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The Killers Announce Two Massive UK Stadium Shows
Brandon Flowers and co will be playing dates in Wales and the North West in Summer 2018…
The Killers have announced two huge outdoor stadium shows for summer 2018.
The Las Vegas band, fronted by singer Brandon Flowers, will play Swansea’s Liberty Stadium on Saturday 23 June and Bolton’s Macron Stadium on Friday 13 July 2018.
Tickets for both shows will be made available from 9.30am on Friday, 8 December from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.gigsandtours.com.
A pre-sale of tickets will be available to members of The Killers’ fanclub, The Victims, from 9.30am on Thursday 7 December via Ticketmaster.
The news comes hot on the heels of the band’s sold-out UK tour with two packed shows at London’s O2 Arena. The dates will be The Killers’ first stadium gigs since they headlined a sold out Wembley Stadium in June 2013.
The shows come in addition to the band’s headline slot at Isle Of Wight Festival, announced earlier today. | {
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Nurturing parents can make up for a lot in a poor child's life. A young Chinese boy sorts through garbage in a field on the outskirts of Beijing. UPI/Stephen Shaver | License Photo
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Childhood poverty and stressful life events, which often go hand in hand, as well as non-nurturing parents hurt brain development, U.S. researchers.
Dr. Joan L. Luby, a Washington University child psychiatrist at St. Louis Children's Hospital who was the principal investigator for the study, and colleagues used magnetic resonance imaging to chart changes in the brain that can lead to lifelong problems such as depression, learning difficulties and limitations in the ability to cope with stress.
The study, published online ahead of the November print issue of JAMA Pediatrics, found poor children with parents who were not very nurturing were likely to have less gray and white matter in the brain. Gray matter is closely linked to intelligence, while white matter often is linked to the brain's ability to transmit signals between various cells and structures, the study said.
The MRI scans also revealed that two key brain structures were smaller in children living in poverty: the amygdala, a key structure in emotional health; and the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is critical to learning and memory, Luby said.
"We've known for many years from behavioral studies that exposure to poverty is one of the most powerful predictors of poor developmental outcomes for children," Luby said in a statement. "A growing number of neuroscience and brain-imaging studies recently have shown that poverty also has a negative effect on brain development. What's new is that our research shows the effects of poverty on the developing brain, particularly in the hippocampus, are strongly influenced by parenting and life stresses that the children experience."
The researchers tracked 305 healthy and depressed kids since they were in preschool, who also received MRI scans that tracked brain development.
Although the investigators found poverty had a powerful impact on gray matter, white matter, hippocampal and amygdala volumes, the study found the main driver of changes among poor children in the volume of the hippocampus was not lack of money but the extent to which poor parents nurtured their children. | {
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The St George Illawarra Dragons have a new ownership structure with WIN taking on responsibility for the Illawarra component of the joint venture.
Following a lengthy and considered process, the St George Illawarra Dragons, the Illawarra Steelers and WIN today announced the transaction which will change the ownership structure, the shareholders, and the Board of Governance of the club.
The new shareholder agreement includes a matching funding arrangement between St George District Rugby League Football Club and WIN, the repayment of the Dragons loan from the NRL and a change in the structure of the club's board. The Steelers retain an interest in the club through a seat on the board.
Dragons Chairman Brian Johnston welcomed the agreement saying the decision would allow the Dragons to remain an iconic club and brand, with successful business, community and rugby league programs for long-term sustainable success.
"Today is a momentous day in the history of the St George Illawarra Dragons as we welcome WIN as a partner in our club," Johnston said. "The Gordon family through WIN bring a great passion for the Dragons and have been a supporter of rugby league for decades, first with the Steelers in 1982 and then the Dragons.
"This is an exciting launching point for the next stage of the Dragons. This arrangement ensures a bright future for our club, particularly as a Pathway and Development Club, in that our male and female pathways from grassroots to NRL remain strong and continue to grow.
"The continuing involvement of the Illawarra Steelers is a welcome and valued part of the ongoing structure."
WIN owner Bruce Gordon said the new partnership would enhance the commercial strength of the club while ensuring the work of the Steelers in crafting strong representation for the Illawarra region in first class rugby league continues to be honoured.
"WIN has long partnered with the Steelers to bring world class rugby league to the Illawarra and we want that legacy to continue. We have worked closely with Peter Newell, Bob Millward and Sean O'Connor in particular throughout that time," Gordon said.
"The change of ownership allows us to underpin the amazing heritage of the St George Illawarra Dragons with strong commercial strategy while locking in the pathways for junior players to rise through the ranks of the Steelers to the NRL."
While Illawarra and Dragons supporters will see no change to the club, the new affiliation is expected to strengthen its corporate structure as it reshapes the business away from the traditional club-funded model.
WIN Executive Chair Andrew Gordon said: "WIN is extremely excited to be partnering with the Dragons. We have meticulously worked through this arrangement to ensure that the Illawarra legacy and the St George heritage are fully respected."
As part of the restructure Brian Johnston will step into the role of CEO, replacing Peter Doust who announced his retirement earlier this year, while Andrew Gordon will take on the role of Chairman. The positions are effective from November 1 and October 1, 2018 respectively.
Steelers Chairman Peter Newell said the desire to improve the financial sustainability of the Steelers, to be an ongoing part of the Dragons' Board and to continue to see world class rugby league remain in the Illawarra were fundamental and mandatory to the decision to partner with WIN.
"Today's announcement underlines the close association between WIN, the Gordon family and the Steelers as an iconic Wollongong name now joins another iconic name in St George, in presenting the greatest game of all at home and away," Newell said.
"The Steelers, with the help of our St George colleagues and including WIN, have worked for the past two decades to fulfill our charter of keeping world class rugby league in Wollongong.
"It has been a challenging quest at times, and I am pleased the game at the elite level under the Dragons brand will continue to proudly go forward in our district with two committed joint-venture partners.
"Importantly, all parties share a commitment to ensuring local juniors have the opportunity to represent our district at the highest level."
St George Illawarra Dragons key facts
The new board
St George District Rugby League Football Club Directors: Brian Johnston, Ralph Piggott, Craig Young, Peter Black
WIN Directors: Andrew Gordon, Andrew Lancaster, Craig Osborne and Graeme Gulloch (Steelers)
St George Illawarra Dragons
- New Joint Venture Partnership arrangement between St George District Rugby League Football Club and WIN
- New Board of Directors, Chairman and CEO
- Removal of NRL loan and formal business arrangements with the NRL
- Club and brand remains as St George Illawarra Dragons
- Home Venues, namely Jubilee Stadium and WIN Stadium unchanged
- St George Illawarra Dragons will continue their current funding commitments to the St George, Illawarra and South Coast districts
St George District Football Club
- No change to the St George District Football Club Joint Venture arrangements or commitments
- Ralph Piggott will replace Peter Doust as a representative of St George District Football Club on the Dragons Board in November 2018.
Steelers
- Reached a settlement directly with WIN for their shares for a "commercially in confidence" sum
- Illawarra remains in the name and brand of the Club
- Steelers will have one Director on the new Board
- Harold Matthews (U16), SG Ball (U18) and Tarsha Gale teams in the Illawarra continue as Steelers
WIN
- New 50 per cent owners of the St George Illawarra Dragons, with the St George District Rugby League Football Club
- Reached a settlement directly with the Illawarra Steelers for their shares for a "commercially in confidence" sum
- Four decades of support for rugby league in the Illawarra and the Dragons
Brian Johnston
Johnston's extensive management experience across a variety of sectors with companies such as Suncorp, IAG and Office National has seen him consistently achieve exceptional results since he were last Dragons CEO. Since his previous role at the Dragons, Johnston has successful earned three Masters Degrees: Masters of Business Coaching; Masters of Science, and; Masters of Business Administration.
Andrew Gordon
Gordon has been a Dragons board member since 2006 and currently holds the Executive Chair of WIN Corporation. Gordon held key Executive roles for over a decade in the 90s and 2000s in television and radio. His board roles have included SP Telemedia, Crawford Productions, Mildura Digital Television, Western Digital Television, Broadcast Transmission Services and MediaHub. | {
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This is one of seven interviews with young professionals about their experiences with therapy and its costs. Read the rest here.
By the time Alex turned 18, he couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t been on medication or in therapy.
As a depressed and anxious child, Alex worried his parents, who he says “like to throw money at problems”. When he was a teenager - based on the recommendation of an educational consultant - they sent him to a residential treatment center in Utah. Alex describes the 22 months that he spent at the center as a period of intense therapy.
At $6,000 a month, Alex’s stay at the center included room and board, “very bad meals”, schooling and therapy. “It was more expensive than a college education,” he says.
The fundamental nature of the economic transaction bothers Alex.
“For parents, it’s a strange thing because they want their kid fixed and shielded from evil, but presumably because it’s a thing you are buying, you want it done fast,” he says. “That’s the transaction: fix our kid and do it better and faster than the program down the street.”
The summer before he started college, Alex decided to find out what would happen if he stopped taking his medication and stopped going to his weekly sessions.
“I was curious,” he says. “Would it all fall apart?”
It didn’t.
“Everything was sort of the same,” he says. “It ended up being fairly OK, save for the occasional depressive episode.”
He decided he’d rather get through these episodes himself than engage in more therapy. Currently, Alex has been out of therapy for about 10 years.
“Maybe just because I am cheap, I’d rather be sad and keep the money than engage in [therapy],” he says. “For me, it means more to have a therapeutic conversation with a friend, who I know isn’t being paid to listen.”
He says he is probably never going back to therapy. | {
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New York governor Andrew Cuomo said that Donald Trump's statement that he has "total authority" over when to reopen the economy is "factually wrong" and is a violation of democracy. | {
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Two Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers are en route to assist a passenger ship that ran aground near Kugaaruk, Nunavut.
One Ocean Expeditions has released a media statement saying its ship, the Akademic Ioffe, ran aground in the western Gulf of Boothia on Friday morning.
"All passengers are well taken care of. There has been no report of environmental concern," One Ocean Expeditions wrote in the statement.
The Akademik Ioffe, a Russian vessel, is listed as a cruise ship with approximately 160 people on board, a spokesperson with Search and Rescue Region Trenton said in an email to CBC News.
The ship is currently taking on water, but the vessel is in stable condition and not in any immediate danger, the spokesperson said.
Kugaaruk is located on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. (Google)
One Ocean Expeditions said it has sent another one of its vessels, the Akademik Sergey Vavilov, to provide support and assistance.
That ship is expected to arrive Saturday morning, according to Search and Rescue Region Trenton, which added that the plan is to have people on the Akademik Ioffe moved over to the Akademik Sergey Vavilov.
A photo of the inside of the ship from One Ocean Expeditions' website. (One Ocean Expeditions)
The Canadian Coast Guard tweeted on Friday afternoon that CCGS Pierre Radisson and CCGS Amundsen are on the way to assist the ship.
A number of Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft have also been dispatched to the ship, including two Hercules planes and two Comorant helicopters with extra crews, as well as helicopters on board the Coast Guard icebreakers.
According to One Ocean Expeditions' website, Akademik Ioffe can carry up to 96 passengers, with 65 staff and crew.
The ship offers a Jacuzzi, massage room, pool and sauna. It was launched in 1989.
The price for the Pathways to Franklin expedition through One Ocean Expeditions — the trip the ship is purportedly on right now — starts at $6,795 US, with a charter flight starting at $1,995 US. The price of the suite can go up to $12,995 US.
"We regret the inconvenience to our passengers and are working closely with the captain, ship owner and all relevant agencies to resolve the situation as quickly and safely as possible," Catherine Lawton, general manager of One Oceans Expeditions, said in the company's statement.
One person has tweeted that they were on the ship at the time of the grounding.
The Academik Ioffe ran aground at 69 43.0553N, 91 20.9521W around 11:30 AM Mountain Time. We are on a rock. No hull breach, no one hurt. —@oceansensing
With files from Jamie Malbeuf and Christina Romualdo | {
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Instead of sitting in a tub of ice for 15 minutes, his company — Millennium ICE — has manufactured a machine called the Cryon-X that claims it can do better in three minutes.
While surrounding temperatures in an ice bath only get down to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, Rauscher's device uses liquid nitrogen to crank the surrounding temperature up to minus 166 degrees Fahrenheit.
Rauscher says the device works on recovery because the body triggers its flight or fight response in order to try to maintain its temperature in the extreme cold. During that time, the blood rushes to the core and becomes oxygen-enriched.
When the person exits the device, the body immediately circulates that blood throughout the body. This helps decrease fatigue, muscle soreness.
Athletes have famously used hyperbaric chambers (oxygen therapy) to help them perform, so is this the next big thing? | {
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There were cops unlocking iPhones with corpses. Australia mandated backdoors. Apple came out swinging against accusations they were infiltrated by Chinese spy chips. Japan's Cybersecurity minister said he's never used a computer. The head of DC's top cyber think tank turned out to be a con man. A Russian spy claiming to be a cybersecurity aficionado faked her way into the GOP and NRA.
All that, and it seemed like every business big and small had a breach or exposed our private data in some way. Here's our roundup of the nuttiest fruitcakes no one wanted this year, but that we ended up getting anyway.
We didn't vote for this: Election insecurity
Between the lack of action by officials to secure the midterms, to voting machine vulnerabilities gone wild, this was the year American election security went beyond critical.
At the yearly hacking conference DEF CON, the Voting Village flipped the script on voting machine makers (and those who benefit from their insecurity) by exposing the whole sordid mess. They bought surplus decommissioned machines on eBay to probe for vulnerabilities, which caused the makers to panic and try to stop researchers from getting their hands on the gear. The DEF CON event made headlines as researchers of all ages successfully hacked machines and simulations of election websites with terrifying ease — which got the researchers attacked by people who accused them of aiding foreign adversaries. Those working to fix the issues disagreed, to say the least.
DEF CON's Voting Village then compiled a report of everything they found, as well as their conclusions about the issues in digital voting machines. The report was presented to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Terrifyingly, the findings "highlighted a decade-old vulnerability in a ballot-counting machine used in more than half the states." DEF CON founder Jeff Moss described "a 'civil war' going on at big US voting-equipment vendors between employees who want to proactively address security vulnerabilities and those who stubbornly oppose doing that."
That was before the midterm elections. Also prior to the elections, ProPublica found that "The Election Assistance Commission has ceded its leadership role [in securing the elections]" and some officials told ProPublica that "EAC commissioner, Christy McCormick, was effectively thwarting election security efforts." And Trump, unsurprisingly, just didn't give a shit.
Then the elections happened. There were lots of problems, but perhaps the biggest was Brian Kemp hacking the Georgia election in his favor by doing everything possible to keep people from fixing the well-known security holes in his state's system. Evil clown, away with you!
The emperor wears no security: Cyber void in the White House
For its year in security, the White House basically acted like a guy walking down the street who saw a pile of poop on the sidewalk and aimed for it.
Especially when, in May, it was revealed the President of the United States had long ago decided that securing his phone was just "too inconvenient." This prompted press outlets to declare that he had "gone rogue" with the security of his personal electronics. "The president has kept features at risk for hacking and resisted efforts by staff to inspect the phones he uses for tweeting," wrote Politico, prompting another round of collective terror at the state of our state's security.
"The president," the outlet reported, "who relies on cellphones to reach his friends and millions of Twitter followers, has rebuffed staff efforts to strengthen security around his phone use, according to the administration officials."
The very next month, I reported that John Bolton had eradicated the White House positions (and people) who should be standing between the United States and cyberattacks against our voting processes, our infrastructure and the tatters of our democracy. Next, Bolton appointed a cyber-deputy aide with zero experience in cybersecurity. Fred Fleitz, who now plays a critical role in coordinating national security policy and is a self-appointed cybersecurity policy expert, went on the record saying that all those US intelligence community reports on Russia's election tampering were a setup. "Fleitz has also said it's "impossible" to know if Russia was responsible for election-related hacks," wrote Daily Beast.
Fleitz, a Fox News pundit and op-ed writer, stated that the "intelligence assessments were rigged for political purposes." Defending Russia, WikiLeaks, and RT, he undermined both the ODNI and DHS and stressed that there was no evidence of Russian involvement.
To bring it all home, near the end of 2018 we found out about Ivanka's personal email account, making her "the worst offender in the White House."
In short, the cybersecurity practices of our government's highest leadership can best be described as "pissing into the wind." It's no wonder the US refused to sign the international "Paris call for trust and security in cyberspace."
Facebook sees you when you're sleeping ... and its security was a joke
This year proved that even when given every opportunity to do so, Facebook will never do the right thing when it comes to user privacy or security. In fact, an argument could be made that people at the company have no idea what the words mean. Though maybe they're just working from radically different definitions than the rest of the world.
There's simply too much horrible, no-good, awful, and deeply distressing Facebook privacy and security news this year to cover in one go. But the highlights (er, lowlights) say a lot.
The API access stories, where companies were given beyond-the-pale access to user information, have been a yearlong liturgy of privacy horrors. Yet the massive, yearlong hack and the company's ad-profiteering off user security information are two things that look more like maliciousness than carelessness by the day. Both of which the company admitted to with evident reluctance.
We found out that the world's largest, most powerful and influential social network (and identity registrar) actively took user security information and gave it to advertisers. I'm talking about Facebook's two-factor security betrayal, where it was revealed the company took phone numbers under the guise of account security and used them to sell ads (and ad access to users).
Then, there was the massive and egregious breach revealed in October — which had gone on for at least a year. The number of directly affected users was 29 million, which is at least three Londons (population 8+ million), three New Yorks (population 8.5 million) or around half of the entire United Kingdom.
It was an extreme breach — Facebook revealed to users that unknown attackers got their "username, birthdate, gender, location, relationship status, religion, hometown, self-reported current city, education, work, the devices they used to access Facebook and the last 10 places they checked into (or were tagged in) on the site" as well as the past 10 searches affected users did on the site. Caveat for those "last ten" claims — remember, the attack was active and available for nearly a year.
The attackers got all that, plus user access tokens, which facilitate leapfrog entrance into connected apps. Facebook claimed at the time that no other sites were accessed -- but Facebook didn't cooperate with affected sites to help connected apps find affected users (Tinder resorted to appealing to Facebook for a list of affected accounts through CNN), we should be more than skeptical about this claim.
Talk about a dream come true for identity thieves. And in case you think Facebook would at least try to do the right thing by its users, the company has stated it would not be providing identity protection to those affected. So, in light of all those real names they collected, all those IDs they forced people to upload ... let's just say the worst thing possible happened with that information.
As the year comes to a close (and not a moment too soon) it's interesting to reflect that 10 years ago, it seemed like no one outside IT and hacking conferences really talked about cybersecurity, our data or digital privacy.
Now these three things are practically all anyone talks about. Which is good, but also why it's mind-bending that it's all such a disaster. Honestly, there are now a whole lot of people who know better. And there's no excuse for what we've seen go down on the main stage in the cybers this year.
Here's to hoping there's nowhere to go in 2019 but up.
Images: AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan (Voting machines); AP Photo/Matt Rourke (Trump); AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File (Zuckerbert) | {
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Ninety per cent of voters in a key industrial region in eastern Ukraine came out in favour of sovereignty Sunday, pro-Russian insurgents said in announcing preliminary results of a twin referendum that is certain to deepen the turmoil in the country.
Roman Lyagin, election chief of the self-styled Donetsk People's Republic, said around 75 per cent of the Donetsk region's three million or so eligible voters cast ballots, and the vast majority backed self-rule.
With no international election monitors in place, it was all but impossible to verify the insurgents' claims. The preliminary vote count was announced just two hours after the polls closed in an election conducted via paper ballots.
Previous Next A second referendum organized by pro-Russian separatists was held Sunday in eastern Ukraine's industrial Luhansk region, but no immediate results were released.
Ukraine's central government and the West had condemned the balloting as a sham and a violation of international law, and they have accused Moscow of orchestrating the unrest in a possible attempt to grab another piece of the country weeks after the annexation of Crimea.
Hastens country's breakup
The results of the two referendums could hasten the breakup of the country and worsen what is already the gravest crisis between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War.
Although the voting in the two regions with a combined population of 6.5 million appeared mostly peaceful, armed men identified as members of the Ukrainian national guard opened fire on a crowd outside the town hall in Krasnoarmeisk, and an official with the region's insurgents said people were killed. It was not clear how many.
People attend to a wounded man in Krasnoarmeisk, Ukraine, after a national guardsman opened fire on a crowd outside a town hall. (Manu Brabo/Associated Press) The bloodshed took place hours after dozens of armed men shut down the voting in the town.
The shooting starkly demonstrated the hair-trigger tensions in the east, where pro-Russian separatists have seized government buildings and clashed with Ukrainian forces over the past month.
Even before the results were announced, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called the twin referendums a "criminal farce." The U.S. and other Western governments said they wouldn't recognize the outcome.
Earlier in the day, the head of the referendum organizers in Donetsk said the ultimate status of the region would be discussed later and would include the possibility of secession or annexation by Russia.
"We are just saying to the world that we want changes, we want to be heard," election commission head Roman Lyagin said.
The violence in Krasnoarmeisk, about 30 kilometres from the regional capital, Donetsk, came hours after armed men, one of whom said they were from the national guard, put a stop to the voting and took control of the town hall.
In the evening, more armed men arrived in a van, and a scuffle broke out with people gathered around the building. Then the men fired shots.
An Associated Press photographer who witnessed the shooting said two people lay motionless on the ground. Insurgent leader Denis Pushilin was quoted by the ITAR-Tass news agency as saying there were an unspecified number of deaths.
Over the past few weeks, the Ukrainian government and the West have accused Russia of trying to destabilize the country or create a pretext for another invasion. Russia — which annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula just days after voters there approved secession in a March referendum — has rejected the accusations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had asked the organizers of the latest referendums to delay the vote in an apparent attempt to ease the crisis. The insurgents refused.
At one polling station at a school in Donetsk, turnout was brisk in the first hour of voting. All voting slips that could be seen in the clear ballot boxes showed that self-rule had been selected.
Most opponents of sovereignty appeared likely to stay away from the polls rather than risk drawing attention to themselves.
Darya, a 25-year-old medical worker who would not give her last name, said she saw no point in casting a ballot, since the vote had no legal force.
"There were no notices about this referendum anywhere, about where and when it was happening," she said. "In any case, it is not valid, so there was no reason to take part."
Previous Next There were no immediate signs of any outright intimidation by pro-Russian forces Sunday, and insurgents near the polls were not wearing their usual balaclavas.
Unorganized vote
The haphazard nature of the referendums was in full display at Spartak, a leafy village on the fringes of Donetsk.
Villagers were unable to vote for about three hours after the polls opened because election officials failed to bring a ballot box. Finally, an election organizer arrived with a voting urn crudely fashioned from cardboard boxes and sealed with tape.
Most present said they were voting in favour of autonomy and against the interim government headed by acting President Oleksandr Turchynov. One said she would not take part in a nationwide presidential election set for May 25.
"I don't agree with what is happening in the country. And I want some changes for the better. What is happening on May 25 is not honest, truthful or in our best interests. And that is why I am voting today," said Irina Zelyonova, 30, cradling her baby in her arms.
Recap of how the conflict started
After Viktor Yanukovych, the Russia-friendly Ukrainian president, was toppled in February following months of protests in the capital, many people in eastern and southern Ukraine strongly resented the authorities who took over. The majority in that sprawling swath of the country speak Russian as their mother tongue and many denounced the new government as nationalists — and even fascists — who would suppress the Russian-speakers.
The Black Sea peninsula of Crimea held a referendum on secession less than a month after Yanukovych's ouster, and Russia annexed Crimea days later. In April, insurgents calling themselves the Donetsk People's Republic began seizing police stations and government buildings in that region, setting up checkpoints and claiming control of several cities.
What's on the ballots?
The ballot asks if voters approve establishment of sovereign and independent "people's republics." However, the ultimate goal is not clear. Organizers in Donetsk say that, in the event of a "yes" vote, they will decide later if they want to be independent, seek to become part of Russia, or agree to stay in Ukraine but with significantly greater autonomy.
Russia accused of destabilizing Ukraine
Kyiv and the West claim that Russia is fomenting or even directing the unrest in the east, either with the goal of finding a pretext for invading and seizing the region, or of destabilizing Ukraine in order to force it to abandon aspirations to join NATO and the European Union.
A man brandishes his passport, with a cover bearing a former Soviet Union sign, near barricades at the Ukrainian regional office of the Security Service ahead of the regional referendum in the eastern Ukraine city of Luhansk on Saturday. (Igor Golovniov/Associated Press)
Russia denies that it has agents on the ground in the east. However, it clearly has strong influence, as witnessed by its success in obtaining the release of OSCE military observers who were taken hostage by militants in the city of Slovyansk, and its adamant criticism of Ukraine's acting government reinforces the insurgents' resistance.
Putin's call on Wednesday for the referendum to be postponed may have been intended to portray Russia as seeking de-escalation of the crisis. The insurgents' rejection of the call the next day promotes the view that they are not pawns of Moscow, but a genuine people's movement rising up against a purported threat of genocide.
Referendum prospects
Recent poll data show a strong majority in the east favour remaining part of Ukraine, but that doesn't necessarily prefigure a "no" vote on a "people's republic." Many who were on the fence may have been swayed by last week's grisly confrontation in Odessa, where dozens of pro-Russians died when the building where they took shelter was firebombed by government backers.
Although Odessa is far away from the referendum regions, the violence reinforced the view of the government side as brutal and vengeful. Friday's violence in the Donetsk region city of Mariupol, in which at least seven people died in a clash between security forces and protesters, also adds to the tensions.
Previous Next
What's next?
If the insurgents push for incorporation into Russia, Moscow will face a dilemma. U.S. and EU sanctions already appear to be affecting the economy.
Russia would be leery of inducing more such punishment by annexing the regions. It would also be logistically more challenging: Crimea housed a large Russian military contingent at the Black Sea Fleet base and reinforcements were brought in quickly before Ukraine could respond. But Ukrainian forces are already fighting in the east.
However, Putin's assertion of Russia's alleged right to reclaim territories that it lost through historical "injustices," which he cited in justifying the annexation of Crimea, could end up making Russia feel obliged to add Luhansk and Donetsk to its territory. | {
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Amazon.com Inc. has challenged grocers by pushing them to lower prices and expand their delivery options. Now the company's latest plans threaten to steal sales of some of the industry's more profitable products.
The e-commerce giant plans to launch urban grocery stores that could offer a spectrum of goods that includes beauty products alongside food, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Beauty products represent a small portion of supermarket sales but tend to offer higher profits than more traditional items.
The move couldn't come at a worse time for grocers, which have been focused on building up digital selling operations to compete with Amazon online.
Amazon has an aggressive timeline for the store openings, with the first on track to debut as soon as the end of this year, according to people familiar with the matter. The company aims to open dozens of locations in major cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., the Journal has reported.
Much could change about Amazon's plan, but initial details about the size and layouts of the stores -- smaller than most traditional supermarkets but bigger than many convenience stores -- suggest they could pose a competitive threat to traditional supermarket chains like Kroger Co. as well as mass merchants like Walmart Inc. and Target Corp., according to food industry analysts.
Amazon has pushed for leases that won't restrict what it sells in its new chain, opening it to offer cosmetics and skin- and hair-care products as well as other retail items, according to people familiar with the matter.
Beauty items offer high margins for grocers, and Amazon has expanded its array of such products under various labels. Health and personal-care items are Amazon's largest source of consumer-product sales online, with roughly $5 billion in sales last year, according to e-commerce data analysts Edge by Ascential.
The timing of Amazon's store development comes during a difficult period for the roughly $1 trillion food and consumer-product retail sector, which already deals with low margins and extreme competition. Grocers have been struggling to keep shoppers coming to their stores, while Amazon's quick, low-cost delivery has eaten into sales of shelf-stable goods and bulky items sold at supermarkets, market analysis shows.
"Amazon just keeps on pushing the finish line further ahead for the others," said Phil Lempert, a grocery consultant.
An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment and said the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.
Grocery industry executives said it is too early to know how traditional supermarkets would alter their operations in light of Amazon's latest grocery store push.
In the past two years, however, many have been forced to change some fundamental aspects of their operations, from staffing to the way they organize their stores, often to facilitate online ordering and compete with Amazon.
Walmart, Target and Kroger, for instance, have sped up investments in technology and online selling strategies, and in some case have sacrificed profits to offer delivery and digital pickup for a growing number of markets.
Some also have cut back at opening new stores. Walmart reiterated last month that it would open fewer than 10 stores in its current fiscal year, while looking to double the number of locations offering same-day grocery delivery and adding 1,000 grocery pickup places.
"Amazon forced them all into delivery...and then this," Mr. Lempert said, referring to the company building stores.
A Target spokesman declined to comment. A Walmart spokesman pointed to its chief executive's comments last month on the company's efforts to compete online and in stores. "We're meeting the changing needs of customers and delivering solutions that are increasing customer engagement," CEO Doug McMillon said.
Kroger, the U.S.'s largest supermarket chain by stores and sales, has scaled back on new store plans. The company also is spending tens of millions of dollars to build a network of automated warehouses for online grocery services, while trying to expand in higher-margin mass merchandise with a clothing line.
A Kroger spokesman said the grocer has a winning strategy. "We are transforming from grocer to growth company," he said Saturday.
Investors remain skittish about the industry as the low-margin businesses divert profits into digital-ordering technologies that have yet to contribute to their bottom line, while also offering low prices for shoppers.
Following the Journal's report about Amazon's store plans on Friday, Kroger's shares dropped more than 4% and Walmart fell 1.1%. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., which recently struck a deal to put mini-Kroger stores in some locations, was down more than 6%. Amazon shares rose.
A Walgreens spokeswoman declined to comment on Amazon's grocery push.
Amazon has a long-term initiative to build out a physical grocery presence, and at one point envisioned more than 2,000 brick-and mortar stores in different formats. It is a bet that shoppers still want to buy groceries, personal-care items and other consumer products at physical stores.
Though more shopping is expected to migrate online, less than 5% of the roughly $1 trillion in annual U.S. food and consumer product shopping is done over the internet now, market research shows.
With its new stores, Amazon could market itself as a food seller to a greater range of consumers than those currently buying sundries online. It also broadens its reach beyond the higher-income shoppers who tend to frequent Whole Foods Market, which it bought two years ago.
It isn't clear whether the new stores would carry the Amazon name, but they are expected to be distinct from Whole Foods.
The latest foray into physical retail isn't without risks. Those knowledgeable about the company's plans say the stores could average 35,000 square feet -- a size that industry consultants say could be tough to make appealing to consumers because it is too small for big shopping trips but larger than the typical quick convenience store run.
"The economics of a store that size are tough," said Bryan Gildenberg, chief knowledge officer at Kantar Consulting, adding that Amazon will need to locate the stores in high-traffic areas to drive volume.
Write to Heather Haddon at [email protected] and Esther Fung at [email protected] | {
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For the 10-day-long holiday starting this Saturday, major cultural heritage sites have announced festivities ranging from free admission to special event offerings.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday that major royal palaces and tombs across the country will stay open during the 10-day holiday, free of admission fees.
Junghwajeon Hall at Deoksugung Palace (Cultural Heritage Administration)
The promotion will take place at the royal palaces of Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeonggung as well as Jongmyo Shrine, the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty and other cultural heritage sites across the country.
Jongmyo Shrine, which is usually only open for guided tour groups, will be open to the public to visit freely without having to schedule tours from Saturday to Oct. 9.
Visitors can enjoy performances and play Korean folk games at the palaces and tombs.
([email protected]) | {
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A team of experts hacked three UK politicians while they were using unsecured WiFi networks to demonstrate the risks they are daily exposed.
Public Wi-Fi networks are dangerous places for our digital identity, we have explained several times the risks related to the connections to open WiFi hotspots.
Security experts have explained these risks to three prominent UK politicians, Rt Hon David Davis MP, Mary Honeyball MEP, and Lord Strasburger, arranging for them a live demonstration of a cyber attack. Every day we find an incredible number of open WiFi networks surrounding us, in the airport, in the hotels and in many other public places, but are we aware of the risks?
The three UK politicians admitted to using regularly open WiFi networks, but confirmed to haven’s received any specific training to mitigate the risks.
F-Secure, in collaboration with penetration testing expert Mandalorian Security Services and the Cyber Security Research Institute conducted an interesting test with the collaboration of the UK politicians. They deployed a bogus malicious WiFi hotspot, but despite the politicians were aware that they were being tested, they have fallen victims of the hackers. They connected the malicious WiFi hotspot being hacked.
The attackers took control over the Tory MP David Davis’ email account, then the experts also hacked the PayPal account of the politician, too easy because Davis shared the same credentials for the several web services.
His PayPal account was then compromised, as it used the same username and password as his Gmail, a common habit.
“Well, it’s pretty horrifying, to be honest. What you have extracted was a very tough password, tougher than most people use. It’s certainly not ‘Password’.” is the comment of the Britsh politician. ”Alarmingly, the password would have been broken no matter how strong it was. Public Wi-Fi is inherently insecure: usernames and passwords are shown in plain text in the back of a Wi-Fi access point, making them simple for a hacker to steal,” he added.
The hackers run passive sniffing of the traffic, a technique that could allow attackers to steal login tokens and impersonate the victims.
In the case of Lib Dem peer Lord Strasburger, the hackers eavesdropped a Voice over IP (VoIP) call he made from his hotel room. The pen testers recorded the call by using the popular Wireshark network analyzer which is available online for free.
Mary Honeyball MEP was hacked while surfing in an Internet in a café, the attackers in this case sent to the victim a message seemingly from Facebook which invited the politician to log back into her Facebook account. The attacker injected the dialog box into web traffic, in this way they took over the account. It’s curious that Mary Honeyball MEP is the EU committee responsible for the “We Love Wi-Fi” campaign.
“I think something should be done, because we all think that passwords make the whole thing secure. I always thought that was the point of passwords. I am surprised and shocked,” is her comment.
Sean Sullivan, the security advisor at F-Secure, explained that the use of VPN could protect users that need to access insecure public Wi-Fi networks.
“What I saw from the attacks against politicians was that even intelligent, security-savvy people can be caught out by hacks in a busy environment with lots of distractions,” explained Sullivan. “Hackers can rely on coincidence and serendipity to help them.”
Pierluigi Paganini
(Security Affairs – WiFi , hacking)
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Ivory Coast UN ambassador warns of genocide risk Published duration 30 December 2010
image caption Mr Gbagbo's supporters have said they will storm the hotel where Mr Ouattara is holed up
Ivory Coast's newly appointed ambassador to the UN has warned the country is "on the brink of genocide".
Youssoufou Bamba said there had been large scale violation of human rights as a result of the ongoing political unrest.
Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to step down despite his rival, Alassane Ouattara, being internationally accepted as the presidential election winner.
The UN has accused state media of inciting hatred against it.
Mr Gbagbo has said Mr Ouattara's victory in November was illegitimate. Both men have been sworn in as president.
Mr Bamba, who was appointed by Mr Ouattara, was formally welcomed at the UN's New York headquarters on Wednesday, solidifying UN support for Mr Ouattara.
At a press conference, Mr Bamba said Mr Ouattara had been elected in a "free, fair, transparent, democratic election".
"To me the debate is over, now you are talking about how and when Mr Gbagbo will leave office," he said.
media caption UN Ivory Coast ambassador Youssoufou Bamba has called for action
Mr Bamba said Mr Ouattara's main concern now was the "massive violation of human rights" in the past few weeks.
He said 173 people had been killed "only because they want to demonstrate, they want to speak out, they want to defend the will of the people".
"We think it's unacceptable. Thus, one of the messages I try to get across during the conversations I have conducted so far, is [that] we are on the brink of genocide."
Mr Bamba said some houses had been marked according to the residents' ethnic background, and that he was concerned about what could happen next.
"Something should be done," he said.
'Final assault'
Mr Bamba said he hoped to meet every member of the UN Security Council and "explain to them the gravity of the situation".
"We expect the United Nations to be credible and the United Nations to prevent violation and to prevent the election to be stolen from the people," he said.
In a news conference earlier on Wednesday, UN peacekeeping chief Alain Le Roy launched an unprecedented attack on Ivory Coast's Gbagbo-controlled state TV.
"The declarations I hear on the RTI are concerning us and shocking us, because they clearly instigate the population to turn against ONUCI [UN mission in Ivory Coast]," he said.
He said an incident where a peacekeeper was wounded with a machete when his patrol was encircled by angry crowds was a "direct consequence of all the appeals to hatred, lies and anti-ONUCI propaganda".
On Wednesday, the presidents of Benin, Sierra Leone and Cape Verde left Ivory Coast without having reached deal with the two rivals.
The leaders had been sent by regional bloc Ecowas, which had threatened in a statement to send in troops to force Mr Gbagbo to step down.
Ecowas said the three men would return to the country on 3 January for more talks.
Despite international support, Mr Ouattara and his Prime Minister Guillaume Soro remain holed up in a hotel in the main city of Abidjan, protected by UN forces.
Supporters of Mr Gbagbo, the Young Patriots, have threatened to storm the hotel.
The group's leader Charles Ble Goude, who is also Mr Gbagbo's youth minister, also warned Ecowas not to send troops.
"They should prepare themselves very well because we are thinking about totally liberating our country, and soon I will launch the final assault," he said.
Mr Ble Goude is renowned for his fiery rhetoric and has reportedly made such threats before without carrying them out.
But analysts have warned that inflammatory rhetoric could help push the nation back into civil war, seven years after a previous conflict resulted in it being divided between a rebel-run north and government-controlled south.
He is under UN sanctions for inciting violence in 2006.
The UN has some 9,500 peacekeepers in the country.
Mr Gbagbo has told them to leave, accusing them of interfering in Ivorian affairs. But the UN has refused to do so.
Almost 20,000 people - mostly women and children - have fled Ivory Coast for neighbouring Liberia, fearing further unrest.
Mr Ouattara was initially declared the winner of the elections but his victory was overturned by the Constitutional Council. | {
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SOMETIMES I WONDER if my undergraduate degree, which gave me a solid foundation in the History of Science and has led to a lucrative career in international vagabonding, is worth the $10,000 of student loans I am evading by living in Oaxaca, Mexico.
I ponder this, sometimes wallowing in bitterness, as I pore over the websites of American universities in search of graduate programs that won’t leave me forever indebted and doomed to the life of a backpacker on the run.
There are very few such programs—American education is undoubtedly very good, but it is also very expensive.
So, for those of us who love the experience of delving into and becoming part of different places, doesn’t it make sense to look abroad? The world offers some excellent opportunities for graduate school that might actually leave you spare change to, say, eat, and travel.
Thus, what follows: a brief overview of seven countries where you can get a graduate degree at a fraction of the price you’d pay in the U.S.
Spain
At around $2,000 a year, graduate programs in Spain are an incredible deal. The University of Barcelona ranks as one of the three best universities in Ibero-America (the other two being the UNAM of Mexico City and the University of Sao Paolo), and the University of Madrid is not far behind.
Masters degrees are diverse, going way beyond the simple categories of anthropology or sociology—how about an analysis of the history and culture of food? Or the management of cultural heritage? Why not get a degree in women, gender, and citizenship studies? And of course, there are plenty of offerings in the sciences, from an interdisciplinary analysis of water to the study of artificial intelligence and mathematics.
France
I apologize for giving way to cliché, but France, whether you love it or hate it, has an age-old association with intellectual life. Intellectuals have long been the Marilyn Monroes and Tom Cruises of France, and the quality and seriousness of French higher education reflect this cultural preference.
The Ecole Normale Superior de Paris ranks at number 28 in the list of the world’s top universities, and tuition for international graduate students is a whopping 190 Euros a year.
Sweden
Graduate school is free. The website for Uppsala university announces this nonchalantly, as if the whole world lived in the calm socialist paradise that is Sweden.
Now, keep in mind that you’ll probably be paying about five Euros for a beer and who knows how much for any sort of classy lifestyle, but with free tuition, you can take down two Euro espressos right and left while you hit the books.
Plus, Uppsala offers a whole catalogue of Master’s programs in English, unlike other Swedish universities that require a good working knowledge of Swedish.
Germany
Yet another case in which very solid, well-ranked universities come in at around 100-500 Euros a year for tuition. You’ll have to contend with somewhat exorbitant living costs, particularly in the country’s financial centers, but by living like a good ol’ suffering grad student (think of a steady diet of comforting, hearty pasta) you should come out with a pretty good deal in the end.
German language skills are required for some schools; others, such as the University of Berlin, offer a selection of degrees in English.
Singapore
Asian students flock to Singapore by the thousands to take advantage of the (relatively) cheap and high-quality education. Singapore National University is ranked at number 30 in the world, and tuition stands at around $4,000 a year for international graduate students.
Potential students with interests in Asian studies can explore a range of Masters degrees, from broader studies of Asian civilization to critical analyzes of Southeast Asia or the Malay Peninsula.
