal of the book was simple: to take the complex body of academic research about social behavior, and make it accessible to the many designers, developers and marketers who need to know this stuff. The industry needed this book. You might say I’m trying to organize some of the worlds information and make it universally accessible 🙂 The irony that Google is blocking this endeavor is not lost on me.
The good news is that I’m channeling this frustrating experience towards a better place, and am writing a new book. It’s called Grouped, and it’ll be out in a few months.
Some people have wondered whether my Real Life Social Network deck was leaked. It wasn’t. I first presented it months before Emerald Sea had started. I had permission from Google to present, and nobody internal really cared at the time.
For many years I have been interested in how people decide what to buy, own and use. I’ve been fascinated by the world of branding, and how people pass on information about brands and products to people they know. I’ve always had a desire to work in this world.
I believe that the web is being fundamentally rebuilt around people and the world of advertising will fundamentally change because of the emergence of the social web. I want to be part of creating that change, and the best place to do that is at Facebook. I joined Facebook as a Researcher, but have since transitioned to be a Product Manager, and I look after our user facing advertising products. Or as I prefer to say, I’m helping figure out better ways for people and businesses to communicate, and better ways for people to communicate to their friends about businesses. I love my new job, love Facebook, and have absolutely no regrets about moving. It has been the best career decision I’ve made.
I don’t work on Groups or Friend Lists but I don’t need to – I have a lot of respect for the people who do. They know their stuff, and believe me, they are working to make the best product possible.
Thanks for reading, now people have some facts. Take them or leave them at face value.
When I said “the industry needed this book”, it’s not because I have some kind of ego and think the book is a masterpiece as some have suggested. I’m sure it’s not. It’s just a simple book about social behavior. I said it was needed because there is vast amounts of rich data about social behavior locked up in academic papers that the masses don’t have time to read.
Author: Paul Adams | {
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The Huntington Beach Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is bringing back some old-time religion. Really old-time.
A full-scale replica of the tabernacle built by Moses and the Israelites, and described in the Old Testament, was set up by members of the Huntington Beach Mormon stake, or congregation, in the parking lot of the church in Fountain Valley.
It will be open for guided tours from 5 to 8 tonight and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Also scheduled is an interfaith celebration from 11a.m. to 1p.m. today with Catholic, Christian, Islamic and Jewish faith leaders.
The idea was born after Rick Johnson, president of the Huntington Beach Mormon stake, saw a similar replica in Idaho in August 2015. The tabernacle, or tent sanctuary, was made to the exact scale described in Scripture, down to the cubit.
Although the early tabernacle was made of wood and plated in gold, this wooden replica is covered in metallic gold paint.
The structure was built by congregants and about 450 youths and teens as a centerpiece for a summer youth conference in Murrieta, and reassembled this week at the church, at 17500 Bushard St.
“It’s been a real labor of love,” Johnson said. “It’s been a neat opportunity to share it with others.”
On its first night, Tuesday, more than 900 visitors toured the site.
The tabernacle also includes a courtyard area, replica altars of sacrifice and incense, a laver of water, a menorah and a table of unleavened showbread.
In the back of the tabernacle is the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary where God was said to dwell. The sanctuary houses replicas of the Ark of the Covenant, which consisted of a cover with angels known as the Mercy Seat, and the ark itself, which contained the tablets with the Ten Commandments that Moses brought down, a golden bowl containing manna, or food, and a rod that belonged to Moses’ brother, Aaron.
In ancient times only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and only once a year on Yom Kippur to offer blood from a sacrificed animal and burn incense.
As Johnson describes it, the journey through the tabernacle is not unlike a faith journey.
“We believe in sacred spaces,” he said. “The further you go in, you get further and further from the world and nearer to God.”
To Johnson, the idea of worship places transverses many religions, making the tabernacle valuable to people of different faiths. This helps explain why his church’s display has gotten so much interest, he said.
To congregants, the tabernacle and its contents are part of God’s way of foretelling the coming of his son.
“Most all of the things reflect Jesus Christ and his ministry,” said Elder Taylor Feitz, one of the tour guides.
He said “being able to see and visualize (the tabernacle) brings Jesus to life in a different way.”
For Einon Brock, who just started his two-year mission in Southern California, the ancient tabernacle draws a line to the temples of today.
In addition to the tabernacle, the Mormon church opened its doors and is showing a video about the making of the tabernacle. There are additional historic displays in the church’s cultural hall.
Johnson said plans are in place to turn the tabernacle into a traveling display, with trips to USC and Ann Arbor, Mich., being considered.
Contact the writer: [email protected] | {
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When, in the media, the three Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are mentioned, usually in a sentence like “Russia may again threaten the tiny Baltic states, which unlike Ukraine are members of NATO and the EU”, they are frequently referred to as being “tiny”.
This is certainly true of their populations: only 3 million people live in Lithuania, 2 million live in Latvia, and 1.3 million in Estonia. (If, however, you include the Russian Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad, which is located between Lithuania and Poland, or the Russian Baltic city of St Petersburg, which is between Estonia and Finland, there are an additional 5.5 million people). It is not nearly as true of the Baltics’ territory sizes, however: they are actually not so tiny, but only appear so because they are located next to much larger countries, most notably Russia.
All three Baltic states have larger territories, for example, than the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Switzerland, countries which most people probably assume are bigger than they are. In per capita terms, moreover, the Baltics have quite a bit more land than other European states outside of neighbouring Scandinavia or the former Soviet Union. (The Baltics’ population densities are about the same as the United States’). And in terms of per capita arable land and per capita forested land, their lead over other European countries is even greater. | {
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One of Prince Andrew's public relations advisers left his role over the royal's decision to take part in an interview in which he would be quizzed about sex allegations, Sky News can confirm.
Most of the prince's advisers wanted him to do the interview, but one did not, Sky News has been told.
Jason Stein went over the duke's decision to agree to the interview and it is understood he left two weeks ago by "mutual consent".
When he spoke to BBC's Newsnight programme, the prince claimed he was in Pizza Express on a night he is accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl - and suggested a photo of them together may have been doctored.
The Duke of York told the BBC he did not regret his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying: "The people that I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn either by him or because of him were actually very useful."
The royal's friendship with the disgraced American billionaire, who died in prison earlier this year, has led Buckingham Palace to issue a number of unexpected statements in the past four years, culminating in Saturday's unprecedented interview with BBC's Newsnight which was approved by the Queen.
The friendship allegedly led to him being introduced in 2001 to Virginia Roberts-Giuffre, who says she was trafficked by Epstein as a teenager and forced to have sex with his friends.
Ms Roberts-Giuffre claims she and Prince Andrew dined and danced together at a nightclub in London before going on to have sex.
She said she remembered him sweating during their encounter.
But the duke, who denies ever meeting Ms Roberts-Giuffre, said in the interview that he had a "peculiar medical condition" which prevented him from sweating.
"I didn't sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when I was shot at and I simply... it was almost impossible for me to sweat."
Instead he said he had been at Pizza Express in Woking that evening before going home.
He said: "I was with the children and I'd taken [daughter Princess] Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at, I suppose, sort of 4pm or 5pm in the afternoon."
