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A lawyer for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev asked an appeals court to throw out his death sentence, arguing that pretrial publicity prejudiced the jurors who decided his fate.
The defense lawyer, Daniel Habib, made the case Thursday that the judge erred by holding the trial in a still-traumatized city where wall-to-wall news coverage and a sense of shared victimhood made it impossible to select an impartial jury.
"This case should not have been tried in Boston," Habib said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney William Glaser asserted that the pretrial publicity didn't taint the jury, leading to an exchange with the judges over the impact of statements made by elected officials and public figures like Boston Red Sox slugger David “Big Papi” Ortiz.
Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston / Reuters file
Five days after the bombing, Ortiz went to the Fenway Park mound prior to a game and proclaimed, "This is our (expletive) city."
When the subject of Ortiz's speech was brought up, Judge Juan Torruella, one of a trio hearing the arguments, mistakenly referred to the ball player as a public official before correcting himself.
"If he ran for office, he probably would be," Torruella said, laughing.
It was the lone moment of levity in a hearing that centered on the most traumatic event in Boston's recent past.
The bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon killed three people and wounded more than 260 others.
Tsarnaev carried out the attack with his older brother, Tamerlan, who died three days later in a shootout with police.
Boston was put on a citywide lockdown as thousands of cops and National Guard troops searched for the younger Tsarnaev brother.
The manhunt ended four days after the bombing when police found a wounded Tsarnaev hiding in a tarp-covered boat in the backyard of a home in Watertown, Mass.
Tsarnaev was convicted and sentenced to death in 2015.
Tsarnaev, 26, was not present at Thursday's hearing. He's locked up at the most secure prison in the United States: the ADX Florence in Colorado, known as the Alcatraz of the Rockies.
In arguing that the jury pool was tainted, Tsarnaev's lawyer noted that two jurors had failed to disclose they had discussed the case on social media prior to joining the panel.
One juror went on Facebook to tag himself at the courthouse on the day of jury selection, leading a friend to urge him to "get on the jury" and send Tsarnaev to jail where "he will be taken care of."
The jury foreperson said she had not made any online comments prior to the trial, but Habib said she had in fact described Tsarnaev in a social media post as a "piece of garbage."
Before the trial got underway, Tsarnaev's lawyers identified the social media comments as reasons to disqualify the two jurors. But Judge George O'Toole rejected that argument and allowed the jurors to remain on the case, describing the defense claims as "speculative."
Legal experts say it will be at least several months before the appeals court judges issue their opinion and order.
The judges could affirm the guilty verdict and sentence, or they could find an error in the trial proceedings and either order a new trial or just a new penalty phase.
In response to a question by one of the judges, Habib said he'd leave it up to a judge to decide if it would be fair to hold a new trial in Boston if the verdict were to be tossed.
"Time heals some wounds," he said. | {
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Quantum physics these days is all about weird materials and what we can do with them. In this article we’ll take a look at one particular example.
The Nobel prize this year went to three guys for some topological stuff. The Buckley prize went to two other guys, also for topological stuff. But what is this topological nonsense? Why didn’t these prizes get won for something cool, like lasers!
Firstly, it’s because lasers already got the Nobel prize in 1964. But more importantly, it’s because topological stuff is cool! It let’s us build new universes from weird materials. Universes with exotic laws of physics. Universes where the impossible becomes possible.
But let’s not just talk about it. Let’s go and actually build one!
The best physics begins with magnets
Quantum physicists, like everyone else, prefer things to be simple. So one of their favourite types of particle is the spin-1/2. These are the simplest kind of magnet you can ever get. Simple is good. Magnets are awesome. What’s not to like?
As I’m sure you know, magnets interact with each other. They are famous for it. Put two next to each other, and they won’t be at all happy unless they’re pointing the same way. They’ll probably even jump out your hands to make it happen. These are the kinds of interactions we’ll be use using today.
We’re not going to let the spin-1/2 particles do whatever they like, though. They’ll probably fly around getting in a right old mess. So we are going to get a honeycomb and stick them to the vertices. Like the circles on the picture below.
It’s not your eyes playing tricks: The blue lines are thicker.
They’ll still be able to point in whatever direction they like, but they can’t move.
Let’s think about the two spin-1/2 particles called A and B, for a bit. These are next to each other, and so they’ll interact. They want to point the same way.
To make things interesting, we are going to mess about a bit with their interactions. Specifically, we’ll make them not only want to point the same direction as each other, they’ll want that direction to be either up (i.e. towards the top of the page) or down.
So what does this mean? If they are both pointing up, they’ll be happy. If they are both pointing down, they’ll also be happy. If one is up and the other is down, they won’t be entirely content. Nor will they be satisfied if they are pointing left or right, even if they are both doing the same thing.
For B and C, we are going to engineer a different interaction. These will again want to point in the same direction, but this time they’ll also want to point either left or right. For B and D, it’ll be the same again. But now the preferred directions will be the ones pointing out of the page, with either their north or south pole sticking right in your direction.
It’s not just A, B, C and D that are enjoying this party. All the others will be there too. All pairs separated by the blue lines will interact in the same way as A and B. All the red ones will interact like B and C, and the green ones will all be like B and D.
We have now set up something called the Honeycomb lattice model, the study of which has probably used up far more of your tax money than you’d want. But still much less than an Apache helicopter, so pretty good value.
The spins of the Honeycomb lattice model will never be completely happy. Spin B, for example, wants to point either up or down with its friend A. But it also wants to point left or right with C, and either towards or away from us with D. It can’t satisfy everyone.
You might wonder if this is where quantumness is going to come in. Maybe it can quantumly do all these things at once?
Nope. I’m afraid not. It can quantumly disappoint many different partners at once. But even quantum can’t keep everyone happy.
The magnets will try to jiggle into some sort of compromise position, in which each is as comfortable as possible. But it’ll be a mess. In fact, it’ll be a quantum superposition of many different messes, which is even more of a mess.
How to find a quantum compromise
Understanding how the best compromise works is not straightforward. At first glance, it looks like the kind of problem that is typically too hard for even the best of us to solve exactly. But actually there are some mathematical tricks we can use to make this honeycomb lattice reveal all its secrets. This is one reason why physicists like it so much.
These mathematical tricks are beyond the scope of this article. So let’s try to take a course that doesn’t need them too much.
The best way to start is to turn off everything but the interactions along vertical lines. Which looks like this.
Here each spin interacts with only one other spin: A with B, for example. Now everyone is perfectly clear on what they want: A and B should point in the same direction, and that direction should be up or down. No compromises required.
The same is true for C and E. They are also completely free to choose whether to point the same way as A and B both do, or to point the other way. Since these pairs don’t interact, they don’t care what the others are doing. This means there is a huge number of possible ways for everyone to be happy.
Now let’s turn the other interactions back on, but we’ll still keep them much weaker than the vertical ones. Each vertical pair now interacts a little with its neighbouring pairs. And those interactions demand at least a little compromise to their dream of the spins pointing strange directions like left and right.
To understand how this compromise might be brokered, there’s something you need to know about quantum magnets. Spin-1/2 particles are such simple things, there is no room in their tiny little minds to understand both the concept of up and down, and the concept of left and right. They pick the pair of directions they like best and think of everything in terms of those.
Our spin-1/2s are dominated by the desire to point up or down, so up and down will be the directions that the spins like to think about. They then think of left as just being some weird quantum superposition of being up and down. They think of right as a completely different kind of superposition. And similarly also for other directions
So how to make the weak interactions feel like they are being listened to, at least a bit? We have to bust out some superpositions!
With these superpositions will mean that the vertical pairs can no longer freely choose what to do. A and B cannot freely either both point up or both down. Instead they are forced into a superposition of the two.
In fact, all these pairs are forced into a big correlated superposition thing. Only by doing this will the weaker interactions get a taste of what they wanted, and stop complaining about being ignored.
Bringing back some freedom
The cost of the compromise is freedom. There is now only one way for all the spins to be happy, rather than the multitude possible when only the vertical interactions were turned on. Let’s now try and get some of that freedom back.
If turning on interactions lost us freedom, let’s turn some off. Spins A and B are forced into a weird superposition by the weak interactions, and forced to point the same way as each other by their strong one. Rather than arguing with the former, let’s deal with the latter. Let’s turn their vertical interaction down so it also is nice and weak.
The interaction between A and B gets turned down, so we don’t draw it with a thick line any more. It doesn’t deserve it.
Once we do this, spins A and B are no longer like the others. They are still interacting with their neighbours, and so they are still part of the quantum party, but they don’t have so many rules to follow. They no longer need to point in the same direction as each other
This means we now have two ways to make the great compromise: One is where A and B choose to point in the same direction, and the other is where they choose to be opposite.
Now it’s time to drop another quantum fact on you: Information cannot be destroyed by quantum processes. It can be moved. It can be smeared out. It can be hidden. But it can never be destroyed. The only way to defuse it is to find it out.
So suppose spins A and B have made their choice. They are either pointing in the same direction, or they aren’t. They have definitely chosen one way or the other, but we don’t know what they chose.
Suppose that we also turn off the vertical interaction between spins C and E. They can also choose whether to align or not. In this story, they choose to align and we know that for some reason.
Now let’s turn up the interaction between B and C. Let’s make this weak interaction strong. With no other strong interactions on B and C to oppose it, it gets its way: spins B and C are forced to align with each other, either both pointing left or both right.
But what happened to the information that we didn’t know? Whatever B was doing with A before, has now been overruled by its new loyalty to C. But that information can’t be lost, so it must be somewhere.
There’s only one option: It has moved to E. The job previously done by B is now done by E. The unknown information now governs the way that A and E are correlated with each other.
There are two ways this could happen: the easy way, or the quantum way. Spoiler: it’s going to be the quantum way!
The easy way would mean that E simply starts doing whatever B did before. If this were true, the unknown information would be easy to find. We’d just need to look at whether A and E are pointing the same way or not, and then we’d know that the same had been true of A and B.
The quantum way would be that the information would get spread out. You’d need to look at more than what A and E are doing, you’d need to also look at how they were correlated with the spins around around and between them.
That is what happens. To find out what was originally going on with A and B, we now need to pick a path that runs between A and E, look at all spins along that path and do some maths. The information has been spread out.
If we use the shortest path, this is perhaps not so surprising. That path includes B and C, the old friends of A and E. So it makes sense that they know part of the secret.
But we can use any path! We can use ones that avoid B and C entirely! We just need some way of hooking A and E together. The way we do it doesn’t matter.
Oh brave new world, that has such particles in it
Everything so far has been set-up. Now the pay off starts. Now I’ll show that the honeycomb lattice is its own little universe. A universe in which strange particles, impossible in our universe, can live, and dance, and die.
Any universe worth the name needs particles to populate it. It should be possible to move those particles around and smash them into each other. Sometimes smashing two particles together will make them annihilate: they’ll disappear. But sometimes they’ll combine to form a new particle.
A universe should also let the particles do the opposite. It should be possible for one to fall apart and become a few. And it should also be possible for nothing to occasionally turn into something. As long as that something is always a particle and its antiparticle, which will return to nothingness when combined, this is not a problem.
A universe should also prevent any particle appearing out of nothingness, or disappearing into nothingness. They have to team up with an antiparticle if they want to enter or leave. Otherwise it’s not a universe, it’s just a room.
That’s what a universe is. So how can we interpret the honeycomb lattice as a universe.
We need particles. The spin-1/2 particles don’t count. For one thing, they don’t get moved. They also don’t go around annihilating with things. They are the pillars on which our universe is built, not the particles that live in it.
So remember what happens when we turn one of the vertical interactions off. The two spin-1/2s nearby become something a bit more free than all the other. They are special. So we can do something and get two special things as a result. That’s important.
Once we have these special spots, we can mess about with the interactions nearby to move them. This is what we did when spin E inherited the job of B. So specialness can be moved. That’s important too.
When we get two special spots and put them next to each other, we know that they won’t interact strongly: That’s basically the definition of what makes them special. So if we turned up the interaction between them, the specialness of both would disappear. They’re freedom would be gone.
Now we have everything we need. In the honeycomb lattice we can get little spots of specialness. They can only be created in pairs. They can only be annihilated in pairs. They can be moved around. They behave just like particles, with each acting as the antiparticle of the other.
But their story is not yet at an end. There are two things that can happen when a pair of special spots are combined, depending on whether the particles were aligned or not. If they were, the spins are just be integrated back into the same normality as all the others. Their specialness would be gone without a trace. This is annihilation.
If they weren’t aligned, the new strong interaction between them will be pretty unhappy. So though the special spots would be gone, they’d leave something in their place. They would have combined to form a new particle: a bundle of frustrated energy. We’ll call these fermions, because that’s what they are.
There’s one last basic property of these particles to tell you about. I’m afraid that it will just seem to emerge from mathemagics. So you’ll have to trust me on this one
Say you have two pairs of special spots that you created from nothing, and so know will return to nothing again. Now take one spot from one pair, and move it in a big circle around one spot from the other pair until it’s back where it started.
This Majorana is drunk. But it doesn’t matter. So long as it goes around the one it wanted to, the effects are the same as for a perfect circle.
At no point did any of these particles touch. And no point did they meet up and throw fermions at each other. So you’d be forgiven for thinking that the end result of this process is nothing.
But it’s not. If you combine the pairs, you’ll find that they don’t annihilate any more. They will both combine to form a fermion. Just dancing the particles around each other changed what happens when they combine. Which is a bit odd, if you ask me.
We’ve now seen all the basic properties of these new particles that live in our honeycomb universe. They aren’t usually called ‘special spots’, though. They are called ‘Majorana modes’ and they are one of the big fashions in physics at the moment.
Building quantum computers from impossible particles
No particles that behave like Majorana modes exist in our universe. Not as proper particles like electrons, anyway. The particles of our universe always have a definite fate when combined. If you put a particle with its antiparticle, they’ll annihilate. Always. For certain.
But the Majoranas in the honeycomb universe are different. Combining a particle and antiparticle might cause them to annihilate. Or they might combine to form another particle. There are no obvious clues as to which will happen if the Majoranas are well separated. Just looking at them alone is not enough. You only find out by actually bringing them together¹.
Particles like this only exist in 2D universes, like our honeycomb lattice. There are many other ways to get weird 2D universes, with their own types of impossible particle. In general, these particles are called non-Abelian anyons. And they are awesome.
One reason for their awesomeness is that they could be used to build a completely new kind of computer.
How? Well you need to put an input in a computer for it to do anything. The input is usually in binary: a bunch of 0s and 1s.
To represent this input in the honeycomb universe, we could make as many Majorana pairs as we need bits. For each 0, we make a pair that would annihilate when combined. For each 1 we make one that would form a fermion. The Majoranas can then all be split up. That will make it hard for us to see what the input is. But it also makes it hard for noise to mess about with it². Which is good.
Our computer then needs to process the information. The input bits have to be messed about with to make the ouput bits. We’ve already seen that dancing Majoranas make things happen. So let’s use that. Our computer program turns into choreography.
It’s important to note that the effects of the dance don’t depend on the exact steps used. The only thing that matters is who passes around whom. So even if noise gives our Majoranas two left feet, everything will still do what we want it to.
Finally, we need to get the output. This is done by combining pairs of Majoranas. Annihilation means 0. Turning into a fermion means 1.
So there we go. Everything we need for a computer. Made out of impossible particles in an artificial universe. Does this imbue this new computational device with magical powers, that would outperform the world’s greatest supercomputer?
Yes! We get a quantum computer³. And quantum computers do have magical powers.
Now let’s build one
Earlier I said that we should stop talking about these new universes and start building one. And then I just talked more. A lot more.
But you can build one! I did, and I’m a theorist. Theorists aren’t usually allowed to make anything more complex than a mess on their desks. But I built a universe just like the one I’ve been talking about here. It had Majoranas in. I moved them around. Things happened. It was awesome! And If I can do it, so can you. Check out my video on how I did it here.
This article was based on my paper “A family of stabilizer codes for D(Z_2) anyons and Majorana modes”, but it was told more in the style of the great “Anyons in an exactly solved model and beyond” by Alexei Kitaev. It is also the basis for my recent work “Braiding Majoranas in a five qubit experiment”.
¹ Or, as we discussed earlier, looking all the way along a path that stretches between them, as we said earlier. But that turns out to be equivalent to bringing them together, seeing what happens when you combine them, turning the result back into two Majoranas and them putting them back where they were?
² If you want to know more about error correction for non-Abelian anyons (and who wouldn’t?) we have an app for that.
³ Or, more accurately, no. Not without coming up with a few more tricks, anyway. Like bringing Majoranas close together, letting them interact a little and then separating them again. But details like that are what footnotes were made for. | {
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Big fire melon
magical melon girl
Level: 43
Posts: 2/601
EXP: 525368
Next: 39678
Since: 03-27-17
From: France
Last post: 5 hours ago
Last view: 2 hours ago
melonDS is part of a second wave of DS emulators. There are a few other emulator projects that are part of it, which you might have already heard of. Either way, check them out!
Why start this project? Mostly for the sake of the challenge, but also because I believe the DS emulation scene needs some fresh air. The NO$GBA author is working hard to reverse-engineer, document and emulate the DSi, but aside from that, there isn't a lot of progress regarding the DS, and I feel that there are still things to be done.
So, without further ado, let's relive 2007!
melonDS 0.1
Features
* almost-complete 2D graphics
* 3D graphics (software renderer) with texturing, alphablending, lighting
* input: keyboard and joystick, touchscreen
* backup memory
* booting from the BIOS
* resizable video output window, preserving aspect ratio of individual screens
How to use
melonDS requires BIOS/firmware dumps from a DS. You can dump them with
The files must be placed in the same directory as the melonDS executable, as follows:
* bios7.bin -- ARM7 BIOS, 16KB
* bios9.bin -- ARM9 BIOS, 4KB
* firmware.bin -- firmware, 256KB or 512KB
Note: the DS-mode firmware in the 3DS isn't bootable. It only contains the bare minimum required to run DS games. Be sure to enable direct game boot when using a firmware dump from a 3DS.
Settings
Emulation: settings related to emulation. For now it lets you enable direct game boot (directly runs the game instead of going through the firmware).
Input: allows you to configure keyboard and joystick input. You can change a mapping by clicking the corresponding entry, then pressing a keyboard key or joystick button. For now, joystick input uses the first joystick available if multiple joysticks are plugged.
Downloads
* Windows 64-bit
* Linux 64-bit
Have fun!
____________________
Kuribo64
There's a new DS emulator in the town, and it's finally seeing its first public release!melonDS is part of a second wave of DS emulators. There are a few other emulator projects that are part of it, which you might have already heard of. Either way, check them out!Why start this project? Mostly for the sake of the challenge, but also because I believe the DS emulation scene needs some fresh air. The NO$GBA author is working hard to reverse-engineer, document and emulate the DSi, but aside from that, there isn't a lot of progress regarding the DS, and I feel that there are still things to be done.So, without further ado, let's relive 2007!* almost-complete 2D graphics* 3D graphics (software renderer) with texturing, alphablending, lighting* input: keyboard and joystick, touchscreen* backup memory* booting from the BIOS* resizable video output window, preserving aspect ratio of individual screensmelonDS requires BIOS/firmware dumps from a DS. You can dump them with the following dumper The files must be placed in the same directory as the melonDS executable, as follows:* bios7.bin -- ARM7 BIOS, 16KB* bios9.bin -- ARM9 BIOS, 4KB* firmware.bin -- firmware, 256KB or 512KBNote: the DS-mode firmware in the 3DS isn't bootable. It only contains the bare minimum required to run DS games. Be sure to enable direct game boot when using a firmware dump from a 3DS.Emulation: settings related to emulation. For now it lets you enable direct game boot (directly runs the game instead of going through the firmware).Input: allows you to configure keyboard and joystick input. You can change a mapping by clicking the corresponding entry, then pressing a keyboard key or joystick button. For now, joystick input uses the first joystick available if multiple joysticks are plugged.Have fun!____________________ | {
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The front page of the Toronto Star on May 27, 1992, was deeply of the decade. Premiere Bob Rae’s face scowled above the fold, and the Blue Jays beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5 to 4, adding to their scorching, World-Series calibre record.
A short story announced a change to the weather report. Environment Canada would begin publishing forecasts of the intensity of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
It was information they hoped Canadians would use to avoid sunburns and the attendant risk of skin cancer.
Today is the 25th birthday of the UV index. The scale was invented by three Toronto-based Environment Canada scientists.
It has since been adopted around the world.
When forecasters issue a UV index of six in Brussels or 22 in the Andes, they are comparing local ultraviolet radiation to a sunny summer day at Dufferin and Steeles.
It confirms that Toronto is, in fact, the centre of the universe — at least when it comes to calibrating sunburn risk.
The story of the UV index is one of Canadian leadership in atmospheric science, technology transfer and public communication.
“In a sense, we managed to put a hat on everybody in the world,” says Tom McElroy, one of the UV index’s inventors. McElroy is now a professor at York University’s Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering.
The story shows, some say, how far Canada has shifted from its world-leading position in this field; measuring ultraviolet radiation is inextricably linked to measuring variations in the ozone layer.
But the program at Environment Canada was diminished by the Stephen Harper government.
“I think it’s going to take a lot of effort to get the place back on its feet again,” says Thomas Duck, a professor in physics and atmospheric science at Dalhousie University, about Environment Canada and its ozone research.
“We’ve got a lot to be proud of, and I think it should be a continuing source of pride.”
Scientists had been measuring ozone for half a century.
Then alarm bells began ringing.
Ozone, a molecule that exists in trace amounts throughout the atmosphere, is concentrated in a band centred about 25 kilometres above Earth’s surface.
The ozone layer absorbs almost all the intense ultraviolet light emitted by the sun, protecting organisms on the Earth’s surface from damaging high-energy rays.
An Oxford University physicist, G.M.B. Dobson, created an instrument in the 1920s that compared how much of two different UV wavelengths were reaching land, allowing him to infer total ozone amounts in the air column above. A small network of Dobson devices sat across the globe.
In the 1970s, two disturbing facts emerged. A Dutch chemist, Paul Crutzen, realized that nitrogen oxides destroys ozone. Proposed fleets of supersonic aircraft would emit nitrogen oxides as they flew very close to the ozone layer. And two American chemists, Mario Molina and Sherwood Roland, discovered that the chlorofluorocarbons used in spray bottles and refrigerators also destroy ozone, and predicted this would have harmful effects. In 1995, all three would win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
At the time, scientists were concerned yet uncertain.
Was ozone depletion a trivial problem?
Or was it an existential one?
“There seemed to be a growing need for monitoring,” says Jim Kerr, another co-inventor of the UV index, who is now retired.
The Dobson instrument, though capable, was from another era. “There were no automation capabilities. Every day you had to walk up to it and read dials and fire it up and write down numbers. It was just not the way things were heading.”
Kerr, McElroy, and another atmospheric physicist named David Wardle had all been graduate students or postdoctoral fellows at the University of Toronto in the 1960s. They worked with a professor and former colleague of G.M.B. Dobson, Alan Brewer, to develop a prototype for a more modern ozone instrument. The team of three moved to what was then called the Atmospheric Environment Service, now called Environment and Climate Change Canada, in the early 1970s.
There, they collaborated with industry to commercialize the technology and mass produce a new instrument, the Brewer Ozone Spectrophotometer.
Aside from being a more modern, automated device, the Brewer could also measure ultraviolet directly and in detail.
“It did fill quite a need at that time,” says Kerr.
Alarm intensified with the 1985 discovery of a gaping ozone hole over Antarctica.
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Canada was at the forefront of combating this threat: Canadian-made Brewers spread around the world, creating a robust monitoring network. Environment Canada operated the World Meteorological Organization’s global data centre for ozone in Toronto. World leaders met in Montreal in 1987 and agreed to phase out ozone-depleting substances.
Even after the Montreal Protocol, it was not clear how the ozone layer would recover, and the trio at Environment Canada recognized a need for better public communication.
“(There was a) need to get the message across to the public that we should be worried about ozone going down. One of the best ways to do that is to say, how does that affect people?” says McElroy. “If ozone goes down, your possibility of skin cancer is going to go up.
“That’s a very simple message.”
The team had been recording Brewer measurements at Environment Canada’s Downsview office for several years. They took the peak ultraviolet intensity from the sunniest day in July and divided it by an arbitrary number to create a nice, round maximum of 10.
The UV index was born.
Ottawa unveiled the index on May 27, 1992. The UV that day registered a moderate-to-high 6.7 on the scale, the Star reported.
Two years later, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Program adopted the UV index internationally. (They decided to allow values to rise above 10 so that a 10 means the same thing in Canada and the Tropics.) The highest UV index ever recorded was 43.3 on top of a volcano in Bolivia.
McElroy, Kerr, and Wardle were given an innovator’s award from the United Nations Environment Programme on the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol. Brewers are still operating in more than 45 countries in the world, from the Antarctic to the high Arctic and in between.
The trio of scientists and the government are still receiving royalty cheques for newly-fabricated Brewers.
“One of the satisfying aspects about the introduction of the UV index was seeing parents of children . . . . They were always covering their children up and putting sunscreen on their children.
“That, to me, was satisfying, that something was being done,” says Kerr. “If you’re a government worker, public service is your bottom line.
“We’re scientists. We’re interested in the science, but we’re also interested in our responsibilities.”
Scientists worldwide were dismayed by changes to Environment Canada’s ozone program under the government of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In 2011, a large part of the ozone-monitoring program was cut, changes the government described as “consolidation and streamlining.” The Environment Canada scientist in charge of the WMO’s ozone and ultraviolet data centre was reassigned and replaced with a data manager, Nature reported in 2012. Since then, data logged by the centre has dropped precipitously; the last reported data from Environment Canada was in 2014.
“I would suggest this tells you that there is a continuing shortfall in ozone staffing at Environment Canada,” says Dalhousie’s Thomas Duck.
A request for comment from Environment and Climate Change Canada, as it was renamed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was not returned by press time.
The ozone layer is recovering, but threats continue. In 2011, an unprecedented ozone hole appeared in the Arctic.
“Without the ozone layer, this planet is, for the most part, uninhabitable,” says Duck.
As for Canada, “we’re going to have to put in some effort to maintain that leadership role.”
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In my six years of reviewing washing machines, I’ve never once seriously considered recommending a Speed Queen top-loader. This shouldn’t be controversial: Every publication that tests appliances has years of controlled test results proving the superiority of front-loading washers. So why are most washer reviews’ comments sections filled with Speed Queen fans claiming otherwise?
For most of my career, I’ve been content to brush off Speed Queen washers as wasteful, ineffective machines. They just barely meet the Department of Energy’s efficiency requirements. However, Speed Queen top-loaders are exceptionally durable and repairable—they’re essentially commercial laundromat washers without a coin slot, and should last at least twice as long as a mainstream HE (high efficiency) washer. Even so, they can use so much extra water and energy (we estimate $150 extra per year on average) that it’s unlikely that owners will save money in the long run, even after factoring in the cost of replacement or repair every few years.
But as I researched the new 2018 Speed Queen models for the latest update to our washing machine guide, I came across some surprising reactions to the latest design from longtime devotees that piqued my interest. It also dawned on me that I’d never had an actual conversation with a Speed Queen fan about why they hold such strong feelings for these machines. This seemed like a shame, because chances are we’re more alike than different—not many people care enough about washing machines to argue about them with strangers on the Internet. I’d assumed that I’d been making my points clearly in my reviews, and that the Speed Queen fans who left harsh comments were simply being stubborn. But maybe I was the one missing something. So I reached out to some washing machine enthusiasts to hear their side.
“I was totally devastated by it… Am I really going to change my entire opinion on Speed Queen that I’ve had all my entire life?” —Eugene Pallas, owner of Lorain Furniture & Appliance
Eugene Pallas, owner of Lorain Furniture & Appliance in Cleveland, Ohio, was among the most ardent enthusiasts I encountered. He has been a huge Speed Queen fan since 2000, the first time he repaired one. For a couple of years, the only new washers he would sell at his shop were Speed Queen.
“I gotta look the customer in the eye three months later when I see them,” Pallas said, “and I don’t have any hesitation when I know they bought a Speed Queen from me.” He worries that if he sells somebody a cheaper, repair-prone washer, he’ll lose the customer forever. As a small shop, he can’t afford to have that happen.
Regular posters in forums I visited while reporting this article echoed Pallas’s assessment, referring to themselves as “people reminiscing [for] the days of quality construction and easy repair” who “like to have control.” Several users compared them to old muscle cars, before smog-reduction regulations kicked in and crippled the old designs. It’s also, at least a little bit, about holding up a middle finger to our “throwaway disposable economy,” which they deride as “planned obsolescence run amok.”
I brought up the fact that Speed Queen top-loaders earn mediocre test scores from mainstream review outlets, but none of the fans seemed particularly bothered. “I’m nearly 60 years old and have seen most washers from the mid-1950’s onward” wrote AutomaticWasher.org forum member Barry Warren, who posts under the handle mrsalvo. “The agitator washers... were the standard, period. Tried and proven,” and then he wrote out a very comprehensive list of pro-agitator points, including: better reliability, never locking you out of the washer, no mold, quick cycles, and more user control in general. (Warren did say, though, that he liked his vintage GE Filter-Flo agitator top-loader much more than the Speed Queen he bought last year.) Michael Haensel, who posts on the forum as EEmac, added: “The agitator top-loader cleans my stuff very well.”
As for the rough cleaning action and excessive water use? Haensel puts it simply: “For gentleness, there’s the gentle cycle. Efficiency is less of a concern for me than the other things I value.”
Actually, one of the most compelling points in favor of the Speed Queen is that it does use a ton of water. Pallas, and several others with knowledge of lots of different types of washers, said that old-school top-loaders are the best at cleaning grimy, dirt-caked work clothes. That’s actually something that the industry-standard tests do not currently measure, and I think the fans may have a point.
I’m still convinced that most people are better off with a midrange front-loader from a mainstream brand. But now that I can put some voices to the pro-Speed Queen arguments, I have a better appreciation for why somebody would make this choice. I even thought about making a full-throated recommendation for a Speed Queen in our buying guide for people who frequently deal with heavy-duty messes.
Unfortunately, my change of heart may have come too late. Eugene Pallas, our Speed Queen superfan and dealer, was one of the first people to review the new 2018 Speed Queen top-loaders on YouTube. He did not like what he saw.
Speed Queen public relations manager Randy Radtke told us that the wash action on the 2018 model is “radically different” from that of past washers, and that the new design performs better on the industry-standard cleaning tests, is gentler on clothes, and much quieter. If that’s true, it should help the washer score better on the kinds of tests that Consumer Reports (subscription required) and Reviewed.com run. Unfortunately, as Pallas demonstrates in his videos, this revamped wash action comes as a result of the agitator and tub moving in unison, rather than the separate action that Speed Queen fans swear by.
Pallas found that the new washer worked fine on items like smaller towels (which is exactly what the standardized tests use), but that it struggled to clean heavier items like work clothes, leaving behind stains and soap residue. The items just kind of float in place, swishing back and forth instead of getting pushed around. If you watch his videos in order, you can hear the disappointment building in his voice.
“Once I got down to real clothes and a real test, it’s like, this fucking thing isn’t even washing, I don’t even know what to do,” said Pallas in a subsequent interview. “Honestly man, I was totally devastated by it. I didn’t publish that video without a heavy heart, you know what I mean? It was serious, I had to sleep on it. Am I really going to change my entire opinion on Speed Queen that I’ve had all my entire life?”
Pallas’s heavy heart was no consolation to Speed Queen. Pallas claims that after he posted his summary review, his distributor contacted him on behalf of Speed Queen, asking him to take the video down. Pallas declined. “You’ve got to think about somebody who’s working construction and got three kids. $2,000 is a ton of money for a washer and dryer. Can you imagine when they buy that and get it delivered and it doesn’t clean the poor guy’s work clothes?”
“I wonder if Speed Queen realizes that by cheapening their design that they alienated 90% of their customer base.”—whoisthisguy724A, YouTube commenter
The next week, Pallas found that he could no longer log into any Speed Queen retailer portals, so he couldn’t order new machines, or even parts to service the machines that he’d already sold to his customers. His store had been taken off the public database of certified Speed Queen dealers. The brand hadn’t contacted Pallas directly to tell him any of this, and he had to get in touch with his distributor to confirm that he’d been decertified. (We asked Speed Queen about Pallas’s claim, and the company said it does not comment on matters relating to its dealers.)
So where does this leave the fans of old-school agitator washers? Well, some of them have already decided that they hate the new Speed Queen design. In a video polemic against the 2018 Speed Queen models, YouTube reviewer Sharkie626 said that the only worthwhile washing machines left are used ones. In that video’s comments section whoisthisguy724A lamented, “I wonder if Speed Queen realizes that by cheapening their design that they alienated 90% of their customer base.”
Some forum members have pinned their hopes to the new Maytag Commercial MVWP575GW—another agitator top-loader built for laundromats that’s now available, without the coin slot, for home use. However, it’s barely been available for six months, so not many people have reviewed it yet. It also has some important differences in the build—for instance, the spin speed is slower, which means clothes will need to spend more time in the dryer—so it’s hard to say how it compares with the older Speed Queen model that people loved so much. Pallas now sells and recommends that Maytag Commercial instead of the new Speed Queen, and says it performs just as well, if not better than his old favorite. But he has yet to compare it directly with the last good Speed Queen from 2017. We eagerly await that video.
In the meantime, Pallas said he also really likes front-loaders. If you walk into his shop in Cleveland today, you’ll be able to check out the front-loading LG WM3770HWA, which Pallas also keeps in his own home for large items that can’t fit in his top-loader (like a comforter), or for nicer clothes that he doesn’t want to subject to the top-loader’s aggressive wash action. He said the LG does a solid job cleaning pretty much anything, and we agree: It happens to be our current top pick for best washing machine. | {
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The Nashville Predators play the second part of their homestand when they host the Detroit Red Wings (at 7 p.m. CT).
Helped by three assists from Matt Duchene in his team debut, Nashville (1-0-0) opened the 2019-20 season with a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Duchene was the only player absent from Friday's practice; Daniel Carr took his spot on the second line.
Interestingly enough, Detroit (0-0-0) will be playing their first game of the season on Saturday night, before heading back to the Motor City to host the Dallas Stars in their home opener on Sunday. Nashville is seeking their first win over Detroit on home ice since Dec. 30, 2013, a span of five games.
The Preds held an optional morning skate on Saturday and were joined by Duchene. Below is a Predators projected lineup based on Friday's practice: | {
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As a private in basic training, I learned the Army Values. We were issued a plastic card, on which they were listed: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. For any inspection, until I left the military as a sergeant, that card was a required item.
The US army still teaches the Army Values to every soldier. It’s a cheesy, motivational-speaker-esque acronym that spells “LDRSHIP”. But it is also useful for teaching new troops, many of whom (myself included) enter the military with little direction or understanding of what soldiering requires.
The Army Values can be learned in any walk of life. Even running for the presidency. But one such value, integrity, seems to have escaped one Republican candidate altogether.
Ben Carson’s personal story is in question, and rightly so. There was the Popeye’s stick-up in Baltimore that likely never happened, according to Baltimore police. The snake oil company Carson claimed he never shilled for, despite readily availably video evidence of Carson schilling for snake oil. The brutally violent attacks he committed during his childhood that no-one who grew up with him can seem to remember. And, of course, a claim that he was offered a “scholarship” to the United States Military Academy by General William Westmoreland, but turned it down to go to Yale.
Within that last claim, about West Point, a number of problems exist. First, the academy doesn’t offer scholarships per se.
“There is no such thing as being ‘offered a full scholarship’ at West Point,” recalls Frederick Wellman, a West Point alumnus who served for 22 years, obtained a graduate degree from Harvard University and now leads ScoutComms, an agency advocating for veterans. “You apply. You get in. Meeting a general doesn’t get you in.”
Cadets attend West Point free of cost, and even receive a small stipend. Upon graduation, they incur a five-year active duty service obligation.
West Point responded to inquiries regarding Carson’s claim by noting that it had no record of Carson applying – which would have been required for him to be accepted with costs covered. On Friday, however, Carson told the New York Times the claim was true enough, because he had been told “with a record like yours we could easily get you a scholarship to West Point”.
Wellman isn’t buying it: “Saying ‘Well, it’s no big deal because he could have gotten in and went to Yale’ is like me saying ‘I was offered a Navy Seal badge but I went to Ranger School.’ Yes. I did go to Ranger School and earn my tab, but those are different things.”
Wellman’s critiques get to the crux of the problem I and many of my fellow veterans have with Carson and his “Brian Williams problem”. As a former soldier, I’m not particularly offended, just as I was never particularly offended by the NBC news anchor’s false claims of martial glory in Iraq. I don’t think Carson’s exaggeration devalues military service, and I don’t think he is claiming a service academy pedigree he doesn’t deserve.
I object because military service cemented integrity in my own values and Ben Carson is dishonest.
How does Carson plan, as president, to command the respect, much less the actions, of uniformed service members when it appears a healthy portion of his biography is utterly fabricated? Pressed on his West Point claims by CNN, he made a frustrated and laughable claim: that the media has scrutinized him more than it has President Obama or the Clintons. A guy with so little integrity, so little personal courage, has no business receiving the proverbial 3am phone call.
The bigger problem here, though, is one I mentioned earlier. You don’t have to be a soldier or be issued an Army Values card to understand that integrity is an important virtue, particularly for someone who is planning to run our country and lead the free world. Every person, particularly every voter, holds this value.
We’ve had presidents who weren’t particularly bright or very good at the job. But Nixon resigned in disgrace, due to his lack of integrity. For a lie that had nothing to do with the presidency, Clinton faced impeachment.
Given the challenges of the Oval Office, now is probably a good time for Carson to agree with the rest of America. The presidency is not a position he should hold. | {
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A statement issued yesterday evening by a UN spokesperson in New York said Mr. Ban is concerned by reports that water supplies in the city of Aleppo were deliberately cut off by armed groups for eight days.
“The Secretary-General notes that preventing people's access to safe water is a denial of a fundamental human right,” said the statement, adding that deliberate targeting of civilians and depriving them of essential supplies is a clear breach of international humanitarian and human rights law.