For those deeply embedded in love affairs with Asia and wanting to further them in an academic setting, Singapore offers a melting pot of Asian cultures, a high-quality graduate education, and ah, yes, the affordability that allows you to take a much-needed chill weekend from time to time on a Thai beach.
Mexico
With tuition around $1,000 USD a year, the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico offers a tempting alternative to rival schools just North of the border.
And with UNAM ranking as one of Latin America’s most prestigious universities (along with Argentina’s University of Buenos Aires) you are really, let’s say, getting what you do not have to pay for: a top-quality graduate degree.
For those interested in Latin American studies and history, the program recently initiated here is one of the best in the world. And if Mexico City seems to you like an experience in pure chaos, try Puebla, Monterrey, or one of the CIESAS research institutes located throughout the country, all of which offer quality graduate degrees at prices comparable to that of UNAM.
South Africa
The country in and of itself is an education, and provides a seething, transforming, highly charged backdrop to academic study.
Universities have taken advantage of the country’s post-apartheid opening up to promote academic and personal freedom, as well as the study of many disciplines banned or marginalized in the past. Cape Town and Johannesburg contain the most well-recognized universities, each of which charges around $4,000 a year in tuition for international graduate students.
Add to this the fact that the cost of living in South Africa affords grad students a much greater degree of luxury than they would experience in Europe or the U.S., and voila, you have the tantalizing prospect of plowing away at a doctorate without having to survive on heaping bowls of spaghetti.
Keep in mind this list is only the beginning. Start doing research online: the aptly named International Graduate Schools website has plenty of listings of specific schools and programs, but in my opinion the Top Grad School site is even better, with rankings, statistics, and programs listed for most major schools in dozens of countries.
Good luck, and may you save as much as you learn!
Have you done grad work abroad? Share your experiences and insights below! | {
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Bancor (BNT), a decentralized Ethereum smart contracts liquidity network that allows users to trade Ethereum-based tokens on a peer-to-peer basis, eliminating the need for digital assets exchanges, has announced its expansion to the EOS network.
Bancor will now launch its BancorX project on EOS, to leverage the cost-efficient and super fast transaction confirmation speeds of the network, as stated by the Bancor team on September 17, 2018.
Bancor Set to Go Live on the EOS Network
Per sources close to the matter, the Bancor team has made it clear that with the launch of its BancorX project on the EOS blockchain, users will soon have access to projects that were previously accessible to only ERC-20 tokens.
Although an exact timeframe for the launch of BancorX on the EOS blockchain has not been set, Bancor has however said that it is transforming itself into a cross-chain liquidity protocol. In essence, the platform has the vision to integrate other distributed ledgers soon.
BancorX will make it possible for users to trade various EOS-based tokens as well as executing trades between EOS and ERC-20 tokens.
Bancor Avoiding Ethereum Gas Fees
Of a truth, developers pay exorbitant fees to get their decentralized applications (dapps) deployed on the EOS blockchain, transactions on the network are, however, hundred percent cost efficient and much faster, as compared to the Ethereum network.
The Bancor team has cited the absence of ‘front running risks’ as its primary reason behind its expansion to the EOS platform.
It’s worthy of note that while transactions on the blockchain is supposed to be entirely immutable and irreversible, a supermajority of EOS block producers, however, have the power to reverse transactions on the network.
And this key feature could have also prompted the Bancor team’s decision to choose EOS so that they could have control over the network and take necessary actions in emergency situations.
But Bancor has failed to admit it.
Earlier in June 2018, the 21 block producers of EOS froze seven accounts suspected for theft – a move that is seemingly impossible on the bitcoin blockchain.
An array of cryptocurrency enthusiasts criticized the EOS community for the decision at the time, arguing that freezing users’ accounts is against the ethos of distributed ledger technology (DLT).
“Protecting” “punishing.” No. No one gets to decide those things. You are hair swapping 1 nation state for another one, albeit a digital one. This is the point of crypto, no one should have that power. If you do, then we should just stop wasting everyone’s time,” tweeted Charlie Shrem at the time.
At press time, Bancor (BNT) token is gaining 2.29 percent at $1.36, with a market cap of $72,879,842 and its ranked 75th on the CoinMarketCap top hundred cryptos table. | {
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Over the past few months the team at RethinkDB has been working on a project to make building modern, realtime apps dramatically easier. The upcoming features are the start of an exciting new database access model – instead of polling the database for changes, the developer can tell RethinkDB to continuously push updated query results to applications in realtime.
This work started as an innocuous feature to help developers integrate RethinkDB with other realtime systems. A few releases ago we shipped changefeeds – a way to subscribe to change notifications in the database. Whenever a document changes in a table, the server pushes a notification describing the change to subscribed clients. You can subscribe to changes on a table like this:
r . table ( 'accounts' ) . changes () . run ( conn )
Originally we intended this feature to help developers push data from RethinkDB to specialized data stores like ElasticSearch and message systems like RabbitMQ, but the release generated enormous excitement we didn’t expect. Digging deeper, we saw that many web developers used changefeeds as a solution to a much broader problem – how do you adapt the database to push realtime data to applications?
This turned out to be an important problem for so many developers that we expanded RethinkDB’s architecture to explicitly support realtime apps. The first batch of the new features will ship in a few days in the upcoming 1.16 release of RethinkDB, and I’m very excited to share what we’ve been working on in this post.
Why is building realtime apps so hard?
The query-response database access model works well on the web because it maps directly to HTTP’s request-response. However, modern marketplaces, streaming analytics apps, multiplayer games, and collaborative web and mobile apps require sending data directly to the client in realtime. For example, when a user changes the position of a button in a collaborative design app, the server has to notify other users that are simultaneously working on the same project. Web browsers support these use cases via WebSockets and long-lived HTTP connections, but adapting database systems to realtime needs still presents a huge engineering challenge.
A naive way to support live updates is to periodically poll the database for changes, but this solution is unworkable because it entails a tradeoff between the number of concurrent users and the polling interval. Even a small number of users polling the database will place a tremendous load on the database servers, requiring the administrator to increase the polling interval. In turn, high polling intervals very quickly result in an untenable user experience.
A scalable solution to this problem involves many cumbersome steps:
Hooking into replication logs of the database servers, or writing custom data invalidating logic for realtime UI components.
Adding messaging infrastructure (e.g. RabbitMQ) to your project.
Writing sophisticated routing logic to avoid broadcasting every message to every web server.
Reimplementing database functionality in the backend if your app requires realtime computation (e.g. realtime leaderboards).
All this requires enormous commitment of time and engineering resources. This tech presentation from Quora gives a good overview of how challenging it can be. The upcoming 1.16 release of RethinkDB is our take on helping developers build realtime apps with minimal effort, and includes the first batch of realtime push features to tackle this problem.
The database for the realtime web
A major design goal was to make the implementation non-invasive and simple to use. RethinkDB users can get started with the database by using a familiar request-response query paradigm. For example, if you’re generating a web page for a visual web design app, you can load the UI elements of a particular project like this:
> r . table ( 'ui_elements' ) . get_all ( PROJECT_ID , index = 'projects' ) . run ( conn ) { 'id' : UI_ELEMENT_ID , 'project_id' : PROJECT_ID 'type' : 'button' , 'position' : [ 100 , 100 ], 'size' : [ 200 , 100 ] }
But what if your design app is collaborative, and you want to show updates to all designers of a project in realtime? The 1.16 release of RethinkDB significantly expands the changes command to work on a much larger set of queries. The changes command lets you get the result of the query, but also asks the database to continue pushing updates to the web server as they happen in realtime, without the developer doing any additional work:
> r . table ( 'ui_elements' ) . get_all ( PROJECT_ID , index = 'projects' ) . changes () . run ( conn ) { 'new_val' : { 'id' : UI_ELEMENT_ID , 'project_id' : PROJECT_ID 'type' : 'button' , 'position' : [ 100 , 100 ], 'size' : [ 200 , 100 ] } }
The first result of the query is just the value of the document. However, when the developer tacks on the changes command, RethinkDB will keep the cursor open, and push updates onto the cursor any time a relevant change occurs in the database. For example, if a different user moves the button in a project, the database will push a diff to every connected web server interested in the particular project, informing them of the change:
{ 'old_val' : { 'id' : UI_ELEMENT_ID , 'project_id' : PROJECT_ID 'type' : 'button' , 'position' : [ 100 , 100 ], 'size' : [ 200 , 100 ] }, 'new_val' : { 'id' : UI_ELEMENT_ID , 'project_id' : PROJECT_ID 'type' : 'button' , 'position' : [ 200 , 200 ], # the position has changed 'size' : [ 200 , 100 ] } }
Any time a web or a mobile client connects to your Python, Ruby, or Node.js application, you can create a realtime feed using the official RethinkDB drivers. The database will continuously push query result updates to your web server, which can forward the changes back to the client in realtime using WebSockets or one of the many wrapper libraries like SockJS, socket.io, or SignalR. Additionally, you’ll be able to access the functionality from most languages using one of the many community supported drivers.
The push access model eliminates the need for invalidation logic in the UI components, additional messaging infrastructure, complex routing logic on your servers, and custom code to reimplement aggregation and sorting in the application. The changes command works on a large subset of queries and is tightly integrated into RethinkDB’s architecture. For example, if you wanted to create an animated line graph of operation statistics for all tables in your production database, you could set up a feed on the internal statistics table to monitor the RethinkDB cluster itself:
> r . db ( 'rethinkdb' ) . table ( 'stats' ) . filter ({ 'db' : 'prod' }) . changes () . run ( conn )
The architecture is designed to be scalable. We’re still running benchmarks, but you should be able to create thousands of concurrent changefeeds to scale your realtime apps, and the results will be pushed within milliseconds.
We’ve also built in many bells and whistles like latency awareness, that make building realtime apps much more convenient. For example, if the query results change too quickly and you don’t want to update the DOM more frequently than fifty milliseconds, you can tell changes to squash updates on a fifty millisecond window, and the database will take care of aggregating diffs and removing duplicates:
> r . table ( 'ui_elements' ) . get_all ( PROJECT_ID , index = 'projects' ) . changes ( squash = 0.05 ) . run ( conn )
Comparison with realtime sync services
There are many existing realtime sync services that significantly ease the pain of building realtime applications. Firebase, PubNub, and Pusher are notable examples, and there are many others. These services are excellent for getting up and running quickly. They let you sync documents across multiple browsers, offer sophisticated security models, and integrate with many existing web frameworks.
The upcoming features in RethinkDB are fundamentally different from realtime sync services in four critical ways.
Firstly, most existing realtime sync services offer very limited querying capabilities. You can query for a specific document and perhaps a range of documents, but you can’t express even simple queries that involve any computation. For example, sorting, advanced filtering, aggregation, joins, or subqueries are either limited or not available at all. This limitation turns out to be critical for real world applications, so most users end up using realtime sync services side by side with traditional database systems, and build up complex code to duplicate data between the two.
In contrast, RethinkDB is a general purpose database that allows you to easily express queries of arbitrary complexity. This eliminates the need for multiple pieces of infrastructure and additional code to duplicate data and keep it in sync across multiple services.
Secondly, the push functionality of realtime sync services is limited to single documents. You can sync documents across clients, but you can’t get a realtime incremental feed for more complex operations. In contrast, RethinkDB allows you to get a feed on queries, not just documents. For example, suppose you wanted to build a realtime leaderboard of top five gameplays in your game world. This requires sorting the gameplays by score in descending order, limiting the resultset to five top gameplays, and getting a continuous incremental feed that pushes updates to your clients any time the resultset changes. This functionality isn’t available in realtime sync services, but is trivial in RethinkDB:
r . table ( 'gameplays' ) . order_by ( index = r . desc ( 'score' )) . limit ( 5 ) . changes () . run ( conn )
Any time the database gets updated with a new gameplay, this query will inform the developer which items dropped off the leaderboard, and which new gameplays should be included. Internally, the database doesn’t merely rerun the query any time there is a change to the gameplays table – the changefeeds are recomputed incrementally and efficiently.
Thirdly, realtime sync services are closed ecosystems that run in the cloud. While a hosted version of RethinkDB is available through our partners at Compose.io, both the protocol and the implementation are, and always will be, open-source.
Finally, most existing realtime sync services are built to allow access to their API directly from the web browser. This eliminates the need for building a backend in simple applications, and lets new users quickly deploy their apps with less hassle. As a general purpose database RethinkDB expects to be accessed from a backend server, and does not yet provide a sufficiently robust security model to be accessed directly from the web browser. We’re playing with the idea of building a secure proxy server to let web clients access RethinkDB directly from the browser, so eventually you might not need to write backend code if your application is simple enough. However, unlike realtime sync services, for now you have to access RethinkDB feeds through the backend code running in your web server.
Comparison with hooking into the replication log
Most traditional database systems offer access to their replication log, which allows clients to learn about the updates happening in the database in realtime. Many infrastructures for realtime apps are built on top of this functionality. There are three fundamental differences between RethinkDB’s changefeeds and hooking into the replication log of a database.
Firstly, like with realtime sync, hooking into the replication log gives you access to updates on individual documents. In contrast, RethinkDB’s changefeeds allow you to get feeds on query resultsets. Consider the example above, where we’re building a leaderboard of top five gameplays in a game world:
r . table ( 'gameplays' ) . order_by ( index = r . desc ( 'score' )) . limit ( 5 ) . changes () . run ( conn )
To rebuild this functionality on top of a replication log your application would need to keep track of top five gameplays, and you’d have to write custom code to compare each new record in the gameplays table to decide if it replaces any of the gameplays in the leaderboard. More importantly, consider what happens if the game admin decides the player cheated and their gameplay score has to be reduced. Your code would have to go back to the database and recompute the query from scratch, because it has no information about which gameplay has the new record that should be on the leaderboard.
Writing this code is doable, but is fairly complex and error-prone. In a large application, the complexity can add up quickly if you have many realtime elements. In contrast, RethinkDB’s query engine eliminates this complexity by automatically taking care of the computation and sending you the correct updates as the resultset changes in realtime.
Secondly, as you move to sharded environments, working with a replication log presents additional complexity as there isn’t a single replication log to deal with. Your application would need to subscribe to multiple replication logs, and manually aggregate the events from replication logs for each shard. In contrast, RethinkDB automatically takes care of handling shards in the cluster, and changefeeds present unified views to your application.
Finally, most database systems don’t offer granular filtering functionality for replication logs, so your clients can’t get only the parts of the log they’re interested in. This presents non-trivial scalability challenges because your infrastructure has to deal with the firehose of all database events, and you need to write custom code to route only the relevant events to appropriate web servers. In contrast, RethinkDB handles scalability issues in the cluster, and each feed gives you exactly the information you need for a particular client.
RethinkDB’s changefeeds operate on a higher level of abstraction than traditional replication logs, which significantly reduces the amount of custom code and operational challenges the application developer has to consider.
Integrating with realtime web frameworks
One of the more notable projects that helps developers build realtime apps is Meteor. Meteor is an open-source platform for building realtime apps in JavaScript that promises a significantly improved developer experience. It handles a lot of the boilerplate necessary to build responsive interfaces with live updates, provides a complete platform with client-side and server-side components, and offers many advanced features like latency compensation and security out of the box. The team is making great strides in scalability and maturity of the platform, and many companies are starting to use Meteor to build the next generation of web applications.
Meteor is part of the Node.js ecosystem, and multiple other projects have popped up to bring its functionality to other languages. Volt is a framework that implements similar functionality in Ruby, and webalchemy is an alternative platform for Python. These projects are less mature, but have picked up a lot of interest in their respective ecosystems, and are likely to gain a lot of momentum once they accumulate enough functionality to let developers build high quality, scalable apps.
Meteor, Volt, and webalchemy frameworks run on top of databases, so they’re ultimately constrained by the realtime functionality and scalability of existing database systems. We’ve been collaborating with the Meteor team to ensure our design will work well with these and other similar projects. A few community members have been working on a RethinkDB integration with Meteor and Volt, and we expect robust integrations to become available in the coming months.
More work ahead
The upcoming 1.16 release contains only a subset of the functionality we’d like to include. In the next few releases we plan to expand realtime push even further:
We’re discussing the implementation for restartable feeds here and here. Feedback welcome!
We’d like to make more complex queries available via realtime push. In particular, efficient realtime push implementations for the eq_join command and map/reduce are fairly complex, and aren’t making it into 1.16.
command and map/reduce are fairly complex, and aren’t making it into 1.16. Exposing the database to the internet entails serious security concerns, so we’re kicking around ideas for a secure proxy to enable direct browser access of realtime feeds.
This work is guided by three high level design principles:
We believe it’s important for realtime database infrastructure to be open . Both the protocol and the implementation are, and always will be, open-source.
. Both the protocol and the implementation are, and always will be, open-source. The implementation should be non-invasive and very simple to use. Developers shouldn’t have to care about realtime features until they’re ready to add the functionality to their apps.
and very to use. Developers shouldn’t have to care about realtime features until they’re ready to add the functionality to their apps. Realtime functionality should be efficient, scalable, and tightly integrated with the rest of the database. It shouldn’t feel like an afterthought.
Advancing the realtime web
The new functionality is a start of an exciting new database access model that eliminates many complex steps necessary for building realtime apps today. There is no need to poll the database for changes or introduce additional infrastructure like RabbitMQ. RethinkDB pushes relevant changes to the web server the instant they occur. The amount of additional code the developer has to write to implement realtime functionality in their apps is minimal, and all scalability issues are handled by the RethinkDB cluster.
We’ll be releasing the realtime extensions to RethinkDB in the next few days along with tutorials and documentation. In the meantime, you can watch the video with a live demo of the features:
We’re hoping RethinkDB 1.16 will make building realtime apps dramatically simpler and more accessible. Stay tuned for more updates, and please share your feedback with the RethinkDB team! | {
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The president defends his decision to withdraw remaining U.S. troops from Syria, and he calls Russia a 'local' enemy of ISIS, along with Iran and Syria. The Morning Joe panel discusses Trump's tweets and conservative response. | {
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Understanding Memetics
Summary, for those in a hurry: Memetics deals with information transfer, specifically cultural information in society. The basic idea is to conflate the exchange of information between people with genetic material, to track the mutation of ideas as they are transmitted from one person to the next in the way you could track viral transmissions and mutations. However, a meme also provides benefits to the carrier if they spread it. Meme : Memetics :: Gene : Genetics Memetics does NOT refer to telepathy, ESP or any imaginary psychic mental magic. These words are memetic, and if you understand them then they are having a completely ordinary memetic effect on you. Memetics in regards to SCP objects tends to focus on the impossible rather than the mundane, regarding effects that are transmitted via information. In general, the effects themselves should remain in the realm of information. A memetic SCP would be more likely to be a phrase that makes you think you have wings as opposed to a phrase that makes you actually grow a pair of wings. If you write up magic words that make people grow wings, it should be described as something other than memetic. Memetic SCPs do not emanate auras or project beams. They are SCPs which involve ideas and symbols which trigger a response in those who understand them.
Memetics is not a thing that emanates in an aura.
Memetic is often incorrectly used by new personnel as the official sounding term for "Weird Mind Shit." However, that is not actually what memetic means. These words are memetic. They are producing a memetic effect in your mind right now, without any magical mind rays lashing out of your computer monitor to grasp your fragile consciousness. Memes are information, more specifically, cultural information.
Outside of the Foundation's walls the concept of memetics is not taken very seriously; it is a theory that conflates the transfer of cultural information with evolutionary biology.
meme : memetic :: gene : genetic
The idea was that certain memes prosper and others wither the same way certain genes produce stronger offspring that out-compete creatures with different genes. Also, it is easy to compare the spread and mutation of information to the spread of a virus. The reason we use the term memetic in our work is largely due to this, as the truly dangerous memes out there can spread like wildfire due to the fact that the very knowledge of them can count as an infection.
Understanding the true nature of memetic threats is critical to surviving them. You cannot wear a special set of magical goggles made of telekill to protect yourself from a meme. THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING. If you just read those words in your head with a bad Teutonic accent, congratulations on being victim to yet another memetic effect. If you did not know that phrase was an oft-repeated quote from the Simpsons then congratulations; you are now infected with that knowledge and are free to participate in its spread.
A meme perpetuates itself by being beneficial to the carrier to spread to new hosts. You now understand that THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING; you're in on the joke. However, you might have friends who aren't, and don't get it. It benefits you to explain them, because then you both have something new to laugh together about when it gets brought up. This is what makes a meme effective - how much incentive a carrier has to spread it. Unless an anomalous meme's effect is the compulsive urge for the carrier to infect others, there needs to be incentive to spread it.
An artifact can no more have a memetic aura or project a memetic beam than a creature could have a genetic aura or genetic beam. Even though you could imagine a creature with genes that allow it to produce some kind of aura or beam like a big doofy X-man, remember that the examples we have of such creatures in containment are not getting their super-powered emanations from anything resembling our scientific understanding of genetics and biology. Neither are the memetic artifacts. We contain these things specifically because we cannot understand or explain them yet. At the end of the day we're still using a clumsy concept to describe things we don't have a full grasp of.
It is very rare that anything with a dangerous memetic component could be described as hostile to begin with. We do not contain memetic threats because they are out to get us. They are threats because it is dangerous for us to merely perceive them. It is exceptionally rare for dangerous memes to even have anything resembling sapience with the exception of certain known entities which exist entirely within the medium of "cultural information" such as SCP-████, SCP-732 and SCP-423.
A dangerous meme is basically a trigger that sets off something inside of you that you may or may have not been aware of. What would your knee jerk reaction be to knowing that your rival is sleeping with your one true love? How would you react if you were to unwittingly catch them in the act? That kind of sudden revelation can make a mild mannered citizen into a killer, so don't be surprised that there are other strange bits of information out there that can break the human mind in different yet equally drastic ways.
Protecting yourself from memetic threat is very tricky and can be worse than the threat itself. There are reasons that we behave the way we do, there are reasons our emotions soar when we hear just the right combination of sounds in a piece of music. Do you want to stop thinking about the Simpsons or your obnoxious nerdy friends that quote it every time you hear the phrase THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING? That would require forgetting about the Simpsons and your friends.
Do you want to survive hearing or reading the phrase "███ █████████ ██████?" Well, sadly we don't quite know what other information you need to forget or know to prevent [DATA EXPUNGED] but we're getting better. Lobotomies and pills help, and are one of the few times that the cure is not worse than the disease. The sum total of our human condition; our cultural knowledge and upbringing and memories and identity; this is what makes us susceptible to the occasional memetic compulsion.
So it's not the basalt monolith or its bizarre carvings that is making you strangle your companions with your own intestines, the problem was within you all along.
Should you ever find yourself under a memetic compulsion and aware of the fact, remember that there are certain mental exercises that you can perform which may save your life or the lives of your companions. Changing the information your mind is being presented with may just change how you react to it, and the more abrupt or absurd the change is the better.
Imagine the fearsome entity is wearing a bright pink nightgown. Draw a mustache on the haunted painting. Pee on the stone altar. Wear the terrible sculpture like a hat.
And if all else fails, bend over and kiss your ass goodbye. I'm not kidding. That could actually help.
- Dr. Johannes Sorts received a special dispensation to use the word "doofy" in this document | {
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
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watches porn on your computer parents yell at you | {
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Tuesday 2 July 2019 | 1:58 PM
#Metoo movement leading lady Tanushree Dutta from Bollywood, has extended her support to actress Zaira Wasim
who shocked everyone by announcing her disassociation from the film industry. Zaira Wasim who is also a National award recipient, announced her decision after 5 years in Bollywood.
Tanushree Dutta is becoming the face of women empowerment in real life. Her statement read, "I woke up this morning here in New Jersey with my Fone buzzing with request to give a quote on the Zaira Wasim issue. I wondered what the "issue" is as the journalist put it. A quick internet search revealed a post from Wasim herself what I consider the most beautiful, grace-filled words drenched in spiritual wisdom from the Holy Quran. What a great way to start my day! As I read the full post I couldn't help but wonder if Zaira's true calling in life is in fact to be a young spiritual leader of some sort guiding young Muslim kids to the true knowledge of Allah and Quran? I wondered if Bollywood was just an interim phase designed and placed by God in her way to simply be a stepping stone for something greater more fulfilling and profound of a life purpose?" | {
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Gareth Morgan has a simple dream: a New Zealand free of cats. But the environmentalist's latest anti-feline campaign has triggered a backlash.
Morgan has called on fellow Kiwis to make their current pet cat their last in a bold attempt to save the country's native birds. He set up a website, Cats To Go, which includes an image of a kitten with devil's horns under the heading: "That little ball of fluff you own is a natural born killer".
He does not recommended owners euthanise their cats: "Not necessarily, but that is an option," he admits, but rather neuter them and not replace them when they die. The economist and well-known businessman also suggests cats remain indoors and local governments make registration mandatory.
But Morgan's campaign is not proving popular in a country that boasts one of the highest cat-ownership rates in the world. "I say to Gareth Morgan, butt out of our lives," Bob Kerridge, president of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said on the television show Campbell Live. "Don't deprive us of the beautiful companionship that a cat can provide individually and as a family."
For thousands of years, New Zealand's birds flourished with no predators. Some species, such as the kiwi, even became flightless. But the arrival of mankind and its introduction of predators, including cats, dogs and rodents, has wiped out some native species and endangered many others.
"Imagine a New Zealand teeming with native wildlife; penguins on the beach, kiwis roaming about in your garden," Morgan says on his website. "Imagine hearing birdsong in our cities."
But many New Zealanders are against the campaign. On Tuesday 70% of visitors to his site voted against making their current cat their last.
The science remains unclear. Some argue that cats may actually help native birds by reducing the population of rodents, which sometimes feed on bird eggs.
Morgan's personal blog has a separate campaign to raise $1m to eradicate mice from the remote Antipodes Islands, where the rodents are the only predators.
A 2011 survey by the New Zealand Companion Animal Council found 48% of households in New Zealand owned at least one cat, a significantly higher proportion than in other developed nations. The poll put the total cat population at 1.4m.
In the US, 33% of households own at least one cat, amounting to 86m domestic cats, according to a 2012 survey by the American Pet Products Association. | {
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On November 28th, 2018, MonitorChain detected a potential scam: RusGas (RGS) is minting billions of tokens, diluting the value of investor’s tokens and driving the price down to nearly nothing.
To read the rest of this article, join CryptoSlate Edge. Have an account? Sign In. | {
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Oliver Cole and Niamh Farrell of Ham Sandwich have combined with a host of other Irish musicians to record These City Lights – a song for repeal.
These City Lights was written by Cole and his wife Claire Cogan Cole.
“This song “These City Lights” was written and recorded to help raise awareness for the up and coming referendum on repealing the 8th amendment.”
“The song looks at the issue from the perspective of a couple who find themselves having to travel to the UK to access safe medical care.”
“We get to see from their point of view how this feels and how it impacts on them personally.”
“The song is a duet as I really wanted to represent both the male and female viewpoint in a realistic and sympathetic way.” | {
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Almost 100 million accounts have been compromised (Picture: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)
Tens of millions of usernames and passwords for Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo email accounts have been hacked and details traded online, according to a security expert.
Data from around 97 million accounts have been stolen as part of a huge cyber attack that is thought to affect around 272.3 million users worldwide, said Alex Holden, founder and chief information security officer of Hold Security.
Former Disney child star is arrested after ‘robbing bank while wearing a wig’
In one of the biggest data breaches in years, the information is being traded in Russia’s criminal underworld for next to nothing, it has been claimed.
It is thought that credentials from around 40 million Yahoo Mail accounts, 33 million Hotmail accounts and 24 million Gmail accounts have been accessed.
But the majority of the usernames stolen are from Russia’s most popular email service Mail.ru
Holden, who was speaking to Reuters, has previously uncovered huge data breaches affecting millions of users at at Adobe Systems, JPMorgan and Target.
MORE: How secure is your private data? These confessions from IT workers will scare you
The details are being actively in the cyber underworld, says the security expert (Picture: Getty Images)
His latest discovery is said to come after researchers found a young Russian hacker bragging in an online forum that he had collected and was ready to give away a far larger number of stolen credentials.
Mysteriously, the hacker asked just 50 roubles – just over 50p – for the entire trove, but gave up the dataset after Hold researchers agreed to post favourable comments about him in hacker forums, Holden said.
He said his company’s policy is to refuse to pay for stolen data.
‘This information is potent. It is floating around in the underground and this person has shown he’s willing to give the data away to people who are nice to him,’ said Holden.
‘These credentials can be abused multiple times.’
(Picture: Getty Images)
A Microsoft spokesman said stolen online credentials was an unfortunate reality. ‘Microsoft has security measures in place to detect account compromise and requires additional information to verify the account owner and help them regain sole access.’
Yahoo and Google did not respond to requests for comment.
A Mail.ru spokeswoman said it was checking whether the email combinations match those still actively in use.
MORE: The animals who met Sir David Attenborough over the years have been sharing their memories | {
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Bei einem von der AfD organisierten Vortrag in der Stadtbücherei am letzten Mittwoch haben der Ratsherr Martin Schiller und weitere AfD-Mitglieder gegenüber einem Gast des anliegenden Cafés Gewalt angewendet. Der Betroffene musste sich mit Verletzungen ärztlich behandeln lassen, nachdem er von den AfDlern aus der Stadtbücherei gezerrt worden war. Er erlitt bei dem Übergriff Fingerstauchungen sowie eine Rippenprellung. Der Betroffene hat inzwischen Anzeige gegen Martin Schiller, Patrick Wilke sowie einen bislang namentlich nicht bekannten Beteiligten erstattet.
Von dem von der AfD attackierten Mann ging zu keinem Zeitpunkt eine Gefahr für andere Menschen oder eine Störung der AfD-Veranstaltung aus. Der Mann, ein Stammgast des Café Colibri in der Stadtbücherei, war von Schiller noch vor Beginn der AfD-Veranstaltung als vermeintlicher „Störer“ ausgemacht worden. Als er die Toilette im Untergeschoss der Bücherei benutzte, wurde er von Schiller und zwei Helfern abgefangen, festgehalten, die Treppe hinauf geschleift und schließlich vor der Eingangstür auf den Boden geworfen. Einer der beteiligten AfDler ist Patrick Wilke, ehemaliger AfD-Kreissprecher aus Dortmund und bereits in der Vergangenheit wegen Gewalttätigkeiten bekannt geworden.
Für den Vorfall gibt es mehrere ZeugInnen, u.a. den Wirt des Café Colibri, der noch versucht hatte, Schiller von dem Übergriff abzuhalten. Martin Schiller bestätigte den Vorfall in zwei Facebook-Postings und veröffentlichte selbst auch Bildmaterial des gewaltsamen Rauswurfs des Büchereigastes, den Schiller als „Durchsetzung des Hausrechts“ bezeichnet. Unverhohlen äußerte er zudem seine Freude über die Tat und schreibt: „Hier packt der Kreissprecher noch selber mit an.“
Das „Keinen Meter“-Bündnis verurteilt den Übergriff auf einen Besucher der Bücherei auf das Schärfste und fordert, die Vergabe städtischer Räumlichkeiten an die AfD auszusetzen sowie strafrechtliche Ermittlungen gegen die beteiligten AfD-Mitglieder einzuleiten. „Die AfD hat erneut bewiesen, dass sie eine antidemokratische Partei ist, die auch vor Gewalt und Selbstjustiz nicht zurückschreckt“, so Carsten Peters, Pressesprecher des Bündnisses. „Ein gewaltsamer Übergriff auf einen Besucher einer öffentlichen Institution wie der Stadtbücherei ist ein Angriff auf die Stadtgemeinschaft und muss spürbare Konsequenzen für die Partei haben.“
Das Bündnis „Keinen Meter den Nazis” fordert die Stadt auf, der AfD kein weiteres Mal die Stadtbücherei zu überlassen „Die Stadt Münster muss die Notbremse ziehen und ihre Vergabepraxis für städtische Räumlichkeiten gegenüber der AfD ändern“, so Liza Schulze-Boysen, Pressesprecherin des Bündnisses.
Angesprochen auf die rechtliche Einschätzung des Vorfalls durch die AfD sieht das Bündnis ebenfalls Klärungsbedarf: „Ja, das Hausrecht ist generell in engen Grenzen ein notwehrfähiges Rechtsgut“, so Liza Schulze-Boysen, „aus unserer Sicht lagen die Voraussetzungen hier offensichtlich nicht vor.“
Das Bündnis erklärt seine rechtliche Würdigung der Ereignisse wie folgt: „An erster Stelle ist zu klären, für welche Bereiche der Bücherei der AfD das Hausrecht übertragen wurde und ab welchem Zeitpunkt dieses galt. Da sich der Übergriff vor dem Beginn der eigentlichen Veranstaltung und außerhalb des Veranstaltungsraumes im öffentlich zugänglichen Bereich ereignete, liegt die Annahme nahe, dass die AfD hier gar keine rechtliche Handhabe hatte oder diese erst zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt, d.h. nach Schließung des Café Colibri gegolten hat.
Zum Anderen ging von dem vermeintlichen ‚Störer‘ offensichtlich gar keine Störung der AfD-Veranstaltung aus. Diese hatte zum Zeitpunkt des Übergriffs noch gar nicht begonnen. Es erschließt sich nicht, wie von der Toilette im Untergeschoss aus eine Störung der Veranstaltung im Lesesaal möglich sein soll. Zuletzt stellt sich die dringende Frage nach der Verhältnismäßigkeit: Die Polizei war am 25. April 2018 mit zahlreichen BeamtInnen deutlich sichtbar vor Ort präsent und für Herrn Schiller jederzeit ansprechbar. Er hätte die Polizei problemlos bitten können, die rechtliche Lage zu bewerten und ggf. das Hausrecht für die AfD durchzusetzen – dies tat die Polizei ja gegenüber den rund 1000 Protestierenden außerhalb der Stadtbücherei ebenfalls.“
„All dies tat Herr Schiller aber nicht“, analysiert Schulze-Boysen, „stattdessen holte er sich Verstärkung aus der Partei und gemeinsam entschied man sich, ein Exempel zu statuieren. Die AfD legte selbst Hand an und verübte Selbstjustiz. Hier sollte die eigene Macht gewaltsam demonstriert werden.“
Auch in seiner Haltung, die AfD vom in gut einer Woche stattfindenden Katholikentag auszuladen, sieht sich das Bündnis bestärkt: „Hetze gegen den Vorsitzenden der jüdischen Gemeinde; der Versuch, den Amoklauf am Kiepenkerl mit diskriminierenden Falschmeldungen für politische Zwecke zu instrumentalisieren; und nun ein gewalttätiger Übergriff auf einen Besucher der Stadtbücherei – man muss sich schon fragen, was alles noch passieren muss, bis der Katholikentag seine Haltung zur AfD überdenkt“, so Peters abschließend, “Wir werden am 12. Mai umso entschlossener unseren Standpunkt gegen die AfD auf die Straße tragen.“ | {
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(This version of the story fixes section on death toll from Ukraine conflict)
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko (R, front) addresses servicemen as he visits the 169th training centre "Desna" of the Ukrainian Army ground forces in Chernihiv Region, Ukraine November 28, 2018. Mykola Lazarenko/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
BERLIN (Reuters) - Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia’s Vladimir Putin of seeking to annex his entire country and called in interviews with German media for Chancellor Angela Merkel to come to Kiev’s aid in the crisis.
Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships and their crews on Sunday near the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, over what it said was their illegal entry into Russian waters - a charge Ukraine strongly rejects.
In interviews with Germany’s Bild newspaper and the Funke newspaper group on Thursday, Poroshenko rejected Russia’s charge that the vessels’ entry into the Azov Sea - a body of water shared by Ukraine and Russia on which the Ukrainian ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk sit - was a provocation.
“Don’t believe Putin’s lies,” he told Bild, Germany’s biggest-selling paper, comparing Russia’s protestations of innocence in the affair to Moscow’s 2014 denial that it had soldiers in Crimea even as they moved to annex it.
“Putin wants the old Russian empire back,” he said. “Crimea, Donbass, the whole country. As Russian Tsar, as he sees himself, his empire can’t function without Ukraine. He sees us as his colony.”
Moscow seized Crimea after a pro-Russian leader was toppled in Kiev, and later backed pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict in which more than 10,000 people have been killed. Major fighting ended with a 2015 ceasefire but deadly exchanges of fire are still frequent.
Poroshenko called on Germany, the largest and wealthiest buyer of Moscow’s gas exports, to halt the building of an undersea gas pipeline that would allow Russia to supply Germany directly, cutting out Ukraine.
“We need a strong, resolute and clear reaction to Russia’s aggressive behavior,” he told Funke. “That also means stopping the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.”
Germany regards the pipeline, which is being built by Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom, as a private investment. But Merkel recently acknowledged its “political dimensions” and said Ukraine must continue to be a conduit for Russian gas sold to western Europe.
German officials said on Wednesday that their position on the pipeline remained unchanged and that talk of tighter sanctions against Moscow, demanded by the United States and many European politicians, was “premature”.
Poroshenko also called for the stationing of NATO vessels in the Sea of Azov. | {
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For more than 50 years, the dramatic shot from a blimp floating high overhead has sent a clear message to TV viewers: You are watching a big-time event. Now, a new generation of photographers with drones is ready to bring that same technology to all levels of sports while giving audiences a perspective they've never seen before.
It helps that capturing breathtaking images with a drone has never been cheaper or easier. Prices start around $1,000 for a quadcopter small enough to fit into a backpack and equipped with a high-definition camera. And even a novice—me, for example—can have a drone up and running in minutes.
After an hour-long safety class at UAVDirect, a retailer in Liberty Hill, Texas, just outside of Austin, technology manager Eric Davis shows off a DJI Phantom II. He calls it "the iPhone of drones" because of its sleek looks and simple controls. Davis hands me the controls, and I'm airborne, zipping the drone through the Texas sky, stopping to hover over the football stadium in the distance before bringing it in for a landing. It's thrilling—and suddenly clear why this is the future of sports photography.
A quick visit to YouTube shows what's possible. A drone watches from behind the line of scrimmage to give high school football coaches at Mississippi's Jackson Academy a videogame perspective of their plays during practice. The University of Louisville swoops a drone through the stadium during a preseason scrimmage to build excitement for the season. Formula One races, PGA Tour events, surfers off the coast of California: All have been seen with a drone's eye view.
But there's a problem. Fly a drone over a sporting event and you may be running afoul of Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
For starters, the FAA bans the commercial use of drones without a waiver. Hobbyists can fly drones—officially known as unmanned aerial vehicles or unmanned aircraft systems—so long as they keep them away from airports, below 400 feet, and within operators’ sight.
"Any UAS use not for hobby or recreational purposes is subject to FAA regulations and needs FAA approval," FAA spokesman Les Dorr says. "Regarding the use of UAS to monitor sports practices, we would need to determine who is operating the UAS, how, and for what purpose to determine if it’s being operated for hobby or recreation."
But the line between commercial and hobby use is thinning, and the FAA is racing to keep up with the pace of change. Some drone industry experts compare it with the rift between ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft and taxicab unions, another case where a disruptive force is foisting change upon an incumbent industry.
Drone enthusiasts are waiting for the FAA to come up with rules and standards to govern UAV as directed by Congress, but a recent government audit states that the agency is behind schedule and will miss its September, 2015 deadline.
"UAS (unmanned aerial systems) have been around for quite a while in less advanced forms, but now the technology has evolved so that the cost is much more accessible to the general user," says Ryan Baker, whose Houston-based company, Arch Aerial, builds and sells its own line of UAVs. (Baker also spoke at a South by Southwest Interactive panel on drones in sports in March.) "People are beginning to realize just how useful these things are, not only for the general user, but also for commercial applications, and as a result they are only going to become more and more popular. We are designing our drones to be tough enough for commercial applications, but also affordable enough for the average user."
There may be some movement, however. Last year, the government approved six sites for testing drones for wider commercial applications, and Nevada was on the list. That's the home of DroneWorx, where media director Brett Kanda says his company is among 16 businesses (others includes Sony and Paramount) seeking an exemption from the commercial drone ban so they can film on closed sets. That would at least allow DroneWorx to shoot aerial footage for clients like the PGA Tour.
"The minute we get our Section 333 exemption and as soon as we're commercially legal, the PGA Tour will be my first call," says Kanda, a former college golfer at UNLV who also spent time on the pro tour. "I want to showcase these awesome locations. There's nothing more beautiful than Pebble Beach."
Until then, those looking to capture fantastic aerial footage will continue skirting the rules and exploring new facets of the technology, such as a "follow me" feature that allows a skier or mountain biker to be his or her own film crew, with a drone flying behind. In live broadcasting, a drone can send previously impossible dynamic views to the stadium JumboTron and the TV audience around the world.
"Somebody was asking me recently, 'If this were a baseball game, what inning are we in, in terms of the technology?'," says DJI's Michael Perry. "I'd say we're still waiting in line for tickets." | {
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenHarris joins women's voter mobilization event also featuring Pelosi, Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda Judd Gregg: The Kamala threat — the Californiaization of America GOP set to release controversial Biden report MORE (D-Mass.) on Thursday celebrated the decision by Wells Fargo's CEO to step down effective immediately, saying it's "about damn time."