When asked why he would remember a meal at Pizza Express 18 years later, he said: "Because going to Pizza Express in Woking is an unusual thing for me to do, a very unusual thing for me to do."
Ms Roberts-Giuffre has claimed they went on to have sex on two other occasions - allegations the duke denies.
He was also asked about a photo of him and Ms Roberts-Giuffre, where he is pictured with his arm around her waist.
The photo was allegedly taken by Epstein at the house of the prince's friend, Ghislaine Maxwell, in London in March 2001.
He said: "Nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored but I don't recollect that photograph ever being taken."
Regarding his hand being on the young woman's waist, he said: "I am not one to, as it were, hug, and public displays of affection are not something that I do... I don't believe that photograph was taken in the way that has been suggested."
Image: A photo appearing to show Prince Andrew and a 17-year-old Virginia Roberts, allegedly taken at Ghislaine Maxwell's house in London in March 2001. Pic: Rex/Shutterstock
He added: "That's me but whether that's my hand or whether that's the position I… but I don't… I have simply no recollection of the photograph ever being taken.
"We can't be certain that it's my hand on her left side."
When asked if he could have had sex with her or any young woman trafficked by Epstein, he said: "No, and without putting too fine a point on it, if you're a man it is a positive act to have sex with somebody.
"You have to take some sort of positive action and so therefore if you try to forget, it's very difficult to try and forget a positive action and I do not remember anything."
As well as denying having sex with the 17-year-old, the duke has also denied knowing anything about Epstein's crimes against underage girls prior to his conviction.
The duke had travelled to Epstein's mansion in New York in 2010 after Epstein's release from jail, saying he intended to break off their friendship.
But he has been criticised for staying at the mansion - and remaining there for what was reported to have been four days - following footage of him looking out of the door.
He said: "It was a convenient place to stay... at the end of the day, with a benefit of all the hindsight that one can have, it was definitely the wrong thing to do but at the time I felt it was the honourable and right thing to do."
Asked if he now had a sense of "guilt, regret or shame" about his friendship with Epstein, the duke said he did regret that Epstein had "quite obviously conducted himself in a manner unbecoming", to which Maitlis replied: "Unbecoming? He was a sex offender."
"Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm being polite, I mean in the sense that he was a sex offender," he replied.
Lawyers for Ms Roberts-Giuffre have said the duke could not have been with Epstein without knowing about the man's illegal activities.
But the duke said there were "a lot of people walking around Jeffrey Epstein's house", adding that because of his royal background he presumed "they were staff".
The duke also said he was unaware that an arrest warrant had been issued for Epstein when the billionaire attended the 18th birthday party of Princess Beatrice in 2006 with his ex-partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
When asked if he would be willing to testify or give a statement under oath, he said he would have to take legal advice but if this was affirmative then he would be "duty bound to do so".
He said the scandal had not been "damaging" to the Queen but that it had been to him, adding: "If I was in a position to be able to answer all these questions in a way that gave sensible answers other than the ones that I have given that gave closure then I'd love it but I'm afraid I can't."
Were you in Pizza Express in Woking on Saturday 10 March 2001 when Prince Andrew says he was there with his daughters? Email Sky News at [email protected] | {
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THE Max Brenner restaurant in Tel Aviv’s Sarona neighbourhood was packed with diners on June 8th when two cousins from Yatta in the West Bank ordered drinks, drew makeshift submachineguns and opened fire. Four Israeli civilians were killed and six injured by the time the two shooters, one of whom was affiliated with Hamas, were overpowered.
Despite an initial assessment that the attackers had few accomplices and were most likely acting without the involvement of any organisation, the Israeli government’s initial response was to suspend 83,000 exit permits from the West Bank, originally issued for the month of Ramadan which began on June 6th. A ban on residents leaving town was imposed on Yatta, home to more than 60,000 Palestinians. Crossings between Israel and the West Bank were shut for three days. The Israeli army is planning to demolish the homes of the families of the two shooters.
The attacks were the first in exactly three months to have killed any Israelis. A wave of violence by Palestinians aimed at Israeli civilians began in late September before petering out after six months. At its height, there were on average two attacks every day. Last month saw only a handful. Senior Israeli military and intelligence officers attribute the decline in violence to a tiredness within Palestinian society, improved intelligence work on the Israeli side and better co-ordination with the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) security forces. Before the killings in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night, Israeli intelligence officials were undecided whether this Ramadan would be relatively peaceful or if the religious fervour inspired by 30 days of consecutive fasts could spur renewed violence. They still have no clear idea whether it was an isolated incident or the start of a new wave.
Israeli generals have counselled politicians not to respond harshly against the Palestinian population. The work permits of some 53,000 West Bank Palestinians allowed into Israel have not been revoked, partly as an incentive against wider violence. But Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, and his new defence minister, the hardliner Avigdor Lieberman, who had been in office for only nine days when the attack took place, are under pressure from their right-wing base to respond forcefully. The Palestinian leadership has not been helping either. As Palestinians celebrated the murder of Israelis on the streets, Mahmoud Abbas, the PA’s president, belatedly rejected the targeting of civilians but would not specifically condemn the Tel Aviv murders. Hamas leaders in Gaza congratulated the attackers.
The current atmosphere is reminiscent of that two years ago. The kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas-affiliated Palestinians in 2014 was followed by a heavy-handed Israeli response in the West Bank, leading to Hamas launching rockets on Israeli towns. Within weeks it had exploded into a full-blown conflict in Gaza resulting in more than 2,000 deaths, the great majority of them Palestinian.
Many similar factors are now in place. A sudden terrorist attack on Israeli civilians, a tense Ramadan in the West Bank, a moribund peace process, widespread disenchantment among Palestinians with the leadership of Mr Abbas and desperation in the beleaguered Gaza Strip. Israel’s policy in the West Bank, along with its intransigence, together with Egypt, over any significant concessions to the people of Gaza could well lead to another bloody escalation. So far, the ceasefire around Gaza has mostly held and it is mainly down to Hamas to decide whether it can afford another round of bloodshed. Its political leadership is signalling that it wants to maintain the peace, but its military chiefs, who have been busy preparing more tunnels for cross-border attacks, could decide this Ramadan is the time to use them. | {
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Von Miller
SANTA CLARA, CA - FEBRUARY 07: Von Miller #58 of the Denver Broncos reacts after a play against the Carolina Panthers in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium on February 7, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Despite the fact that Eagles All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox's mega-extension signed earlier this offseason upped the value of Denver Broncos defensive end Von Miller in his quest for a new deal with the Denver Broncos, the Super Bowl champion was not thrilled at the news that Cox came to terms on a new extension.
In an in-depth conversation with Sports Illustrated, Miller's reaction to Cox's new six-year deal worth $102 million with $63 million guaranteed back in June was one of dismay and frustration, rather than anticipation of what it meant for his own negotiations with the Broncos:
Ultimately, Miller wound up signing a 6-year deal of his own with the Broncos worth $114 million with $70 million guaranteed. However, it seems that the fact that Cox's deal was consummated first seems to have miffed the Super Bowl 50 MVP.