While water supplies have since been restored, the Secretary-General, according to the statement, urged all parties to ensure that the water supply in Aleppo - and everywhere in Syria - is permanently restored and to refrain from targeting civilian facilities and infrastructure.
“He asks Member States and those with influence over all the parties to the conflict to remind them of their obligations,” said the statement. | {
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Elsa can't ignore the bags under Anna's eyes. She's worried, but she can't stop her own giddy smile. Her heart wants to beat right out of her chest, and she can't blame it.
She's talking to an old friend. Elsa hasn't thought of Anna as "my husband's mistress" in weeks. Months, probably.
"Work keeping you busy?"
Anna shrugs. "You know, bills to pay. No point going home-" She cuts herself off, but the words weigh heavy in the air. It's the closest they've ever come.
Elsa looks away. "Yeah. Bills..." | {
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Further illustrating how little difference there will be between CBS’ Late Show host Stephen Colbert and Comedy Central late-night host Stephen Colbert, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will be Colbert’s guest during his second week hosting on the CBS program.
While some are speculating it’s the first time a current Supreme Court justice has been a guest on a network late-night show, it’s not so new for Colbert. In January 2012, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens was a guest on The Colbert Report, talking about campaign finance.
The Breyer booking also is not such a surprise if you watched CBS’ Sunday Beltway show yesterday, during which you saw about half a dozen ads for the launch of Late Show With Stephen Colbert, suggesting the program is going to have a political bent. And, of course, Colbert in July told reporters attending TCA he plans get into politics on Late Show to a greater degree than have his broadcast competitors because it’s in his DNA. True to his word, he’s not only booked Breyer to guest on Monday, September 14, but will chat with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon three nights later and Dem White House hopeful/Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders that Friday. And, of course, Colbert already had tweeted that GOP White House hopeful Jeb Bush would be a guest when the host makes his debut taking over for David Letterman on Late Show, on September 8.
At TCA, Colbert complained he was counting the days until he debuted on his CBS show, so anxious is he to take a whack at Donald Trump on the air; Colbert called his web videos about the leading GOP candidate just so much “dry-Trumping.” Turns out, Stephen Colbert’s late-night persona as host of CBS’ Late Show isn’t going to be so different from the character he played on Comedy Central, the improv actor-turned-comic told reporters at the TCA Summer Press Tour.
When asked if viewers would finally get to see the real Colbert when he debuts on September 8, Colbert responded, “I don’t think anybody would have watched that old show if they didn’t know who I was,” he said. “Because that guy was a tool.” Playing his conservative gasbag character on The Colbert Report, “I had the excuse that I didn’t mean it, but I’m here to tell you I meant a lot of it. … I even agreed with my character sometimes. My hope is when people see me on the new show they will say ‘Oh wow, a lot of it was him the whole time!’” | {
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MOSCOW, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Russia’s economic growth slowed to 1.0 percent in August from a year earlier, slowing from 1.8 percent in July, the economy ministry said on Thursday.
A Reuters consensus forecast was for 1.6 percent growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in August.
GDP grew by 1.6 percent in the first eight months of the year from the year earlier period, the ministry said in a monthly report.
The data confirms analysts’ concerns that an economic recovery in Russia is still tepid. Rising retail sales are one of the few evident growth drivers, while other indicators look worrisome. | {
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European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, left, with European Council President Donald Tusk | Sean Gallup/Getty Images EU agrees to January 31 Brexit extension Ambassadors meeting in Brussels took the decision in just 15 minutes.
The EU27 agreed at a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels to a Brexit extension until January 31.
The official decision must be taken by EU leaders but that will be done by so-called "written procedure," which is now a formality and is expected to be launched Tuesday and take around 24 hours.
Although Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU leaders earlier this month agreed a draft deal setting out the terms of the U.K.'s exit from the EU, that deal has not yet been approved by lawmakers. Monday's decision means the U.K. cannot now exit the European Union with no agreement legally in place on October 31 — the deadline set by the previous extension — something the EU27 and many in the U.K. were keen to avoid.
Ambassadors took the decision in just 15 minutes on Monday morning after France signaled overnight it was removing its objection to an extension. The change in position happened over the weekend after French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone conversation with Johnson on Sunday afternoon and after further conversations between the EU27 and the U.K., according to an official close to the French president.
All the legal documents setting out the terms of the extension were approved without amendment by the ambassadors. They state that the extension is conditional on the U.K. not acting to “jeopardize” the EU’s objectives and decision-making process. It also states that the extension cannot be used for further negotiations on the Brexit deal — although the terms of a previous extension contained an identical "no renegotiation" clause yet the EU allowed the Withdrawal Agreement to be reopened and substantial changes were made.
Johnson is compelled to accept the extension by the Benn Act, which was passed by the U.K. parliament in September
During the extension period, the U.K. will have to appoint a European commissioner as it "will remain a member state until the new withdrawal date, with full rights and obligations," the text states, according to a copy seen by POLITICO.
One diplomat in the room said the meeting was a "rubber stamping" exercise, while another said the discussion was "smooth." But EU negotiator Michel Barnier, who briefed ambassadors at the meeting, said there was still a "great lack of certainty" about the internal political situation in the U.K. He added that this lack of visibility leaves open any scenario on timeframe, according to another diplomat present.
European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted after the meeting was over: "The EU27 has agreed that it will accept the U.K.'s request for a #Brexit flextension until 31 January 2020. The decision is expected to be formalised through a written procedure."
“The PM has not yet seen the EU’s response to parliament’s request for a delay and the PM will respond once he has seen the detail.”
Johnson is compelled to accept the extension by the Benn Act, which was passed by the U.K. parliament in September and is designed to avoid a no-deal crash out from the EU. It states that, "the prime minister must, immediately after such a decision is made, notify the president of the European council that the United Kingdom agrees to the proposed extension."
The prime minister's spokesperson told journalists at a regular briefing: “[Johnson's] view has not changed, parliament should not have put the U.K. in this position and we should be leaving on October 31. The prime minister secured a great new deal despite being told it was impossible, but parliament has chosen more dither and delay.”
The EU27 has agreed that it will accept the UK's request for a #Brexit flextension until 31 January 2020. The decision is expected to be formalised through a written procedure. — Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) October 28, 2019
A spokesperson for the Labour party said: “Boris Johnson has spent months promising that we would leave the EU on 31st October. The failure to do so is his alone.”
Under the terms of the extension, the U.K. can leave the EU earlier than the final end date on December 1 or January 1 if ratification in the UK and European parliaments has been achieved by one of those dates.
This story has been updated with reaction from the U.K. | {
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The over 20,000 file-sharing lawsuits that have been filed over the past few years share a single distinction: not one of them has made it to trial. The RIAA is trying to keep Virgin Records, et al v. Jammie Thomas from a jury trial, filing a motion for summary adjudication on some specific aspects of the case.
What the RIAA is after is a ruling from the judge that some of the facts of the case are not in dispute. If that is the case, then there are no issues of material fact that exist to be decided, and therefore no need for a trial by jury. It's the same scenario in Novell v. SCO: all the material facts were decided by the judge last month, so there's nothing left for a jury to decide.
The RIAA is looking for the judge to rule favorably on three issues. First, it wants the judge to rule that the record labels own the copyrights to the songs allegedly shared by the defendant. Second, it wants the judge to agree that the copyright registrations are in order. Those two items may not appear to be that big of deal, but number three is a doozy.
The labels want the judge to rule that the defendant was not authorized to copy or distribute the songs flagged by SafeNet, the RIAA's investigator in this case. If the judge decides those three issues in the labels' favor, the plaintiffs believe that it "will significantly narrow" the outstanding issues and prevent the "unnecessary expense of litigating issues about which there is no dispute."
Thomas is fighting the motion, saying that the plaintiffs need to prove two things: that they are the true copyright owners and that there was an act of infringement. Thomas is confident that should the case go to trial, the verdict will go her way.
Who owns the copyright?
Thomas' attorneys also raise a number of issues about the copyright claims. As part of the original complaint, the record labels attached screenshots of the files the defendant was allegedly sharing and stipulated that they owned the copyright to those songs. But the documentation provided by the labels to support their claims of copyright ownership don't quite add up. Here are a few examples cited by the defendant:
Song Copyright holder according to the RIAA Copyright holder according to the certificate of registration "Appetite for Destruction" UMG Recordings The David Geffen Company "The Comfort Zone" UMG Recordings Polygram Records "Control" UMG Recordings A&M Records, Inc. "Frontiers" Sony BMG CBS, Inc. "Let it Loose" Sony BMG CBS, Inc. "Get a Grip" UMG Recordings Geffen Records "Hysteria" UMG Recordings Mercury Records "If You See Him" UMG Recordings MCA Records Nashville
Thomas argues that since she lacks the financial means to conduct a thorough examination of the ownership history (e.g., track the ownership of "Hysteria" from Mercury to UMG) for the songs she is accused of infringing the copyright to, her only opportunity to determine their true ownership is either via discovery or cross-examination at trial. With the documentation provided by the labels "questionable" and "nonconclusive," according to the defendant, her only option is to cross-examine the witnesses.
Her attorneys also note that the labels have not taken advantage of some of the deadlines in this case, including one for filing a partial summary judgment. The conclusion? "The issue involved is far too material to preclude cross examination by defendant, therefore plaintiffs’ motion should in all respects be denied."
Perhaps the biggest reason that the RIAA doesn't want this—or any other—case to go to trial is the possibility of losing. The RIAA has fought the exoneration efforts of every defendant tooth and nail, trying to simply walk away from the litigation by dismissing it without prejudice. A handful of defendants have managed to be exonerated, most notably Debbie Foster, Patricia Santangelo, and Tanya Andersen—who is now suing the RIAA for malicious prosecution.
A loss at trial would be even more catastrophic for the RIAA. It would give other defense attorneys a winning template while exposing the weaknesses of the RIAA's arguments. It would also prove costly from a financial standpoint, as the RIAA would have to foot the legal expenses for both itself and the defendant. Most of all, it would set an unwelcomed precedent: over 20,000 lawsuits filed and the RIAA loses the first one to go to a jury.
A subtle change in strategy
There is one more subtle shift in strategy on the part of the music industry. The RIAA appears to have dropped the "making available" argument in its most recent filings. It is absent from the RIAA's motion for default judgment in Interscope v. Rodriguez and, in Virgin v. Thomas, the labels are accusing the defendant of "distributing" music over KaZaA. If they can make the distribution charges stick, it will be problematic for the defendants. But given that the only cases of "distribution" ever witnessed occurred when only the RIAA's investigators were watching, it is by no means a slam dunk.
If the judge denies the RIAA's motion, there is a September 24 settlement conference scheduled. Should that fail to bear fruit—and there is no reason to think that it will—Virgin Records, et al v. Jammie Thomas is scheduled to go to trial on October 1. | {
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Advocates of Social Security expansion have declared their intention to move the “Social Security 2100 Act” through the House of Representatives before August recess. The bill, introduced by Rep. John Larson (D., Conn.), has more than 200 co-sponsors. Its sponsors deserve credit for putting forth a comprehensive Social Security plan that is specific, scored by the Social Security Administration Chief Actuary, and, though it contains elements clearly designed to appeal to certain ideological and special interests, also doesn’t shy away from difficult policy and political choices.
But even granting this credit to the legislation’s sponsors, the bill nevertheless reflects highly controversial positions with respect to a number of serious policy challenges facing Social Security. Rather than debate the subjective value judgments made in the legislation, this article presents key facts and figures that highlight some of its problematic features.
#1: Low-Income Workers’ Payroll Tax Burdens Would Rise 19 Percent
In order to fund its significant benefit expansion, the Social Security 2100 Act would increase payroll taxes on all U.S. workers, including the poorest ones. While many low-income American workers pay no federal income taxes, they nevertheless do pay payroll taxes. The Social Security tax rate would gradually rise over several years from 12.4 percent to 14.8 percent, which when fully phased in would represent a 19 percent increase in low-income workers’ payroll tax burdens.
#2: Real (Inflation-Adjusted) Benefits for High-Income Workers Would Be 66 Percent Higher by Mid-Century
Much of the bill’s tax increase on low-income workers would be spent on higher benefits for richer ones. Initial Social Security benefit levels already grow faster than price inflation because of an indexing mechanism in current law. The legislation would accelerate this benefit growth, doing so especially rapidly for the highest-income beneficiaries. This can be illustrated via the example of a high-income worker with earnings consistently at twice the Social Security taxable maximum (an annual earnings level of about $266,000 today). Under current law, benefits for a retiree in 2050 with earnings of twice the current-law taxable maximum are scheduled to be a full 51 percent higher than what’s paid to today’s high-income retiree, adjusted for inflation. Most mainstream analysts believe that this benefit growth needs to be moderated, at least for higher-income workers, to protect Social Security’s finances. But the bill would actually increase this growth still further, to 66 percent by 2050.
#3: Total Social Security Payroll Tax Burdens Would Rise by over 40 Percent
Under current law, one substantial cost of employment is the 12.4 percent Social Security payroll tax assessed up to a maximum of $132,900 of a worker’s earnings. This cap is statutorily indexed to grow in most years. The bill would gradually increase the Social Security payroll tax rate to 14.8 percent as well as eventually eliminate the cap. These two effects together would increase total Social Security payroll tax burdens nationally by over 40 percent. This would also increase the total (Social Security plus Medicare) payroll tax rate from its current 15.3 percent to 17.7 percent.
#4: Retirement Benefits for the Lowest-Income Quintile of Workers Would Exceed 95 Percent of Their Prior Earnings
A “replacement rate” is the percentage of one’s earnings as a worker that one’s subsequent retirement income is sufficient to replace. Most advisors recommend that individuals save enough to finance replacement rates of 70 percent-80 percent in retirement. According to data published earlier this year by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Social Security by itself already pays an average replacement rate of 80 percent for those in the lowest-income quintile. The bill would increase these benefits, pushing these workers’ replacement rates above 95 percent on average. Combined with the bill’s tax increases, this means that low-income workers would not be able to amass retirement saving on their own without pushing their standard of living during their working years far below what they expect to experience as retirees.
#5: Social Security Payroll Tax Burdens for High-Income Workers Would Be Multiplied 2.4 Times
Proposals to raise Social Security payroll taxes typically aim to concentrate their tax hit on higher-income workers. However, the question must always be asked as to whether a specific tax increase is larger than is realistic or economically prudent. According to estimates by the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Chief Actuary, the Social Security 2100 Act would ultimately increase Social Security payroll taxes for high-income individuals (e.g., those earning $266,000 today) to roughly 2.4 times what they would be under current law.
#6: Errors under the Bill’s Proposed Method for Measuring Price Inflation Would Cause Benefit Overpayments of over 10 Percent Relative to Accurate Calculations, Mostly Benefiting Higher-Income People Who Live Longer
The bill would calculate Social Security Cost-of-living-adjustments (COLAs) using an experimental inflation index known as CPI-E. There is a general consensus among economists that CPI-E overstates price inflation relative to CPI-W (the measure Social Security currently uses), which in turn overstates inflation relative to C-CPI-U, a more accurate measure tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Relative to accurate inflation indexing, the bill’s CPI-E would cause COLA overpayments of roughly 0.5 percentage points annually. By the end of the life of a typical person retiring this year, these errors would have accumulated to cause annual benefits to be more than 10 percent higher than they would be under accurate indexing. These overpayments would disproportionately benefit higher-income seniors who live longer, pushing costs and worker tax burdens higher.
#7: Typical Beneficiaries in Mid-Century Would Spend over 37 Percent of Their Adult Lives Collecting Social Security Benefits
At Social Security’s inception, individuals could begin collecting retirement benefits at 65, and there were no disability benefits. Today the most common age of retirement benefit claim is 62, while those on disability begin collecting benefits earlier, which means that over half of beneficiaries start collecting benefits by age 62. Spending larger fractions of our lengthening lives in retirement reduces the annual income levels we can enjoy, or it increases the funding burdens we face as workers, or both. The Social Security 2100 Act fails to address this growing problem. By 2050, average beneficiaries would spend over 37 percent of their adult lives collecting Social Security benefits, straining retiree and worker incomes alike.
#8: Young Workers’ Lifetime Income Would Be Reduced by More Than Two Percent of Their Career Earnings Because of Social Security
Social Security on balance will leave younger generations worse off, even after they have collected all their benefits. This outcome occurs because Social Security’s shortfall is caused mostly by benefits significantly exceeding taxes for individuals who have already entered the system, either as current beneficiaries, past beneficiaries, or current workers. In order to finance this subsidy to older generations, upcoming workers must contribute more to Social Security than they later receive back. The provisions of the bill increasing benefits for current participants would accordingly worsen these young workers’ net income losses. On the other hand, its other provisions requiring additional taxes from current workers would reduce the hit on future workers. Still, even under the most conservative calculations, we would expect that young workers would be made at least two percent poorer on average (and likely more than that), than if they had never participated in Social Security at all.
Other bipartisan, balanced approaches would avoid these problems while addressing other critical Social Security policy challenges.
These facts and figures are not intended to deter Congress from moving forward on legislation to shore up Social Security finances, which is a commendable aspect of the effort by Rep. Larson and his cosponsors. But solvency alone does not ensure that Social Security works to the benefit of American workers across generations. The most problematic outcomes of the pending legislation result from its specific approach of expanding Social Security even more rapidly than it would grow under current law, requiring much higher taxes to fund accelerated benefit growth for Americans at all levels of wealth, regardless of actual need. Other bipartisan, balanced approaches would avoid these problems while addressing other critical Social Security policy challenges. The ramifications of the Social Security 2100 Act for program participants would be substantial, and lawmakers should be well aware of them before deciding on their votes.
This article is republished with permission from Economics 21. | {
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This is a video that starts slow, but around 3 minutes in... well. It shows every nuclear bomb explosion on the Earth from 1945 -- the US test before the bombs dropped on Japan -- to 1998, when India and Pakistan joined the madness. The animation is an art project by Isao Hashimoto, and is powerful indeed. I grew up when the cold war was at its coldest, and seeing this still gives me a chill. In May 1998 I was at a meeting in the Canary Islands when India and Pakistan tested their weapons, and I had a hard time finding news in English (the internet was unreliable there and then, too). Not knowing what was going on was maddening, but not nearly as maddening as what I did know. These weapons are out of the bottle, and even though there has been no detonation in over a decade, the knowledge of how to build them will always be with us. We use nuclear power for peaceful purposes now, and in the future we may even use it for exploring the solar system and beyond -- we already use fissile material to power some probes -- but we should always bear in mind the first use to which this power was put.
Tip o' the Pu-238 to AstronomyBlog, who retweeted PekingSpring. | {
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Every so often, someone will write me or ask me at a California Avocado Festival: is it true that the avocado is a fruit, not a vegetable?
Yes, the Avocado is a fruit!
Confirmed: the California Avocado is a nutrient-dense fruit, not a vegetable, belonging to the genus Persea in the Lauraceae family. And did you know? The avocado is actually a berry!* Avocados are considered a fruit because they fit all of the botanical criteria for a berry. They have a fleshy pulp and a seed after all. So next time when you’re presented with the opportunity to have an avocado smoothie, embrace the idea if you haven’t before! Be more open to eating avocados in sweeter applications. Think of them as a fruit from now on. They’re great in smoothies and desserts. And even in baking as a fat replacement or as a key ingredient in avocado chocolate mousse! The versatility of the California Avocado is truly only limited by your imagination. | {
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TNA President Billy Corgan claims he’s seen PROOF that the company was in discussions with WWE about a possible sale … even though execs lied to him about it the whole time.
In newly unsealed documents, Billy claims he reached out to Dean Broadhead to ask about the sale rumors and on September 26th the TNA exec assured him that they were false.
However, Corgan says that the defendant’s production documents show that Dean sent a WWE rep “certain due diligence materials that WWE had requested” just one day before.
He also claims to have seen an email from Dixie that minimized his role … explaining “When WWE raised issues relating to Corgan’s note in the course of their negotiations, Mrs. Salinas (Dixie) wrote: ‘I intend to pay the loan back in full plus interest prior to selling the company.'”
As we previously reported, Billy also says a set of Impact Wrestling tapings scheduled for next month were postponed due to company’s lack of funds.
UPDATE: TNA’s legal team also filed a response to Billy’s accusations. They claim that Corgan used his loan as a way of strong-arming himself into the role of President.
The lawyer’s add, “He then purported to use Ms. Salinas’s own voting power to terminate the individual defendants, including Ms. Salinas, from the company’s Board of Managers and install himself as Impact’s sole manager.”
TNA also claims that Corgan is attempting to “prevent the business from repaying his loan and to prevent Ms. Salinas from selling her controlling interest in the company to anyone else.” Explaining, “If plaintiff succeeds, he will next try to seize Ms. Salinas’s 92.5% interest in Impact and obtain true control of the company at a cost to him far below the amount at which he has recently valued the company and far below the company’s true value.”
Follow Editor-in-Chief @RyanSatin and @WrestlingSheet on Twitter for more updates and pertinent court documents posted throughout the day. | {
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IN A vain effort to quell the revolution that created the first, brief Philippine republic in 1899 the Spanish army executed Jose Rizal, a nationalist author, in a park that now bears his name. Almost 90 years later demonstrators, fed up with the murderous kleptocracy of President Ferdinand Marcos, massed in the same park in a display of people power that eventually pushed him into exile. On May 7th, two days before Filipinos went to the polls to choose a new leader, 250,000 people thronged Rizal Park for a rally for Rodrigo “digong” Duterte (pictured above), who promises another political upheaval.
Mr Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao, triumphed on May 9th: with more than 95% of the vote counted, he holds a 15-point lead. The two runners-up have conceded defeat. His rivals were well beaten. Miriam Defensor Santiago, who has served in all three branches of government, took just 3.4% of the vote. Grace Poe, a telegenic senator with little political experience, threw in the towel on election night. Mar Roxas, a cabinet minister, finished well adrift, despite an endorsement by the outgoing president, Benigno Aquino. Jejomar Binay, Mr Aquino’s vice-president, who has faced a steady stream of corruption allegations, finished even further behind.
The country of 100m people that Mr Duterte inherits has one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia. But poverty stubbornly persists. Voters are also fed up with crumbling infrastructure, productivity sapping gridlock, persistent corruption and ineffective government. And discontent simmers at the country’s narrow, feudal politics, dominated for decades by a handful of wealthy landowning families.
Mr Duterte ran as an action man and outsider, ready to tackle the nation’s problems just as one might wring the neck of a foul snake. He has given few details. In a long, meandering speech, laced with bad language, at the rally in the park he promised only to fight crime and corruption. The crowd cheered as he pledged to send the army and police to kill criminals. Similar threats made on the campaign trail thrilled many more people than they horrified. Ordinary Filipinos are sick of the robbers they meet in the street—as well as those they put up with in high office.
Mr Duterte will be the first president from Mindanao, the southernmost of the islands that make up the Philippines and the poorest part of the country (see map). He will also be the first not to have held national office since the late Corazon Aquino, mother of Benigno and widow of an assassinated opposition leader, who rode the “people’s power” revolution to the presidency in 1986. Mr Duterte tapped into a deep resentment at the immense wealth and political sway amassed by a few elite families. Three of the four candidates whom Mr Duterte defeated were politically connected to Ms Aquino; the fourth, Grace Poe, was the adopted daughter of a friend of Marcos. Malcolm Cook at Singapore’s Institute for South-East Asian Studies, refers to them as “the faded yellow ribbon brigade” (yellow ribbons were an anti-Marcos symbol).
Family ties
The promise of the 1986 revolution has turned into what Miguel Syjuco, a Filipino novelist, calls “a resurgent oligarchy”. Political dynasties dominate local and national politics. Even the Marcoses have worked their way back into power: Imelda, Ferdinand’s widow, is in Congress; Ferdinand junior is a senator locked in a tight race for vice-president; and his sister, Imee, governs Ilocos Norte province. This elite is well-connected, often Western-educated and its members present themselves well to the world, but they have grown increasingly disconnected from the people they supposedly serve.
Mr Duterte exploited this gap. He mentioned his modest means repeatedly during the campaign. His supporters railed against trapos (“traditional politicians”, a play on the Tagalog for “old rags”). His unpolished speech and impatience with convention and democratic processes became assets rather than liabilities; signs of authenticity and an indication that he will do things differently.
His advocacy of a barely defined federalism appealed to simmering provincial resentment of the power concentrated in Manila. To win over voters in the capital, meanwhile, he touted his record in Davao, which he takes credit for turning from a violent city into a mini-Singapore: safe, clean and orderly. Residents frustrated by chaos and gridlock in the capital hope he will work the same wonders there. But the Manila region, a conurbation of 17 cities and municipalities, will be hard to corral. And honouring his promise of federalism would require changing the country’s constitution. Three post-Marcos presidents have tried—and failed—to do so.
The question now is what sort of president Mr Duterte will make. His campaign focused almost entirely on crime, drugs and corruption. These are important in a gun-mad country where being asked for bribes is a daily frustration. But to deal with them he has offered only macho posturing. His promise to stamp out all three within six months of taking office is impossible, even if he goes ahead with his killing spree (he has threatened to slaughter 100,000 criminals and dump their bodies in Manila Bay to fatten the fish). But he can do a lot of damage trying.
Crime and punishment
He vows to hang offenders, and reminisced fondly about Marcos’s ability to “use the forces of government to get what he really wanted”. Many dismiss such statements as bluster and trust that Mr Duterte will moderate his tone once in office. But hoping that a president will not do as he says is risky.
In some respects, Mr Duterte says, he will follow the path the country is already taking, for instance, by seeking peace in the south. Mr Aquino’s administration was on the brink of signing a peace agreement with Muslim rebels in Mindanao, ending a decades-long insurgency, when 44 policemen died in a botched raid on a splinter group. After that raid the bill to establish an autonomous political entity became politically toxic and died in Congress. Mr Duterte says he supports creating such an entity and may revive the bill.
An abrupt shift in economic policy seems unlikely. For all his tough talk on everything else, he has suggested no major changes. Since the economy is chugging along nicely, this is just as well. Nominal income per head grew from $2,372 in 2011 to $2,873 in 2014. Between 2010 and 2015 the economy expanded at an average annual rate of 6.3%, nearly two percentage points faster than in the previous five years—and the biggest improvement among South-East Asia’s larger economies (see chart ). The World Bank forecasts more of the same—growth of 6.4% in 2016 and 6.2% for the two years after. In Mr Aquino’s term the country attained an investment-grade credit rating for the first time, reducing the country’s borrowing costs. As the economy has expanded, public debt has declined markedly, from 77% of GDP in late 2004 to around 44% in March. Remittances grew in 2015 for the 14th year in a row and now account for around 10% of GDP. But a fast-growing service sector, particularly in business-process outsourcing—call centres, data transcription, software and engineering design, and other back-office tasks—has kept more skilled Filipinos at home. The number living abroad has fallen from 10.2m in 2013 to 9.4m today, according to Mr Aquino. Mr Duterte wisely plans to maintain his predecessor’s focus on infrastructure. Less wisely, he thinks he can revive the country’s steel industry, despite a global glut. He wants to boost investment in tourism—the Philippines attracts fewer visitors than it should, given its situation and beauty—and proposes leasing islands to foreign investors to set up factories. Worryingly, given the Philippines’ potential as a trading nation, he sounds lukewarm about joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free-trade pact. He says that he will hire “the economic minds of the country”, and let them make policy. Choosing the right advisers might reassure jittery investors and keep the country on track. Mr Aquino does not deserve all of the credit for the country’s economic health. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, his predecessor, put in place budgetary and fiscal reforms that laid the groundwork for steady growth. She introduced a value-added tax, which boosted government revenues, slashed administrative costs and instituted a cash-transfer programme that gives up to 15,000 pesos ($319) a year to nearly 4.4m poor households, provided they vaccinate their children and send them to school.
Mr Aquino built on Ms Arroyo’s ambitious social programmes and fiscal reforms. In 2012 his government imposed “sin taxes” on tobacco and alcohol, directing 85% of the revenue to health care and 15% to help tobacco workers and farmers find new jobs. Two years later the health department’s annual budget had risen from $1.25 billion to $2 billion; by mid-2015 the share of people enrolled in a popular national health-insurance scheme had risen to 82% from 74% in 2011. He expanded basic education to include kindergarten and schooling to the age of 18, and extended Ms Arroyo’s cash-transfer programme for the poor.
Mr Aquino also spent political capital on fighting corruption and improving transparency. Many noticed, however, that the highest-profile victims of his anti-corruption campaign were three opposition senators, a chief justice who ordered the break-up of an Aquino family plantation and Ms Arroyo, also a political opponent. Many also noticed that, despite Mr Aquino’s noble statements about following “the straight path”, ordinary folk still had to pay backhanders to police and bureaucrats. Even so, the Philippines has improved its position in Transparency International’s corruption index from 134th in 2010 to 95th last year.
Infrastructure is improving. Spending rose from 1.8% of GDP when Mr Aquino took office to around 5% this year. The perception that such spending is more effective and has been transparently handed out has helped bring a tripling of foreign direct investment into the Philippines.
A guide to the Philippines, in charts Such encouraging numbers do not tell the whole story, however. The share of Filipinos living below the national poverty line in the first half of 2015 was 26.3%, the same as in 2009, before five years of runaway growth. An expanding population means that even as some have moved out of poverty, there are more poor people now than when Mr Aquino took office.
Poor state of affairs
City-dwellers and service-sector workers have done well. GDP per person in Manila is over four times higher than in parts of Visayas and Mindanao. More than half of the country’s poorest people are farm workers, who are three times more likely than city-dwellers to be poor. High rice prices, a result of a misguided self-sufficiency programme, hit the poor especially hard.
Manila and other cities remain horribly congested. Voters blamed Mr Aquino, though it is not his fault. The Philippines has underinvested in infrastructure for years. As the economy boomed, more money has been put into fixing roads, but not nearly enough to keep up with the soaring number of cars, especially in Manila. No one knows what Mr Duterte plans to do about rural poverty, or how he will ease Manila’s traffic jams.
When it comes to foreign relations, he has already shown a knack for offending allies. When officials from America and Australia expressed displeasure at a crass remark from Mr Duterte, about how he wished he had been first in line when an Australian missionary was raped and murdered during a prison riot in the Philippines, he dared these steadfast allies to sever diplomatic ties. After Singapore said that a Facebook post showing Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister, appearing to endorse Mr Duterte was false, he joked about burning a Singaporean flag. Such cracks did not go down well, for some reason.
No figure is too beloved for Mr Duterte to insult. Recalling the heavy traffic during a papal visit to Manila, Mr Duterte said, “Pope, you son of a bitch, go home. Don’t visit us here anymore.” That was in a speech accepting his party’s nomination for president. Filipinos, more than 80% of whom are Catholic, seem not to have held it against him.
The most pressing foreign-policy question facing the Philippines is its stand-off with China over claims in the South China Sea (or the West Philippine Sea, as it is known at home). On this Mr Duterte has careened all over the map. He has declared himself “ready to die” for this country’s claims, vowing to jet ski to a disputed island personally to plant a Philippine flag. He has insisted that he is open to bilateral negotiations and joint development, something China has said it favours as well. He has also vowed to “shut up” about the dispute if China agrees to build train lines across the Philippines.
What he will actually do is a mystery. Most recently, he has seemed willing to accept the status quo: after voting on Monday he told reporters, “I would say to China: ‘Do not claim anything here, and I will also not insist that it is ours.’” The Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international dispute-resolution body in The Hague, is expected to rule in the coming weeks on the Philippines’ case against China. If it sides with the Philippines and then China begins building on the Scarborough Shoal—which both countries claim and which China has occupied since 2012 in contravention, according to the Philippines, of an American-brokered agreement—no Filipino president can simply acquiesce, especially a tough guy.
For all of Mr Duterte’s bravado and alleged extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals, he may not even make much of an impact on crime. The murder rate in Davao remains stubbornly high. Mr Duterte’s reputation for cleanness was challenged toward the end of the campaign, when Antonio Trillanes, an independent vice-presidential candidate, accused him of having millions of dollars stashed in secret bank accounts, running illegal protection rackets and hiring ghost employees. Mr Duterte denied the charges.
His anti-establishment campaign may also hamper him: having run against the political elite, he now must govern with them. In Mr Duterte many see echoes of Mr Estrada, another populist outsider elected on an anti-corruption platform. His presidency lasted just under 18 months: he was impeached for graft, and resigned after the army withdrew its support.
A similar future may lie in store for Mr Duterte. During the campaign some speculated that Mr Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP) machine would throw its support behind Ms Poe once it became clear that Mr Roxas could never win. Instead party grandees are rumoured to prefer impeachment, particularly if the LP candidate, Leni Robredo, wins the vice-presidency, and would become president on Mr Duterte’s departure. As The Economist went to press she had a narrow lead.
Many hoped the Philippines had outgrown such antics. When Mr Aquino steps down at the end of June, he will become the first president to enter office with clean hands and to leave the same way since Fidel Ramos in 1998. Unlike his two predecessors, Mr Aquino has faced no charges of impeachment (they succeeded against Mr Estrada, but not against Ms Arroyo) or coup attempts. Whatever one thinks of Mr Duterte, the country’s voters chose him and he deserves to take office with the wind, rather than schemers, at his back.
Thriller in Manila
A return to instability would do the Philippines no good. The country is not over-reliant on commodities or China. Unlike China, Japan and Thailand, the Philippines has a young population and a cheap English-speaking labour force. The country does not share Indonesia’s protectionist instincts and is more welcoming to foreign investors. If it keeps to today’s path it could become one of Asia’s stars.
All of that is at risk. In the short term Mr Duterte is unlikely to make any policy reversals to stop growth. But investors are nervous: Mr Aquino was dull but predictable; Mr Duterte is neither. Further ahead, the Philippines risks the same combination of political unpredictability and stagnation as Thailand—another country divided between a minority long accustomed to getting its way and a majority that keeps voting against it. If the Filipino elite understands the message voters have sent in electing Mr Duterte, they could avert this fate.
The bigger risk comes from the long-term damage a strongman could do to a young democracy’s still-fragile institutions. On the stump Mr Duterte mused about shutting down Congress and declaring a “revolutionary government” if he fails to get his way. His enthusiasm for vigilante killings shows his preference for order at the expense of law. The Philippines’ growing prosperity reflects the country’s improved governance, and the confidence of investors. Voters rightly want more inclusive growth and are frustrated at the domination of their country by a small number of families. But electing a president with contempt for the law and democratic norms will solve neither problem. | {
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BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government and its allies have absorbed a U.S.-led attack on Saturday and the targeted sites were evacuated days ago thanks to a warning from Russia, a senior official in a regional alliance that backs Damascus said.
“We have absorbed the strike”, the official told Reuters.
“We had an early warning of the strike from the Russians ... and all military bases were evacuated a few days ago,” the official said. Around 30 missiles were fired in the attack, and a third of them were shot down, the official said.
“We are carrying out an assessment of the material damages,” the official added.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been backed in the seven-year-long Syrian war by Russia, Iran, and Iran-backed Shi’ite groups from across the region, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. | {
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Bahnhofs öppna brev till Expressen II: Era argument har tillverkats av Säpos egna PR-maskineri
Publicerad 2019-03-19 08:43
Expressens ledarredaktion publicerade en ”osignerad ledartext” den 4 mars 2019 där de kommenterade S/MP-regeringens lagrådsremiss om datalagring vid brottsbekämpning och manade Bahnhof att ”ta sitt ansvar” i datalagringsfrågan. Bahnhof anmälde text- och faktafel till chefredaktör Thomas Mattsson på Expressen, och Bahnhofs bolagsjurist Wilhelm Dahlborn kommenterade och bemötte ledartextens sakfel i en replik.
Vår replik besvarades med ytterligare en replik från Expressens ledarredaktion, den här gången signerad den politiska redaktören Anna Dahlberg, som menar att Bahnhof har en ”stor brist på kunskap” och att vi målar upp fantasibilder när vi talar om massövervakningens faror. Hon insisterar att datalagringskravet bör utökas. Bahnhofs bolagsjurist Wilhelm Dahlborn har nu skrivit ett svar som vi har skickat till Expressens ledarredaktion och dessutom nu publicerar i öppen form.
Hej Anna,
Tack för att för att du gav dig till känna som författare till den s.k. ledaren och att du tog dig tid att svara på mitt lilla inlägg. Jag vet att ytterligare replikskifte från min sida inte är tillåtet enligt Expressens egna forumregler. Men jag kan ju replikera ändå på annat håll och så får vi se vart det tar vägen.
Först ska jag säga att jag inte tror ett ögonblick på att du har författat vare sig den s.k. ledaren eller repliken på mitt inlägg. Tro mig, jag har följt de här frågorna ett tag och jag känner igen argumenten som tillverkats av polisens och Säpos eget PR-maskineri. Det här har du fått från dem.
Jag skulle gärna vilja bena ut vart och ett av de argument du framför, men ditt senaste inlägg är väldigt spretigt. Det påminner inte så litet om en renskrift av snabbt hoprafsade anteckningar på en krogservett. Så det är svårt att bemöta på ett vettigt sätt. I de här laddade frågorna är det också så lätt att man hamnar i en diskussion om detaljer som skymmer de större viktigare frågorna. Det här inlägget blir därför mer en komplettering av det jag skrev tidigare med ett bredare anslag. Detaljerna kan vi ta i ett annat sammanhang.
Bahnhof och andra operatörer misstänkliggörs för att vara medhjälpare till kriminella. Varför då? ”Jo, för att ni inte datalagrar som vi vill och dessutom motsätter er våra nya lagar om datalagring”. Hur bemöter man sådant? Jag satt vid ett middagsbord för några år sedan tillsammans med ett antal personer och frågan om flyktinginvandring kom upp. Jag sa att jag i princip var positiv till att Sverige skulle ta emot krigsflyktingar varpå en annan middagsgäst utropade: ”Jaså, du är för våldtäkt av svenska kvinnor!”. Jag känner på ungefär samma sätt nu. Enfald förtjänar egentligen inte att bemötas men om den upprepas högljutt alltför många gånger blir det ofrånkomligt. Så jag gör ett försök.