"About damn time. Tim Sloan should have been fired a long time ago," Warren, a 2020 presidential candidate, tweeted.
"He enabled Wells Fargo's massive fake accounts scam, got rich off it, & then helped cover it up. Now—let's make sure all the people hurt by Wells Fargo's scams get the relief they're owed."
About damn time. Tim Sloan should have been fired a long time ago. He enabled Wells Fargo's massive fake accounts scam, got rich off it, & then helped cover it up. Now—let's make sure all the people hurt by Wells Fargo's scams get the relief they're owed. https://t.co/l7dYmBWRBo — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) March 28, 2019
Wells Fargo CEO and president Timothy Sloan announced Thursday that he was stepping down from his current position effective immediately, and would be retiring from the bank entirely on June 30. His decision comes as the embattled bank struggles to escape from unprecedented penalties and scrutiny from federal regulators.
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C. Allen Parker will replace Sloan on a temporary basis, according to a statement from Wells Fargo.
Wells Fargo’s issues began in September 2016 when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) fined the bank $185 million for opening and charging fees on more than 1 million accounts for customers without their consent.
John Stumpf retired as CEO shortly after and was replaced by Sloan.
In January of 2018, the Federal Reserve banned Wells Fargo from expanding its operations and ordered the bank conduct an internal probe into its internal oversight and risk management and explain how it planned to prevent future scandals.
Wells Fargo has paid more than $1.5 billion in penalties to state and federal regulators and more than half a billion to settle lawsuits related to customer abuse.
Sloan appeared before House lawmakers earlier this month to defend his bank amid their difficulties. | {
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Blog Agenda
A rare set of architecure world luminaries will gather in New York on 7 February, 2013 to discuss the history of modern architecture's striving for socially revolutionary forms and affects in the twentieth century. The conference Ruins of Modernity: The Failure of Revolutionary Architecture in the Twentieth Century will bring Peter Eisenmann, Reinhold Martin, Joan Ockman and Bernard Tschumi to discuss the fallout of the modernist project to respond to the rapidly changing conditions in societies across the Western world throughout the twentieth century. What happened to the goal of some revolutionary architects to commit their cannon to change - mostly with the aim of improving society? That this (sometimes) ended in miserable housing projects for the urban poor or the magazine minimalism of the suburban rich is no coincidence. This all composes a legacy that architecture, urban design and landscape architecture continue to labor under today.
The search for form that can shape society, today commonly posited as through bottom-up stakeholder-centered practice or the embrace of the vernacular can be seen as a continuation of the idealistic spirit that drove the modernist architects to posit that architecture could change the world. Who better than some of the finest commentators and theorists of the twentieth century to examine the future potential of past failures? The conference is organized by Platypus, which seeks to examine the past from the position of the American Left to gain knowledge about our current conditions and project those into the future sphere, and to explore the “possibilities of emancipatory politics today”.
Ruins of Modernity: The Failure of Revolutionary Architecture in the Twentieth Century
Thursday, 7 February 2013
7 - 10 PM
NYU Kimmel Center
Room 914
60 Washington Square Park
New York, NY
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This week Capital Dynamics announced that its Clean Energy Infrastructure (CEI) business signed an agreement with Tenaska to develop a portfolio of 14 greenfield solar projects with a total generating capacity of 2,000 MW (2 GW) in the in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) market.
The portfolio represents a large share of all solar projects currently in the MISO North interconnection queue, with projects in Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Minnesota.
Capital Dynamics said the agreement further diversifies its growing solar portfolio, adding that its CEI team is the second-largest owner of solar projects in the United States, managing approximately USD $4.9B in assets and 3.1 GW of capacity in its current portfolio.
“This agreement was a unique opportunity for us to acquire a meaningful pipeline of solar capacity in an efficient project development structure within a market poised for growth,” said Benoit Allehaut, director of Capital Dynamics’ Clean Energy Infrastructure team.
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A torchlight flashes down the dimly lit alley that has become a favourite drug-dealing hotspot for a local gang. “You’ll hear them before you see them – you’ll hear them scattering,” whispers Chris Smith, a delivery driver turned amateur crimefighter.
Around another dark corner, a suspicious-looking car speeds away when Smith and his group approach. It moves too quick for them to take its registration plate. But the car will be back – and so will the vigilantes.
Smith and his colleagues at Shirley Street Watch have become the scourge of low-level criminals in their little corner of Solihull in the West Midlands since they started patrols in January. Police credit them with effectively forcing drug dealers away from parts of the suburb and significantly reducing antisocial behaviour.
While Smith bristles at the term “vigilante”, the volunteers are one of a rising number of groups springing up across Britain as crime surges and police officer numbers hit a record low. Added into the mix is the very low and falling detection rate – 75% of thefts unsolved. Victims of crime are willing to take matters into their own hands.
This week Hartlepool was called the town “where the police don’t come out” in reports about a neighbourhood group formed to try to fill the void left by police. On one recent Saturday not a single officer was on duty in the town of 92,000 as all were called to another job.
A new Midlands-based group, We Stand Determined, has amassed nearly 3,000 members on Facebook in the past week, with splinter groups already forming in Manchester and elsewhere. Wayne Dean, a former college teacher, said he founded the group after becoming exasperated at the police response to a spate of carjackings in his area of Chelmsley Wood, a housing estate in Solihull.
Dean, 47, described the group as “vigilantes with a twist” and said they had patrolled the streets in the early hours of the morning to try to deter criminals. “We need more police on the street – it’s getting ridiculous now. It’s getting worse and worse by the day,” he said. “People aren’t scared because they know the police aren’t going to turn up. If Theresa May doesn’t do something soon, I wouldn’t like to think what it’s going to be like.”
Chris Smith speaks to young people while on the night patrol around Shirley. Photograph: Fabio de Paola/The Guardian
The emergence of these unofficial groups, formed on social media, has led to fears among the police that a new breed of “have-a-go heroes” are putting themselves at risk and jeopardising investigations. Insp Iftekhar Ahmed, of West Midlands police, told the Guardian he was concerned that well-meaning citizens were “hindering the situation” by taking matters into their own hands.
Ahmed runs the force’s Street Watch scheme of 350 volunteers who patrol neighbourhoods under the supervision of the police, who pay for their insurance and provide a basic training course on safety. The West Midlands project is thought to be the largest in the country – and officers hope to boost it to more than 1,000 volunteers by next year.
Ahmed denied it was “policing on the cheap” for a force that has lost 2,300 officers and had £175m cut from its budget since 2010. He said: “Citizenship is what they’re doing: look, see, report, don’t have a go – that’s the ethos. They’re a vigilant group, not a vigilante group.”
Smith, a burly former prison guard, leads a team of 12 on patrols most nights of the week in Shirley. The volunteers include a midwife, a plumber, a teacher, a friendly rottweiler called Spirit and a 15-month-old French bulldog called Monty. The group have clocked up 804 hours on patrol since January.
David Jamieson, the West Midlands police and crime commissioner, awarded the group a £4,950 grant this year and credited them with pushing drug-dealing away from a notorious stretch of Stratford Road, a major thoroughfare leading to Birmingham.
Smith said residents were “majorly disappointed” when Shirley police station shut down two years ago – one of 27 West Midlands police buildings closed as a cost-cutting measure. There are concerns about the potential impact on the town of 123,000 when its main police station closes in 2020.
“The government are never going to turn around and say: ‘Bugger, we got it wrong, let’s put a load of bobbies back on the beat.’ It’s never gonna happen,” said Smith.
“We have had a couple of people say: ‘You’re just policing on the cheap.’ But things aren’t going to change any time soon. If you want to make a difference you’ve got to get boots on the ground, you’ve got to get off your arse and do something for your community.” | {
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He Doesn’t REALLY Want the Perfect Woman He Wants These 3 Things from You Instead…
How much time do you spend trying to be the kind of woman you think men want?
If you’re like most women, it’s a LOT. You spend all this time making yourself look sexy and attractive.
All this time presenting yourself as fun, interesting, worldly, and not needy in the slightest. You spend all this time showing him just how good you’d be for him… How amazing his future would be if he chose you as the woman by his side…
And it doesn’t work. It never works. WHY? Why do you work so hard… And the guy in your life just takes you for granted, if he even notices you at all? It’s probably because he’s immature, right? He can’t recognize a good thing until it’s gone. Or maybe… It’s because you’ve been doing all the work for him.
If He Doesn’t Work for Your Relationship, He Won’t Value It
Fact:
What men value most are those things they have to work hard to get.
Hand a man a college diploma, and he won’t value it as much as if he’d had to put in years of study and effort to earn it.
Hand a man the perfect girlfriend, and he won’t value her as much as if he’d had to woo her for weeks just to get her to go out with him. This is why playing hard to get works.
But, as you’ve probably already noticed…
There’s a BIG problem with playing hard to get. That strategy stops working once he’s actually got you.
Something happens when guys decide they’ve won you. It’s almost like they think, “Game over.” Their minds are already on their next challenge. What is going on?!
And how can you stop it from wrecking your relationship?
Many women give up on love. They never let themselves get too close to a man, for fear of scaring him off. But other women try a different approach. They get help. Relationship coach James Bauer is one of the people they turn to.
He noticed that many clients were coming to him, complaining about guys who were blowing hot and cold. Everything would be going great, and then it was like…
Something would change overnight.
A guy who’d been warm, affectionate and interested would suddenly become distant. He’d no longer have any time for her. He wouldn’t smile in greeting. He’d stop making eye contact. His kisses were brusque. Wanting to help his clients, James investigated.
And what he discovered made sense of everything. He knew why these men were backing away. He knew what they needed … and what they weren’t getting.
It didn’t come down to anything wrong with these women.
Rather, it all came down to something he called “The Hero Instinct.”
Most Women Do Something that Drives Men Away… Without Ever Realizing It
One of the most wonderful things about women is how naturally caring they are.
Look at you. You’re always there for your guy. You look after him. You always make time for him. You’d do anything for him.
You never realize that, in the process…
You’re actually taking something away from him. You’re taking away his purpose.
You see, he wants to be your hero. He doesn’t want you to be his hero.
Men love heroes. Look at how many grown men are still fascinated by Marvel comics and superhero movies.
Every man on Earth, from the time he was a boy, dreamed of growing up to be the kind of hero who would save the world—and get the girl at the same time.
Most men don’t get to indulge their world-saving side in their 9-5 jobs.
Circumstances don’t call for them to rip off their corporate ties and spring into action, revealing their superman side. Maybe they can’t save the world. But they can still get the girl.
Getting the girl is a worthy challenge for an ordinary guy with the heart of a superhero. It takes superhuman confidence. Superhuman charm. Superhuman immunity to pain. Now, all he needs to find is…
A girl who needs a hero. Do You Need a Hero? Let me guess… That’s not you.
You’re strong. You’re independent. You can fix a leaky faucet. You can drive a stick shift. You can take care of yourself. You’re never going to make that Jerry Maguire mistake of looking for a man to complete you.
Instead, you have a lot to offer a man. You’re generous. Kind. Loving. Giving to a fault. All you want is to find a man who’s willing to receive all you have to give.
And that’s why heroes aren’t showing up in your life. That’s why you’ve ended up with so many takers instead. Guys who take everything you have and leave you high and dry. If you want a hero, then you need to advertise for one. Here’s how.
3 Ways You Can Invite a Hero into Your Life, Starting Today
1. Ask a guy for help.
Ask him for advice on buying a new computer. Ask him to listen to that weird rattling sound that’s started up in your car. Ask him to reach something on the top shelf. Then thank him warmly, with a great big smile of appreciation. No, that doesn’t make you needy. It makes you a woman with space for a man in her life.
2. Take pleasure in male company.
Guys love women who appreciate men for just being men. So what if his apartment is a shrine to sports? So what if he spends hours on his fantasy football team? So what if his idea of a clean shirt is the one with the fewest wrinkles? He’s a guy. It’s okay. You don’t need him to be more like you, because you’ve got the feminine side of the gender equation covered. 3. Let him earn your respect.
Superheroes love challenges. They don’t want to be given a gold medal just for showing up. They don’t want your love handed to them on a plate. They want to earn it. There’s one thing they crave even more than a woman’s eternal enduring love: A challenge. So give him opportunities to prove himself. You don’t have to do the work of winning him over. Sit back, relax, and allow him the pleasure of winning your admiration.
Keep Learning
If that sounds like fun to you, click here to watch a video presentation about this relationship enhancement tool. It’s something you can learn once, but then use for the rest of your life. | {
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Well dang, that was unexpected!
For you guys, anyway (I hope). I had it planned ALL ALONG MUAHAHAHAcoughcoughcoughbuglgbgluhglh | {
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This is the 2009 webcast of the Exmormon Foundation annual conference. We're trying out ustream this year due to capacity issues with our previous solutions. | {
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Newport Beach police are seeking the public’s help in finding whoever shot birds with arrow-like projectiles in the past few weeks.
Animal-control officers found four birds — three Heermann’s gulls and one mallard — that were shot through the neck with orange projectiles about 8 inches long. The injured birds were still able to fly, and authorities were unable to capture them for medical treatment, said police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.
Police said the projectiles likely are darts fired from a blowgun, which is illegal in California.
Federal and state laws prohibit anyone from intentionally harming birds.
It is unclear why the birds were targeted.
“I can’t fathom that kind of activity or why someone would want to do this,” Manzella said. “It’s just really sad.”
More than a dozen people have reported seeing injured birds in their neighborhoods, police said.
“We’re not sure if the birds that were reported were the same birds that had been spotted or if there are more birds out there,” Manzella said.
She said this is the first time the Police Department has seen anything like this.
Authorities ask that anyone who sees an injured bird call (949) 644-3717 and report its location.
Anyone with further information about the case is asked to contact animal-control Officer Nick Ott at (949) 644-3688, ext. 2716, or [email protected]. | {
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In light of recent European bans of a pesticide linked to Bee Colony
Collapse Disorder (CCD), at least one key bee expert is calling for a ban of the same pesticide in the United States. "In the United States, drastic action is needed," says Canadian geneticist Joe Cummins, explaining that U.S. farmers and beekeepers shouldn't have to wait for more evidence or for an air-tight explanation for the complex syndrome, which threatens one in every third bite of food in the United States. Now most apiarists and scientists realize that pesticides are a factor in CCD, he says.
!ADVERTISEMENT!
Cummins' remarks, in an interview with GreenRightNow, come less than a month after Germany's ban of clothianidin, a pesticide commonly used to keep insects off of corn crops. Germany banned the pesticide after heaps of dead bees were found near fields of corn coated in the pesticide, and in response to scientists who report that the insecticide severely impairs, and often kills, the honeybees that corn and other crops depend on for pollination.
The German government took the extraordinary action to protect bees and other essential pollinators, stating that there is now enough compelling evidence connecting the chemical to Bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in that country.
The ban also will likely fuel the European debate over genetically modified food, which involves treating crop seeds to resist harm from pesticide treatments. Critics of such modified foods say they are harming the environment, and have unknown human consequences, for little or no crop gain. Some scientists in Europe have called for their ban.
Full Story: http://www.greenrightnow.com/2008/06/23/germany-and-franc... | {
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Previously, Herman Daly wrote a guest post on the Steady State Economy , outlining core suggestions on how to overhaul our banking, financial (and value) systems. I encourage everyone to read it (if short on time, please read the conclusion). Professor Daly was Senior Economist at the World Bank before leaving to teach Ecological Economics at University of Maryland's School for Public Policy. He was also the catalyst for me to leave my own financial career and return to school to study the real economy (i.e. what we call the human economy is only a small part of a larger closed system). Below the fold are his thoughts on the current crisis (current being defined as last 30-40 years or so). (For comparison, here are links to what 'mainstream' economic icons George Soros , and Bill Gross are saying.)
The current financial debacle is really not a “liquidity” crisis as it is often euphemistically called. It is a crisis of overgrowth of financial assets relative to growth of real wealth—pretty much the opposite of too little liquidity. Financial assets have grown by a large multiple of the real economy—paper exchanging for paper is now 20 times greater than exchanges of paper for real commodities. It should be no surprise that the relative value of the vastly more abundant financial assets has fallen in terms of real assets. Real wealth is concrete; financial assets are abstractions—existing real wealth carries a lien on it in the amount of future debt. The value of present real wealth is no longer sufficient to serve as a lien to guarantee the exploding debt. Consequently the debt is being devalued in terms of existing wealth. No one any longer is eager to trade real present wealth for debt even at high interest rates. This is because the debt is worth much less, not because there is not enough money or credit, or because “banks are not lending to each other” as commentators often say.
Can the economy grow fast enough in real terms to redeem the massive increase in debt? In a word, no. As Frederick Soddy (1926 Nobel Laureate chemist and underground economist) pointed out long ago, “you cannot permanently pit an absurd human convention, such as the spontaneous increment of debt [compound interest] against the natural law of the spontaneous decrement of wealth [entropy]”. The population of “negative pigs” (debt) can grow without limit since it is merely a number; the population of “positive pigs” (real wealth) faces severe physical constraints. The dawning realization that Soddy’s common sense was right, even though no one publicly admits it, is what underlies the crisis. The problem is not too little liquidity, but too many negative pigs growing too fast relative to the limited number of positive pigs whose growth is constrained by their digestive tracts, their gestation period, and places to put pigpens. Also there are too many two‐legged Wall Street pigs, but that is another matter.
Growth in US real wealth is restrained by increasing scarcity of natural resources, both at the source end (oil depletion), and the sink end (absorptive capacity of the atmosphere for CO2). Further, spatial displacement of old stuff to make room for new stuff is increasingly costly as the world becomes more full, and increasing inequality of distribution of income prevents most people from buying much of the new stuff—except on credit (more debt). Marginal costs of growth now likely exceed marginal benefits, so that real physical growth makes us poorer, not richer (the cost of feeding and caring for the extra pigs is greater than the extra benefit). To keep up the illusion that growth is making us richer we deferred costs by issuing financial assets almost without limit, conveniently forgetting that these so‐called assets are, for society as a whole, debts to be paid back out of future real growth. That future real growth is very doubtful and consequently claims on it are devalued, regardless of liquidity.
What allowed symbolic financial assets to become so disconnected from underlying real assets? First, there is the fact that we have fiat money, not commodity money. For all its disadvantages, commodity money (gold) was at least tethered to reality by a real cost of production. Second, our fractional reserve banking system allows pyramiding of bank money (demand deposits) on top of the fiat government‐issued currency. Third, buying stocks and “derivatives” on margin allows a further pyramiding of financial assets on top the already multiplied money supply. In addition, credit card debt expands the supply of quasi‐money as do other financial “innovations” that were designed to circumvent the public‐interest regulation of commercial banks and the money supply. I would not advocate a return to commodity money, but would certainly advocate 100% reserve requirements for banks (approached gradually), as well as an end to the practice of buying stocks on the margin. All banks should be financial intermediaries that lend depositors’ money, not engines for creating money out of nothing and lending it at interest. If every dollar invested represented a dollar previously saved we would restore the classical economists’ balance between investment and abstinence. Fewer stupid or crooked investments would be tolerated if abstinence had to precede investment. Of course the growth economists will howl that this would slow the growth of GDP. So be it—growth has become uneconomic at the present margin as we currently measure it.
The agglomerating of mortgages of differing quality into opaque and shuffled bundles should be outlawed. One of the basic assumptions of an efficient market with a meaningful price is a homogeneous product. For example, we have the market and corresponding price for number 2 corn—not a market and price for miscellaneous randomly aggregated grains. Only people who have no understanding of markets, or who are consciously perpetrating fraud, could have either sold or bought these negative pigs‐in‐a‐poke. Yet the aggregating mathematical wizards of Wall Street did it, and now seem surprised at their inability to correctly price these idiotic “assets”.
And very important in all this is our balance of trade deficit that has allowed us to consume as if we were really growing instead of accumulating debt. So far our surplus trading partners have been willing to lend the dollars they earned back to us by buying treasury bills—more debt “guaranteed” by liens on yet‐to‐exist wealth. Of course they also buy real assets and their future earning capacity. Our brilliant economic gurus meanwhile continue to preach deregulation of both the financial sector and of international commerce (i.e. "free trade"). Some of us have for a long time been saying that this behavior was unwise, unsustainable, unpatriotic, and probably criminal. Maybe we were right. The next shoe to drop will be repudiation of unredeemable debt either directly by bankruptcy and confiscation, or indirectly by inflation. | {
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Ian Edwards - Interracial Relationships
Some people have problems with interracial dating. | {
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Fall into pumpkin season with my new hummus, perfect for all your holiday gatherings. This tasty spread is savory with just a little sweet and goes great on crackers, pita chips, raw veggies, or inside wraps and pinwheels.
Happy Equinox! Today marks the first day of fall, which is kind of crazy for me to think about since the weather here in San Diego is still on full summer-mode. However, next month, I’ll be leading a cooking class featuring holiday appetizer recipes, so I needed to get my pumpkin on, regardless of the current sunshine.
I had a major decision to make when it came to the flavoring of this hummus because pumpkin-flavored food can be either sweet and spicy, or hearty and savory. When I started adding the ingredients into my food processor, I wasn’t 100 percent which direction I’d take it and ended up somewhere in the middle.
I added some pumpkin pie flavor using allspice, and a little sweet with the sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, but I also used some traditional hummus ingredients such as cumin, tahini, and garlic, making this a mostly savory recipe. I was pleased to taste-test and found this mix of flavors worked deliciously together.
My friend, Amanda, is a big fan of hummus, and it just so turned out that when I first created this recipe, it was only a day before her 30th birthday party. That turned out perfectly for me because I was able to bring some and have a house full of omnivorous taste-testers.
At the party, we enjoyed the hummus with stoneground wheat crackers and an array of raw veggies. Vegan-made and omni-approved, just the way I like it! Let me know what you think, leave a comment below or take a pic and tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.
Print Pumpkin & White Bean Hummus This tasty spread is savory with just a little sweet and goes great on crackers, pita chips, raw veggies, or inside wraps and pinwheels. Author Tiffani Wells Ingredients For the hummus… 1 15 oz can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed or about 1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cup cooked
1/2 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp tahini
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp minced garlic or 1 small clove
1/4 – 1/2 tsp allspice, to taste I use somewhere between the two measurements
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cumin Sweet Crema Topping (optional)… 2 Tbsp Cashew Sour Cream for nut-free or to simplify, use a tofu based store-bought non-dairy sour cream, such as Tofutti
1 tsp water or non-dairy milk
1/2 tsp blue agave syrup Optional for topping… small handful pomegranate seeds
small handful toasted pepitas
pinch cinnamon, nutmeg, ground clove, or allspice I like to use Vietnamese cinnamon Optional for serving… crackers or pita chips (gluten-free if necessary)
raw veggies Raw zucchini is shown in the pictures, but this hummus has been enjoyed with an array of vegetables.
tortillas or wraps (gluten-free if necessary) for fall-flavored sandwiches or pinwheels Instructions Place all hummus ingredients into a food processor and mix on high until smooth. Taste and add more allspice, if desired. If a thinner consistency is preferred, a little water can be added as well. Transfer the hummus into a small to medium sized serving bowl.
If using the Sweet Crema Topping, whisk together all ingredients until well combined and swirl on top of the hummus.
If desired, top the hummus with fresh pomegranate seeds, toasted pepitas, and a/or a pinch of your favorite fall spice.
Refrigerate the hummus until ready to serve. Enjoy with crackers, pita chips, raw veggies, or spread inside a tortilla or wrap for sandwiches and pinwheels.
5 / 5 ( 1 vote )
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Oh god, here goes. You know how we sort of stopped wanting to hear about Paul Janka when he officially became an accused sex assailant (or actually, come to think of it, when he assaulted me a few months before that?) Well, over the course of a day Dimitri the creep behind a couple fake-seemingly funny voicemails revealed himself to be Dimitri the douchebag with disciples, who revealed himself to be Dmitri a.k.a. James Sears. And yeah, if all the "there's nothing wrong with me" talk on his voicemail wasn't a red enough flag for you, maybe the 1986 concern of the military psychiatrist who evaluated him during his enlistment in the Canadian Army that there was "something seriously wrong" with him is? But don't take it from those shrinks; his psychiatric evaluation when he went to med school states that he got drunk and high on call, made "numerous random and obsessive telephone calls" to women during which he would (only sometimes) jerk off, and was generally immature and narcissistic - but not enough to deny him a medical license.
Maybe they didn't know about the mace, stun gun and EMPTY HAND GRENADE CANISTERS cops reported finding in his room after he tried to enter a female officer's dorm? Anyway, he failed to "grow up" much, spending his residency masturbating six or seven times a day at work and garnering complaints from female patients, one of whom finally pressed sexual assault charges, to which he pled guilty and got out of practicing medicine. So he could work as a "medical investigator" offering a second opinion on... SEXUAL HARRASSMENT SUITS.
UPDATE: The Toronto Sun re-posted the story on its wesbite.
The Toronto Sun The most promiscuous women, according to Dimitri's website, are saleswomen (especially real estate agents), nannies, schoolteachers (especially elementary and early childhood education), nurses and lawyers (criminal and civil litigation in particular). Dimitri charges $40 to attend one of his weekday meetings, $269 for an annual membership to his "lair" and as much as $2,997 plus GST for a two-day workshop advertised on his website, dimitrithelover.com, where "Dimitri The Lover creates a powerful identity for you that women will find irresistible." Also from the website: "Learn the secret physical, verbal and psychological techniques used by Dimitri the Lover to seduce, pleasure and sexually enslave women," says one of his program outlines. Or this: "A man's 'basic operating system' is composed of 'rapist' and 'murderer' programs which have been hard-wired into his brain. And here's a snippet from his marketing materials: "Dimitri The Lover is the ONLY pickup guru in the world WITH PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS TO BACK HIM UP who has conducted IN-FIELD MEDICAL RESEARCH ON SEDUCTION!!!" he proclaims in another. However, his troubled past and medical credentials are hardly worth bragging about. Dimitri the Lover's real name is James N. Sears. … By 1986, Sears was in the Canadian Armed Forces and while still a third-year medical student was evaluated by a military psychiatrist who suggested there was "something seriously wrong" with Sears. He was shunned by fellow students because of his behaviour. A female officer complained he repeatedly tried to enter her room, and military police found "a can of Mace, several knives, two empty smoke grenade canisters and an electronic stun gun" in his room following an incident. As a result of his antics, Sears had to repeat a year of medical school. Despite documented reservations, he graduated from U of T as a doctor in 1988. During his internship at Doctors Hospital in Toronto, Sears skipped duties, drank while on call, indulged in "inappropriate self-use of prescription drugs," according to the College hearing record. Sears was judged "immature" in a subsequent psychiatric assessment and it was noted he displayed "inappropriate behaviour towards female staff members," and was viewed by peers as "un -trustworthy, cynical and narcissistic." He underwent psychotherapy and was admitted to Ottawa's National Defence Medical Centre in 1990 for evaluation and treatment. There, "record was made of numerous, random and obsessive telephone calls to women during which he would sometimes masturbate," and evidence suggested "prescribable substance abuse," according to the College hearing records. However, after a conclusion of "no clear evidence of major psychiatric illness," Sears was cleared to return to medical practice. Disgraced Doctor is T.O.'s Seduction Guru [Toronto Sun]
Portrait Of A Pickup Artist [Eye Weekly]
Whistleblower: Unlicensed Doctor Hangs Out Shingle [CTV] | {
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PROOF OF TOSS is a new betting platform built on blockchain where users can create wagers, bet, and judge. The project’s goal is to disrupt the traditional betting industry and improve user experience in this area. The team has developed the first betting protocol on RSK which is fueled by TOSS tokens. The project is in its closed token sale stage now, but everyone can join the whitelist and get 1000 bonus TOSS tokens, for a purchase of any amount.
PROOF OF TOSS is an ecosystem for betting, that will act as a peer-to-peer platform for end-users and also will provide a white-labeled open source solution for operating companies to supply events on any scale. With PROOF OF TOSS, users get transparency, protection from fraudulent activities, great market coverage, and the possibility to bet on anything. Everything on the platform is embedded in the logic of smart contracts, powered by the promising RSK blockchain, that has recently released its main net.
TOSS is a utility token of the ecosystem, that is used to create wagers, place bets, vote on results, create deposits and collateral, receive prizes and rewards. Tokenization, in general, provides betting with many advantages, such as faster transactions and guarantee of fair results. Also, tokens help scale the system and reduce the risk of server crashes and other technical fails.
Token with four decimal places
TOSS token will have only four decimal places because it’s inconvenient to bet with a coin divided into too many parts. If you play with a highly fractional coin, it’s very likely that you will make a mistake and as a result, bet ten times more or ten times less than you wanted. If a token is divided only into ten thousand parts, it is easy to see all the zeros, no need to count them. Such usability is valuable for players.
In PROOF OF TOSS, a total of 1 billion TOSS tokens will be released. 70% will be distributed amongst all buyers of the token sale, according to their purchase, and bonuses. 30% is reserved for the core team and advisers (7%), bounty (1%), whitelist (1%), founders (10%) and 11% for the PROOF OF TOSS Foundation.
Fixed tokens amount, no burn
The project has an unusual token economy: tokens that won’t be sold will be distributed between all token sale participants in proportion to their purchases. During the token sale, the per token price will be $0.17. However, the actual token price is flexible due to the fact that all unsold tokens will be distributed amongst token buyers. Therefore your purchase will not lose its value but the amount of tokens you receive when the token sale is over may vary. For example, if you spend $85 and don’t qualify for a bonus you will receive a total of 500 TOSS tokens. However, if during our token sale we only sell 200m TOSS tokens, the remaining 500m will be distributed amongst all buyers in proportion to their initial purchase and you will receive an additional 1249,9999 TOSS tokens, totaling your purchase to 1749,9999 TOSS tokens at a price of $0,04857143 each.
Unsold tokens are often burned after the token sale, that allows the owners to control the supply of their tokens. But tokens in PROOF OF TOSS don’t just represent an abstract value, they are used to interact with the platform. The project is aimed to facilitate many users, and thus needs a significant amount of tokens for evolving. By estimation, an amount of billion tokens will cover weekly turnover.
Whitelist with airdrop
PROOF OF TOSS is going through it’s closed presale stage now. Currently, the minimum purchase is $50000 with a volume-based bonus starting from 30%. The total amount of TOSS tokens available for the private sale is limited to $17500000 worth.
However, the first 10000 people that join the whitelist and purchase TOSS tokens during the open token sale will get 1000 TOSS tokens as an early bird bonus.
The project has launched a whitelist, the subscription box for it is located on the front page of the website.
“This whitelist with a bonus is different from a typical airdrop. Although like the airdrop it does carry a function of building up the community, there is a call to action that represents devotion and belief in the project by the community. We want to build our community with true supporters, not freeloaders”, says CEO PROOF OF TOSS Dmitry Starostenkov.
PROOF OF TOSS in the Internet
Learn more about PROOF OF TOSS at www.toss.pro and join the Whitelist.
Talk to the team in our Telegram
Join the project’s page on Facebook
Stay tuned and follow the project on Twitter | {
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Da ist er wieder. Der Rassismus-Vorwurf gegen Boris Palmer. Tübingens grüner Oberbürgermeister hat auf dem sozialen Netzwerk Facebook mal wieder für Aufregung gesorgt. Der Grund dieses Mal: ein Radfahrer. Ein dunkelhäutiger Radfahrer, der Palmer am Dienstag auf dem Weg zu einer Veranstaltung im Ulmer Stadthaus in der dortigen Fußgängerzone begegnete; der zu schnell fuhr, zick zack um die Leute herum – und das mit offenem Hemd und Kopfhörern auf den Ohren; und der ihn, Boris Palmer, offenbar derart aufregte, dass er davon im Rahmen der Veranstaltung mit viel Emphase berichten musste.
„Das gehört sich für einen Asylbewerber dreimal nicht“
Eine Facebook-Nutzerin schrieb ihn nun daraufhin an: Was ihn denn daran so gestört habe, wollte sie wissen. Warum die Hautfarbe in diesem Zusmmenhang der Erwähnung wert gewesen sei. Ob er auch erwähnt hätte, wenn der Mann einen auffälligen Leberfleck auf der Wange gehabt hätte. Und wo der Zusammenhang zwischen Hautfarbe und rasantem Radeln liege, schrieb sie unter einem Post zu der Veranstaltung der Südwest Presse. Palmers Antwort: „Weil der typ mir nacktem Oberkörper, Kopfhörer und einer unglaublichen Dreistigkeit um die Leute rum gekurvt ist. Das gehört sich für niemand und für einen Asylbewerber schon dreimal nicht.“
Der Start der Kommikation mit Boris Palmer auf Facebook.
© Foto: Screenshot: Facebook
Hitzige Diskussion auf Facebook
Auf der Internet-Plattform entbrannte daraufhin eine hitzige Diskussion. Zunächst noch zwischen der Nutzerin (“Warum wissen sie, dass es ein Asylbewerber war?“) und Palmer (“Weil ich wette, dass es ein Asylbewerber war. So benimmt sich niemand, der hier aufgewachsen ist mit schwarzer Hautfarbe. Das wäre völlig missglückte Integration.“), später auch mit anderen Usern.
Ausgesuchte Antworten von Boris Palmer im Thread unter seinem Facebook-Post.
© Foto: Screenshot: Facebook
„Ich will die Hilfe nicht bereuen. Punkt.“
Palmer blieb in seinen Kommentaren bei seinen – bereits aus vorhergehenden von ihm ausgelösten Kontroversen bekannten – Thesen, die ihm teilweise Beifall aus der rechten politischen Ecke beschert haben. Dunkelhäutiger Oberkörper, schlechter Fahrstil – daran will Palmer einen Asylbewerber erkennen und bedient damit rassistische Vorurteile. Anderen Nutzern gegenüber äußerte er im Verlaufe des Threads: „Wenn ich Gast bin, verhalte ich mich anständiger als daheim.“ Oder mit resolutem Nachdruck: „Ich erwarte, dass ein Mensch, dem ich helfe, so einigermaßen verhält, dass ich diese Hilfe nicht bereue. Punkt.“
Immer wieder angeeckt
Palmer ist in der Vergangenheit – gerade in Folge der Hochzeit der Flüchtlingskrise 2015 – mit streitbaren Aussagen aufgefallen. Und damit auch innerhalb seiner eigenen Partei angeeckt. So äußerte sich etwa der Tübinger Grünen-Kreisverband zu Beginn des Jahres kritisch: beschwert sich der Vorstand des Tübinger Grünen-Kreisverbands beim Oberbürgermeister über dessen öffentliches Auftreten auf Facebook: „Deine Art der Kommunikation, und die Weise, wie Du aktiv und bewusst provozierst, ist problematisch“, heißt es in dem Schreiben, das den Stuttgarter Nachrichten vorliegt. Nun hat Palmer diesen Vorwürfen einmal mehr neue Nahrung geliefert. | {
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UPDATE: Oct. 13, 2017, 4:30 p.m. UTC FilmNation, which handles international sales for Army of One, sent us a statement clarifying that Nicolas Cage wasn't involved with the creation of the snack, and "had no prior knowledge...nor did he grant permission to use his likeness in this way."
Nicolas Cage has become the "Nicolastick" in Japan, thanks to some creative marketing.
Ahead of December's release of his 2016 movie, Army of One, in Japanese cinemas, some theatres are offering a limited edition Nicolas Cage corn puff snack that only comes with an advance ticket purchase.
Army of One is only coming out in the Asian country a year after its U.S. debut, and its Japanese title translates more accurately to "Bin Laden is My Prey."
The cylindrical corn puff snack, called Umaibo, is commonly and cheaply available in Japan, where it typically retails for just 10 yen ($0.08).
Still, marketers thought it was clearly an edge putting Cage's face on the packaging, given that people in Japan recognise him, after a string of weird Pachinko ads he did in the mid-2000s.
Pachinko is a Japanese pinball-style gambling game, which continues to achieve national levels of obsession.
Cage's commercials captured some of that pachinko mania, with the Hollywood actor hallucinating about its slot machines, and singing a piano ditty in tribute to it.
All together now, pachinkoooo, pachinkooooo...
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Varanasi, conjointly called Benares, Banaras, or Kashi, city, southeastern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. it’s settled on the Left Bank of the Ganges (Ganga) River and is one in every of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism.
History
History
Varanasi is one in every of the oldest unendingly settled cities within the world. Its early history is that of the first Aryan settlement within the middle Ganges vale. By the 2d millennium BCE, Varanasi was a seat of Aryan faith and philosophy and was conjointly an advert and industrial centre famed for its muslin and silk materials, perfumes, ivory works, and sculpture. Varanasi was the capital of the dominion of Kashi throughout the time of the Buddha (6th century BCE), United Nations agency gave his 1st sermon close at Sarnath. town remained a centre of spiritual, instructional, and creative activities as documented by the celebrated Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang, United Nations agency visited it in concerning 635 CE and same that town extended for concerning three miles (5 km) on the western bank of the Ganges.
Varanasi later declined throughout 3 centuries of Muslim occupation, starting in 1194. several of the city’s Hindu temples were destroyed throughout the amount of Muslim rule, and learned students fled to alternative elements of the country. The Mughal emperor Akbar in the sixteenth century brought some relief to the city’s spiritual and cultural activities. There was another blow throughout the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the late seventeenth century, however later the Marathas sponsored a replacement revival. Varanasi became associate freelance kingdom within the eighteenth century, and beneath ensuant British rule it remained an advert and spiritual centre
In 1910 Brits created Varanasi a replacement Indian state, with Ramnagar (on the other bank) as headquarters however with no jurisdiction over town of Varanasi. In 1947, once Indian independence, the Varanasi state became a part of the state of province.
The modern town
Varanasi has the best stream frontage in Bharat, with miles of ghats, or steps, for spiritual bathing; associate array of shrines, temples, and palaces rises tier on tier from the water’s edge. The inner streets of town square measure slender, winding, and unsurmountable for motor traffic; the newer outer suburbs square measure a lot of spacious and square measure ordered out a lot of consistently. The sacred town is delimited by a road famous as Panchakosi; devout Hindus hope to steer that road and visit town once during a period and, if potential, to die there in old age. the positioning receives quite 1,000,000 pilgrims every year. additionally, thousands of domestic and foreign tourists flock to town annually, and tourism-related activities constitute a significant factor of the native economy.
Among the city’s varied temples, the foremost commemorated square measure those of Vishvanatha, dedicated to Shiva; that of Sankatmochana, dedicated to the monkey-god Hanuman; which of Durga. The Durga Temple is known for the swarms of monkeys that inhabit the big trees close to it. the nice house of prayer of Aurangzeb is another distinguished spiritual building. 2 of the a lot of vital trendy temples square measure those of Tulasi Manas and therefore the Vishvanatha on the field of the Banaras Hindu University. town has many alternative temples. At Sarnath, a number of miles north of Varanasi, there square measure ruins of ancient Buddhist monasteries and temples furthermore as temples engineered by the Maha Bodhi Society and by the Chinese, Burmese, and Tibetan Buddhists.
Varanasi has been a town of Hindu learning through the ages. There square measure unnumerable colleges and unnumberable Brahman pandits (learned scholars), United Nations agency square measure answerable for the continuation of ancient learning. There square measure 3 universities, together with the big and vital Banaras Hindu University (1915), and quite a dozen faculties and high colleges.
The city could be a centre of arts and crafts and of music and dance. Varanasi is known for its production of silks and brocades with gold and silver threadwork. A famous carpet-weaving centre is at Bhadoi. wood toys, bangles fabricated from glass, ivory work, and brass ware also are made in Varanasi.
The city is host to varied spiritual festivals. Mahashivaratri, the nice night of the god Shiva, is well known by a procession from the Mahamrityunjaya Temple to the Kashi Vishvanath Temple. The Ganga pageant in Nov or Gregorian calendar month is devoted to the divinity of the Ganges stream, thought of sacred by all Hindus. Thousands of lamps square measure placed on the ghats and set afloat on the stream. The pageant of Republic of India Milap in Gregorian calendar month or November commemorates the reunion of Lord avatar along with his younger brother Republic of India once fourteen years of exile. A five-day pageant of dhrupad (classical Bharatn vocal style) in March attracts famous artists from everywhere India to the city’s Tulsi stairway on the stream.
Varanasi could be a major regional transportation hub. it’s associate important railway junction and is connected by highways to alternative cities in province and encompassing states. Lal Bahadur Shastri International field lies concerning twelve miles (20 km) from town centre. | {
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Archer Ants
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A Conservative senator is pulling back after he seemed to suggest he knew of thousands and thousands of cases of voter fraud in Halifax and Dartmouth, N.S.
Senator Thomas McInnis was questioning Pierre Poilievre, minister of state for democratic reform, about the Conservatives' proposed changes to Canadian election law when he made the statement.
Part of his question focused on an element of the bill that would eliminate vouching, a process that lets a voter swear to their address if another voter vouches for them. Vouching is used when voters don't have identification that proves their address.
