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BOSTON, MASS. — Just over five-hundred miles away from the Tree of Life synagogue, where a Jewish community has been grieving the loss of 11 of its innocent worshippers, hundreds in the heart of Boston recently gathered in the aftermath of that deadly shooting to pray, to grieve, and to support.
Billed as a Boston Shiva and a rally against anti-Semitism and white supremacy, several groups allied with Boston Workmen’s Circle and Jewish Voice for Peace Boston on Thursday night at the New England Holocaust Memorial, including a handful of local Armenians.
A day after the mass shooting, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan extended his condolences to President Donald Trump writing in part, “We condemn in the strongest terms this despicable manifestation of violence and intolerance, and we express our solidarity to the calls for a common struggle against xenophobia in the world.”
The Armenians at the Boston rally identified themselves as part of a new progressive group called Zoravik. Organizer Sevag Arzoumanian says, “We are interested in helping progressive forces in Armenia, but we’re also interested in helping local progressive causes.”
Back in Pittsburgh, prosecutors said the gunman was allegedly talking about “genocide and his desire to kill Jewish people” as he opened fire on worshippers during Shabbat prayer services. “How could we not be here?” Arzoumanian explains prefacing the Armenians’ shared history with the Jews (the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide of 1915). “The Armenian people and the Jewish people have gone through similar experiences. The attack on the synagogue in Pittsburgh was an attack against members of a given faith and members of a given minority.”
Another attendee was Samuel Chakmakjian, a graduate of Brandeis University, which has a large Jewish student body. Chakmakjian was there to support many of his friends from University but he says he also came because he believes it is the right thing to do as an Armenian.
“I feel a moral obligation,” he said. “I think that we as Armenians need to really investigate that feeling of moral obligation and see how our experiences can open us up to being there and helping other communities as they heal, because we’re definitely not the only people that feels pain as a result of ethnic violence or a history of genocide or invisibility.”
Chakmakjian is a member of numerous organizations and initiatives in the Armenian community (he has been an active member of the AYF since he was a child), but says that, on this occasion, he was attending as an activist with Zoravik.
“I think that Zoravik is opening up a very needed supplementary pocket of our community because we often don’t pay attention to the social justice causes that are happening around us, especially in the context of America and other western countries where we have a significant Diasporan community,” said Chakmakjian who did not notice any other Armenian organization taking a firm stand on this mass shooting. “Unfortunately this has fallen outside of their purview.”
While many Armenian organizations are focused on the culture, its youth and relief efforts as traditional strategies for strengthening the community, some like Chakmakjian argue it’s also equally important to make meaningful connections with other faith groups outside the community. “I think our reluctance to align with other causes and look beyond our community is primarily a reaction to trauma and the very real fears that we feel around disappearing…whether that’s by the sword or by assimilation.” | {
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Revealed: Loophole that hides 90 PER CENT of political party donations
Be open: Should India's President Mukherjee insist on more openness with the country's ruling bodies?
Behind the smoke of paltry figures, seemingly intended to hide the big-ticket donors' details, political parties in India have unwittingly revealed a lot.
About 90 per cent of the donations received by these parties across the political spectrum are from sources whose identities are not in the public domain.
The news puts all those donations - any amount above Rs 20,000 that needs to be declared with donor specifics - under a cloud of suspicion.
And with this, it also becomes clear that our political parties have been skillfully exploiting the loopholes in this entire donation-declaration system.
The ploy to hoodwink has come to fore from the latest report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
The report shows that authorities, including the income tax department as well as the EC, do not have the details about most of the donors.
The latest report by ADR said that the total income of national parties for 2012-13 was Rs 991.20 crores.
However, the total donations above Rs 20,000 declared were Rs 99.14 crores, from 3,777 donors. Only 10 per cent of the total donations are from known sources.
According to the rules, political parties are required to submit details of donations received above Rs 20,000 from across India annually to the EC.
Apart from collecting donations or voluntary contributions, it is seen from the income tax returns of political parties that there is a coupon system being adopted by a few parties for collecting funds.
They issue coupons in lieu of receipts to donors for cash contributions. As they are cash donations, it becomes all the more difficult to establish the identity of the donor.
"This implies that a lot of cash donations received remain unaccounted for in the books of accounts as only those amounts would be recorded for which a receipt has been issued.
"Thus, it is imperative to have a strict regulatory mechanism wherein political parties have to report the correct quantum and the source of donations received," said the ADR report.
Of the major sources of income, sale of coupons has been listed by most of the major political parties.
Income for Congress from the sale of coupons or publication amounted to Rs 312.24 crores (73.35 per cent of total income), while the NCP received Rs 3.76 crores from the sale of coupons (14.16 per cent of the total income).