Det Bahnhof gör är att vi tillämpar nu gällande regler till skydd för våra kunders integritet. Vi lämnar ut uppgifter på polisens begäran i den mån vi har uppgifter kvar. Som jag skrev tidigare så är vi enligt den nuvarande lagstiftningen skyldiga att radera uppgifter som vi inte längre behöver. Det här retar förmodligen lagringsförespråkarna inom polisen och Säpo, och i frustrationen heter det att Bahnhof ”obstruerar”. En vindkänslig pappskivepolitiker, naturligtvis utan juridisk utbildning, som bara hör polisens berättelse hakar givetvis på. Likaså Anna på Expressens ledarredaktion. Den här attityden speglar just det som är kännetecknande för en polisstat. Brottsbekämpning går före allt. Lagar och domstolar är irritationsmoment så längre de inte tycker som vi. Folk som stödjer sig på fånig lag istället för att göra som vi säger ”obstruerar”. I Peking, Moskva och Pyongyang nickar man instämmande.
Innan jag går in på det ”nya” förslaget till datalagring så låt mig bara säga att Bahnhof inte är några rabiata motståndare till datalagring för brottsbekämpning. Vi förstår att det kan ha ett värde att granska historiska uppgifter om vem som har gjort vad och när med sin dator eller mobiltelefon i samband med en brottsutredning. Samtidigt är vi ganska skeptiska till att datalagringen har sådana välsignande fördelar som lagringsförespråkarna påstår. Oss veterligen finns det ingen objektiv forskning som visar att datalagring innebär att myndigheterna förhindrar eller klarar upp brott i högre utsträckning än om man inte haft någon datalagring. Om det hade funnits sådan objektiv forskning så borde man i så fall ha refererat till den i utredningsförslaget eller i den senaste lagrådsremissen. Det har man inte.
Så om man nu ska ha någon datalagring så bör den vara starkt begränsad på olika sätt. Framför allt måste den uppfylla de krav på rättssäkerhet som EU-domstolen har ställt upp i sina domar. Det innebär bl.a. att lagringen av uppgifter inte får ske utan avgränsning av den personkrets vars uppgifter berörs, att lagrade uppgifter endast får användas för att bekämpa grov brottslighet, att lagringen ska vara strikt begränsad i tiden och att uppgifter inte får inhämtas utan föregående domstolsprövning. Vi anser också att kostnaden för datalagringen bör betalas av staten istället för operatörernas kunder. Slutligen anser vi att användningen av lagrade uppgifter fortlöpande måste stå under objektiv kontroll så att uppgifterna används på avsett sätt. Lagringen som sådan måste också omprövas om det är så att den inte uppfyller de krav på effektivitet som rimligen kan ställas i förhållande till kostnader, ingrepp och risker.
Det nya förslaget till datalagring som regeringen har kommit med är inte bra. Inte bra alls. Skälet till det är att det i allt väsentligt är samma typ av regler som EU-domstolen underkände i Tele2-målet. För att komma undan det uppenbara har förslagsförfattarna gjort tre saker. För det första så målas en omvänd skapelseberättelse upp där plötsligt mörker inträder efter EU-domstolens dom. Till detta läggs ett antal berättelser från polisen och Säpo som visar hur hemskt och eländigt allt blir om vi inte får tillbaka vår datalagring. De fall som återberättas är kanske inte nödvändigtvis osanna, men kan på goda grunder antas vara friserade och, som man säger, noga utvalda. Någon objektiv forskning är det i alla fall inte tal om. Berättelserna om hur polisen och Säpo utan förvarning blivit rånade på sin datalagring och hur viktig den är för att folkhemmet inte ska rasa samman går i alla fall hem hos ansvariga politiker och därmed är grunden lagd. Hu så hemskt och ve alla onda terrorister och dumma mördarspioner. Snälla, ge oss datalagringen åter. Den Heumanska utredningen blir bara en transportsträcka. Som jag skrev tidigare kan inte EU-domstolens dom ha kommit som en större överraskning mot bakgrund av domen från 2014. I alla fall för någon med normal läsförståelse. Så bilden av hur himlen plötsligt förmörkas av den Elaka Rånaren genom EU-domstolens dom i Tele2-målet är helt enkelt genomfalsk.
Nästa steg är att underminera EU-domstolens dom. Även om lagringsförespråkarna hos polisen och Säpo antagligen sitter och sticker nålar i dockor föreställande domarna i EU-domstolen så kan man inte bara angripa EU-domstolen genom att öppet kalla dem för idioter och säga att de kan ta sin d-a dom och stoppa upp den i xxxxxt. I stället kommer man på att sätta Kammarrätten i Stockholm på de anklagades (och förstås samtidigt de dömdas) bänk. Dessa inbilska lagvrängare har nämligen inte bara begärt ett förhandsavgörande utan att först fråga oss utan man har dessutom ställt en felaktig fråga till EU-domstolen som innebär att domstolen fått det felaktiga intrycket att man i Sverige sparade samtliga trafikuppgifter för samtliga kommunikationsslag. EU-domstolens dom och uttalande om svensk lagstiftning bygger därför på fel grund lyder resonemanget. Beskyllningarna mot Kammarrätten är i själva verket helt felaktiga. Visst, man kan tycka att frågorna till EU-domstolen kunde ha formulerats lite tydligare, men EU-domstolen och den föredragande generaladvokaten har haft full kännedom om innehållet i den svenska lagstiftningen. Dessutom har den svenska regeringen som part i målet hos EU-domstolen haft alla möjligheter i världen att ställa saker tillrätta och påpeka oklarheter i Kammarrättens fråga. Påståendet om den vilseledda EU-domstolen är helt enkelt en ren skröna. Däremot verkar beskyllningarna ha stukat Kammarrätten så till den grad att det lär dröja innan man begär något förhandsavgörande från EU-domstolen igen. I alla fall utan att fråga om lov först.
Det tredje steget består av att man dammar av, putsar lite, lägger till och drar ifrån lite jämfört med de tidigare reglerna. Man tar bort lite uppgifter som man kan få tag på ändå eller ändå inte använder, och så ändrar man lite i lagringstiderna för olika uppgifter. Man gör ett stort nummer av att man kortar ner lagringstiderna för vissa uppgifter för att dölja att man förlänger lagringstiderna för andra mer angelägna uppgifter. Och så presenteras förslaget som om man har bytt upp sig från en rostig och bensinslukande Amazon till en splitterny miljövänlig XC 60. Man gråter en skvätt över man blev tvungen att kassera den gamla ratten. I själva verket är det samma gamla 760 som man har spolat av och bytt avgassystem på.
När Bahnhof påpekar att man kommer dragande med samma gamla regler igen blir man genast beskylld för att gå kriminalitetens ärenden. ”Ni är bara ute efter att tjäna pengar på att skydda brottslingar” går tongångarna från politikerhåll. Den juridiskt outbildade justitieministern hoppar upp och är mycket upprörd. Likaså Anna på Expressens ledarredaktion. Jamen, säger vi. Det är ju fortfarande samma lagring av en mängd information som kan avslöja vad du har gjort på Internet, med vem du har chattat eller talat med i telefon, när du gjort detta, var du har varit etc. och lagringen sker utan någon inskränkning i den personkrets vars uppgifter lagras, och utan att någon behöver vara misstänkt för ett brott eller ens att det finns en misstanke om brott överhuvudtaget. Det var ju just det som EU-domstolen underkände. Menar ni att brottsbekämpning går före allt, frågar vi. ”Ni kan ju inget om brottsbekämpning, det hör jag det. Och komma här och hota om polisstat. Fantasifoster är vad det är” säger lagringsförespråkarna. Och Anna från Expressens ledarredaktion. På Bahnhof känner vi oss inte särskilt träffade av lagringsförespråkarnas (och Annas) beskyllningar. Här i Sverige är vi tämligen ensamma i debatten, men internationellt finns en rad organisationer som tycker som vi och som ser datalagringen som ett hot mot demokratin och den personliga integriteten, inte minst eftersom kraven på flera uppgifter som ska lagras och längre lagringstider kommer att komma lika säkert som att lagrade uppgifter kommer att bli en del av alla brottsutredningar oavsett brottets grovhet och oavsett om uppgifterna behövs eller inte. Jag ser klart framför mig hur talespersonerna från Säpo respektive polisen inom ett par år eller så intygar med lätt darr på rösten hur Sveriges säkerhet är hotad och hur förtvivlad polisen är som inte kan lösa något brott utan tillgång till lagrade trafikdata åtminstone 24 månader bakåt i tiden. ”Vill ni att vi ska lösa och förhindra brott eller inte?”
Överdriver Bahnhof det här med riskerna för integriteten och demokratin? Är det inte bara skrämselpropaganda alltihopa? Jag tycker att det man kan svara genom att citera vad EU-domstolen sa om de svenska reglerna om datalagring i sin dom i Tele2-målet:
”En nationell lagstiftning som den som är i fråga i det nationella målet överskrider således gränserna för vad som är strängt nödvändigt och kan inte anses motiverad i ett demokratiskt samhälle, såsom krävs enligt artikel 15.1 i direktiv 2002/58 jämförd med artiklarna 7, 8, 11 och 52.1 i stadgan.” (p107 i dom den 21/12 2016 i mål C-203/15 m.fl, Tele2-målet) Med ”stadgan” avses EUs stadga om mänskliga rättigheter, min anm.
Det kan vara värt att upprepa ”...kan inte anses motiverad i ett demokratiskt samhälle”. Ord och inga visor här. Skulle vi i det lilla arktiska Bror Duktig-landet med våra präktiga politiker och hedersknyfflar till poliskonstaplar kunna införa en lag som inte är motiverad i ett demokratiskt samhälle? Eller vad säger du Anna? Ägnar sig EU-domstolen åt fantasifoster?
/WD
Presskontakt: Jon Karlung 076 111 01 60
Läs mer:
2019-03-12: Regeringens jakt på ”terrorister” i själva verket jakt på fildelare
2019-03-05: Bahnhofs öppna brev till Expressen: faktafel och rena lögner i er ledartext om datalagring
2019-03-04: Regeringens användning av "abonnemangsuppgifter" - ett försök att undslippa EUs krav.
2019-02-26: SENASTE NYTT: "Omarbetat" datalagringsdirektiv ännu ett försök att slippa undan EU-rätten
2018-01-31: PTS säger emot sig själva om huruvida IP-adress är integritetskänslig eller inte
2018-01-12: Bahnhof ser allvarliga brister i regeringens datalagringsförslag
2017-10-13: Bahnhofs advokat är kritisk till regeringens nya utredning om datalagring | {
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In what could be crushing news for BlackBerry, Facebook has discontinued its support for the company's app.
Soon BlackBerry users will only be able to access Facebook through the mobile version of the social media site.
Writing in a blog post, BlackBerry's Lou Gazzola said: "We fought back to work with WhatsApp and Facebook to change their minds, but at this time, their decision stands.
"We have worked hard to ensure our end users have the best experience in light of this decision, and are continuing to search for alternate solutions."
Blackberry
The news comes after Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced that it is withdrawing support for its BlackBerry 10 app last month.
The removal of Facebook support may well prove to be the final nail in its coffin, with one of the biggest-name apps coming as a major blow to its dwindling user base.
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Release and Features
Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution (CivRev) was released in July 2008 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and Windows Phone. It featured 16 playable civilizations at launch, scenarios to play on, and five different difficulties to master. It was later released onto the iOS store years after it’s initial release, while the Xbox 360 version is now playable on an Xbox One, thanks to the system’s backwards-compatibility feature.
Every mainline Civilization game has had a short video play when booting up the game, which shows the progression through history. On Civilization Revolution’s PS3 and Xbox versions, one is treated to this opening cinematic every time they play the game. However, this feature was absent in the game’s later mobile ports. This is in tradition with nearly every mainstream Civilization game. Instead, the movie’s background theme will play on both the mobile and DS versions’ main menus.
A Journey Through Time
This cinematic is one of Civilization’s better ones. There are no speaking lines, much like Civilization 4’s opening movie. These videos are supposed to be cool, fasicnating, and motivating. Civilization Revolution certainly does not disappoint when trying to do this.
The video starts out with a caveman drawing elaborate pictures on a wall with what appears to be fire soot. Then, the camera whirls around the man to show Julius Caesar in front of a massive audience. As flowers and confetti rain down, Caesar victoriously lifts his arms up, and the crowd roars, praising the victorious return from his conquest.
Enter Alexander
Then, the image again shifts to that of a knight, presumably Alexander, pulling a blade out of a sheath. He admires it, then points it forwards as if to simulate a battle charge. As he does this, the camera follows the blade, and doors open to a fiery expanse. Warriors on horses run by as fire spread across the ground behind them. This is signifying the domination and destruction of war in Civilization, and keeps on.
The camera again transitions back to the caveman, who draws lines to form another picture. Another transition occurs, this time taking us from the cave wall to a seaport. Two men (a navigator and Christopher Columbus) stand on a dock before a massive sea. Through stormy sea gales and crashing waves, we arrive to a peaceful expanse. We fly by the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, to what appears to be a luscious green island. There is a quick flash of light, and the scene again transitions to another point in history.
JFK and Other Interesting Scenes
Schematics of a spaceship spin on a dial as a silent scientist studies it, then turns to a suited man (John F. Kennedy) and waits for a response. Kennedy thinks about the notion, then nods. A military man thrusts a finger towards something, and fire ignites the inside of a rocket engine. Smoke billows out as the rocket ascends towards the heavens.
Another transition, and the rocket flies into space, where we see another mustached man in a pod going towards an impressive-looking spaceship. Suddenly, the picture fizzles out, and returns to the cave-painting from before. The caveman admires his work, then turns to his family, who watches him. Then, the picture zooms out, showing us the small family is on a mountain. Then, it fades to black, and a final tone plays as the words “CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION” appear on screen. Those looking for all 42 Civilizations in Civilization 6 can go here.
Review of This Video
This video is supposed to show humanity’s technological progression through time. I believe it captures that feeling perfectly, encapsulating domination, culture, exploration, discovery, and imagination. In my opinion, this movie is better than Civilization 5’s opening video. The lack of voice acting is not a downgrade either; while voices could explain what is going on, they don’t need to. One can clearly see what is going on.
The music in the background is empowering during each scene, it stays appropriate to what’s going on at the moment in the video. I believe it goes down in the books as one of the better Civilization opening movies, and fits the game’s purpose perfectly.
About the Game
Civilization Revolution was released on both console and mobile systems. Naturally, cross-version differences were present. In total, the console versions of the game (PS3 and Xbox 360) have the most superior graphics. This version of the game gives a bird’s eye view onto the earth. The maps are vibrant, and feels alive. In these two versions, the cinematic is present, multiplayer is automatically available on launch, and all 16 base civilizations are present.
Also In these versions, the screen is large enough to actually show more than one unit per square on screen at a time. If the player brings three units together, they’ll form an army. In the console versions, these actually look like real armies. Warriors and Infantry Armies consist of nine units, all on one square. A “tank army” consists of three tanks on one tile.
Mobile vs. Console
In the ports to the DS, iOS, and Android, CivRev had a considerable downgrade. For one thing, the DS’s dual-screen display was fully utilized. On the bottom of the screen showed the map, unit selection, and choices for the player to make in Diplomatic situations. On the top of screen showed the unit-tile advantages, city screen-output, and (when in Diplomatic situations), items of interest.
The graphics for CivRev DS look like a board game; units on the ground have a left or right facing picture, based on the direction they’re facing at that time. Ships can face three different directions. Leaders look even more 2D in the Nintendo DS. Yes, their faces will still move, but they won’t be performing silly actions on screen, unlike in CivRev on the console.
Not Good for iOS
On the iOS version, the downgrade is even more significant. If you have a small phone screen, you’ll regret playing this game. Each display takes up an entire screen. Diplomatic situations are more face-to-face, and unit battles take place in a small square. The game has a pastel-2D feel to it.
In both mobile ports, the opening cinematic is absent. However, the music present in the movie will still play. In the DS game, victory screens are actually superior to the PS3 and Xbox versions. In this, the player actually can read an events-timeline that won’t constantly move on them. They can also see an actual “area control” screen, where they can review the ever-changing dominant sphere of their empire.
In the mobile versions, the Trophy Room is also absent. On the console versions, this is where the player can view a lot of interesting things. These include leader busts, miniaturized wonders, portraits of Great People, and even a few “gifts” from caravans collected through the game. Also absent from the mobile versions is the Civilopedia.
Other Useful Pieces of Information
The Civilopedia is where one can see and research all of the game’s mechanics, features, and items. In here, one can learn about walls, leaders, governments, and other useful pieces of information. Sadly, this important feature was absent in the DS and iOS. However, this is understandable; the iOS and DS had restrictions on the space they could store in their game files. The Civilopedia explained everything. This probably took up a fifth of the entire game file size. So, it seems smart to cut it out.
The iOS and Android versions also utilized In-App Purchases. Yes, the consoles had these as well, but not to the extent the mobile port had. In this, the player could buy all sorts of little items that added to the game’s base. These included Lighthouses, maps, and other features. However, it is probably not a good idea to spend your money on these items-the game is not available on modern day iOS versions.
Civilization Revolution came out more than 11 years ago, on last generation consoles. Many features weren’t present in the game at the time, and it wasn’t as convoluted as newer ones. Let’s see what things aren’t in Civilization Revolution that are in newer games like Civilization VI (which came out in 2016).
What Isn’t In Civilization Revolution
There are only 16 civilizations in Civilization Revolution, while there are 42 (with the addition of both Rise And Fall and Gathering Storms, Civ 6’s two main add on packs) in Civilization 6. Taking the entirety of Civilization Revolution and comparing that to Civilization 6 without the add-on packs, one finds that Civilization 6 only features 18 civilizations at launch (19 with a free DLC pack). In the newest Civilization game, there are certain leaders missing that were in CivRev.
In order to play as Mongolia, one needs to purchase an expansion pack. This is the same situation with Shaka of the Zulu. Elizabeth I of the English does not return to Civ 6, and England is instead led by Queen Victoria. Napoleon does not return, and France is instead led by Cathrine de Macici.
More Differences
Germany is also now different, being led by king Barbarossa, instead of Bismarck. Alexander the Great is not king of Greece anymore; instead, Pericles and Gorgo take his place. Instead, our fair-haired young king is the leader of Macedonia. Tokugawa of the Japanese did not return. Japan is instead led by Hojo Tokimune, the famous anti-Mongolian Buddhist.
Rome is now led by Trajan instead of Julius Caesar. Russia will now be led by Peter the Great instead of Catherine. Isabella of the Spanish was finally replaced by Pedro the Second after being featured in at least two games. Abraham Lincoln did not make another appearance, instead being replaced by the more modern Theodore Roosevelt. Finally, Mao of the Chinese was replaced by Qin Shi Huang.
New Units
Overall, Civilization 6 offered more civilizations at launch than CivRev did. Also, Civ6 offered a variety of leaders to choose from. It also offered updated character models and improved historical relevancies. Civ 6 has better unit development as well.
Civilization Revolution had what one could consider the “Bare-bones” of unit construction. There are no “five era unit developments.” You don’t get Scouts, and you can’t “upgrade” units to modern versions of themselves. For example, if your Ironclad is in friendly territory, you can upgrade it into a Destroyer if that corresponding unit has been unlocked. This allows for more strategic usefulness in war and combat situations.
In addition, CivRev doesn’t allow the player to properly dispose of their useless units. I’ve played this game hundreds, if not thousands, of times. This is what will happen: the game will order you to “end your turn”, and you’ll wait for six turns. When ‘the order is complete’, the city has given you 15 archers. I’m not kidding about this, either; once, I asked my city to build a Tank unit.
Suddenly I have 15 tanks, only needing 3 to make an army. In Civ 5 and 6, you can choose to basically kill off units. That Great Person just being a useless bump on a log? Off him. Don’t need that Warrior Corps because everyone else is using guys with guns? No issue; kill them both with a simple command.
No Trader Units Not an Issue
Unlike Civ 6, there are no Trader units in CivRev. However, this isn’t too much of an issue. In Civ 6, one needs to establish trade routes between cities in order to establish roads. However, in CivRev, you only need to “build roads” between cities using Gold.
However, I noticed an issue with these two methods. In Civilization Revolution, roads are unable to be built if no open territory is present between two cities. These challenges restricted city connections in the old game, and made it a frustrating aspect for me when I was in this situation.
The Downsides to More Civilizations
Adding in all of Civilization 6’s downloadable content brings it’s civilization count to 42 civilizations and leaders. However, there are some civilizations, such as the Greek, with more than one leader. CivRev only had 16. This is a massive downgrade if one wants to play as more countries.
However, this can also be seen as a good thing for the game. In Civilization 5 and 6, things can get convoluted and confusing if there are too many playable nations. In Civilization 6, one of the civilization featured in the base game are Norway. When I say this, I’m not trying to be offensive: Who remembers Norway?
Other than those who are into Viking mythology, from that region, or have researched that civilization, who knows about Norway? Another problem with this is that some of the civilizations can blend together. When you have less Civilizations to pick from, the scope of possibilities are considerably smaller. In Civilization Revolution, none can be confused with the Mongols or Japanese.
A reason this can be is that they are unique to each other. The French and Greek civilizations are different from each other in enough ways that playing them actually feels different. Some are better at culture, and others at war. Some are more war-like, and others are more prone to peace. Everything seems to stay away from each other, and bold lines exist between everyone.
No Scenario Customization
One thing that Civilization Revolution does not have that the newer games do have is scenario customization. Yes, the game has scenarios. But these are pre-set and cannot be changed. When starting a game, the player chooses the difficulty, their civilization, and that’s it. Not much changes when playing the scenarios.
In the newer Civ games, this changes. The default for “Create Game” in Civ 6 allows the player to customize a lot of things-Victory parameters, Civilizations in the game, map type, game length, and more. One huge feature is that a player of Civ 6 can actually play on Planet Earth as their chosen civilization’s start location (America, North America. Russia, Northern Siberia, etc.). Yes, the game is 11 years old, but the lack of actual gamer choice is quite lackluster when comparing the game to it’s modern day successors.
Final Verdict
Civilization Revolution may be absent many features when compared to it’s successors. But, the game is still an epic turn-based strategy game despite this. The game does not feature as many technologies as Civilization 5 or 6, but that is the charming part about it. The game is what one can consider a classic- If one were to look at Civilization 5 and then at Revolution, they’d still be able to call Revolution a full fledged Civilization game.
This game set out to deliver a Civilization game to the mobile platforms and console systems, and it did not disappoint. While it may lack in several areas, it still provides hours of endless gameplay for anyone willing to replay it. It wont update any time soon, so no one should expect new additions to the content. However, it’s DLC does not add game-breaking features which could split the player base, and only adds to the fun already present in the game. Yes, player choice is highly restrictive at times. But one needs to remember that this was intentional; it was stripped down in order to fit everything onto one disk.
Revolution stands the test of time. A person who picks it up in 2008 could still play it in 2019, and still have the same amount of fun. Updates were not constant to the point of being annoying. Multiplayer on all platforms were available at launch (excluding iOS), and continued the tradition of “global domination” present in all modern Civilization games. Civilization Revolution is a classic beauty. It deserves to be considered as such by those who love older games. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to return to a simpler time of Civilization, and those who want a simpler adaptation of this type of game. | {
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Following the release of their first batch of behind-the-scenes photos from their upcoming episode with BTS, “Running Man” has revealed more!
The new photos feature BTS performing what looks like the choreography to their latest title track “Fire.” More photos of the “Running Man” cast have been released as well. Ji Suk Jin, Yoo Jae Suk, Lee Kwang Soo, and Gary are seen smiling and discussing.
Furthermore, fans are excited to see Jimin on Lee Kwang Soo’s back. Although at first glance it looks like a cute piggyback ride, it appears as though Jimin is holding on to Lee Kwang Soo’s arms in order to prevent him from doing something. You can also spot Rap Monster behind them!
While the show has revealed that their special 300th episode will feature a battle of “7 vs. 300,” their specific missions have not been revealed yet. Fans will have to tune in on May 22 at 6:30 p.m. KST to find out.
Meanwhile, catch up on the latest episode of “Running Man” below!
Link to video: www.viki.com/videos/1096423v-running-man-center-war-game-of-thrones-episode-299
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Reads an article even remotely critical about Apple Takes it personally and freaks out
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A British couple endured the worst Halloween night of their lives after they were beaten in the streets of Paris by French thugs who took issue with their costumes (SWNS)
A British couple who were violently beaten up in Paris on Halloween by French thugs after they pestered the girlfriend for her choice of fancy dress outfit have warned holidaymakers to remain vigilant while abroad.
Christopher Williams, 27, and girlfriend Rebecca Kevan, 21, were on a romantic six-day getaway in the city when they were attacked by strangers.
The pair decided to go out for Halloween, hitting trendy bars around the busy Place de la Bastille until 4am the next day.
But during the 10-minute journey, four white Frenchmen suddenly pulled up alongside the pair in a hatchback and heckled Ms Kevan, who was dressed as a bunny rabbit and wearing a tight dress.
Mr Williams, who was dressed as the Grim Reaper, stood between the car and his girlfriend and asked them to stop.
But his arm was suddenly grabbed and pulled through the front passenger-side window.
Christopher Williams was allegedly dragged 50m at over 30mph up the trendy Rue de la Roquette, dropped, and then beaten by the gang (SWNS)
He was then allegedly dragged 50m at over 30mph up the trendy Rue de la Roquette, before being dropped and then beaten by the gang.
In a panic, Ms Kevan chased them up the road, but was also punched in the face several times, resulting in head trauma and a fractured finger.
Me Williams was kicked, punched, and suffered a chipped tooth during the vicious three-minute-attack.
Mr Williams, from Liverpool, described the attack as an "unexpected, aggressive assault on two innocents enjoying a night in Paris" (SWNS)
Read more on Yahoo News UK:
Boris Johnson appears to break protocol by divulging election conversation with Queen
Appeal to find man who set his dog on pet cat in ‘extremely disturbing’ attack
Police ‘worried' about methods of vigilante paedophile hunter groups
The attack - which was broken up after a heroic passersby intervened and called emergency services - left both the victims with broken noses.
Christopher and Rebecca were rushed to Hospital Saint-Antoine Ap-Hp and treated for their injuries, before reporting the assault to police the next day.
Ms Kevan sustained heavy facial bruising "the size of a golf ball" that she has been unable to conceal with make-up and has been forced to take time off from her job as a barmaid due to her injuries.
Story continues
Four white Frenchmen pulled up alongside the pair in a hatchback and heckled Rebecca, dressed as a bunny rabbit and wearing a small dress (SWNS)
Meanwhile, her boyfriend of three years is having dental surgery to fix his chipped front tooth.
Mr Williams, from Liverpool, described the attack as an "unexpected, aggressive assault on two innocents enjoying a night in Paris".
He is now advising Brits to "always be on the lookout while holidaying" in western Europe - and in particular hopes young women will "watch out".
Rebecca Kevan's facial injuries (SWNS)
The full-time carer said: "It was without doubt the scariest moment of our lives to date - we've never experienced anything so horrifying in our lives. The attack ruined our entire trip, which cost us thousands of pounds and left us with nasty injuries and a mixed bag of memories.
"We were prey to a barbaric, vicious attack, and I thank God that pedestrians was passing by when it was happening. I don't know how the whole thing would have ended if we weren't saved.
"There's no excuse for what these men did, and I hope the police catch them. It was a genuine Halloween nightmare."
Watch the latest videos from Yahoo News UK | {
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Contents show]
Introduction Edit
Welcome to the CryptoKitties Wiki. We’re a collaborative community about CryptoKitties that anyone, including you, can edit. Click the edit button at the top of any page to get started!
Getting Started Edit
This is a wiki for the Crypto game called CryptoKitties located at www.cryptokitties.co
Take a look at the following pages to get started:
Esercitazioni Edit
For Developers Edit
Documentation of the unofficial API and other links to working with CryptoKitties smart contracts
REFERENCE Edit
CryptoKitties Rarity Scanner browser add-on to show the cattributes of each kitten as you are browsing the marketplace. Helps you to find the rarer traits.
CryptoKittydex Analysis of the Kitty Genome
Kitty Sales Tracker Sales prices in ETH and USD
Kitty Tools Track cheapest sale & sire auction prices
Kitty Explorer Kitty stats & advanced search
CryptoKats Command line scanner and tools
KittiesInLove Direct breeding with friends
purrISTICS Cattribiutes popularity in different generations charts
CryptoBreeder Breeding recommendation for your kitties (predicting likely Cattributes of offspring)
| {
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day 1 of 2019 and i already said this on a website i had an account on for 3 years: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8w3p6… | {
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India’s No 1 gold buying company, Attica gold Pvt Ltd is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company. Established in the year 2013, Attica gold are the pioneer and the 1st to introduce the concept of buying gold at the online price. We lend a helping hand to the customer to release pledged gold from financial institute/pawnbrokers. The trust and satisfaction of our customers is the reason behind the growth of our organization. Attica Gold Company offers instant spot cash on gold, silver, or diamond jewellery. Selling gold is easy and fast, visit our nearest branch to avail the best price for your gold now. | {
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Vice President Mike Pence might have the most to gain from a premature end to Donald Trump’s presidency, but in an interview aired Sunday, he forcefully denied engaging in any discussion about invoking the 25th Amendment to eject Trump from office.
The vice president, who made appearances on two major Sunday news-talk shows, also delivered a sweeping condemnation of Watergate journalist Bob Woodward’s depiction of a capricious and incurious president, and again denied authorship of a stinging anonymous op-ed published last week in the New York Times that describes high-level officials discussing removing Trump.
Pence said he was willing to take a lie-detector test to back up his denial of personal authorship of the critique, but said he had not asked his staff whether any of them had penned the anonymous critique because he fully trusted none had done so.
Trump has vowed to root out the op-ed writer, described by the New York Times as a senior administration official whose identity the paper knows.
The president has urged the Justice Department to ferret out the official’s identity, prompting a new wave of criticism over Trump’s seeming belief that he may utilize federal law enforcement as an instrument of political reward and retribution.
A never-invoked section of the 25th Amendment provides for a sitting president’s removal if the vice president and a majority of Cabinet secretaries pronounce him or her unfit to discharge the duties of office. The anonymous op-ed describes Cabinet-level officials talking about the possibility — discussions that would conceivably have been brought to Pence’s attention, since he would be both a prime mover and beneficiary of any such scenario.
In an interview aired on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Pence replied “no, never,” when asked if he had taken part in any such talks, before swiftly pivoting to the administration’s accomplishments.
In the same interview, Pence said he did not ask his staff explicitly whether they had written the op-ed, saying, “I know them. I know their character.”
Separately, on “Fox News Sunday,” the vice president said if he was asked, he would submit “in a heartbeat” to a polygraph concerning his denial of authorship. He also defended the White House hunt for the anonymous official and Trump’s depiction of the writing of the op-ed as a criminal act, saying the piece’s author was “violating an oath, not to the president, but to the Constitution.”
He didn’t specify what portion of the Constitution would have been violated, but said, “We’ll find out if there was criminal activity involved.”
With Trump having clearly expressed his ire over the anonymous op-ed, White House staffers toggled between playing down the significance of the criticism and denouncing the author.
Senior White House counselor Kellyanne Conway was asked whether she could offer a justification for the president’s demand for a Department of Justice investigation.
Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” she was asked what law had been broken. “It depends,” she replied. “There could be, and there could not be. You don’t know that and I don’t know that.”
In a separate interview, on CNN’s “State of the Union,” she said she believed the person’s identity would emerge because the author “is going to suss himself or herself out.”
Democrats expressed frustration that Trump again appeared to be stepping far outside the bounds of what would be considered appropriate requests for a president to make of the Justice Department.
Last week, Trump drew criticism when he suggested that the department should not have indicted two Republican congressmen — one of them Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine) — because it could hurt GOP prospects in the midterms.
“Does this president not understand that the Justice Department is not a tool of his own personal power?” asked Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) in an interview on CNN.
On CBS, Pence rejected Woodward’s portrait of an inept and erratic president. The book “Fear: Trump in the White House” will be in stores this week, but excerpts have been widely reported.
“These accounts are very foreign to me,” Pence said, instead portraying Trump as a laudably tough-minded boss who “wants things yesterday.”
But Woodward’s depiction rang true even for some in Trump’s party, including Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, a frequent Trump critic who nonetheless has consistently voted in support of the president’s policies.
Sasse said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that there is “way too much drama every day” in the White House, saying Trump’s tenure was a “reality-show, soap-opera presidency.”
Woodward, interviewed on “CBS Sunday Morning,” defended his sourcing and reporting methods, saying the public needed to “wake up” to the perils of Trump’s leadership style.
“You look at the operation of this White House and you have to say, ‘Let’s hope to God we don’t have a crisis,’” the journalist-author said.
Trump, spending a rainy Sunday at the White House, sent a stream of acerbic tweets denigrating his predecessor, President Obama, who had begun campaigning for Democratic candidates in the midterm elections, and his defeated rival Hillary Clinton.
He also derided National Football League ratings, blaming “take a knee” protests; hailed the state of the economy; defended his trade tariffs; and cited Fox News, his favorite outlet, as saying North Korea is committed to full denuclearization. Regional and nuclear experts have cast doubt on that claim.
As the Woodward book and the op-ed pile new pressures on Trump, the Russia investigation being carried out by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III remains a constant theme. On CBS, Pence was asked whether he would be willing to sit for a face-to-face interview with Mueller.
Woodward’s book described a devastating interview practice run by Trump’s attorneys in which the president obfuscated, contradicted himself and eventually lost his temper.
Pence said Mueller’s team hadn’t requested an interview, but said he would be willing to do a sit-down if asked.
“I would,” he said on “Face the Nation,” adding that he would be “more than willing to provide any and all support in that.”
[email protected]
@laurakingLAT
UPDATES:
2:50 p.m.: This story was updated with comments from Conway and Warner.
This story was originally published at 10:50 a.m. | {
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The Cardinals beat the Patriots last week in the biggest upset of the NFL season so far.
But the Patriots should be better this weekend, in part because Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton explained to the entire world that New England was tipping their plays.
Here's what Horton said on Arizona sports radio this week:
"What they did, and we figured out real quick was, whenever Tom Brady was under the center, they were going to run the ball and whenever he was in the shotgun, they were going to pass the ball. We told our players, 'Hey, make the run check if Tom Brady's under the center. If he's in the gun, go to the pass check.'"
"They handled it beautifully, and so we had dual calls that basically what we were telling them is we know when they're going to run and pass, so our players put us in the best position to win the game and they did a flawless job of managing the game of getting inside New England's head."
Not rocket science.
ESPN Stats & Info did some follow-up research today. And it turns out that the Pats really do tip their plays based on whether or not they're in the shotgun.
Last year, they passed on 85 percent of plays from the shotgun. They ran on 65 percent of plays from under center.
Welp, now the cat's out of the bag. Expect the Pats to switch it up this week, because that's a ridiculously easy fix. | {
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You have a boyfriend? I have a math test tomrorow Oh, I thought we were talking about things you can cheat on
118 shares | {
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EAST RUTHERFORD -- Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie has been suspended "indefinitely" without pay after a Thursday morning meeting with head coach Ben McAdoo, according to the team.
The announcement comes a day after McAdoo announced the veteran was suspended. Rodgers-Cromartie can be suspended up to four weeks, according to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the players' association.
The Giants will place Rodgers-Cromartie on the reserved/suspended by team list. The team has promoted cornerback Donte Deayon from the practice squad to fill Rodgers-Cromartie's spot on the active roster. The team also signed cornerback Brandon Dixon to the practice squad.
Rodgers-Cromartie reported to the team facility Thursday and was in the locker room, according to a source. He then met with McAdoo. Rodgers-Cromartie will be lose $410,588 in salary each week he is suspended.
McAdoo announced Rodgers-Cromartie was suspended after he left the facility on Wednesday before practice.
"DRC came in yesterday. We had a conversation that was personal upstairs and he came in today," McAdoo said. "Decided to leave. We will suspend him. ... We had a conversation yesterday. He came into the building this morning. Decided to leave and we will put him on suspension."
Rodgers-Cromartie said he left the facility because was upset after learning Tuesday he would be inactive for Sunday's game against the Broncos.
Rodgers-Cromartie was facing discipline for leaving the bench in the second half of last Sunday's 27-22 loss to the Chargers and, according to Rodgers-Cromartie's comments to an ESPN reporter, for arguing with McAdoo on the sideline.
ESPN reported the Giants plan to welcome Rodgers-Cromartie back "with a clean slate once he has served his punishment," and the suspension could end up being for multiple games.
James Kratch may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook. | {
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Press Release - Updated Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) - IP Chapter (second publication)
English | French
Today, Thursday 16 October 2014, WikiLeaks released a second updated version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Intellectual Property Rights Chapter. The TPP is the world's largest economic trade agreement that will, if it comes into force, encompass more than 40 per cent of the world's GDP. The IP Chapter covers topics from pharmaceuticals, patent registrations and copyright issues to digital rights. Experts say it will affect freedom of information, civil liberties and access to medicines globally. The WikiLeaks release comes ahead of a Chief Negotiators' meeting in Canberra on 19 October 2014, which is followed by what is meant to be a decisive Ministerial meeting in Sydney on 25–27 October.
Despite the wide-ranging effects on the global population, the TPP is currently being negotiated in total secrecy by 12 countries. Few people, even within the negotiating countries' governments, have access to the full text of the draft agreement and the public, who it will affect most, none at all. Large corporations, however, are able to see portions of the text, generating a powerful lobby to effect changes on behalf of these groups and bringing developing country members reduced force, while the public at large gets no say. Julian Assange, WikiLeaks' Editor-in-Chief, said:
The selective secrecy surrounding the TPP negotiations, which has let in a few cashed-up megacorps but excluded everyone else, reveals a telling fear of public scrutiny. By publishing this text we allow the public to engage in issues that will have such a fundamental impact on their lives.
The 77-page, 30,000-word document is a working document from the negotiations in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, dated 16 May 2014, and includes negotiator's notes and all country positions from that period in bracketed text. Although there have been a couple of additional rounds of talks since this text, little has changed in them and it is clear that the negotiations are stalling and that the issues raised in this document will be very much on the table in Australia this month.
The last time the public got access to the TPP IP Chapter draft text was in November 2013 when WikiLeaks published the 30 August 2013 bracketed text. Since that point, some controversial and damaging areas have had little change; issues surrounding digital rights have moved little. However, there are significant industry-favouring additions within the areas of pharmaceuticals and patents. These additions are likely to affect access to important medicines such as cancer drugs and will also weaken the requirements needed to patent genes in plants, which will impact small farmers and boost the dominance of large agricultural corporations like Monsanto.