Experts, including former auditor general Sheila Fraser and groups representing seniors, students and aboriginal Canadians, say eliminating vouching will mean tens of thousands of people won't be able to cast ballots.
McInnis, who represents Nova Scotia, told Poilievre on Tuesday that vouching is a concern for him.
"I can tell you that vouching is a problem, but it's not just vouching. And I've witnessed it, personally on the streets of Halifax, and Dartmouth. And it is a problem. Many of these people first of all don't even know who the candidates are, haven't been involved — that doesn't absolve them from the right to vote, I realize that. I've seen them, actually, people take them right in and almost mark their ballot. That's how serious this is and it's thousands and thousands."
Cites Elections Canada
McInnis's statement was reminiscent of one by Conservative MP Brad Butt, who said he had seen people take voter information cards out of the garbage, but then retracted his statement. The Conservatives later killed an NDP attempt to haul Butt in front of a committee to question him further.
It was also similar to comments by Conservative MP Laurie Hawn, who is set to appear before MPs on the procedure and House affairs committee on Thursday to discuss his allegation he was offered bundles of voter information cards during the 2006 election.
A day after making voter fraud allegation, McInnis's office released a statement saying that he didn't claim to have seen any evidence of voter fraud, and that he had calculated an estimate based on numbers provided by Elections Canada.
"McInnis’ number of thousands and thousands comes from the chief electoral officer of Canada on March 6, 2014. When he stated before the House of Commons committee on procedures [sic] and House affairs that 120,000 voters used vouching in the last general election. This statement, coupled with the Neufled [sic] Report where it stated that there are irregularities in 25 per cent of cases where couching [sic] was used, thus translating into approximately 30,000 votes," the statement said.
Marc Mayrand, the chief electoral officer of Canada, and Harry Neufeld, a consultant who studied problems in the 2011 federal election, both say there are administrative errors associated with vouching but no evidence of voter fraud.
Mayrand says 120,000 people relied on vouching in the last federal election and that they risk being disenfranchised if the proposed changes become law.
McInnis had agreed on Tuesday to do an interview with CBC News Network's Power & Politics on Wednesday, but wound up cancelling. | {
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When it comes to incredible science, 2015 will be hard to top. Among a number of notable events, we got our first, thrilling look at Pluto, found evidence that liquid water still flows on Mars and began facing the reality that human gene editing is closer than ever thanks to the CRISPR system.
But 2016 is shaping up to be pretty intriguing too. From the first flight of a Kickstarter-funded spacecraft to an unprecedented look at the microscopic life on Earth, here are some of the science stories we’re looking forward to following in the new year. You can follow them with us at latimes.com/science.
Asteroid hunting
NASA’s ambitious mission to hunt down an asteroid, grab samples and return them to Earth is set to launch in September. OSIRIS-REx — short for Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer — will examine the asteroid Bennu with a suite of instruments before extending a robotic arm toward the rocky body, using a puff of nitrogen to disturb its surface and gathering at least 2.1 ounces of the disturbed material. The spacecraft will have only three tries to get the maneuver right before it runs out of nitrogen. Asteroids are fossils from the solar system’s early days, and scientists hope Bennu’s samples will contain trapped water, organic material and other clues about how our system evolved.
“By visiting this asteroid, we're bringing back something that … will be a pristine sample of what's out there,” Michael Drake, the mission’s original principal investigator, told The Times a few months before he died in 2011. “It's a time capsule containing, probably, the building blocks of life.”
OSIRIS-REx is scheduled to approach Bennu in 2018, study it for almost a year, collect samples in 2019 and deliver them to the Utah desert in 2023.
--Amina Khan
Editing genes to cure disease
Scientists recently agreed that there are many safety and ethical issues to be resolved before anyone should use new techniques to “edit” the DNA of humans in ways that would be passed to future generations. But there's active research involving gene editing that would alter the function of defective genes in people suffering from certain inherited diseases. These changes would only affect the patient, not his or her descendants.
The coming year, for instance, will bring pre-clinical tests aimed at gauging the safety of a treatment for sickle cell disease.
People with sickle cell disease have misshapen red blood cells that aren’t able to deliver adequate amounts of oxygen to tissues throughout the body. To fix this, scientists plan to take white blood cells from patients and use them to generate induced pluripotent stem cells. Then they will use the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing platform to replace the faulty beta globin gene in these stem cells before converting them into normal red blood cells. These healthy cells could then be transfused into patients.
--Melissa Healy
Biomedical research gets a welcome boost
After more than a decade of flat funding or outright budget cuts, the National Institutes of Health received a $2-billion budget increase in the 2016 fiscal year, bringing its projected spending for the year that began Oct. 1 to $32 billion.
That's seen as a sign of growing bipartisan support for more robust spending on biomedical research across a broad spectrum of studies. The money will be spent on studies such as cell biology and molecular immunology as well as social interventions that could prevent disease and promote healthy behaviors.
Among the more ambitious efforts are projects to develop “organ-on-a-chip” systems. These systems layer living cells on top of microchips to serve as stand-ins for hearts, lungs or other organs. One day, these systems could reduce the need for animal testing.
--Melissa Healy
Mission to Mars
The bad news first: The March launch of NASA’s InSight mission to Mars, intended to study the interior structure of the Red Planet, has been suspended until 2018 due to a problem with a seismometer provided by partners from France.
Now for the good news: The European Space Agency’s 2016 ExoMars mission is still be on track for its March launch. The project will put a satellite into Martian orbit and send a spacecraft to the surface. The goal is to explore how much — if any — methane exists on Mars.
That’s a mystery that has proved difficult to solve, even with the array of orbiters and rovers NASA has deployed to the planet. Answering this contentious question is important: On Earth, most methane is produced by living things, and the chemical is a food source for some kinds of organisms. Thus, its presence in significant amounts on Mars could have implications for the likelihood of life on our dry, dusty neighbor.
--Amina Khan
First results from the Earth Microbiome Project
In 2016, an international team of 600 scientists is slated to release results from the largest survey of microbial life on the planet. The Earth Microbiome Project began in 2010 with the Herculean goal of sampling microbial communities from 200,000 locations around the globe and sequencing their DNA. The team is currently analyzing results from 50,000 locations, including deep sea volcanoes, birds’ nests, dolphin blowholes and the International Space Station.
Project co-founder Jack Gilbert, a microbial ecologist at the University of Chicago, compared the work to Darwin’s initial journey to the Galapagos. “Darwin went to South America to understand the breadth of biological diversity on this planet, but what he got out of that was a data set that let him test the theory of natural selection,” he said.
Gilbert said he is optimistic that by looking for patterns in the DNA of microbes around the globe, scientists will come up with new theories of how life functions on our planet. “Even your hand is a relatively unexplored microbial ecosystem,” he said. “The pen you use, or the keyboard you type on, could hold untold biological wonders.”
--Deborah Netburn
New advice on how to eat
It’s been five years since nutrition authorities last overhauled the nation’s food policy. But that is set to change in January, when the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services are expected to unveil their new dietary guidelines.
Early scientific input to the drafting process suggests that the new guidelines will give eggs, shellfish and other cholesterol-rich foods the all-clear. Experts say these foods can be a good source of nutrition and that eating them has little influence on cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Coffee is also expected to get a thumbs-up in light of research that's suggests a few cups a day can help prevent such conditions as type-2 diabetes, depression and even Parkinson's disease.
The scientists advising the government agencies noted that if Americans were to replace more meat and dairy with plant-based foods, they would improve the environment as well as their bodies. The new guidelines will help set nutritional standards for school lunches and other state and federal programs.
--Melissa Healy
Tracking El Niño like never before
The first hints that El Niño was brewing came in the early months of 2015. Now there’s no disputing it: The global weather pattern has officially begun, even if its effects are not expected to hit California until early 2016.
El Niño is caused by a periodic and natural warming of the Pacific Ocean around the equator, creating a huge upheaval of usual weather patterns throughout the planet. In parched California, El Niño is expected to deliver powerful rain and snow storms. However, in Indonesia and northern Australia, it’s the harbinger of crippling drought.
Now scientists hope to be better positioned than ever before to watch how El Niño plays out. The U.S.-European Jason-3 satellite is expected to launch in mid-January, allowing researchers to measure the height of the sea with an accuracy of about 1 inch. In addition, a vast network of buoys, floats and robotic ocean gliders with suites of sensors have been deployed throughout the world to allow scientists to closely monitor the ocean system.
“We expect to learn how the El Niño evolves in greater detail than we’ve ever seen before,” said Dan Cayan, a climate researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
“With all this new data,” added Joshua Willis, NASA project scientist for Jason-3, “we’ll be studying this El Nino for years to come.”
--Deborah Netburn
NASA twin study enters new phase
This spring, U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly will depart the International Space Station after spending an entire year living in space. Meanwhile, his identical twin brother, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, will finish a year with his feet firmly on Earth.
The siblings are part of an unprecedented effort by NASA’s Human Research Program to probe the effects that long-distance interplanetary travel could have on the human body. Among the many factors to be studied in a series of 10 experiments: affects on the microbes in their guts, changes in their physiques and differences in their behavior.
Distinctions between the two could offer invaluable insight into how humans will adapt to life in the harsh environs of space, if we are ever to colonize other planets or simply leave Earth on a more regular basis. The fact that the Kelly brothers share the same DNA will help scientists uncover subtle changes that may result from extended spaceflight.
--Amina Khan
Fighting allergies with immunotherapy
The new year may be the one in which the nearly 15 million Americans thought to have a food allergy see treatments emerge from years of promising clinical trials.
In January, an advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration will meet to draft guidance on how the agency should evaluate the safety and effectiveness of immunotherapies for people with allergies to foods or airborne substances. That should clear the way for the FDA to consider approval to marketing new treatments.
Many of those treatments explored to date expose patients to tiny but escalating doses of an allergen. Relief is sorely needed: One in 13 American children is thought to have an allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat or soy, and nearly 40% of these children have already experienced a severe or life-threatening reaction.
--Melissa Healy
First results from Alzheimer’s disease drug trials
In 2016, the oldest baby boomers will begin turning 70 — an age at which new diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease jump from less than 1% (among those ages 65 to 69) to 2.5% (among those 70 to 74). As this demographic bulge of 76.4 million Americans hits the age when a lost set of keys may be a grim harbinger of dementia, researchers are racing to develop medications that can alter the course of Alzheimer's.
In the new year, researchers expect to get preliminary results on a handful of therapies that target two of the disease’s hallmarks in the brain: amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles made up of clumped tau proteins. By midyear, drugmaker Eli Lilly may have early findings on the effectiveness of solanezumab in lessening amyloid plaque build-up in those with very early Alzheimer's. Scientists also await clinical trial results of a drug called TRx-0327 — a variant of a malaria drug — that prevents tau tangles from forming in the brain.
Clinical findings on a former cancer drug that tamps down inflammation in the brain, another factor in Alzheimer's, are also expected in the new year.
--Melissa Healy
The citizen-funded LightSail sets sail
For centuries, scientists have envisioned a spacecraft that could be gently propelled by photons streaming off the sun, much like a sailboat on Earth is pushed by the wind. The idea originated with Johannes Kepler back in the 1600s. It was later championed by Carl Sagan and considered by NASA in the 1970s and ‘80s.
Now, thanks in part to funding from a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Planetary Society plans to demonstrate that controlled solar sailing is possible. In September, the society’s LightSail is scheduled to launch into Earth orbit, where it will use solar radiation pressure to enlarge its orbit by about half a mile per day.
On its way into space, the LightSail will be tucked into a small container about the size of a loaf of bread. Once it escapes Earth’s atmosphere, it will unfurl to reveal a 344-square-foot piece of reflective aluminized Mylar, thinner than a piece of aluminum foil.
“It’s a cutting-edge mission that is funded and supported by citizens,” said David Spencer, an aerospace engineer at Georgia Institute of Technology and the project manager of LightSail. “The goal is to make it a useful technology. The payoff is an inexhaustible source of propulsion.”
--Deborah Netburn
HIV vaccine tests get underway in Africa
A pivotal clinical trial of a novel HIV vaccine regimen is expected to get underway in South Africa during 2016.
Some 252 HIV-free South Africans between the ages of 18 and 40 are to get the HVTN 100 experimental regimen, which has been adapted to the HIV subtype that predominates in southern Africa. The regimen includes two separate vaccines, plus booster shots after one year. Pre-clinical trials suggest that it may confer at least 50% protection against the acquisition of HIV.
The safety and immunogenicity findings generated from the HVTN 100 trial will help determine whether this vaccine regimen will be tested in a larger study in South Africa.
--Melissa Healy
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Brissett started the last two weeks after taking over midway through the Dolphins win in Week 2 when Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in his right throwing shoulder.
It’s unknown how long Brissett will be sidelined but the Patriots can bring him back from IR after six weeks. Teams are allowed to bring only one player back from IR per season. In any case, the move opens a roster spot for Tom Brady , who will return as the starter in Cleveland.
FOXBOROUGH — The Patriots placed Jacoby Brissett on injured reserve Friday afternoon after a league sourced confirmed the rookie quarterback had surgery on his right thumb while his teammates practiced for Sunday’s game with the Browns.
He led the Patriots to a win over the Texans in Week 3 and suffered the thumb injury in that game when Houston’s Vince Wilfork landed on him. He played through the injury the rest of the way and in last week’s loss to the Bills.
The third-round pick has completed 34 of 55 passes for 400 yards this season and also has 83 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
Following last Sunday’s loss to the Bills, Brissett simply answered “no” when asked if his thumb bothered him. He gained the respect of his teammates for playing through the injury.
“I’ll tell you one thing though, No. 7, he’s a tough kid and he came out here and had a gutsy performance,’’ receiver Julian Edelman said after the game. “I gained a lot of respect for that young man and how poised he was to overcome the obstacles that he had to.’’
Placing Brissett on IR is a clear indication the team is confident Garoppolo, who was listed as limited and questionable on the practice report, has sufficiently recovered enough from his shoulder injury to serve as Brady’s backup.
“Just trying to focus on what I can do,’’ said left guard Joe Thuney when asked about his fellow rookie’s absence. “We had a great day of practice today.’’
He’ll wait and see
With Brady set to be back in the saddle on Sunday, the popular belief is that he’ll be in midseason form. While coach Bill Belichick surely hopes that’s the case, he isn’t necessarily counting on it.
“I’ve coached for a long time in this league. I’ve seen a lot of players miss practice time for whatever the reasons are — injuries, contract holdouts, suspensions, etc.,’’ he said. “I would just say in general it’s hard for a player who’s not playing football to practice playing football. I don’t care how many times you run around the track. I don’t care how many sit-ups you do . . .
“So, I think we benefit from practice reps. I think we benefit from game reps. I think not having those is not beneficial,’’ he added. “It doesn’t mean it can’t be overcome, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a good performance, it just means if that was the best way to prepare for the game then that’s what we would do. I just don’t happen to believe that. I’m sure a lot of other people disagree with me but that’s just the way I see it.
Edelman moving well
Edelman, who was added to the injury report Thursday with a foot problem, was at the shorts and shells workout and seemed to be moving without a problem.
Edelman, who was listed as limited and questionable on the practice report, wasn’t spotted in the locker room after practice.
Also appearing to move fine was starting right tackle Marcus Cannon, who missed Thursday’s full-pads practice with calf injury. He also was listed as limited and questionable.
In addition to Brissett, running back Brandon Bolden (knee), linebacker Shea McClellin (concussion), and defensive tackle Vincent Valentine (back) missed practice. It was third straight miss for the latter trio and Bolden and McClellin already have been declared out for Sunday.
Also listed as limited/questionable were tight end Rob Gronkowski; running back LeGarrette Blount (hip); linebackers Dont’a Hightower (knee) and Jonathan Freeny (shoulder); and Thuney (shoulder).
In a festive mood
Martellus Bennett was in the holiday spirit Friday afternoon — albeit a few months early. Among the selections blaring from his locker were “Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas” by Carla Thomas and “Walking in a Winter Wonder Land,’’ by Dolly Parton. The big tight end also wished reporters a “Merry Christmas’’ as access time came to a close . . . The Patriots have won five of the last six meetings with the Browns. The lone loss was a 34-14 decision in Cleveland Nov. 7, 2010 . . . It’ll be a homecoming for ex-Browns Barkevious Mingo (acquired via trade in August) and Jabaal Sheard (signed as a free agent in 2015).
Ben Volin of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Jim McBride can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @globejimmcbride. | {
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October 11, 2017
Chancellor Angela Merkel stayed in power, but her Christian Democratic Party (CDU) suffered losses, as did the other major German party, the Social Democratic Party (SPD). As for the left, Die Linke (The Left) made modest electoral gains, but now faces the reality of a more divided Germany and a far right growing in confidence. Here, the Marx 21 Network puts forward five theses about the German elections to help the left meet its challenges, in an English translation by Einde O'Callaghan.
The results of September's elections in Germany sent political shock waves across the country and the continent after the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, or AfD) won 12.6 percent of the vote, making it the third largest party in parliament, where a far-right party will have representatives for the first time in half a century.
1. The result of the federal election is the expression of a crisis of the political system. The historically developed political center, the CDU and the SPD, has lost. The AfD has won with a clear anti-establishment attitude and by linking up with racist resentment.
It's happened: The AfD is entering the German Bundestag [parliament] with 94 deputies. At the same time, the departure of Frauke Petry on the day after the election shows who's calling the tune in the parliamentary group and in the party: the strengthened neo-fascist wing around Alexander Gauland and Björn Höcke.
So now, after Trump and Le Pen, we also have Gauland--in Germany, a similar process is taking place as in many other countries: the political center is eroding. Angela Merkel's jubilation about her "election victory" is a farce when you consider that it was the worst result for the CDU/Christian Social Union (CSU) since 1949. Decades of social devastation by neoliberal policies and bourgeois governments that claimed there was no alternative to their policies on behalf of the rich and the corporations have aroused deep antipathy towards "the powers that be"--toward the parties, the corporate press and the elites.
Marching with the far-right Alternative for Germany
On top of that, there are the contradictions of the "Merkel boom." Not a cent of the enormous growth of wealth has reached the pockets of large parts of the population, and 50 percent earn even less that they did in 2000. In view of these experiences, the anti-establishment mood is justified. It doesn't automatically have to be right wing, but could also be turned to the left into a joint struggle for a better life for all. We've seen elements of this in the inspiring election campaigns of Jeremy Corbyn in Britain and Bernie Sanders in the U.S.
In the German federal election, the opposite happened: The mood wasn't directed against those above, but against those below, against those who are weaker. Eighty-five percent of AfD voters state that they voted for the party "because that way they could express their protest." Sixty percent say they voted for the AfD because it's "against all other parties." Obviously a large proportion of the AfD voters saw their voting as the greatest possible challenge to the hated status quo. At the same time, 55 percent of AfD voters are of the opinion that the party isn't doing enough to distance itself from right-wing extremist positions.
Nevertheless, these protest votes are anything but uncertain. That can be seen from a glance at the reasons AfD voters give. They say "people don't feel safe any more" (99 percent); "the influence of Islam should be reduced" (99 percent); and the influx of refugees should be limited (96 percent). They are also worried about the loss of German culture (95 percent) and are afraid that life in Germany will be changed (94 percent). The AfD has successfully steered existing anger and fears in the direction of racism and law-and-order policies.
AfD voters are therefore neither just a little bit angry--so that it would be possible to separate them from their now-consolidated racist and authoritarian positions with more social justice--nor are the vast majority of them fans of establishing a fascist dictatorship. Social misery is the fertile ground on which their anger is thriving, and the AfD is growing.
Developing a perspective for overcoming this misery through solidarity and for building resistance to the attacks on wage earners and the social security systems is now an important task. However, the root that the AfD uses to anchor itself in this fertile ground is racism--particularly against Muslims. It has to be fought separately, with good arguments and joint struggles.
For Die Linke, the election results should be a wake-up call. The party mustn't leave radical opposition to the system in the hands of the AfD, but must be identifiable as an anti-capitalist force.
This is something that it has in part succeeded in doing: The sharp challenge to the banks, the corporations and their parties and its orientation towards the movements expressed, for example, in the campaign for better nursing care, resulted in the strong results achieved by Die Linke in the West. But this hasn't been able to prevent the drop by 6.1 percentage points in the East with a massive loss of voters to the AfD.
In view of the limited leeway for implementing reforms and the fact that the right-wing SPD is the partner in government, the approach of taking on responsibility in state governments obviously hasn't developed the appeal that was hoped for. Die Linke was unable to distinguish itself from "the others" in such a way that it would have been able to avoid the slap in the face delivered to the established parties. The fact that Die Linke agreed in Saxony to the constitutional commitment to a balanced budget and supported in Thuringia, Brandenburg and Berlin the privatization of the motorways stood in clear contradiction to the anti-capitalist image that the party wanted to project.
2. It isn't a law of nature that a massive rejection of the political system should lead to a move to the right. However, the chances of this happening rise drastically when the bourgeois forces--primarily the parties, but also the media--try to combat the petty bourgeois right by adopting their agenda. The AfD's results are a logical consequence of an election campaign where they succeeded with all their might in shifting the topics of refugees, Islam, terrorism and internal security into the center of the debate.
The absolutely grotesque TV duel between Martin Schulz of the SPD and Angela Merkel made clear that the AfD had many "campaigners" outside their own ranks. With great tenacity, the moderators steered the whole debate toward immigration, Muslims and terrorism, while topics such as nursing care, education and those who had missed out on the so-called "Merkel boom" were totally ignored. Even before this the impression had already been created that the editorial board of Bild [the German newspaper with the largest circulation] was staffed by the executive of the AfD; various front pages were indistinguishable from AfD election posters.
All the parties with the exception of Die Linke accepted this dictation of the issues or, as in the case of the Greens, kept a low profile. In addition to its well-known ragbag of employers' demands, the Free Democratic Party placed the re-equipment of the police and the military in the middle of its campaign, and on the refugee issue, it helped itself to the demands of the AfD. So, for example, the party and its leader Lindner demanded that rejected asylum seekers be expelled more quickly, that the borders be sealed off using the "most modern surveillance methods" and that the borders should be closed if large numbers of people were suddenly to seek refuge.
The CDU ran a classical "law-and-order" campaign totally blocking out social issues and emphasized its "achievements" in eroding the right to asylum. The SPD played a particularly ignominious role: At the beginning of August, Martin Schulz was the first person who with all his might brought the refugee issue back into the election campaign as a threat scenario.
So it's no wonder that with 44 percent, almost half the voters said that immigration was the most important political problem in the country--even more than social justice--and together with the topic internal security, it was on the same scale as all the social and economic issues together. And only the AfD profited from this. Indicative of this was the result in Bavaria: There, the CSU continually attacked Merkel from the right on the refugee issue--always proclaiming loudly that its aim was to keep the AfD down. Instead, with 12.4 percent, the AfD got its strongest result in the West there.
In Germany, what is being repeated is what has been seen for years in France and Austria with regard to the Front National and the FPÖ: The bourgeois parties, including the SPD, and the media have been trying to undermine extreme right-wing parties by adopting their agenda. But in the final analysis, that only strengthens the right-wing parties. Thus, the AfD leadership can justifiably claim that as a small party they were able to set the whole agenda for the election campaign from the opposition. That is indeed a triumph for the party.
3. The good performance of the AfD is also due to the low level of social struggles. The discussion about a strategy against the advance of the right should not leave out the question of the capacity of the trade unions to put up a fight.
The tiny ray of hope in the gloom of an unedifying public debate during the election campaign was the intervention of a young nurse on the program "Wahlarena," who sharply attacked Merkel for the degrading conditions in the hospitals. Shortly afterward, protest actions followed in various hospitals.
Suddenly, for two short days, the whole dynamic was shifted: The actual social frontline between those in the governments and corporate headquarters who are plundering public service provision and the overwhelming majority of the population, whether native Germans, Muslims or refugees, became clear once again. The large parties were outbidding each other with promises to remedy the crisis in nursing care.
What would have happened if the leaderships of the trade unions--first and foremost ver.di, which has been severely hit by the hemorrhaging of the public sector--had initiated a massive mobilization of their members for better nursing care, education and public infrastructure instead of the policy of keeping quiet that they are practicing? But they didn't do so--on the contrary: Activists from the hospitals and local trade union secretaries prepared to organize protests reported consistently that they faced enormous resistance in the bureaucracy, even to the preparation of these smaller strike and protest actions.
This indicates an underlying problem: The best antidote to the AfD would be the joint struggle of the many for their political and social rights. Through this, their feelings of helplessness would be overcome, links between these people would be made, and their view of the real enemy would be sharpened. The real experience of solidarity would stand in opposition to the racism of the AfD, and the effectiveness of its divisive ideology would come up against barriers.
But such a struggle isn't happening to a sufficient extent in Germany, and for this, the leaderships of the trade unions bear major responsibility. Three times in the last 15 years, they have shot themselves in the foot and worsened their own fighting position.
First, by not supporting the movement against the Hartz welfare "reforms" in 2003 ("Monday demonstrations"), they laid the foundation for a decade of wage stagnation and partial wage reduction, because fear of plummeting living standards as a result of the Hartz welfare "reforms" made it easier to blackmail the workforce. Second, the acceptance of subcontracting and service contracts led to splitting the workforce into the core workforce and those who are precariously employed--and the latter are often left in the lurch by both works councils and the trade unions. This was finally followed after the onset of the crisis in 2008 by integration into large-scale crisis corporatism, consisting of the state, the corporations and the trade unions, which among other things foisted the total costs of the crisis onto the public sector.
All in all, the development of the trade unions is principally characterized by two problems. On the one hand, there is the strong integration into the ideology of "competitive location"--in other words, the hope that by strengthening German capital in international competition, some crumbs might be left over for the workers. Essentially, this view is widespread in the export industries. On the other hand, there is a dominant feeling of strategic helplessness in dealing with the devastation that they have helped produce or acquiesced to (particularly tangible in the public sector in education and health care).
This is where Die Linke must engage if it wants to do something against the shift to the right on a sustained basis. In recent years, a layer of workplace activists and left-wing officials has developed on the lower levels of the unions, a layer that advocates another trade union policy based on struggle. Die Linke can be an important catalyst to unite these people in a new trade union current that is in a position to intervene in the debates in the unions and to shape their orientation.
As large organizations, the unions also have a social role both in the economic struggle and in political confrontations such as the struggle against racism. On these issues, more pressure from the left would be very useful.
4. Anybody who speaks about the success of the AfD can't be allowed to remain silent about one-and-a-half decades of anti-Muslim racism. Any strategy against the AfD that doesn't include the fight against racism will fail.
In addition to its anti-Establishment attitude, the AfD's greatest hit in the election campaign was the demonization of Muslims and refugees as alleged terrorists and misogynists. The "Islamic bogeyman" wasn't first invented in this election campaign nor was it invented by the AfD. Before Gauland, there was Sarrazin. The campaign against Muslims has been running without break since September 11, 2001.
Meanwhile, Islamophobia has become the dominant form of racism in Germany. The AfD and the right wing can rely on the fact that both politicians from the established parties and a large proportion of the media will continue to build up the "Islamic bogeyman" by deliberately linking the religion with negative buzzwords such as terrorism, women's oppression, homophobia or anti-Semitism. The effects of this are devastating--by now more than half of the population are afraid of Muslims.
Die Linke would make a huge mistake if it were to shy away from this issue because of opportunism with regard to racist resentment among its own voters. Racism will split and paralyze the struggle we need to undermine the AfD. Therefore, the social justice project, which can't exist without extra-parliamentary social struggles, is linked inextricably with the struggle against racism.
As is well known, in Die Linke, this is contentious. Sahra Wagenknecht hinted that the party had "made things too easy" for itself on the question of refugees, but left open what she actually meant by that.
It can't be the response to social questions. In the election campaign, Die Linke argued constantly that there are enough resources in this rich country to provide good opportunities in life for everybody including refugees--it's only necessary to redistribute these resources.
From the election result, it's impossible to prove the thesis that Die Linke is isolating itself through its strong anti-racist profile. In Berlin-Neukölln and in Münster, for example, the profile against the AfD and in defense of Muslims played an important role--in these constituencies Die Linke achieved its best-ever results with 18.3 percent and 10.1 percent respectively.
It is, of course, possible that some unclear protest voters were put off by the clear anti-racist position--at the same time, however, Die Linke was able to a far greater degree to gain support from non-voters and former SPD and Green voters who wished to take a different stance against racism in view of the opportunist tendencies of their parties to adapt to racism.
Die Linke's loss of 400,000 voters to the AfD also shows that we have to educate our members for the struggle against racism--for example, by means of the training sessions [known as "Stammtisch" training] offered by the Aufstehen gegen Rassismus [Stand Up to Racism] alliance--so that they will be better able to argue against racist prejudices. Part of class solidarity is solidarity with oppressed minorities such as refugees and Muslims as well as the struggle against all forms of sexist oppression.
5. In Die Linke's election result, there are in part considerable gains in the West, standing in sharp contrast to heavy losses in the East. But at this moment, we don't need a divisive East-West debate. Instead, we require a sober discussion about the correct political orientation for Die Linke. The election results achieved by the various branches provide important clues here.
The prize for the largest increase in a constituency in the West goes to--Hamburg-Altona. Hamburg of all places! Considering what Die Linke has had to put up with here as the whole corporate press opened fire on them because of their support for the G20 protests.
But in the final analysis, the orientation toward the protests against the impositions of capitalism strengthened the party, because this is precisely the kind of high-profile opposition directed against the system that many people want. In Hamburg, Die Linke achieved a strong result with 12.2 percent, and in several neighborhoods, of the Altona district, it has become the strongest party.
But Hamburg was by no means an exception: an anti-capitalist profile, clear positions on social issues, a high profile against the advance of the right and good work on a local level led to good election results in many places.
A further identifiable element for a strong Die Linke is the orientation toward an active membership that develops political activity on a local level together with the social movements. The background to the strong result in Nuremberg North, with 11.7 percent, was the recruitment of 100 new members. Many of them organized an election rally that was attended by 3,500 people. In addition, there is an active relationship with the disputes in the city, such as the threatened expulsion of an Afghan school student back to Afghanistan, an issue that provoked considerable resistance.
In Berlin-Neukölln, which is in the Western part of the city, Die Linke received 18.3 of the party list votes, an increase of 4.1 percent, and in the poor northern part of Neukölln the party got as many as 30 percent.
This success is, on the one hand, due to the political orientation of the branch, which was very active against the right, but has also strongly supported social protests. On the other hand, it's also a confirmation that actively building the party works. Since 2007, the number of members has more than doubled from 223 to almost 500.
In this way, a positive dynamic is developed: With more active members, Die Linke can build up a better political presence in the area and intervene better in social struggles and in turn the better presence brings new members.
It is also instructive to take a look at Münster: Here, Die Linke was involved in various large protests against the AfD. The result: Münster is the only community in Germany where the AfD got less than 5 percent.
At the same time, Die Linke was able to increase its vote by two-thirds. Of course, a West German university city isn't comparable with a rural constituency in the East. But we should also not make the differences in approach to successfully building Die Linke greater than they are.
In the East, too, there are many young people who, alarmed by Trump and the AfD shock, are prepared to build Die Linke as an anti-capitalist force against the advance of the right. They are the future of the party in the East, and they need to be offered appropriate activities locally, which mustn't be limited to a passive orientation on the activities of Die Linke's parliamentary groups or ministers and senators.
Particularly in the East, the party must take its place at the front of the anti-racist and anti-fascist struggle and place its considerable resources completely in the service of the struggle against the AfD.
Die Linke in Leipzig shows the way. From the very outset, it was part of the constant protests against the local Pegida offshoot Legida and, as a result, became attractive for many people. The reward for this work was that the party won a direct mandate and got a relatively stable result compared with the crash in the rest of Saxony.
An anti-capitalist profile, a clear focus on the struggle against the AfD and its racism, close contacts with the combative nuclei in the trade unions, implemented by an active and activating membership party: These are the elements for Die Linke if wants to live up to the requirements for its current challenges.
The AfD wasn't just able to win hundreds of thousands of votes from Die Linke with its racist slogans. It was also able to win a higher proportion of workers for its anti-Merkel protest which has been diverted in a racist direction.
At the moment, Die Linke isn't strong enough to initiate class struggles on a grand scale that would be able to give hope to layers of petty bourgeois voters threatened by downward social mobility and to open up a perspective for progress. But the party must attempt to stop the further advance into the working class of protests steered toward racism, particularly into the ranks of those in precarious employment and the unemployed.
To do so, it must itself become an anti-capitalist, socialist force that takes up social struggles and combines them politically, and at the same time, it must commit itself to the cause of fighting against neo-fascism and racism.
The first opportunities to implement this policy are the continuation of the campaign for better health care alongside workers and a powerful protest against the AfD at the opening session of the Bundestag on October 24 and at the AfD party congress in Hanover on December 2 and 3.
First published in German at Marx 21. Translated into English by Einde O'Callaghan. | {
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Joe Biden’s lapdogs in the establishment media have no interest in fully investigating Tara Reade’s increasingly credible allegation the former vice president sexually assaulted her in 1993. If the media were interested in a full investigation, they would demand Biden open up his Senate papers at the University of Delaware.
Decades of Biden’s papers from his time as a U.S. Senator are housed at the University of Delaware, but so far the school has refused to release these vital documents to investigative journalists.
Business Insider’s Rich McHugh, the only establishment journalist truly interested in getting to the truth about this, says Reade told him she filed a sexual harassment complaint against Biden in 1993. The complaint covered only one of her two allegations, the lesser allegation about unwanted touching (something a half-dozen other woman have accused Biden of).
McHugh hasn’t been able to track down that document, and believes the best place to find it would be among Biden’s senate papers.
The University of Delaware, however, is refusing access to those papers. It says the papers will not be made available until two years after Biden retires from public life.
This makes no sense.
First off, January of 2019 marked two years after Biden left the office of vice president, two years after Biden had retired from public life; and the university did not release the papers. So there is some suspicion now that the University of Delaware is engaging in a coverup to protect Delaware’s favorite son.
Secondly, why the arbitrary two years in retirement deadline? Where did that come from?
There is little question, though, that if Biden told the university to make the papers available to McHugh and others, the papers would be made available.
As of this writing, Biden has not only refused to personally comment on or even deny Reade’s allegationa, neither he nor his campaign have asked the university to make the papers available.
Most telling, there is no pressure from the corporate media for Biden to authorize the release of the papers.
A perfect example is CNN’s Don Lemon. On Tuesday the fake journalist hosted Biden’s potential vice presidential pick, Stacey Abrams.
Anyone who watched the segment knows that all Lemon was interested in doing was pretending he’s covering the story, when the truth is he just wanted to give Abrams the opportunity to spew fake talking points from the Biden campaign about how the New York Times cleared Biden of the Reade allegation (the Times did not — more on this below).
Not once did Lemon ask Abrams if Biden should authorize the release of his Senate papers. And the reason for Lemon not asking Abrams this is obvious…
Lemon, CNNLOL, and the rest of the fake new media do not want those papers made available. They are terrified of what might be found, including other sexual harassment allegations. Biden’s sense of entitlement when it comes to the inappropriate touching of women and children is well-documented, not just by a half-dozen complaints, but countless videos of Biden engaging in this disturbing behavior.
And so, once again we are faced with a hypocritical media that has no interest in fully investigating a credible allegation against a Democrat, and in this case we have an allegation that amounts not only to a full-blown sexual assault, but a retaliatory firing afterwards.
Need I lay out the hypocrisy of a media that launched a jihad against Donald Trump to release his tax returns, a jihad against NBC to release outtakes of Trump’s network TV show, a jihad against Mike Bloomberg to release women from nondisclosure agreements, a jihad that went so far as to investigate what books Sarah Palin checked out of her local library?
Worse still, the media are showing no interest in Biden’s papers even as the Biden campaign runs around lying about being cleared by the far-left New York Times.
The false talking point reads like this: “In this case, a thorough review by the New York Times has led to the truth: this incident did not happen.”
Well, time has proven the Times did nothing closed to a “thorough review.”
To begin with, the Times failed to find the 1993 CNN video that proved Reade’s mother called into Larry King Live asking for advice about what to do about her daughter’s problems with a prominent senator. It should be noted that CNNLOL also failed to find that video. This video proved Reade was telling the truth when said she told her now-deceased mother about the allegation when it happened.
Further, the Times, with all of its vast resources, somehow failed to find the two additional contemporaneous witnesses McHugh found earlier this week, two women who went on the record to verify Reade told them about the alleged assault at the time or just a few years later.
Oh, and of course the Times did not investigate Biden’s senate papers, nor did the Times put any pressure on Biden to release the papers, so the idea the Times did a “thorough review” is a full-blown lie.
Access to Biden’s senate papers could be helpful in other ways. Reade claims her complaints against Biden resulted in her being fired. Team Biden has not yet explained how or why Reade left Biden’s senate office in 1993. McHugh did find an intern who worked under Reade and who verified Reade simply disappeared from the office at the time Reade says she was fired for filing her complaint.
Might these papers hold the secret to why Reade exited Biden’s senate office?
Well, to the surprise of no one who remembers Bill Clinton, John Edwards, and Harvey Weinstein — the media do not want to know and do not want you to know the answers to any of these lingering questions.
In keeping with her acting like a woman with nothing to hide, the same Tara Reade who is asking investigative reporters to dig into her story, is also asking Biden to release his Senate papers.
In keeping his acting like a man with everything to hide, Joe Biden has not professed his innocence, nor is he eager to release the Senate papers that could help to prove his innocence.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here. | {
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Mar 27, 2019
9 Licensed Games That Didn't Suck (And 5 That Did) | {
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After falling behind four runs in the top of the second, Rojas was picked off in a questionable call in the bottom of the same frame. Rojas disagreed with the call, and exchange words with Irvine's second baseman, Christian Koss, leading to the ejection. During the scuffle both benches were cleared, including Trapasso, who also questioned the call. That led to an umpire tossing Trap as well. | {
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Recent news on uterus transplant in India takes the infertility industry to a new level. The overarching rationale behind uterus transplant is that infertile women can ‘benefit’ from this and bear their own biological children.
The first such scientifically reported successful transplant was conducted in Sweden in 2013 where a 36-year-old, who was born without a uterus, received a donated womb from her mother. She gave birth to a baby boy using a transplanted womb in 2014. According to recent media reports, a private fertility clinic in Bengaluru has received permission from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for uterus transplants for two women and the procedure will be undertaken as a research project. The minimum experience necessary for a clinical team to carry out this procedure, as per the Human Organ Transplant Act, is not available in India and hence the involvement of Swedish doctors, who pioneered the procedure, is being sought. The clinic has also claimed that they have obtained permission from the Medical Council of India (MCI) for the participation of Swedish doctors in the procedure.
Additionally, another hospital based in Pune is also gearing up for a set of uterine transplants, attempting to transplant the wombs of their respective mothers in three women. The nodal officer of the hospital is quoted in the media as saying that “the donor is someone who has completed a family and is donating with an altruistic motive”. However, the donor cannot be an unqualified ‘someone’ since the Transplantation of Human Organs Act 1994 lays down that it has to be a “near-relative”. At the very outset when this advanced procedure is being performed, it is crucial that this is fore grounded. There have been reports of illegal hysterectomies, most notably from Karnataka, where health activists successfully pushed for the private hospitals and the doctors involved to be brought in line. Therefore, if left unregulated, it is only a matter of time that there emerges a black market in uteri – from illegal hysterectomies to uterus transplants. These can arguably bear similarities to black markets in kidney that continue to thrive (despite a ban on organ sale).
What do the law and guidelines say?
It is interesting that the two sites where the procedure will be conducted have taken the necessary clearances from different authorities. While the Pune clinic has obtained permissions from the Maharashtra directorate of health services (as a transplant procedure), the Bengaluru clinic has got the clearance from the ICMR (as clinical trial).
It is important to weigh the merits of uterus transplant under the prevailing Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994. The Act categorically mentions that transplant procedures are to be “for therapeutic purposes”. The term “therapeutic purposes” has been defined in the Act as “a systematic treatment of any disease or the measures to improve health according to any particular method or modality.” Medical science has succeeded in transplanting organs like heart, lung, kidneys, liver, pancreas and tissues like corneas, skin, heart valves, tendons, ear, ear bones and bones. Where the donor and the recipient are not related, permission needs to be sought from the Authorisation Committee under THOA.
In THOA, one of the most important provisions is Section 11 on “Prohibition of removal or transplantation of human organs or tissue or both for any purpose other than therapeutic purposes”. It states, “No donor and no person empowered to give authority for the removal of any human organ or tissue or both shall authorise the removal of any human organ or tissue or both for any purpose other than therapeutic purposes.”