A total of 2,371 out of 3,775 donors (or 63 per cent) contributing Rs 37.64 crores to the national parties have not declared their PAN details in the contribution form.
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The Australian photographer Shane Thoms was shooting abandoned hotels in the mountains outside Tokyo when he spotted something unbelievable: a giant replica of Mount Rushmore. Curious, Thoms parked his car to investigate. What he found more than satisfied the promise of that first glimpse.
Beyond the statue was an intact world from a different time and place. There were no people, nor any Japanese architecture. Instead, the buildings and figurines he encountered looked plucked from a John Wayne movie.
Thoms had landed upon Western Village, one of history's odder artifacts. An abandoned theme park, it was perhaps as intriguing in its heyday as it is today.
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Once crawling with tourists, the empty grounds still hold a Western saloon, a jail, a stream dubbed the Rio Grande, "vast Mexican barrens," and that Rushmore replica -- which cost $27 million when it was built in 1995, according to Grist. Since the site shuttered in 2007, the remains have slowly devolved. Grist recounts bloodied animatronic figurines, and claims that the insides of the fiberglass Rushmore are "rotting."
Unsurprisingly, Thoms also found countless eerie vignettes begging to be photographed. "It was a remarkable place," he wrote in an email to HuffPost. "Everything still in its place albeit in a state of decay and disarray."
Grist details the park's unlikely origins in his post. First called Kinugawa Ranch, it opened in 1970 as a novelty destination, where visitors could unwind with lasso lessons, horseback rides, and a pond open for fishing. In time, it grew to include Disneyworld-style shows, wherein hired shooters knocked apples off "unwitting guest's heads, William Tell style," Grist writes.
Expansion would eventually bring about the pricey Rushmore development, as well as commercials a social anthropologist would go crazy for. The one below, uploaded to YouTube by a user with a Japanese screenname, features more cultural appropriations than a Miley Cyrus video, from the inevitable Western shootout to a line of dancing senoritas. | {
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It’s no surprise that this is where Tlaib’s sympathies lie. The worst aspect of this is that Tlaib will suffer no consequences whatsoever for associating with Hamas-linked CAIR or her fellow anti-Semite Omar Suleiman, who is the imam responsible for compelling Google to bury all content critical of Islam. For the Left and the Democrats today, Jew-hatred is mainstream, and Hamas is an ally.
“Rashida Tlaib joins extremist imam on CAIR speaking circuit,” by Jordan Schachtel, Conservative Review, February 19, 2019:
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., a self-proclaimed liberal progressive, will speak alongside an extremist imam at an event hosted by the Michigan chapter of the terror-tied Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) next month. The Hamas-connected outfit is infamously known for being labeled an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terrorism financing case in U.S. history.
On March 17, Rep. Tlaib will join Omar Suleiman, a Muslim Brotherhood-linked imam who has a long history of anti-LGBT, anti-woman, and anti-Semitic remarks, at the fundraising event in Detroit. Tickets will cost $50 per person, or $500 to reserve a table.
Imam Suleiman has referred to homosexuality as a “disease” and a “repugnant shameless sin” that he believes is justifiable to punish by death. Additionally, the radical imam has endorsed mandatory hijabs for all women, even when they are around family members. In a 2012 sermon, he warned that women who do not wear a full hijab risk an incestous relationship with their family members. In that address, he added that women who commit adultery run the risk of being honor-killed by their family members, without condemning the practice of honor killing. On the foreign policy front, Suleiman regularly cheers on Hamas-led violent Islamist uprisings against Israel in calling for the elimination of the Jewish state.
Dawud Walid, the longtime CAIR-Michigan director who is presiding over the event, also has a long history of extremist rhetoric. At a 2012 sermon at a mosque in Michigan, he described Jews as enemies of Islam who have “incurred the wrath of Allah.” Moreover, Walid has endorsed blasphemy laws that call for violent repercussions for engaging in criticism of Islam or Muhammad….
Tlaib has become a regular on the CAIR circuit. In February, she headlined a CAIR-Chicago fundraiser. In January, she spoke at a CAIR event in which she was introduced by an avowed supporter of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hamas…. | {
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Altcoin News: Swiss Leading Stock Exchange Conducts Bitcoin and Ether ETP Listing
October 3, 2019, by Marko Vidrih on ALTCOIN MAGAZINE
An exchange-traded product (ETP), combining Bitcoin and Ethereum, has been listed on Switzerland’s leading stock exchange SIX.
Fintech company Amun AG and crypto-custodian company Bitcoin Suisse AG have joined forces to launch a tool that will allow investors in Switzerland to add Bitcoin and Ethereum to their portfolios, writes The Block. Currently, the ETP basket is 90% Bitcoin and 10% Ethereum.