You can read the full profile of Miller in Sports Illustrated here.
Matt Lombardo may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardo975. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook. | {
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I asked Wizkids today and they said there will not be Age of Ultron at Origins. Bummer 😦
Here is the screen shot
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Before the Trump International Hotel opened, Donald Trump liked to brag that the business he and his family built inside the Old Post Office would be “one of the great hotels of the world.”
But according to a year-end list of new luxury hotels from a travel group that specializes in high-end accommodations, it’s one of the world’s worst. The Trump hotel rated as the world’s third-lousiest new hotel, according to the membership-only United Kingdom operation LTI-Luxury Travel Intelligence.
“The building itself is undoubtedly impressive, but once inside we start to ask questions,” LTI’s review begins, acknowledging the Old Post Office as a marvel of late-19th-century Romanesque Revival architecture and design. But from there, the review is brutal.
“LTI finds the décor a little garish and more quantity over quality,” it continues. Few who have been inside the hotel might argue differently. In Trumpian fashion, the hotel is a pageant of too-muchness, from the gold-colored bathroom fixtures to a $29 bowl of hummus to the crystal spoonfuls of sickly-sweet Hungarian wine that go for as much as $140.
It goes on.
“Service is poor on occasions and lacks confidence,” LTI founder Michael Crompton writes. “The whole experience seems a little forced, and therefore this place is not for the true discerning luxury traveller.”
For supporters of the president-elect or his hotel, Crompton’s suggestion that his DC hotel is not truly luxurious might be the most cutting. Throughout his business career, Trump has resembled a spoiled outer-borough brat robing himself in glitz and luxury to get in the good graces of rich Manhattan swells, and his political rise could very well be a response to DC establishment types laughing him out of the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
Only two hotels—anywhere in the world—fared worse in LTI’s rankings: a Four Seasons on Oahu, Hawaii, and the Palazzo Versace in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
While LTI’s review does not make explicit mention of Trump’s election or the brewing mess over the Trump Organization’s lease from the General Services Administration for the Old Post Office, it does acknowledge that it is unlikely to have much impact on the hotel. “But no doubt the tourist hordes will keep the place eternally busy,” Crompton writes.
UPDATE, 5:48 PM: In an email to Washingtonian, Crompton piles on to his publication’s initial criticism, writing that the Trump hotel’s gaudiness—and that of the larger Trump brand—runs counter to recent hotel-industry trends. “For quite a while there has been a move towards an understated elegance in new luxury properties,” he writes. “We had similar feelings towards Trump Turnberry (one of Trump’s golf courses in Scotland).”
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday. Or, see all of our newsletters. By signing up, you agree to our terms
Sad! | {
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ABOUT Pyro Jumpers
This is a new organisation that operates on the basis of flare jumping! We are heavily based on Jump Academy EU.All new members are welcome, especially pyro-lovers and flare jump or bhop specialists! Make sure to invite new pyro jumpers if you come across any!Our video tutorial on sewer surfing:Here's our first video tutorial on the Jump Academy Pogo Map:#TeamPyro | {
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Conventional wisdom says the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to take a pass-rusher with the third overall pick in the upcoming draft.
It’s a foundational piece of building a franchise. Teams need elite or very good players at quarterback, left tackle and as pass-rushers to have a chance to win at a high level in the NFL. The Jaguars believe they have two of those pieces in Blake Bortles and Luke Joeckel, and it would be logical to add the third later this month.
The question: Which one?
Leonard Williams, Dante Fowler Jr. and Randy Gregory are three players that have been linked to the Jaguars in various mock drafts. Each is a different type of player and the Jaguars will have to decide which style they like best. ESPN Stats & Information broke them down and provided some interesting nuggets about each.
Leonard Williams (USC)
He is the biggest of the three at 6-foot-5 and 302 pounds and he’s also the most versatile. He can line up at end or tackle and his pass-rush production didn’t drop off when he moved inside. Half of his seven sacks in 2014 came at end and half at tackle.
He was a load to handle, too. He beat double-teams to record three sacks, which was second only to Missouri’s Markus Golden among the top 15 defensive line prospects.
Williams is regarded as the best defensive player in the draft – and arguably the best overall player – and Tennessee would have to pass on him at No. 2 for the Jaguars to get him. The Titans also are reportedly considering Oregon quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, and if that scenario plays out, the Jaguars would take a player that can line up anywhere along the defensive line and create problems for offenses similar to the way J.J. Watt does in Houston.
Dante Fowler Jr. (Florida)
The 6-3, 261-pound Fowler also lined up at several spots while compiling 8.5 sacks and an SEC-high 37 pressures (hurries plus knockdowns) in 2014, but he’s going to be a defensive end in the NFL because he’s too light to hold up at tackle.
Fowler seems to have the whole package of pass-rush moves. He recorded four of his sacks using power moves (bull rush or swim moves) and 4.5 using finesse moves (spin moves, speed rushes). He was one of only five players ranked in the top 15 draft prospects at end, tackle, and linebacker to have at least four sacks using power moves and four using finesse moves.
Randy Gregory (Nebraska)
The 6-5 Gregory is the lightest of the three (235 pounds) and he doesn’t project as a traditional defensive end, but he would fit as a pass-rushing "Leo" outside linebacker for the Jaguars. However, he did have very good production when he rushed from either a three-point or four-point stance: 13.5 of his 17.5 sacks in the last two seasons came when he lined up with his hand on the ground.
If the Jaguars are going to take a pass-rusher at No. 3 it will come down to which style they prefer. Williams doesn’t fit the "Leo" spot, but Fowler and Gregory do. Williams could give the Jaguars a pass rush from multiple spots. Paired with tackle Sen'Derrick Marks, he would give the defense very good pressure up the middle. | {
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BBC/YouTube Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET
Even some of the more faithful might have wondered over the last few days whether there truly is a God.
Famed physicist Stephen Hawking would like to help. Let's imagine there isn't, seems to be his preference.
Indeed, in a speech at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., on Tuesday night, he made jokes about God's supposed power and omnipresence.
"What was God doing before the divine creation? Was he preparing hell for people who asked such questions?" asked Hawking, clearly not afraid of meeting a reddish man with a fork and a tail.
Being a scientist, Hawking has faith only in scientific explanations.
As NBC News reports, he discounted a repeating Big Bang Theory (even though he's appeared on the show).
Instead, he thinks: "We are the product of quantum fluctuations in the very early universe."
I certainly feel like the product of quantum fluctuations on many days of the week, don't you?
As Hawking advances in years, God is clearly very central in his mind. As the L.A. Times observed, Hawking was asked what, besides his wheelchair, he would like to control.
"What I would really like to control is not machines, but people," he said. Which, some might observe, sounds God-like -- in a remarkably ungodly way.
Still, he believes contemporary religions are so suspicious of science that they actively discourage it.
He pointed to the very charming Pope John Paul II who, he said, tried to get the pesky scientists to stop wondering how the world was created, as this was a holy event.
Rather than a Black Holey event.
In the end, though, we live in a world whose end we know no better than its beginning. We live in the middle of it and still don't know what's going on.