Reading together, the definition of therapeutic purpose and the section 11 on prohibition from THOA, the following are clear: bearing children is not a therapeutic purpose; clinical trials are not included in the definition of therapeutic purpose; clinical trials can be deemed as not allowed under THOA, as removal and transplantation of organs can take place only for therapeutic purposes. Moreover, any authority giving permission for the same (like the ICMR and MCI, in this case) may also be doing so in contravention of these provisions. Under their own guidelines, ICMR and MCI cannot give permissions for transplants and even the authority established under THOA cannot give permission for such a ‘non- therapeutic’ transplantation to take place. Similarly, the ICMR guidelines on biomedical research on human participants (2006), in its chapter VII on “statement of specific principles for research in transplantation “, has a subsection “Guidelines on Live Donor Transplants”, clause 9, says clearly that “The experiment should be such as to yield fruitful results for the overall good of the donee without any risk to the life of the donor. The experiment should be undertaken only if there is no other method available of finding the answer to the question raised.”
Risk to women’s health- ethical and medical concerns
Uterus transplant as an emerging biomedical technology raises ethical concerns and health risks. Many experts from across the world have expressed apprehensions about a procedure that is still in its nascent stage. There has not been any conclusive findings on the long-term effects of the procedure on health of the woman undergoing the transplant or the children she gives birth to.
The news items on this procedure, on the contrary, show that it is being posited as a means to an end – that of giving a woman legal, biological and gestational motherhood.” Can this be construed as therapeutic purpose? More so, with regard to uterus transplant, some doctors specify that it is recommended that the recipient again undergoes a hysterectomy, presumably after outliving its utility of reproduction. It implies that women will be subjected to additional invasive procedures for removing the transplanted uterus. From scientific point of view long term risks seem to be automatically eliminated. One of the concerns often raised is that a uterus transplant, unlike a more established liver or kidney transplant, is not a life-saving measure. It is not developed to treat any life threatening medical conditions. Like any other medical surgery, here too the recipient undergoes the risks of surgery such as risk of hemorrhage and infections during or after the procedure. Moreover, like other transplant procedures, uterus transplant too entails the risk of rejection of the donor organ in the recipient’s body thereby necessitating immunosuppressive drugs to guard against it. The fact that uterus transplant would require the recipient to be on immunosuppressants for a very long duration, is not highlighted as much as the celebration around the technology itself.
Market for reproductive technologies
With questionable ‘therapeutic’ credentials, uterus transplant is more suitably located on a spectrum of reproductive technologies. Flourishing largely in the private sector, these technologies boost the health industry, which is heavily corporatised already and would only be increasingly strengthened in the coming times with newer innovations like these. Health activists have raised the concern whether investing in a developing technology like that of uterus transplant should be a priority in India, given lack of health care for many people, particularly the poor in the country. From a public health perspective, in a country like India with all the poor health indicators, high out-of-pocket expenditure on health, flourishing and unregulated private sector and collapsing public health system, it is bothersome to imagine such advanced technologies taking assuming priority in the milieu of health care.
The ‘promise’ of the technology tends to outshine the potential risks for individuals, who may take note only with adverse cases. A parallel can be drawn here with the increasing push for commercial oocyte donation which came under the radar only with unfortunate deaths of women like Yuma Sherpa in Delhi after acting as oocyte donor. Notwithstanding such cases, acceptance and ‘normalisation’ of such technologies can often create undue pressure on women, or even coercion to opt for these, since motherhood is deemed to be the core of femininity in a patriarchal context. First reproductive medicine develops its expertise in using in vitro fertilization (IVF) and wombs of surrogates and now this move towards uterine transplant. This obsession with skills and one’s own flesh and blood marginalises other ways of parenting.
Is motherhood the only essence of womanhood?
This entire debate on uterus transplant, brings us to the fundamental point about the patriarchal glorification of ‘biological’ motherhood for women and the imperative of creating a ‘family’ based on blood ties. Whenever ‘biological’ reproduction is hindered, these technologies are deemed to be the panacea. Feminist scholar Marsha Darling has insightfully observed that, “The concept of women’s bodily integrity is threatened by the extent to which women’s biological and reproductive organs, tissues, cells, including ovum and genes, are quickly becoming ‘spare parts’ in a medical industrial complex. At the very same time that reproduction is imagined as an industrial process by the biotech industry, women are sought after as consumers of the very technologies that will weaken women’s right to bodily integrity.”
There is a need to question the premium that is placed on biological parenthood and the assumption that motherhood can only be linked to genes and gestation. Such orthodoxy seeks to delegitimise social parenthood through adoption and impinges on women’s right to decide whether or not they want to be ‘mothers’. Motherhood must not be restricted to the biology of a woman, and a woman’s being must not be intrinsically linked only to their inability to reproduce and be mothers.
Sneha Banerjee and Sarojini Nadimpally work with Sama Resource Group for Women and Health, New Delhi | {
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This story has been updated to reflect the latest number of fatalities from London Metropolitan Police.
London (CNN) The big red buses sit abandoned on the bridge, six of them. Nearby are two black taxicabs, also empty. No passengers, no drivers, no pedestrians.
This is not normal. This is the opposite of normal. This is Westminster Bridge, linking Britain's Houses of Parliament to the South Bank, where tourists line up to ride the London Eye Ferris wheel.
This area is rarely still, and never on a spring Wednesday afternoon. It should be packed with visitors, locals and the occasional parliamentarian.
Of course, it's not still even now. Slowly, then overwhelmingly, the noise takes over the senses -- a cacophony of sirens and chaos.
This is London in the wake of a terror attack . An attacker, named by police as 52-year-old British man Khalid Masood , rammed pedestrians along the popular walkway, before crashing the perimeter railing outside Parliament, the heart of British political life. Taking off on foot, the assailant continued his rampage, stabbing to death a police officer before he was killed.
Four people died in addition to the attacker; at least 50 more victims were injured, authorities say.
"I saw a car, the crunch of car hitting the curb. I kind of thought the guy had maybe had a heart attack or something," 34-year-old Rob Lyon tells CNN. "It hit several people. I jumped out the way into a road, (my) colleagues jumped the other way towards the Thames but held on, thankfully."
Rob Lyon gestures toward Westminster Bridge: "I stood in shock and saw carnage around me."
The campaign director from Rugby, a town in central England, witnessed the assault at Westminster as he and colleagues were walking across the bridge. He says he expected the car to hit the bridge wall but it continued, deliberately mowing down people on the sidewalk.
"I stood in shock and saw carnage around me and the car carrying on up the bridge."
He describes how initially he stood frozen to the spot; the woman in front of him badly hurt. He removed his jacket offering it to her as a pillow, while others tried to help.
Lockdown descends upon this central part of London as police hurriedly tape off the maze of connecting streets.
Those who work close by are told to return to their buildings or leave the area; throngs of vacationers are ushered back by officers donning fluorescent yellow jackets. Despite the sun, it's still a cold March day.
Outside Westminster Abbey -- the iconic Gothic cathedral normally a gathering point for celebrations like William and Kate's glamorous royal wedding in 2011 -- is Craig Meichan. A 20-year-old student from the town of Ormskirk, near Liverpool, he stands with four friends, his phone in hand.
Meichan, along with 15 others, has just left the Houses of Parliament, a stop on his college trip's itinerary. Now he's searching for his missing friends.
"(It) sounded like a car backfiring," he says of the bloody end to the attack. "Police began shouting and they started cordoning off the area."
As he speaks, the words seem to tumble out of his mouth.
People cross Lambeth Bridge just before police cordon off access from the south side.
When the yelling and sirens filled the air, Meichan says his group was separated into three. He didn't know where his tutor was; he hopes she has been locked inside the building. He says he's worried some of his friends have gone toward the bridge to take photos.
"I'm a bit shaken up. You never expect this to happen to you," he explains, his hands trembling.
Meanwhile, curious bystanders have gathered next to the police tape, their phones thrust into the air to document the empty square ahead. Two helicopters hover above Westminster Bridge, a third circles the wider area. Sirens continue in the distance.
People watch as police secure the area north of Parliament Square.
Flocks of people are leaving work early. Students from the exclusive Westminster School a few blocks away, easily identifiable by their uniforms, are strolling along and watching the crowds with interest. Outside pubs, some workers gather rather than joining the melee of wandering commuters. And there's only one topic of conversation.
With red and blue tape blocking off every road in the immediate vicinity, commuters struggle to find an alternative route home. Many are on their phones typing text messages or checking in with calls to loved ones. Otherwise the streets are eerily silent.
A soldier chains the gate at Horse Guards after Wednesday's terror attack. The entrances to Downing Street and Buckingham Palace were also closed as precautions.
As dusk falls on London, we make our way across Lambeth Bridge at the other end of the Westminster area. It's the only place nearby that we are able to cross the river to the south.
Police at the bridge say they are only allowing people to cross over but not return toward the city. Pedestrians must go around another way.
Emergency response vehicles continue to stream past every few minutes.
London Ambulance Service vehicles are parked in a barrier across the south end of Westminster Bridge and in front of St. Thomas' Hospital. Up ahead, blue flashing lights signal where people in white crime-scene bodysuits have come to examine the scene.
A man talks on a cellphone near the London Eye, where tourists were held on the sightseeing attraction during the incident.
Details will continue to emerge over the coming hours and days. But already emotions are turning from shock to anger.
Rob Lyon's first thought was to return home to Rugby -- to his wife -- but after hearing the incident was a likely terror attack, he defiantly says he's going to remain in the city to continue the business trip he set out on.
"Initially I think I was shocked, quite emotional speaking to my wife about the near miss I had," he says.
"I think I'm in an anger phase just because someone purposely drove a car at me.
"I'm sure there's more shock to come further down the road."
JUST WATCHED London attack: Watch how it unfolded Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH London attack: Watch how it unfolded 01:26
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the latest number of fatalities from London Metropolitan Police. | {
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France will ask its European Union partners to do more to help its intervention in the strife-torn Central African Republic, Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius said on Sunday ahead of a meeting in Brussels on Monday.
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"Tomorrow I will go to the Foreign Affairs Council and I will ask that there be more solid, stronger support," Fabius said Sunday on Europe 1 radio.
Poland, Britain, Germany, Spain and Belgium are already helping with logistics, he said, and two countries are "currently considering" sending troops to back up the 1,600 soldiers there.
Nearly half of the 4.5-million population is in "pre-famine conditions", according to the minister, and there are only seven surgeons among that number.
Fabius rejected claims that the French army has precipitated the massacre of Muslims by disarming the former Seleka rebels, leaving them at the mercy of Christian militias intent on revenge.
"The Seleka... still have weapons and sometimes heavy weapons," he said. "So the first task is to disarm these heavy weapons. We also go to the Christians to say 'you must disarm'."
Right-wing former agriculture minister Bruno Le Maire expressed reservations about the intervention on Sunday.
He claimed that the political justification is "not clear" and that the cost will be high, while France is "alone", and called on President François Hollande to seek more money from the European Union and more troops from other countries through the United Nations.
Hollande has already pledged that he will ask for more European back-up at a summit on Thursday and Friday.
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Josh Brickner shows you the effect of Standard scoring versus PPR scoring when evaluating the Consistency of Wide Receivers in 2017. Who improved and who declined may surprise you! Give Josh a follow on Twitter @joshbrickner.
Fantasy owners of T.Y. Hilton were ecstatic this past season with the Colts WR’s Week 3 & 14 performances where he scored 28 and 34 PPR points respectively. However, these same owners were equally as deflated in their Week 6, 8, & 12 fantasy matchups when the Florida International product literally dropped the ball and was held to under four PPR points. Boom/Bust players like Hilton are destructive to the playoff chances of owners in H2H fantasy leagues where your overall record determines whether or not you get a seat at the table.
You want to draft players on your team who are consistent fantasy performers from week to week. If you’re unfamiliar with the Consistency Rankings and Clutch Reports over at Big Guy Fantasy sports, I recommend you take a look. You will not be disappointed. Bob Lung has been looking at consistency in fantasy football for 15 years, but from a mostly PPR scoring lense. Well, the times they are a changin. Last week, I took a look at the difference in RB consistency between PPR and Standard (non-PPR) scoring formats. Today, we will analyze the changes in the consistency of the WR position when the scoring changes from PPR to Standard.
WR Consistency: PPR vs Standard Scoring
For my breakdown, I compared the Clutch Reports of 94 WRs in Standard and PPR scoring methods. Of the 94 WRs evaluated; 42 (45%) saw no change in their Clutch Rate (CR) even with the scoring format changed from PPR to Standard. The scoring change did have a considerable impact on WR consistency as 38 WRs (40%) saw a negative regression in their CR when switching from PPR to Standard scoring while 14 (15%) saw a CR increase when owners aren’t awarded a point per catch. It’s not surprising at a position like WR, where your #1 duty is to catch passes, that nearly triple the amount of WRs saw a decrease in their CR than WRs who saw a positive increase. The consistency rates of some of 2017’s most productive WRs were impacted in Standard scoring leagues. | {
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It's totally normal to have a mix of feelings before your wedding date, but it can also be overwhelming. There are so many nerve-wracking things to do, and it's natural to wonder about the DJ list or the color of the bridesmaids dresses. Things are much more complicated for weddings in which one member of the couple is currently serving a prison sentence.
How to Marry a Prisoner
Regulations for marrying a prisoner will vary from prison to prison, but most institutions require a Marriage Packet Request to get permission to marry the prisoner. To accomplish this, simply make an inmate request for a marriage packet. Once the forms are completed by both of you, you'll need to send it back to the prison facility with the requested fees. This can run anywhere between $150 to $175 on average and usually needs to be sent through a money order.
There are also mandatory documents you'll need to have in order to prove that you are of legal age to marry and that you are a citizen in the country you wish to marry. Some institutions will also require that you provide a copy of your birth certificate or other official identification.
Planning the Wedding
To put together the wedding, you'll need to work with a Family Visiting Coordinator. This will be your contact for arranging the wedding once permission has been received to marry the prisoner. Then, you'll choose an officiant. Your prison will most likely give you a list of approved pastors to choose from. Be prepared for their fees and how to pay them at the ceremony, which is most traditionally with a money order.
You'll also need a witness for the wedding. Simply bring a guest who is on your fiance's approved visitor list. Alternatively, you can use one of the inmates who work in the visiting area. Finally, you'll need a marriage certificate which will also require a fee. Depending on the prison facility's regulations, you may be allowed time together after the ceremony for wedding pictures accompanied by a short and private visit together.
Take Caution
Marrying someone in prison is generally discouraged, so it's recommended to talk to others who have married prisoners in order to better understand how difficult the role may be for you both long-term. This can also help you see how, upon your spouse's release from prison, the two of you will each have to make major life-changing adjustments.
Unfortunately, there is an alarming divorce rate for marriages under these circumstances. In 1996, The Aleph Institute found that couples where one spouse was incarcerated for one year or more got divorced 85% of the time. It also means that getting married to a prisoner involves jumping through a lot of legal hoops and possibly experiencing moments of heartache. | {
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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk angrily demanded Wednesday that President Barack Obama explain his reference to "a Polish death camp" during a high-profile White House ceremony a day earlier, saying the remark smacked of "ignorance, lack of knowledge, bad intentions" and amounted to "a distortion of history."
"When someone says 'Polish death camps,' it is as if there were no Nazis, no German responsibility, as if there was no Hitler—that is why our Polish sensitivity in these situations is so much more than just simply a feeling of national pride," the prime minister said.
[Related: WH says Obama 'misspoke' of death camp]
Tusk bluntly rejected National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor's expression of "regret" for the remarks and acknowledgment that Obama "misspoke" as falling woefully short of making up for the mistake.
"I am convinced that today, our American friends are capable of a stronger reaction—a clearer one, and one which perhaps eliminates, once and for all, these types of mistakes—than just the correction itself and the regret which we heard from the White House spokesperson," the prime minister said in a statement posted in English on his official website.
"We take note of these words, but it seems that it would be even more important for the United States than for Poland to end this with class. That is how one acts with regard to tried-and-tested friends, but this is also how one acts in your own, well-defined interest. I believe our allies are capable of such behavior," Tusk said.
Obama ignited the diplomatic flare-up on Tuesday as he honored Polish resistance hero Jan Karski and others with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor.
"Jan served as a courier for the Polish resistance during the darkest days of World War II. Before one trip across enemy lines, resistance fighters told him that Jews were being murdered on a massive scale, and smuggled him into the Warsaw Ghetto and a Polish death camp to see for himself," the president said.
Story continues
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski immediately demanded on Twitter that the White House apologize for what he called an "outrageous mistake" and said the ceremony had been "overshadowed by ignorance and incompetence." Conservatives happily piled on: David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, likened Obama's comment to saying that the Atlantic slave trade had been run by Africans.
"Obviously the insult to Poles was unintentional. That's what's shocking. Cdnt be bothered to get it right, even when honoring a Polish hero," Frum added in a subsequent tweet.
But while the White House could easily shrug off criticism from partisan sources, Tusk's blistering statement suggested that Obama himself would need to try to defuse the controversy.
"The words uttered yesterday by the President of the United States Barack Obama concerning 'Polish death camps' touched all Poles," Tusk said.
"We always react in the same way when ignorance, lack of knowledge, bad intentions lead to such a distortion of history, so painful for us here in Poland, in a country which suffered like no other in Europe during World War II," the prime minister said.
"Here, in Poland, we cannot accept such words even if they are spoken by the leader of a friendly power—or perhaps especially in such situations—since we expect diligence, care, and respect from our friends on issues of such importance as World War II remembrance. In Polish-American relations, in friendly relations, respect vis-à-vis the smaller partner should be the most recognizable sign of such relations," Tusk said.
[Related: Newly discovered photos from inside Hitler's home]
Obama has avoided that blunder before. In a late-April visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, he cited the Poles among the victims of Nazi genocide. "We tell them, our children, about the millions of Poles and Catholics and Roma and gay people and so many others who also must never be forgotten," Obama said.
And in a January 27, 2010, videotaped statement for the ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Obama paid tribute to the Polish resistance.
"Even as we recall man's capacity for evil, Auschwitz also tells another story—of man's capacity for good. The small acts of compassion—the sharing of some bread that kept a child alive. The great acts of resistance that blew up the crematorium and tried to stop the slaughter. The Polish Rescuers and those who earned their place forever in the Righteous Among the Nations," he said. | {
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Full name MELVIN EMANUEL UPTON, JR...Married, Stephanie...Kids, Riley Emanuel and Myla...Along with brother Justin, Michael Cuddyer, David Wright and Ryan Zimmerman have all been first round picks from the Chesapeake, VA area...His father, Manny, starred in baseball and football at Norfolk State University...NCAA basketball referee for over 20 years and has worked the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16...His mother, Yvonee, was a softball player and is retired from teaching physical education at Hickory High School in the Chesapeake, VA region...Upton is a graduate of Greenbrier Christian Academy, in Chesapeake, Virginia... Member of the 2001 Team USA Junior National team...Named a first-team All-American by Baseball America, batting .641 (50/78) with 11 2B, 11 HR and 32 RBIs during his senior year at Greenbrier...Drafted second overall as a shortstop in the 2002 draft by Tampa Bay...Ranked as the # 21 prospect in MLB prior to 2003 and #2 in 2004...On Twitter @MelvinUptonJr.
2017
Appeared in only 12 games on the season after being released by Toronto out of spring training and signing a Minor League deal with the SF Giants organization on April 11...Was in extended spring training until July 1, making his season debut in Sacramento before missing five weeks on the D.L.; was activated on August 8...Slowed during the season due to right thumb and right shoulder issues...Requested and granted his released on August 20. Is sixth among active players in steals (300) and is one of 33 players in MLB history with at least 150 home runs and 300 steals and is one of just 7 who played at least 75% of their games in center field (Willie Mays, Steve Finley, Marquis Grissom, Devon White, Amos Otis, Willie Davis)...Has finished in the top 10 in the A.L. in steals five times in his career...His 64 total zone runs saved in center field is first among active Major League players...He is one of six active players (Hanley Ramirez 5; Mike Trout 4, Carlos Gonzalez, Ryan Braun, Ian Desmond) with at least four seasons of 20 homers and 20 stolen bases.
2016
Recorded his 4th career season with 20-HR/20-SB, his first since 2012…His 20 home runs were the most he has hit since 2012 (28)…16 of those 20 home runs were hit prior to the All-Star break...Struck out in 28.8% of his plate appearances in 2016 (155/539) ...Was acquired by TOR July 26 for cash considerations…In 57 games with the Blue Jays hit just .196 with a .578 OPS...Hit his 8th career postseason HR in game one of the ALDS, which snapped an 0-for-11 hitless streak…Each of his previous seven HR in the playoffs were hit in 2008…Had gone 19 postseason games without one until the ALDS...Recorded his first career pinch-hit in the postseason in game three of the ALDS…Is 1-for-7 as a pinch hitter in the playoffs in his career...Ranks fourth in stolen bases since 2008 with 263 (Rajai Davis leads with 342) ...Made his fifth playoff appearance and first since 2013 while with ATL...Appeared in each of Toronto's nine games in the postseason, making only two starts.
2015
Played in 87 games for the Padres after being acquired just before the start of the season on April 5 in a six-player trade with the Braves...His .259 (53-205) in 87 games total for San Diego, his highest season average since hitting .273 (145-531) over 145 games in 2008 for Tampa Bay....Began the season on the 15-day disabled list with a left foot injury…placed on the 15-day DL on 4/4 by the Braves....Played in 13 games on a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso from 5/18-6/6, hitting .280 (14-50) on the assignment before being reinstated from the DL on 6/8…missed the club's first 58 games....Made his Padres debut on 6/8 in Atlanta in the ninth inning by pinch-running at second base....Had the seventh multi-home run game of his career on 8/18 vs. ATL, his former team…his first multi-home run game since 6/15/13 vs. SF....The multi-home run game on 8/18 was also the third game of his career to collect five RBI and first since 9/3/11 vs. BAL....Started 47 games total for San Diego, all in center field....Began his year by hitting .147 (5-34) over 18 games in June before hitting .260 (13-50) over 19 games in July, .262 (17-65) over 23 games in August and .325 (13-40) over 23 games in September....Overall in the second half he hit .278/.342/.458 (40-144) over 60 games....Over his final 62 games of the season from 7/10 through the end of the year he hit .289/.349/.480 (44-152) with 18 extra-base hits, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored, including .306/.379/.529 (26-85) over his final 37 games of the season from 8/18 through the end of the year. • In the pinch for the Padres he hit .308 (8-26).
2014
Tied for the team lead with 20 stolen bases (with Jason Heyward)....Had a career-best 11-game hitting streak from 6/24-7/5 (.283, 13-for-46)....Teamed with his brother, Justin, on 9/27 at PHI, homering in the same game for the third time in 2014 and the sixth time in their careers…they own the Major League record for the most times brother teammates have homered in a game....On 9/27 at PHI, he and brother Justin each homered and had an outfield assist in the same game…according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marked the first time in Major League history that a pair of brother teammates both homered and had an outfield assist in the same game....His 173 strikeouts established the Braves single-season franchise mark, passing Dan Uggla's 171 in 2013.
2013
His 207 stolen bases over the past six seasons (2008-13) rank fifth in the majors behind Michael Bourn (280), Rajai Davis (245), Jacoby Ellsbury (232) and Juan Pierre (225). Has 55 outfield assists since 2007, second most among center fielders (Adam Jones, 59). Teamed with brother Justin Upton homering in back-to-back at-bats on 4/23 [2] at COL. Marked the 27th time in MLB history brother teammates have done so, and just the second time in MLB history brothers have gone back-to-back in the same game. Teamed with brother Justin to homer in 4/6's 9th inning (B.J. tied the game at 5-5 and Justin's was the game-winner) marking the first time in their career the brothers homered in the same game and inning. The duo became the fourth pair of brothers in MLB history to homer as teammates in the same inning. Notched a season high four hits twice (8/7 at WSH and 8/31 vs. MIA). His fourth hit on 8/31 drove in the winning run with a two-out RBI-single in 11th inning, he also snapped a 46-game homerless streak with a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Hit .396 (21-for-53) on the first pitch of an at-bat with seven doubles. Hit safely in five consecutive games, 8/3-7, batting .476 (10-for-21) in that span. Activated from the disabled list on 8/3 after leaving on 7/12 game with a right adductor muscle strain. His DL stint included a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett (.333, 4-for-12, 2 RBI). Appeared in three games of the NLDS vs. LAD and went hitless in three at-bats.
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
Played in 146 games and started 144 (141-CF, 3-DH) after missing the first 13 games of the season with lower back soreness...Led the team with 28 home runs (a career high), 78 RBI and 31 SB (tied Desmond Jennings). He became the first player to lead the Rays in homers and steals in the same season and has the only three 20-HR, 20-SB seasons in Rays history (2007, 2011, 2012)...After the All-Star break, ranked tied for third in the majors in both home runs (21) and extra-base hits (40)...From 8/11 through season's end, he led the majors with 18 HR in 50 games played. He also led the majors with 12 HR in September, tied for second most of any month in club history (Carlos Peña, 13 HR in September 2007 and 12 HR in August 2009)...Only two other players in baseball matched Upton's combination of home runs and stolen bases: LAA's Mike Trout (30-HR, 49-SB) and MIL's Ryan Braun (41-HR, 30-SB)...Hit his 100th career home run on 8/3 vs. BAL, becoming the eighth player in major league history to reach 100 HR and 200 SB before age 28. He joined Rickey Henderson, Cesar Cedeño, Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds, Eric Davis, Lloyd Moseby and Hanley Ramirez. B.J. turned 28 on 8/21...His 100th career homer came less than an hour after his brother, then 24-year-old ARI Justin Upton,hit his 100th at PHI. The Uptons became the youngest set of brothers in major league history to reach 100 HR, and only the sixth set of brothers all-time. They were the first to reach the milestone in the same season, let alone the same day...His 195 SB over the past five seasons (2008-12) rank fourth in the majors to Michael Bourn (257), Juan Pierre (202) and Rajai Davis (200)...Ranked among AL leaders in SB (tied for sixth), sacrifice flies (eight, tied for fifth) and strikeouts (169, tied for fourth)...Led all major league center fielders with 10 assists, his most since he had 16 in 2008. Has 52 outfield assists since 2007, most among center fielders (Adam Jones is second with 48)...Hit three home runs on 9/9 vs. TEX, tying the club record. He became the seventh AL player since 1918 to hit three HR in a game out of the leadoff spot and the first in 16 years...Upton and James Shields were named AL Co-Players of the Week for the period of 9/3-9. It was the first time the Rays had co-winners, and the ninth time since 2000 that two teammates shared the AL award...The Rays went 81-65 with Upton in the lineup. In the 81 wins, he hit .313/.353/.608 with 24 HR, 66 RBIand 25 2B. In the 65 losses, he hit .156/.226/.246 with four HR, 12 RBI and four 2B...Tied his career high with a 10-game hitting streak from 5/17-27 (fourth time), hit .405 (17-for-42)...Activated from the 15-day DL on 4/20 after missing the first 13 games with lower back soreness. The soreness began with a spring training outfield collision with Desmond Jennings on 3/14 vs. MIA. Made seven rehab appearances with Charlotte and Montgomery.Played in 153 games and started 151, all in center field...with 5 years, 126 days is the longest tenured member of the Rays roster, with one more day of service time than James Shields...With 23 HR with 36 SB was one of 5 major leaguers with 20 HR and 30 SB joining BOS Jacoby Ellsbury, LAD Matt Kemp, TEX Ian Kinsler and MIL Ryan Braun...is the only major leaguer with 50-plus homers and 100-plus steals over the past 3 seasons...has the only two 20-HR, 20-SB seasons in Rays history (also 2007)...Enters 2012 needing 10 HR before his birthday (Aug 24) to become just the 8th player in major league history to reach 100 HR and 200 SB before turning 28...would join Rickey Henderson, Cesar Cedeño, Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonds, Eric Davis, Lloyd Moseby and Hanley Ramirez...Was installed in the 2-hole in the lineup on Sep 5 when the Rays were 9.5 games back of Boston in the AL Wild Card race and started there in every game through season's end...in those 23 games, the Rays went 15-8 and he hit a club-high .356 (31-for-87) with 5 HR, 14 RBI, 8 2B, 10 BB, 8 SB, .462 OBP and .644 SLG...Fell 1 HR shy of his career high (24 in 2007) and 2 RBI shy of his career high (82 in 2007)...His 35 SB ranked 6th in the AL...was caught stealing 12 times, tied for 4th most in the AL...his 164 steals over the last 4 seasons are 4th most in the majors...Has made 579 starts in center field over the past 4 seasons, 2nd only to ARI Chris Young (582)...leads all center fielders with 1,582 total chances during that span...Batted 66 points higher on the road than at home, the 4th-highest disparity in the majors...Struck out 161 times (5th most in the AL), the 4th time in the last 5 years he has fanned 150-plus times...five others have also struck out 150 or more times in at least 4 of the last 5 seasons: Ryan Howard (5), Adam Dunn (4), Mark Reynolds (4), Carlos Peña (4) and Dan Uggla (4)...His .333 (33-for-99) avg. in September led the team and was his highest in a single month since he hit .362 in July 2007...had 16 extrabase hits for the month, tied for 3rd in the majors...B.J. and his brother, ARI Justin Upton, became the first brothers in major league history to have 20 HR and 20 SB in the same season...Justin totaled 31 HR and 21 SB...they reached the milestone when B.J. hit his 20th homer on Sep 11 vs. BOS, also his first career grand slam...B.J. and Justin combined for 54 HR, tied for 5th most by any brothers in one season in major league history...On May 3 vs. TOR hit a 2-run walk-off HR in the 9th off Jon Rauch...that same night, his brother Justin hit a game-winning homer in the 8th inning to give the D-backs a 4-3 victory over the Rockies...the last time two brothers hit game-winning home runs on the same day was Sep 28, 1996 (CLE Sandy Alomar Jr. and BAL Roberto Alomar)...the Upton brothers have homered on the same day 10 times in their careers, the highest total by any pair of brothers since Bret Boone retired in 2005...Aaron and Bret homered on the same day 19 times, a major league record...Hit .276 (79-for-286) with 14 HR and 51 RBI in 77 road games, compared to .209 (57-for-273; 3rd lowest in majors) with 9 HR and 30 RBI in 76 home games...On Aug 4 vs. TOR had a double and triple in extra innings and scored the game-winning run...was the first AL player to collect 2 extra-base hits in extra innings since TEX Josh Hamilton, April 16, 2008 at TOR (2 doubles)...Reached base safely in 9 consecutive plate apps, Sep 11 vs. BOS and Sep 12 at BAL, setting a club record...Became the Rays all-time leader in walks on Sep 12 at BAL, passing Carlos Peña (373)...Stole the 200th base of his career on Sep 27 vs. NYY...Was picked off 3 times in 2011 and has been picked off 17 times in his career, most in club history...has been picked off 13 times in the past 4 seasons, most in the majors...POSTSEASON: He and Evan Longoria are the only players to play in all 25 of the Rays postseason games...had 3 doubles in the 2011 ALDS vs. TEX including 2 in Game 2 off Derek Holland...is the Rays all-time postseason leader in doubles (6), hits (27) and tied with Longoria for the Rays lead in RBI (18)...also swiped his 9th postseason base in Game 3, passing Carl Crawford as the Rays all-time postseason leader.Became just the fifth center fielder in AL historyto reach 60 extra-base hits and 40 stealsin one season ... joined DET Ty Cobb (1911-12,1917), BOS Tris Speaker (1913-14), NYY RickeyHenderson (1986) and KC Johnny Damon(2000) ... he and Carl Crawford were the onlymajor leaguers to do it in 2010 and the first setof teammates to ever do it ... B.J. was the 19thto do it in AL history. ... Is the only major leaguer to total at least 100stolen bases and 100 doubles over the pastthree years (2008-10) ... only seven other activeplayers have reached those totals overa three-year span: Johnny Damon, HanleyRamirez, Jimmy Rollins, Brian Roberts, BobbyAbreu, Jose Reyes and Alfonso Soriano. ... His 154 games played led all AL center fieldersand tied with Crawford for the team lead ... made 147 starts and has started 518 of 581games since first playing CF on July 13, 2007. ... Stole 42 bases, tied for 5th in the AL and tiedfor 6th in the majors ... Upton and HOU MichaelBourn are the only two players with 40 or moresteals in each of the last three seasons (2008-10) ... ranks 4th in the majors with 128 stolenbases over that span, trailing Bourn (154), JuanPierre (138) and Crawford (132). ... Was successful in 82.4 percent of his stolenbase attempts (42-for-51), the best rate of hiscareer after entering the season with a 74.5career mark ... stole third base a club-record12 times, 3rd most in the majors behind CWSJuan Pierre (16) and OAK Rajai Davis (12) ... stole third base 23 times in 2009-10 combined,2nd most in the majors behind Davis (24). ... Set career highs with 38 doubles and 60 extrabasehits ... his 18 home runs were the secondhighest of his career, but his .237 average wasa career low. ... Enters 2011 with the most hits (633) by a righthandedhitter in club history ... is 3rd overall behindlefties Carl Crawford (1,480) and AubreyHuff (870). ... Hit 60 points better vs. lefthanders (.278) thanrighthanders (.218) ... 7 of his 18 HR came offsouthpaws after hitting just 1 vs. lefties in 2009when his .190 avg. vs. lefthanders ranked185th out of 188 major league hitters (min.150 PA). ... His 164 strikeouts were 2nd most in the ALbehind DET Austin Jackson (170) ... markedthe third time in the last years years he fanned150-plus times in a season ... fell two shy ofCarlos Pena's 2008 club record (166) ... thiswas the 4th-most strikeouts ever by a playerwith 40 steals in a season, behind SF BobbyBonds (1969, 1970) and PHI Juan Samuel(1984). ... Led the majors with 6 bases-loaded walks,most of any player since Carlos Pena's majorleague-record 9 in 2008 ... however, went 1-for-14 with the bases full and was hitless in his first12 AB until a ground-rule double Sep 23 atNYY off Joba Chamberlain. ... Was picked off 4 times, 2nd most in the majors ... his 9 pickoffs combined in 2009-10 weremost in the majors. ... Twice hit 4 HR in a span of 5 days (April 14-19and Sep 5-10). ... In the interleague series June 25-27 vs. ARI,played on the same field with his youngerbrother, Justin Upton, for the first time at anylevel ... batted .136 (9-for-66) during interleagueplay, lowest by an AL player in 2010 ... batted .364 in 2009, 5th best among AL playersand had a .316 career average vs. the NLprior to 2010. ... Tripled in his only pinch-hitting appearance,June 29 at BOS off Hideki Okajima. ... Has 36 outfield assists since 2007, 8 morethan any other center fielder in the majors ... HOU Michael Bourn is 2nd with 28.Became the first player since HOU Jeff Bagwellin 2001 to hit for a cycle and steal home inthe same season...On Oct 2 vs. NYY he became the first Ray tohit for the cycle as he went 5-for-6 with 6 RBIin the Rays 13-4 win that prevented CC Sabathiafrom winning his 20th game...doubledand tripled off Sabathia...reached the cyclein the 5th inning...it was the quickest cyclesince COL Mike Lansing did it in 4 innings onJune 18, 2000 vs. ARI...since 1954, no ALplayer has done it as quickly...it came in theRays 1,939th game...was one of a record 8 inthe majors in 2009...In the Rays 10-9 win July 8 vs. TOR he stolehome when Jays lefty Brian Tallet attemptedto pick Carl Crawford off first base...was his3rd career steal of home, tied with Torii Hunter,Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and OmarVizquel for most among active players...Made 141 starts, all in CF...his 385 total chanceswere 3rd among AL center fielders and histeam-high 6 assists were tied for 4th...Has 33 assists over the past 3 seasons, 9 morethan any other major league center fielder...Stole 42 bases, tied for 4th in the majors and3rd in the AL...was his 2nd 40-steal season...his career 123 steals are 2nd most in clubhistory behind Carl Crawford's 362...he and-Crawford are the only Rays to steal 40 basesin a season...the duo also became the firstset of teammates to steal 40 or more basessince 1993, when the Angels (Luis Polonia andChad Curtis) and Expos (Marquis Grissomand Delino DeShields) both did it...becamethe first AL teammates to combine for 100steals since the 1997 Tigers (Brian Hunter andDamian Easley)...Stole 3rd base 11 times, tied for 3rd in the ALand one shy of the club record (12 by JulioLugo in 2005)...Was AL Player of the Month for June when hebatted .324 with 10 doubles, 5 home runs, 14stolen bases and 22 RBI in 26 games...butbatted .222 (101-455) with 6 home runs and 33RBI in all other games...Batted a major league-low .160 with no homersand 3 RBI in his first 26 games thru May12...batted .260 (118-454) with 11 home runsand 52 RBI in 118 games the rest of the season...batted .364 (16-44) with 6 walks the last13 games of the season to raise his averagefrom .231 to .241.His batting average never .. reached .250 afterthe home opener...Had 6 game-winning RBI in the 7th inning orlater, tied with 4 others for the AL lead...His .190 average vs. lefthanders was 185th outof 188 major league hitters (min. 150 PA)...Struck out 152 times, 10th in the majors and2nd on the team behind Carlos Peña (163)...Upton, Peña and Ben Grieve are the only playersin Rays history to fan 150+ times...Went 120 at-bats without a home run to startthe season before hitting a walk-off on May 15vs. CLE (Luis Vizcaino) to give the Rays an 8-7win after they trailed 7-0...also doubled andstole two bases that game...Had another dry spell July 1-Aug 16 when hewent 37 games (151 AB) without a homer...ended that with a homer, triple and single onAug 18 vs. BAL...In addition to his cycle against the Yankees, hehad a 4-hit, 4-RBI game at Citi Field on June21 at NYM...His 28 interleague hits were tied for 2nd in themajors...his .364 average in interleague playwas 5th among American Leaguers...has a.316 (49-155) career average vs. the NL...Including 2008 postseason, he has 8 homeruns and 23 RBI in 24 October games and hasbatted .301 (28-93)...Was picked off 5 times, tops in the majors...Spent the first six games of the season on theDL while recovering from offseason surgery...was activated on April 13Twenty-four-year-old spent his first full seasonin center field...established career highsin hits, games, at-bats, doubles and stolenbases...fell one run short of a new career-highin runs scored.Finished 2nd in the American League with44 stolen bases (behind Boston's JacobyEllsbury, 50)...joins Carl Crawford (5 times)as the only Ray to steal 40 or more bases ina season...6th highest single season total inRays history...his 16 times caught stealing ledthe majors...his 81 career steals are 3rd-mostin club history.Led the Rays with a .383 on-base percentageon the year...ranked 7th in the AL and was the4th-highest mark in Rays history.Drew a team-high 97 walks on the season,4th in the AL and 2nd-most in franchise history(Carlos Peña's 103 in 2007)...became theyoungest AL player since Frank Thomas (138BB in 1991) to draw that many walks...the onlyother ML player to do this as a center fielderwas Mickey Mantle (2x, 1954-55)...struck out134 times, 6th in the AL.Tied for 2nd in the majors with 16 outfield assists...tied with HOU Hunter Pence and LADMatt Kemp behind BAL Nick Markakis (17)...tied for 4th in the majors and T-2nd in the AL (with MIN Delmon Young) with 27 outfield assistsover the past two seasons.Hit 4 home runs in his final 84 games and finishedwith 9 total on the season...came on theheels of a 24-HR season in 2007.Finished tops among AL center fielders in onbasepct. and walks...3rd in games playedand runs...T-2nd in doubles, 4th in RBI and5th in hits.Hit .300 (74-247) with 6-HR, .414-OBP, .449-SLG with men on base...bases empty: .250(71-284), 3-HR, .355-OBP, .359-SLG.Stole home April 8 vs. SEA as part of a doublesteal with Gomes stealing 2nd base...was his2nd career steal of home, and B.J. was alsothe last Ray to do so on Sep 17, 2007 at LAA...was the 7th steal of home in TB history.Had his 3rd career 4-hit game May 24 vs.BAL...went 4-for-4 with 2-2B, 3 runs, 2 RBIand a walk...reached base in all 5 plate appearancesin the game...tied a club record byreaching base in 8 straight PA that weekend.On June 6 at TEX, homered for the first timein 34 games (since April 29)...swiped his 19thand 20th bases, reaching 20 SB for the year.Batted leadoff June 30 vs. BOS for the 3rdstraight day, filling in for the suspended AkinoriIwamura...hit his first career leadoff homerun on the first pitch he saw from Justin Masterson...prior to that, had 2 HR in his last 53games, both coming at Texas (June 6, 8).On Aug 14 at OAK, hit an RBI double in the 9thoff reliever Brad Ziegler, ending his 39.0-inningscoreless streak to begin his career, a majorleague record...forced extra innings, as Rayswent on to win 7-6 in 12.Missed 10 games with a left quad strain hesuffered Sep 8 at Boston...returned Sep 20 vs.Minnesota...in his 11 games leading up to theinjury: .372 (16-43), 3-2B, 5-RBI, 6-BB, 4-SB.Underwent successful surgery to repair thelabrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder onNov 11...the surgery was performed in Birmingham,Ala., by Dr. James Andrews.