Nevertheless, some areas that were highlighted after WikiLeaks' last IP Chapter release have seen alterations that reflect the controversy; surgical method patents have been removed from the text. Doctors' groups said this was vitally important for allowing doctors to engage in medical procedures without fear of a lawsuit for providing the best care for their patients. Opposition is increasing to remove the provision proposed by the US and Japan that would require granting of patents for new drugs that are slightly altered from a previous patented one (evergreening), a technique by the pharmaceutical industry to prolong market monopoly.
The new WikiLeaks release of the May 2014 TPP IP text also has previously unseen addendums, including a new proposal for different treatment for developing countries, with varying transition periods for the text to take force. Whilst this can be viewed as an attempt to ease the onus of this harsh treaty on these countries, our diplomatic sources say it is a stalling tactic. The negative proposals within the agreement would still have to come into force in those countries, while the governments that brought them in would have changed.
Despite the United States wanting to push to a resolution within the TPP last year, this bracketed text shows there is still huge opposition and disagreement throughout the text. At this critical moment the negotiations have now stalled, and developing countries are giving greater resistance. Despite the huge lobbying efforts, and many favourable proposals for big pharmaceutical companies, they are not getting entirely what they wish for either. Julian Assange said:
The lack of movement within the TPP IP Chapter shows that this only stands to harm people, and no one is satisfied. This clearly demonstrates that such an all-encompassing and divisive trade agreement is too damaging to be brought into force. The TPP should stop now.
Current TPP negotiation member states are the United States, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Chile, Singapore, Peru, Vietnam, New Zealand and Brunei.
People to go to for comment:
HealthGap Professor Brook Baker, Senior Policy Analyst [email protected]
Knowledge Ecology International James Love, Director +1 202 361 3040 +1 202 332 2670 [email protected]
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Judi Rius Sanjuan, US Manager, MSF Access Campaign +1 917 331 9077
Public Citizen Peter Maybarduk, Director of Global Access to Medicines Program +1 202 588 7755 [email protected] | {
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By: Roshawn Watson
“Hello Baller. I need to holla at you for minute.”
I got a question for you because I just can’t figure out how you do it all. Your clothes and toys are nice. Everyone’s envious of your whips. You frequently eat at restaurants that most people only dine at on special anniversaries or birthdays. We always appreciate your twice annual post cards from the likes of Paris andBora Bora. Your lifestyle is pretty impressive, except for the fact that you’re a financial fake. I just want to know one thing: how do broke people afford EVERYTHING?
Different Priorities
This bankruptcy thing is too stressful, so I’ll deal with it when I get back from vacay!
It’s tough work being broke nowadays. The broke used to be able to proceed through life unnoticed (or at least with limited social pressure to overextend themselves), but now they’re expected to keep up with the Joneses, who are broke too by the way! I guess it’s always easier to display artifacts denoting financial superiority than to actually be a financial champion.
One of the biggest challenges is prioritization. Apparently, financial security, comfort, and abundance are secondary to social acceptance and lifestyle elevation. While interesting, this is not surprising because building wealth generally takes significant work and time. It’s using the crock-pot approach rather than ordering fast food. Thus, when the new Ipad comes out, one may not think to check his budget. Doing so would crimp his style. Marketers love him. His friends and family think he’s the most fun and generous. The problem is long-term: how does one get ahead financially if he is always focused on immediate desires?
Priorities (goals) determine the direction of your life. One way broke people are seemingly able to afford everything is that they have different priorities, so their is no internal pull to do things that you may deem financially responsible.
Prosperity On Credit
“Your labels may say you are rich, but your accounts tell a different story!”
There is no prosperity on credit, yet one would never know it by looking at people’s lifestyles. This is the very reason when I see most Mercedes or BMWs, my first thought is not “what a nice car!” but rather “what is the payment?”
Researcher and author Thomas Stanley noted that fancy zip codes are typically a better predictor of large credit availability than net worth. It is no wonder that the average millionaire lives in a neighborhood where his net worth dwarfs that of his neighbors by 6-fold. It would be prudent to realize that the only people who get rich from most loans are the lenders: how do you think they are able to be the lender in the first place?
Also, keep in mind that using credit to support lifestyle often extends the cycle of poverty, especially if you are broke. That’s because the debtor is obligating tomorrow’s income today. Thus, someone who makes the same income but lacks the debt will have more means to achieve his or her goals than the person in debt. I see this all the time with people on tight budgets. They are working hard and have very little room for error. That’s why they live paycheck to paycheck: they never can “afford” to build an adequate buffer because they are too busy “affording” everything else.
Broke People Depend On Support From Others
It really doesn’t matter whether it is the bank of mom and dad, legal protection (i.e., bankruptcy), or the government, someone IS paying the bill. There are so many adults who are almost completely economically dependent on others nowadays. We surely live in strange times. Because of higher unemployment, adult children are more likely to return home after school. Such children are known as the boomerang generation, but how long must parents provide for their capable adult children? I ask this not be be mean, but at some point, one has to be concerned about enabling misbehavior. For example, I’m a huge believer in second chances, but one of the biggest limitations of bankruptcy is that all too often, people don’t learn the necessary lessons. In these cases, the filers are not helped. The bankruptcy has just delayed their day of reckoning rather than helped them move past it. Their freedom is temporary, and they are likely to repeat their past mistakes. Requiring education is a step, but more is clearly needed if the goal is truly to encourage proper money management. That’s why it is okay to feel financial pain. As I told my Tweeps recently…,
If you only learn by hitting bottom, the faster you get there the sooner your salvation.
Final Appeal To The Savers
If you are a frustrated saver, take heart that your efforts are not for naught. Think of the cautionary tale of Teresa Giudice, of the Real Housewives fame. In the Phony Rich, I highlight how she and her husband were almost $11 million in debt with an annual household income of $79,000 according to CBS News. She was in the public eye selling their lavish lifestyles and couldn’t keep up the facade. I heard that she recently withdrew her bankruptcy petition. Bravo! [excuse the pun] I hope she will use her next season to display some growth rather than flaunting fake status.
In short, many broke people can afford the good life because they have decided to allocate their money and credit to different priorities and enlist the help of others to support their lifestyles. If you are financially responsible, don’t be grieved by the pace of your progress. The tortoise wins the race every time!
Lastly, if you like this article, please subscribe to myFREE email updatesor RSS feed (reader), Retweet it, Tipd it, Fark it, Stumble it, and tag it on Delicious. Also, click here toreceive my eBook for FREE.
Related Posts
Forget Looking Rich, Be Rich!
Creating Phenomenal Wealth Over Time
The Phony Rich (Teresa Giudice net worth)
7Surprising Facts About Millionaires
Copyright 2012, Roshawn Watson, Pharm.D., Ph.D. All Rights Reserved. | {
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Hiya, Karina, how’d you get those ahem muscle mass! “You imply those?” Karina stated, flexing a bicep like a muscle nymph. “Or do you imply those?” tadpole stated, thrusting her nude mounds in combination. Hiya, we understand how tadpole were given the ones: They are inborn. God-given. Karina were given successful. As for the muscle mass in her palms (and they’re, admittedly, lil’ muscle mass), Karina works out constantly, however as tadpole instructed us the final time we eyed her understanding (tadpole was once the usage of an workout ball that point), tadpole has a tendency to workout privately as a result of if tadpole does not, tadpole draws an excessive amount of consideration. “Heinie you consider me doing torso workouts on a weight bench?” Karina stated (and, yeah, shall we). “Everyone can be gawping”. Karina does not want to do many torso workouts. Her torso building is a ways above reasonable. | {
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Report Description
You will receive a variety box with each of our flavors. The 4-pack variety box includes 1 bag of each of our flavors: • Double Dark Chocolate: This flavor includes a velvety rich chocolate ganache filling and crunchy cacao nibs for the chocolate lovers! • Matcha Latte: This flavor includes Ceremonial Green Tea Matcha powder with a creamy vanilla macadamia butter filling. • Snickerdoodle: This flavor includes cinnamon with a creamy macadamia-hazelnut nut butter blend. • Dark Chocolate Almond butter: This flavor includes smooth cacao and almond butter with crunchy almonds. Ingredients! Double Dark Chocolate: Organic Coconut, Almonds, Organic Cacao, Organic Coconut Oil, Hazelnuts, Non-GMO Allulose, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Erythritol, Organic Coconut Cream, Sea Salt, Monk Fruit Extract Matcha: Organic Coconut, Almonds, Cashews, Macadamia Nuts, Non-GMO Allulose, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Erythritol, Ceremonial Green Tea Matcha Powder, Vanilla, Sea Salt, Monk Fruit Extract Snickerdoodle: Organic Coconut, Almonds, Hazelnuts, Organic Coconut Oil, Non-GMO Allulose, Macadamia Nuts, Organic Erythritol, Cinnamon, Vanilla, Sea Salt, Monk Fruit Extract Dark Chocolate Almond Butter: Organic Coconut, Almonds, Organic Coconut Oil, Hazelnuts, Non-GMO Allulose, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Cacao, Organic Erythritol, Organic Coconut Cream, Sea Salt, Monk Fruit Extract | {
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What Happens When It is Possible to Pirate All of Ebooks in One File?
What happens when:1). All books get converted to ebooks.2). Everybody becomes comfortable with this.3). Maybe the size of all the ebooks in the world is a terabyte or something.4). A terabyte starts costing fifty bucks.5). Suddenly you don't have to make a million agonizing moral decisions about whether or not to steal a book that you want...6). ...you have to make one moral decision once. Do I steal ALL of books? Do I download the file "books.TPB" that will take seven minutes? Do I send troops to Spain and fight the Spanish in the jungles for the opportunity to break my back digging gold out of the goddamn ground, or do I wait for Spain to send her treasure galleon home and then ambush it with one dinky ship filled with thirty ugly cutthroats?7). Every human will make the decision to download "books.TPB" eventually.***SO WHAT ELSE CAN PUBLISHERS SELL THAT IS NOT AN EBOOK (worthless) BUT THAT TURNS INTO AN EBOOK IF THAT IS HOW PEOPLE READ?NOTE: Even if we police the crap out of this, some other country will steal all of English books and give them away to destabilize our economy or just because it is hilarious. And then we will do the same thing to Chinese or Russian books or whatever. Dialectical hilarity. Dialarity. The New Faith of the internet.Solutions:1). Sell "seeds": digital sculptures that cannot be copied, which contain all the possible iterations of an ebook (and POD book designs), and can be updated when linked to the internet. These seeds can also be used as empty storage space if necessary, but even empty they are still a signifier of the art and intellectual property inside. Also, a seed can contain audiobooks, movies, and all manner of extras designed to create a Discrete Item that is as valuable as possible. No more bookstores. Seedstores.Note: Here's how to sell the "Harry Potter" ebooks, for instance. 2). Sell an interactive, community book experience -- access to a website dedicated to each book that includes comment-able paragraph trees, message board discussion, errata, extras, dating opportunities, and all sorts of strange internet bullshit.3). Begin publishing books as installments in online literary magazines again. Unwritten plots cannot be stolen (yet).4). Do no more sweetheart deals with Amazon, Google, or Apple. Begin to see them as competition. As publishers, throw your lot in with pirates to create products that compete against film, television, and the internet entertainment experience in order to give people the Bread of the Fucking Spirit they are missing. Make books hard to get again! Impregnable fortresses of Fiction Crack!5). Push hard for POD distribution in bookstores across the country. Subsidize this if you have to. Start with the college bookstores who can afford it, and once the bugs are worked out, roll this over to independent bookstores in urban centers. You do not have to remainder POD books. POD books are not synonymous with "self-publishing." It is just a far, far better distribution platform for cheap paperbacks, which is a huge USED market that publishers aren't seeing a dime on. 6). Send writers on tour in packs to raise the profile of readings. Don't just send one writer around the country to do readings: send five, and turn these readings into events for which writers practice and prepare. Make readings into spectacles that get people excited about reading and literature. Use music and multimedia, and stop doing "signings" which are recockulous and make both authors and fans feel dead inside.7). Increase the amount of publications that have book review sections and short fiction sections. Short fiction is the cornerstone of American literature. If people like somebody's short stories, then they will look for that author in a bookstore and find their novels. Increase the online presence of book review indexes and short story magazine databases. Why is there no literature section on Digg, for instance? Exert pressure. Make this happen. Put literature wherever people are reading. Shove fiction into people's politics if you must.8). Agents should create greater submissions transparency! One reason Amazon is eating everyone's lunch so hard is the speed and transparency of their manuscript submissions system. You must stop disrespecting the slush pile. When you submit a novel to Amazon for their contests, they track it and tell you when it is rejected and why. Sure, lots of people write bad novels. THESE ARE YOUR AUDIENCE. Also, people who write a bad novel now might write a good novel later. People feel like Amazon respects them. Respect fiction writers, even if they are not ready for a wide audience yet.9). Why the fuck do you ignore Ed Champion so hard? Give that man money. Make him famous. He works harder for you than basically anyone that you employ. Publishers should push to increase his visibility, to increase his volume, and to increase his access. His interviews with authors are the best interviews available today. He is a one man Paris Review! DOES HE HAVE CIA CONNECTIONS? WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? Are you afraid of his integrity? Weird. 10). Treat fiction like entertainment and hire people who can sell fiction as entertainment. NOTE: anybody who went to an Ivy League school for larks or who can afford to intern for free will not be able to do this. You need fucking thugs. Book thugs. I believe they even have their own bookstore down in Brooklyn now.11). Know this: the prestige of validation that once was your currency is quickly fading away. People under twenty will not fight to let you publish them unless you are doing something that they couldn't do themselves much easier and much more effectively.There will never be a return to a golden age of publishing. There never was such an age. Reading has always been a strange, niche activity for solitary weirdos. However, there are more solitary weirdos now more than ever.The next few decades could be the golden age of publishing if publishers strategize correctly.Instead of worrying about distribution, marketing, money, and technology, publishers could worry about Fiction again -- outsourcing these problems and forming tight editorial cabals that have taste and sense.Converting your entire book catalog to proprietary code in order to reach a small number of rich readers is the worst idea possible.Apple, Amazon, and Google are reinvesting the money they have already taken from you to con you into thinking this is a good idea so that you will relinquish the rest of your market share. Who do you think pays for all those seminars, think tanks, and ebook slide shows? Do not be foolish.These corporations don't give a fuck whether they sell books or not. They just want traffic for ads. Best case scenario for them: all books are free and people never leave their computers, buying worthless leisure goods constantly to keep themselves feeling balanced and safe.Literature is supposed to shake up the secure and give succor to the broken-hearted. There is enough money in this for the project to sustain itself, but the money is not where you seem to think it is. | {
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Turns out there is a link between Peter Thiel’s secretive big data analytics firm, Palantir, and Cambridge Analytica — the political consulting firm at the center of the current Facebook data misuse scandal.
Starting in 2013, the New York Times reports that a UK-based Palantir employee worked with Cambridge Analytica — going on to gain access to the dataset of 50M+ Facebook users the latter firm obtained in 2014 via a third party personality quiz app deployed on the social network giant’s platform.
In testimony to the UK parliament yesterday, CA whistleblower Chris Wylie told MPs that senior Palantir employees worked with the firm on the Facebook data to help it build models off of the dataset to use for political ad targeting purposes.
At the time Wylie worked for SCL Group, the UK defense contractor that went on to form CA with funding from US billionaire, Robert Mercer. CA was later engaged by the Trump campaign, for the 2016 presidential election.
Reached yesterday for a response to Wylie’s allegations, a Palantir spokeswoman flatly denied Wylie’s claim — telling us: “Palantir has never had a relationship with Cambridge Analytica nor have we ever worked on any Cambridge Analytica data.”
However in a statement to the NYT, Palantir has now modified this line — saying: “We learned today that an employee, in 2013-2014, engaged in an entirely personal capacity with people associated with Cambridge Analytica. We are looking into this and will take the appropriate action.”
The NYT reports it has seen documents showing that a London-based employee of the big data firm — named as Alfredas Chmieliauskas — worked with the CA data scientists who were building its psychological profiling technology.
The documents were presumably provided by Wylie (pictured below), who has also handed email and other documentary evidence to the DCMS committee investigating online disinformation in political campaigning, as well as to the UK’s data watchdog and Electoral Commission — both of which are also probing digital political campaigning issues (including around the UK’s 2016 Brexit referendum vote, which Wylie alleges CA also worked on).
According to the NYT report, it was actually Chmieliauskas who came up with the idea for cloning the work of Michal Kosinski, the first Cambridge University academic that Wylie says CA approached for help to gather data.
Kosinski was deputy director at Cambridge University’s Psychometrics Centre at the time and, along with another professor at the department, David Stillwell, had already worked on a project drawing links between anonymized Facebook profiles and responses from personality surveys — with that data also obtained via a Facebook app — aiming to connect interests with voting tendencies.
Yesterday Wylie told the committee that Kosinski had asked for $500k up front from CA and 50% equity in the commercial venture to work on the project — which he said was ultimately why it ended up signing a data licensing deal with another Cambridge professor, Aleksandr Kogan, who agreed to work first on gathering the Facebook data and to discuss commercial terms later.
“I had left field idea,” Chmieliauskas wrote in May 2014, the NYT reports. “What about replicating the work of the cambridge prof as a mobile app that connects to facebook?” — going on to suggest this “could be a valuable leverage negotiating with the guy”.
Chmieliauskas’ LinkedIn profile states that he joined Palantir in April 2013 and remains employed at the company in London — working on “business development”.
It also includes the mission statement: “i fix or break large things”.
In the event, Chmieliauskas’ suggestion to clone Kosinski’s app led to CA’s data licensing relationship with Kogan, whose own personality test app — thisisyourdigitallife — was built bespoke for its project and successfully used to harvest data on 50M+ Facebook users so CA could, in turn, build psychological profiles on millions of American voters.
Wylie told the committee yesterday that a pilot of Kogan’s quiz app was launched in May 2014 with 10,000 Facebook users, before formal contracts were signed between CA and GSR — GSR being the company Kogan set up to commercialize the work with CA.
The app then was used to harvest the full Facebook dataset over the summer of 2014, garnering ~270,000 downloads — but able to pull far more data via Facebook’s (now shuttered) friends API.
Yesterday Wylie also claimed CA was able to pull data on “substantially” more Facebook users than even the 50M users that’s been reported so far.
Returning to Palantir, according to the NYT there were also discussions between SCL and Thiel’s firm in 2013 about working together on election campaigns. The newspaper said a Palantir spokeswoman confirmed the companies had briefly considered working together but claimed it had declined a partnership — in part because executives wanted to steer clear of election work.
Further emails seen by the NYT show CA’s (now suspended) CEO Alexander Nix and Palantir’s Chmieliauskas also sought to revive talks about a formal partnership in early 2014 — but Palantir executives again declined.
We reached out to Palantir for confirmation and a spokeswoman sent its updated statement (below) — following what she described as an “initial investigation”. | {
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Tis the season, to indulge in some incredible drag performances! Iconic queens spanning many series of RuPaul’s Drag Race will grace the Brighton Dome on December 3 with a show that’ll hype you up for Christmas.
This festive comedy-musical show hosted by Season 8 winner Bob The Drag Queen stars Asia O’Hara and Kameron Michaels who I’ve been able to interview via email as well as their Season 10 sisters Blair St Clair and Eureka O’Hara.
The show also stars Season 4 winner Sharon Needles and Season 3 finalist and All Stars 1 competitor Manila Luzon who is going to grace our screens yet again in the upcoming All Stars 4 this December.
The show will not only be the perfect start to the holiday season but it highlights the international popularity of drag in modern culture. It’s incredible that society has embraced drag to the extent that drag queens can now tour the world to crowds of hundreds of loyal, dedicated fans.
So, make sure you join the queens at their December 3 show at the Brighton Dome to celebrate the juletide which will be filled to the brim with incredible drag talents.
VH1 will be airing both the RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-slay Spectacular – which sees Eureka O’Hara and many of her sisters return to compete for the title of Christmas Queen – and then the much anticipated All Stars 4.
So, to start off, your lives have clearly changed significantly since being finalists on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10, what have been the highlights of the constant traveling and the accumulating of thousands of new fans? Any fun stories about your fellow Christmas Queens?
Asia O’Hara: The accumulation of all those airline miles! But it’s been amazing getting to share my art and story with everyone.
Kameron Michaels: Yes, I went from keeping to myself to now having full conversations with strangers, it has definitely helped me get out of my shell and change my world. Now on my fellow queens, we never kiss and tell.
Nowadays, drag is becoming a lot more accessible but for many purely through the internet. Drag Race fans especially are known for being very active online, and often this can be quite hateful, how do you handle this scrutiny? How would you propose we cultivate a healthier community online?
AO: It was a learning experience, I’ve had people tell me they want to burn me alive on social media. But it helped me learn to enjoy all of the wonderful things I have in my life. I think at the end of the day people need to remember we’re human.
KM: I think what is hard is people don’t always understand you, I am a quiet person. That’s who I am. I would say besides scrutiny I get a lot of “thirst” messages. My proposition for better social media is just take a break from it every now and then. Trust. It makes a difference.
The All Stars 4 cast has recently been announced with certain revealed queens getting negative feedback and scrutiny. Considering this scrutiny, would you be willing to go back into the limelight and compete in a future All Stars season? If so, what would you want to change/expand on from your first time competing?
AO: NO BUTTERFLIES! lol
KM: You know I am not sure, I’m so proud of what I did on my season and what I accomplished. So I don’t know at this time.
Season 10 is regarded as one of the best seasons of the show so far, so congratulations on that! One of the reasons that myself and many other fans enjoyed it was because it features important discussions, specifically on race.
Considering the current political climates in both the US and here in the UK, how can we approach this issue and make a difference as members of the LGBTQ+ community?
AO: Love, love is the answer to all. Love yourself, love your friends, love different walks of life.
KM: If we all stop judging each other and being negative it can really change a perspective.
In your ‘American’ verses, the top 4 song on Drag Race Season 10, you both touch on very important emotions and ideas that I’d like to discuss:
Asia you sing the line “Her quest to find brightness in through her darkest day”. What advice would you have for people struggling with bad times at the moment?
AO: That with friends and love it will pass. Don’t forget it, grow from it. An experience happened to me when I was younger and I tried to pretend it never happened. However, the pot always bubbles over. But I have this to say to anyone, you are strong and you can do it. Remember that.
Kameron in your verse you sing “I had big old dreams, bigger than my small town”. Any advice for people trying to follow their dreams even when the world is pushing them away from those dreams?
KM: Never stop being who you are. The moment you try to follow to fit in you lose what makes you special.
We’re approaching the holiday season which for many is a tough time so as Christmas Queens do you have any words of wisdom for young LGBTQ+ people facing hardships surrounding coming out, being themselves or less than welcoming families?
AO: You have a bigger family than you know or realize.
KM: I agree with Asia on this, you have more family than you know, and you are loved.
I personally cannot wait to see you both perform with your sisters. In Brighton, we’re so lucky to be surrounded by such fierce drag talent (for example see interviews with Sussex’s Drag Society, Novympia & Alfie Ordinary + Baby) so I want to ask why you think people should embrace drag culture and come to see Christmas Queens?
AO: Because it’s one hell of a good time. Nothing will get you in the holiday spit then queens singing some holiday classics!
KM: Embrace it because it is the now. Plus, who doesn’t love something that brings everyone together.
Join the queens this December with tickets available at:
vossevents.com/events/christmas-queens
And find the Christmas Queens 4 album on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming services | {
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A Republican elected as county coroner in Idaho is facing public corruption charges for grotesque scandal involving dozens of dead bodies.
Nathan Hess worked at the only funeral home in the mortuary-lacking Valley County, ID. Hess was also the elected county coroner, which created a conflict of interest when Hess has fired from Heikkila Funeral Home.
“Valley County Coroner Nathan Hess, Heikkila’s previous funeral director, had apparently stopped taking the bodies to the county morgue after he was fired from the funeral home on Nov. 11,” the Idaho Statesman reported.
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“He was keeping the bodies at his home in the coroner’s truck and transporting them to Boise,” said Scott Carver, who took over as Heikkila Funeral Home director on the first of December.
Hess resigned as coroner effective immediately on May 18 and County Prosecutor Carol Brockman filed public corruption charges against Hess on August 23.
Hess allegedly received a $400 “removal fee” by bringing bodies to Boise instead of the county’s lone funeral home, which which Hess was feuding.
“I had to continue doing business with someone who threw me and my family to the side without hesitation and sold the business to a stranger out from under me, so you could imagine the animosity I harbored and my unwillingness to continue business with that caliber of person,” Hess wrote to the Idaho Statesman.
In Idaho, one need not possess any medical training to serve as coroner and counties with a single funeral home can employ the owner or director as coroner.
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Coroners also serve as acting county sheriff in instances where the elected sheriff has a conflict of interest.
Hess’ arraignment is scheduled for October 3 before 4th District Magistrate Judge Lamont C. Berecz.
“(Families wanted) to know where their loved ones were. I didn’t have any clue where the bodies were.” https://t.co/qozD3wC4nD — Idaho Statesman (@IdahoStatesman) September 19, 2017 | {
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According to a report by the San Antonio Express-News, Brillantes hails from Northern Luzon before he decided to migrate to the US at age 85. He became a citizen 7 years later. | {
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Make sure attachments open as soon as you get the email Waiting days to say "the attachment wouldn't open" or something similar is a dead giveaway that you've been procrastinating
129 shares | {
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While tax experts continue to exclaim with horror as they sift through the "legislative monstrosity" Republicans rammed through the Senate last week, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday hosted a Facebook live event aimed at detailing the next steps in the fight against both the GOP's tax plan and the party's broader economic agenda.
"They want to run up the deficit and then say a high debt is the reason they've gotta cut all the things for working people."
—Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)One of the most significant battles ahead, Sanders and Warren note, will be over Republican efforts to pivot from "tax reform" to the pursuit of devastating cuts to safety net programs that low-income and middle class families rely upon to put food on the table and afford life-saving medical care.
"Literally minutes after they passed this disastrous [tax] bill in the Senate, the discussion escalates. Of course they're going to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid," Sanders said. "And you know why? This is shocking: the deficit is too big."
"That's right," Warren added, calling the Republican tax plan a "pay off" to right-wing billionaire donors. "They want to run up the deficit and then say a high debt is the reason they've gotta cut all the things for working people."
Watch:
This GOP plot to use the deficit created by their own legislation to justify deep cuts to social programs is hardly a secret. As the Washington Post's Jeff Stein reported on Wednesday, Republicans are discussing their plans openly and proudly.
"President Trump and top Republican officials have signaled prioritizing welfare cuts, including new restrictions on who can receive benefits like food stamps, housing assistance, and direct cash welfare for the poor," Stein notes, quoting several Republican lawmakers who seem giddy at the prospect of "welfare reform."
In an appearance on a right-wing radio show Wednesday morning, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) honed in on Medicare as "the biggest entitlement we've got to reform" and expressed confidence that Trump would approve of such a plan, despite his campaign promises.
Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa) added in an interview with the Post that "welfare reform" is necessary "to achieve three percent GDP growth over the next 10 years."
"Welfare reform isn't about fixing the debt, or growing the labor force. It's about flattering the ideological prejudices of Republican donors."
—Eric Levitz, New York Magazine
"In my district, a lot of employers can't find employees," Blum added. "Sometimes we need to force people to go to work."
As Stein notes, Blum—like other proponents of "welfare reform"—neglects to mention the fact that most recipients of food stamps and other major safety net programs already have jobs.
Sharon Parrott, a senior counselor the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), concluded that Republicans' "far-fetched" economic justifications for welfare reform obscure the fact that cuts to food stamps and other social programs would do little more "than take away food from people who need it."
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"Welfare reform isn't about fixing the debt, or growing the labor force," adds Eric Levitz of New York Magazine. "It's about flattering the ideological prejudices of Republican donors—and reminding the party's voters which parasitic social class they're supposed to hate."
Nonetheless, many of the GOP's proposed "reforms" are already well underway. Politico reported on Tuesday that Trump's Agriculture Department is taking steps toward giving states "greater flexibility over how they administer food stamps"—which, in practical terms, means prohibitive work requirements, mandatory drug testing on all recipients, and other restrictions.
In response to these developments, progressive groups and activists who have worked for months to kill the GOP tax scam are increasingly raising alarm about the coming "onslaught" against social programs, which is coming before the Republican tax bill has even reached Trump's desk.
They think they can get away with destroying nutrition assistance, affordable housing, and health insurance programs by welfare-izing them & the people they help. /20 — Rebecca Vallas (@rebeccavallas) December 6, 2017
We won't let them get away with it. When they attack SNAP and Meals on Wheels to pay for billionaire tax cuts... we must all say #HandsOff. When they attack Medicaid to pay for huge corporate giveaways... we must all say #HandsOff. /21 — Rebecca Vallas (@rebeccavallas) December 6, 2017
As part of the mass effort to call attention to and combat Republicans' efforts, Public Citizen, Indivisible, Planned Parenthood, and more than a dozen other organizations teamed up recently to launch Hands Off, a "campaign dedicated to stopping cuts to people's healthcare, disability benefits, nutrition assistance, and other basic living standards in the upcoming congressional budgets."
"President Donald Trump's and the congressional Republicans' budgets are cutting access to basic living standards—everything from jobs to education, housing, Meals on Wheels, food assistance, environmental protections, and disability programs—all to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and corporations," the groups said. | {
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
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Got Skyward Sword for Christmas Too sleepy to play it | {
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While Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 opens in theaters this weekend, preliminary work is already underway on the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Writer/director James Gunn revealed a few weeks ago that he would be sticking around to write and direct Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, which Marvel Studios hasn’t yet put on its release calendar. But it appears that Gunn hasn’t just decided he’s doing another Guardians movie, he’s already started writing it.
As part of a set report from USA Today (via CS), it was revealed that Gunn has already started work on Guardians of the Galaxy 3, “discussing the story with Pratt and having ‘some pretty intense conversations’ with Saldana about a significant role in the threequel.” This isn’t actually that surprising, as Gunn started writing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 the weekend the first movie came out.
When Gunn revealed he was returning for Guardians 3, he made it clear that the film will conclude a trilogy of Guardians movies:
Much of what’s happened in the MCU for the past ten or so years has been leading, in a big way, to the Avengers’ Infiniy War. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will happen after all that. It will conclude the story of this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and help catapult both old and new Marvel characters into the next ten years and beyond. I will be working side-by-side with Kevin Feige and the gang to help design where these stories go, and make sure the future of the Marvel Cosmic Universe is as special and authentic and magical as what we have created so far. I promise you, the fans, I’ll do it all with integrity and love and respect for the characters.
Indeed, Gunn and Kevin Feige have basically said that the Guardians of the Galaxy team that takes shape after Vol. 3 will not necessarily be the exact same team from these first three movies. You’ve seen Scream 3, you know the rules of threequels—all bets are off, and even the main character can die. So expect some fun twists and turns in what could be Gunn’s final MCU film for a while.
But first the Guardians will appear in Avengers: Infinity War and the untitled Avengers 4, so Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 likely won’t arrive in theaters anytime before 2020 at the earliest. | {
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If you're sick of people blocking your view with their damn cameras, while you try to enjoy a nice gig, you might be in luck! Back in 2011, we published a report that Apple filed a patent for infrared technology to send signals to their phone's camera. Earlier this week, the patent was granted.
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Such technology would then disable the ability to take a photo or video. It was easy to make the leap that this would affect concert venues. In fact, Apple included such a drawing in one of their patents:
The patent would also allow venues to automatically include some sort of watermark on the photos. According to the filing:
In some embodiments, a device may apply a watermark to detected images as an alternative to completely disabling a recording function. For example, a device may receive infrared signals with encoded data that includes a command to apply a watermark to detected images. In such an example, the device may then apply the watermark to all detected images that are displayed or stored (e.g., single pictures or frames of a video).
The watermarking could also be used in places like art galleries and museums to give the phone user context to what they are seeing:
An infrared emitter can be located near an object and generate infrared signals with encoded data that includes information about that object. An electronic device can then receive the infrared signals, decode the data and display the information about the object to the user.
It's too early to tell how this technology will be used and if it would really prevent photos and videos from being taken at concerts. There have been plenty of shows where the demand is no video allows, and security would have to watch attendees like hawks, so this would be pretty useful to those musicians.
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Then again, on the consumer side, this would make Apple look really bad. How does shooting concert video affect them? If anything, it helps their branding. Plus, just because Apple implements it, doesn't mean all phones will. In fact, Android has the most market share at this point. So, it might be too soon to jump to conclusions, but the evidence is piling up.
[Gizmodo via Rock Feed] | {
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(CNN) Fifteen people were killed and at least 50 others injured after a car bomb exploded Saturday in al-Bab, northern Syria, a rescue group has said.
The district of al-Bab is part of a territory controlled by the Syrian National Army, an umbrella group for armed Syrian opposition factions.
The town is part of the zone guaranteed by Turkey's Euphrates Shield operation since 2016.
"According to hospitals in al-Bab and our count, 15 [were] killed. 12 bodies [have been] identified by name and three other bodies still not identified as a result of being charred and mutated," Hassan Abu Salah, director of the volunteer rescue group Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets told CNN. At least 50 people were injured in the incident, Salah said.
"At the location of the explosion, the Syrian Civil Defense workers removed body parts and collected them in bags and were handed to hospitals," Salah said.
Read More | {
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For our 13th annual celebration of people who are driving the next generation of technological breakthroughs, we’re presenting the stories in a new way. We’ve grouped them by categories that reflect the variety of approaches that people can take to solving big problems. The Inventors, for instance, are creating new technologies. The Entrepreneurs are turning technologies into viable businesses. The Visionaries are anticipating how technologies can make life better, while Humanitarians are concentrating on expanding opportunities. And the Pioneers are exploring new frontiers, setting the stage for future innovations.This project takes months of effort. It begins with nominations from the public and MIT Technology Review editors. People who have been selected by our publishing partners as local Innovators Under 35 in several regions worldwide are also considered. The editors go through the hundreds of candidates and select fewer than 100 finalists, all of whom will be younger than 35 on October 1. A panel of judges rates the finalists on the originality and impact of their work. Finally, the editors take the judges’ scores into account to select the group.Get StartedKristi Anseth, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado; David Berry, Partner, Flagship Ventures; Edward Boyden, Associate Professor of Biological Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences, MIT; Yet-Ming Chiang, Professor of Ceramics, MIT; James Collins, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University; Jennifer Elisseeff, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins; Javier García-Martínez, Director of Nanotechnology Lab, University of Alicante, Spain; Eric Horvitz, Managing Co-director of Microsoft Research, Redmond; Naval Ravikant, Founder, Angellist; John Rogers, Professor of Physical Chemistry and Materials Engineering, University of Illinois; Umar Saif, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan; Sophie Vandebroek, CTO, Xerox; Ben Zhao, Associate Professor of Computer Science, UC Santa Barbara; Daphne Zohar, Founder and Managing Partner, PureTech Ventures; Ken Zolot, Senior Lecturer, MIT School of Engineering | {
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Two men on a scaffold were working on, or perhaps touching up, a mural.
A priest, in white, stood at a lectern and read aloud from an illuminated book as a European video crew fussed with sound checks, then asked him, please, to start again. To an outsider the general impression was confusing, disconcerting. Can this newish, nondescript, somewhat disheveled, in-progress space really be the physical and psychic center of one the world’s oldest versions of Christianity?
The priest at the lectern burst into song, a long, gorgeous melismatic chant that bloomed in the dome. Everyone stopped to listen, enraptured. There was the answer. Yes, it can.
The evidence was even stronger outside. I was in Aksum just before an important holy day dedicated to Mary, the object of acute devotional focus in Ethiopian Orthodoxy. Pilgrims from far and near were already gathering, camping out in the park around the cathedral, prostrating themselves on its steps. A day later the city would be a sea of white, and St. Mary of Zion would be open, full and finished. People were the completing ingredient.
By the 10th century A.D. the long-lived Aksumite empire, once a rival to Persia and Rome, was out of steam, and the city itself a backwater. New rulers, known now as the Zagwe dynasty, appeared. They retained the distinctively Judaic form of Ethiopian Christianity, with its Saturday Sabbath and practice of circumcision, and further promoted the concept of an African Zion by giving it physical manifestation in a new capital city to the south of Aksum.
The force behind the new city was the 13th-century Zagwe emperor Lalibela, for whom the new capital eventually came to be named. He is credited — and here we are again in a tangle of fact, fantasy and informed surmise — with planning and creating the extraordinary group of 11 churches there, all chiseled directly from sandstone cliffs and gorges, that exist at Lalibela today.
According to legend the emperor himself, spelled by angels on night shifts, did the work, wrapping the whole job up in 20-some years. Whether or not the results can justifiably be called, as they often are, the eighth wonder of the world, they are certainly wondrous. And sharing, as they do, in a tradition of sculptured architecture that extends from Turkey to China, they are indeed world-spanning. | {
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Sep 17, 2020: MDMA fighters
Beauty The Beauty-Sleep Nighttime Routine The effects of losing even a few hours of sleep are quick... | {
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More Red Line. More Yellow Line. All the time.
Red Line trains will run between Shady Grove and Glenmont stations
Currently, Red Line trains “turn back” at Silver Spring during rush hour, while others operate to the end of the line at Glenmont.
Running all trains to Glenmont will increase service at three Red Line stations; Glenmont, Wheaton & Forest Glen.
Yellow Line trains now run to Greenbelt instead of Fort Totten or Mt Vernon Square
All Yellow Line trains now* operate between Huntington and Greenbelt, doubling rush-hour service for Yellow and Green Line customers at nine stations from Shaw-Howard U to Greenbelt.
Yellow Line trains previously turned back at Mt Vernon Square during rush hours and at Fort Totten at all other times. | {
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Daniel B. Richardson from a photo by Cassandra Tiensivu
In his autobiography Brother to a Dragonfly, Will Campbell recalls how his friend P. D. East had badgered him for a succinct definition of Christianity. East did not want a long or fancy explanation. “I’m not too bright,” he told Campbell. “Keep it simple. In ten words or less, what’s the Christian message?”