On the Swiss stock exchange, ETP will be available under the ticker symbol “ABBA”.
“This physically-backed ETP is fully collateralized, which means that for every bitcoin and ether bought for the ETP, there will be an equal corresponding crypto amount stored securely in the Bitcoin Suisse Vault,” said Amun AG.
Hany Rashwan, co-founder and CEO of Amun, said that the product was created taking into account the market needs for crypto-ETP denominated in Swiss francs.
“It represents a unique way for investors to add the two major cryptocurrencies globally to their portfolio via a regulated product listed on SIX and backed by a Swiss-based custodian,” Rashwan added.
With today’s launch, the number of supported crypto-ETPs supported by Amun AG on SIX has reached seven. These include ETC based on BTC, BCH, ETH, XRP and two composite products.
Author: Marko Vidrih | {
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Finishes workout at the same time as guy next to me at the gym Goes another 5 minutes so he doesn't think I'm copying him
155 shares | {
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America is the richest nation in the world. Today, The United States has more millionaires and billionaires than any other nation. Americans control over 34% of all the wealth on planet Earth. With a net worth of $86 billion, Bill Gates is the richest person in the world. Gates outranks Spaniard Amancio Ortega Gaona, the #2 richest person in the world, by $16 billion. Six of the ten richest people in the world are Americans and the 10 richest Americans on the planet control $500 billion worth of private wealth. Those 10 billionaires have fortunes ranging from $37 billion (Alice Walton) and $86 billion (Gates). And yet interestingly, despite modern-America's vast wealth and power, the 10 richest Americans are relatively poor compared to their tycoon forefathers.
So, who is the richest American of all time, inflation adjusted? During the peak of the dotcom bubble, Bill Gates briefly had a net worth slightly above $100 billion. That's the same as $136 billion today after adjusting for inflation. That dotcom fortune easily made him the wealthiest person in the world at the time. But how did Gates compare to the wealthy tycoons who came before him? The Carnegies, the Astors, the Huntingtons, the Rockefellers… When you take inflation into account, who was the richest American of all time?
The 40 richest Americans of all time:
#40: James C. Flood – $34 billion (1826-1889, silver mines)
Silver magnate James C. Flood lived from 1826-1889 and had a net worth equivalent to $34 billion in 2012 dollars. One of his mines in Virginia had the biggest mineral strike in US history. Flood also founded the Bank of Nevada.
#39: Mark Zuckerberg – $35 billion (1984 – present, Facebook)
#38: Peter A.B. Widener – $35 billion (1834 – 1915, railway lines in Philadelphia)
Peter AB Widener amassed a fortune equivalent to $35 billion before he died in 1915. Widener built and owned all the railway lines throughout Philadelphia replacing horse drawn carriages and transporting 100 million people a year by 1900.
#37: Collis Potter Huntington – $36 billion (1821 – 1900, railroads)
Central Pacific Railroad magnate Collis Potter Huntington made a fortune connecting the Union Pacific Railroad with the Western US. His work made him the richest man in the world for a time with a 2012 equivalent net worth of $36 billion. Collis' son Henry donated the entire family fortune to charitable causes predominantly in Southern California. California's city of Huntington Beach is named after Henry.
#36: Michael Bloomberg – $36.5 billion (1942 – present, Bloomberg LLP)
#35: George Pullman – $37 billion (1831 – 1897, railway inventions)
George Pullman invented a railway sleeping car which he named after himself the "Pullman Sleeper". This advancement revolutionized railway travel and amassed Pullman a net worth equivalent to $37 billion at the time of his death in 1897.
#34: Alice Walton – $37.1 billion (1949 – present, WalMart)
#33: Jeff Bezos – $38 billion (1964 – present, Amazon)
#32: S. Robson Walton – $38.5 billion (1944 – present, WalMart)
#30: Henry C. Frick – $39.3 billion (1849 – 1919, Carnegie Steel)
Henry Frick was a onetime chaiman of the Carnegie Steel company and an industrialist who helped finance and construct the Pennsylvania Railroad. At the time of his death in 1919 Frick had an equivalent net worth of $39.3 billion. He owned massive amounts of real estate in Pennsylvania and was widely disliked in his time.
#30: Jim Walton – $40 billion (1948 – present, WalMart)
#29: Oliver H Payne – $40.4 billion (1839 – 1917, Standard Oil, US Steel, American Tobacco)
Oliver Payne was one of John D. Rockefeller's partners in Standard Oil and had a net worth equivalent to $40.4 billion.