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCESlugged 7 home runs in 2008 to tie an AmericanLeague record for a single postseason,matching ANA Troy Glaus (2002)...fell oneshy of the overall mark of 8 (SF Barry Bonds in2002, HOU Carlos Beltran in 2004).Overall in the postseason, hit .288 (19-66) witha team-high 16-RBI, 16-R and .652-SLG...stole 6 bases...played every inning of all 16games in center field...batted 2nd in everygame except the final World Series game,when he hit 3rd.Four of his 7 homers came in the ALCS, tyingthe LCS record...tied PIT Bob Robertson(1971), LAD Steve Garvey (1978), SF JeffreyLeonard (1987), CLE Jim Thome (1998), HOUCarlos Beltran (2004), STL Albert Pujols (2004)and teammate Evan Longoria (2008).Six of his 7 home runs were hit with the gameeither tied or within one run at the time.Seven homers came in 66 at-bats (9.4 AB/HR)after hitting 9 in 531 AB in the regular season(59 AB/HR)...became the first player to hit 5or more homers in a postseason after hittingfewer than 10 during the regular season.Tallied 16 RBI in the 2008 postseason, 3 shy ofthe major league record 19 held by BOS DavidOrtiz (2004), CLE Sandy Alomar (1997), ANAScott Spiezio (2002)...his 11 RBI in the ALCStied an LCS record (Ortiz in 2004).At 24 years, 2 months, became the youngestplayer to hit 7 or more homers in a postseason...only Longoria (23 years) hit 6 or more ata younger age.Combined with Longoria (6 homers) to hit 13home runs in the postseason, 2nd-most of anypair of teammates in major league history (SFBarry Bonds and Rich Aurilia hit 14 in 2002)...8of the 13 came in the ALCS, most by any duo ina single series in postseason play.Was a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts,4 of them coming in the World Series...stole 3bases in Game 3 at Philadelphia, tying a WorldSeries record (5th time)...was the first ALplayer ever to swipe 3 bases in a World Seriesgame, and first overall since STL Lou Brockdid it on Oct 5, 1968.In Game 2 of the ALCS vs. Boston, hit a gamewinning,bases-loaded, 11th-inning sacrificefly to score pinch-runner Fernando Perez...it ended a 5-hours, 27-minute contest thatranked as the 2nd-longest game in ALCS history.In Game 5 of the ALCS at Fenway, went 3-for-4 with 4-RBI, HR, 2B, BB, 2-R...in Game 6,tagged Josh Beckett for a solo shot off the Cringcatwalk in the 1st inning, grabbing a 1-0lead.Hit 2 solo homers off Gavin Floyd in the seriesclinchingGame 4 of the ALDS at Chicago...they came in the 1st and 3rd innings and gavehim 3 homers over a span of 4 at-bats betweenGames 3 and 4...he and Longoria became thefirst teammates under 25 to have multi-homergames in one postseason.
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
Named the No 2 prospect in all of minor league baseball by SportsTicker...Also selected thetop shortstop prospect among all the minor leagues.
Named as the top prospect in the Arizona Fall League by Baseball America...At 19, was the 2ndyoungest player in the AFL behind his Mesa Solar Sox teammate Delmon Young (18).
Was the youngest member of the 2003 Topps Class A All-Star team selected last November.
Was also selected by league managers as the South Atlantic League's most outstandingprospect, best base runner and as having the best infield arm.
At 18, began the season as the 2nd youngest everyday player in the Class A South Atlantic Leaguefor Charleston...Was promoted to AA Orlando on Aug. 1 skipping High Class A Bakersfield.
Batted a combined .297 (145-489) for both clubs...His 73 walks led the Rays organization andhis .302 average at Charleston was 8th best in the Sally League.
Committed 56 errors, most in the minor leagues and the same number made by Derek Jeter inthe same league when he was 19. B.J.wore number two as a high school player in adulation of Jeter.
Struggled early at Charleston...Was hitting .219 on May 10 after 31 games with 38 strikeouts...However from that point forward, he batted .352 (95-270) with only 38 strikeouts in hislast 70 games for the RiverDogs...Hit safely in 57 of those 70 games at Charleston and didn'tgo back-to-back games without a hit.
Hit safely in his last 11 games at Charleston and his first two at Orlando giving him a seasonhigh13-game hitting streak...Was batting .323 in his first 18 games at Orlando, then went 7-for-37 (.189) in his final 11 games to close out the season. 2002 2002
Signed with the Rays on September 11 and reported to the team's instructional league camp inSt. Petersburg on September 16. On the 2nd day of workouts, first open to the media, he wasrushed to the emergency room at St.Anthony's Hospital where he was treated for cramps anddehydration.Was released several hours later.
Was considered the number one overall prospect in the 2002 draft by Baseball America.
Is the fourth Chesapeake,Virginia area high school product to be taken in the first round of thedraft since 1997 joining 3B Michael Cuddyer (Twins, 9th player selected in 1997), P John Curtice(Red Sox, 17th player selected in 1997) and 3B David Wright (Mets, 38th player selected in 2001).
B.J. was selected as the top 17-year-old prospect in the nation in 2002 by Baseball America...Hisyounger brother, Justin, was named the best 14-year-old prospect.
Became the 4th player in Rays history to hit .300 joining Carl Crawford (3 times, 2005-07), Fred McGriff (1999) and Aubrey Huff (2003) ... his final mark of .300 was its low point of the season ... Was 9th in the AL in slugging (.509) and ABs per HRs (19.8) ... his slugging mark was the 5th highest in club history ... his 154 strikeouts were 3rd highest in the AL and 5 shy of the club record ... Became the first Ray to reach 20 homers and 20 steals, one of only 12 players all-time to do it at his age or younger ... joins Alex Rodriguez, Andruw Jones, Orlando Cepeda, Darryl Strawberry, Barry Bonds, Cesar Cedeno, Grady Sizemore, Carlos Beltran, Willie Davis, Ellis Burks and Vada Pinson ... Is one of only 5 players all-time to hit .300 with 20 homers and 20 steals in one season at his age or younger ... Is one of 12 players since 1969 to record a .300 batting average and .500 slugging mark in one season at his age or younger ... Batted .339 (42-124) with men in scoring position, 4th highest mark in club history behind Delmon Young (.349 in 2007), Carl Crawford (.348 in 2006) and Marlon Anderson (.341 in 2003) ... Batted .335 (77-230) on the road, 6th best in the AL, including .432 (16-37) at Yankee Stadium ... had two career-high 4-hit games, both on the road: May 27 at Chicago and June 7 at Toronto ... his 16 hits at Yankee Stadium have been bettered by only 7 visiting players there in the last 50 years including Carl Crawford who had 19 in 2005 ... Started 48 games at 2B and 74 in CF ... had played just one game in the outfield during his pro career and none at 2B prior to 2007 ... started one game in LF for the Rays in 2004 ... saw action at 2B, 3B, SS, CF and RF in spring training ... Despite limited time there, his 11 assists were tied with Philadelphia's Aaron Rowand for 2nd most among Major League center fielders ... trailed New York's Melky Cabrera (14) ... he and Delmon Young combined for 27 assists, most by outfield teammates in 2007 ... Was the Rays Opening Day second baseman and started 48 of the first 59 games at 2B before suffering a strained left quadriceps muscle ... sidelined June 9 to July 13 ... at the time he was injured was leading all major league second basemen in hitting and was leading the Rays in average (.320), runs (32) and doubles (16) ... Returned July 13 ... with Rocco Baldelli on the DL and Elijah Dukes on the temporary inactive list, played center field exclusively the rest of the season starting 68 of TB's final 74 games ... Batted .431 (22-51) in his first 13 games back from the DL ... From May 3-9, was leading the AL in hitting, the deepest into the season any Ray has led the league in hitting ... Named AL Co-Player of the Week, July 16-22 ... had four 3-hit games in a 6-game span and had his first multi-homer game when he homered twice at Yankee Stadium in the Rays 14-4 win on July 20 ... His 2-run homer off Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka in the 6th inning gave the Rays a 2-1 win on Aug 22 at Tropicana Field ... it was their 3rd win over the much heralded Red Sox rookie ... His 2-run, 2-out pinch-hit home run on Sep 8 off Toronto's Jeremy Accardo in the 9th inning gave the Rays a 5-4 win ... was originally in the starting lineup but was scratched due to a sore left ankle injured the previous night when he fouled a ball off his foot ... On Sep 17 he stole home on a straight steal at Los Angeles ... was the 3rd Ray to do it joining Carl Crawford, July 5, 2006 vs. Boston and Aubrey Huff, Sep 6, 2003 vs. Cleveland ... His .424 average against the NYY was 5th best in the AL, and tops by a player from the AL East.The 22-year-old was recalled Aug. 1 from AAA Durham and started 48 of TB's remaining 56 games, all at 3rd base...Hit safely in 33 of his 48 starts...Went 2-for-4 with a double his first game, Aug. 1 vs. Detroit...then went 9-for-56 (.161) over his next 14 games through Aug. 17...hit .267 (32-120) over the remainder of the season (34 games) to raise his avg. from a season-low .196 and finish at .246...Owns 199 miscues in 574 career professional games...Did make one of the majors' top defensive plays of the year, throwing out Oakland's Nick Swisher from his back Aug. 11 at McAfee Coliseum...Suffered a strained left shoulder Aug 17 vs. Toronto following a swing at the plate...missed the 3-game Cleveland series Aug 18-20...Lone home run was Sep 23 off Randy Johnson...was his first Major League HR since Sept 17, 2004 at TOR...Collected a season-high 3 hits Sep 19 vs. Baltimore...Was successful on 11 of 14 stolen base attempts...swiped 57 bases between the Rays and AAA Durham...Turned 22 years old on Aug. 21 and went 2-for-5 vs. Texas...he is 8-17 with three doubles and 5RBI in his pro career on his birthday. ..Hit leadoff 5 games...had his most success from the two hole in the lineup (.308, 8-26)...In his brief major league career has batted .361 (39-108) vs. left-handed pitching and .199 against righties (45-226)...Had one RBI in 23 road games (Aug. 29 at CWS)...Was his first major league action since 2004 when he started 41 games for the Rays...Batted .269 (107-398) with 18 doubles, 4 triples, 8 home runs, 65 walks and 41 RBI in 106 games with the Bulls...his .374 OBP ranked 2nd on the club...also collected a team-high 46 stolen bases, tops in the International League and tied for 6th most in the minors at the time he was promoted...Made the move from shortstop to 3rd base on July 13 committing 5 errors in 18 games at AAA...Connected for a walk-off grand slam in the 9th inning April 14 against Toledo (DET), Upton's first career grand slam and first career walk-off home run...came off Mark Woodyard.Returned to Triple-A Durham in 2005 where he was named the Bulls' Player of the Year after leading the team in nearly every offensive category...Topped all Rays minor leaguers with 98 runs scored, a career-high 36 doubles and a career-most 60 extra-base hits...runs scored were the most in the International League as were his career high 165 hits...Also stole a career-high 44 bases, second most in the IL and just two off the league leader...Led the Bulls in average (.303), games played (139), runs, hits, doubles, triples (6), walks (78), stolen bases, OBP (.392) and TB (267)...Was one of just 4 minor leaguers to hit 15+ HR and steal 40+ bases...Recorded his first career multi-home run game July 29 at Louisville (Reds) with a pair of solo home runs off Bats starter Ben Kozlowski...repeated the feat Aug 10 at Richmond (Braves) with a pair of solo shots...Celebrated his 21st birthday on Aug 21 by delivering the "walk-off" RBI single in the bottom of the 9th off Charlotte (White Sox) reliever Jeff Bajenaru...capped off a 3-for-4 (2B, 3 RBI) day...Led all minor leaguers with 53 errors...Was tabbed as the league's starting shortstop for the midseason and postseason All-Star teams in addition to being the starting shortstop for Team USA at the All-Star Future's Game (0-for-2) for the second straight year...Named the IL's Most Exciting Player byRecalled by the Devil Rays from AAA Durham onAugust 1 and at 19 years, 11 months, 10 daysbecame the youngest player in the majors in 2004and the youngest Ray ever...Started 41 games: 16at SS, 11 at 3B, 1 in LF, and 13 at DH...Never went more than 2 straight games without a hit...Batted .410 (25-61) off left-handed pitching...First ML HR was Aug. 17 vs.ANA (Escobar) - came in his 39th ML at-bat...became the first teenager to homer in a major league game since LA's Adrian Beltre April 6, 1999 off Arizona'a Todd Stottlemyre...Homered off the Yankees' Brad Halsey at NY Sep 9 becoming the youngest player to hit a home run at Yankee Stadium since Ken Griffey Jr. did it as a 19-year-old on May 30, 1989...Became the youngest DH since Claudell Washington for Oakland in 1974...After starting the season 1-for-10, he had a 9-game streak (.417, 15-36) from Aug. 5-18, the 4th longest by an AL rookie this season...Hit 3rd in the lineup 3 times, first was Aug. 14 at Texas, the first teenager to hit in the 3 hole since Andruw Jones with Atlanta on Sept. 24,1996...Made his ML debut Aug 2 vs. Boston starting as the DH...went 1-for-3, walk with his hit, a 7th-inning single off Tim Wakefield...On Sept. 8 at Yankee Stadium, he robbed Alex Rodriguez of a hit from shortstop backhandingthe ball in short left field and throwing to first base without leaping, the bottom half of his body still facing the left field corner...Said Yankees SS Derek Jeter afterward:"That was nice. It was a really good play. He can play. You can tell he has a really good idea, offensively. Defensively he showedtoday he's got the tools. He's young so the more he works, the better he'll be."...Was the starting shortstop for the U.S.team in the 2004 Futures Game in Houston's Minute Maid Park on July 11...Was 0-for-2...His combined numbers at AA Montgomery and AAA Durham: 98 G, .315 (116-368), 24-2B, 2-3B, 14-HR, 51-RBI, 56-BB, 20-SB, 35-errors and an organization-leading 86 runs scored...At AAA hit .312 (81-260), 7th in the IL...had 17-2B, 1-3B, 12-HR, and 36-RBI...reached base in 62 of 69 games and was 2nd in OBP...For the Bulls batted .332 vs. RH (71-214) and .220 vs. lefties (11-50)...Began the season at AA Montgomery - In 29 games hit a team best .327 (34-104), 7-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 15-RBI...Reached base in 26 of his 29 games and lead the team with 21 runs, 49 total bases, and 14 walks...Promoted to AAA Durham May 12...Named #1 overall prospect in minor league baseball by Baseball America (Delmon Young was #2) this year...Baseball America also named him the best 19-year-old in their November 7, 2004 edition...For his career he has made 91 errors in 228 minor league games at shortstop...For comparison's sake: Derek Jeter had 90 errors in his first 255 minor league games. | {
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You can search for blocked sites be entering keywords below. This will find any sites associated with that keyword that are blocked by UK filters.
You can view each site and check that it is real and not squatted. If you think a site is mistakenly blocked, you can report them to the ISP by pressing the Report Site button. | {
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Blockchain’s SingularDTV Adds Three New Executives: Archna Desai Named COO
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Switzerland-based blockchain entertainment studio SingularDTV has added Shreesh Tiwari (Chief Strategic Officer), Archna Desai (Chief Operating Officer), and Oliver Mahrdt (SVP of Marketing) to its team.
A former partner at IBM, Shreesh Tiwari led IBM’s efforts to establish cognitive computing consulting and was focused on emerging blockchain technology. He also serves as an Adjunct professor & Advisory Board Member at Rutgers University, teaching cognitive and artificial science, and advising the university on the application of emerging technologies.
“Shreesh brings both a large corporate and uniquely innovative perspective on blockchain to SingularDTV,” said Arie Levy-Cohen, S-DTV Co-Founder and CFO. “As we are creating art on the blockchain and managing the business surrounding that art, Shreesh ensures execution at the highest level on the intersection of strategy, operations and technology”
Archna Desai joins the SingularDTV team with 15-plus years of global business experience across a variety of industries, notably at global market leaders Sterling Talent Solutions (a Goldman Sachs Portfolio Company), Estée Lauder Companies, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
“Archna’s multi-disciplinary expertise and business savvy is a perfect addition to the SingularDTV team,” said Kim Jackson, SingularDTV Co-Founder and the company’s President of Entertainment. “As we near our launch, it is imperative we have an executive who can find solutions for all our business, technological, and creative needs. Archna couldn’t have joined at a better moment.”
Oliver Mahrdt comes with deep knowledge of the film industry, having been the North-American representative of German Films – the German government state agency promoting its films internationally – for over seventeen years, since 2001. He took over ownership of the Hanns Wolters International agency in 2000 after having started to work with the legendary Marlene Dietrich impresario Wolters in 1996.
SingularDTV is an EnTech (entertainment technology) company using blockchain technology to create tokenized entertainment economies that empowers both content creators and consumers. Built on Ethereum, these applications provide filmmakers and artists the tools to capitalize on its proprietary blockchain-based technology in order to fund, distribute and market their content, in a peer-to-peer ecosystem, eliminating traditional funding obstacles and distribution intermediaries. | {
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DAVIE (CBSMiami) – The battle to get rid of invasive and destructive Giant African Land Snails just got a little harder after the disease-carrying, stucco-eating mollusk was located for the first time in Broward County.
The discovery was made when a Davie resident called in a tip one day after extensive media coverage of Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam’s press conference on the state’s snail eradication program.
Click here to watch Carey Codd’s report.
“Although we are very concerned about locating Giant African Land Snails outside of the core areas of Miami-Dade County, this find only underscores the importance of the role of South Florida residents to help us successfully eradicate these snails,” said Commissioner Putnam. “We also appreciate the quick action of the individual who called in the report once he realized the major threat these snails are to agriculture, the environment and human and animal health.”
Mark Fagan, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Agriculture, said state workers descended on the Davie neighborhood on Wednesday and removed more than 75 snails. He says the snails eat 500 different kinds of plants, including everything grown for food in Florida.
“We provide this nation’s food supply from October to May,” Fagan said. “It’s not just a Florida problem. It’s not just a South Florida problem. It could be a nationwide problem.”
Fagan said that, if touched, the Giant African Land Snail can release a worm that gets into a person’s bloodstream and could cause meningitis.
“A rare form of meningitis of which there is no cure for and can also cause other neurological issues such as going blind or losing your hearing,” Fagan said.
Sean Cononie owns the home where the snails were first spotted by a worker. He said he’s had meningitis and wants the community to protect themselves and their children.
“I know kids can die in an emergency room just waiting to see a doctor when it comes to bacterial meningitis,” Cononie said.
Fagan says the snails are prolific reproducers — laying hundreds of eggs each month. He also said they probably arrived in Davie by hitching a ride on a landscapers truck or a delivery vehicle from Miami-Dade.
“When you see these snails and you see just the vertical lines and no horizontal lines, get concerned,” Fagan told CBS4’s Carey Codd. “Call us, we’ll come out and get it. Do not touch it. We need your eyes but not your hands.”
Commissioner Putnam held a press conference in Miami on Tuesday to announce that more than 140,000 Giant African Land Snails, also known as GALS, have been eliminated in Florida since they were found here three years ago.
A new infestation of an estimated 2,000 snails, some up to five inches in length, also was recently found in Miami.
State inspectors have collected about 50 snails so far, with the largest being 4 inches in size. Many more snails are expected to be collected. Broward County officials have also been notified and are assisting in awareness efforts.
Scientists consider these snails to be one of the most damaging snails in the world. The snails cause structural damage to buildings by consuming plaster and stucco to get the calcium they need to grow their shells.
A team of snail-sniffing dog detectors has recently joined the fight to eradicate the giant snails.
In addition, teams continue to refine eradication techniques, including researching alternative bait treatments, inspecting lawn maintenance companies and solid waste facilities, continuing public outreach and education activities, and developing experimental trap designs.
Originally from East Africa, the GALS, Achatina fulica, is one of the largest land snails in the world, growing up to 8 inches in length. Each snail can live as long as 9 years. GALS are difficult to eradicate because they have no natural predator and they reproduce exponentially, up to 1,200 more snails per year.
To report a Giant African Land Snail, call the department’s toll-free helpline at 888-397-1517. To preserve a snail sample, with gloved hands put the snail in a zip-top bag, seal it, and put in a bucket or plastic container. Do not touch the snails or release them in a different location.
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Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images
Kansas State left tackle Scott Frantz publicly announced Thursday that he is gay.
Frantz broke the news to ESPN's Holly Rowe, according to Tim Bisel of the Topeka Capital-Journal, and said he wanted to "reach out to all the other kids who are just like me."
Frantz described the moment when he came out to his teammates during a team-building exercise following his 2015 redshirt freshman season to Rowe:
"I came out to my teammates, and I've never felt so loved and so accepted ever in my life than when I did that. And ever since then it's been great. I've grown so much closer to my teammates since. So it's been an amazing experience."
Frantz told Rowe that he had known he was gay since fifth grade.
Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder also discussed how the entire team embraced Frantz: "I was quite comfortable that they would be very receptive and that they would treat him as they always said as, you know, his teammate and someone that they cared about. And they did."
The Lawrence, Kansas, native started 13 games for the Wildcats last season, and he is expected to start at left tackle during his sophomore campaign.
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Per ESPN, Frantz and Arizona freshman defensive end My-King Johnson are the only two openly gay players in major college football.
Frantz's decision to come out publicly came less than a month after former New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Ryan O'Callaghan announced that he is gay. | {
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Danny's Tavern, 1951 W. Dickens Ave., on a quiet Tuesday morning. View Full Caption DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser
BUCKTOWN — The owners of Danny's, a Bucktown dive bar staple that faced a possible closure over issues with renegotiating a lease announced on Tuesday that they were planning to stay put "so we can all have a Happy Holiday."
"We have been humbled by the outpouring of support to keep the Tavern open from friends across the country. If it weren't for folks speaking out about the possible closing, we may have been looking at our final month of business after 26 years," Danny's co-owner Terry Alexander said in a statement issued on behalf of himself and partners Michael Noone, Kevin Stacy and the staff of Danny's.
Alexander, who thanked everyone for their encouragement and loyalty, said that "fortunately our landlord has reached back out to us in response to all of the petitions, blogs, articles in magazines and stories on the Internet, and we're currently working towards signing another lease and repairing the roof that is quickly deteriorating. "
Earlier this month, news of a possible closure was leaked over Facebook, when Clark Street Jams, a weekly DJ night hosted by Gramaphone Records, posted an invite for their Thursday show titled, "Clark Street Jams Danny's End."
The building that has been home to Danny's since the mid-1980s at 1951 W. Dickens Ave. is owned by Michael Dragovich, according to county records. Dragovich's daughter, Jan Dragovich, who manages the building, previously declined to comment about the status of her tenant's lease and was not immediately available on Tuesday.
Alexander said that the management team's goal was to finalize the repair of the building and sign a new lease by the end of the November or early next month "so we can all have a Happy Holiday."
"Let us raise our can of Schlitz to many more years of drinks, dancing and good times at Danny's Tavern," Alexander said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: | {
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As reported earlier this week, plans for a major overhaul of aero rules to make the cars much faster by 2017 are set to be scrapped, as both Mercedes and Pirelli had expressed concerns about the load that the extra downforce would place on the tyres.
Hembery says Pirelli could produce a tyre that would be able to handle the added load, but he warns that would change its behaviour quite significantly - to the potential detriment of the racing.
"We can make a tyre to resist any load you want, but it won't be the same tyre we use today," Hembery said at the Autosport International show on Thursday.
"So if you want 50, 60 percent higher load with aero, you're not going to have the type of tyre we've had the last few seasons.
"The indication we've given is, if you want to keep the normality of what we've been used to in F1, there are limitations to the loads you can use."
However, the Briton is convinced the combination of wider tyres and wider cars set to be introduced in 2017 will make up for the lack of added downforce in a more natural way.
"There's going to be natural evolution from 2015 to 2017 anyway with development," he added. "Add in wider tyres and wider chassis, you're going to be four to five seconds quicker."
More thought needed
Hembery also cautioned that F1 should consider carefully whether it wants increases in lap time to come purely through cornering speeds, as has been proposed.
"A lot of [the gain] is going to be cornering, as you'll have more drag in a straight line with wider tyres, and that's a huge change," he explained.
"I recall when we came into the sport, Ross Brawn was head of the tyre working group.
"One of his first points was: 'We don't want to be quicker round corners'. So when we're asked to go quicker in corners, that's something we need to be very careful about.
"People need to realise the performance of F1 cars is already very high, and that five seconds is a huge change. We need to be sure we're going in the right direction." | {
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Family of Kidnapped Louisiana Woman Kills Abductor in Daring Rescue The woman's cousin confronted her abductor in an abandoned Louisiana home.
Nov. 9, 2013 -- The family of a kidnapped Louisiana mother tracked down and killed the father of her child in the abandoned house where he was allegedly holding her prisoner, authorities said.
Bethany Arceneaux, 29, of Duson, La., was abducted in the parking lot of a daycare where she was picking up her 2-year-old at approximately 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Department Captain Kip Judice told ABCNews.com.
Witnesses saw the suspect, Scott Thomas, allegedly force Arceneaux into his white Buick LeSabre, before driving off, Lafayette Police Department spokesman Paul Mouton told ABCNews.com.
Thomas, 29, of Leonville, La., is the father of Arceneaux's child, Judice said. The woman had a restraining order against Thomas, but Judice said he did not know when it was filed.
The child was left behind in the woman's car, and was later taken into custody by the woman's mother, Mouton said.
Later that evening, law enforcement officials found Thomas' car near an abandoned sugarcane field in a rural area of Lafayette Parish, La., Judice said.
One of Arceneaux's shoes was found in the car, while the other had been left in the parking lot of the daycare where she had been last seen.
Authorities searched the sugarcane field Wednesday night and all day Thursday, but to no avail, Judice said. The cane towers as high as eight feet tall and was "a brutal search area" for officials, he said.
It wasn't until Friday morning, when Arceneaux's family members conducted their own search in the same area that they came upon a secluded, abandoned house behind a cluster of trees.
The house was directly across the street from the field where Thomas abandoned his car, but only the home's roof was visible from the road, Judice said.
"[The family] converged on a piece of property about a mile from where the car was found," Judice said. "One of the family members heard what he thought was a scream."
Arceneaux's cousin approached the home, kicked in the door in and entered, Judice said. Inside, he found Thomas with the woman. Thomas then began stabbing Arceneaux, and a confrontation ensued.
"The cousin, who was armed, began firing several shots at Thomas," Judice said. "After a couple of shots, [Arceneaux] was able to get free of him and they escorted her out of the house."
Arcenaux suffered several stab wounds and was taken by ambulance to Lafayette General Medical Center, where she is in stable condition, Judice said. It is not known if Arceneaux had been stabbed before her cousin found her inside the home, officials said.
Meanwhile, officers who heard the gun shots fired surrounded the home, Judice said. Upon entering, they found Thomas' lifeless body on the ground. He had sustained several gunshot wounds.
Thomas' cause of death is not known, Judice said. An autopsy on the body will be conducted by Lafayette Parish Coroner Ken Odinet, but it is not known when it will take place.
ABC News' attempts to reach Odinet were not immediately successful.
Thomas did not own the abandoned home, Judice said. At this point, there is no known connection between Thomas and the property's owners.
Arceneaux told investigators that the home was the only place she remembers being held hostage, Judice said. She said she had not eaten or drunk anything since her abduction on Wednesday.
No charges have been filed against the man who shot Thomas, and it is unlikely that the man will be charged, Judice said.
"In the state of Louisiana, you have a right to protect yourself and others from imminent bodily harm," he said. "We believe at this point, based on evidence and statements collected, that this guy was acting in defense of Ms. Arceneaux and thus, was within the state law."
ABC News' attempts to reach Arceneaux's family were not immediately successful. | {
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The Oxford Dictionaries’ 2016 “word of the year” shortlist was heavy on neologisms that one wishes didn’t have to exist: “alt-right,” “Brexiteer,” and this year’s winning term, “post-truth.” Among the finalists, though, there was one bit of solace: “hygge,” a Danish term defined as “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” Pronounced “hoo-guh,” the word is said to have no direct translation in English, though “cozy” comes close. It derives from a sixteenth-century Norwegian term, hugga, meaning “to comfort” or “to console,” which is related to the English word “hug.” Associated with relaxation, indulgence, and gratitude, hygge has long been considered a part of the Danish national character. In a 1957 “Letter from Copenhagen” in The New Yorker, the writer Robert Shaplen reported that hygge was “ubiquitous” in the city: “The sidewalks are filled with smiling, hyggelige people, who keep lifting their hats to each other and who look at a stranger with an expression that indicates they wish they knew him well enough to lift their hats to him, too.”
In the past year, this concept of Scandinavian coziness has made inroads with an international audience. At least six books about hygge were published in the United States this year, with more to come in 2017. (At the Guardian, Charlotte Higgins has done an investigation into the U.K.’s hygge publishing craze.) Helen Russell, a British journalist who wrote “The Year of Living Danishly,” defines the term as “taking pleasure in the presence of gentle, soothing things,” like a freshly brewed cup of coffee and cashmere socks. Signe Johansen, in a cookbook and wellness guide, “How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life,” links hygge to food and drink like cardamom buns, muesli “ne plus ultra,” and triple cherry gløgg, a Scandinavian mulled wine with cardamom pods and star anise; she calls it “healthy hedonism.” Louisa Thomsen Brits, the author of “The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection,” calls it “a practical way of creating sanctuary in the middle of very real life” and “a cure for SAD”—seasonal affective disorder—“in book form.”
Winter is the most hygge time of year. It is candles, nubby woolens, shearling slippers, woven textiles, pastries, blond wood, sheepskin rugs, lattes with milk-foam hearts, and a warm fireplace. Hygge can be used as a noun, adjective, verb, or compound noun, like hyggebukser, otherwise known as that shlubby pair of pants you would never wear in public but secretly treasure. Hygge can be found in a bakery and in the dry heat of a sauna in winter, surrounded by your naked neighbors. It’s wholesome and nourishing, like porridge; Danish doctors recommend “tea and hygge” as a cure for the common cold. It’s possible to hygge alone, wrapped in a flannel blanket with a cup of tea, but the true expression of hygge is joining with loved ones in a relaxed and intimate atmosphere. In “The Little Book of Hygge,” the best-selling of the current crop of books, Meik Wiking, the C.E.O. of a Copenhagen think tank called the Happiness Research Institute, shares a story about a Christmas Day spent with friends in a woodsy cabin. After a hike in the snow, the friends sat around the fireplace wearing sweaters and woolen socks, listening to the crackle of the fire, and enjoying mulled wine. One of his friends asked, “Could this be any more hygge?” Everyone nodded when one woman replied, “Yes, if a storm were raging outside.”
Like many of the best things from Scandinavia, hygge might seem, to some Americans, to come with a whiff of smugness. The term is often mentioned in the same paragraph that reminds us that Danes (or, depending on the year, Norwegians and Swedes) are the happiest people in the world. Perhaps Scandinavians are better able to appreciate the small, hygge things in life because they already have all the big ones nailed down: free university education, social security, universal health care, efficient infrastructure, paid family leave, and at least a month of vacation a year. With those necessities secured, according to Wiking, Danes are free to become “aware of the decoupling between wealth and wellbeing.” “After our basic needs are met, more money doesn’t lead to more happiness,” he told Elle UK. “Instead, Danes are good at focusing on what brings them a better quality of life.”
This vision of restrained pleasure harmonizes with a related Swedish concept, lagom, which refers to a kind of moderation. Pronounced with a hard “G,” the term is said to come from the Viking phrase laget om, or “around the team,” meaning that you should take only a sip of the mead that’s being passed around so that no one is left without. Lagom means “adequate,” “just right,” or “in balance” and it is said to have burrowed deep into the Swedish national psyche, if not that of all Scandinavians. It encourages modesty and teamwork and discourages extremes. It is related to fairness, the need for consensus, and equality. Lagom is how a Swede might respond when someone asks how much milk you want in your tea or if things are going well. Hygge shares lagom’s reverence for measured experience: indulging in a piece of cake, but not outright gluttony; a dinner with friends at home, but nothing fancy.
Some Scandinavians argue that lagom, instead of promoting virtues like humility and moderation, encourages the kind of bland conformity that Nordic countries are often accused of. In the 1933 novel “A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks,” the Danish-Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose wrote about the forced group mentality in a small fictional town called Jante. He lists ten soul-deadening rules by which the townspeople live, including “you are not to think you are special,” “you are not to think you are good at anything,” and “you are not to convince yourself that you are better than we are.” In an article in T about his youthful dreams of fame, Karl Ove Knausgaard wrote about his own experience of what is known in Scandinavia as “the Law of Jante.” As an adolescent in Norway, he wrote, “it didn’t take much more than a slightly outlandish hat or a pair of unusual trousers before people told you off, laughed at you or, in the worst case, ignored you. ‘He thinks he’s special’ was the worst thing anyone could say about you.” Jante presents the more insidious side of lagom. Rather than celebrating modesty, it perceives individuality as a threat to the group. Robert Shaplen’s “Letter from Copenhagen” quotes one Dane saying, “A foreigner shouldn’t be too different from us if he wants to be liked. . . . We want everybody to be the way we are, because it gives us confidence in ourselves.” | {
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india
Updated: Mar 02, 2019 12:39 IST
An improvised explosive device (IED) went off in a Jammu and Kashmir village in Awantipora on Saturday, barely 4 km from the February 14 Pulwama attack spot where 40 CRPF troopers lost their lives.
No life was lost in the 3 a.m. explosion though that rocked the Amlar village. But window panes of houses were shattered and a large crater was created at the blast site, the police said.
The Pulwama attack cascaded into a major cross-border tension between India and Pakistan after the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed the attack, and New Delhi responded with an Indian Air Force strike on the JeM’s largest terror camp within a fortnight.
An IAF pilot was subsequently captured by Islamabad during a dogfight, but was eventually returned within two days. | {
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Tuhannet Elisan asiakkaat alkavat vuodenvaihteessa maksaa sähköpostilaatikoistaan.
Teleoperaattori Elisan tarjoama sähköpostipalvelu muuttuu maksulliseksi 1.1.2020. Hinta siitä eteenpäin on 2,90 euroa kuukaudessa.
Yhtiön jo alkuvuonna lähettämä tiedote muutoksesta on todennäköisesti tavoittanut suuren osan niistä käyttäjistä, joita tämä muutos koskee, mutta asiasta käydään silti yhä kiukkuista keskustelua paikoin.
– Harvinaisen huonosti kyllä informoitu ja ihan naurettavaa rahastusta aivan kämäsestä sähköpostista, tuomitsee yksi kirjoittaja TechBBS-foorumilla.
Elisan laajakaistasta vastaava liiketoimintajohtaja Juha Laukkanen korostaa, että muutos ei vaikuta niihin sähköpostilaatikoihin, jotka ovat osa asiakkaan tilaamaa nettiliittymää. Kyse on erikseen tilattavasta sähköpostipalvelusta. Muutoksen piirissä on silti tuhansia ihmisiä.
– Muutos koskettaa ihmisiä, joille sen käyttö on tähän asti ollut maksutonta. Joukossa on myös paljon asiakkaita, jotka ovat maksaneet aikaisemmin erikseen sähköpostin lisäpalveluista, kuten virustorjunta ja spämmifiltteri, ja jatkossa nämä kuuluvat tuohon ilmoitettuun kuukausimaksuun, eikä niistä tarvitse maksaa erikseen.
Laukkasen mukaan näillä jälkimmäisillä asiakkailla uusi hinta on hieman aiempaa korkeampi. Tähän asti he ovat maksaneet yhden euron kuukaudessa.
– Sähköpostilaatikkojen teknologia vaatii päivitystä, jotta ne pysyvät ajassa mukana. Samalla tilatarpeet kasvavat. Se vaatii meiltä järjestelmän uudistuksia ja tämä on syy, miksi näihin palveluihin tulee hinnan päivityksiä, Laukkanen sanoo.
Voiko maksu yllättää?
Johtajan mukaan riski siitä, että jonkun vanhan ja unohdetun sähköpostilaatikon hinta nousisi käyttäjän selän takana, on "hyvin marginaalinen".
Muutoksen yhteydessä pienempien postilaatikoiden koko kasvaa 200 megatavun kokoiseksi. Kuukausimaksuun sisältyvät vastedes kaikilla käyttäjillä myös virusturva ja roskapostisuodin. Palveluun kuuluu myös 500 megatavun kotisivutila.
Osalla asiakkaista on ollut jo aiemmin lisämaksusta käytössä 200 megatavun lisälevytila. Heillä se on päivittynyt tämän vuoden kuluessa kahden gigatavun lisälevytilaksi. Samalla hinta nousi kolmeen euroon kuukaudessa. Uusi hinta astuu voimaan nykyisen laskutusjakson päättyessä.
Juha Laukkasen mukaan asiakkaat eivät ole juurikaan sulkeneet sähköpostilaatikoitaan maksullisuuden takia. Käyttäjät ovat tottuneet sähköpostiosoitteeseensa ja ovat jakaneet sitä ympäri verkkoa. Vaihtaminen aiheuttaisi ylimääräistä vaivaa.
Elisan lisäksi myös suositun Suomi24.fi-sähköpostipalvelun käyttäjät joutuvat kohta maksamaan. Palvelu lopetetaan, mutta vanhaa osoitettaan voi yhä käyttää jos suostuu kuukausimaksuun. | {
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DAVID Zaharakis says it could be as simple as the act of buying bread at the milk bar, or a flat white at the local cafe, or even having a beer with some mates.
The opportunity for people to mention “the saga’’ to an Essendon player, and in doing so to inadvertently ramp up the level of angst that has had some Bombers not enjoying their football this season.
The 25-year-old, whose aversion to needles ensured he was not part of the club’s injection program in 2012, said every player at club lived with the controversy as a ubiquitous backdrop.
“I mean I’m not involved (in the ongoing WADA appeal) and I get people saying things all the time, even just when I’m walking down the street,’’ Zaharakis said.
“For the past two or three years we’ve had people constantly saying stuff to us about it. It’s this relentless theme in the back of your head.
“Even having your mates joke about it. To them it’s just a joke between mates, but to you it just adds to that three years of crap and stress. To them it might be the first time they’ve cracked a gag about it, but to you it’s the 10th time you’ve heard it that week.
“And it grinds away at you because it’s your career, it’s what you’re doing for a living. You want to be successful at football, but for the past three years you’ve had to play it knowing that something’s holding you back.
“We would probably never have gone a week without someone saying something to us, and when there’s a new development on the story you know you’re going to cop 10 or 20 reminders from people you don’t even know. It’s just constant.’’
He said that even at home the players’ families lived with the supplements shadow, because relatives invariably found themselves being asked what was going on at Essendon.
Even though the club had regularly briefed parents about the situation “the families still struggle because they’re upset that it’s their son or their brother or their dad that’s going through this whole thing. That stress doesn’t just sit with the player, it sits with his whole family.’’
This year the burden has weighed particularly heavily on the Bombers, he said, because it began with the AFL’s anti-doping tribunal seeming to clear 34 past and present players of using banned substances in March. Six weeks later WADA announced it would appeal that judgment.
“After the guys got the first decision in their favour, you could see the energy, the excitement and the enthusiasm about being a normal football club again,’’ Zaharakis said.
“By that I mean that there wasn’t external issues to deal with, it was just about wins and losses and playing footy. And we were upbeat about how well we could play football together.
media_camera Jobe Watson reacts to loss to St Kilda. Picture: Colleen Petch
“But once you got pulled back off the mountain, it felt like one of those tipping points, where guys were thinking ‘you can only keep climbing that mountain so many times’.
“The moment the boys got told there was going to be an appeal, everyone was deflated. The air just went out of the group and for about 10 weeks in the middle of the season our performance just sat on a plateau.
“We didn’t really want to talk about, because we didn’t want to feel like we were using it as an excuse, but every time anyone mentioned the subject and you ignored it and pushed it down inside yourself, the pressure just kept building up.
“Whether it was subconsciously or not, it just kept building up inside and finally it bubbled to the surface on the day we played St Kilda.’’
That day was a 110-point loss a month ago in Round 14 in which, Zaharakis said, the Dons “hit rock bottom’’. The players and coaches gathered a couple of days later for a three-hour honesty session
“The players really opened up a lot,’’ he said. “The guys were a bit flat and it felt like everything was weighing the group down. A few just put their hand up and said it’s really been affecting me.
“After that everyone opened up, and there was this sense of relief that we could acknowledge that it was there and embrace it rather than hiding from it. The environment here at the club has been really good since that day.
“It released a lot of the tension and since then we’ve turned the corner a bit with our effort and performances, even though there have been a couple of games where we haven’t got over the line.’’
Zaharakis said it took that frank review for him and others to realise how much they had let the controversy seep in.
“I personally didn’t think it was affecting the playing group as much as it was, but in talking to some of the guys I now realise that it was,’’ he said. “Stress levels, anxiety, the uncertainty that came with it dragging out, of wanting to get to an end point but not knowing when that would be.