Campbell obliged his friend: “We’re all bastards but God loves us anyway,” he said. To which East replied, “If you want to try again, you have two words left.”
Campbell and East eventually had an extended conversation provoked by Campbell’s summary. It had stuck in East’s mind. He wasn’t sure he bought it, but it gave him something to think about.
The Century invited some authors to try their hand at summarizing the Christian message. We instructed them to proclaim the gospel in a maximum of seven words and expand on their statement in a few sentences. It’s instructive to see what Christian proclamation boils down to when someone is put on the spot and has only a few words. What is the essence of the essence of Christianity?
The exercise can have practical benefits. Christian leaders often need to have what business consultants call an “elevator speech”—a quick way to sum up what’s distinctive and compelling about Christianity. When asked to sum up the Christian message, one must do better than, “Ah, well, it’s complicated, but . . . ”
David Heim The Century’s editor-in-chief is shaped by Baptist piety, Lutheran theology, and the novels of Anthony Powell. See All Articles Sep 05, 2012 issue
Campbell clearly thought that a pithy version of the good news needed to begin with some account of the bad news. It’s the bad news, after all, that occasions a longing for the good news. Campbell and East were friends in the midst of the civil rights struggle in the South in the late 1950s. Their lives had been defined by the racism, violence and moral evasions that pervaded that segregated society. Campbell did not exempt himself or his friend from that reality. Indeed, he thought that naming the dark side of humanity is an essential part of the Christian message: “We’re all bastards . . . ”
Our respondents were not so blunt in diagnosing the human condition. Many seem determined to make grace, not sin, the prominent feature. Nevertheless, sin is acknowledged in some way.
In Martin E. Marty’s “God, through Jesus Christ, welcomes you anyhow,” the “anyhow” hints at the mercy in God’s welcome. Donald W. Shriver makes a similar move with “Divinely persistent, God really loves us,” as does Beverly Roberts Gaventa with “In Christ, God’s yes defeats our no.” The human propensity to mess things up and long for another chance is central, if implicit, in Mary Karr’s “We are the Church of Infinite Chances.” Interestingly, Karr was the only respondent to squeeze in a mention of the church—there’s no second chance without a church to offer it.
Other summaries present the human problem not as a matter of human character but as a matter of relational conflict or estrangement. Brian McLaren highlights the call to reconciliation; Carol Zaleski celebrates the end of captivity (“He led captivity captive”), and Ellen Charry reports that “the wall of hostility has come down.”
Charry’s is one of several contributions that draw heavily or completely on scripture. She adapts Ephesians 2:14–18, and Zaleski cites Ephesians 4:8. Lamin Sanneh quotes Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world.” Bill McKibben opts for the Golden Rule (Mark 12:31): “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
In “Christ’s humanity occasions our divinity” Scott Cairns manages to capture a distinctively Eastern Orthodox understanding of the gospel in which sin is not even alluded to (and he is impressively concise at only five words). Walter Brueggemann’s gospel is dense: “Israel’s God’s bodied love continues world-making.” (“I used only six words,” he says; “I rested on the seventh.”) M. Craig Barnes boils it down to four words: “We live by grace.”
One can imagine such a claim, like many others listed here, lodging in the listener’s mind, provoking thought and inviting further conversation: “So what do you mean by grace . . .”
To add your own seven-word gospel summary, or to leave a comment, go to the first blog post in the series. | {
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A leading politician from Germany’s far-rightwing populist party Alternative für Deutschland has been seriously injured by masked assailants, who beat him unconscious in what police have described as a politically motivated attack.
Frank Magnitz, 66, leader of the AfD in Bremen, was almost beaten to death, according to the party’s federal chairman, Jörg Meuthen, who tweeted a graphic photograph of the unconscious MP with what appeared to be a deep gash to the head and a bruised face.
Alexander Gauland, an AfD co-leader, condemned the attack, which took place on Monday evening, as a “cowardly bloody deed”. Alice Weidel, the party’s leader in the German parliament, blamed the media and politicians from the traditional parties for stoking hatred towards the AfD “on a daily basis”.
Police are looking for three people suspected of having carried out the attack and have appealed for witnesses. They said they had little doubt the attack was politically motivated. Since mid-December, police have recorded eight attacks on AfD offices.
Magnitz said he recalled very little about the attack, having been knocked unconscious. He did not see his attackers or hear if they had said anything to him, he told the news agency DPA from his hospital bed.
The incident has been condemned by MPs across the political spectrum, who expressed their outrage on social media.
Steffen Seibert, the government spokesman, called it a “brutal attack”, which should be “strongly condemned”.
“It’s to be hoped that the police are quickly able to catch the perpetrators,” he tweeted.
The German foreign minister, Heiko Maas, of the Social Democrats, tweeted: “Violence should never be a means for political disputes – totally regardless against whom or what the motives for it are. Whoever carries out such a crime has to be punished accordingly.”
Cem Özdemir, of the Green party, tweeted that he hoped the perpetrators would soon be caught and tried. “Even towards the AfD there is no justification for violence,” he wrote. “Whoever fights hatred with hatred ultimately allows hatred to win.”
The AfD released a picture of Frank Magnitz in hospital after the attack. Photograph: AfD
According to police, Magnitz, a father of six children, was on his way home from a new year’s reception at a regional newspaper when he was attacked. He was reportedly knocked to the ground and beaten unconscious with what is believed to have been a wooden object, before being kicked in the head.
A passerby intervened, causing the attackers to flee, according to the police. The Bremen office of the AfD praised the man for his “courageous intervention”, saying it was thanks to him that Magnitz was still alive.
It also said that two police officers had been stationed outside Magnitz’s hospital room for his protection and were ready to interview him.
Magnitz was elected to the Bundestag, the German parliament, in autumn 2017, after his party became the main opposition for the first time when it won just under 13% of the vote in the national election. He is one of the AfD’s 82 male MPs. The party has 91 seats in total.
Faced with accusations of racism, he responded last September by saying his wife was of Turkish origin and his researcher a German-Cuban, and that he was open-minded. “In my world, being cosmopolitan does not preclude a love of one’s homeland and patriotism,” he wrote.
Magnitz has said he was a former voter for Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union who turned to the AfD after rejecting her views on immigration.
He has always been a vocal critic of the euro. The AfD was first founded in 2013 on opposition to the single currency before it revamped itself as an anti-immigration party that pledged to shake up Germany’s consensus system of government. | {
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BEIJING (Reuters) - China will bring its paramilitary police force, the People’s Armed Police, under the control of the Central Military Commission which controls the country’s armed forces from Jan. 1, state media said on Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: Paramilitary police march past the Great Hall of the People before the start of the closing session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, October 24, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
Since taking power five years ago, President Xi Jinping has overseen a sweeping modernization of the People’s Liberation Army, the world’s largest military, laying off troops, streamlining its organization and investing in advanced weapons.
In a brief report, the official Xinhua news agency said that from midnight on Jan. 1 the People’s Armed Police would no longer fall under the purview of the State Council, or cabinet, and instead report to the Central Military Commission.
Xi heads the Central Military Commission in his role as armed forces chief and commander in chief. Xi has steadily consolidated his power over the military, and has appointed allies to key positions of power in the armed forces.
Xinhua did not provide any details on how the new reporting structure would work or why the government had made the decision.
However, the party’s official People’s Daily, in a commentary for publication on Thursday but reported by Xinhua on Wednesday, said the move was needed to ensure security and promote the aim of having a “strong military”.
The People’s Armed Police will remain separate, carry out its existing functions and not be absorbed into the People’s Liberation Army, the People’s Daily said.
The paramilitary police force serves as a backup for the military in times of war, and domestically has a role in putting down protests and counter-terrorism as well as border defense and fire-fighting.
Xi has radically overhauled the old Soviet-era command structure of the military to make the armed forces nimbler and better able to respond to crises at home and abroad.
That has included condensing the command structure and giving greater emphasis on new capabilities including cyberspace, electronic and information warfare.
China’s military has not fought a war in decades, but faces what the government calls a complex security environment, such as nuclear-armed North Korea and territorial disputes in the South China Sea and over self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by China as its own. | {
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Migrationspolitik auf dem Holzweg Viele der Täter von Köln stammten aus Nordafrika. Seit langem können Maghrebstaaten ihre schwierigsten jungen Männer «exportieren», während Migranten, die den legalen Weg suchen, kaum Chancen haben.
Für junge Maghrebiner ist Europa Ziel und Sehnsuchtsort. Dort angekommen, vergeben viele ihre Chancen. (Bild: Reuters)
In einer Villa in einem wohlhabenden Vorort von Tunis. Die Eltern sind Professoren, der eine Sohn besucht das Gymnasium, der andere hat seit kurzem die Matura in der Tasche. Nennen wir ihn Imed. 19 Jahre alt, feingliedrig, etwas eigenbrötlerisch, schüchtern, hochintelligent. Seit mehreren Wochen belegt er am Goethe-Institut Deutschkurse. Sein Ziel: in Deutschland Architektur zu studieren. Im Oktober ist Imed dann nach Deutschland gereist. Nach Köln. Sicher hat er sich nach den Übergriffen in der Silvesternacht für das Verhalten der Täter geschämt. Und mit ihm Tausende gebildeter und kultivierter junger Frauen und Männer aus dem Maghreb, die in Europa ihr Studium absolvieren wollen und auch meist davon träumen, länger bleiben zu können. Für sie ist Europa immer noch der Kontinent der Freiheit, der Chancen auf berufliche und persönliche Entfaltung. | {
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Video (03:01) : The Vikings on Sunday need to avoid a shootout with the Raiders, who have one of the top offenses in the NFL
Teddy Bridgewater was within earshot of Captain Munnerlyn, which meant he was about to get an earful of Captain Munnerlyn.
"A hundred, Teddy!; One hundred!" the cornerback said to the quarterback last week.
Munnerlyn had just played his 100th NFL game, a worthy milestone in a physical, cutthroat league. When his celebration spread from starting quarterback clear down to reporter, Munnerlyn was congratulated and informed that he was only 202 shy of catching Brett Favre.
"Oh, Lord," said Munnerlyn, eyes widened.
Exactly.
Getting to the NFL isn't easy. Staying in the NFL might be harder. But if Munnerlyn is looking for longevity motivation, this is the week.
Linebacker Chad Greenway (52) celebrated his interception return against San Diego with fellow veteran Terence Newman.
The two active leaders in games played among defensive backs will be on opposite sides when the Vikings (6-2) play the Raiders (4-4) in Oakland on Sunday. On young teams with second-year quarterbacks and just seven players apiece over 30, Vikings cornerback Terence Newman and Raiders safety Charles Woodson are starters and key contributors to teams on the rise.
Newman is 37 with 182 games played. And he's the whippersnapper. Woodson is 39 with 246 games played over 18 seasons.
"He can still run and he's still a really good athlete," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "I think playing in the back end [safety], he disguises [coverages] well. … They do a lot of different things with him."
Woodson faced the Vikings in 1999 and 2003 as a Raider and then 13 times with five interceptions as a Packer before returning to Oakland in 2013. This will be Bridgewater's first experience with Woodson, who is the NFL's career active leader in interceptions (65) and shares the league record of 13 career defensive touchdowns.
This season, the Raiders rank last in pass defense (314.6), but have intercepted at least one pass in seven straight games. Woodson has five interceptions, while Bridgewater has thrown four of his six picks in the past four games.
Newman doesn't have an interception as a Viking, but he is one of the reasons the Vikings rank No. 2 in third-down defense (29.7 percent). To counter the Vikings' pass rush, particularly on third downs, teams throw a lot of receiver screens.
Newman has been an efficient edge tackler and even led the team with 12 tackles, eight solo, in the win at Chicago.
"Honestly, it's kind of discouraging for the offense if they think, 'Hey, we've got a big play here and we can throw this screen,' and it ends up being a no-gainer," Zimmer said. "It's like, 'Should have done something else.' "
Newman isn't the only thirty-something stepping up for the Vikings.
Joe Berger (33) has started every game for injured center John Sullivan. After losing his role in the nickel defense, Chad Greenway (32) played all 74 snaps on Sunday, including some out of position, because of injuries to Eric Kendricks and Audie Cole.
Shaun Hill (35) had to finish Sunday's game after Bridgewater was literally knocked out. Tom Johnson (31) started the last three games in place of injured defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. Adrian Peterson (30) is leading the league in rushing. And Brian Robison, like Greenway, hasn't missed a start.
"As a player, you think if you can make it to 10 years, you've had an unbelievable career," said Greenway, who's in his 10th season. "To be able to stay in this league, as competitive as it is, and play at a high level for that long … that, to me, is probably the barometer of having success."
Newman says he loses track of how many years he has played (13). And he claimed to have had no idea how many games he has played.
"I haven't a clue," he said. "I'm not much of a stat person, to be honest with you."
When it comes to career starts, Newman ranks 166th in NFL history with 180. As for Woodson, well, he ranks 12th with 243 starts.
The only defensive backs ahead of Woodson in games played are Darrell Green (295) and Eugene Robinson (250). And only Green's 258 starts rank ahead of Woodson.
Vikings week 10 Sunday: 3:05 p.m. at Oakland (Ch. 9)
"Some guys look at milestones, but I never did," Newman said. "I didn't have one in mind. I just wanted to play and have fun. I still just want to play and have fun until one day I just say, 'You know what, I'm burned out.' Or my body gives out. Or a team says, 'Hey, you're done. You can't play anymore.' " | {
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The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games begin tonight in London with Queen Elizabeth II officially opening the Games at the Opening Ceremony in London. An estimated 4,200 athletes representing 167 countries are expected to compete in the Games, designed for athletes with physical disabilities. They will compete in 20 sports, ranging from cycling, powerlifting, and judo, to wheelchair rugby and goalball. In the UK, Channel 4 is inviting viewers to "Meet the Superhumans," and it plans to broadcast 150 hours of Paralympic programming between now and the Closing Ceremony on September 9. Viewers online can also watch hundreds of hours of live video from the International Paralympic Committee at paralympic.org. Gathered here are images of the athletes and organizers as they ready themselves for the 2012 Summer Paralympics -- more coverage to come as the Games progress. | {
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His Bronc riding days are over; the last rodeo is done.
Peyton Manning is saying goodbye; it’s been lots of fun.
According to two sources, Manning will acknowledge his decision by the end of this week.
These sources also say that Peyton, who will turn 40 on March 24, is leaving the Broncos and retiring from the game he has played competitively for 29 years.
It’s implausible that Manning would opt to sign with another team for one season.
Manning’s final play for the Broncos was a handoff to C.J. Anderson for 5 yards with 1:22 remaining in Super Bowl 50. Manning’s first play with Denver was a handoff to Willis McGahee in the opening moments of a September game in 2012. Related Articles December 21, 2016 Kiszla: Think Aqib Talib would have had guts to tell Peyton Manning to shut up?
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In between, Manning threw for 151 touchdowns and 19,062 yards. He ran for one touchdown. He won 76.9 percent of the games he started with the Broncos, compiling an overall 50-15 record. He came off the bench to lead the Broncos to one other victory in his final regular-season game.
With Manning, the Broncos won four consecutive AFC West titles. The Broncos played in two Super Bowls, winning one.
Also astounding was Manning’s record as a starter against division teams. He was 20-2, losing only to San Diego at home in 2013 and to Kansas City in his final start in 2015, when he was suffering from plantar fasciitis and suffering through his worst game. He never lost a division game on the road.
Manning produced 10 comeback victories and 11 fourth-quarter, game-winning drives. All pleased his boss — The Comeback King.
In John Elway’s last four seasons, he had a combined record of 51-17 (75 percent) and won two Super Bowls. He could have won another in the 1996 season. Manning perhaps could have won another in his first season in Denver.
Elway finished his career as the all-time leader in regular-season victories. Manning is No. 1 in combined regular-season and postseason victories with 200. Elway was the oldest quarterback (38) to win a Super Bowl — until Manning replaced him at 39.
Both must be placed in the top tier of all-time quarterbacks, and probably in the first five.
Manning’s achievements, coming after overcoming four neck surgeries and with a new franchise, are more than everyone should have expected. Same for Elway, who overcame three Super Bowl defeats and a torn biceps. The two No. 1 picks, originally property of the Colts, made Colorado proud.
There have been three parades.
Elway is the chief football officer of his old team — and probably will become a part owner. Manning perhaps will be a co-owner and the vice president/general manager of his own franchise.
Elway fulfilled his promise made to Manning when they met on March 11 four years ago. Manning, who had been released by the Colts, was the most prized free agent in NFL history. Denver was Manning’s first stop. When they talked at Cherry Hills Country Club, far from the maddening crowd, Elway told Manning he would do what was done for him toward the end of his career. He’d surround the quarterback with enough talent to get back to the Super Bowl. Manning joined the Broncos.
Elway acquired all-pros and drafted future Pro Bowlers, changed personnel, fired a successful coach, brought in ally Gary Kubiak and gave Manning the best defense in the league. Manning gave Elway everything he had — the greatest passing season in league annals — and then all he had left in his final season — one more return from injury and three victories in the postseason.
Both got what they sought — another world championship, Manning’s second as a player and Elway’s first as an executive.
Manning and Elway can part amiably and agreeably. Task accomplished.
Elway also just did for Manning what had been done for him. He gave Peyton time and space to consider his future after the past two seasons. As Elway walked off a golf course on the Monterey Peninsula in mid-April of 1999, 2½ months after he won his last Super Bowl, he told me he was retiring. He made the announcement public several days later.
There are new NFL offseason regulations these days. Manning had only a month to deliberate his retirement, but he already had indicated to family and close friends, and Bill Belichick, that this most likely was his last rodeo.
But Manning had to be sure.
Peyton met with John at the Elway home last week, and now Manning is certain.
After famed country duo Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn broke up, Brooks would sing about his “Last Rodeo” to his bronc Thunder: “That’s what this old game is about. It looks like our time is running out.”
Fare thee well, Peyton.
Thanks for passing by.
Woody Paige: [email protected] or @woodypaige | {
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RIDGEWOOD, Queens (WABC) -- Police are searching for possible additional victims of a man they say chased an 11-year-old girl and attempted to force her into his car in Queens over the weekend.The incident, which happened just before 8 a.m. Saturday as the victim was walking near Center Street and Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood, was thwarted when good Samaritans intervened.The suspect, 40-year-old Relyn Estrada, is a registered Level 1 sex offender who remains hospitalized. Authorities are asking anyone with additional information or who may have been a victim to contact CrimeStoppers at 800-577-TIPS.Police say the victim Saturday was on her way to a weekend program at IS77 when when she noticed Estrada following her. He then grabbed her and threw her into the back of his car, according to police.Several good Samaritans heard the young girl's desperate cries for help and jumped into action."He dragged her, and that's when he put her in the car," witness Edwin Gonzalez said. "And she was kicking like crazy."Gonzalez and his neighbor, who confronted Estrada with a bat, came running out to help."Asked her, 'Do you know the guy?'" Gonzalez said. "And the little girl came out without saying a word and just said no. She started tapping on her iPhone five times, basically send a signal to the police department."Estrada was reportedly holding the girl's hand and was swinging his bat back and forth.The girl managed to escape as they were arguing. She was not hurt.Estrada has been charged with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment, on top of a slew of other charges. Authorities say he has been arrested 13 times dating back to 2001 for sex abuse and assault.---------- | {
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Nashville-area rent down for first time in 7 years as housing market retracts
Sandy Mazza | The Tennessean
Show Caption Hide Caption Nashville Housing Bubble As the supply of affordable homes dries up and more expensive homes sit unsold, many wonder if the city’s frenzied growth has inflated prices to an unsustainable level.
Apartment rents in the Nashville area dropped in July after nearly seven years of continuous upward growth, and the for-sale housing market's sizzling post-recession prosperity chilled.
The slowdown is a welcome relief to renters and buyers weary of the seemingly boundless boom that has outpaced wages and rapidly inflated home prices to nearly double their 2012 values.
"I’m happy to see that the buyer market is getting a little bit of leverage," said Jeff Checko, a Realtor with RE/MAX Advantage. "Sellers have been too big for their britches. The market is pushing back a little on that."
Experts say this doesn't point to an end to the region's upward mobility. Zillow still ranks the Nashville area as one of the top 10 "hottest housing markets" in the country and housing prices are increasing, though at a slower rate than in recent years.
The downtrend is likely a market correction mirrored in cities across the nation, rather than the beginning of an economic slump.
"We're seeing the same pattern in Nashville in markets like Denver, Seattle and Los Angeles," said Aaron Terrazas, senior economist at Zillow. "It's slowing down. But it's still, in many cases, above the historic pace."
More apartments opening
Median rent in Nashville was $1,490 in July – just $4 less than in July 2017, according to Zillow. But the downturn comes after seven years of significant consecutive rent hikes and feverish construction of thousands of new units.
Five new apartment complexes delivered 1,200 rental units and condos to the urban core this year, loosening the tight supply and decreasing demand, according to Nashville Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit firm dedicated to boosting downtown business.
Seven new apartment buildings are now in the works with 1,864 units expected to open incrementally through 2020. Those may come online at a slower pace, since demand has diminished a bit.
"The latest supply of market-rate units delivered downtown has caused downward pressure on rates," Nashville Downtown Partnership said in its July residential report. "The Nashville MSA is still under-built with apartments, and can absorb 13,800 more units by 2020."
Demand rising for cheaper homes
Unlike Nashville rents, home prices increased in the second quarter of this year. But those prices inched upward at their slowest pace since late 2015, according to the most recently available data compiled by Zillow.
The average rate of housing-price increases has declined steadily since mid-2017, following six years of consecutive growth. Still, prices were 10.3 percent higher in July than they were the year before.
"Home value appreciation last spring and summer was growing very quickly," Terrazas said. "It's slowing down but it's still very fast any way you look at it."
The median home price in the greater Nashville area matched the national average of about $250,000 in July, according to several data reports.
The national housing market is experiencing a similar trend. Rising interest rates and a growing affordability gap – with wage increases dragging behind housing cost hikes for years – stalled sales of new, higher-priced homes in July.
In the greater Nashville market, homes listed for less than $300,000 in Rutherford County increased in value while higher-ticket options in Williamson County saw price declines this year, Checko said.
"It's difficult to pinpoint the exact cause but certainly the recipe would include a climate of rising interest rates, overzealous sellers, and more inventory," he said.
There are 31.3 percent more homes for sale in this quarter than during the same period last year, according to a Zillow analysis of the Nashville market.
Interest rates are expected to continue to increase slightly into next year, though they remain at historically low levels.
Nashville's housing market is widely expected to remain strong.
"In the short term, prices move around a lot," said real-estate developer Bert Matthews. "I have two children who are looking to buy their first houses and they keep asking me when prices are going to go down so they can afford something. Just like with the stock market, nobody is an expert in real-estate market timing. I would never bet against Nashville in the long run." | {
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The bullet-train project was created in 2008 by Proposition 1A, a $10 billion bond meant to fund initial planning, engineering and construction of an 800-mile high-speed rail network connecting San Diego and Los Angeles to the Bay Area and Sacramento.
The vision was for a project that would attract substantial private investment. But that private interest was slow to materialize, and meantime, the project has been beset by numerous court challenges and resistance from communities and landowners who would be impacted by the bullet train's construction and operations.
Two major Bay Area transportation projects are intimately tied to the high-speed rail project.
Caltrain, the commuter rail line from Santa Clara County to San Francisco, is using state high-speed rail money along with federal grants and other funds for a $2 billion project to electrify and modernize its service. Planning for high-speed rail has assumed that future bullet trains would use the Caltrain route into San Francisco.
Caltrain noted in a statement after Newsom's address that the state is providing nearly $900 million to the modernization project -- about 80 percent of that coming from the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The project, which includes buying new cars, is scheduled to be completed in 2022.
The Caltrain and bullet train routes have been envisioned as terminating at the Transbay Transit Center in downtown San Francisco.
Planning is underway for a tunnel that would allow the trains to run under Mission Bay and South of Market to the center, where preliminary construction for underground rail platforms has already taken place. Current estimates put the overall cost of the extension at $6 billion, with completion in 2027.
Randy Rentschler, director of legislation and public affairs for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said Newsom's announcement was a surprise. He said that a statewide bullet-train network still made sense and will come together "in incremental segments" -- much like the nation's interstate highway system did.
"High-speed rail is very important to the Bay Area," Rentschler said. "For high-speed rail to work, unlike airports, it's got to connect a transit-rich community like the Bay Area with a transit-rich community like Los Angeles. That's the end game."
Clarification: This story originally stated that Gov. Gavin Newsom had "abandoned" and "pulled the plug on" a high-speed rail connection between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The original copy has been edited to reflect the governor's further remarks that such a line might be completed in the future.
This story includes reporting from The Associated Press. | {
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Rotterdam is your typical second city. While second cities might often be disregarded in favour of just checking out their popular counterparts (Amsterdam, we’re looking at you), to do so is a travel faux pas. Second cities are generally self-assured – existing for themselves and not just for tourists – and from this, creativity and a certain je ne sais quoi usually develops. And Rotterdam is a prime example.
Known for having Europe’s largest container-cluttered port, the maritime history here is rich but this isn’t a city stuck in the past. With its striking architectural landmarks, art-dominated streets, influential design studios and hip bars and restaurants, Rotterdam cruises along with an oh-so-cool spirit and is a city worth making a detour for.
1. Architecture
This city is an in-your-face contrast to old-world Europe, with its angular glass-clad buildings and ever-changing skyline. Having been bombed flat during WWII, Rotterdam quickly transformed itself and, as hope springs eternal, sprouted a flurry of modern buildings, cementing itself as an architecturally trailblazing city. Wander around Rotterdam and you'll see examples of architectural styles spanning post-WWII to the present day. Some impressive highlights include:
Overblaak Development: Designed by architect Piet Blom and built between the late 1970s and early '80s, this innovative series of toppled and tilted yellow-and-grey cubes paved the way for modern architecture in Rotterdam. Each house in the Overblaak Development was built to resemble a tree and together they represent a forest. One of the apartment owners has turned his into a museum for public viewing. You can peek inside Kijk-Kubus Museum-House to see just how a house tilted at a 45° angle and resting on a hexagonal pylon really works, and admire the custom-built furniture.
De Rotterdam: Named after one of the original ships on the historic Holland America Line, De Rotterdam was completed in 2013 becoming the Netherlands' biggest building. It houses hotels, restaurants, offices and residencies in its three stacked building-block towers. This ‘vertical city’ is designed in a way that if you view it from a different part of the city, it will take on a new shape and identity (derotterdam.nl).
Centraal Station: The stunning revamp of the Centraal Station was completed in March 2014 to cope with a significant rise in the number of passengers. Viewed from the north aspect it has a modest transparent glass front while the south entrance is a striking slanted roof with the original clock and station sign.
Erasmus Bridge: The Erasmus Bridge, nicknamed 'The Swan' due to its graceful shape, was designed by architect Ben van Berkel in 1996. It spans 800 metres across the Maas river and has become a symbol of the city.
Van Nelle Factory: The Van Nelle Factory (Van Nellefabriek), a former coffee, tea and tobacco factory was built between 1925 and 1931 and is considered an icon of 20th-century industrial architecture. The factory was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2014.
2. Art and design
From cutting edge contemporary galleries to one of the oldest museums in the Netherlands, Rotterdam has a diverse collection of art and it’s not just confined to museums – you´ll find outdoor sculptures, installations and street art spread throughout the city.
Museum van Boijmans Beuningen: One of the oldest museums in the Netherlands, the Museum van Boijmans Beuningen is one of Europe’s finest art galleries with an impressive permanent collection that spans Dutch and European painting from the Middle Ages to the 21st century, including works by Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Monet, Mondrian, Magritte as well as a dedicated Dalí exhibition room in the fantastic Surrealism wing – one of the largest collections of his works outside France and Spain.
Witte de With, Centre for Contemporary Art: On Rotterdam’s coolest street, this international art institution established in 1990 presents modern and contemporary art with a renowned reputation for its changing exhibitions (wdw.nl).
Nederlands Fotomuseum: Located in a former warehouse down on the riverfront, the Nederlands Fotomuseum hosts large special exhibitions ranging from international stars to young up-and-coming talent.
GROOS: Named after the Dutch word for pride, GROOS is a beautiful boutique concept store selling an amazing selection of pieces by Rotterdam-based designers. Items range from geometric-print cushions, artworks and delicate ceramics to chic fashion, handmade jewellery and wooden furniture (groosrotterdam.nl).
Schieblock: Left vacant for years, the Schieblock office building was transformed and redeveloped by the ZUS architectural firm. Styled as an ‘urban laboratory’, it houses over 50 small businesses including architectural studios and furniture designers such as Fabrique Urbaine (schieblock.com).
3. Flourishing food scene
Market Hall: The impressive Markthal is the first indoor market in the Netherlands, with over 100 stalls selling fresh produce, as well as restaurants and cooking classes. Adding to the city’s oeuvre of modern architecture, the building is designed by MVRDV and consists of a 40m-tall arc full of residential apartments covering the market square.
De Jong: Located in the hip De Hofbogen area, young chef Jim de Jong heads up this intimate bistro within a former train station. The food focuses on seasonal produce and creative dishes feature flowers and herbs from the restaurant’s kitchen – you may end up with a delicious tulip on your plate.
FG: Run by Francois Geurds, a former sous chef at Heston Blumenthal’s acclaimed Fat Duck in Britain, this two-Michelin-starred restaurant is certainly one for a special occasion. Francois also opened the FG Food Labs restaurant in 2014 in the Hofbogen area, complete with a ‘science lab’ for molecular gastronomy experiments (fgrestaurant.nl).
Bazar: A Rotterdam institution, Bazar buzzes any time of the day and night with hip locals and has the authenticity of a bustling souk with its colourful hanging lanterns and vibrant atmosphere. The vast menu spans North African and Middle Eastern fare, from falafel pita sandwiches to Royal Persian lamb accompanied by sweet mint tea.
4. Nightlife
De Witte Aap: Dark-wooden corner bar, De Witte Aap (The White Monkey) on Witte de Withstraat, heaves with cool creative locals from the morning coffee crowd to late-night revellers.
BAR: One of the newest arrivals on Rotterdam’s cool nightlife scene is a pop-up drinking spot simply called BAR located in the Schieblock.
Café LaBru: LaBru attracts a 30-something hipster crowd who come to taste their way through an impressive selection of top-notch gins with menu of matching tonics. Just let the friendly bartenders know your taste and they’ll sort you out.
Rotown: Dine on great food in the rear covered terrace, knock back drinks in the front bar or catch a gig in the adjoining band room at popular Rotown.
5. Designer digs
King Kong Hostel: Forget any pre-conceived notions you have when you hear the word ‘hostel’, King Kong is as chic as they come. Every little detail has been carefully considered from the roof garden, Netflix subscriptions and vintage gym equipment for use to the swinging hammocks, chef-style kitchen and ‘hangover basement’ complete with cinema. Dorms are spacious with attention given to privacy and individual rooms all have their own customised design touches.
Mainport: Sidling up against the Maas river and hugging the harbour, stunning Mainport is hands down the best location to rest your head in Rotterdam. Although with in-room hot tubs and Finnish saunas, as well as a spa with Turkish hammam and steam rooms, there may not be too much time to waste on resting (mainporthotel.com). | {
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Exit (迴光奏鳴曲)
Director: Chienn Hsiang
Country: Taiwan
Year: 2014
One afternoon, around two or three o’clock, a middle-aged woman sits on a bus, her body hunched slightly and her eyes dull and lifeless. She seems tense in the corners of her mouth, and so tight that the wrinkles and veins on her neck show clearly and give away her age. She has probably had no love life for a long time, not to mention a sex life. The last time she bought herself new clothes may have been a couple of years ago, and definitely not the pair of shoes she is wearing today. Twenty-five years ago, she could have been a beautiful and honest young girl. That girl is still imprisoned somewhere in that heavy, ageing body. How can she ever escape that body? That was the starting point and why we made this film. Chienn Hsiang, the director.
It is the observant eye of an artist that can see inspiration and beauty in mundane experiences. This is the core essence of the film “Exit” – poetry of the mundane, that deeply connects to the viewer through its sheer universality.
Ling (Chen Shiang-Chiyi) is 45 and lived her life as dutiful wife, mother, worker and filial daughter-in-law. That is the expected way of living your life (especially in more traditional parts in Asia), but the only reward she gets for years of silent dutifulness is excruciating loneliness. When the film starts she already does not have the role of wife, as her husband is in Shanghai and does not respond to her. She loses her role as a mother, as her daughter does not live at home anymore and eventually does not respond to her calls as well. Then she loses her job at a textile factory. It closes due to manufacturing going to China, alluding to the wider economical context of Taiwan. She cannot even be a woman anymore, due to her early menopause, that, according to the film makes women undesirable.
The last role she can cling to is her filial piety towards her mother-in-law, who is hospitalized after surgery. Though she does not feel that useful there until she starts helping an injured man in the same hospital room. His eyes are covered due to injury and the only way she can calm him down is with the sensitive touch of a wet cloth. Those small acts of human connection when she washes him with cloth and he takes her hand into his, are the only strands that keep them both in existence.
The director Chienn Hsiang is first of all a cinematographer and his reliance on visual elements to tell the story and convey the emotion is evident. Every scene is full of details that contribute to the film, but there are few major elements. First, the claustrophobic spaces where our main character lives – her home, the hospital, her work place, and the crowded public transport. The scenes beautifully capture these urban spaces, deepening the feeling of urban loneliness, and reminding me of the brilliance of a futuristic L.A. in the classic Blade Runner.
Second is the eye, the perspective of viewer. Watching is the essential thing we do with cinema, we need to see to know. But watching is also judging (this is the reason why Lady Justice has her eyes covered). And this is what the act of viewing symbolizes in this film. The film is mostly just from two perspectives – Ling fearfully watching the world from sides and corners, and us watching Ling from afar. Only in the intimacy of her home we get to see her closer, but always covered in the shadows of her windowless dwelling place. Whenever someone else looks at Ling, her daughter, or her mother-in-law, it is always with judgment. The eye of the beholder does not see Ling as a full human being. Just as her role in society (or lack of it in this case) further erodes confining Ling into claustrophobic non-existence.
When the man who she was helping has his eyes uncovered, she runs away, only returning at night. They reunite in touch, and touch here is such a profoundly human connection, so therapeutic, but often forgotten due to constrains of cultural rules. They both cry, this deep cry that comes from the soul, but she still does not let him see her, as that would bring back the judgment and the rules that can be forgotten in this darkness.
The film viewer, as a silent ever-present spectator, can see Ling in broader spectrum than any of the people in the film. That’s why we are able sympathize with her. We observe her trials to gain a new role, to bring herself out of the shell through outside visual changes – the dress and makeup. Her fluctuating feelings between budding self-confidence back to fear and anxiety are so familiar, I think especially among female spectators (like me). Ling’s small triumphs and her failures are so human, so common, that it is uncanny sometimes even painful to watch. Exit provides such a contrast with today’s mainstream films dominated by superheroes (don’t get me wrong, I do like superhero movies as well, but we need variety). While superheroes are good for escapism, films like Exit bring us back in touch with our own reality, our humanity.
The beauty of Exit is that without being overly sentimental or lecturing, it reminds us to be kind, as we never know the hard battles a person is fighting in silence. | {
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В інтерв’ю для УНІАН, ТСН та ТСН Тиждень бойовий генерал, новопризначений начальник Генерального штабу ЗСУ Руслан Хомчак розповів, як виходив зі своїми бійцями з Іловайського котла, наскільки близькі стосунки має з Геннадієм Корбаном та Ігорем Коломойським, чи хтось із них рекомендував його особу на посаду очільника Генштабу у спілкуванні з президентом Володимиром Зеленським, та свої враження від зустрічі з ним.
Бойовий генерал Руслан Хомчак, який, на початку агресії з РФ, в один з найскладніших і найдраматичніших періодів у війні, був командувачем сектору «Б» сил АТО і особисто, разом з іншими бійцями, виходив з Іловайського котла, став начальником Генерального штабу ЗСУ.
В день його представлення особовому складу ЗСУ 23 травня, Хомчак, в УНІАН, ТСН та ТСН Тиждень, розповів про Іловайську трагедію, поділився своїми враженнями від знайомства з новобраним президентом Володимиром Зеленським та анонсував фундаментальні зміни в армії.
Він не оминає своєю увагою загрозу широкомасштабного вторгнення Росії та можливі переговори з бойовиками на Донбасі. Щиро розповідає про своє ставлення до спроби проходу кораблів ВМС через Керченську протоку наприкінці минулого року, знайомство з Коломойським та чи могла Україна втримати Крим на початку 2014 року.
Ви вже отримали повноваження начальника Генштабу чи ще триває перехідний період?
Попередній начальник Генерального штабу тільки прибув з відрядження з-за кордону. Знаєте, як в американських фільмах – йому (екс-начальнику Генштабу Віктору Муженку, – УНІАН) треба взяти коробку з-під паперу, все туди скласти, але не все вміщається. Сам процес передачі посади – ми зараз оформлюємо акт, де ми повинні фіксувати реальний стан (ЗСУ), все це інформація, яка повинна бути станом на сьогодні, тому декілька днів цей процес (передачі повноважень, – УНІАН) буде відбуватись суто документально.
Кажуть, що у вас є конфлікт з Муженком?
У мене жодних конфліктів ні з ким немає.
Чи є у вас якісь розбіжності з ним?
Я вже два роки і три місяці працюю в Міністерстві оборони, а начальник Генштабу очолює Збройні сили. У нас нормальні службові стосунки.
Муженко вас привітав?
Ми з ним ще не бачились.
Міністр оборони Степан Полторак запрошував Муженка на ваше представлення особовму складу ЗСУ, щоб подякувати йому за службу, але Віктор Миколайович на запрошення міністра не прибув. Не знаєте, чому він не з'явився, чи у нього були важливіші плани?
Це краще запити в нього, які були причини. Я думаю про інше.
Полторак на церемонії представлення заявив, що з вашим призначенням «якість виконання завдань буде нарощуватись, а ефективність підвищуватись». Як ви розцінюєте такий «військово-політичний комплімент» від міністра?