We neither understand ourselves very well, nor the reasons others behave as they do. We stand and we stare, as humanity shows its many hues and its infinite number of whys.
Somehow, God or not God, scientists' musings seem as fascinating as they are irrelevant to our everyday lives.
In this speech, Hawking was moved to muse: "God really does play dice."
Hawking is a gambler too. He lost a $100 bet as to whether the so-called God Particle would ever be discovered.
Nothing's going to keep us from searching, though, is it? It's the human condition. | {
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По словам источника, в Донецке на территории РФ упало несколько фугасов, прилетевших со стороны Украины, один из них попал в жилой дом. "По предварительным данным, один человек погиб и двое ранены. Это — гражданские люди", — сказал собеседник.
В местном медпункте РИА Новости рассказали, что погиб парень, в момент попадания фугаса он находился во дворе своего дома, ему снарядом оторвало руку. По информации источника, еще две женщины пострадали. Одна из них находилась в своем доме напротив, а другая — шла с работы. Последней осколок от снаряда попал в ногу. | {
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South Korean lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex activists claimed they were denied entry to the National Assembly audit of the Gender Ministry, which was held Monday, although they had been previously scheduled to attend the session as witnesses.
The two activists included Ryu Min-hee, an attorney at the Korean Lawyers for Public Interest and Human Rights, and Jeong Min-seok, the director of the DDing Dong LGBTQ Youth Crisis Support Center, who said they were abruptly told Oct. 5 by the Assembly’s Gender Equality and Family Committee that they were no longer invited to attend the audit session as witnesses.
The decision was reportedly made by the committee’s chairwoman, Rep. You Seung-hee of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy. Their invitation as witnesses had been confirmed on Oct. 5, the same day it was revoked just hours earlier.
A group of human rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex issues activists protest last week in front of the central government building in Seoul against the Gender Ministry’s recent order for Daejeon Metropolitan City to delete articles that guarantee LGBTI rights in the city’s newly revised charter of gender equality. (Claire Lee/The Korea Herald) | {
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Google’s next-generation smartwatch platform, Android Wear 2.0, will not be seeing the light of day this year. The company announced today that it is delaying the launch of the update, which was originally scheduled for this fall, to sometime in early 2017.
Instead of launching the final version this fall, Google is extending the developer preview program for Android Wear 2.0, and today it’s releasing the third preview of the platform for developers. The company says that it is using the extra time to fine tune the software via feedback from developers, and it will have another preview build released before the end of the year. Today’s version adds a number of new features, most notable of which is the Play Store for smartwatches.
The Play Store for Android Wear 2.0 will let smartwatch owners browse and download apps and watchfaces directly to their watches, without having to install them on their phones. It’s a big part of Google’s pitch to make Android Wear 2.0 less dependent on phones and more of an independent platform. It also will allow iOS users to install third-party watchfaces and apps on an Android Wear watch, which was previously limited to Android only. (The Play Store on Android Wear with iOS is not yet supported in this version, Google says that will come in a later developer preview.)
Android Wear 2.0’s Play Store will work when the watch is connected to a phone over Bluetooth or when it’s connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network (on devices with cellular connectivity). Purchases for paid apps will need to be authenticated on the phone with this version, though Google says it plans to eliminate that requirement with future versions.
In addition to the Play Store, this developer preview, which can be installed on the Huawei Watch and the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, adds voice assistant functionality (was missing from earlier builds); better user interface elements for round displays; improvements to complications and permissions; inline actions for notifications; and Google’s Smart Reply feature. Smart Reply is part of Google’s larger Assistant platform and provides contextual replies for incoming messages. Google says that Allo and Hangouts are already using it and developers will be able to enable it in their apps with this build.
Google says that the delay for the launch of Android Wear 2.0 is so that the company can hit the quality requirements it has for the platform when it is publicly launched and not because of specific hardware delays. Though major Android Wear partners such as Motorola, Huawei, and LG have said they won’t be launching any more Wear smartwatches this year, Google points to recent devices from Asus, Fossil, Michael Kors, Polar, and Nixon as evidence of the vibrancy of the platform. Google says that all of the devices launching this fall will support Android Wear 2.0 when the final version is available next year.
Still, with the delay of Android Wear 2.0 and the absence of new devices from the tech companies Google’s worked with in the past, Google is ceding the lucrative holiday season to Apple and Samsung, which already have a sizable lead over Android Wear in the smartwatch market.
Android Wear 2.0 is the biggest update to Google’s smartwatch platform since its original launch in 2014 and it promises to be really interesting and potentially useful. But in order to do that, it has to first arrive. | {
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APOD/NASA
A chemical analysis of lunar rocks may force scientists to revise the leading theory for the Moon's formation: that the satellite was born when a Mars-sized body smacked into the infant Earth some 4.5 billion years ago.
If that were the case, the Moon ought to bear the chemical signature of both Earth and its proposed 'second' parent. But a study published today in Nature Geoscience1 suggests that the Moon’s isotopic composition reflects only Earth's contribution.
Junjun Zhang at the University of Chicago in Illinois and her colleagues used a mass spectrometer to make the most precise measurement so far of the relative abundance of titanium-50 and titanium-47 in Moon rocks gathered by the Apollo missions in the 1970s. The authors report that the lunar ratio of the two isotopes is identical to that found in Earth’s mantle, within about 4 parts per million.
This presents a conundrum for the lunar-formation model, Zhang says, because any Mars-sized body that might have collided with the fledgling Earth is believed to have been chemically distinct. Studies of meteorites — the modern stand-ins for planet-sized bodies that once roamed the Solar System — indicate that such objects had an isotopic titanium abundance that could have deviated from the terrestrial value by as much as 600 parts per million. And because simulations suggest that the second body contributed more than 40% of the Moon’s bulk, the lunar isotopic ratio shouldn’t mirror the terrestrial value so closely.
Vapour trail
Zhang and colleagues' chemical analysis is not the first to challenge the theory. Researchers have long known that the isotopic ratio of oxygen in Moon rocks bears the same signature as Earth’s mantle. But because oxygen is easily vaporized in a collision, it could have been readily exchanged between Earth and the cloud of vapor and magma that was produced by the impact and coalesced to form the moon, allowing both bodies to reach the same isotopic abundance. Titanium does not vaporize as easily and it would have been more difficult — although not impossible — for both bodies to have reached the same ratio, notes Zhang.
“That’s why this is not just another similarity between Earth and the Moon,” but a finding to be reckoned with, notes planetary scientist Robin Canup of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
Other models that merit consideration, Zhang says, include the fission model, according to which the Moon was spun out of Earth’s mantle early on, when the planet’s centrifugal force might have exceeded its gravitational force.
But Canup says that although the collision model may need revision, it need not be abandoned. She has modelled a collision between Earth and a renegade protoplanet about twice the mass of Mars — heavier than previously considered. A more massive second body would have substantially altered Earth's original isotopic composition, leading to a newborn Moon and evolving Earth that are more similar than in previous simulations.