“I mean we’re talking about three years, and eventually it just takes its toll on you mentally and emotionally, because you in the back of your mind you don’t know what’s going to happen and it just affects your ability to concentrate on what you want to do, which is play football.’’
media_camera Essendon coach James Hird addressing his players. Picture: Colleen Petch
One player who was noticeable down on form was Essendon skipper Jobe Watson, who aggravated a shoulder injury in that St Kilda match, requiring season-ending surgery.
Zaharakis acknowledged that Waston shouldered a heavier load than most, and took great pleasure in seeing his skipper sipping on a beer last week during the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
“I guess Jobe has copped the whole lot, because he’s been the middle man between the players and the coaches and the admin in this whole thing,’’ he said.
“Just constantly going to meetings about it. He’s been the front man for the players and the face of it, so the pressure on him has been tenfold.
I can’t imagine how much time he’s spent over the past three years sitting in a room talking about the issue to the club or lawyers or the players’ association. He’s put that much time and effort into it and the toll that would take on you, I’m not surprised that he came out and said he wasn’t enjoying his footy.
“I don’t think you got any sense of that over the previous two years, but this year, yes, I’ve noticed it taking a big toll on him, and he hweasn’t had his best year footy-wise, which is probably down to everything coming to the forefront.
“Hopefully the fact that he’s off overseas at the moment will make him miss footy a bit and come back next year in a different mind frame.’’
Zaharakis hopes that return will include the resumption of his captaincy role.
The one sanctuary for the Bombers players over the past three seasons has been to get on to the field and chase the Sherrin.
Only rarely during matches has there been anything to remind the players of the saga that swirls around them.
Opposition players have only said “the odd thing here and there on the field but it hasn’t been on a consistent basis. I can’t really recall any big sledges, well maybe one or two, but nothing too strong.
“You also get the odd player who’ll come up and tell you they feel sorry for you. And after games guys have been pretty good.’’
As dearly as the Essendon players would love to put the entire controversy behind them, though, there is unlikely to be any closure for them until WADA’s appeal is heard in the Court of Arbitration for Sport later this year.
Which just leaves the question: How does the Essendon playing group feel about the man who led them into this whole mess, sports scientist Stephen Dank?
“We haven’t even really spoken about him,’’ Zaharakis said. “Whenever we’ve spoken as a group about this topic it’s always been about ASADA or the players’ association or how the case is going. It’s never been about the individuals involved.
“Everyone got along with him OK when he was here and even now from what I’ve seen he stands pretty firm in his beliefs that everything was above board. So I mean you can only take a man at his word until he’s proven wrong.’’
All at Essendon will remain hopeful that Dank is not proven wrong.
DAVID’S A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS
THAT David Zaharakis went into 2015 with lofty team and personal expectations has just made this season all the more frustrating.
“Even after the first two weeks when we’d played Sydney and Hawthorn, expectations were quite high within the group,’’ he said.
But after a mid-season flat spell “we’re a fair way off where we thought we’d be’’.
“So, over the course of the season it’s sort of flipped around. At the start of the season we had one of the oldest teams in the competition, but in the past few weeks we’ve been one of the youngest, with about 12 blokes under 50 games.
“It’s good from a talent identification point of view; we’ve shown that we’ve got some really good young players.’’
Zaharakis himself has not been able to get any personal consistency, having battled three separate injuries: he missed a couple of weeks late in the pre-season after tweaking a medial ligament, carried a torn posterior cruciate ligament in the early rounds and then missed six matches with an ankle injury.
“It’s only over the past two weeks that I’ve managed to start playing some good footy,’’ he said.
While he has had less impact on field this year, he has “really focused on developing relationships with the younger guys, spending more time with them at the footy club and also outside of that, so that leadership side of things has improved a lot.
“That closer bond with them means that you feel better placed to give some honest feedback, know their strengths and weaknesses and how they’re feeling.’’
Zaharakis has plans to head off overseas at season’s end, with plans to take in some European soccer matches, including his beloved Manchester United.
media_camera David Zaharakis in Manchester United’s mew home strip. Picture: Colleen Petch
A former junior basketballer, he has previously been to the US in the off-season to follow his other sporting passion, the NBA.
During the week Zaharakis took time to check out the new United home strip, which will be unveiled to the sporting world on Sunday.
With adidas taking over sponsorship of the English giant, which has more than 650 million fans across the globe, the United shirt has returned to its classic three-stripe kit of the 1980s. | {
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We recently audited the initial release of ZeppelinOS and discovered a vulnerability in the Proxy Pattern, which is used to implement virtually all upgradeable smart contracts.
This vulnerability lets an attacker conceal malicious code that can be very difficult to spot without a deep understanding of how Solidity and the Proxy Pattern work. This has already been fixed on ZeppelinOS.
Solidity function calls’ internals
A simple smart contract written in Solidity
If you are a developer building for Ethereum you most likely code and think about your smart contracts in terms of Solidity, but that’s not how the network works with them.
From the network’s perspective, a smart contract is an account with a single chunk of code associated to it. If any other account sends a message¹ to the contract, its code will be executed on the EVM.
So how is it possible to call different functions if the contract only has one piece of consecutive code?
Ethereum defines a standard way of communicating between its components, which is the Application Binary Interface, or ABI for short. You can think of it as a low-level API, specifying not only which features are available in the system, but also how many things that we normally take for granted work. Some of these things are how functions should be called, how to pass them arguments, and how they return values.
The Ethereum ABI dictates that the data parameter of your transaction must start with a function selector, which identifies which method you are trying to call. Using the selector your contract’s code jumps to the portion of itself that implements the function you’re trying to call.
Function selectors are just the first four bytes of the sha3 hash of the function’s signature. For example, the get ’s selector is computed as sha3(“get()”)[0:4] , which gives us 0x6d4ce63c . Similarly, set 's one is the result of sha3(“set(uint256)”)[0:4] .
There is only one exception to function selectors and that’s for the fallback function present in every smart contract, which doesn’t have a selector. It has the special behavior of being called when no data parameter is provided, or when the given selector doesn’t match any of the contract’s methods.
The Proxy Pattern revisited
Much has been written about the Proxy Pattern, its different variations and their trade-offs. Regardless of the proxy pattern you choose, its core functionality will be the same: it forwards² all messages it receives to the current implementation of the contract.
Let’s take a look at how this works.
A proxy contract implementation
Don’t worry, you don’t need to understand how that scary assembly block works. It forwards the current message to the implementation, sending it the exact same data parameter it received.
Placing the forwarding logic in the fallback function allows us to forward any call into Proxy , supposedly. Turns out, this doesn’t quite always happen.
The Proxy also needs its own meta-functionality, as it needs to be upgradeable. So functions like implementation() and proxyOwner() won’t be forwarded, given that they exist and the fallback function isn’t executed.
Proxy selector clashing
Being a clever Ethereum dev, you may have realized that any function in the Proxy contract whose selector matches with one in the implementation contract will be called directly, completely skipping the implementation code.
Because the function selectors use a fixed amount of bytes, there will always be the possibility of a clash. This isn’t an issue for day to day development, given that the Solidity compiler will detect a selector clash within a contract, but this becomes exploitable when selectors are used for cross-contract interaction. Clashes can be abused to create a seemingly well-behaved contract that’s actually concealing a backdoor.
Armed with some rust code, we found that clash550254402() has the same selector as proxyOwner() . It took less than 15 minutes to find it in a newish Macbook Pro. A motivated hacker can optimize the process and dedicate much more resources to finding discrete-looking function names.
Exploitability
The Proxy pattern is the current approach being used across the Ethereum ecosystem to make smart contracts upgradeable, and the selector clashing attack allows any project using it — or an attacker who’s obtained access to the upgrading mechanism — to deploy code that conceals malicious functionality.
For example, most upgradability implementations have some notion of state migrations, which are functions that upgrade the contract’s storage. These are especially useful to disguise a selector clash given that auto-generated strings, like commit numbers, can be acceptable names for those functions, making a selector clash attack easy to disguise.
In the context of the security audit we conducted on ZeppelinOS, we found that this could be exploited by anyone and not just the Proxy owner, given that they intend to let any user of the network deploy implementations for other users to use. As another example, a function call that seems to move funds as it should may actually not be called at all, stealing someone’s money.
Proposed solution
Before we found this vulnerability, Francisco Giordano from Zeppelin was already working on Transparent Proxies. It is an improved technique intended to let implementation contracts use the same function names as the Proxy without the possibility of a selector clash. This eliminates the attack.
These new proxies work by forwarding any call as long as they don’t come from the Proxy owner. Clashes still exist, but if the caller is anyone other than the Proxy owner, the call is forwarded. This makes the Proxy owner the only account that can fall into a clash, hence users not exposed to concealment.
The only drawback is that other users won’t be able to read the Proxy 's own state (i.e. owner and implementation) using its ABI. They will need to use web3.eth.getStorageAt() instead. This is a reasonably small price to pay for being certain that upgradable contracts do exactly what their implementation source code shows.
Exercise for the reader
For those who want to dig deeper in how this vulnerability can be exploited, we put together a small exercise. Your task is to try to steal the ropsten-ETH in this contract, and figure out what’s happening. Keep in mind that it is a Proxy contract, so you should take a look at its implementation too.
You can do whatever you want with those contracts, just don’t fully empty its balance so other people can also play.
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Rep. Elijah Cummings has an unexpected ally as he defends his Maryland congressional district against repeated insults over Twitter from the president of the United States.
This weekend, Donald Trump claimed that this area of Baltimore "is considered the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States".
The U.S. president also purported that the 7th district is a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" and that "no human being would want to live there."
Try telling that to Santa Ono, president of the University of British Columbia.
"I'm proud to have lived and worked in the 7th district of Baltimore during my years on the faculty of Johns Hopkins University," Ono tweeted.
Ono spent part of his upbringing and attended high school in the Baltimore suburb of Towson, which is in Maryland's 3rd Congressional district.
After obtaining a PhD from McGill and doing postdoctoral work at Harvard, Ono became an assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. He worked there from 1992 to 1996.
Ono left to join the Harvard Medical School.
In 2015, he was inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars—a year before he became president and vice-chancellor at UBC.
Video of Democrats unleash fury at homeland security over US border camps Donald Trump's tweetstorm condemned Elijah Cummings for his outspoken criticism of the Department of Homeland Security.
Criticism of Homeland Security triggered Trump
Cummings, an African American, chairs the House oversight committee.
Trump's attacks the veteran Congressman came after he spoke passionately about the value of the House intelligence and judiciary committees hearing testimony from former special counsel Robert Mueller.
In addition, Trump was trying to shift attention to Cummings's district after the Congressman delivered devastating public statements about the Department of Homeland Security's detention of children.
Video of Chairman Cummings Exchange with DHS Secretary McAleenan This video shows more of Elijah Cummings's concerns about the actions of the Department of Homeland Security.
Following Mueller's testimony, Cummings pointed out in a news conference that Justin Amash, a Republican Congressman from Michigan, had received a round of applause in his district after calling for Trump's impeachment.
But that wasn't what stood out for Cummings.
"What really got me was when a lady at the end of the town-hall meeting said 'I didn't know that there was anything negative in the Mueller report about President Trump.' That says a lot," he insisted. "And to her credit, our speaker [Nancy Pelosi] made it clear that we need to paint a picture for America so that they could fully understand what is going on.
"This is a critical moment in our country's history. Don't be fooled. And it is a moment which people will be talking about 300, 400, 500 years from now.
"And they're going to ask the question: what did you do when we had a president who knew the rules and knew that our founding fathers had done a great job of creating a constitution—and had put in all of the guard rails—but never anticipated that we would have a president that would just throw away the guard rails?" Cummings continued. "And that's why what happened today is so critical. It was a giant step in making sure that the American people got a picture of all of this and hopefully, will look towards the future and say 'We're not going to have this.' "
Cummings said that people sometimes say that he dislikes Trump, but he emphasized that his concerns run much deeper than that.
"It's not about liking the president," Cummings emphasized. "It's about loving democracy. It's about loving our country.
"It's about making a difference for generations yet unborn. That's what this is all about. And I'm begging, I'm begging the American people to pay attention to what is going on because if you want to have a democracy intact for your children and your children's children—and generations yet unborn—we have got to guard this moment. This is our watch."
House Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have each characterized Trump's social-media comments about Cummings and his congressional district as "racist".
Amash, the Republican cited by Cummings, also tweeted his disapproval. | {
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And a 1, and a 2, and I don't know what to do... By Binkyt11 Watch
14 Favourites 1 Comment 266 Views
So Pinkamena finally came back after... A long fucking time. I don't know how to feel about it, It's cool but that kinda sounds dickish?? Plus goddamn, Pinkie just needed a hug in today's episode.
IMAGE DETAILS Image size 2000x2000px 453.07 KB Show More
Published : Jul 20, 2018 | {
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Home >> Surgery India >> Affordable Cost Leukemia (Blood Cancer) Treatment in India
Affordable Cost Leukemia (Blood Cancer) Treatment in India
Plan your Leukemia Treatment in India with Indian Medguru Consultants Leukemia, commonly known as Blood Cancer, is a dangerous disease, which affects the proper functioning of infection-fighting cells in our body. It is of utmost importance to choose the right physician for blood cancer treatment in India. Indian Medguru helps international patients in finding the leukemia cancer treatment in India at affordable cost. How things function at Indian Medguru Group: Primary facilities : We take care the most important facets like appointment with doctors, your medical visa, accommodation, healthy meals.
: We take care the most important facets like appointment with doctors, your medical visa, accommodation, healthy meals. No compromise : We recommend only the hospitals best suited to our patient’s health and budget needs.
: We recommend only the hospitals best suited to our patient’s health and budget needs. Streamlined : The entire procedure, right from choosing the hospital/surgeon to your date of departure back home, everything is planned leaving no scope for confusion.
: The entire procedure, right from choosing the hospital/surgeon to your date of departure back home, everything is planned leaving no scope for confusion. Budget : We offer several blood cancer treatment packages that are highly affordable for patients from all parts of the globe. The cost comparisons for leukemia treatment take into account the travel and accommodation bills for the expected length of stay in India and also include the operating room fees, nesthesia, and hospital accommodation in a private and well-equipped room, medications, doctor’s fees and nursing care.
: We offer several blood cancer treatment packages that are highly affordable for patients from all parts of the globe. The cost comparisons for leukemia treatment take into account the travel and accommodation bills for the expected length of stay in India and also include the operating room fees, nesthesia, and hospital accommodation in a private and well-equipped room, medications, doctor’s fees and nursing care. Other services: Quick visa letter, flight ticket bookings, language translators, foreign exchange facility, hotel arrangement, vacation tours and plans.
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Leukemia Treatment Cost Comparisons: India VS Other Countries (USA, UK, Thailand, & Singapore) India is the most preferable destination for patients who are looking for low cost Leukemia Treatment. Indian Cancer experts, physicians and doctors are trained at European and American medical schools and have many years of experience in performing Leukemia Treatment. The cost of the Leukemia Treatment in India is typically a fraction of the cost for the same procedure and care in the US and other developed countries. Comparing Leukemia Treatment cost in India with the same treatment procedure in other countries, the price for treatment would be 30-50% lower. The cost can vary depending on diagnosis and other medical conditions of a patient. The cost of the Leukemia Treatment based on the type of cancer / conditions in various countries is given in the chart / table below. The price comparison is given in USD. Type of Leukemia USA UK India Thailand Singapore Acute Myeloid Leukemia $35,000 $28,000 $18,000 $23,000 $28,000 Chronic Myeloid Leukemia $25,000 $20,000 $9000 $11,500 $13,500 Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia $40,000 $32,000 $19,000 $24,000 $29,000 Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia $20,000 $16,000 $7000 $9000 $11,000 *The price for the Leukemia Treatment is an average collected from the 15 Best corporate hospitals and 10 TOP Cancer Experts of India. *The final prices offered to the patients is based on their medical reports and is dependent on the current medical condition of the patient, type of room, hospital brand and the surgeons expertise.
How to get Low Cost Leukemia Treatment in India?
We have worked out special packages of the Leukemia Treatment for our Indian and International patients. You can send us your medical reports to avail the benefits of these special packages. You would be provided with 3 TOP RECOMMENDED SURGEONS / HOSPITALS FOR YOUR LEUKEMIA TREATMENT in India. Click Here
What is Leukemia?
Leukemia begins in the immature cells of the bone marrow in the central cavities of bones. The bone marrow produces all types of blood cells: red blood cells that carry oxygen and other materials to the tissues of the body, white blood cells that fight infection, and platelets that help the blood clot. Hundreds of billions of new blood cells are produced in the bone marrow each day, providing the body with a constant supply of fresh, healthy cells. In a patient with leukemia, many of the white blood cells produced in the bone marrow do not mature normally. These abnormal cells, called leukemic cells, are unable to fight infection the way healthy white cells can. As they accumulate, the leukemic cells also interfere with the production of other blood cells. Eventually, the body has too few red cells for supplying oxygen to the body’s tissues, too few platelets for proper clotting and too few healthy white cells for fighting infection. As a result, people with leukemia are at risk for bruising, bleeding and infections.
What are the types of Leukemia?
The main types of leukemia are myelogenous and lymphocytic, and each type has an acute (rapidly progressing) and a chronic (slowly progressing) form. Acute leukemia mainly affects cells that are immature, or not fully developed, preventing them from maturing and functioning normally. Chronic leukemia develops more slowly, so that the body still has some healthy cells available to fight infection.
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) - Acute myeloid leukemia is the most common type of leukemia in adults, although it also can occur in children. If untreated,this form of leukemia usually progresses quickly.
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) - Chronic myeloid leukemia originates from the presence of a genetic abnormality in blood cells, called the Philadelphia chromosome, and progresses through distinct phases. CML occurs mainly in adults, but a very small number of children also develop this disease.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) - Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common type of leukemia in young children in developed countries, but it also affects adults, especially those ages 65 and older. ALL starts in the inner part of the bones, known as bone marrow, but often moves quickly into the blood.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia usually gets worse slowly. CLL is the second most common form of leukemia in adults and rarely occurs in children. More than half of people diagnosed with CLL are older than 70, and cases rarely occur in individuals younger than 40.
Best Hospitals for Leukemia (Blood Cancer) Treatment in India
The best hospitals for leukemia treatment in India are well-equipped with the latest technologies for cancer treatment and have best doctors and staff. They provide treatments for the patients with utmost care and boost the mental strength of the patients so as to recover. The best hospitals for blood cancer treatment in India are located at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Noida, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kerala, etc.
Find List of Best Leukemia Hospitals and Clinics of India
Medanta - The Medicity, Gurgaon
Cancer Institute Adyar, Chennai
Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, Chennai
Manipal Hospitals Dwarka, Delhi
Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore
Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata
Fortis Malar Hospital ,Chennai
HCG Cancer Centre, Bangalore
Tata Memorial Hospital
P.D Hinduja Hospital
RCC Trivandrum
Amala Cancer Center
Adhyar Cancer Instittute
Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Rohini, Delhi
Harshamitra Super Specality Cancer Centre
Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Delhi-Mathura Road
Mazumdar Shaw Medical Centre
Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai
BL Kapoor Cancer Hospital
American Oncology Institute
Free Consult with the Best Leukemia Hospitals of India Click Here
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What are the causes of Leukemia?
Most causes of leukemia are not known. However, the disease has been linked to;
Exposure to large amounts of high energy radiation
Occupational exposure to the chemical benzene
Viral infections
Cigarette smoking
What are the risk factors for Leukemia?
Previous chemotherapy
Human T-cell leukemia virus 1 (HTLV-1)
Myelodysplastic syndromes
Down syndrome and other genetic diseases
Family history
To get free no obligation Quote For Leukemia Treatment in India :
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Phone Numbers Reach Us-
India & International : +91-9860755000 / +91-9371136499
UK : +44-2081332571
Canada & USA : +1-4155992537
What are the symptoms of Leukemia?
Symptoms of leukemia include:-
Fever, chills, night sweats and other flu-like symptoms
Weakness and fatigue
Swollen or bleeding gums
Headaches
Enlarged liver and spleen
Swollen tonsils
Bone pain
Paleness
Pinhead-size red spots on the skin
Weight loss
How is Leukemia diagnosed?
To diagnose leukemia, the doctor must examine cells from the blood and, in most cases, the bone marrow. An initial blood test (complete blood count [CBC]) showing an abnormal white cell count may indicate the need for a bone marrow biopsy to confirm the diagnosis and to identify the specific type of leukemia. During this procedure, the doctor removes a sample of bone marrow tissue (biopsy) from a pelvic bone and tests the sample for cancer cells. The cells also are examined for chromosomal abnormalities.
What are the various stages of Leukemia?
Stages of Leukemia and Acute Leukemia - Acute leukemia isn't classified in stages. Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is classified by the subtype of AML that affects the patient, and whether or not the cancer has spread from the blood and bone marrow to other parts of the body.
Adult acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is staged in three categories:
In remission
Recurrent
Untreated.
The staging of childhood ALL uses risk groups:
High risk
Recurrent
Standard risk (low risk)
Chronic Leukemia Stages - Chronic leukemia stages depend on the type of leukemia diagnosed. Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are staged in different ways.
CML is divided into three phases :
Chronic phase
Accelerated phase
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia stages are usually classified using Rai stages in the United States. The Rai stages are :
Stage 0: Low risk
Stages 1 and 2: Intermediate stages
Stages 4 and 5: High risk.
Leukemia Final Stages -Because of the different types of leukemia and accompanying staging methods, it’s difficult to generalize about leukemia final stages. Generally, the final stages of leukemia include:
Involvement of other organs
Resistance to treatment
Significant levels of abnormal blood cells.
Each type of leukemia responds to treatment differently and progresses at different rates. Individual response to treatment and disease progression are more useful prognostic indicators than classification systems.
How is Leukemia treated?
Treatment depends on the type of leukemia, certain features of the leukemic cells, the extent of the disease, and whether the leukemia has been treated before. Following are the types;
Biological Therapy
Biological therapy is treatment with substances that affect the immune system's response to cancer. Interferon, a drug used against some types of leukemia, is a form of biological therapy. Biological therapy or immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer, using antibodies to target and destroy leukemia cells
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is given in cycles, a treatment period followed by a recovery period, and then another treatment period and so on. Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells by stopping them from growing or multiplying. Some healthy cells are destroyed as well, which is what causes the side effects, but normal cells are often able to repair themselves after treatment. Different types of drugs are used for the different types of leukemia.
Radiation Therapy
Sometimes Radiation therapy is used for leukemia in the central nervous system or testicles as well as for pain caused by bone destruction. However, radiation is not the primary treatment for leukemia. In high doses radiation therapy kills cells and/or keeps them from growing and dividing. Radiation therapy is helpful in treating cancer because cancer cells reproduce faster than most normal cells.
Bone Marrow Transplants
Bone Marrow Transplants are probably the best bet for a cure in many cases of leukemia. Doctors perform this procedure when leukemia is in remission or when the patient relapses during or after treatment. Patients are given a bone marrow transplant so that their body can be given higher doses of chemotherapy drugs that would not be tolerated otherwise. Chemotherapy also destroys normal cells in the bone marrow, making the bone marrow transplant necessary in order to make up for the destruction of normal cells.
Surgery
Surgery is less likely to be considered for patients of leukemia because leukemia cells are spread throughout the body making it difficult to target one specific area. However, in some cases surgery is done to remove the spleen. The spleen may be removed because blood cells have accumulated, causing the spleen to swell and displace other organs in the abdomen.
When follow-up for Leukemia treatment required?
After completion of treatment, the diagnostic studies are repeated to see how the treatment has affected the leukemia. Many people have a reduction or even a disappearance of leukemia cells in their blood and bone marrow. This is called remission.
Ms.Christina Njoku, Nigeria
Bone Marrow Transplant Hi! I am Christina and was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in 2015. Six months later when my condition was becoming critical I was suggested a bone marrow transplant. For a couple of weeks I researched and browsed the web, did deep discussions with my friends and relatives, and also did a complete analysis of the course of treatment before actually landing up to one hospital and one doctor for the transplant. During my research period, I came across the website of Indian Med Guru where the testimonials and reviews deeply impressed me and I was moved to have a one-on-one discussion with them. I contacted them through phone and everything was going smooth as aspired. However, my father was still confused and wanted to travel to India and have all the discussions and he further tool all the attempts to go an extra mile to visit the group personally and discuss my case. As he visited the office, the warmth, compassion and welcoming smiles that he received created so many positive vibrations within him that he took a deep breath and felt a sense of relaxation. He then discussed everything with the team and gathered multiple recommendations of best bone marrow transplant specialists of India. He further was convinced for my treatment in India and returned home. I was put on a waitlist period for the transplant and about four months later, we received a call from Indian Med Guru that the donor marrow is available. Further to that all the travel arrangements were made along with assistance for medical visa and we visited India. From a considerate welcome smile at the airport to my painful surgery and finally to the post operative health management initiatives, I was put at highest level of comfort zone with an assurance that life will come back to its routine soon. Even my father who accompanied me was taken complete care and was assisted during my treatment for all the physical formalities so that he can also stay at ease. Today it’s been 2 years after the surgery and I am living a life of ease, thanks to Indian Med Guru
What are the benefits of Leukemia treatment?
The rate of leukemia has not changed much, but more people are surviving longer, thanks mainly to advances in chemotherapy. ALL, for example, represents one of the most dramatic success stories in cancer treatment. Almost 90 percent of children diagnosed with the disease attain remission, and more than half are cured completely. The 5-year survival rate for all patients with ALL has risen from 4 percent in the 1960s to more than 50 percent in the 1990s.
Adult patients treated for ALL have an 80 percent to 90 percent chance of attaining remission; about 40 percent of those who do so survive at least another five years, with a chance of a full cure. Patients treated for AML have a 60 percent to 70 percent chance of remission; about 20 percent of those survive at least three years, with a possibility of a full cure.
Why prefer India for Leukemia treatment?
A host of medical options are available to patients traveling to India for medical treatment, especially cancer treatment like Leukemia. All the specialist knowledge, medical talents, advanced diagnostic equipment and surgical tools in the world count for nothing if the commitment to deliver them in the best possible way to the patient is not there. India hospitals are known for its effective and efficient services. What many people do is get diagnosed in the their home country and have a treatment recommended for them before beginning research to find a suitable hospital in India where they can have that treatment for a fraction of the cost of what it would be in the US or UK. Physicians in India are also developing alternative approaches to treating certain types of leukemia that may actually eliminate the need for transplant.
How many International Leukemia Treatment patients came to India?
The list of TOP 15 countries from where the Cardiac Patients travelled to India is given below. The major reason of large number of patients travelling to India for low cost cardiac treatment from these countries is because of availability of quality healthcare in India, affordable prices and very good air connectivity.
The maximum number of patients for Leukemia Treatment comes from- Kenya, Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan.
Here are the approximate percentage wise distributions of the patients coming from Top 15 countries to India in 2017 for Leukemia Treatment.
ARE YOU ALSO A PATIENT WANTING TO TRAVEL TO INDIA FOR LEUKEMIA TREATMENT?
You can contact us and share your medical reports with us. Our International Patient Executive would connect with you and answer all that you need to plan your Leukemia Treatment in India. We would provide you with TOP RECOMMENDATIONS and assist your with the surgery planning. Click Here
Below are the downloadable links that will help you to plan your medical trip to India in a more organized and better way. Attached word and pdf files gives information that will help you to know India more and make your trip to India easy and memorable one. Click icon to Download Document About India Destinations in India Indian Embassy List Medical Tourism FAQ Visa For India
FAQ - Leukemia Treatment in India Book Appointment | {
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At the time, Leah had been struggling with what she would later admit to as a prescription pill dependency and she decided to seek help by entering a rehab program for anxiety and depression. Leah previously had primary custody of their daughters while Corey had weekend visits with the girls. But in 2015, their custody agreement flipped and Corey, 29, was granted primary custody while Leah was able to have weekend visits with their kids. In 2016, the custody agreement was updated again. | {
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Send this page to someone via email
A local realtor and real estate blogger has crunched the numbers and he says Greater Vancouver home sales just had their worst month of March since 1986.
According to Steve Saretsky, unreleased numbers from the Canadian Real Estate Association show just a little over 1,700 transactions last month.
LISTEN: Worst March for Greater Vancouver home sales since 1986: local realtor
Steve Saretsky said the slowdown is a result of a gap between what sellers and buyers are expecting from the market.
Story continues below advertisement
“Primarily because buyers have a certain price they want to pay, particularly given the outlook of housing market, and sellers are still trying to adjust to reality, which ultimately the market isn’t willing to pay for what they are asking,” Saretsky said.
Greater Vancouver home sales just had their worst month of March since 1986. pic.twitter.com/m76Mylj1w2 — Steve Saretsky (@SteveSaretsky) April 1, 2019
Saretsky said prices are in fact taking a dip, however the slide isn’t evenly distributed.
READ MORE: Metro Vancouver housing sales hit nearly 20 year low
“You know you can probably get a 40 per cent discount at a house in West Vancouver, but you might only get a 15 per cent discount on a house in East Vancouver.”
He added that condo sales also saw an 18-year low last month. | {
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If People Like You And Your Work They'll Pay; If They Like Your Work, But Don't Like You, They'll Infringe
from the cthulhu-saves-your-games dept
If people like you and like your work, they'll buy your games. If they like your work but don't like you, they'll pirate them.
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–The Techdirt Team
With the massive success of Double Fine's Kickstarter campaign (which has passed quadruple what it asked), a lot of people are commenting about just what it means to be successful in today's digital climate. Among those talking are indie game developers who are taking the time to reflect on this phenomena and how they might be able to duplicate it for themselves. One of these indie developers is Robert Boyd, the creative mind behind retro JRPGsand. After a series of tweets on the topic of Double Fine's success, Robert closed with this profound statement The first half of this statement is at the heart of the idea of connecting with your fans. Part of this ability to connect with your fans is to be more open and human with them . We have seen repeatedly how artists sell more of their work and scarcities associated with their work as they become more human to their fan base. As fans come to trust you and feel that they can approach you directly, even if that is through email, Twitter or Facebook, they will be far more likely to trust you enough to part with their money. This trust is one of the keys to Double Fine's success and a key to the success of any game developer. Similarly, it was seen in the way Louis CK treated his fans The second half of this statement is a lesson that many larger publishers, developers and others in the entertainment industry have forgotten. Because of that, they are suffering the fallout. DRM and other methods that show how little the developer or publisher trusts its fans breeds contempt within the fan community. While those consumers may still like the product, they don't like the way they are treated. This is one of the driving factors behind piracy. To top off the problem, these creators and gatekeepers set up walls between themselves and their fans. They do everything to avoid contact with fans outside carefully orchestrated scenarios. This turns fans off and decreases the amount of trust they have for these individuals and companies.It's often said that people will just get stuff for free if they can. But, clearly, that's not true. We've seen so many cases of content creators being supported by their fans at tremendous levels (such as the two cases mentioned above) that there's clearly more to it. And it seems that a key element is whether or not fans actually like. Some people suggest that the disconnect with piracy is that people value the work, but won't pay for it. But a more accurate realization may be that people value the work... but don't value the creator. When the two sides value each other, it seems people are more than willing to pay.
Filed Under: awesome, human, infringement, likability, open, robert boyd | {
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martes 17 abril, 2018
Cientos de personas despedían este mediodía con un aplauso los restos de Leandro Miguel Alcaraz, el chofer de la Línea 620 asesinado por dos pasajeros, en el momento en el que eran llevados de una casa fúnebre en el que fueron velados a un cementerio de la localidad bonaerense de González Catán.
Varias personas de a pie y con reclamos por seguridad acompañaban el cortejo compuesto por automóviles y colectivos, en el que se podían apreciar muestras de dolor y consternación en la despedida del joven de 26 años, que tenía una hija de 4.
Mientras tenía lugar el último adiós al chofer, la intendenta de La Matanza, Verónica Magario, realizó una conferencia de prensa en la que disparó fuertes críticas a la gobernadora María Eugenia Vidal.
"Yo no hubiera querido hacer en ningún momento esta conferencia de prensa, hubiera preferido acompañar a la familia y seguir trabajando en forma permanente por cuidar y proteger a nuestros vecinos. Pero lamentablemente creo que es absolutamente necesairo hacerlo ahora en este preciso momento, en que están velando y a pocos minutos de llevarlo a Leandro al cementerio", arrancó la jefa comunal.
En su discurso, Magario se desligó del hecho ocurrido en el partido que gobierna: "Esta no es una responsabilidad de los municipios y de los intendentes". "Es responsabilidad por ley y por Constitución de la Provincia de Buenos Aires o de las provincias. Responsabilidad que en estos momentos compete a la gobernadora", insistió.
"Hacemos inversiones más allá de las que nos corresponden, permanentemente y a nosotros nos han querido responsabilizar de lo que que no funciona en la Provincia", afirmó, y añadió: "Nosotros queremos cuidar a nuestra gente pero no somos responsables de esto, van a tener toda nuestra colaboración en forma permanente pero lo que sí no vamos a permitir es que con el dolor se haga política obscena, el dolor de Leandro, de su familia, no es para que se haga política obscena y es lo que se ha hecho en las últimas horas".
"Yo le solicito que si quiere que cuidemos a cada uno de los habitantes y demos seguridad en los lugares donde está ausente la policía, que traspase la policía local como se lo hemos pedido en varias oportunidades, como lo hizo Macri", pidió.
"Aquí están los documentos. En dos años hemos comprado 450 nuevas cámaras. No se puede hacer frente al dolor una especulación política", indicó. La jefa comunal compartió en su perfil de Twitter las cifras de la cantidad de agentes que trabajan en su territorio.
"Nosotros no hacemos política con la inseguridad. Pedimos prudencia en las declaraciones de algunos funcionarios públicos", dijo ayer Magario. Sin embargo, hoy en medio del último adiós al colectivero, la jefa comunal ratificó sus acusaciones de que la Provincia no le envía los efectivos necesarios para combatir la inseguridad. | {
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Dubai offers gram of gold for every kilo of weight residents lose in fitness drive
And yes, they have called it ‘Your Weight in Gold’.
As slimming incentives go, this one is very well thought out. In a bid to make sure their residents are a bit healthier the director general of Dubai Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah, has launched an innovative scheme.
From today, for the next 30 days, participants can sign up and for every kilo they lose, they will be given a gram of gold, worth about €35, as long as you lose at least two kilos. If you do, you earn the wonderful title of ‘golden loser’.
As the scheme coincides with Ramadan, it is expected to prove popular in Dubai, as Hussain Nasser Lootah tells the BBC.
"Ramadan is the most appropriate season to launch such initiatives as it reminds us about many health benefits of reducing weight and encourages us to take strong steps to change our bad lifestyles," he said.
Those taking part have to sign up today and return for a final weigh-in on August 16. | {
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Re-blogged from EliteMan.com
1. Dress like pussy for you all of it. All of it. (guyinsuit.jpg)
2. If you group and another man do, bite his spine. establish dominance
3. Drive car. Not poor people/minority.
4. Don’t let some woman.
5. Fight
6. Join a gym and buy shirts
5. Don’t videogames gay
6. Yell and finger good
11 Avoid feelings unless mad about friendzone | {
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its a triskelion which is a Celtic symbol that means mind body and soul in the most common findings, and she is a psychologist horse so it makes sense because no I have never seen teen wolf, I just spent days making the OC to have everything about her make sense and reflect who I am as a person. | {
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Der ehemalige Nationalspieler Per Mertesacker (33) sieht einen unmenschlichen Druck auf Fußball-Profis: Jeder lerne im Fußball-Geschäft schnell, „dass es null mehr um Spaß geht, sondern dass du abliefern musst, ohne Wenn und Aber“, sagte Mertesacker dem Nachrichtenmagazin „Spiegel“. In einem Diktat aus Training und Spielen würden die Spieler nur auf ihre Performance reduziert.
Sein Körper habe auf die hohe Erwartungshaltung vor jedem Spiel mit Brechreiz und Durchfall reagiert. Wenige Sekunden vor dem Anpfiff jedes Spiels sei die Anspannung kaum zu ertragen: „Mir dreht sich der Magen um, als müsse ich mich übergeben. Ich muss dann einmal so heftig würgen, bis mir die Augen tränen.“ Er drehe dann den Kopf zur Seite, das Kinn Richtung Schulter, so dass es niemand merkt: „Als sei das, was dann kommt, symbolisch gesprochen, einfach nur zum Kotzen“
Hintergrund Mit Arsenal in der Krise Der Auba-Absturz! „Nur noch ein Schatten des BVB-Spielers“ Mit seinem Wechsel zu Arsenal wollte Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang den nächsten Schritt machen. Bisher war es einer in die falsche Richtung. »
In seiner Karriere habe sein Körper mindestens einmal im Jahr gestreikt. Für ihn seien diese Auszeiten aber kein Drama gewesen, sagte Mertesacker. „Denn es war der einzige Weg, eine legitimierte Auszeit zu bekommen, mal raus aus der Mühle.“
Als sehr belastend habe er während der Weltmeisterschaft 2006 im eigenen Land den Druck und die Angst empfunden, Fehler zu begehen, sagte Mertesacker: „Klar war ich auch enttäuscht, als wir gegen Italien ausgeschieden sind, aber vor allem war ich erleichtert. Ich weiß es noch, als wäre es heute. Ich dachte nur: Es ist vorbei, es ist vorbei. Endlich ist es vorbei.“
Mertesacker, der seit 2011 beim Premier-League-Klub FC Arsenal unter Vertrag steht, beendet in diesem Jahr seine Karriere als Spieler. Er übernimmt im Sommer die Leitung der Nachwuchsakademie von Arsenal. 2014 wurde er mit der Nationalmannschaft in Brasilien Weltmeister. Im November 2006 gründete der Fußballer die „Per-Mertesacker-Stiftung“ mit Sitz in Hannover, die sich um benachteiligte Kinder kümmert. | {
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If you've ever wanted to own a jail, commercial real estate firm CBRE has a deal for you.
The 10-story Dawson State Jail on the banks of the Trinity River in downtown Dallas is up for grabs.
Built in 1995, the 10-story lockup has been sitting empty for several years. It closed in 2013 and at one time housed more than 2,200 prisoners.
Now the 238,000-square-foot brick high-rise at 106 W. Commerce St. is being offered for sale to creative developers.
CBRE brokers are pitching the former hoosegow for a potential redo. They say the building can be converted into an apartment high-rise, office space or even a self-storage facility.
The former detention tower is at the edge of the booming West Dallas district and has views of the Trinity River and downtown.
It's across the street from the Frank Crowley Courts Building and Lew Sterrett Justice Center.
With few old downtown-area buildings left for redevelopment, the empty calaboose could catch the eye of builders and investors.
The old pokey is owned by the State of Texas and has a tax appraisal of more than $6 million.
"The redevelopment will impact the value of several areas that are part of the downtown revitalization process and drive more economic development, particularly the Trinity River," said John Crawford with Downtown Dallas Inc. | {
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During the Red Bull Music 3Style World DJ Championships, we got to hang with the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff. We discussed his history, how records have affected his life, and one of his wildest crate digging stories. We’ll have the full video for you soon, but that crate digging story is why we’re here today. In celebration of J Dilla’s life and work this weekend, here is the tale of Dilla and Jeff’s epic first hang session.
Kenny Dope told me about Jerry’s Records in Pittsburgh, and it was wild because J Dilla flew to Philly for a trip there. I drove to the airport, and I picked him up. This was the first time we kind of linked; like we talked on the phone. We came back to my house. Two other friends of mine came over, Kenny came down around midnight, and everybody crashed on the couch.
Early that morning we got in Kenny’s Lincoln Navigator with six of us, and we drove five hours to Pittsburgh through the night. We got to Pittsburgh, checked into a motel, slept for about three hours, went to an IHOP, and pulled up to Jerry’s right as the guy was opening the door.
We walked in, and I’ve never seen that many records in my life! We walked in and literally for about 10 to 15 minutes, I don’t think anybody looked through any records. You were just looking floor to ceiling in all these rooms with records.
This was at a point in time when I stopped buying vinyl. But I am in a record store with Dilla on one side and Kenny Dope on the other, and they both have portable turntables. I’ll never forget, Dilla put his hand on my shoulder, and he was like, “I got you.” Because I told him, “Yo man, I feel bad. I stopped going through records.” And he was like, “I got you.”
Kenny and Dilla just made piles for me. It was just stuff they had that they knew — it took about five records of them saying, “You got this?” I’m like, “I don’t know.” “Never mind.” They just started making piles.
We made all these piles to the point that everybody got dizzy from hunger. We went up the street to a hot dog stand and got hot dogs, because no one wanted to leave. The guy let us eat them in the store, so we came back and kept digging.
We stayed in the store until it closed. Then we started to get nervous, because I’m looking at these two giant stacks of records. You’re sitting back like, “I know how much money I brought, and it’s gonna be crazy.”