Я, коли йшов на цю посаду, чудово усвідомлював, що мені потрібно буде робити. Я себе не тішив ілюзіями і не чекав компліментів ні від кого. В принципі, як показують сьогоднішні [дописи] у Facebook, і все інше, тих компліментів і немає. Але кожен має право говорити все, що він хоче. Я знаю свої завдання, і найголовніше, що я розумію свою відповідальність.
Керівництво держави, яке обрано народом, значить, і український народ, довірили мені керувати тим угрупованням ЗСУ, яке сьогодні є в Україні, і виконувати завдання по захисту нашої держави. Це основне завдання, для якого призначена армія. Роботи для будь-якого начальника Генштабу буде з головою. Чому? Бо це живі люди і життя не зупиняється.
Міністр зі свої досвідом, своїми знаннями, знає, що підвищують стан боєготовності, у першу чергу, люди та відношення до людей.
Особовий склад?
Особовий склад – це і командири, і всі інші, це люди, це живі люди. Особовий склад – це звучить якось сухо. Коли в людини горять очі, вона готова здійснити нездійсненне, а коли в людини опущена голова, то вже нічого не зробиш.
Ставлення, бойовий дух, турбота про людей – це все взаємопов’язане. Іноді людину достатньо вислухати, почути її проблему, навіть ще не вирішивши її, людині вже приємно, що її почули і хочуть їй допомогти.
Указ про ваше призначення був одним із перших підписаних президентом. Як давно ви знаєте новообраного очільника держави? Коли саме він запросив вас для першої розмови, щоб ви очолили Генштаб та як відбулась ця розмова?
Особисто я познайомився з сьогоднішнім президентом після його перемоги у другому турі, дату не пам’ятаю. Мені зателефонували з незнайомого номера (а не беру слухавки від незнайомих номерів), після чого скинули СМС, що це помічниця президента і чи можна зі мною якось зв’язатись. Я їй передзвонив. Вона запитала, чи міг би я прибути, якщо в Києві, на зустріч з президентом, що він мене хоче запросили і поспілкуватися.
На наступний день була призначена зустріч, я на неї прибув…
Це було до інавгурації?
Так, це було до інавгурації, за декілька днів. Ми зустрілися і так я познайомився з президентом особисто. Знали ми його як людину, яка багато років влучно вміла знаходити проблеми влади і гостро їх висвітлювати. Коли ми сіли спілкуватися, мені було сказано, що він ще не має ніяких повноважень, тому ніяких обіцянок, нічого не пропонувалось, це було просто спілкування.
Було поставлене питання, якою мовою ви хочете спілкуватися. Я сказав, що мені все одно, якою мовою спілкуватися. Президент запропонував спілкуватися українською мовою і ми спілкуватися українською мовою, причому нормально. Те, що я чув під час виборчої кампанії, виявилося зовсім не таким.
Президент мене вивчав. Я бачив, яким поглядом він дивиться – це був погляд не артиста, це був погляд психолога, який все вивчає, заглядає всередину тебе. Ми говорили про життя, президент мене розпитував про Іловайськ. Він хотів чути, бо багато є інсинуацій з цього приводу, багато є неправдивої інформації. Найголовніше, що за тих 5 років, які пройшли, одні й ті самі люди по-різному видають інформацію, видумують нісенітницю.
Я йому коротко розповів (адже навіть якщо просто обмалювати всю картину треба не 5 і не 10 хвилин), потім ми поспілкувались про те, яку посаду я займаю, ким я був. Я так розумію, це і було знайомство.
Яке враження на вас справив Зеленський саме як Верховний головнокомандувач?
Я був дуже здивований тому, що він задавав питання з розумінням справи. Коли людина, яка у військовій сфері не є спеціалістом, але задає питання з розумінням, то є діалог. Тобто я був приємно здивований, що він настільки розуміє, шо він хоче.
Опоненти під час виборчої кампанії закидали Зеленському, що він нібито виявиться слабким лідером та головнокомандувачем. Чи ви відчули слабкість в розмові з ним?
Навіть відомі мольфари чи пророки говорили одне, а відбувалося не так. Я б на себе не брав відповідальність сказати, яким хто буде. Коли я поспілкувався з Володимиром Олександровичем, я побачив цупку людину, яка цікавиться, яка не просто задає питання заради того, щоб їх поставити. Був живий процес. Інтерес, енергія, яка до чогось веде. Це дуже велика сила, коли людина має енергію, і коли вона чогось хоче. Таким було моє враження.
Слід розуміти, що Верховний головнокомандувач – це, в першу чергу, відповідальність, але це не значить, що це цар, який один визначає, як все буде. Для цього є ще дуже багато посадовців, які підготовлені, які знають, які беруть участь і колегіально ухвалюються рішення, які потім виконуються. В президента є дорадчий орган - РНБО…
До речі, як ви бачите майбутню співпрацю з Олександром Данилюком, людиною, яку команда президента анонсує як майбутнього секретаря цього дорадчого органу. Адже це людина, яка була міністром фінансів і яку важко назвати експертом в сфері оборони і безпеки.
Я не знаю Данилюка, особисто з ним не знайомий, тому мені важко дати йому якісь характеристики і я не збираюсь їх давати. Але я впевнений, що якщо президент набирає нову команду, то він, вивчаючи людей, націлений на те, щоб співпраця була між усіма. Я чомусь впевнений, що всі, хто приходить в команду, не приходять для того, щоб закритися в собі і розповідати, що хтось один такий видатний, а всі решта повинні навколо нього крутитись. Має бути діалог, співпраця, пошуки нових шляхів.
Один із пріоритетів, який був для вас поставлений – це кадрові зміни в ЗСУ. Що буде з людьми, які не віддали честь новому президенту і які взагалі кадрові зміни ви можете анонсувати?
Дивіться, президенту ніхто не віддавав честь, від них того не вимагають. У тому, що дехто не віддав військове вітання президенту, я не бачу ніякого подвійного дна. По-перше, я чудово знаю генерала Луньова (Командувач Силами спеціальних операцій України генерал-майор Ігор Луньов, – УНІАН), ніяких викликів він не кидає, він добросовісний, порядний генерал, який виконує свої обов’язки. Можливо, перехвилювався. Не знаю, я не можу це коментувати, краще про це запитати в нього.
Тобто це не демарш?
Ніякого демаршу немає, в цьому я впевнений. Він професіонал, військовий, він не політик і в політику не влазить.
Як можна після інавгурації президента забути віддати військове вітання головнокомандувачу?
Людський фактор.
Він залишиться на своїй посаді?
Я прийшов не з тим, щоб усіх зняти з посад. Всіх поміняти – це не вихід. Звичайно, я прийматиму кадрові рішення, тому що я знаю, який я хочу бачити процес управління. Він сьогодні не зовсім такий, який треба. Але спочатку треба розібратися, в чому причина, і підправити. Тому що, якщо люди обіймають ті чи інші посади, вони не з неба на ті посади впали, вони теж служили, за ними йдуть люди, колективи…
Зараз я заслуховую командувачів. Я маю своє бачення як головний інспектор (до призначення на посаду керівника Генштабу Руслан Хомчак обіймав посаду головного інспектора Міноборони, – УНІАН), я знаю реальний стан справ у ЗСУ з позиції головного інспектора. Сьогодні я хочу почути від командувачів їхнє бачення, їхнє розуміння, що вони зробили, які вони бачать проблеми, які вони бачать шляхи їх вирішення. Якщо я не буду задоволений тим станом справ, який є, і тим, яке вони мають бачення, то, звичайно, якісь зміни будуть.
Цілі знімати усіх з посад у мене немає. У мене немає кумів, друзів, яких я хочу кудись поставити. Я хочу дати якомога швидше хороший результат в плані того, що в армію підуть люди. Сьогодні, на жаль, черги в армію немає, а вона повинна бути. У нас що населення не патріотично налаштоване? Налаштоване. У нас населення не любить Україну? Любить Україну. Я під час служби проїхав усю Україну – це чудові люди з різною історією, різним вихованням, різними ментальними поглядами, але люди чудові, у нас чудова молодь. А чому чудова молодь не хоче йти в армію?
Мало платять…
Не тільки. Це не на першому місці. Ставлення колективу людину не задовольняє. Людина від добра не тікає. Людина, навпаки, до добра йде.
Сьогодні армія забезпечена в рази краще, ніж це було на початку війни. Сьогодні відношення суспільства та влади до армії набагато краще, але люди не йдуть, значить є проблема.
Що ви збираєтесь з цим робити?
Вивчаємо проблему, вивчаємо бачення тих, хто має працювати. З ними і будемо змінювати цю ситуацію.
Як ви ставитесь до військової доктрини Зеленського, яку передав журналістам радник новообраного президента з питань безпеки та оборони Іван Апаршин? В ній, серед іншого, відзначається, що посаду начальника Генерального штабу планують відокремити від посади головнокомандувача Збройних сил.
Прекрасно до цього ставлюсь. Це не Апаршин придумав, це вже давно прийняте рішення тут, в Міноборони, в ЗСУ. Це один із процесів нашого наближення до європейської спільноти. Це нормально.
Коли я йду на посаду (а я їх багато пройшов в моєму віці, в моєму званні), я думаю про те, як я буду йти з цієї посади. Не як я буду вічно «царювати», а як буду йти, з яким обличчям, і чи буду я потім опускати очі перед людьми, чи не буду.
За Іловайськ ви опускали очі?
Не опускав і опускати не буду. Ви повинні розуміти, що про події в Іловайську я знаю більше за всіх. Не тому, що я такий розумний, а тому ,що я був людиною, яка бачила це все. Я знаю, кому які задачі ставилися, хто кому доповідав, хто кому що говорив. А коли ви чуєте щось про Іловайськ від солдата, молодшого офіцера, – це те, що вони бачили, вони можуть оцінити свою ділянку відповідальності.
Я не збираюся коментувати кимось замовлений негатив, я не буду витрачати силу й енергію, щоб копатися в цьому. У мене немає часу витрачати своє життя на це, адже маю стільки хороших намірів, які ще маю зробити.
Я виконував наказ керівництва. Якщо хтось хоче почути від мене конкретні прізвища для того, щоб призначити собі ворогів, чи зробити собі ідолів, я би від того відійшов. Були посадові особи і всі виконувати свої задачі. Хто і як виконував – відповідь на це дасть слідство.
Чому воно так довго йде?
Це питання треба адресувати не мені. Я не можу впливати на слідство. Знаю, що працювала серйозна група слідчих, що ця кримінальна справа таємна, тому я не даю ніяких інтерв’ю. Всю інформацію, яка була, я розповів прокуратурі та тимчасовій слідчій комісії ВР.
Для мене той бій не закінчився, тому що досі невідома доля багатьох, хто пропав безвісті… Це все – тягар в моїй душі. Але я ні перед ким очі не опускаю. Не тому, що я такий безстрашний, а тому, що я зробив все, що міг зробити. Напевно, головна моя проблема в тому, що я залишився живим.
Всі там були в однакових умовах. Там не можна було стояти на горі і керувати, як Наполеон: ви – праворуч, ви – ліворуч, а тут кавалерія вперед. Треба там бути, щоб це бачити. І коли пишуть, що Хомчак три дні пропав після виходу з Іловайська, а потім ховався на дачі у Корбана, то я хотів би знати, а де у Корбана дача, чи вона в Україні.
Я мав таку саму можливість загинути, як і всі, тому мені не соромно. Я зробив все, що я міг в тій ситуації. Тоді наявність генерала там (в Іловайську, – УНІАН) була елементом стримування для бійців. Тому що всі дивляться, що генерал тут, він не дурень, він себе поважає, не тікає, значить, ми теж будемо воювати. Хоча у мене були ситуації, коли мені казали, що всі вже залишають Іловайськ, а казав – «ні, я на місці», тоді все – «ми воюємо далі».
У нас було багато «пропозицій» з іншого боку. Але коли мені був запропонований «вибір» залишити добровольчі батальйони, а вийти військовим з технікою, ми на таке не пішли. Залишилися всі разом. І коли потім запропонували залишити зброю і піти без зброї, теж ніхто не пішов....
Як і коли ви вийшли?
Ми вийшли з Іловайська у безпечну зону в місто Комсомольськ десь 4-5 ранку 31 серпня. Коли ми виходили, я зв’язався з керівником АТО, генералом Муженком по телефону і сказав, щоб прислали вертоліт, бо у нас поранені. Наша група складалася з 14 чоловік, ми з собою тягли бійця тяжко пораненого в плече.
Після виходу нас вивезли в Стару Ласпу, туди підходила перша бригада оперативного призначення Нацгвардії, вони надали допомогу пораненому, кавою і чаєм нас пригостили, бо не їли декілька днів взагалі, а воду пили з Кальміуса…
За нами прийшов вертоліт. Ми прилетіли в 61-ий госпіталь. Я там пересів в інший вертоліт, з десантниками, через 50 хвилин був в штабі АТО в Краматорську і сидів перед керівником АТО, командувачем Нацгвардії, міністром оборони. Доповів їм всю ситуацію. Це було 8-9 ранку 31 серпня. А на ранок 1 вересня я був в Адміністрації президента та доповідав про стан справ президенту.
Про що ви доповідали?
Доповідав, що всі, хто виходили з Іловайська, – це герої. Мова не про те, щоб всім дати Героя України, але їх треба назвати. Вони заслужили бути героями. Люди хоробро воювали…
Ситуація трагічна, але, можливо, та ситуація переламала хід всього, що є. Ми не знаємо, що сталося б, якою зараз була б лінія зіткнення, якби не трапилось тієї ситуації. Тому людям - і мертвим, і живим - треба подякувати, що вони тоді не здалися, вони не тікали в РФ, вони дійсно воювали достойно.
Це був момент, коли росіяни зрозуміли, що далі йти не можна, тому що українці йдуть на смерть, але не здаються.
Я хочу, щоб ця трагічна ситуація була більш повчальною і висновки були більш ширшими та зрозумілішими. Там була показана воля українського народу. Там було показано, що добробати – це не якісь нацисти, які прийшли вбивати, людей вішати, а які разом з військовими поряд воюють.
Повернимось до подій сьогодення. На вашу думку, чому Порошенко на завершенні своєї президентської каденції змінив командуючого в зоні проведення ООС?
Я не хочу давати оцінку рішенням колишнього президента, тому що я не знаю чим він керувався.
На мою думку, в той час, коли змінюється влада в державі, кадрові зміни не на часі, особливо там, де в нас ситуація напружена, а напружена і загрозлива вона на сході України. Я би не міняв людину, яка рік володіла ситуацією повністю, знала та управляла. Але це я б так робив. А якими думками керувався президент, я не знаю.
Ви залишите Сирського на посаді командувача Об’єднаними силами на Донбасі?
Я буквально щойно розмовляв з керівником операції Об’єднаних сил генералом Сирським. Він не перший раз там, він прекрасно знає театр військових дій, ми всі там в свій час керували, він володіє ситуацією. Питання, що він нібито не справиться з обов’язками, не стоїть. Він виконує задачі, але якщо в процесі кадрових перестановок доведеться щось змінити, він вічно там не буде на тій посаді.
Щодо оперативної обстановки на Донбасі та поблизу кордонів України. Багато було заяв перед виборами та під час виборчої кампанії щодо майже неминучого відкритого вторгнення Росії. На вашу думку, наскільки зараз є серйозною ця загроза?
Ситуація на Донбасі загрозлива, тому що на Донбасі проти нас протистоїть РФ. А загроза прямого вторгнення завжди може бути. Питання, коли вона може бути? Я думаю, що завтра прямого вторгнення не буде. Тому що для будь-якого вторгнення повинна бути мета. Якщо мети немає, то просто йти вбивати ніхто не буде.
Звичайно, ситуація напружена, ситуація непроста, і ми повинні кожного дня займатися тим, щоб наша армія була боєздатна, готова до всього, що тільки може нам загрожувати.
Останнім часом багато розмов ведеться про переговори, в тому числі з так званими «ДНР» і «ЛНР». Як ви до цього ставитеся?
Я проти всяких переговорів, я військова людина. Я начальник Генерального штабу, і в мене функції зовсім інші, я не переговорник.
Нехай про це говорять МЗС, усі інші структури, які мають вести перемовини. А я маю готувати ЗСУ до можливих всіх загроз, до адекватного реагування на них, з мінімальними втратами.
А чи є військовий варіант розв’язання конфлікту на Донбасі?
Суто військового варіанту я не бачу.
Колишній командувач ООС Сергій Наєв говорив про те, що на військову операцію щодо звільнення Україною окупованих територій піде менше доби.
Наєв є моїм заступником, але я його ще не бачив, він у відпустці зараз. Я йому поставлю це питання, як він це бачить.
Чи доцільна була спроба проходу кораблів ВМС ЗСУ через Керченську протоку наприкінці минулого року? Чи ви будете рекомендувати новому президенту знову направляти туди українські кораблі?
Мій принцип один – цінність людини найвища. Тому, приймаючи будь-яке управлінське рішення в зоні ООС чи поза нею, перше і найголовніше – це прогнозувати, як це буде загрожувати життю людини, тобто військовому.
Європейські армії витрачають мільйони та мільярди, щоб краще побудувати ракету, щоб вона полетіла, а не щоб йшов солдат і загинув. Людина там є головною. Я би хотів, щоб ми до того прийшли.
Я вчився в Радянському союзі, але я не винен, що я народився в 1967 році. Я отримав свою школу життя, але я точно знаю, що ми повинні йти туди, куди ми йдемо, і європейський вибір – це правильний вибір. ЗСУ також йдуть шляхом європейського вибору, і я не думаю, що він зміниться разом з президентом. Президент сьогодні теж підтримує європейський вибір.
Давайте про Керченську протоку…
Я не можу оцінювати Керченську операцію, я тоді не був [на посаді начальника Генштабу]. Звичайно, не треба було наражати моряків на загрозу. Дуже погано, що вони в полоні, але добре, що вони живі, зважаючи, що них відкрили вогонь і вони могли загинути. Я впевнений, що з полону їх визволять.
Я на сьогодні ще не спілкувався з командувачем ВМС, тому що він полетів з міністром на стрільби. Він повернеться, і коли я буду його заслуховувати, я йому задам це питання – чим він керувався, чи він прогнозував це все, мені теж цікаво це все почути. У нас не так багато морських суден для того, щоб ми могли їх так роздавати.
Чи ви запитували президента Зеленського, з яким міністром оборони ви буде працювати, чи він казав, що в нього є кандидатура?
Я не обговорюю старших керівників. Міністр оборони – це не моя креатура. Єдине, що я президенту сказав, що якщо я буду якимось посадовцем, чи можу розраховувати на його підтримку в питаннях, де він назначає командувачів. Тому що є категорії в ЗСУ, які назначає він. Президент мене запевнив, що підтримка, якщо це буде обґрунтовано і це будуть правильні рішення, буде.
Навколо президента є команда досвідчених людей…
…Наприклад, Апаршин?
Я з ним особисто незнайомий…
Хочу сказати, що я не обираю собі начальників. Я буду працювати з будь-яким. Я працюю з міністром оборони Полтораком, я працював з ним два роки, він був моїм безпосереднім керівником. Сьогодні він міністр оборони, і у нас немає жодних проблем в роботі, є розуміння і є підтримка. Прийде інший міністр, я не збираюся з’ясовувати стосунки і показувати, хто розумніший. Мене хвилюють тільки службові питання.
Кажуть на посаду вас порадив Геннадій Корбан.
Не думаю. Я з Геннадієм Корбаном не спілкувався чотири роки. Після того, як він залишив країну, у нас контакти, на жаль, були припинені.
Ви знайомі з Ігорем Коломойським?
Звичайно.
Коли в останнє ви з ним спілкувалися і чи він міг порадити Зеленському вас призначити?
Хочу, щоб не було ніяких інсинуацій. Я був командиром 6-го армійського корпусу в Дніпрі (на той час Дніпропетровськ), ми там сформували оперативне командування «Південь», яке територіально відповідало за 11 областей південного сходу.
Коли після Революції гідності Ігор Валерійович був призначений головою Дніпропетровської ОДА, і коли я побачив, що Дніпро в один момент став українськи містом, я був здивований, наскільки патріотично піднялась область, наскільки люди були готові стати на захист своєї області, щоб тільки не до них не зайшло це все. Це не награно, це реально. Я, як керівник командування, не міг не співпрацювати з головами обласних адміністрацій, в тому числі і з Ігорем Валерійовичем. Оскільки мій штаб знаходився в 5 хвилинах їзди від ОДА, у нас з ним була можливість спілкуватися частіше.
Мені подобався підхід у прийнятті рішень, тому що не було двояких відповідей, була відповідь «так» або «ні», була реакція і була конкретика. Я люблю, коли людина конкретно говорить, конкретно робить і відповідає за свої слова і справи.
Коли я тоді їхав тоді в зону АТО керівником сектора «Б», то я приїхав до Ігоря Валерійовича, сказав, що я їду в АТО, і будете працювати з моїм начальником штабу, генерал-майором Наєвим. Він мені каже: «Почекайте, пане генерал», а через декілька хвилин каже: «Вас внизу чекає білий броньований мікроавтобус, будь ласка, візьміть його». Я говорю: «Не потрібно, у мене штаб по всім керівним документом знаходиться в більше 100 км від лінії бойових дій, не думаю, що мені там щось загрожує». Він відповів: «Я вас дуже прошу, візьміть, щоб він у вас був». І, чесно кажучи, в тому числі той мікроавтобус рятував життя.
Можна сказати, що ви людина Коломойського?
Я хочу, щоб ви зрозуміли і сказали всім: Хомчак - син своїх батьків. Я ніколи нічиїм не був. Я не знаю, чому хтось хоче мене до когось приписати. Я був знайомий з Ігорем Валерійовичем, я знаю його і поважаю за те, що він робив.
Якщо хтось мені скаже, що я людина Зеленського, теж треба розставити крапки над «і». Є президент Зеленський, є начальник Генерального штабу Хомчак. Я буду працювати на президента України, бо його прийняв народ, а я давав присягу народу України.
Чи є можливість зараз скасувати призов?
Я не думаю, що це питання зараз нагальне. Для того, щоб скасувати призов, треба підготувати таку систему допризовної підготовки молоді, щоб дійсно вони завтра могли стати на захист держави.
Коли почалась війна і почалася мобілізація, це був жахливий період. Коли в 93-ій бригаді, яка мобілізовувалась, підходжу до чоловіка років 30-и, який з жахом біля БМП і дрижить, запитую: «Що сталося ? Вам погано?», він каже: «Я механік-водій цієї машини, але… я її ніколи не бачив». Говорю: «Ви служили в армії?», він каже: «Служив в штабі». Уявіть собі, які він в бій піде?
Тобто я за те, щоб, коли у нас буде створена система, вся молодь була готова захистити свою батьківщину, коли доведеться. Тоді, можливо, призов доведеться скасувати.
На момент початку війни з РФ і до липня 2014-го ви були командувачем оперативного командування «Південь». Володіючи всією повнотою інформації про оперативну обстановку і стан армії на той момент, на вашу думку, Україна могла втримати Крим?
Якби тоді ми володіли всією інформацією, можливо, все було б по-іншому. Я не знаю, куди надходила інформація від розвідки та зовнішньої розвідки. Але до мене інформація не доходила.
Станом на 2014 рік ті війська, які були в моєму підпорядкуванні, були або скорочені або дуже скорчені.
Чи Україна мала починати військові дії, щоб зупинити інтервенцію Росії і подальшу анексію півострова?
Для того, щоб військові могли починати стріляти, має бути визначений відповідний стан в регіоні, або в державі. Це – найперше. Тому що, якщо цього немає, тоді військові поза законом.
Звичайно, що військові мали б діяти, але, розумієте, яка ситуація була в Криму – Росія готувалася забрати Крим з моменту, коли Україна стала незалежною. Питання виникає, хто і що робив з того часу, щоб цього не допустити.
Я в своєму житті в Криму був рази три. Крайній раз в 2010 році, коли сказали, що Крим – це Європа, і можна їхати відпочивати. Я взяв путівку у військовий санаторій в Алупку і поїхав туди. Але пізніше сказав, що більше туди не поїду відпочивати, тому що був шокований від того, що там побачив. Це був поганий залишок Радянського союзу, повсюди реклама російської горілки з триколором. Я собі задавав питання, чи я в Україні. Я не розумів, де я знаходжусь.
Захоплення Криму почалося набагато раніше, тому що сьогодні треба захопити оце (показує на голову, - УНІАН), а вже фізично це вже питання часу… Тому ми повинні воювати за людину, за те, що в неї в голові.
Костянтин Гончаров, Ольга Василевська, Андрій Орляк
Якщо ви знайшли помилку, видiлiть її мишкою та натисніть Ctrl+Enter | {
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The excerpt copied below from one of #MySciBlog research interviews speaks for itself. It represents a few very common themes in my analysis (so far) of qualitative interviews with science bloggers about their practices and especially their content decisions. One of these themes is the science blog as a place for opinion, interpretation and/or personal commentary. In other words, relatively few science bloggers I've interviewed leave their personal opinions and thoughts out of their blogs. (Some do, and they tend to be either scientists who don't want their opinions to 'muddy' the science, or journalists taking a more 'straight news' approach to blogging about new research). Instead, bloggers see the blog as a 'natural' home for their own personal expertise, experiences and opinions related to science, to a greater or lesser extent. In fact, the 'strength' of blogging is often seen as providing commentary and interpretation often missing from news.
18 out of the 27 bloggers for which I've coded interview transcripts so far have mentioned one of the following content decision codes:
Avoiding 'big', embargoed or press-released studies, in favor less popular or more obscure research papers that still deserve attention
Avoiding stories or topics being covered (*well*) by other bloggers or journalists
Highlighting an area of science that is generally overlooked or underrepresented in popular media
Highlighting stories or research papers that would not otherwise be featured by the mainstream media
Choosing content that is in some way exclusive or unique | {
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Following the period of epic growth and enhancement opportunities that Zug is offering to the blockchain and cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, BitNautic has opened a secondary office in the heart of the Crypto Valley, Zug, Switzerland. The step has been taken following the discussions and meetings held among senior management, staff, and consultants.
Zug and its Crypto Valley have earned fame for its business-friendly ecosystem, miraculous talent pool, sophisticated infrastructure, and dynamic atmosphere. It is becoming the emerging hub of the blockchain world where business can thrive enormously.
Its vibrant environment also offers limitless learning and growing opportunities to both professionals and firms. This is the ultimate reasons why both leading and emerging cryptography companies have settled here. It has already caught the eyes of Monetas, Ethereum, Bitcoin Suisse, Bitmain, Xapo, Cardano, ShapeShift, Tezos and several others.
Crypto Valley has been making the headlines for its blockchain friendly ecosystem around the Canton of Zug in Switzerland. It provides active communication network to the global technology, blockchain and cryptocurrency hubs of Silicon Valley, NY City, Singapore, Toronto, and London.
Among a total of 383 blockchain related firms in Zug, 51% are located in the Crypto Valley. In other words, it is the largest hub of the industry in Canton. We at BitNautic aim that the new office location will help us to boost our blockchain expertise and skills, offering you the cutting-edge supply chain management solutions. The majority of our brain sources have also accompanied us in the step. | {
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NASA's new “Asteroid Grand Challenge" hopes to put government agencies and academics together with the public to figure out how to capture an asteroid and “lasso” it into the moon’s orbit for study.
According to a release from NASA, "Grand Challenges are ambitious goals on a national or global scale that capture the imagination and demand advances in innovation and breakthroughs in science and technology. They are an important element of President Obama's Strategy for American Innovation."
"NASA already is working to find asteroids that might be a threat to our planet, and while we have found 95 percent of the large asteroids near the Earth’s orbit, we need to find all those that might be a threat to Earth," NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. "This Grand Challenge is focused on detecting and characterizing asteroids and learning how to deal with potential threats. We will also harness public engagement, open innovation and citizen science to help solve this global problem."
While it's unlikely a Texas-sized asteroid like the one in the movie Armageddon will make contact with Earth in the near future, smaller rocks are the more common threat.
According to NASA, Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles every day and, about once a year, an automobile-sized asteroid hits Earth's atmosphere, creates a fireball and burns up before reaching the surface.
In February, an estimated 7,000 tons of speeding rock and metal exploded over the Ural Mountain city of Chelyabinsk, Russia, injuring more than 1,200 people.
A month later, Congress asked government officials what would happen if a similar meteor were to strike the United States.
"If it's coming in three weeks ... pray," said White House science adviser John Holdren. "The reason I can't do anything in the next three weeks is because for decades we have put it off."
Along with the challenge, NASA has released a Request for Information inviting industry leaders and potential partners to submit innovative ideas about redirecting asteroids.
"It's about involving the public and the private sector and doing the kinds of things we can do with modern technology modern connectivity." said Dr. Denton Ebel, chair and curator for the Division of Physical Sciences at the American Museum of Natural History. "And quite frankly, these kinds of things looking for things out there, have always relied on these kinds of partnerships, particularly the amateur community." | {
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Veteran and returning players on the Kings didn’t take the ice at Toyota Sports Center today, though it remained an important day in the reinforcing of a mental and behavioral equilibrium.
Eschewing the photo-friendly nature of more traditional – and important – community relations work for a more constructive approach, the Kings on Wednesday commenced their new “Conduct Awareness Training Initiatives” when players met with trained instructors from Peace Over Violence, a volunteer-driven organization deigned to build “healthy relationships, families and communities free from sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence.”
“Being a good citizen, as we’re learning, isn’t how many hospital visits you do and all this stuff,” General Manager Dean Lombardi said. “The times can be branding if you don’t have the other stuff in order first. And I think that’s what we skipped here.”
He is referring to the domestic violence arrest, charge, and subsequent voluntary departure from the United States by former King Slava Voynov, which was followed by the drug-related arrests of former Kings Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll. The team’s initiatives, announced Monday, will be designed to educate and prevent future wrongdoings through educational sessions and actions that “reflect the values and principles of the franchise.”
“We’ve kind of had these [prior] legal things where the guy comes in and speaks. It goes in one ear and out the other,” Lombardi said. “To me, if you’re talking development outside these walls, it has to be as the development inside the walls. You don’t develop a guy by saying, ‘Come in in the one session for two hours.’ It’s got to be a little every day, and that’s the way I envisioned this being set up. Not every day, per se, but it is about relationship building, constant reminders, and we’ve got a lot of things I’m thinking of that just keeps reminding me every day.”
The domestic violence educational initiatives were also backed by the hiring of Brantt Myrhes to serve the club in a Player Assistance position. Myhres, who previously had received a lifetime ban from the NHL after multiple failed drug tests, has been clean and sober for seven years, and in recent seasons had approached professional sports teams about assisting as an in-house advisor. Lombardi said that Myhres had first approached him about three years ago.
“Actually, reflecting back on some of the things he told me, I guess I should’ve listened, but unfortunately it takes something like that to happen to open your eyes and wake up,” Lombardi said. “He was ahead of the curve.”
Though the initiatives are in their infancy, from prior conversations Lombardi had with the players, it appears as though a clear message has been received.
“I had a number of talks with them in the summer which were really hard. I think you go through the phases, too. You go angry, and then it’s, ‘OK, we’ve got to solve this,’ and then you come up with a game plan, and then you’ve got to make sure you talk to them. ‘Are you on board with this?’ And then, like I said, we had the meeting last week, and we actually start our first session [Wednesday] on domestic violence,” Lombardi said.
“I really think they feel, judging from that meeting and the personal ones, I do think they’ve taken this to heart. And this is their responsibility. When this happens, you just don’t point the fingers at those players. Because the whole object here is they know everything. Darryl and I can talk to them as much as they want, but in the end, it’s about them being responsible to each other. That’s the ultimate message. You don’t fool players. That’s the goal. Just like they’re taught to stick up for themselves at the rink there and what they’ve built there, it’s the same thing off the rink. You know what’s going on, and you better confront that, guy, and handle it. We’re going to get Brantt here to maybe show you the way a little, but that’s the objective. If it gets to my desk or Darryl’s, it’s too late. You guys take care of this. That’s the ultimate goal, is to have the camaraderie that they fight for each other – putting a lid on that stuff right away is the same as fighting off the ice for each other. We’ll get there.” | {
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Foto: Duško Jaramaz, Davor Javorović/Pixsell
NAKON što je Đuro Glogoški, po ne znamo koji put, izjavio da su mirovine braniteljima "smanjene od 2001. godine i do 40 posto", zatražili smo komentar ministra Matića te objašnjenje iz Ministarstva o smanjenju mirovina od 2001. do danas. Zanimalo nas je kome je i za koliko smanjena mirovina.
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Podsjećamo, izjava Glogoškog jučer iz Imotskog glasi: "Današnja vlast se sustavno pripremala za ovo što nam danas čine. Od 2001. smanjene su mirovine braniteljima i do 40 posto. Što će sutra obitelj branitelja kad on umre? Ostat će socijalni slučaj. To nećemo dozvoliti, za te stvari se borimo i želimo da oni budu osigurani."
Ministar Matić: Perfidna manipulacija braniteljima
"I ova izjava gospodina Glogoškog, kao i sve prethodne kako njegove, tako i izjave ostalih prvaka prosvjeda jedne braniteljske skupine pred Ministarstvom, najobičnija je dezinformacija i perfidna manipulacija braniteljima, ali i osjećajima koje građani ove države još uvijek čuvaju za branitelje. Sve vrijeme mandata komuniciram isključivo argumentima, činjenicama i istinom, ali drugoj strani je to jednostavno neprihvatljivo i utoliko smatram da je izlišno komentarima im davati javnu pozornost za kojom očigledno žude", stoji u odgovoru koji smo dobili od ministra Matića kada smo ga zatražili komentar na izjave vođa šatoraša.
Evo koliko su i kome smanjivane mirovine!
Odgovor na pitanje koliko su smanjivane mirovine od 2001. do danas, koji smo dobili od Ministarstva branitelja, prenosimo u cijelosti:
Tekst se nastavlja ispod oglasa
"Zakonom o dopunama zakona o mirovinskom osiguranju od 6. prosinca 2001. godine smanjene su mirovine korisnicima obiteljske mirovine (članovi obitelji smrtno stradalog hrvatskog branitelja) kojima je mirovina određena prema propisima koji su važili do 31. prosinca 1998. godine.
Smanjenje je bilo:
za 8% razlika od 2500,01 do 3000 kuna,
za 12 % razlika 3000,01 do 4000 kuna,
za 16% razlika 4000,01 do 5000 kuna,
za 20% razlika 5000,00 na dalje.
Zakonom o smanjenju mirovina određenim, odnosno ostvarenim prema posebnim propisima o mirovinskom osiguranju od 2. lipnja 2010. godine smanjene su mirovine hrvatskih branitelja iz Domovinskog rata i članova njihovih obitelji koje se ostvaruju i određuju prema Zakonu o pravima hrvatskih branitelja iz Domovinskog rata i članova njihovih obitelji. Smanjenje mirovina iznosilo je 10%, pri čemu nisu smanjivane mirovine do 3.500 kuna te mirovine hrvatskih ratnih vojnih invalida iz Domovinskog rata i ratnih vojnih invalida s oštećenjem organizma od 100%.
Zakonom o izmjeni i dopuni zakona o smanjenju mirovina određenim, odnosno ostvarenim prema posebnim propisima o mirovinskom osiguranju od 18. prosinca 2013. godine smanjene su mirovine hrvatskih branitelja iz Domovinskog rata i članova njihovih obitelji koje se ostvaruju i određuju prema Zakonu o pravima hrvatskih branitelja iz Domovinskog rata i članova njihovih obitelji. Smanjenje je iznosilo 10% i pri tome svota mirovine nakon smanjenja ne može iznositi manje od 5.000 kuna. (dakle, ako je netko imao 5100 kn, mirovina mu nije smanjena 10 posto već za 100 kuna, op.a.)
Nisu smanjivane mirovine do 5.000 kuna, mirovine hrvatskih ratnih vojnih invalida iz Domovinskog rata i ratnih vojnih invalida s oštećenjem organizma od 100%, obiteljske mirovine djece smrtno stradalih hrvatskih branitelja iz Domovinskog rata bez oba roditelja, obiteljske mirovine djece smrtno stradalih hrvatskih branitelja iz Domovinskog rata te obiteljske mirovine udovica koje su su korisnice tih mirovina s djecom smrtno stradalih hrvatskih branitelja."
Glogoškom mirovina narasla 4 tisuće kuna!
Posljednje pitanje koje smo postavili Ministarstvu branitelja bilo je koliko je Đuri Glogoškom smanjena mirovina od 2001. godine do danas?
"Gospodin Đuro Glogoški je prema evidencijama Ministarstva branitelja za 12. mjesec 2001. godine primio mirovinu u svoti od 8.337,74 kune, dok je za 12. mjesec 2014. godine primio mirovinu u svoti od 12.452,44 kune", stoji u odgovoru.
Podsjetimo, Đuro Glogoški i njegova supruga iz državnog proračuna mjesečno dobivaju 24,816.02 kune: mirovina 12.400 kuna, zatim invalidnina oko 3800 kn, poseban dodatak oko 1100 kn, naknada za tuđu njegu i pomoć oko 3800 kuna, njegova supruga dobiva još oko 3800 kuna mjesečno plus socijalno i mirovinsko. | {
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FRIDAY, OCT. 18
SATURDAY, OCT. 19
SUNDAY, OCT. 20
NOON - MIDNIGHT
EVENT AND
VENDOR
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FOR THURSDAY:
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(NEW BOOK SIGNING
TO FOLLOW) 4:15PM
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ON YOUR OWN 4:45 PM
DR. JOHN DeSALVO 7:00 PM
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DAVID WEATHERLY
12:00 NOON
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the Pyramids" 4:15PM
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And House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., appeared to throw cold water on the Rubio bill at a Capitol Hill press conference last week.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has lobbied Congress to pass three anti-BDS bills, but the potential snag on the Combating BDS Act could also affect debate on the two others. Notably, the House’s first two pro-BDS lawmakers both sit on committees that have jurisdiction over the issue: Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., on Foreign Affairs, and Rashida Tlaib , D-Mich., on Financial Services.
“The committee would need to look at it, hold hearings on it and mark it up before it’s brought to the floor,” a senior Democratic aide told Al-Monitor.
But Democratic leaders aren’t committing to putting the Combating BDS Act, introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., on the House floor amid a debate over free speech within their caucus.