#28: Christy Walton – $41 billion (1955 – present, WalMart)
#27: JP Morgan – $41.5 billion (1837 – 1913, General Electric, US Steel)
Not only did financier J.P. Morgan single handedly save the US Government during 1895's gold crisis, but he also was critical in the helping launch major corporations like GE and US Steel. The bank which bares his name is still active today.
#26: Henry Huttleston Rogers – $42.6 billion (1840 – 1909, Standard Oil)
Another one of Rockefeller's partners in Standard Oil, Henry Huttleston Rogers also had large investments in railroads and minerals. At the time of his death he had a net worth equivalent to $42.6 billion.
#25: Edward Henry Harriman – $42.7 billion (1848 – 1909, railroads)
After making his first fortune on Wall Street, Edward Henry Harriman used his vast resources to invest in the struggling Union Pacific Railroad. Harriman saved the railroad which made him one of the richest men alive. At the time of his death in 1909 he had the equivalent net worth of $42.7 billion.
#24: John I. Blair – $47 billion (1802 – 1899, railroads)
Like several other men on this list, John I. Blair made his fortune in railroads, most notably the Union Pacific. At the age of 10 he vowed to his mother that he would be rich one day and that turned out to be very true. When Blair died in 1899 he had an net worth equal to $47 billion in 2012 dollars.
#23: Russell Sage – $47 billion (1816 – 1906, railroads)
Russell Sage used success on Wall Street to build up a large stake in smaller railroad companies. When those small companies were bought up by larger conglomerates, Sage made a fortune equal to $47 billion at the time of his death in 1906.
#22: Larry Ellison – $48 billion (1944 – present, Oracle)
#21: Moses Taylor – $48.1 billion (1806 – 1882, banking)
Moses Taylor founded what would eventually become Citibank and helped fund the formation of some of the largest industrial corporations of the time. When Taylor died in 1882 he had amassed a net worth equivalent to $48.1 billion.
#20: William Weightman – $48.1 billion (1813 – 1904, chemicals and land)
William Weightman owned one of the earliest pharmaceutical powerhouses manufacturing the malaria drug quinine sulfate. His company eventually merged into Merck which is still around today. William Weightman net worth was equal to $48.1 billion in today's dollars.
#19: James G. Fair – $49.2 billion (1831 – 1894, silver mining, real estate)
James G. Fair made his first fortune as one of James Flood's partners in a Virginia silver mine then went on to more than triple his net worth through real estate investments in California. At the time of his death in 1894, James G. Fair's net worth was equivalent to $49.2 billion in today's dollars.
#18: David Koch – $50 billion (1940 – present, Koch Industries)
#17: Charlies Koch – $50 billion (1935 – present, Koch Industries)
#16: Andrew W. Mellon – $50.5 billion (1855 – 1937, banking)
Pittsburgh based Andrew W. Mellon made a fortune along with his brother Richard Mellon in finance when the pair helped launch major corporations like Gulf Oil and The Aluminum Company of America. At the time of his death in 1937 Andrew Mellon's net worth was the equivalent of $50.5 billion.
#15: Richard B. Mellon – $50.5 billion (1858 – 1933, banking)
Along with brother Andrew, Richard B. Mellon helped finance some of America's largest early corporations including The American Aluminum Company and Gulf Oil. Pittsburgh based, Richard B. Mellon made many large philanthropic donations with his net worth which was equal to $50.5 billion in 2012 dollars.
#14: Henry Ford – $54 billion (1863 – 1947, Ford Motor Company)
While he did not invent the car, Henry Ford certainly perfected their manufacturing process with his production lines. His Model T was designed to appeal to the masses and was a smash hit. Henry Ford's net worth in today's dollars was $54 billion at the time of his death in 1947.
#13: Sam Walton – $65 billion (1918 – 1992, WalMart)
Walmart founder Sam Walton comes in at #12 on our list of richest Americans with $65 billion. Walton died in 1992 nearly 20 years later each one of his four kids has an individual net worth of over $25 billion. Walmart today is the nation's largest retailer and largest employer with 2.1 million workers and annual revenues of $422 billion.
#12: Marshall Field – $66 billion (1834 – 1906, Marshall Field & Company)
Marshall Field coined the phrase "The customer is always right". He also was the first large retailer to accept exchanges and display prices openly. Field died in 1906 with a relative net worth of $66 billion much of which came from investments in Chicago real estate.
#11: Stephen Van Rensselaer – $68 billion (1764 -1839, land)
Stephen Van Rensselaer was born in 1764 and made his fortune off land. Van Rensselaer received his land as a grant from the Dutch in the earliest days of America. The Dutch gave his family over a million acres of land in New York which he managed until his death in 1839 at which time he had acquired a net worth equivalent to $68 billion in today's money.