Zhang agrees there are still ways for the collision model to work. If the fledgling Moon had cooled more slowly than assumed, there could have been enough time for an exchange of titanium isotopes between the cloud of vapour and magma and the Earth. In their most recent simulation of the moon's formation after a giant impact, Canup and her colleague Julien Salmon found evidence of a longer formation time. They presented the findings at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas, on 22 March2.
“Our study cannot provide a definite answer to the origin of the Moon yet,” says Zhang. “The message we hope to convey is that isotopic homogeneity between the Earth and Moon is a fundamental new constraint on the evolution of the Earth–Moon system.” | {
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Bill Gates: 'We are not fully prepared for the next global pandemic' - Andrew Crowley
The seat of power in Bill Gates’s empire occupies the top floor of an anonymous suburban office block overlooking Seattle’s Lake Washington. Here, in the inner orbit of the second richest man on earth, everything – down to the modern artwork and screens embedded into the walls, to the gleaming staff canteen replete with a faux wood-burning stove – is curated to the utmost precision.
No more so than the man himself, whose daily schedule is managed by assistants into five-minute chunks. When Gates arrives for our interview in his glass office, nicknamed “The Fishbowl”, he cuts an immaculate presence, tall and surprisingly suave in dark trousers and slate grey cashmere. The only blot is a marker pen smudge running the length of his left palm, presumably from scrubbing furiously at some white board earlier that day. Even in the 62-year-old Microsoft founder’s second life as the world’s philanthropist-in-chief, the old number-cruncher dies hard.
Bill and Melinda Gates during a visit to Mozambique in 2003 Credit: Reuters
So, too, the ability to always keep one eye on the future. When I ask which challenges to global health security he fears the most, Gates outlines three: antibiotic resistance, cuts to government funding to improve health in the world’s poorest countries, and the next unknown disease, referred to by the World Health Organisation simply as ‘Disease X’.
“We are not fully prepared for the next global pandemic,” he says. “The threat of the unknown pathogen – highly-contagious, lethal, fast-moving – is real. It could be a mutated flu strain or something else entirely. The Swine Flu and 2014 Ebola outbreaks underscored the threat.”
There is another threat on his mind, one which has often been treated as the ‘elephant in the room’ in the world of international development. Namely, the population explosion in Africa's poorest countries and its future impact - either fueling poverty, political instability, conflict and refugees, or sparking a new boom in world growth as happened in India and China.
Story continues
Related Video: Bill Gates Donates $100 Million to Cure Alzheimer’s
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This concern – and how to manage it – dominates the second annual publication of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers Data Report, which is released today and tracks the greatest challenges faced across the world.
To put it bluntly decades of progress in the fight against poverty and disease may be on the verge of stalling
To put it bluntly decades of progress in the fight against poverty and disease may be on the verge of stallingBill Gates
True to form for a man who, early on at Microsoft, memorised the numberplates of employees so he could monitor who was putting in the hours, the report contains a startling level of detail. But above all is one simple fact that even the eternally optimistic Gates warns could mean “to put it bluntly decades of progress in the fight against poverty and disease may be on the verge of stalling”. In short, as birth rates falter in the developed world, in the poorest parts of Africa they are booming. By 2050, the ten poorest countries on the continent are projected to more than double in population.
“The thing that is mind-blowing is if the demographers who have been very accurate on these things are right about Africa, then you are going from 1bn today to 2bn at middle of century, to 4bn at the end of the century,” he says.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation started in 2000, an amalgamation of the various philanthropic wings of the couple who married in 1994. It is now 10 years since Gates left Microsoft to work full-time at the foundation. Even in that short time, the world has been transformed by the technology Gates created.
The man who once famously dreamt of a “computer in every home” still clearly possesses an unstinting faith in the power of tech. He posts regular updates on Facebook and Twitter, where he counts 45.8m followers. His waterfront mansion in the nearby Seattle suburb of Medina is reportedly equipped with tens of thousands of dollars’-worth of screens and sensors. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who this year overtook Gates on the annual Forbes rich list, with a fortune of $112bn compared to his $90bn, is a neighbour.
Bill and Melinda Gates at a tech conference in 2009 Credit: Bloomberg
But the “honeymoon period of tech”, he admits, has now come to an end. Gates says he believes technology companies should be better regulated and its impacts (particularly on young people) better understood; through its Duty of Care campaign, the Telegraph has been calling for digital companies to have a legal obligation to protect children using their services.
It is up to governments to understand what things should be regulated
It is up to governments to understand what things should be regulatedBill Gates
“Governments will decide,” he says. “Just like families decide what are the rules for your kids, governments have to really get educated on these things. Yes, these companies are trying to be benign and individuals involved are not malign, but at the end of the day it is up to governments to understand what things should be regulated.”
We are talking now, it is clear, about the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who is one behind Gates on the global richlist and whose social media company has been hit by a number of scandals over the spread of disinformation, disruption of elections and misuse of private data.
“Even he [Zuckerberg] didn’t predict everything that would go on in terms of it being used a platform for political influence,” says Gates, who is something of a mentor to the 34-year-old, not least in pursuing his own philanthropic ventures.
The Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Credit: Noah Berger/AP
“They will step up in a pretty strong way to all those things. People who are super-successful need to be held to a very high standard. Some of that will lead to a very unfair personalisation as though these mistakes are somehow down to flaws in Mark’s character, or something like that. Mark knows he is in a position of responsibility and is trying to learn about this stuff.”
On Elon Musk, another tech billionaire who recently provoked negative headlines for bizarre behaviour which included publicly accusing a British diver who helped rescue 12 boys from a flooded cave in Thailand of being a paedophile, Gates is rather more circumspect. “I don’t know Elon as well,” he says. “I haven’t spoken to him about his challenges. I’m not sure he is someone anybody needs to feel sorry for.”
The technological age has also engendered a crisis in western democracy, with society appearing increasingly polarised. Gates admits he finds the current lack of trust in the press, academia and politicians “a little scary”. So, too, the trend to be “more nationalistic and inward looking and less global”; something embodied in the US President’s policy of ‘America First’ and, he says, to a lesser extent, Brexit.
Gates commends Theresa May’s recent Africa tour where she recommitted to Britain’s aid spending target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income. He says he has attempted to meet with Jeremy Corbyn, although so far failed, due to a schedule clash.
“Philanthropy”, Bill and Melinda Gates wrote in an open letter published earlier this year marking the 10th anniversary of the foundation, “is a basic responsibility of anyone with a lot of money.” In the letter, Melinda also criticised the increasing amassing of wealth in the hands of the few: “It’s not fair that we have so much wealth when billions of others have so little.”
Bill Gates photographed in Seattle Credit: Daniel Berman
Prior to getting married, the couple (who met at a trade fair dinner in 1987) say they often talked about giving it all away. They have already publicly pledged to leave their fortune to charity, rather than pass it on to their three children, aged between 16 and 22.
Such zeal was inherited, in part, from his father William Gates Senior, a lawyer and another avowed philanthropist who, intriguingly, bearing in mind Gates’s new warnings about population, was an advocate and campaigner for birth control in the US. But the decision to focus so heavily on women’s rights in the developing world also stems from the influence of Melinda.