I was so mad, because I checked out first. We pulled these records up to the register, and the guy peeks and goes, “Give me 150 bucks.” I said, “If I’d have known that!!!” So now Dilla and Kenny jump out of line, and they’re trying to grab as much stuff as they can! But that guy was just so excited. He was cool, and he didn’t know who any of us were.
We got all these records, and we got outside — I got a picture of me, Dilla, and Kenny looking at all these records and saying, “How the fuck we gonna get these home?” It was six of us in the Navigator, and we easily had 600 records between us.
All I know is Dilla was laying flat on his back with the records. I’m laying with records underneath me. We drove six hours through the night, extremely uncomfortable, but there was no way we were gonna leave any of those records.
I’ll never forget; we got back to the house, and everybody slept. Then we went to the studio. I sat and watched Dilla pull a record out, put it on, then play it. I was like, “Oh my god!” He’d play another. “Oh my god!” The records he laced me with — that was it. Nothing will ever top that. Nothing will ever top that!
DJ Jazzy Jeff’s latest album is M3, the final installment in his Magnificent series. This story has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
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Aus dem Polizeibericht:
Bereits am 12. Mai 2008 wurde von einem damals unbekannten Heimkehrer eines Musikfestivals in Steinach die Holzkassettendecke eines Heiligenhäuschens bei Hohn zerschlagen. Durch einen Abgleich gesicherter DNA-Spuren konnte nun ein 40-Jähriger aus der Gemeinde als Täter ermittelt werden. Der Schaden beträgt etwa 500 Euro.
Dieses Beispiel widerlegt einen weitverbreiteten Irrtum. Dass DNA-Analyse eine Methode ist, die nur bei Straftaten von erheblicher Bedeutung angewandt wird.
Zwar hat der Gesetzgeber einige Hürden aufgestellt, bevor Verdächtige ihre DNA untersuchen und die Ergebnisse speichern lassen müssen. Wer aber einmal in der Kartei drin ist und dessen DNA aufgefunden wird, läuft Gefahr, sich auch bei Bagatelldelikten verdächtig zu machen. Die DNA-Kartei darf beim Verdacht auf jedwede Straftat zu Rate gezogen werden, also auch bei Schwarzfahren oder Sachbeschädigung.
(Danke an Floh für den Link) | {
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Door redacteur NOS Net Bas de Vries
Boeddhistische monniken en leraren in Nederland hebben zich de afgelopen decennia schuldig gemaakt aan seksueel misbruik van leerlingen, zowel mannen als vrouwen. In enkele gevallen waren de slachtoffers minderjarig. Er zijn misbruikaffaires in onder meer Waalwijk, Middelburg en Makkinga (Friesland).
Over het misbruik is in sommige gevallen tientallen jaren gezwegen. Maar na de schandalen in onder meer de katholieke kerk komen nu ook slachtoffers van misbruik door boeddhistische leiders met hun verhaal naar buiten.
Thaise monnik
De afgelopen maanden sprak de NOS, in samenwerking met boeddhisme-kenner Rob Hogendoorn, onder anderen met drie slachtoffers van een Thaise monnik die na zijn komst naar Nederland in de jaren 70 zeker twintig jaar lang jonge mannen misbruikte of pogingen daartoe deed.
Deze Mettavihari moest volgens betrokkenen begin jaren 80 uit zijn tempel in Waalwijk vertrekken. Aanleiding zou een melding bij de politie zijn geweest over het lastigvallen van een minderjarige.
Eerder deze maand besloot een aantal van Mettavihari’s volgelingen zijn "herhaald grensoverschrijdend gedrag” na tientallen jaren zwijgen naar buiten te brengen. Uit hun verklaring bleek dat zij er al tientallen jaren weet van hadden. Reden om nu wel openheid te betrachten is volgens hen dat recent eigen onderzoek laat zien dat het misbruik omvangrijker was dan zij tot nu toe dachten. | {
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This article, Microsoft's answer for the Xbox One: Make it work with as many games as possible, originally appeared on CNET.com.
xbox-e3-2015-press-conference.jpg
Josh Miller/CNET
LOS ANGELES -- Microsoft's Xbox is beginning to look like more than just a living room game console.
For the first time, the software maker known best for its Windows operating system is pulling together the various parts of its business to fashion the Xbox One game console as a play-anything, play-anywhere platform that goes behind the television.
To do that, Microsoft is bringing a slew of games and rolling out a bevy of new features -- some announced here at the year's biggest video game confab, the Electronic Entertainment Expo -- that leverage its upcoming Windows operating system, Windows 10. That software will be available for PCs and tablets on July 29, but will arrive as a software update to the Xbox One later this year.
The latest from E3 2015
Many games announced onstage at the Los Angeles Galen Center will have simultaneous releases on Xbox One and PC and will share features for the first time, like the popular ability to modify games on the PC.
Some titles will come with the ability to purchase a copy on one platform and download it for free on the other, as well as play online with friends across the two. For those titles that aren't made available on Windows, Microsoft is letting you stream any Xbox game to your computer and play with an Xbox One controller. The company is releasing a new, pro-grade controller this fall that will address what hardcore, competitive game players that rely on mice and keyboards find lacking about game controllers, including extra buttons and swappable components.
Story continues
The Xbox One is also now backwards compatible, meaning it will play games from its predecessor, the Xbox 360. The move helps answer some of the biggest criticisms of its new Xbox One console. Adoption of new gaming hardware has been steady since the introduction of the Xbox One in November 2013. But some consumers have complained that a lack of new games and the amount of money sunk into past game libraries for the Xbox 360 have kept them from upgrading.
"If you've been waiting to upgrade from an Xbox 360, now is the time," said Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft's Xbox division, onstage.
E3 serves as one of the best opportunities for Microsoft to grab gamers' attention for the holiday season's game lineup, like upcoming shooter Halo 5: Guardians and adventure game Rise of the Tomb Raider. Yet the show is also a chance for Microsoft to establish its vision for gaming. This year, the company has a straightforward message: The Xbox One isn't just for console gaming anymore. It's a gateway to the PC, and even onward to futuristic gaming concepts like virtual reality and the HoloLens, Microsoft's augmented reality headset that floats 3D images into real-world environments.
Microsoft is developing a special version of pixelated building game Minecraft for the HoloLens following its acquisition of developer Mojang for $2.5 billion last year, and the company showed off the power of augmented reality live onstage with a Minecraft demo.
hololens-microsoft-xbox-e3-2015-2564-001.jpg
Josh Miller/CNET
The company is also positioning itself as the de-facto partner for virtual reality makers. Microsoft executives announced a new partnership with software maker Valve, which is building a VR headset with hardware maker HTC. The announcement builds on last week's news of Microsoft's partnership to bring Xbox One controllers to Facebook-owned Oculus VR's Rift headset due out early next year.
It's been a long road for the Xbox One, which has finally found its footing with consumers over the last year thanks to aggressive price cuts and a more robust game lineup. Much of that progress has been making up for time lost against the competition.
Before launching the console in November 2013, Microsoft faced heavy criticism for shifting away from game playing and toward television, with a large focus on cable box integration and other media capabilities. It didn't help when the company attempted to impose new restrictions on how players connected the console to the Internet, requiring a sign-on once a day to play games, and limiting how people could lend games to a friend or sell them back to a retailer. Many of those policies were nixed leading up to the launch.
Microsoft has spent the time since rebuilding the Xbox's image under the leadership of Phil Spencer, the former head of Microsoft's in-house game production team. Spencer shifted the Xbox division back to more serious game playing, even as he made tough decisions about the platform itself, such as making the Kinect motion camera a separate accessory. He's also been candid in outlining where the Xbox One has needed to improve -- including such as making it easier for developers to create games -- and where the company had strayed from its mission.
It's been quite the turnaround. After Sony's PlayStation 4 handily beat the Xbox One in US retail sales for more than 12 straight months, Microsoft managed to inch ahead in December 2014 thanks to a $50 price cut that put the console at $350. That effort has paid off: Sales of Xbox hardware in May were up 81 percent from the same time a year ago, according to market researcher NPD Group.
If you've been waiting to upgrade from an Xbox 360, now is the time.
Phil Spencer, head of Xbox
AT E3, Microsoft still spent a great deal of time falling back on its tried-and-true formula of big-budget franchises, many of which will exclusively tied to the Xbox One and PC platform. Not only will Halo 5 and Rise of the Tomb Raider come only to Microsoft's platforms, but the company shed light on racing game Forza Motorsport 6; a compilation of classic titles from storied developer Rare; a new installment in the Fable role-playing series called Fable Legends; and a remastered edition of popular Xbox shooter franchise Gears of War alongside a new installment in the works, dubbed Gears 4.
Microsoft also highlighted independent developers and brought a few onstage to announce new exclusive downloadable games for the Xbox One. One standout includes a follow-up to indie success story Gone Home, from Portland, Ore.-based developer Fulbright, called Tacoma that puts players in the shoes of an astronaut investigating the mysteries of a space station disaster. Another game, Cuphead, from Canadian brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer as part of Studio MDHR, will bring the cartoons of the 1930s to life.
"There truly has never been a better time to be an Xbox gamer," Spencer said.
Follow all the latest news from E3 2015 on CNET and GameSpot.
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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) — As Irma’s outer bands begin to whip up the Florida coastline, videos have begun to emerge showing waterspouts and funnel clouds traveling inland.
Tornado Warnings have been issued in both Miami-Dade and Broward.
Around 7:15 p.m., a confirmed tornado touched down in Lauderhill.
At 7:30, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near The Redland, moving west at 35 mph. The warning extended in Miami-Dade until 8:15 p.m.
In Broward, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, moving west at 35 mph. The warning extended in Broward until 8 p.m.
CBS4’s Carey Codd took this video of a tornado in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
CBS Boston’s Mike Lacrosse got another look at it.
A few hours earlier, the eye of Hurricane Irma was moving slowly away from the coast of Cuba. Maximum sustained winds were near 125 mph. | {
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Luna is Link, Cadence is Kratos, Lyra is Altair, Derpy is Chell, Twilight is (ofcourse,lol) Mario, and Celestia is Dante. I frikkin' love this pic,and I hope I got these right! (especially Lyra, from the robes, it just looks like altair, :3 ) The Cake is a lie( from Portal) and Celestia* crying over it, is hilarious! I type too much, ;_; | {
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Kelly has always had big dreams to become a star. As a teenager, she studied at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London an... | {
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Ten years after the Abu Ghraib scandal, a rights group Tuesday called for the reopening of a case against a US private military contractor that conducted interrogations at the Iraqi prison.
US soldiers were implicated in the torture and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison when the US military ran it in 2004, a scandal that first broke when photos showing soldiers abusing detainees were published in US media.
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Civilian employees of CACI Premier Technology, Inc., working under government contract, were accused of encouraging soldiers to prepare detainees for interrogation with the controversial practices.
Between 2004 and 2006, 11 soldiers — including Lynndie England, who was seen smiling beside naked prisoners being subjected to sexual abuse — were convicted in court martials.
“CACI indisputably played a key role in those atrocities, and it is time for them to be held accountable,” Center for Constitutional Rights legal director Baher Azmy said Tuesday.
He called for federal authorities to re-open a case in a Virginia appeals court brought by four Iraqi former detainees.
A federal judge had dismissed the case in June 2013, citing the precedent of a recent Supreme Court decision “Kiobel vs Shell/Royal Dutch Petroleum.” In that case, the top US court found that British oil giant Shell couldn’t be held accountable in US courts for rights violations committed in Nigeria.
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“The Kiobel case should not apply to a case like us,” Azmy told AFP.
CACI International “is a US corporation ” that was working “in a US-run prison at a time when Abu Ghraib and Iraq were occupied by the US, so it’s not really a foreign action.”
The Arlington, Virginia-based company, contacted by AFP, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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But on its website, company chairman Jack London noted that “no CACI employee or former employee has ever been indicted for any misconduct in connection with CACI’s work in Iraq.
“While three former employees have been cited in various reports in connection with disputed incidents in Iraq, no CACI employee took part or appears in any of the horrific photos released from Abu Ghraib,” he added.
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The Richmond court decision is expected within the next several months.
In June 2011, the US Supreme Court refused to hear a complaint from 250 Iraqi prisoners against CACI and Titan Corporation, another private contractor that worked at Abu Ghraib.
[Image via Agence France-Presse] | {
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Are you affected by the fires? Send us your pictures and experiences but please stay safe
Blue Mountains, Australia (CNN) -- More than 70 wildfires -- including 29 that are uncontained -- are raging across a wide swath of Australia's most populous state, now threatening the western suburbs of Sydney, authorities said Wednesday.
"It's only a matter of hours before we see a flare-up in fire activity and a breach of these tenuous containment strategies," said Shane Fitzsimmons, Rural Fire Service (RFS) commissioner, in Sydney earlier in the day.
The wildfires stretch along a nearly 1,000-mile line in New South Wales, from the far north of the state south of Brisbane -- which lies just across the Queensland border -- to east of Canberra, the country's federal capital. Fires in the Blue Mountain range west of Sydney are a particular worry as rough terrain has impeded firefighting efforts.
"If our strategies don't work and weather materializes tomorrow that is forecast ... it could be absolutely devastating," said Rural Fire Service (RFS) Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers in New South Wales on Tuesday. "We lost a couple hundred homes the other day -- we could get worse losses than that." Wednesday is expected to be "about as bad as it gets," added Fitzsimmons.
With high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds forecast, fire officials have urged residents to evacuate from the path of the fires. "On days like today, minutes really matter," Fitzsimmons said.
At least one death has been reported. A 63-year-old man died of a suspected heart attack Friday while defending his home against a blaze on the New South Wales Central Coast, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, or ABC, reported.
'Eerie' skies over city of Sydney
Some urban areas that border the Australian bush have been devastated by the fires, which have destroyed more than 200 homes in the Blue Mountains region since Thursday.
Scores of fires now have burned 25,800 hectares (310,859 acres) -- an area greater than the size of Los Angeles. On Tuesday, officials said they were bringing in 1,500 firefighters to join the more than 1,000 emergency crews already on the ground.
At Blue Gum Forest inside the Blue Mountains National Park, firefighters were doing controlled burns -- setting fires in the bush ahead of the frontline of the blazes to eliminate tinder and slow the progress of the fires. Instead of cloud-shrouded mountaintops, the valleys of the region were covered with a dense layer of smoke.
Fears are still high that fires could join to form a "mega-fire" and endanger heavily populated areas of this popular natural retreat west of Sydney.
Most of the firefighters in the area were volunteers who've left their ordinary jobs to put out the fire, pouring in from different parts of Australia.
"There's a sense of community, doing what they can -- you can get a sense of resilience, strength, and a deep sense of pride of each brigade pulling their weight," said CNN's Robyn Curnow, reporting from the Blue Mountains.
The state of emergency issued by authorities gives firefighters and police the authority to carry out measures such as cutting off water, power and gas and ordering mandatory evacuations of areas at risk.
A total fire ban is in place for the Greater Sydney region until further notice, officials have said, meaning no fire may be lit in the open, and all fire permits are suspended. The fires have spread a cloak of smog over Sydney in recent days.
The bush fires in the area spread out of control Thursday amid high temperatures and powerful winds. Emergency officials said the region is emerging from a very dry winter and has had little rain in recent months.
The causes of the Blue Mountains fires are still under investigation -- officials are looking into whether one major blaze was caused by a military training exercise.
Police said Monday they had arrested two boys, age 11 and 15, over two earlier bush fires in the Port Stephens area, more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Sydney, that began October 13. One of the fires they are accused of starting burned more than 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) in the surrounding area.
The 11-year-old has been placed under house arrest, charged with two counts of intentionally causing fire and being reckless as to its spread, NSW Police Force said. The child is scheduled to appear in court next month where he is expected to plead not guilty to the charges, CNN affiliate Sky News reports.
CNN's Madison Park and Jethro Mullen contributed to this story | {
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City boss Mark Hughes has sounded out contacts in Scotland and Holland to get the inside track on the Dutchman.
Van Dijk, above, is one of several options Hughes is tracking, but he knows that Southampton are already at the table and Everton could also come into the equation if they cash in on John Stones, who is wanted by Chelsea.
Saints boss Ronald Koeman has dropped his biggest hint yet that Van Dijk is his main man.
“I still believe we will get one before the transfer window shuts,” said Koeman. | {
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Title: 1994 Tune-up Community Project Filename: levels/doom2/Ports/megawads/1994tu.zip Size: 10.45 MB Date: 08/20/11 Author: Snarboo Description: Everybody knows that most maps from 1994 are pretty terrible, but what if we took maps from the archive that permit modification and then redetailed them?
The purpose of this community wad is to improve on maps from 1994. Most maps from that time had strong layouts, but poor design decisions such as misaligned textures, bad texture choices, hidden doors and mandatory secrets to progress. The aim of this project is to fix those problems and take what was already strong about the original maps and improve it. Credits: id Software, Doomworld forum community. See TXT\credits.txt for full credit information Base: See ORIGINALS\MAPXX_YYYYYY.ZIP Build time: 2 years Editor(s) used: Various Bugs: Rating:
Download mirrors: Germany
Idaho
Greece (HTTP)
Texas
Germany (TLS)
New York
Virginia /idgames protocol: idgames://16561
View 1994tu.txt =========================================================================== Advanced engine needed : Boom compatible + Limit removing Primary purpose : Single play =========================================================================== Title : 1994 Tune-up Community Project Filename : 1994tu.wad Release date : 08/20/2011 Author : Snarboo Email Address : [email protected] Description : Everybody knows that most maps from 1994 are pretty terrible, but what if we took maps from the archive that permit modification and then redetailed them? The purpose of this community wad is to improve on maps from 1994. Most maps from that time had strong layouts, but poor design decisions such as misaligned textures, bad texture choices, hidden doors and mandatory secrets to progress. The aim of this project is to fix those problems and take what was already strong about the original maps and improve it. Additional Credits to : id Software, Doomworld forum community. See TXT\credits.txt for full credit information =========================================================================== * What is included * New levels : 32 Sounds : No Music : Yes Graphics : Yes - Textures Dehacked/BEX Patch : Yes - Level names Demos : Yes - Recorded by tatsurd-cacocaco Other : No Other files required : None * Play Information * Game : Doom 2 Map # : MAP01-MAP32 Single Player : Designed for Cooperative 2-4 Player : Designed for Deathmatch 2-4 Player : Player starts only Other game styles : None Difficulty Settings : Yes * Construction * Base : See ORIGINALS\MAPXX_YYYYYY.ZIP Build Time : 2 years Editor(s) used : Various * Copyright / Permissions * Authors MAY use the contents of this file as a base for modification or reuse. Permissions have been obtained from original authors for any of their resources modified or included in this file. You MAY distribute this file, provided you include this text file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact. I have received permission from the original authors of any modified or included content in this file to allow further distribution. * Where to get the file that this text file describes * The Usual: ftp://archives.3dgamers.com/pub/idgames/ and mirrors mong Gibberish Flame Spam Off-topic Broken text | {
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ATHENS — There are already several people at Georgia very familiar with Maurice Smith: Head coach Kirby Smart, who was Smith’s defensive coordinator the past three years, and Mel Tucker, who was his secondary coach last year.
But for casual fans Smith is more of a mystery. He only started two games in three years at Alabama, and last season finished with 15 tackles – though one sack, in the Iron Bowl. After spring practice this year, Smith was Alabama’s first-team nickel back.
The early buzz at Georgia is Smith will have a chance to compete for a starting spot, potentially at any of the five main defensive back spots. For a better perspective on what Georgia is getting in this graduate transfer, we asked three Alabama beat reporters who have covered Smith:
Aaron Suttles, Tuscaloosa News
“The best part of what Maurice Smith will bring to his team is his versatility, especially in nickel and dime packages. He can play the nickel defensive back known as the Star position in Nick Saban’s defense, and I assume the terminology will be the same with Kirby Smart. He can also play safety. Forget about him missing the first week-and-a-half of fall camp. Smith is a smart kid and his experience and comfortability should make for an easy adaptation should he end up in Athens.
“Smith would have played much more last year had he not dealt with injuries. When he was sidelined, Smith lost his role in the defense to true freshman Ronnie Harrison. He couldn’t supplant Harrison after that. That decision was made by Mel Tucker and Smart, so that’s something to watch if he does indeed end up at Georgia.”
Charlie Potter, BamaOnline247
“Maurice is a versatile defensive back that can play essentially anywhere in the secondary. If this whole thing never happened, Smith would be taking reps as Alabama’s first-team Star, or fifth defensive back. But in my interactions with him, and in the brief time we saw him on the field or around the players, he seems like a guy that was well-liked by his teammates. Despite all that’s happened, I don’t see him as a bad locker room guy or anything like that. He should fit in well wherever he goes.”
Marq Burnett, SEC Country
“Maurice Smith’s biggest strength as a defensive back was his physicality. Smith wasn’t afraid of contact, and was always looking to hit someone.
“He probably fits better as a safety long-term. That would allow teams to take advantage of his ball skills and physical play on the back end.” | {
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Say, what? In order to get the Bernie grant, states are forced to either hold or increase their per-student spending. So if a state, let's say California, were to find an effective way to reduce per-pupil cost without reducing the quality of education students get, California - and all of California's public college and university undergraduates - would instantly become ineligible for the assistance Bernie Sanders is proposing.
Many institutions - both private and public - are already finding ways to reduce cost without degrading quality of education, for example by increasing online classes and distant learning or allowing students to take classes at a nearby college and transfer credit for a course their main institution does not offer at all at a time convenient for the student rather than starting a brand new class or department. All of these efforts would be undermined by Sanders' plan, and the success of those efforts would bring punishment from a Sanders Department of Education.
If Sanders merely wanted to stop states from cutting and passing the cost onto the federal government, he could have done so by mandating that the federal government did not pay a greater percentage of the tuition from one year to the next, rather than by mandating state spending.
When Bernie Sanders' cavalier attitude towards states that would not take the money he is offering is coupled with states like California that have seen some success in lowering the cost of higher education, even the states previously viewed as "good actors" might not end up qualifying for the Sanders Free College Plan.
In essence, the Sanders plan would force institutions of higher learning to increase their costs in order to stay tuition free to their in-state students. This pressure for cost growth rather than containment is sure to quickly blow up the cost of implementing the program as well, turning it into nothing more than a racket for public institutions the way for-profit education is a racket for for-profit colleges.
Hillary Clinton's College Compact, on the other hand, encourages and rewards colleges and states for lowering cost without sacrificing quality.
"But other countries can do it, why not us?" This is often the question of both first attack and last resort. The question is formed on the basis of mostly European models of higher education, which are themselves deeply flawed and are guilty of holding back students based on test scores.
The European "Free College" Model
European countries not only generally deal with a centralized higher education system rather than a multitude of public and private systems that can exist even within a state in the US, they employ cost controls that won't sit well with most Americans.
In France, for example, entry to university is severely restricted by the French Baccalauréat exams, administered in three levels which determine both what a student can study and in which universities. Only students who make the cut can go to top public institutions - which makes their parents ability to afford private tutors a key factor, regardless of the students' background, educational and extracurricular achievements.
Another reason European countries can keep cost under control is because their faculty is far less well compensated than in the United States. In many European countries, tenure is near impossible to achieve (9% in Germany) or simply doesn't exist (UK). Bernie Sander's plan, on the other hand, mandates that the states receiving help to create no-cost tuition for students employ 75% of their higher education staff either on tenure or on a tenure track.
While tenure is an effective way to retain top faculty and makes sure they don't simply leave for higher-paying private institutions, it also increases cost. Europe essentially deals with this problem by having far fewer private institutions, and some European countries have none.
Bernie Sanders is not giving us a European model, because he knows that there's no way the US could practice the type of centralized control over education that European countries have, and that an attempt to do so would both be hardline radical and unconstitutional.
What Bernie Sanders is giving us is the other extreme. He is giving us a plan that relies on states, including red states, to chip in $1 for every $2 the federal government puts in. He is giving us a plan that forces states and institutions to grow cost and punishes them for innovating to reduce cost. He is giving us a plan that is, as designed, impossible to implement. He is giving us a plan that gets all the fundamentals wrong.
[Author's note and acknowledgment: Dr. Suman Sen, who has served as a fellow and as a faculty member at Penn State, noted the differences between the Euroepan and American systems first in an email to me, and I thank him for pointing me in the right direction for the last section of this essay.] | {
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Bali appears lush and tropical but researchers estimate the island will run dry by 2020. Credit:Jessica Hromas The beach club sits on an aquifer, underground layers of rock that contain water that can surface through natural springs or be extracted using pumps. Like most tourism businesses and households in the area, the beach club relies on groundwater for daily water consumption. Lack of management and overconsumption of water can cause aquifers to face groundwater depletion and land subsidence. Although Bali is a lush, tropical island with rich volcanic soil and a more than 1,000-year heritage of rice production, researchers estimate the island will run dry by 2020. Stress on waterways is more than just a local issue to Bali. It is of global concern, as UNICEF's current campaign World Water Week seeks to highlight. Balinese opposition to outside investors
Bali's struggle against cashed-up outside investors is most prominent in the "Tolak Reklamasi" movement. Thousands of supporters have joined the movement to reject land reclamation in Benoa Bay, where investors from Jakarta are planning to build hotels and casinos on artificially-built islands. Protesters claim this will have negative environmental consequences such as flooding, place stress on water and waste management, and destroy dozens of Hindu sacred sites. While there are many - local residents included - who welcome the booming tourist scene in Canggu and the economic opportunities this offers, researchers warn about rapid and uncontrolled development. Balinese tourism researcher I Nyoman Darma Putra has addressed the shift from cultural tourism to marine tourism and notes the increasing demand for marine leisure activities by tourists. He cautions against the rapid development of coastal spaces and urges developers to consider Balinese people's religious relationship with the sea, as well as the sustainable management of environmental resources. Tourism and water An estimated 60 per cent of Bali's water is consumed by the tourism industry. This not only affects water sources but can disadvantage neighbouring users too.
Stroma Cole's research shows how wealthy tourism operators can afford better technology to access deeper groundwater resources. While most households have wells up to 40 metres deep (some only 12 metres), resorts are reported to drill deeper wells - 60 metres and more - literally sucking up their neighbours' water. The neighbours are then forced to dig deeper or look elsewhere for freshwater. Although there are laws that regulate water consumption, they are rarely enforced. Most users are unaware of these regulations. As a result, those with financial resources can buy themselves an advantage in accessing resources. Water tables across Bali have dropped up to 50 metres in the past 10 years in parts of Bali and 60 per cent of its watersheds are declared dry. The damage could become irreversible once aquifers suffer saltwater intrusion, rendering the groundwater useless for domestic purposes. Bali tourism: who really benefits? So what benefit may this beach club have to the area? Surely, large developments can bring economic prosperity to semi-urban areas?
The prospects seem bleak. Beach vendors, who have been selling cold drinks and snacks on this stretch of sand in Berawa for years, were forced to move to make way for the new mega-club, and are left fearing for their business. Many of those beach vendors have families to feed. The assumption that more tourism business means more wealth for Balinese residents is also misleading: an estimated 85% of tourism businesses are owned by non-Balinese.. The Today Tonight segment does well in highlighting the popularity of places like Canggu and touches on the special place Bali holds towards its Australian audience. Australians in particular have a close connection to Bali through decades of mass tourism and the market seems to be changing from a budget, all-inclusive version, to a glossy, exotic marine tourism destination. While an exclusive cocktail in the newest popular beach bar will look good on any traveller's social media feed, consumers, developers and residents alike must consider seriously measures of environmental sustainability, so that generations to come can enjoy the beauty of this wonderful island. The author makes no claim of representing or speaking on behalf of a Balinese community. Some of the information is based on ethnographic field research the author undertook in the Canggu area between 2015 - 2016 as part of his PhD project.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. | {
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У мережі й на телебаченні киплять пристрасті довкола блокади групою активістів залізниці. На фоні полярності думок щодо правильності дій учасників акції між українцями пробігла чорна кішка. Одні вважають, що неможливо торгувати з окупованими територіями і отримувати «по бартеру» снаряди, які забирають життя наших громадян, інші, навпаки, нарешті усвідомили, що відлуння війни може докотитися й до них віяловими відключеннями і холодними без опалення будинками.
Виникнення таких міжусобиць передусім пов’язане з відсутністю діалогу влади з народом. Влада не змогла за 3 роки війни пояснити українському народу, що ми маємо від торгівлі з окупантом і до яких наслідків може призвести розірвання економічних відносин.
Ми не хочемо брати участі у цих інтернет-баталіях, адже сподіваємося, що Указ Президента України Порошенка П. О. «Про невідкладні заходи з нейтралізації загроз енергетичній безпеці України та посилення захисту критичної інфраструктури» приведе до чітко прописаних законодавчих норм і правил одночасно з прийняттям вольових рішень.
Важко сказати, чи думало РНБО України про ризики можливої блокади раніше, бо вона могла початися з участю жителів тимчасово окупованої території — тільки уже по той бік лінії розмежування. На кого б тоді кивав Кабінет міністрів?!
Наш супротивник, в особі кремлівського керівництва, виявився розумнішим, все продумав. Так, ще у середині 2014 року, відразу після самопроголошення фейкових утворень «днр» і «лнр», Росія аналізувала ситуацію з можливою економічною блокадою. Але, зараз це прозвучить парадоксально, розглядався варіант «Україна заблокувала постачання в ОРДЛО», а не як ми маємо по факту — блокаду постачання із ОРДЛО.
Завдяки зламу українськими хактивістами листування помічника президента РФ Владислава Суркова, отримали величезний об’єм документів. У результаті аналізу поштової скриньки команда InformNapalm пролила світло на плани Росії з дестабілізації ситуації в Україні. У нашій публікації першої частини аналізу дампу Суркова була згадка про наявність документу під назвою «Про ризики економічної блокади ЛНР і ДНР».
Лист з таким вкладенням прийшов на поштову скриньку Суркова 18.06.2014 від Авдєєнко В. М. ([email protected]). На той час Авдєєнко Володимир Миколайович був начальником Департаменту управління адміністрації президента Росії із соціально-економічної співпраці з країнами СНД, Абхазією і т. зв. Південною Осетією (окуповані території Грузії). Крім цього, Володимир Авдєєнко курував економічну складову відносин з фейковими «днр» і «лнр». До кінця 2014 року з російських ЗМІ стало відомо про його звільнення з цієї посади.
Отже, який аналіз надав Авдєєнко Суркову, чого боялося російське керівництво і які альтернативні рішення бачило для себе:
Блокада постачання залізорудного концентрату з Дніпропетровської та Запорізької областей для металургійних підприємств Донбасу.
Вирішення такої ресурсної загрози бачили в альтернативному постачанні з Бєлгородської області, де є великі запаси залізних руд, Росії довелося б збільшити видобуток і організувати постачання залізницею на Донбас.
Стойленський ГЗК, Бєлгородська область
Тепер зрозуміло, чому так спішно почали будувати залізничне полотно в обхід України, яке зв’яже між собою станції Журавка — Міллерово (докладніше можна прочитати тут: посилання1, посилання 2, посилання 3).
Енергетична блокада окупованого Донбасу
За даними вказаного вище документу, до 30% електроенергії в балансі Донбасу постачається Запорізькою АЕС і ГЕС. Розв’язання проблеми постачання електроенергії бачили в будівництві енергомосту — 300-кілометрової високовольтної лінії (ВЛ) 500 кВ від Ростовської АЕС до підстанції «Ростовська» і ВЛ 500 кВ від підстанції «Ростовська» до підстанції «Шахти» (87,8 км), а також за рахунок посилення зв’язків: 500 кВ від підстанції «Шахти» до підстанції «Перемога» Свердловського району Луганської області і 330 кВ від підстанції «Ростовська» до підстанції «Південна»-Харцизька Донецької області, додаткових ліній протяжністю 84 і 105 км, відповідно.
Розглядали також збільшення перетоки потужності з боку Воронезької енергосистеми (Об’єднана енергетична система Центра) за рахунок будівництва другого ланцюга ВЛ 500 кВ Нововоронезька АЕС — підстанція Донбаська, загальною протяжністю 345 км.
Ось за що могли заплатити російські платники податків. А як інакше? Країна-окупант має утримувати незаконно загарбані території.
Блокада експортних постачань на території України
Відповідно до документа, до 20% експорту готової продукції (передусім – метал та вироби з нього, а також продукція машинобудування) постачалось із Донбасу через територію України з виходом на порт м. Миколаїв. Навіть розглядаючи відвантаження через порт м. Маріуполь (Прим.ред: на момент написання документу Маріуполь був в окупації), однаково потрібна була перебудова логістики.
Підтвердити сказане вище можна даними зведеної таблиці, яку отримали в результаті успішної операції зламу Українськими Кібервійськами пошти т. зв. «мінтрансу» терористичної організації «днр». Ми говорили про відвантаження залізницею на експорт продукції Єнакіївського метзаводу та Алчевського меткомбінату в українські порти та країни Євросоюзу.
Отже, ми показали стурбованість російського керівництва можливим впливом блокади на економіку псевдореспублік. Нас також цікавить, чи проводить наше Міністерство з питань тимчасово окупованих територій подібні аналізи, чи займається стратегічним плануванням. Все сказане вище можна оцінювати як натяк, але не треба забувати, що ворог розумний і всі ці ходи, на відміну від нас, прорахував ще три роки тому.
Автор: Victory Krm
Інформація підготовлена спеціально для сайту InformNapalm.org. При повному або частковому використанні матеріалу активне посилання на автора і статтю на сайті обов’язкове.
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The Court currently has 43 arguments scheduled for this term. For the most part, these cases will go under the radar. Even cases with large sets of amicus briefs, usually a good sign of generalized interest in cases, do not contain the same blockbuster quality as cases in recent terms. For example, amici filed nearly 30 merits briefs in the case Weyerhaeuser Company v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The case deals with the scope of the Endangered Species Act. While an important topic, this appeals to a narrow sector of the population. Cases like Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission from last term not only generate a greater number of amicus filings, but also potentially affect a wider portion of the population (although as it turns out the scope of the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision was relatively narrow).
This leads to the logical question of what might inspire the Court’s next set of blockbuster cases. This past week we saw the federal government make a move that might ignite tension across the nation when news surfaced that the Trump Administration was looking to focus the language of Title IX on a binary definition of sex as either male or female based on the “genitals that a person is born with.” This refined definition is already drawing backlash from large portions of the public while it is downplayed by others.
Such an interpretation of Title IX could very well lead states to refine laws based on such a definition, and in turn is a potential path to litigation on Equal Protection grounds. While the federal impetus would clearly motivate state action, an actual decree at the state or local level would likely catalyze any response. In practice, states’ laws in areas of civil liberties have led to many of the most well-known cases over the past several decades with issues ranging from same-sex marriages in Obergefell v. Hodges to affirmative action in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin.
Below are eight issues with laws that significantly vary at that state level and which affect large swaths of the population. These issues and the state laws in question are potential sparks for litigation in hot-button areas that might very well reach the Supreme Court. Most of these issues have already fostered litigation in the Court in recent years and due to states changing laws and policies, might find their ways back to the Court sooner rather than later. The issues examined below include: abortion, the death penalty, employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, gun carrying rights, state policies on immigration, marijuana laws, voter ID policies, and laws respecting religious freedom.
There is only one dimension of an area of law examined for each issue. This means for example that while gun carrying laws are examined, laws regarding gun ownership are not. This might skew the picture a bit by area but also controls for how courts may differentially analyze similar issues across states. States’ policies in these areas were each scaled from 0 to 3.5 (when applicable due to sufficient gradations in state laws) with zero relating to a liberal approach and 3.5 equating to a more conservative policy.
Abortion
The current standard on abortion is derived from the 1992 Supreme Court decision in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, which looks at whether an abortion regulation places an “undue burden” on a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. The checkerboard of states’ approaches on abortion range from defining a specific timeline within which abortions are legal to more open-ended standards.
Information from the Guttmacher Institute helped to delineate state level abortion policies focusing on the timeframes when abortions are permissible. One area of ambiguity in states laws, however, derives from the fact that many states’ policies are predicated on viability of the fetus and yet there is little consensus on when a fetus is actually viable. Some of the clearly more liberal policies like that in Rhode Island use a 24-week marker as the deadline. In Virginia’s case the threshold is extended until the third trimester while other states like Mississippi set the threshold to 20 weeks. Not long ago legislators in Mississippi tried to pass a law that prohibited abortions after 15 weeks but a federal judge blocked this law from going into effect. Still, multiple states have bills pending that might curtail the availability of abortions including a potential ban on abortions in Louisiana after 15 weeks and an abortion ban in Iowa after a fetal heartbeat is detected. As state laws that use viability as the threshold for abortion run the gamut in practice from quite strict to relatively loose these were coded as conservative based on the theoretic possibility that they can be used to justify banning abortions at early stages in a pregnancy.
The map of state policies based on the Guttmacher Institute’s coding is as follows:
Voter ID
Voter ID requirements vary considerably across states as well. The Court held in Crawford v. Marion County that an Indiana law requiring photo IDs at polling stations was constitutional. Now laws range from not requiring identification on the liberal end to requiring photo IDs on the more restrictive edge of the spectrum. Many other bills on this issue are currently percolating within state legislatures. Data on Voter ID laws was retrieved from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) website.
Death Penalty
State death penalty laws frequently lead to litigation and oftentimes this litigation makes its way to the Supreme Court. As recently as its 2015 term, the Court held Florida’s capital sentencing scheme unconstitutional in Hurst v. Florida. The Court has two death penalty related cases this term with Bucklew v. Precythe and Madison v. Alabama though neither looks at a state’s overall death penalty policy. State laws now range from abolishing the death penalty to using multiple methods for executions. Data from the NCSL and from Findlaw was pooled to generate the map on death penalty policies.
Employment Discrimination Based on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
There is no universal standard for states’ policies on employment discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. This is an issue not often confronted by the Supreme Court but one that could very well arise in the near future. The Court recently dealt with employment discrimination based on gender in Young v. UPS and almost heard a case regarding a dispute on transgender use of bathrooms in Virginia schools in Gloucester v. G.G. before the Trump Administration changed the direction of the federal policy in this area. State laws ranging from least to most protective as identified by the Human Rights Campaign are as follows:
Guns
Gun laws are another area that split the states. While states have a variety of laws that regulate gun ownership and use, the focal laws for this analysis deal with the settings where individuals can lawfully carry guns within the state. The Court upheld the right to gun possession in District of Columbia v. Heller and reaffirmed this right in McDonald v. City of Chicago. State laws now vary from freely permitting the open carry of guns to prohibiting open carry altogether. Several states are also currently looking to broaden their gun carrying policies. State gun laws were identified based on coding from the Giffords Law Center.
Immigration
Another area where states get involved in a variety of fashion is defining law enforcement’s involvement in pursuing and handling undocumented immigrants. The Court examined this issue in Arizona v. United States when it held Arizona’s policy of allowing police to search for undocumented immigrants without warrants unconstitutional. States’ policies now range from requiring law enforcement to verify the immigration status of detainees and report undocumented immigrants to federal immigration authorities to leaving these matters entirely to federal authorities. Information on immigration enforcement laws was obtained through the NCSL and Findlaw.
Religious Liberty
The intensely followed issue of when religious liberty is pit against discriminatory practices will almost assuredly end up once again before the Supreme Court. The Court held in favor of a company’s religious liberty in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, and later held for the religious rights of a baker over those of a same-sex couple seeking a wedding cake in last term’s Masterpiece Cakeshop. Multiple states have Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) laws in place that protect religious liberty under a strict scrutiny standard. Some none RFRA states still protect this type of religious liberty through court decisions while others have no such laws in place. Information on religious liberty laws was obtained through the NCSL and Findlaw.
Marijuana Laws
Marijuana legalization is another issue that may come before the Supreme Court in the near future, especially if Congress does not legislate on the topic and states continue to vary in their practices. States range from allowing marijuana in very limited instances to legalizing marijuana for recreational use. This not only leads to disparate practices across states but also to traffic of marijuana between states with different levels of marijuana prohibitions. Information on marijuana laws and restrictions was obtained through the NCSL.
Overall
The scores in the eight areas were aggregated to create an overall index that runs from more liberal to more conservative. The ideological difference in state policies across these issue areas is shown below.
The lines above show the ideological valence of a states’ laws and not the likelihood that a state law will be challenged. Laws on both sides of the spectrum may be challenged depending on when rights are curtailed so that restrictive, liberal gun laws may be challenged but so may restrictive abortion laws even though one equates to a more liberal policy and the other to a more conservative policy.
While the justices ultimately control their docket and may choose (or not choose) to hear cases in any of these areas, these are some of the areas where states have major distinctions between their laws. Attacks on state laws in these areas could well lead to litigation that reaches the upper echelons of U.S. Courts and due to the Supreme Court’s predilection towards cases that split courts across the country, cases in these areas may well spur some of the next great battles before the justices.
On Twitter @AdamSFeldman; Running data related projects for lawyers @ Optimized Legal | {
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