#10: Warren Buffett – $70.2 billion (1930 – present, Berkshire Hathaway)
Before he gave most of his fortune away, Warren Buffett's net worth peaked at $64 billion. The Oracle of Omaha made his billions as the Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, a holding company that owns interests in a wide variety of industries. Berkshire owns GEICO, Fruit of the Loom and hundreds of other investments.
#9: Jay Gould – $71 billion (1836 – 1892, railroads)
Like many other billionaires on this list, Jay Gould made his fortune in railroads. He was also an extremely successful investor and speculator who what one point own more gold than anyone on the planet. When New York's elite refused to allow the unpopular Gould to purchase a private box at the New York Opera he built a much nicer and bigger opera house down the street, The New York Met.
#8: Friedrich Weyerhauser – $80 billion (1834 – 1914, timber, land)
After the Civil War, Friedrich Weyerhauser started a lumber company and eventually went on to acquire over two million acres of land making him one of the biggest private land owners in The US. His timber venture was extremely successful, earning Weyerhauser a personal net worth of over $80 billion in today's dollars.
#7: A.T. Stewart – $90 billion (1803 – 1876, dry goods)
Irish born Alexander Turney Stewart, aka A.T. Stewart, founded the very first department store in New York City which would go on to become the largest retail store in the world for it's time. In 1869 alone Stewart's net worth was estimated at over $1 million and when he died in 1876 his fortune was worth $90 billion in 2012 dollars!
#6: Stephen Girard – $105 billion (1750 – 1831, banker)
Originally from France, Stephen Girard made his fortune in shipping and eventually banking. The oldest person on our list of richest Americans, Girard was born in 1750 and died in 1831. At the time of this death in 1831 Stephen Girard's was the richest man in America with a net worth of $105 billion! He died without heirs so he donated a large portion of his fortune to charity.
#5: John Jacob Astor – $121 billion (1763 – 1848, New York City real estate)
John Jacob Astor made his first fortune by dominating the fur trade in the US. Astor then used his vast financial resources to acquire real estate in New York City including what would eventually become The Waldorf Astoria hotel. Astor was the first multi millionaire ever in America and at the time of his death in 1848 had a net worth equal to $121 billion in today's dollars.
#4: Bill Gates – $136 billion* (1955 – present, Microsoft) *Achieved in 2000
Bill Gates' peak net worth topped $136 billion for a brief moment in 1999 at the highest point of the dot com bubble but has since dropped to $59 billion which still makes him the richest living person in America. Gates has pledged to donate the majority of his wealth to charity.
#3: Cornelius Vanderbilt – $185 billion (1794 – 1877, railroads and shipping)
Cornelius Vanderbilt made an early small fortune running steamboats but didn't come into his vast wealth until he was he invested in railroads at the age of 70. He used his money to start Vanderbilt University and his descendants still own vast real estate in New York City. At the time of his death in 1877 Cornelius Vanderbilt had amassed a net worth of $185 billion in today's dollars.
#2: Andrew Carnegie – $310 billion (1835 – 1919, US Steel)
At the peak of the steel boom Andrew Carnegie invested heavily in steel companies which paid off handsomely. Eventually Carnegie became the head of US Steel which catapulted him to the upper echelons of American wealth. At the time of his death in 1919, Andrew Carnegie was worth the equivalent of $310 billion in today's dollars making him the second richest American to ever live.
#1: John D. Rockefeller – $340 billion (1839 – 1937, Standard Oil)
John D. Rockefeller was not only the richest America who ever lived but also one of the richest human beings in the history of the world with a net worth equivalent to $340 billion in today's dollars when he died in 1937. John D. Rockefeller was the founder of Standard Oil and eventually controlled over 90% of all the oil in The United States. Standard Oil was broken up by the US government for being a monopoly and was eventually broken up into what eventually became Amoco, Chevron Conoco, and ExxonMobil. He was the first American to ever be worth over $1 billion and donated over $500 million to charity upon his death.
What lessons did you learn from this list? Anyone else want to launch a railroad??!! | {
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CEO of Twitter, Jack Patrick Dorsey, speaks during an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times at Twitter India office, at the Crescent, on November 14, 2018 in New Delhi, India.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said Tuesday that he recognizes there is a link between activity on his social network and real life danger to people.
The tech executive made his comments while discussing Twitter's efforts to reduce harassment on the service and promote "healthy conversation" during in an interview conducted on Twitter with Recode's Kara Swisher. During the conversation, Dorsey said Twitter's top priority is focusing on users' physical safety.
tweet
Dorsey said the company is putting in place mechanisms that will reduce the probability of Twitter users experiencing offline physical harm as a result of what others see on the service. Dorsey listed coordinated harassment campaigns and doxxing, which is the online publication of one's private identifiable information, as examples of physical dangers Twitter is working to reduce.