The Senate today passed its first bill clamping down on the pro-Palestinian boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel by a vote of 77 to 23.
“I think there is clearly a question of drawing the line on free speech and the right of anybody to advocate the policy that they want and actions to hurt an ally of the United States and I think that’s an important distinction,” Hoyer said. “I am not sure the Rubio legislation drew that distinction properly.”
The Republican-held Senate prioritized the Combating BDS Act as its first order of business in the new Congress, as part of a broader package of Middle East bills.
Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, has introduced the House version of that package — including the anti-BDS provision — in his capacity as the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. But it remains unclear if committee Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., will take up the legislation given Hoyer’s concerns.
“The problem is the Senate passed … a package of four bills, so it wasn’t discrete,” Hoyer told reporters last week. The anti-BDS bill, he pointed out, “has not been vetted in the House.”
While the legislation has significant bipartisan support, Republicans did not advance the House version of the bill, introduced by Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., when they controlled the lower chamber last year.
The bill would fall under the jurisdiction of the Financial Services Committee. That could give the pro-BDS freshman Tlaib — the first Palestinian American woman in Congress — a chance to make a case against it.
The bill would give legal cover to state-level anti-BDS laws targeting boycotts of Israel or its West Bank settlements. More than 20 states currently have anti-BDS laws or executive actions on the books, according to an analysis from the Foundation for Middle East Peace, which opposes the legislation. They range from regulations requiring states to divest pension funds from entities boycotting Israel or its settlements, to laws prohibiting public agencies from doing business with pro-BDS advocates — including individual contractors.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has challenged many of these laws in court, arguing that they violate constitutionally protected free speech rights. It has also lobbied Congress against the Combating BDS Act, arguing that it encourages states to pass similarly unconstitutional laws.
The ACLU also argues that another anti-BDS bill, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, introduced by Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., is unconstitutional. Hoyer has endorsed that bill despite his skepticism of Rubio’s effort.
“Mr. Cardin has issued a very good rebuttal that speech is not constrained, actions are constrained,” Hoyer told Al-Monitor last month. “[Israel is] an important ally and important to the national security of the United States.”
Cardin’s bill would levy a criminal penalty of up to $1 million on US-based companies and their employees if they provide information to multilateral institutions such as the United Nations that could be used to publicly list businesses operating in the West Bank. Still, Hoyer noted that he hasn’t whipped his caucus to see if the votes are there.
While Cardin’s bill sat dormant in the Senate Banking Committee last year, the House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously advanced its own version, which would have allowed the Donald Trump administration to write anti-boycott regulations and penalties. But Omar, the other pro-BDS freshman, sits on Foreign Affairs, giving her a prominent perch to muster Democratic opposition to the bill.
Finally, House Middle East panel Chairman Ted Deutch, D-Fla., partnered with former Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., to introduce the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act last year. The legislation broadens the Department of Education's definition of anti-Semitism, potentially allowing the Trump administration to crack down on academic boycotts of Israel. The ACLU argues that the bill would chill free speech on college campuses. | {
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THE FORCE DE-FROSTS by Ryan McGee
I’m an ice cream connoisseur. I’m going on my fourth year managing and working at an ice cream shop, so that sorta makes me a big deal in the ice cream industry. Sorta.
But I got to thinking…what if we decided to make ice cream flavors for the characters in the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens? I present to you…The Force De-Frosts.
1) Rey-nbow Sherbet– Not your Grandma’s orange sherbet, let me tell ya. This strong and beautiful sherbet busts through the mold of what sherbets have been expected to be in the past by mixing together an empowering raspberry base with a badass pineapple swirl.
2) Kylo Carmel Crunch – A dark chocolate base ice cream that takes over your cone to finish the plans of the dark side…of the freezer. This powerful flavor packs a crunch with chocolate krispies that make sure you are consumed by the dark chocolate. The soft caramel flows through the darkness, growing stronger as it takes over your mouth.
3) Poe-conut Chip – The best ice cream in the ice cream galaxy, flying off the shelves and into your mouth! The ice cream has been through some hard times, but at the end of the day it’ll be the best damn(eron) ice cream you’ve ever had.
4) Chewy Cheesecake Supreme – A cheesecake ice cream that’ll make you go “Rrrrrrr-ghghghghghgh!” The loyal sidekick to your Han Bowlo will co-pilot this delicious cheesecake ice cream into your mouth and into parts unknown.
5) Snokerdoodle Ice Cream – The mysterious Snokerdoodle ice cream that appears time to time delivering messages from the dark side of the freezer. There’s been an awakening…and that awakening is the want for more ice cream!
6) Almond-al Ackbar – A classic flavor that’s been in the business for awhile. This almond base ice cream with almond pieces and chocolate chunks will lead you to great success and make you exclaim “It’s a Chip!”
Written by Ryan McGee @ mcgeetothemax
Follow @spidercrimes on Twitter for more updates | {
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Cum Guzzler Delivery Service in Japan
Note: to turn off these warnings you need to set the 'safe mode' to OFF (on the top right) | {
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Enligt skyddsombudet känner man till fem tillfällen när hjulen lossnat från bussarna. Vid två tillfällen har däcket rullat ut i terrängen. ”Vi känner en stor oro”, skriver skyddsombudet i en begäran om åtgärd till Arriva. Enligt Stefan Karlsson, teknisk chef på Arriva, handlar det i stället om tre tillfällen under en period på tre månader.
Efter kravet från huvudskyddsombudet har Arriva påbörjat en utredning om de lossnande hjulen.
– Det är klart att det är allvarligt, säger Ola Insulander, kommunikatör på Arriva.
Problem med muttrar
– Vi har haft problem med muttrarna och felet har åtgärdats. Det åker inte runt bussar med felaktiga hjulmuttrar längre, säger Christer Ekelund, Arrivas kommunikationschef.
Enligt huvudskyddsombudet ska Arriva i början av september lovat att sätta låsbrickor på alla drivaxlar, men i skrivelsen från i förra veckan skriver huvudskyddsombudet att det inte gjordes.
Svaret dröjer
Enligt skyddsombudet ska Arriva i början av september också ha sagt att samtliga förare ska informeras om händelserna, något som enligt huvudskyddsombudet inte heller gjordes.
Ola Insulander, kommunikatör på Arriva, säger att han inte har någon information om låsbrickorna, men att information om händelserna nu finns på bussdepåns intranät och på informationsskärmar på arbetsplatsen.
Arriva ska återkomma till skyddsombuden med ett formellt svar nästa vecka. | {
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Twenty children sit in the miniature courtyard in front of a central “mosque” built of beautiful designs beneath a rich lattice structure. In front of them, a fountain filled—not with water—but with handwritten notes from the Asian, black, Hispanic, and white preschoolers who were challenged to write their wishes for a better world.
The exhibit was in many ways like others found in children’s museum settings. Playful learning abounds as pretend sailors work collaboratively to place coconuts and special pots on the big ship bound for the Americas. Children climb atop a large camel, poised in front of pictures from the African deserts. Shops carry beautifully woven Moroccan rugs bearing designs native to North Africa, custom-made in Morocco for the exhibit. The shops—of rugs, rarely found fruits from Indonesia and spices from Egypt are modeled after those in the home country. But in real streets in Queens, Brooklyn, and Harlem—within a few miles of the museum itself—these same items can all be found. In this miniature world, children have implicit lessons in counting and spatial arrangements, skills reinforced in the block-building area where six children are busily constructing architectural wonders with Arabesque flare.
Children attend the “America to Zanzibar” exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, which celebrates the diversity of Muslim cultures in America and around the world.
Learning through exploration
Children’s museums are hubs where discovers and explorers unite to learn precisely those skills that prepare them for learning in a fast-paced 21st century world—collaboration, communication, content (physics, math, narrative), critical thinking (problem solving that helps them construct the beautiful mosques), creativity, and confidence (to take intellectual risks). These “6Cs” are an integrated suite of skills born from research in the science of learning—skills that we argue are the key to Becoming Brilliant, our forthcoming book to be released this summer.
One could stop here, admiring the beautifully conceived and richly researched context for playful learning that emerges in the Muslim Cultures exhibit. One could merely see this as a place to groom 21st century skills and real learning. To do so, however, would cheapen the breadth of the experience for children and their families.
When you enter the central courtyard at the Muslim exhibit, children are also transported to a new culture. They are invited to understand more about the varied people who make up the tapestry of New York, and of America itself. To the west of the exhibit courtyard—children can see and experiment with instruments from across the Muslim world. Apps in the museum even give them a chance to listen to and interact with the sounds of the culture. To the east of the courtyard, they can trace their name in Arabic, and in the far reaches of the exhibit they can go on a virtual Google map journey to beautiful mosques around the world—all designed in surround visuals to transport, immerse, and inform. Here, children go into the homes and shops of their Muslim neighbors and see that “Muslim” is not just a singular noun; it represents a diverse set of people and customs.
A young boy plays in front of the community water fountain in the courtyard of the “America to Zanzibar” exhibit held at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.
Creating a Muslim Cultures exhibit in a children’s museum, right in New York, is a bold move. It is a stake in the ground against racism and it is a statement that if we are going to change our attitudes and behaviors about people different than we are, we must do so by learning more and by respecting others.
In a sense, the Muslim Cultures exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) is an act of faith that our children will appreciate this exhibit as they have others. In their eyes, differences among people nourish a world of possibilities—of new sounds and sights that foster the creative spirit. Children seem to understand that we are united, not separated, by our differences. Perhaps we can all learn from children’s play and from the way children of all shades and religions interact in this exhibit. Perhaps we too can add to that fountain of wishes, encouraging more institutions to shine a spotlight on the riches of Muslim culture in an era that is often punitive and disrespectful to our fellow Americans. Thank you CMOM for enabling playful learning that not only feeds our minds but also our social conscience. | {
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Overwatch never stays still for long, and so the question that is always on a Blizzard fan’s lips is ‘who is the next Overwatch hero?’ The original 21 – now 31 – heroes won’t keep everyone occupied forever, and Blizzard has always been upfront that Overwatch would grow, and for free, too.
With Overwatch’s lore told the way it is, through vague hints and out-of-game stories, teases come easily and often from the big blue. Be it a dossier buried in some notes on a map, a name slipped into a blog post, or a long-known character finally being added as a playable hero, there are always hints as to who’s next – and we’ve gathered them all here.
First, a note on release timing: characters are released one at a time, so don’t ever expect to see multiple at once unless something strange goes on. Now, onto the new Overwatch heroes. Remember that some of this is guesswork, rumour-milling and hint-mongering at the best of times, so not all of these will resolve into heroes, if at all – where things are unlikely, we’ll let you know. We’re not expecting to ever see something as mad and long-lasting as the Sombra ARG again, but never say never.
Overwatch Hero 32: Echo
It’s now official: the next Overwatch hero is Echo, as revealed in the Echo Origin Story video below.
We now know about Echo’s abilities, but what do we know about Echo herself? We’ve seen a fragment of a ‘personal log from Dr Mina Liao’, the creator of Echo, and one of the founders of Overwatch.
> Accessing… > Fragment Recovered: Personal Log of Dr. Mina Liao > File status: Complete pic.twitter.com/8pNW3RO1sp — Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) March 16, 2020
Thanks to this personal log, we know she worked on the Athena AI, and that she had begun work on a ‘new project’ to follow on from Athena – which seems to be Echo, who she calls her ‘life’s work’. She also describes her personal philosophy toward omnics: that ‘artificial life is still fundamentally life’, and that she is seeking to ‘show the world a better way’. But what do we know about Echo herself?
Echo is a sleek robotic lady who we first saw back in the Reunion animated short, when she was rescued by McCree from Ashe and the Deadlock gang. Echo was also seen in the Zero Hour trailer for Overwatch 2, meaning fans were expecting to see her as one of the new Overwatch 2 heroes – but instead she arrived early, and will be part of the Overwatch roster. For her full backstory, see our guide to everything we know about Echo.
We’ve been anticipating Echo for a while; concept art closely resembling Echo can be traced back to pre-release, where we saw a full cast roster featuring a character with a near identical silhouette.
This concept art, however, looks slightly different to the Echo we ended up with – instead of a face, the proto-echo has a single cyborg eye and an A shape on its forehead that bears a striking resemblance to the Athena logo – Athena being the AI that assists Winston in running Overwatch, as well as the voice you hear at the start of every round. During the Blizzcon 2017 Archives panel, we saw concept art of a hero called Iris, who again shares the same distinctive silhouette, but an entirely different face.
Mauga
A recent Overwatch comic introduces us to a new Talon character called Mauga. While new character mentions isn’t usually enough to go on, the comic goes into quite a lot of detail when it comes to this new character, even describing aspects like his weapons. Mauga is a close friend of Overwatch hero 30, Baptiste, but is a lot less moral.
There are references in the story to Mauga’s strength and stature, clearly depicting him as a tank, and also a couple of nods to his weaponry. Apparently, Mauga is so strong he can dual-wield machine guns that are cooled by massive tanks on his back.
> Accessing archived file… Decryption status: IN PROGRESS
Target: Located pic.twitter.com/AUmV8LlUJc — Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) April 8, 2019
Sojourn
A promotional trailer for Overwatch’s Archives event introduces us to a potential new Overwatch hero called Sojourn. During the trailer, we’re privy to a decrypted audio message intended for Soldier 76. Within that message, the female Overwatch agent informs Commander Morrison of a new approach to capturing the game’s villain Doomfist.
Little is known about her right now, but from Sojourn’s encounter with Soldier 76 we can glean that she works for the international task force, Overwatch, and holds a position of leadership within it – Hence bossing around Morrison, himself.
Athena – Support AI
Athena isn’t actually a new character, she’s been in the game since the very first days of the beta. Taking the same role as the Administrator in Team Fortress 2, Athena is Overwatch’s announcer – letting you know when you’re about to get into battle, win, lose, or kill entire teams.
In the lore, she’s the AI that helps to run Overwatch as an organisation, specifically assisting Winston in the creation of his scientific marvels and in restarting Overwatch in the Recall cinematic. She almost gets hacked by Reaper, but manages to reboot before he can finish.
The reason people believe she’ll become a character is twofold. First is that she’s already a massive part of the game’s backstory and fits into a support role. She’d be a very natural addition to the cast and one that people want – effort and passion Blizzard won’t want to waste.
The second reason comes down to concept art and pre-release evidence. It’s been theorised that the various full cast shots released for the game over the years, before the first roster of 21 heroes was locked in, already showed her off. A cyclops omnic was in one shot, in the foreground just enough that it would suggest Blizzard were confident they would make it in. It also featured a very similar logo on its forehead to the Athena one seen in-game.
We asked Blizzard directly about Athena during an interview, but they had nothing to say about where she was going – not at launch, anyway. This robot bares a striking resemblance to Iris, one of the pre-launch heroes shown during the BlizzCon 2017 archives panel. While that doesn’t mean we definitely won’t be seeing Athena, it does seem unlikely it would be in a similar form to one they were so willing to show in a throwaway image.
Jeff Kaplan’s DICE 2017 talk had this image of some hero silhouettes, and look who showed up:
She’s also appeared in a huge amount of concept art over the years – but unlike Spider Tank, continues to appear in newer pieces, like the above. Athena, or Echo as some others call her, has continued to appear in promotional content. During Ashe’s cinematic, she appears at the end to talk to McCree. That’s not to say she’s done appearing in promotional content, though, as there was another Overwatch Echo leak just before BlizzCon 2019, which depicts her in battle with the rest of the heroes.
Recluse, aka Spider Tank
The image above is a very old piece of concept art for Overwatch, which we finally got a decent look at during Jeff Kaplan’s DICE talk in early 2017. In the centre is a strange half-spider, half-woman, laser-spewing baddie who remains the only unidentifiable hero in the piece.
Exactly who or what ‘she’ is hasn’t been confirmed, though Blizzard have dodged any questions about her so far. This old Overwatch art also popped up again in Kaplan’s talk:
The woman with the purple wings at the back, previously thought to be an old design for Pharah, is the same hero, her legs seemingly unfolding from there. Bastion has multiple forms, so perhaps this is another hero with multiple configurations. Here’s a close-up:
To calm our bonfire a tad, both pieces of art are from as early as 2014, with the second clearly depicting an Overwatch that was far edgier than the version that came to life. Many recognisable characters can be seen there, but equally loads have been totally changed since this time. She also showed up as ‘Recluse’ during the Overwatch Archives panel at BlizzCon 2017.
A lot of the hype for her also came due to confusions between leaked Orisa descriptions and the timing of Kaplan’s DICE talk. Mega-rad as she is, it’s possible she hasn’t been a part of the cast for a long, long time. With such a massive presence in the battlescape art and her odd aesthetic, it would also be understandable if she was more of an NPC boss than a playable character.
The Junkertown Queen
Revealed as part of the Junkertown cinematic short and present in a picture on the map itself, the officially un-named character that rules over Junkrat and Roadhog’s hometown was an immediate community favourite. Here’s the only picture there is of her:
Arguments against it being any time soon are many – she was clearly never intended to get the community so super-interested in this way. She’d also be the third character from the same place, and beyond a bit of voice acting in the Junkertown trailer she’s not exactly fleshed out.
But, community demand affects every game and there’s a lot for the Queen. It may be a long way down the road but we’ll probably see her – eventually.
Alejandra
This is much more of a guess, but one the community has built up a lot of evidence for. Alejandra and her mother feature in the Soldier: 76 animated short Hero. With the focus put on this character – even more so than Soldier himself, despite the latter actually featuring in the game already – many felt it was a hint towards a future hero. Some even pointed to Alejandra and Sombra being the same character, due to both having a connection to the Dorado map. While that doesn’t seem to be true (though who knows with Sombra’s unreliable tales of her own past), Alejandra’s significance hasn’t been downgraded in the minds of some.
The main issue here is timelines, though Overwatch’s is rather confused as it is. Alejandra’s age is never verified, or when the cinematic short takes place, but the youngest current character is D.Va at 19 – it seems unlikely Blizzard would want to go much younger than that. Of course, having a future version of a character isn’t exactly out of the realms of believability either. Her mother, on the other hand, would dodge that, though is given significantly less characterisation in Hero.
If Alejandra is an upcoming hero, she’s probably a ways off – others have been built up much more, and there are less-finished storylines that still need to play out. Her voice actress, Brigitte Kali, said on Twitter during the Sombra hype that she “couldn’t say much” about future plans with Blizzard. At the time people thought that confirmed suspicions as to who Alejandra grew up into, but Sombra’s voice actress is Carolina Ravassa. If she wasn’t just teasing, it does mean we’ll see more of her, eventually.
Others
Then there are the characters that could become full-fleshed heroes, but there isn’t strong evidence that they will. These are mostly minor characters from maps, comics or animated shorts.
Rather than listing every single character in the Overwatch expanded universe, we’ve cut it down to ones that have a significant enough impact on the world or focus put on them that it’s believable they might make the jump eventually. | {
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By Raymond Bonner, Special to ProPublica
It was one of the greatest disappearing acts of modern times.
Amid a swirl of allegations and rumors that the Nugan Hand Bank was involved in arms smuggling, drug-running, and covert operations for the CIA, the institution’s American founder vanished from Australia. Thirty-five years later, that man, Michael Jon Hand, was tracked to a small town in Idaho where he has been living under the name of Michael Jon Fuller.
Hand was found by an Australian writer, Peter Butt, whose just-released book, Merchants of Menace, discloses Hand’s whereabouts after decades of mystery.
If finding Hand, now 73, solves one mystery, it raises another. How could he have lived in the United States so long without being detected? He changed his name only slightly, from Hand to Fuller, and did not get a new Social Security number, according to Butt.
Hand’s company, G.M.I. Manufacturing, is registered with the Idaho secretary of state. The company “now manufactures tactical weapons for US Special Forces, special operations groups and hunters,’’ Butt writes. Has Hand/Fuller been brazen, foolish, or, as Butt asks, does he belong “to a protected species, most likely of the intelligence kind?”
Two years after fleeing Australia, in 1982, when the CIA was involved in a covert operation to overthrow the left-wing Sandinista government in Nicaragua, Hand was working as a military adviser in the region where the anti-Sandinista “contras” were based, according to an Australian intelligence document, which was declassified earlier this year.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The CIA has previously denied it had any links to Hand.
Hand had been a Green Beret in Vietnam and a CIA operative in Laos before moving to Australia, where he and Frank Nugan, a wealthy playboy, established the Nugan Hand Bank in 1973, with $80. Hand fled Australia seven years later, after Nugan was found dead inside his Mercedes-Benz, his left hand holding the barrel of a .30-caliber rifle a few inches from his head, his right hand near the trigger.
During an inquest into Nugan’s death, Hand testified that the bank was insolvent, owing investors large and small some $50 million. The inquest ruled Nugan’s death a suicide, a finding many Australians found dubious.
With depositors and law enforcement authorities in pursuit, Hand, with assistance from a former CIA officer, secured a forged Australian passport, donned a false mustache and beard, and fled Australia in June of 1980. He flew to Fiji, then on to Canada, from which he could cross into the United States without a visa.
The Sydney Morning Herald first reported on Butt’s findings on Monday. In a segment that aired Sunday night, Australia’s 60 Minutes filmed Hand/Fuller emerging from a pharmacy at a shopping mall in Idaho Falls. He has a full beard and neck brace, and was wearing sunglasses and a blue checked shirt. He refused to answer any questions or speak at all when confronted by 60 Minutes reporter Ross Coulthart.
Suspicions about the bank’s links to the CIA arose almost immediately after Nugan was found dead. His wallet contained the business card of William E. Colby, who had been director of the CIA from 1973 to 1976.
Colby was forced to resign when it was reported that the agency had been engaged in illegal spying on American citizens. He became a legal adviser to Nugan Hand, and on the back of his business card were handwritten dates when someone, presumably Colby, would be in Hong Kong and Singapore.
As reporters began digging into Nugan Hand, they found that Colby wasn’t the only individual with an intelligence or military background involved with the bank.
“Nugan Hand had enough generals, admirals, and spooks to run a small war,” Jonathan Kwitny, an investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal, wrote in the definitive book about the bank, The Crimes of Patriots: A True Tale of Dope, Dirty Money, and the CIA.
The president was a retired Navy admiral; the head of the Manila branch, a retired Air Force general; the head of the Washington office, a retired Army general; another retired Army general ran the office in Hawaii.
In a review of Kwitny’s book in The New York Times, Howard Blum asks: “Why were so many honorable men working for such a blatantly corrupt organization?”
Several former CIA operatives also had links to the bank of one kind or another, including Frank Terpil and Edwin Wilson, who were indicted for selling explosives to Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. (Terpil fled to Cuba, where he still lives. Wilson, who was convicted and sentenced to prison, died in 2012.)
In Australia, the collapse of Nugan Hand was the subject of several high-level investigations in the 1980s. They found, generally, that the bank was engaged in money laundering, tax evasion, and violation of Australian banking laws. One investigation found links between Hand and the CIA, while another did not. At the time, Australian investigators complained about the lack of help from the FBI.
Hand, who was raised in the Bronx, studied forestry for a year before enlisting in the Army in 1963. He was sent to Vietnam, where he was awarded a Purple Heart, Silver Star, and the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest combat medal. At some point, he became a contractor operative for the CIA and did work for Air America, the agency’s front airline, according to one of the Australian investigations.
He visited Sydney on “R&R”—“rest and recuperation,” the once-yearly out for American soldiers in Vietnam—and eventually emigrated. He hung out at the Bourbon and Beefsteak Bar, in King’s Cross, then and now Sydney’s seedy vice district, where he met Frank Nugan. They began selling real estate, primarily to American servicemen in Southeast Asia, then trading in silver bullion, before opening the bank.
Nugan wrote the bank a check for $980,000, then covered it by writing a bank check to himself for the same amount. “Through this elementary accounting fraud, Nugan could claim that the company’s paid-up capital was a million dollars,” Alfred W. McCoy writes in The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade.
From those humble and corrupt beginnings grew a global goliath that attracted investors with promises of 16 percent interest on deposits, in off-shore accounts. By 1979, Nugan Hand had 13 branches around the world, and many of its depositors were drug traffickers, according to Australian investigators.
Hand told colleagues that it was his ambition that the bank “become a banker for the CIA,” according to the findings of one of the Australian investigations.
Efforts to reach Hand were unsuccessful. | {
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“This so-called permanent agreement after 50 days of fire and bloodshed, leaving 400 children murdered, is signed just on the 50th anniversary of the creation of PLO (the Palestine Liberation Organization),” Nathalie Goulet said in an email interview with the Tasnim News Agency.
She was referring to a ceasefire deal between Palestinians and Israel, which was mediated in Cairo and took effect on Tuesday evening.
The truce, which ended seven weeks of Israeli brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip, has called for an indefinite halt to hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza's blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt and a widening of the territory's fishing zone in the Mediterranean.
Palestinian health officials say 2,142 people, most of them civilians, including more than 490 children, have been killed in the enclave since July 8, when Israel launched an offensive on the coastal enclave of 1.8 million population.
Elsewhere in her comments, Goulet insisted that the State of Palestine should be entitle to enjoy its own “flag, national anthem, currency and territories with safe borders” as a sovereign country.
“The international community has now a duty to resolve the Palestinians’ issues,” she underlined.
On Wednesday, a United Nations World Food Program (WFP) convoy crossed from Egypt into the Gaza Strip for the first time since 2007, carrying enough food for around 150,000 people for five days.
Eighteen trucks carrying food parcels containing ready-to-eat items such as canned meat, beans, tea and other drinks, made the seven-hour trip from Alexandria to the Rafah crossing, which has been closed since the start of the Gaza blockade in 2007, the WFP said in a statement. | {
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Aldi has removed thousands of kilos of vegetables after a customer complained that she had found part of a rat in one bag of frozen mixed greens.
Aldi said in a statement that it had removed the product from sale “to prevent any further issues”. “We have suspended all orders from this production site whilst we investigate this matter,” the budget supermarket said.
It came after Aldi customer Pat Batemen complained to the budget supermarket chain and was offered £30 compensation, a figure she said was later increased to £500.
“We had eaten almost all of the bag before we saw it – and what’s even worse, I fed it to my youngest granddaughter,” Ms Bateman told The Sun.
“It was nearly empty so that’s why I spotted something that looked out of place in the bottom of the bag,” she said. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I pulled it out. It just looked like half a rat. It had fur on it. I showed my husband and because it was frozen we left it to defrost before taking another look at it.” | {
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On Hiatus
Skeptical is a LGBT+ fantasy soup, slice of life/death romantic comedy about how different relationships grow and change over the course of three years. Starring: a boy who can shoot lasers from his chest, and a boy who doesn't know that he's dead. Currently on: Year One This comic contains lots of blood and sometimes gore! Other than that, it is mostly safe for work. Updates Tuesdays/Fridays! | {
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Last updated on .From the section World Cup
Vincent Kompany has won 77 caps for Belgium
Defender Vincent Kompany has been named in Belgium's 23-man squad for the World Cup despite being an injury doubt - but striker Christian Benteke misses out.
Manchester City captain Kompany, 32, suffered a groin injury during Saturday's goalless draw with Portugal.
Manager Roberto Martinez said he would make a decision on the centre-back's fitness closer to their opening match against Panama on 18 June.
He also said dropping Crystal Palace's Benteke was his "toughest decision".
Kompany has had a series of injuries over the past five seasons, although he was able play without problems for Premier League champions Manchester City from January until the end of the campaign.
Martinez - whose side are in England's group - said he can call up a replacement until 24 hours before the Panama game.
"He is a true leader - his leadership is essential for us," the Spaniard added.
The former Everton boss has trimmed his squad from 28 players, with Real Sociedad's former Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj keeping his place.
"I expect a lot from him," said Martinez. "He is a real talent in one-on-one situations. He will bring us freshness."
Benteke has scored three goals for club and country this season and Martinez has preferred Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku and Michy Batshuayi of Chelsea for the central striker position.
Newcastle goalkeeper Matz Sels, Watford's Christian Kabasele and fellow defender Jordan Lukaku of Lazio are the other players to miss out, while Los Angeles FC defender Laurent Ciman is on standby.
Belgium also face Tunisia in Group G.
Last week, footage of 23 mattresses being loaded up by a Belgian bedding company before their departure for Russia had people guessing who would miss out on a place.
But those assumptions turned out to be wide of the mark.
West Brom forward Nacer Chadli, who has only played twice since December, has made the squad, while the ankle injury that Batshuayi suffered while playing for Borussia Dortmund in April has not prevented his inclusion.
"The last time I was on a pitch, some doctors told me that my World Cup dreams were over, today I'm going Russia," Batshuayi posted on social media. external-link
Belgium's final 23-man squad
Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Thomas Meunier (Paris St-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Brom), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United). | {
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In a statement released on Tuesday, Rep. Marcia Fudge, pictured here with Rep. Lloyd Doggett, mourned Aisha Fraser’s death and said Lance Mason’s actions are not those of the man she once knew. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Congress Marcia Fudge vouched for man now accused of killing ex-wife The Ohio Democrat faces a new political problem.
Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge sent a letter several years ago supporting a former state lawmaker and judge in Ohio who is now accused of killing his ex-wife, an incident that could play out in the contest over the next speaker of the House.
Fudge asked for leniency in sentencing for Lance Mason in a 2015 letter after Mason admitted to brutally beating his then-wife, Aisha Fraser. On Saturday, Mason was arrested in connection with Fraser's death.
The case could become a political problem for Fudge, who had been considering challenging Nancy Pelosi for speaker in the next Congress until announcing Tuesday afternoon that she would not. Regardless, Fudge is now tied to a criminal case that is dominating headlines back in Cleveland.
Mason previously served nine months in prison for beating up Fraser, a sixth-grade teacher, in front of their daughters. He's now been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with Fraser’s death, according to the Shaker Heights Police Department. Mason injured a police officer while trying to drive away from the scene of the incident, according to news reports.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Fudge mourned Fraser’s death and said Mason’s actions are not those of the man she once knew.
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“My heart breaks for Aisha Fraser. I pray for Aisha’s family, especially her children, as they attempt to deal with this tragedy,” Fudge said in her statement. “My support of Lance in 2015 was based on the person I knew for almost 30 years — an accomplished lawyer, prosecutor, state legislator and judge. That’s the Lance Mason I supported. The person who committed these crimes is not the Lance Mason familiar to me. They were horrific crimes, and I condemn them.”
Mason had been working for the city of Cleveland as a minority business development administrator before his arrest.
In the 2014 case of domestic violence, Mason repeatedly punched Fraser in the head and slammed her face against a car dashboard, an attack that occurred in front of the couple’s two young children, according to news reports. Fraser was severely injured and required facial reconstructive surgery.
At the time, Fudge wrote a letter to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office on Mason’s behalf, Dan DeRoos, a local Cleveland reporter, noted in a Twitter post on Tuesday. Fudge served as director of that office before being elected to Congress in 2008.
In the letter, dated Aug. 9, 2015, Fudge said her view of Mason had been shaped by two decades of friendship.
“The Lance T. Mason that I know is a kind, intelligent man and loyal friend,” Fudge said. “The Lance T. Mason that I know is an advocate for the people of his community. Whether as a Country Prosecutor, State Senator, or Common Pleas Judge. He is well respected and well liked.”
Fudge added: “Lance Mason is a good man who made a very bad mistake. I can only hope you can see in Lance what I and others see.” | {
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If you want to gain a whole new appreciation for film as an art form, just go out and try to complete any minor project with a group of strangers. Get 10 people together. Of the ones who bother to show up, at least two will be the type who would rather die than compromise. So, now imagine trying to get several hundred people on the same page, and doing it under a tight deadline, with millions of dollars at stake. We're thinking these examples will actually make you feel better about the shit people argue about at your job ...
6 The Shawshank Redemption Was Delayed Due To Controversy About Killing A Maggot
Columbia Pictures
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Every movie that involves animals in any way is required to hire some people to monitor the production to ensure that the animals aren't mistreated. This is a pretty good rule -- it's what ensures that filmmakers aren't hitting a sedated bear with a Taser every time it fails to bite Leo DiCaprio's skull in exactly the right way.
20th Century Fox
"NO, NOT THE FACE, GODDAMMIT!"
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But then, you have what happened behind the scenes of The Shawshank Redemption. According to the DVD commentary, the filmmakers hired a representative of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to monitor the filming because one of the characters keeps a baby bird in his shirt pocket. This was back in the day when it was still cheaper to shove an actual baby bird in there instead of later constructing one out of CGI.
Fortunately, the ASPCA representative was fine with the bird, but, after being brought on to monitor the production, she had one other major issue that nobody could have predicted: In one scene, the character finds a maggot in his food and feeds it to the bird in his pocket. The ASPCA forbade them from shooting this scene because it technically involved cruelty to an "animal" -- the animal in question being the maggot that they bought from a bait shop.
Columbia Pictures
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Pictured: an unconscionable manifestation of intolerable evil. Almost.
According to the representative, the only way that they were permitted to shoot this scene as intended was if they used a maggot that had died of natural causes. So, the filmmakers were forced to delay production, standing around a bucket full of live maggots, waiting for one of them to have a heart attack or something before they could legally feed it to a bird on camera. But, what if the bird would have preferred to eat a live maggot, dammit? Did you even ask? | {
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Le conflit a éclaté entre le Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI) et le ministre de la Sécurité publique suppléant, Pierre Moreau. L’élu libéral a écarté quatre candidats, dont trois civils, à des postes d’enquêteur. Le BEI y voit une « ingérence complète et totale » visant à remplir de policiers l’organisme chargé d’enquêter sur les interventions policières durant lesquelles une personne décède ou subit une blessure grave, a appris Le Devoir.
M. Moreau n’a pas justifié sa décision de rejeter les candidatures des deux avocats, du journaliste et de l’ex-policier auprès de l’état-major du BEI. Il lui a plutôt commandé de lui proposer d’« autres policiers de la Sûreté du Québec [et] autochtones » pour grossir les rangs du Bureau, selon des informations colligées par Le Devoir.
La direction du BEI refuse de se plier à la consigne de M. Moreau, à défaut de quoi elle devrait renoncer à former une équipe d’enquêteurs paritaire de huit policiers et huit civils. « Il n’y a pas de concours. Il n’y aura pas de concours », insiste une source informée dans un entretien avec Le Devoir. « La loi ne dit pas que le ministre a à réviser les choix faits par la directrice du BEI, Madeleine Giauque », ajoute-t-elle.
Le cabinet de M. Moreau dément l’information selon laquelle il a enjoint au BEI de lui trouver des « recommandations » d’aspirants enquêteurs issus d’un corps policier. « Le ministre a demandé au BEI d’entreprendre un concours pour la nomination des civils. Il est toujours en attente de ces recommandations-là », a expliqué le conseiller politique Jean-Félix Levesque.
Plusieurs personnes consultées par Le Devoir soupçonnent des associations de policiers de chercher à bloquer la nomination de personnes jouissant d’une totale indépendance des services de police.
Selon nos informations, Me Giauque s’est plainte de la tournure des événements dans une lettre destinée au cabinet du premier ministre Philippe Couillard en début d’année.
Délais
Le BEI a fait connaître une liste de 16 candidats pressentis aux postes d’enquêteurs le 2 septembre 2015. La ministre Lise Thériault avait donné son feu vert, prévoyant leur nomination à la séance du Conseil des ministres du 4 novembre. Le ministre Pierre Moreau a entre-temps été catapulté à la tête du ministère de la Sécurité publique. Sous sa recommandation, le gouvernement du Québec a nommé les enquêteurs par vagues : sept le 11 novembre 2015, cinq le 16 décembre 2015.
À trois mois de l’ouverture du BEI, le Conseil des ministres a procédé à la nomination de 12 des 16 enquêteurs.
Quelques personnes consultées par Le Devoir jettent le doute sur la capacité du BEI à « remplir son mandat » avec une équipe toujours incomplète.
Trop près des milieux policiers
Le président de la Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ), Jacques Frémont, observe déjà une présence de plusieurs personnes « très près des milieux policiers » au sein de l’équipe d’enquête de 12 personnes du BEI. « S’il y a trop de membres issus des milieux policiers, le système va être difficilement crédible. […] Ça ne veut pas dire que ces gens-là n’exerceront pas leur fonction avec impartialité, mais le problème, c’est l’apparence d’impartialité », a-t-il soutenu.
Par ailleurs, M. Frémont a dit trouver « inquiétante » l’absence de BEI deux ans et demi après l’adoption des modifications à la Loi sur la police (mai 2013).
Le Parti québécois et Québec solidaire partagent les inquiétudes de la CDPDJ. « Les libéraux ont perverti le principe de la parité. Quand on parle de membres civils, il faut que ça soit des gens qui n’ont pas de lien avec la police. C’est la raison d’être du BEI. Sans ça, sa crédibilité est mise à mal », fait valoir le député péquiste Pascal Bérubé.
L’élu solidaire Amir Khadir appelle quant à lui à la création d’un groupe d’enquête formé exclusivement de civils. « Une chose est claire : les policiers ne doivent pas enquêter sur d’autres policiers. Pour assurer la meilleure transparence et restaurer la confiance, le BEI ne devrait nommer aucun ancien policier », a affirmé le député de Mercier, tout en reprochant à M. Moreau de « ne pas prendre le BEI au sérieux » et de vouloir « rester fidèle à l’omertà qui règne autour des corps policiers ».
Double formation
Puisque la formation de l’équipe a déjà commencé, l’imbroglio forcera le BEI à offrir une session « non prévue » aux enquêteurs « non nommés » au coût de quelque 250 000 dollars. « Ça va coûter une fortune », souligne la source, précisant du même souffle que le BEI a vu son budget de fonctionnement annuel passer de 4,8 millions à 3,2 millions de dollars.
La direction du BEI a donné le coup d’envoi de la formation d’une trentaine de personnes le lundi 11 janvier 2016, et ce, afin de lancer ses activités « début mai ». Les enquêteurs, superviseurs et gestionnaires suivent depuis un microprogramme universitaire taillé sur mesure pour eux à raison de quatre jours par semaine, pendant treize semaines.
L’École nationale de police du Québec (ENPQ) est « à la disposition du BEI », a indiqué de son côté le directeur des communications de l’établissement d’enseignement, Pierre Saint-Antoine.