“With my family, by the time you got to my generation, the idea that my two sisters and me would go to college [was accepted]. There were no professions not open to them, that was pretty clear,” he says. “Likewise, in Melinda’s family. That extreme idea about roles, at least in mid-to upper-class US families, a lot of progress had been made.”
You don't want to live in a poor household but being a woman in a poor household is particularly bad
You don't want to live in a poor household but being a woman in a poor household is particularly badBill Gates
In terms of having a meaningful impact on population rise in Africa, Gates stresses the obvious perils of attempting any draconian, top-down policy in the manner of China and India. Instead, he hopes, meaningful change can be realised through improving access to birth control and educating and empowering women, as well as improving economies.
“You don’t want to live in a poor household,” he says. “But being a woman in a poor household is particularly bad. And that is true globally.”
Being a rich man in a divided world is, of course, the best lot of all to draw. But this billionaire will keep working to change that.
Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security | {
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The site reports that Google is building security patching into its OEM agreements, something it hasn't done in the past. While Google issues monthly security patches, other Android handset makers aren't quite as fast to get them integrated, or even miss them altogether. These new agreements can be paired with access to new features like Android P to ensure that Google's partners comply with security patch agreements. It's still unclear how often updates will need to be performed by partners, nor how the company will ensure compliance. We've reached out to Google for more details and will update if we hear back. | {
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To give your child all the innovation opportunities with our exclusive Hobby/Activity Class.
With small batch sizes, personalized experiences and individual attention, we strive to make your child quickly gain new concepts in important areas.
To enhance your child's life skills and overall grooming. | {
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Legendary Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds died of a stroke Wednesday, just one day after the death of her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher.
She suffered a stroke around 1 p.m. PST Wednesday while at the Beverly Hills home of her son Todd Fisher, helping with planning for her daughter’s funeral.
Mr. Fisher confirmed several hours later that his mother had died.
“She spoke to me this morning and said she missed Carrie. She’s with Carrie now,” he said. “We’re all heartbroken.”
The 84-year-old Ms. Reynolds had reportedly been distraught since her daughter, an iconic actress herself as Princess Leia in “Star Wars,” had died Tuesday after suffering a heart attack last week on a plane flight.
Born Mary Frances Reynolds in El Paso, Texas, the fresh-faced blonde became a star in 1952, playing the female lead opposite Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in “Singin in the Rain,” a film now routinely called the greatest of all Hollywood musicals.
“They took this virgin talent, this little thing, and expected her to hold her own with Gene and with Donald O’Connor, two of the best dancers in the business,” Ms. Reynolds once said.
She remained one of Hollywood’s top box-office draws throughout the 1950s and 1960s and her personal life became one of the most-publicized in town.
Ms. Reynolds specialized in musicals, getting her sole Academy Award nomination for the western-themed Meredith Willson film “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” Its defiant song “I Ain’t Down Yet” became an unofficial anthem for Ms. Reynolds, and her 2013 autobiography was titled “Unsinkable.”
Her other musicals included the titular roles in “Give a Girl a Break” and “The Singing Nun.” Although “Tammy and the Bachelor” was a romantic-comedy, not a musical, Ms. Reynolds did have a No. 1 hit on the pop-music charts with the theme song “Tammy.”
One of her most-seen later roles was as the voice of Charlotte in the 1973 animated adaptation of “Charlotte’s Web.”
Her other films included a segment of “How the West Was Won” opposite Gregory Peck, “The Catered Affair” a Paddy Chayevsky drama with Bette Davis, and the title role in the Albert Brooks’ comedy “Mother,” for which she received one of her five Golden Globe nominations.
“Debbie Reynolds, a legend and my movie mom. I can’t believe this happened one day after Carrie. My heart goes out to” granddaughter Billie Lourd, Mr. Brooks wrote on Twitter.
Ms. Reynolds received a Tony nomination for the 1973 revival of the musical “Irene,” nabbed an Emmy nomination for her recurring role in “Will and Grace,” and in 2015 received lifetime prizes from both the Screen Actors Guild and from the film Academy — the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
She was involved in one of the 1950s biggest romantic scandals, as her first husband, singer Eddie Fisher, left her in 1958 for the recently-widowed Elizabeth Taylor, Ms. Reynolds’ friend at the time.
The scandal was so great that Mr. Fisher, the father of both Carrie and Todd, lost a TV variety show he had been hosting. According to the Associated Press, the cover of Photoplay magazine read: “Smiling through her tears, Debbie says: I’m still very much in love with Eddie.”
In an interview with the Huffington Post shortly after Taylor’s 2011 death, Ms. Reynolds said the two reconciled while sailing on the Queen Elizabeth liner.
“I sent a note to her and she sent a note to me in passing, and then we had dinner together,” she said. “She was married to Richard Burton by then. I had been remarried at that point. And we just said, ‘Let’s call it a day.’ And we got smashed. And we had a great evening, and stayed friends since then.”
The two even appeared in the 2001 TV movie “These Old Broads,” along with Joan Collins and Shirley MacLaine, about a reunion show among some aging, feuding actresses.
“Truly heartbroken to hear @DebbieReynolds1 has died. She was a wonderfully warm friend and colleague. Praying for Todd & Billie,” Ms. Collins wrote on Twitter.
Ms. Reynolds’ second and third marriages, to Harry Karl and Richard Hamlett, also ended in divorce. Mr. Karl’s gambling, Mr. Hamlett’s profligacy and some failed business ventures forced Ms. Reynolds to declare bankruptcy in 1997.
“All of my husbands have robbed me blind,” she said in 1999. “The only one who didn’t take money was Eddie Fisher. He just didn’t pay for the children.”
Daughter Carrie wrote a thinly-fictionalized semi-comic account of their on-and-off relationship titled “Postcards from the Edge,” which became a best-seller and later a major film with Ms. MacLaine in the “mother / Debbie Reynolds” role.
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San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) won renewal of critical exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in a ruling published today, including the upholding of jailbreaking rights for smartphones as well as new and expanded legal protections for video remixing.
"The DMCA creates a cloud of legal uncertainty over American consumers – whether they are tinkerers, artists, or just looking to make their gadgets work better," said EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry. "The ruling from the Copyright Office today goes a long way towards mitigating some of the DMCA's most grievous harms."
Crucial support for the successful request on behalf of video remix artists – carving out new legal protection for this important art form – was provided by the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW). The OTW gathered evidence and presented testimony about the DMCA's adverse impact on several communities of remix creators, who use short clips from movies to build new creative works. The Copyright Office's decision broadens EFF's previously successful exemption request, which allows for taking short excerpts from DVDs in creating noncommercial works, by also protecting the use of clips from online streaming or downloading services.
"Remix videos are thriving on YouTube and other sites, offering dynamic criticism and commentary on popular movies as well as popular culture. It's a great example of how new technologies foster free expression, yet the anti-circumvention provisions of the DMCA endanger these important works," said McSherry. "We're thrilled that the Copyright Office broke new ground in protecting remix artists. We can't let misguided federal law block a new form of art and expression."