"So you do see the link between what you do and real life danger to people? Can you say that explicitly?" Swisher asked in a tweet.
"I see the link, and that's why we need to put physical safety above all else. That's what we're figuring out how to do now. We don't have all the answers just yet. But that's the focus. I think it clarifies a lot of the work we need to do. Not all of it of course," Dorsey responded.
tweet
Swisher asked if Twitter's lack of diversity was a cause for why the company has been slow to build features to protect users against harassment, to which Dorsey said that was "likely a reason."
tweet
WATCH: Facebook, Snapchat and TikTok have a massive underage user problem — here's why it matters | {
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For year The Pirate Bay’s porn category was only accessible to registered users, but not anymore.
As of today adult content is public.
The Pirate Bay team told TorrentFreak that the reason for this switch is rather practical.
The code that checked whether people opted in/out from adult content stopped working correctly.
Since there’s no time to fix the issue now TPB enabled access for everyone.
By the way, did you know that girls download just as much porn from TPB as boys? | {
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To mark 100 years since the start of World War One, we're posting stories that ran in the Star, during this pivotal time in history. Explore the headlines and reports as the world came to grips with the outbreak of The Great War.Click here for more stories.
This story was originally published in The Star on Aug. 4, 1914.
LONDON, AUG. 4—The House of Commons today voted $525,000,000 for emergency purposes and passed several bills in five minutes without a dissentient voice.
BERLIN, AUG. 4—A bill was introduced into the German Imperial Parliament today providing for the appropriation of $1,250,000,000 to meet the expenses of the war.
LONDON, AUG. 4—Great Britain today sent a practical ultimatum to Germany demanding a satisfactory reply by midnight tonight on the subject of Belgian neutrality. This means 7 p.m. in Toronto.
LONDON, AUG. 4—A proclamation by King George commanding the mobilization of the British army was read today from the steps of the Royal Exchange. A huge crowd cheered and the British national anthem was sung.
LONDON, AUG 4—Premier Asquith in the House of Commons confirmed the sending to Germany of a request that she should give the same assurance of the neutrality of Belgium as France had done, and that her reply should be sent to England before midnight.
This first announcement that a virtual British ultimatum had been sent to Germany fixing a time limit for a reply was made by Premier Asquith in the presence of a crowded House.
Belgium Appeals to Britain
Mr. Asquith said that in conformity with the statement made by Sir Edward Grey, the foreign secretary, in the House of Commons yesterday, a telegram had been sent early this morning to Sir Edward Goseen, British ambassador in Berlin, to the following effect:
“The King of the Belgians has appealed to his Britannie Majesty’s government for diplomatic intervention on behalf of Belgium. The British government is informed that the German government has delivered also to the Belgian government a note proposing friendly neutrality pending a free passage of German troops through Belgium and promising to maintain independence and integrity of the kingdom and its possessions on the conclusion of peace, threatening in case of refusal to treat Belgium as an enemy.”
12 Hours For Answer
Sir Edward Grey in the dispatch requested an answer with twelve hours.
Mr. Asquith continued:
“Immediately after we received from the Belgian Legation here the following telegraph from the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs:
The Belgian general staff announces that Belgian territory has been violated at Verviers near Aix-la-Chappelle.’
“Subsequent information tends to show that a German force has penetrated still father into Belgian territory.
“We also received this note this morning from the German ambassador here:
“Please dispel any distrust that may subsist on the part of the British government with regard to our intentions by repeating most positively the formal assurance that even in case of armed conflict with Belgium, Germany will under no previsions whatever, annex Belgian territory. The sincerity of this declaration is borne out by the fact that we have solemnly pledged our … to Holland strictly to respect her neutrality. It is obvious that we could not profitably annex Belgian territory without making territorial acquisition at the expense of Holland.
“Please impress upon Sir Edward … that the German army could not … exposed to a French attack across Belgium which was planned according to absolutely unimpeachable information. Germany has as a consequence, disregarded Belgian neutrality to prevent what means to her a question of life and death—a French advance through Belgium.”
Not a Satisfactory Reply
Premier Asquith then said: “I have to add this on behalf of His Majesty’s Government:
“We cannot regard this as in any sense a satisfactory communication. We have in reply repeated the request made last week to the German government that it should give us the same assurance regarding Belgian neutrality as was given to us by France last week.
“We have asked that the German reply to that request and a satisfactory allowed to our telegram of this morning should be given before midnight tonight.”
Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...
Belgium Refused
The Premier continued:
“We understand that Belgium categorically refused to assent to a flagrant violation of the law of nations.