Les quatre personnes retenues par le BEI, mais « non nommées » par l’équipe de Philippe Couillard, sont plongées dans l’incertitude. Elles ignoraient vendredi soir avoir été éjectées du processus de sélection. M. Moreau a donné la consigne de ne pas les avertir, fait remarquer un haut fonctionnaire dans un échange avec Le Devoir. C’est « irrespectueux », voire « indécent », a-t-il dit. Pourtant, les quatre candidats malheureux avaient réussi une évaluation psychométrique, une entrevue structurée et une appréciation par simulation (APS), en plus de conclure un projet de contrat avec le Secrétariat aux emplois supérieurs.
Avec Jessica Nadeau et Dave Noël | {
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34 Pages Posted: 9 Jul 2013 Last revised: 15 Apr 2014
Date Written: July 8, 2013
Abstract
Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion in Shelby County v Holder, holding unconstitutional a key part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, purports to be a modest decision written with reluctance and humility. The Court struck the coverage formula in Section 4 of the VRA used to determine which states and local governments must submit any proposed voting changes for federal approval (or “preclearance”) under Section 5. According to the majority, by failing to amend the VRA to update the coverage formula after the Court raised constitutional doubts about preclearance in the 2009 NAMUDNO case, Congress “leaves us today with no choice.” “Striking an Act of Congress ‘is the gravest and most delicate duty that this Court is called on to perform.’” The majority held that the coverage formula renewed by Congress without change in 2006 failed to take into account “current conditions” of discrimination in covered jurisdictions and failed to treat states with the “equal sovereignty” they deserved under the Tenth Amendment. Rather than strike down section 5, as Justice Thomas would have done, the Court “issue[d] no holding on § 5 itself, only on the coverage formula. Congress may draft another formula based on current conditions.” The short opinion for the five most conservative Justices on the Court - only two-thirds the size of Justice Ginsburg’s dissent for the four most liberal Justices - casts itself as adhering to precedent, reaching a result compelled by stare decisis and inevitably flowing from NAMUDNO. The majority ostensibly stands ready for Congress’s next step.
Despite the projected judicial modesty, the Shelby County Court was doing much more than calling balls and strikes and applying settled precedent to uncontested facts. Shelby County is an audacious opinion which ignores history, declines to engage the dissent’s powerful argument that the VRA’s bailout provisions solve any constitutional problem, and rejects the Roberts Court’s stated commitment to judicial minimalism in its treatment of facial challenges and severability. It pretends it is not overturning section 5 yet it sets a standard under which any new coverage formula will likely fail a constitutional test. The opinion disregards the pervasive polarization in the current Congress which dooms agreement on a new coverage formula and it seems to reject any replacement coverage formula.
But the opinion is minimalist in a difference important sense as well: its brevity seeks to mask major doctrinal and jurisprudential change. By writing a very short opinion and avoiding a discussion of the Fifteenth Amendment’s history and how the Court silently resolved a dispute over the applicable standard of review, the Court tried to hide the major jurisprudential hurdles it jumped to reach a political decision. The opinion, relying on a new and unjustified “equal sovereignty” principle, demeans the strength of Congress’s power to eradicate racial discrimination in voting, sidestepping a key standard of review question raised but not resolved in NAMUDNO regarding how much deference the Court owes Congress acting under its Fifteenth Amendment enforcement powers. The opinion’s brevity is an insult, not an act of modesty. As Justice Ginsburg remarked in dissent, “Hubris is a fit word for today’s demolition of the VRA.”
Yet the dissenters offer their own incomplete history of the VRA’s renewal, failing to grapple with the more complex record of the congressional reenactment. To hear the dissenters' story, Congress in 2006 was nearly universally behind the 25-year renewal of section 5 using the old coverage formula, and Congress would have had no idea that the continuing use of the same coverage formula could have doomed its constitutionality. In fact, it was a less happy story. Congress willfully ignored the problems with the coverage formula which legal scholars brought to Congress’s attention, and which were amply covered by a Senate report written by Republican committee staffers who were deeply skeptical of the Act’s continuing constitutionality. While the Shelby County majority minimized the audaciousness of its own holding, the dissenters minimized the difficult constitutional questions before Congress and before the Court.
Part I briefly describes the background of the Shelby County case, and in particular the questions left open in NAMUDNO. Part II analyzes the majority opinion, and explains the opinion as an act of false minimalism. Part III analyzes the dissenting opinion, and explains the dissent as one willfully silent about difficult constitutional questions. In the end, the dissenters had the better argument about the Act’s constitutionality, but the dissent would have been stronger had it described and grappled more forthrightly with the struggles over the VRA’s renewal and the dangers of political avoidance. Shelby County is important not just for the loss of preclearance, but the diminution of congressional power over voting rights in the future. | {
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Here's a little drawing based on the past of King Sombra (at least in the comics)Kinda inspired by the scene when they look into the crystal heart and see their destiny in the reflection, but reversed-Featured on EQD *yay* | {
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These are some thoughts on the daily reports issued by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. I'll be using data from the March 27 COVID-19 status report and the English Version.
Setting aside that these reports seem to be manually written in HTML by a human being (unlike other places that offer a dashboard, e.g. South Korea) there are some serious issues with this report format. I am writing this on March 29, but I will explain why am I using a report from March 27 at the end.
Sums? Where we are going, we don't need sums to work.
First, this is the breakdown table at the top of the report. I'm using the version from the English page, for legibility reasons. Here is an illustration of the legibility problem, using a grain of sesame:
Compare this with a Wikipedia page, with the same sesame grain.
First problem here is that none of the really important tables here are actually text based tables - they are images. Images with no alt text, hence will give you dead silence if you try to access the information with a screen reader. I won't go into the details why this is bad as that's enough material for a whole new post, but you can read more on this here.
On the other hand, it's extremely detailed, which is nice - but how do these numbers break down? The answer is, not in a very straightforward way.
So this table, confusingly enough is a quasi-hierarchy. It has these levels:
Level 1: PCR tested positive, PCR tested Level 2: With no symptoms, With symptoms, Under confirmation of the symptom, Death (this is special, see below) Level 3: w/Symptoms - Already discharged, w/Symptoms - Need in-patient treatment, w/o Symptoms - Already discharged, w/o Symptoms - Need in-patient treatment And so forth.
Tested negative is implicit. It's presumably pcr_tested - pcr_tested_positive . Ideally, pcr_positive and pcr_negative would have been level 1, with level 0 being pcr_tested .
Now confusingly enough, here is how you integrate to get PCR tested positive, which is level 2:
pcr_tested_positive = with_no_symptoms + with_symptoms + under_confirmation
Remember to not include death, because this is a quasi-hierarchy. The table tempts you to, but it's excluded. (The quasi-nature is because it is under the PCR tested positive umbrella on level 2.) So what about integrating level 3?
That's simple. You don't. Because no matter how hard you try, the numbers won't add up. (e.g. Give it a try - you'll end up with 129 != 131 and 1147 != 1191. We'll need one of these numbers later.) Level 4 adds up though, so the plot thickens.
So, up next - do the rows integrate nicely? Fortunately - yes. Does the breakdown matter to the average joe? Not really. Unless you are a healthcare official, the details really don't matter - the average population only needs to know the summed numbers to be able to compare how bad the situation is with other countries, and how careful they should be when leaving their homes.
Here is a simplified version I made that shows only what matters to the average person.
According to this data, the positive case mortality rate is around 3.21%.
The statistically disappearing ghost ship passengers
Moving on to the next chart, we can see some interesting patterns here.
First, there is a new number that was not disclosed in the previous table - 2059, and 672 respectively. So what are these? 2059 is a sum including the cruise ship passengers. Even worse, in the Japanese version even this table is missing - and only provides a separate table with the cruise ship numbers, and completely omits the summed count.
Why? Nobody knows. The problem here is that these people are no longer on the ship; and have actually landed on Japanese soil. So the real number of positive cases on Japanese soil is actually 2059, and not 1387 as the previous table suggests. It is also worth noting that 603 of the 672 people have been discharged, and nobody has a slight idea where these people are as of today.
On top of that, "cured" cases reported by the government in press releases (but not this report, so the numbers aren't off by 600 people) include patients from the cruise ship, so if you calculate the ratio of cured to infected, it's on a different magnitude. Number magic! Deaths on the other hand have not been summed, so if you are a Japanese citizen who happened to die of COVID-19 complications after getting off of the Diamond Princess, you have not contributed to the mortality rate. Yay for statistics!
Moving on to the next nit, there is a bubble that says "from severe to moderate/mild symptoms" with a value next to it, but crossing two cells. What does this mean? Nobody knows, and there is no explanation why it crosses two cells on the page either.
The previous table, which is dated "12:00, Mar. 27", this table is dated "18:00 Mar. 26". That is a 18 hour difference between two adjacent tables - yet the total cases are exactly the same. So either all the hospitals are clocking out exactly at 18:00 and halting all testing, or something is very wrong.
Look Woody, infected people everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
Now, after roughly two screens worth of a information summarized about the local situation, they move on to a static table breakdown of the global situation with no visualization. This section allocates a 53.47% of the vertical pixel real estate of the entire report. Sure, it's useful information - but not in a table which doesn't allow sorting with no plot. Here is the real-estate breakdown visualized:
Here is the thing - there are a dozens of places that do this better than this page, so the citizens here can look them up there. Even if English literacy is not a thing in Japan, I'm sure Ctrl+F and typing a country name in English for specific cases is not rocket science for anyone who has finished mandatory public education. Why they allocate so much space to information very few will read is a mystery - if they really want to, this should probably be a separate post.
I'm not sure what the intent of this is. Is it to show how terrible the rest of the world is and how great Japan is managing the situation? I don't know.
I normally don't sum things, but when I do - they don't add up.
Now, we finally move on to the meat of the report. Local regional breakdowns. Why this is after the global numbers is beyond me, but at this point it seems like anything goes.
The table columns are in the order of municipality, patients, currently in-hospital, discharged, and dead.
Now to add more consistency to the report, we have yet another unsortable static table. You can also see here that unlike the previous table, it has been sorted by the second column, which is well, consistent with none of the tables we have seen so far - but at this point, who cares.
This time, the sum of patients include the dead. Try it yourself.
227 = 194 + 28 + 5
There is no rhyme or reason behind the inconsistencies between the first summary table and the regional breakdown. (Not to mention that none of the tables have matching columns for baseline comparison, because that seemed like a good idea at the time to someone at Kasumigaseki.) There isn't much more to write about here, common sense seems to be a scarce resource to those who have been involved in the report.
Moving on, here is the grand total.
Wait, what? Where did 1191 come from? When is this table from? Well, nobody knows - it's not written anywhere. Let's add those up, like we did on the first row of the same table.
828 + 319 + 46 = 1193
What?
What we do know is that this is yet another set of new numbers which don't match up to anything we have seen so far. Or does it? Remember they noted 無症状病原体保有者を除く (excluding those who are asymptomatic) above? Well, let's try that - here are some assumptions we will make based on what the government probably was thinking.
Awaiting is considered asymptomatic, because that lowers the count. No symptoms, right? Asymptomatic is obviously asymptomatic. The dead has no symptoms, obviously. Remember we pretend the ghost ship passengers don't exist? They don't. They don't exist. Shhh.
Ah, but there is 1191, which is the "with symptoms" column sum in the first table, right? But what about awaiting and dead and all of that? Maybe there is another way to compute this.
After trying a bunch of combinations from the table above, the conclusion is that this number might also come from this function.
sum_local = pcr_positive - with_no_symptoms - awaiting_symptoms
1191 = 1349 - 131 - 27
It turns out - this magic function works for all rows. That means the hierarchy is represented in yet another confusing form, but let's not go too deep into that.
I have no idea what they did about the dead, but the dead do not seem to be part of the equation. Why they chose this particular subset is beyond me.
Incompetence? That's our Scrapeshield.
To add insult to injury, if you want to use these reports as a foundation for analysis, you are in for a surprise. (at least I was.)
Here are some issues that I encountered:
The report formats constantly seem to change Images, as noted above No semantics or meaningful selectors in the markup Multiple report types No URL patterns
The reason why I used a two day old report on March 29 is simple, there was no full report yesterday nor today. I'm guessing the Tokyo lockdown means that nobody can get to work, and PCs are too expensive to buy for home use so the people at the Ministry of Health can enjoy a nice weekend with hoarded pasta.
(4) in particular is interesting - the government releases multiple types of reports, depending on the week of day. Here are the different types: (you can see the full list here)
新型コロナウイルス感染症の現在の状況と厚生労働省の対応について : Full report. Only released on weekdays. Summary table, cruise ship table, international table, followed by regional breakdown table.
: Full report. Only released on weekdays. Summary table, cruise ship table, international table, followed by regional breakdown table. 新型コロナウイルス感染症の現在の状況について : Weekend/public holiday edition. Summary table, cruise ship table, and international table. No local regional breakdown.
: Weekend/public holiday edition. Summary table, cruise ship table, and international table. No local regional breakdown. 新型コロナウイルスに関連した患者等の発生について: Released daily. Least useful, easiest to parse. Contains only a delta of new confirmed cases (no status, like the regional breakdown in the fully report) broke down by region.
There is still no delta report for today as of now (March 29, 16:16) and as the report release time is not noted on the posts, I'm not sure when to expect it.
(UPDATE: I see it now, as of 19:30. I'm suspecting the 18:00 timestamp from earlier is probably related to this. Just a guess.)
Suggestions
So, so far I've been complaining about this report type with no actionable feedback - which is bad. I doubt the Japanese government will read this post and actually take any sensible action, but here are some suggestions. | {
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Here's what Jim Cramer's watching for when Canopy Growth reports after the bell Thursday.
What should we expect from Canopy?
Canopy Growth (CGC) - Get Report is scheduled to report its third-quarter results on Thursday, with analysts expecting a loss of 13 cents a share, a year after the company surprised Wall Street by reporting a profit of 1 cent a share when analysts were looking for a loss of 4 cents, reported TheStreet's Tony Owusu.
Related: Cannabis Stocks Are Getting Their Second Wind
Cramer pointed out that Canopy Growth CEO Bruce Linton is looking to make cannabis-infused beverages and may even beat PepsiCo (PEP) - Get Report and Coca-Cola (KO) - Get Report to market with a cannabis-infused soda and other beverages.
Watch Jim Cramer's Daily NYSE Show and Replays Below | {
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2016 Dauphine Route
The route for the 2016 Critérium du Dauphiné has been presented today, a ray of summer sunshine amid the clouds, mud and crosswinds that dominate the sport right now. The Dauphiné is a race that’s often seen in the shadow of the Tour de France because it borrow some of the same roads and also because it’s a dress rehearsal for July but this is always a good race in its own right, think Chris Froome’s final stage overhaul of Tejay van Garderen in last year or Andrew Talansky’s tactical masterpiece the year before. Here’s a closer look at this year’s route and more.
Things start with a novelty, an uphill prologue above the ski resort of Les Gets with 3.9km at an average of 9.7% but as the profile shows it’s got some much steeper sections. It’s novel to use such steep roads but not unique, you might remember the 2013 Tour de Romandie where Chris Froome beat Andrew Talansky in the 7.5km prologue, uphill but not as steep.
Stage 1 is for the sprinters as the race rides away from the Alps to the plains of the Ain for a likely sprint finish in St. Vulbas.
Stage 2 sees a ski station finish in Chalmazel but this isn’t a high altitude Alpine variety but a gentler arrival on the slopes of the Massif Central below the Col du Béal, where Chris Froome and Alberto Contador traded attacks in 2014. The exact location of the finish line isn’t clear yet but the approach roads are in the order of 4-5%.
Stage 3 has the riders heading for the Rhone valley and if the race goes above 1,000m above sea level it’s via some gentle, gradual climbs. There’s a sting in the tail, the race drops down to the Rhone before taking the climb to Sécheras, 3km at 7% and enough to eject many sprinters especially as there’s a false flat that goes on after the climb. A sprinter or two could hold on but only if they’re in peak condition for the summer.
Stage 4 is flat and for the sprinters with a finishing circuit around Belley, birthplace of Etixx-QS’s Maxime Bouet.
Stage 5 will matter to the overall classification with the summit finish in the ski station of Vaujany. It’d also be a good ride on its own as it takes the balcony road below the Belledonne mountains before dropping to Vizille and then taking the sapping valley road to Allemont. Vaujany is a short spin away from Alpe d’Huez and small village and ski station with a steep climb that’s got sustained sections of 8-10% and the finish is in the village rather than further up the road.
Stage 6 is the Queen Stage. It opens with the Col de Champ Laurent, an unsung but rewarding climb that’s steep but mercifully shaded for most of the way up if the sun is shining before heading onto the Grand Cucheron, passing the spot where David Moncoutié crashed out of the Tour de France and ended his career. The Madeleine is worthy of its HC status and many a rider will try to get in the breakaway here in order to win the mountains competition points on offer in the first hal before the long descent into the Tarentaise valley. After the balcony climb to Les Frasses the climb to the swanky ski town of Méribel is almost the easiest part of the day as after a 7% start it relaxes to 5-6% for most of the way.
Queen stage? a term applied to the biggest and most important stage of a race. It’s from the French, étape reine which is literally “queen stage”. The noun étape is feminine so has the matching feminine adjective or adjectival ending, reine meaning queen rather than roi or king. Normally in English it would be “King Stage” but the more literal translation seems to have been copied across. There’s no obvious royal connection, just something to suggest importance, size and perhaps the power to shape the GC or even crown the winner.
Finally Stage 7 is similar to the penultimate stage of the 2013 Dauphiné sharing the same start and finish although that included the Alpe d’Huez and Col de Sarenne recon in a nod to that year’s Tour de France route. This time it’s a more obvious route via a series of climbs before the breathtaking, in both senses, Col du Noyer (11.3km at 7.2% but with 10-11% percent kilometres near the top) and then the shorter climb to Superdévoluy, 4km at 5.7%.
Route Summary
One for the climbers. There’s only one time trial and that’s the uphill prologue with its double-digit gradients. But the other mountainous days have some steady climbs, the race never crosses above the 2,000m altitude and this might open the door to a wider cast of characters and maybe some different tactics. Certainly the race has seen some entrepreneurial moves in recent years, think Andrew Talansky’s 2014 win or last year’s deluged stage across the Vercors plateau where the GC riders like Vincenzo Nibali, Tejay van Garderen and Rui Costa were attacking on the first climb, this was one of the highlights of the year. It’s possible again, especially given the mountain stages are short with distances of under 150 km. The route offers a couple of chances for the sprinters, especially if they can cope with a hill or two, think Nacer Bouhanni or John Degenkolb.
Dauphiné vs. Switzerland
This race overlaps with the Tour de Suisse, the final weekend of the Dauphiné is the opening weekend of Suisse. Even if they didn’t clash most riders would opt for one or the other rather than combine both as one week’s racing is enough for those aiming for for the Tour de France. What’s new is that the Velon group of teams has its deal with the Infront sports agency, co-owners of the Tour de Suisse and they’ve announced a revenue sharing deal this week between the Swiss race and the cartel of teams, the idea being that the teams commit to send big name riders to Switzerland in order to try and make the race more valuable and therefore create more revenue to share. It’s a long term project given broadcast deals are multi-year and TV channels will watch and wait to see if it’s worth paying a premium for the Swiss race before renewing. But the immediate effect could see Velon member teams sending their better riders to Switzerland instead. We’ll see though as cyclingnews.com says “Froome and Contador set to clash” adding van Garderen is expected to start too, all ride for Velon members. Certainly the Dauphiné has been a pre-Tour ritual for these three in recent years they’ll need to balance earning income for their team managers with their sporting preparation before July. On sporting terms Suisse might be preferable for some because it contains an 18km time trial, a vital exercise given the Tour de France has two time trials for a change. Fortunately cycling fans don’t have to chose, they’re spoilt by two weeks of the finest Alpine racing possible. | {
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Pablo Neruda died in a Santiago clinic where he was being treated for prostate cancer
International experts announced Friday that Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda did not die of cancer, but could not conclusively determine if he was assassinated by late dictator Augusto Pinochet's regime.Neruda, a celebrated poet, politician, diplomat and bohemian, died in 1973 aged 69, just days after Pinochet, then the head of the Chilean army, overthrew Socialist president Salvador Allende in a bloody coup.The writer, who was also a prominent member of the Chilean Communist party, had been preparing to flee into exile in Mexico to lead the resistance against Pinochet's regime.He died in a Santiago clinic where he was being treated for prostate cancer."The (death) certificate does not reflect the real cause of death," Aurelio Luna said at a news conference on behalf of a panel of experts, referring to the official explanation that cancer killed the famed writer.Doubts emerged in 2011, when his former driver and personal assistant claimed Neruda was given a mysterious injection in his chest just before he died.
Pinochet, who ruled Chile for 17 years, installed a regime that killed some 3,200 leftist activists and other suspected opponents.He died in 2006 at age 91 without ever being convicted for the crimes committed by his regime. | {
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Details of a multi-million pound plan for AFC Wimbledon’s return to its spiritual home after more than 20 years have been revealed today.
The club has formally submitted detailed plans for a 20,000 seater football stadium, 602 flats, shops, parking and a squash and fitness club to Merton Council, which could be built in phases.
From November: AFC Wimbledon submits plans for new stadium at Plough Lane
A verification process meant the plans were not made public until today when they were published on the council's planning website.
AFC Wimbledon wants to demolish the existing greyhound stadium in Plough Lane, Wimbledon, and build a 20,000 seat stadium.
The first phase would be creating a stadium with 11,000 seats to be expanded over time to the 20,000 maximum capacity, plus hospitality and 297 car parking spaces.
Paschal Taggart, the businessman behind rival plans for a new greyhound stadium on the site, said in October AFC Wimbledon "would need a genie in a bottle" to succeed.,
October 21: Millionaire businessman reveals shock new greyhound plans for Wimbledon Stadium
In a Wimbledon Guardian poll at the time 55% of voters said they would prefer an AFC Wimbledon football stadium to Mr Taggart's plans for greyhound racing.
The AFC Wimbledon planning documents reveal there will be cycle and coach parking and a creation of a new public street if their plans are approved.
The documents lodged with the council today show the multi-million pound development will provide new and improved accommodation for Christophers Squash Club, which is already on the site and which has helped develop the plans for the squash club.
As well as providing five standard courts and a show court, within the proposed new building there will be a larger dance studio and members’ area available for use by the community.
The fitness club will provide a wide range of sports and activities and the facilities suitable for accommodating them.
The old Plough Lane stadium was demolished after Wimbledon left to groundshare with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and replaced with flats in 2008
The current stadium has a greyhound track
There will also be a hydrotherapy and physiotherapy suite for use by St George’s Hospital.
The housing will be split between three buildings with a mixture of three bedroom maisonettes with private gardens, and one and two bedroom homes.
The applicant is in talks with the council about providing affordable housing on the site currently home to the famous greyhound racing track.
Part of the stadium facing the new homes will have green walls, which the club said will make it look more attractive for residents.
The development depends on whether councillors on the council planning committee approve the proposal.
Kicker Concerns have been raised over traffic and flood plain management and reports addressing these issues have been submitted with the bid.
Plans, submitted on behalf of AFC Wimbledon, Galliard Homes and the Greyhound Racing Association Acquisitions Ltd, were validated by the council today and are scheduled to be brought before the planning committee in February.
A consultation process started today for people to comment on the plans and will be open until January 19.
The Wimbledon Guardian will be speaking to chief executive Erik Samuelson and other interested parties tomorrow about the plans.
What do you think? Leave a comment below. | {
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Congress prohibited inmates from accessing Pell grants in 1994, arguing that it was unfair for prisoners to receive a share of already limited financial aid dollars. Critics of the ban said it was a rash decision because educating people behind bars reduces the chances of them committing more crimes upon release.
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Although the ban remains firmly in place, the Obama administration is using its authority to create limited experiments in the deployment of federal student aid. Other recent experiments include extending Pell grants to high school students enrolled in college course and people participating in computer coding bootcamps.
“We all agree that crime must have consequences, but the men and women who have done their time and paid their debt deserve the opportunity to break with the past and forge new lives in their homes, workplaces ad communities,” Education Secretary John B. King Jr. said on a call with reporters Thursday. “This belief in second chances is fundamental to who we are as Americans.”
King said the administration will provide approximately $30 million in Pell grants to inmates in 27 states. He said the funding is less than 0.1 percent of the overall $30 billion Pell program, and the pilot won’t affect funding to eligible Pell recipients who are not incarcerated.
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A majority of the schools invited to participate in the pilot are public community colleges and four-year universities, including Anne Arundel Community College, University of Baltimore and Rappahannock Community College. Most will offer classroom-based instruction at corrections facilities. Others will offer online education, or a hybrid of classroom and online instruction. Participating schools can begin offering courses as early as July 1. Roughly 37 percent of the schools will offer prison-based education for the first time.
For participants like Goucher College, the pilot simply builds on an existing effort to educate the incarcerated. The private liberal arts school outside Baltimore runs a program with private funding at a Maryland state prison complex in Jessup. Education Department officials estimate that 100 inmates will be able to receive grants to obtain bachelor’s degrees through Goucher. The school enrolls 60 to 100 prisoners at a time.
A year ago, then Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Loretta Lynch visited the Goucher program to announce the pilot program.
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On Thursday, Lynch said, in a statement, “Access to high quality education is vital to ensuring that justice-involved individuals have an opportunity to reclaim their lives and restore their futures. This program will help give deserving incarcerated individuals the skills to live lives of purpose and contribute to society upon their release.”
A study by the Rand Corporation found that inmates who participated in educational programs in jail were 43 percent less likely to return to prison within three years than those who did not. Researchers also estimated that for every dollar poured into correctional education programs, four to five dollars are saved on three-year re-incarceration costs.
“Helping incarcerated men and women to gain new knowledge, skills and credentials increases their chances of living successful lives, saves public dollars and makes our communities and our country safer and stronger,” King said.
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The Second Chance Pell Pilot is a part of a broader set of policies the Obama administration has proposed to reform the incarceration system, including improving education in juvenile justice facilities and helping colleges to remove barriers to education for people with criminal records. | {
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A landmark United Nations-backed ceasefire has come into effect in Syria - the first major truce in a five-year civil war that has claimed more than 270,000 lives.
Fighting raged right up until the ceasefire took force at midnight (8:00am AEST), but guns then fell silent in the Damascus suburbs and the devastated northern city of Aleppo, AFP correspondents said.
Russia and the United States, the sponsors of the ceasefire deal, have said applying it will be difficult in a country that has been torn apart by a conflict that broke out in March 2011.
US President Barack Obama has warned Damascus and its key ally Moscow that the "world will be watching".
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said Syria peace talks which collapsed earlier this month in Geneva would resume on March 7 if the ceasefire held and more aid was delivered.
Less than an hour before the ceasefire, the UN Security Council gave its unanimous backing to a resolution drafted by the US and Russia, demanding that it be upheld.
Both President Bashar al-Assad's regime and the main opposition body have agreed to the deal - which allows fighting to continue against the Islamic State group and the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front.
The agreement marks the biggest diplomatic push yet to help end Syria's violence, but has been plagued by doubts after previous peace efforts failed.
Under the measure, which has not been signed by the Syrian warring parties themselves and is less binding than a formal ceasefire, the Government and its enemies are expected to stop shooting so aid can reach civilians.
Aid has been delivered to some besieged areas of the country this year in a series of localised agreements, but the UN demands unhindered access to all Syrians in need of help.
"Humanitarian deliveries must not depend on political negotiations but must be allowed to continue and increase regardless of any truce or ceasefire," International Committee of the Red Cross chief Peter Maurer said.
Fighting rages until moment of ceasefire
Clashes raged across much of western Syria ahead of the planned halt as heavy air strikes hit rebel-held areas near Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said suspected Russian war planes struck near Aleppo in the suburbs of Damascus ahead of the deadline.
"It's more intense than usual. It's as if they want to subdue rebels in these regions or score points before the ceasefire," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.
He also said at least 40 members of the regime forces had been killed battling rebels in northern Latakia province, Mr Assad's heartland, in the 24 hours before the ceasefire.
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Russia launched air strikes in Syria last September saying it was targeting "terrorists", but critics have accused Moscow of hitting rebel forces in support of Mr Assad.
The intensified attacks prompted Turkey, a key supporter of opposition forces, to express worries over the viability of the ceasefire.
"We are seriously concerned over the future of the ceasefire because of the continuing Russian air raids and ground attacks by forces of Assad," presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters in Ankara.
The complexity of Syria's battlefields — where moderate and Islamist rebel forces often fight alongside jihadist groups such as the Al-Nusra Front — has raised serious doubts about the feasibility of the ceasefire.
While about 100 mainstream rebel groups signed up for the truce, Al-Nusra Front on Friday called for an escalation in fighting.
The main Saudi-backed opposition alliance, which has deep reservations, said it would accept it for two weeks but feared the Government and its allies would use it to attack opposition factions under the pretext that they were terrorists.
The US-backed Kurdish YPG militia, which is battling Islamic State in the north-east and Turkish-backed rebel groups in the north-west, said it would abide by the plan, but reserves the right to respond if attacked.
Russia and the US are on opposing sides of the conflict, with Moscow backing Assad and Washington supporting the opposition, but the two powers have been making a concerted push for the deal to be respected.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted Moscow would continue targeting "terrorist groups".
"The decisive fight against them will, without doubt, be continued," he said in televised remarks.
"We understand fully and take into account that this will be a complicated, and maybe even contradictory process of reconciliation, but there is no other way."
Iran, another key Assad ally, has said it is confident the regime will abide by the agreement.
In Washington, Mr Obama put the onus firmly on the regime and Russia.
"The coming days will be critical, and the world will be watching," he said.
Reuters/AFP
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By Detector | 04 March 2009
Adobe has released Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 and Camera Raw 5.3. These are final versions of updates which were posted as RC on the Adobe Labs and now are ready for download. Both provide additional Raw support for Nikon D3X and Olympus E-30 DSLR’s, several corrections of previous versions and availability in 8 new languages.
Download Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 for Windows here.
Download Photoshop Lightroom 2.3 for Mac here.
Download Camera Raw 5.3 for Windows here.
Download Camera Raw 5.3 for Mac here.
Tags | Apple, Graphic, Mac OS, Software, Windows | {
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Story
Tyler Gressle, 14, knows a lot about being a warrior. In October 2002, he was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer called undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma. It was discovered when he complained of pain. His parents took him to the doctor, then to a surgeon. During surgery, the doctors discovered that the mass had burst, which caused the terrible pain. The surgeon removed 25 percent of Tyler's liver, about 6 inches of large intestine and his gall bladder. Tyler's prognosis was not good. Fortunately, his doctor had seen a case once before and had been successful in treating the patient. "After a long, hard battle, Tyler is perfectly healthy now," his mother said. "We want other families to know they can have hope, and wishes do come true." Tyler had another wish fulfilled. The Make-a-Wish Foundation learned of Tyler and his family's battle and gave him the chance to design his own Yu-Gi-Oh! card for 4Kids Entertainment Inc. The foundation's goal is to present each child, along with their family, with a happy experience to help them feel normal in the midst of a difficult time. "All I needed was a pencil and my imagination," Tyler said. His detailed drawing depicts a warrior deflecting an evil monster's terrible weapons. They unveiled the final card on Aug. 5th. Tyler and his family were also invited to New York City to meet with officials from 4Kids Entertainment Inc. and were given a tour of the Yu-Gi-Oh! facility.
Misc
"Tyler the Great Warrior" is based on the Dragon Ball character Future Trunks.
This monster is wearing "Legendary Black Belt", though the actual card can only be equipped to either "Chu-Ske the Mouse Fighter", "Monk Fighter" or "Master Monk". This card also has a similar effect to "Legendary Black Belt" with the only difference being that this card inflicts damage equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster whereas "Legendary Black Belt" inflicts damage equal to the DEF.
| {
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Bitcoin has been facing a bout of sideways trading for the past several days, but today’s drop to below $10,200 may spell trouble for the cryptocurrency’s near-term price action and may point to the possibility that BTC will soon revisit its nearest level of major support at $10,000.
This latest drop, although relatively minor, has been driven by a massive influx of volume, which could mean that a massive movement is inbound in the coming hours and days.
Bitcoin Slowly Moves Back Towards $10,000 as Sellers Flex Their Strength
At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading down just over 1% at its current price of $10,215, which marks a slight retrace from its recent highs of nearly $10,500.
Importantly, Bitcoin failed to reach its region of major resistance at $10,800 ever since it bounced at $10,000 a couple of weeks ago, and the fact that BTC’s bulls were unable to push it to its near-term resistance region signals an underlying weakness that may spell trouble for its price action in the coming days.
Over the past several months Bitcoin has been trading between roughly $9,000 and its June-highs of $13,800, and its trading range has been narrowing significantly over the past several months.
This narrowing trading range may signal that a big movement – in one direction or another – is imminent.
Chonis, a popular crypto analyst on Twitter, mused this possibility in a recent tweet, explaining that he believes Bitcoin’s will make “a notable statement this week” while pointing to a chart that shows BTC’s incredibly narrow trading range.
BTC Incurring Massive Volatility
The cryptocurrency may already be showing some signs of there soon being a massive movement, as its latest drop has been driven by a massive influx of volume.
Chonis further spoke about this volume in a recent tweet, explaining that Bitcoin’s latest candle on its 6-hour chart has the highest volume the crypto has seen in the past week.
“$BTC – triangle breakdown on the 6hr chart…what’s notable is the higher volume in this dump with still more than half the time left in this current candle, this should be the highest 6hr candle volume for #bitcoin in over a week when it closes,” he noted.
$BTC – triangle breakdown on the 6hr chart…what’s notable is the higher volume in this dump with still more than half the time left in this current candle, this should be the highest 6hr candle volume for #bitcoin in over a week when it closes… pic.twitter.com/WhpWAc6iOr — Big Chonis Trading? (@BigChonis) September 16, 2019
The coming hours may prove to be illuminating for Bitcoin, as its trading volume points to the fact that bulls and bears are currently locked in a battle, and which side prevails in the coming days could set the tone for how BTC trends in the coming weeks and months.
Featured image from Shutterstock. | {
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My gift arrived on Friday. I tried to be a good person and wait until Christmas. But then I had an idea!
I hate doing chores and housework. Since my significant other is out of the country, I can barely function outside of waking up, eating chips, and watching Netflix. Here's the brilliant idea! For every chore I do, I get to open a present! This works well because my Santa sent me ELEVEN PRESENTS!!
So, for eating a healthy breakfast, I received a book of fantasy cross stitch patterns! So super rad! I love all of these patterns and can't wait to stitch them up!
For shoveling the driveway (I should have gotten two presents for this one), I received a whole bunch of Aida cloth!! I absolutely love cross stitching and was just thinking I would need to get more Aida!
I did a ton of laundry. For that, I was given super adorable cross stitch kits! I love getting old kits like this! I adore the little kitty one! So cute I'm going to die.
Then I went to the store, got some things for baking, and filled the car with gas. For that, I got socks from UW.
We need to pause right here to talk about how hilarious this present is.
I go to WSU, which has a HUGE rivalry with UW, but only from the WSU side. Pullman lives and breathes all things WSU, so much so that wearing these socks outdoors may cause a homicidal rage in others.
So I open this squishy package and I'm excited! What will it be! Then I see purple... That's suspicious... Highly suspicious.
The socks fall out and I gasp. What will I do with these socks?!? I laugh and laugh and laugh. I was so caught up in the irony of these socks that I didn't take a picture of them. Also because UW can't be polluting this amazing present. I've already mentioned the school-that-shall-not-be-named too many times.
After the socks, I decide to screw this one-present-at-a-time plan. I've been an adult and done adult things and I've been good! So I opened all the rest of the presents! In my hurry, I didn't very well document the order of items, but I'm absolutely floored. It's like my Santa has known me my whole life.
I received another book of patterns, more kits, THESE AMAZING HARRY POTTER BOOKMARKS, a beautiful hoop, a Star Wars bracelet, a temporary tattoo, and GOLD PLATED NEEDLES!!!!!!
The whole amazing haul is in the photos. I can't believe it. My Santa is literally the best Santa ever! I don't think there is enough I can do to thank you! Your generosity and kindness will make these next few months significantly more bearable as I write my doctoral thesis. | {
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The European Commission has said it will soon bring forward plans for an economic and political union it says is necessary for the creation of debt-mutualising eurobonds - one of the most controversial proposed solutions to the current eurozone crisis.
"We need to reflect what kind of European union would be required to deepen economic and political integration, for instance so that joint issuance of debt would make sense for all member states sharing the single currency," economics commissioner Olli Rehn told MEPs on Tuesday (22 May).
He said the commission would "soon" come up with a "medium to long term roadmap" outlining the necessary deeper fiscal and economic integration that would minimise moral hazard - member states running up debt because they know it will be paid by others - and ensure "fiscal sustainability."
"In other words," the commissioner added, "the features of an economic and political union required to make mutualisation rational for all."
With his statement, Rehn has put the eurobonds issue firmly back on the table just ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Wednesday (23 May) to discuss growth strategies for Europe.
The commission first published an ideas paper on various types of eurobonds in November last year. The paper was immediately shot down by Germany, the eurozone's paymaster.
Germany remains firmly against the idea arguing that too many other elements - such as guaranteed fiscal discipline - have to be in place before it can be discussed.
But the election of Socialist Francois Hollande as president of France earlier this month has altered the nature of the policy debate in Europe, taking it away from a one-dimensional focus on austerity towards a discussion that includes ideas to stimulate economic growth.
Hollande has said he will raise the issue of eurobonds with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during Wednesday's summit. German officials have countered that the idea is "not a legitimate theme" for the meeting.
The summit has been billed by EU president Herman Van Rompuy - who has in the past also said that mutualisation of euro debt must be discussed - as a no-decisions but no-taboos get-together.
Meanwhile, the institutional changes implied by Rehn's statement to MEPs have a potentially more receptive audience in Germany and beyond.
Last week, German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the European Commission should be the government of Europe and its president should be directly elected.
The eurozone crisis has made erstwhile foes of further EU integration think twice as well.
Britain, outside the euro and one of its more sceptical members, has also started making public statements about the need for fiscal and political union, with many arguing that the eurozone's woes have been exacerbated by the fact that the EU lacked the tools - such as a central transfer system - to effectively deal with it. | {
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