The Copyright Office also renewed EFF's exemption request that protects smartphone jailbreaking, liberating phone owners to run operating systems and applications from any source, not just those approved by the manufacturer. However, the Copyright Office declined to expand that exemption to tablets and video game consoles, arguing that the category of "tablets" is not well defined and that jailbreaking video game consoles might lead to more copyright infringement.
"If you bought your gadget, you own it, and you should be able to install whatever software you please without facing potential legal threats," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. "We're pleased the Copyright Office renewed our smartphone jailbreaking exemption request, but we're disappointed that it couldn't see that consumers deserve the same rights for all the gadgets they own. We'll be back with more exemption requests in the next rulemaking, and we're hopeful the Copyright Office will keep moving in the right direction."
The Copyright Office's rulemaking process is conducted every three years in order to mitigate the danger the DMCA poses to legitimate, non-infringing uses of copyrighted materials. The DMCA prohibits "circumventing" digital rights management (DRM) and "other technical protection measures" used to control access to copyrighted works. While the DMCA still chills competition, free speech, and fair use, today's exemptions help give consumers and artists protection from the law's extensive reach.
EFF would like to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of the Samuelson Law, Technology & Public Policy Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley, in drafting the jailbreaking exemption requests.
For the full ruling from the copyright office:
https://www.eff.org/node/72131
For more on our exemption requests:
https://www.eff.org/cases/2012-dmca-rulemaking
Contacts:
Marcia Hofmann
Senior Staff Attorney
Electronic Frontier Foundation
[email protected]
Corynne McSherry
Intellectual Property Director
Electronic Frontier Foundation
[email protected] | {
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If there was a piece based on the first Borderlands who would be who? I already see Bulk Biceps as brick but other than that... I think they should be background characters just like the original vault hunters ended up.
I would hope that there would be an audience for such a piece, because we wouldn't have gotten the second and pre-sequel without the first game. | {
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As an Audiophile, good music is one thing, but good sonics is just as important. I not only want my music to induce toe-tapping but it should also be well recorded so it can make all the electronics, speakers or headphones that I constantly obsess over shine. Here’s my list of great music from 2018 that probably wasn’t on most peoples radar, but definitely enhanced the enjoyment of carefully matched hi-fi setups I listened to throughout the year.
1. Code Girl / Mary Halvorson
2. Drogas Wave / Lupe Fiasco
3. Geography / Tom Misch
4. Green / Robohands
5. Live At Van Gelder’s / Ben Paterson
6. LOVEPLAYDANCE – 8 Scenes from the Floor / TOSHIO MATSUURA GROUP
7. Streams of Thought, Vol. 1 / Black Thought
8. Streams of Thought, Vol. 2 / Black Thought
9. THE SHAKEDOWN featuring The 22archestra / Tenderlonious
10. The Midnight Hour / Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and The Midnight Hour
You can check out all these albums with an Amazon Music free trial!
Try Amazon Music Unlimited Free Trial
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China's foreign ministry called on Canada to immediately release Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.'s chief financial officer on Saturday, warning that otherwise it would face consequences.
The ministry said in a statement that Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng had issued the warning to Canada's ambassador in Beijing, summoning John McCallum to lodge a "strong protest."
Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's global chief financial officer, was arrested in Vancouver on Dec. 1, detained on a U.S. warrant while en route from Hong Kong to Mexico via Canada.
Meng, who is also the daughter of the founder of Huawei, faces extradition to the United States, which alleges that she covered up her company's links to a firm that tried to sell equipment to Iran despite sanctions.
Chinese officials have labelled her arrest as "extremely nasty" and are calling for her immediate release.
On Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said the Canadian ambassador had briefed the Chinese foreign ministry on developments and he gave assurances that due process is being followed in Canada and that Meng will have consular access.
Watch: The National on Huawei and concerns over wireless infrastructure
Meng Wanzhou, deputy chair and CFO for the Chinese tech giant Huawei, is reportedly wanted by the United States for allegedly contravening U.S. trade sanctions against Iran. This, however, isn't the first time the tech giant has been under scrutiny internationally for its close ties to the Chinese government 1:11
But some Canadian businesses with ties to China may be concerned.
"If I was a Canadian executive, I'd get the heck out of China by the fastest route possible," Uclid Inc. President Elmer Kim told a CBC business panel.
China could 'inflict pain' on relations
The long-standing set of extradition arrangements Canada has with the U.S., which have the force of law, is "not something which readily allows political interference," Gordon Houlden, director of the China Institute at the University of Alberta, told CBC News on Saturday.
"The prime minister or [cabinet] minister cannot phone the judge to tell them to release the person. So what China's demanding, under our rule of law, under our system, is not a doable thing. That being said, China certainly has the means to inflict pain on the relationship with Canada," Houlden said.
With Canada trying to bolster trade with China and reduce its dependency on the U.S. for business, Meng's arrest has "hurt our reputation" with the Chinese who are reading Bejing's state media view of the case, he said.
Making inroads into the world's second largest economy will get more difficult in terms of formal state-to-state arrangements, he said.
"I'm not suggesting that normal everyday trade with China will cease or be affected immediately in any fashion," Houlden said.
China is demanding Canada release Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested a week ago in Vancouver after a request from U.S. authorities. (Huawei via The Associated Press)
"It's just it's going to be harder to obtain remedies to issues and to build a better set of arrangements with trade with China. I suspect the high-level visits may also be impacted, at least in the short- to medium-term."
The U.S. government alleges Huawei used a subsidiary, Skycom, to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Iran and accuses Meng of deceiving a financial institution she was dealing with.
Her lawyer, David Martin, has called the allegations "preposterous" and says she has always been transparent. At a bail hearing on Friday in Vancouver, her lawyers argued that Meng poses no flight risk. The hearing will continue on Monday.
Meng has two multimillion-dollar homes in Vancouver and at one time was a permanent resident of Canada. | {
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Arguably the strangest college football story of the past few years -- even if tangentially related -- is nearing a close.
Orlando Ricardo Thompson has been convicted of second-degree murder after fatally stabbing former Florida State mascot Caleb Joshua Halley in 2015 over an argument involving spices in a gumbo recipe. Thompson now potentially faces life in prison. Sentencing for the second-degree murder charge is set for May 4, according to the New York Post.
The argument that resulted in Halley's death took place at Buddy's Seafood Market in Panama City Beach, Florida, and involved a decorative sword. Halley who portrayed FSU's mascot Chief Osceola from 2004-07, died in the hospital two days after being slashed.
"Justice for Josh has been served, but it doesn't bring him back," a spokesman for Halley's family told the Post. "We suffered the loss of a brilliant young man. Josh just touched so many lives." | {
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AP
The last time there was a four-overtime NBA playoff contest, the game would soon change.
Boston's 111-105 win over Syracuse on April 16, 1953, was a foul-fest. Both teams would shoot 64 free throws in the game, the matchup turning into the likes of one that wasn't uncommon in the era before the shot clock. The Celtics and the Nationals both slowed their pace to a crawl, choosing to hold the ball for long stretches and forcing the other side to foul.
"The game was stagnant," Celtics guard Bob Cousy told NBA.com. "Teams literally started sitting on the ball in the third quarter. That was the way the game was played: get a lead and put the ball in the icebox, while the paying customers started reading the program. The whole game slowed up."