“His Majesty’s Government was bound to protest against this violation of a treaty to which Germany was a party in common with England, and must request an assurance that the demand made upon Belgium by Germany be not proceeded with, and that Belgium’s neutrality be respected by Germany and we have asked for an immediate reply.
“We received this morning from out Minister in Brussels the following telegram:
“The German Minister has this morning addressed a note to the Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs, stating that as the Belgian Government has declined a well-intentioned proposal submitted to it by the Imperial German Government, the latter deeply to its regret will be compelled to carry out if necessary by force of arms the measures considered indispensable in view of the French menace.”
Premier Asquith explained that all England had demanded of Germany was she give the same assurances regarding Belgium’s neutrality as France had. This, he said, was refused.
Promises Broken
“We only had promises from Germany,” the Premier continued. “And these promises were made simultaneously with the pressing of demand on Belgium herself by the German Foreign Office. Of course this was not satisfactory. Germany’s attitude throughout in connection with Belgium has been entirely in opposition to British interests.”
Great Britain cannot consider the offer made by Germany to compensate Belgium for any damage done to her territory as satisfactory the Premier told the Commons.
“We must protect Belgium’s neutrality to prevent what is to her a matter of life or death, the advance of a hostile army through her borders. Belgium has appealed to us. It is for us to decide what answer we shall make to that appeal.”
The Premier concluded his grave statement amid a great outburst of cheers from all part of the House.
Belgium Prepares to Declare War
In Brussels it was declared that Belgium was getting ready to declare war on Germany. The violation of her territory has aroused the people to the utmost. This was manifested by serious anti-German demonstrations in every section of the kingdom today.
Click here for more stories.
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It's been a while for Maryland and Georgetown, who haven't played anywhere since 2008 and not in College Park since 1973. Things were different back then, and the teams' current players aren't a part of whatever history exists here.
When the Terrapins and Hoyas tip on Tuesday night at Xfinity Center (9 p.m., ESPN2), the old will become new.
"We weren't really here to watch them play each other, and for us, now, we just look at it as a big game, of course, because they're close to us," Maryland guard Melo Trimble said Wednesday. "It's another game, but as far as the history and stuff like that, we don't look at it like that."
Trimble was 13 the last time the teams played.
Maryland forward Jake Layman was 14. Has he done much research on the teams' 63-game history?
"Not really," he said. "I haven't done that."
Fellow forward Robert Carter was 14, too. Has he seen old YouTube clips on the series?
"We've been trying to focus on our game," he laughed. "Maybe after we win, I'll go back and look at other games."
Maryland's players can sense the excitement. If they walked to their arena on Monday from the center of Maryland's campus, they probably strolled past a junker car along Regents Drive, spray-painted "BEAT GEORGETOWN" and offering passersby the chance to pay money to hit it with an axe. But for the No. 3 Terps, the game is business is usual.
"I think it's great," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. "I was talking to a guy the other day. He said, 'It's great for the fans. It's great for the area. It's great for college basketball. It's great for the players, but it's not great for the head coaches,' and that's probably why it hasn't been played."
Despite the long layoff between games, Maryland and Georgetown play – to a degree – in each other's shadows. As the two biggest programs in Washington's immediate vicinity, they compete for eyeballs every year. There's a degree of familiarity between them that's unusual for two non-conference teams.
"They have a lot of local players that we recruited and vice versa on our team that they recruited," Turgeon said. "You get a good feel. I'll be honest with you: I never really watched Georgetown. I watched them, but I really never studied them because I just figured we were never going to play them."
Layman said he's gotten to see a bit of Georgetown, but generally from afar.
"I think, even though we play at Maryland, we're still college basketball fans. We watch as much basketball as we can," he said. "So, yeah, definitely."
Turgeon largely minimized the stakes of the game, saying the second contest of the season wasn't going to "make or break" anybody. He doesn't expect it'll make a huge difference on the recruiting trail either way.
"We don't recruit against Georgetown that much," Turgeon said. "We do, but we don't. We play different styles, in different leagues. I really don't think it's going to have any impact on recruiting."
Yet, Turgeon allowed there's a bit of extra juice behind this game.
"The world's not going to come to an end tomorrow for either one of us tomorrow, for the loser. You'll learn from it and get better," Turgeon said. "But, no, obviously, being a local team, we want to win this one badly."
It stands to reason that Maryland's fans, especially those in older generations, feel the same way.
"This is [why] you come here, to play in games like this. I'm excited to be able to be a part of this game and how much excitement in brings to people in this area," Layman said. "It's going to be an unbelievable crowd tomorrow, and I'm just ready to get that atmosphere back." | {
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House Passes Bill With Money For Trump Wall, Increasing Likelihood Of A Shutdown
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jacquelyn Martin/AP Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Updated at 10:48 p.m. ET
The House passed a short-term funding bill Thursday night that includes the money for additional border security President Trump wants — but the measure is unlikely to pass the Senate, raising the likelihood of a partial government shutdown that would begin Friday night at midnight.