That wasn't the case Friday in Portland, where the Trail Blazers topped the Denver Nuggets 140-137 in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series. Their four-OT slugfest matched the Celtics-Nationals game from 66 years ago as the longest in NBA postseason history.
Cousy scored 50 points on that March 1953 night, 30 coming at the foul line in what remains an NBA playoff record. Less than two years later, the NBA had a 24-second shot clock — an innovation driven by then-Syracuse owner Danny Biasone, perhaps mindful of what his team went through in that four-OT loss.
"The Boston Celtics, led by the brilliant Bob Cousy, advanced to the second round of the National Basketball Association playoffs for the first time in their seven-year history today by defeating the Syracuse Nationals 111-105 in four overtime periods at the Boston Garden," read The Associated Press recap from that game.
The Blazers and Nuggets didn't sub much as overtime went along.
Per the AP story from 1953, the Celtics and Nationals didn't sub at all.
"In the last two overtime periods neither team was able to substitute because their replacements had all fouled out," the AP story said. "The Nats had seven men with the limit of six, resulting in technicals every time they committed a foul."
The 1953 game had one other major difference from the 2019 game — police weren't needed on the floor.
Syracuse's Dolph Schayes and Boston's Bob Brannum were both ejected in the second quarter for fighting. And apparently, that sparked a bit more than a two-man scuffle.
"The game was delayed 10 minutes as police had to be called to get fans and players off the floor," the AP wrote.
Cousy had a buzzer-beater at the end of the third overtime to tie the game at 99, and rallied the Celtics from a five-point deficit in the fourth and final overtime.
Syracuse's Red Rocha and Paul Seymour remain tied for the playoff record by playing 67 minutes in that contest. Denver's Nikola Jokic came close; he logged 65 minutes on Friday. And while the 1953 game was a slog to the foul line, Friday's was anything but that — Portland shot only two free throws in overtime, and those were by Seth Curry with 2.8 seconds left when the Nuggets were fouling intentionally.
The last shooting foul committed by the Nuggets in the game was with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter. For the next 21:01 — nearly a full half — the Blazers never went back to the line.
The 2018-19 season becomes the first since that 1952-53 season with two four-overtime games. Atlanta and Chicago played four overtimes on March 1. Indianapolis and Rochester played four OTs on Nov. 8, 1952, and the Syracuse-Boston four-OT playoff game was later that season. | {
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Lockheed Martin is set to strip and recoat F-22 coatings reverting earlier than expected, the Department of Defense announced this week. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tyler Woodward.
March 17 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin has received a $40 million contract modification to sustain the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor fleet.
Under the agreement, the company will strip and recoat F-22 coatings reverting earlier than initially expected.
Work on the contract will be performed at various locations in California, Georgia, Utah and Texas. The U.S. Department of Defense expects the work to be completed by the end of June 2019.
Lockheed Martin received $6.4 million at the time of the modification award. The project will be managed by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center located in Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The F-22 Raptor is a 5th-generation tactical stealth fighter first introduced in December 2005. Lockheed Martin says the plane is designed to perform air superiority missions. The jet is typically armed short-range missiles and long-range missiles with beyond-visual-range capabilities. It can also fire air-to-surface weapons.
The U.S. Air Force is the only F-22 operator. | {
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A small and disorganized group of liberal protesters led by a convicted terrorist protested outside of a Hamptons fundraiser for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney Sunday.
Around 100 to 150 sign-wielding activists, roused to action by a cadre of Democrat and left-wing organizations, descended on the site of the fundraiser, held at the home of liberal bete noir David Koch.
Powerline reports:
[L]eftists thought they could make some hay out of connecting Romney to the Koch brothers, perhaps because they assume, wrongly, that most people share their detestation of the Kochs. So for some weeks, a consortium of left-wing groups including MoveOn.org, Occupy Wall Street, the Long Island Progressive Coalition, Greenpeace, Strong For All, United New York, the Teamsters Union and others have been urging their members and supporters to turn out for a protest at David Koch’s home. This "invitation" by the Occupy movement was one of many that went out to liberals across the country. The event’s Facebook page is here.
The protests were organized by Andy Stepanian, who was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to three years in federal prison for his role in a radical animal-rights terrorist organization.
The protesters hired an airplane to fly overhead with a banner that read "Romney has a Koch problem." However, the plane soon flew away and returned with another banner promoting Lacoste L!ve.
Two protesters were arrested after trying to sail across a pond to crash the fundraiser, but instead crashed into a police boat.
In a public statement, Koch Industries called the protest shallow and hypocritical.
"We have seen media reports about the protest being organized by a convicted terrorist and a number of fringe organizations," the company wrote. "It is ironic that the pretext for the protest is supposed ‘outrage’ at the role of money in politics. Considering the record-setting fundraising by President Obama as reported here, here, here, here, here and here, the hypocrisy of the Left and their attempts to mislead the public are obvious. There is a double standard at work here, and the message from the Left is that fundraising for their preferred candidates is fine, but donations to those with differing points of view are somehow immoral. The Left’s outrage is selective and hollow."
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee used the opportunity to fundraise.
"Today, Mitt Romney is holding a $50,000-a-head fundraiser in the Hamptons with one of the Big Oil billionaire Koch Brothers," the DCCC wrote in a fundraising letter Sunday. "They'll have a lot to celebrate together: Romney's campaign brought in a whopping $100 million in June and the Kochs have raised millions more for their outside groups. … If Mitt and his SuperPAC backers can bury us under a wave of corporate special interest cash right now, we will lose in November."
Democrats weren’t the only ones accused of selective outrage. Michael Moynihan, writing for the Washington Post’s Right Turn blog, noted the media’s one-sided obsession with conspicuous wealth:
The Associated Press discovered that donors arrived driving "Mercedes, Bentleys — and, in one case, a candy red 2013 Ferrari Spider." The Los Angeles Times, also noting that rich people tend to own expensive cars, reported on the "line of Range Rovers, BMWs, Porsche roadstersand one gleaming cherry red Ferrari" waiting to get into the fundraiser. The New York Times spotted—you guessed it!—"a line of gleaming Bentleys, Porsches and Mercedes-Benzes" queuing outside the venue. This reminded me of a San Francisco Chronicle headline from last year, during the height of the media’s mania for all things Occupy Wall Street-related: "Mercedes hits 2 Occupy Oakland protesters." Imagine, if you will, a slight twist on that headline: "Ford Focus hits 2 Occupy Oakland protesters." Yeah, didn’t think so. But just in case you were still unclear on the income level of those who attend fundraisers for Republican presidential candidates, TPM stresses that they are "rich," "super-rich," "mega-rich," "well-heeled,"and "moneyed," as distinct from the suburban moms and union stiffs present at Obama recent Manhattan fundraisers.
And while Democrats and progressive groups regularly claim Democracy is subverted by wealthy donors, President Obama himself told a group of such fundraisers they were the key to his re-election.
"You're the tie-breaker," President Obama said at a recent fundraiser hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker. "You're the ultimate arbiter of which direction this country goes." | {
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