Trump signaled earlier Thursday that he would not sign a temporary funding measure from Congress that doesn't include funding that could be used to pay for his trademark border wall, torpedoing the bill the Senate passed earlier this week without any wall funding that would have kept the government funded through early February.
"I've made my position very clear — any measure to fund the government has to include border security. Not for political purposes but for our country, for the safety of our community," Trump reiterated ahead of a signing ceremony for the farm bill, adding that "a nation without borders is a nation not at all."
Efforts to avoid a partial shutdown were thrown into chaos earlier in the day by the president. The House looked ready to pass the Senate's short-term spending bill, trying to avoid a messy fight just ahead of Christmas and as many lawmakers were eager to get home. But then House GOP leaders went to the White House and emerged saying that Trump had said he wouldn't sign the measure.
Now, Trump finds himself in a standoff with Congress over his signature campaign promise — which he repeatedly said throughout the presidential race that Mexico would pay for. House GOP leaders, in their last few days wielding the majority, acquiesced to the president and put the new measure, which included $5.7 billion to fund Trump's border wall and $7.8 billion for disaster relief, to a vote. Democratic congressional leaders had argued last week such a bill couldn't pass in the House, but it did by a vote of 217-185. Eight Republicans opposed the bill.
However, the House bill is expected to be dead on arrival in the Senate, where Republicans have only a two-seat majority and any legislation needs 60 votes to move forward. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office said the Senate would begin consideration of the House version on Friday, which would require consent for expedited consideration — something Democrats could block.
Trump is scheduled to depart Friday for a 16-day vacation at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, but a senior White House official said he will not go if there is a shutdown.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
In his remarks prior to the House vote Thursday night, Trump had not specified a dollar figure he wanted and had suggested that the money could be used to build "steel slats" rather than a traditional wall to give lawmakers "a bit of an out." That distinction was not likely to sway any Democrats or moderate Republicans who oppose approving new money for any kind of physical barrier on the border.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., likely to be the next House speaker, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said GOP leaders told them Trump had pledged on Wednesday to support the continuing resolution to keep the government open, but they argued before the House vote that the president had been swayed instead by conservative pundits on Fox News and elsewhere to be obstinate instead.
"President Trump is throwing a temper tantrum and creating a Trump shutdown of the government," said Schumer.
"The president is doing everything he can to shut down the government," Pelosi added.
In a tweet and a video posted online Thursday evening, the president said, "Border security must become a #1 priority!" and accused Democrats of putting politics before country.
Republican leaders introduced legislation late Thursday afternoon that included roughly $5 billion in border wall funding and $8 billion in disaster aid. The decision to package it all together was a last-minute reversal from a plan outlined by Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 3 Republican leader.
Scalise originally told Republicans that lawmakers would have a chance to vote on the border wall and disaster funding as a separate amendment. Instead of rejecting the package, the House sent a new bill to the Senate, where Democrats are certain to block it.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders issued this statement after the meeting with House GOP leaders:
"President Trump just met with Republican Members of the House. Not surprisingly, they all feel strongly about Border Security — stopping the flow of drugs, stopping human trafficking, and stopping terrorism. We protect nations all over the world, but Democrats are unwilling to protect our nation. We urgently need funding for border security and that includes a wall."
Plans for a speedy vote on a short-term spending bill crumbled earlier Thursday ahead of Friday night's deadline as some House Republicans threatened to pull their support for any spending measure that did not include additional border security money.
House GOP leaders struggled to persuade members to support a bill to extend current spending levels through Feb. 8. Many are concerned that Republicans will not have another chance to fulfill Trump's demand for $5 billion to build a wall on the border with Mexico. The Senate approved a spending measure Wednesday night that did not satisfy Trump on the issue of border security.
Conservatives such as Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., said voting on the short-term spending bill without border wall money amounts to a surrender on one of Trump's signature campaign promises. Brooks said he is confident that the House could uphold a veto — if a spending bill does pass and Trump refuses to sign it. But Brooks, like most Republicans, said they have no clear sign from Trump about what he is willing to support.
"That is the $5 billion question," Brooks said. "I wish we had clarity on that; that would help us decide what to do."
Trump tweeted Thursday morning that Democrats know "Steel Slats (Wall) are necessary for Border Security" and are "putting politics over Country" by refusing to fund the wall. He also threatened "not to sign any of their legislation, including infrastructure, unless it has perfect Border Security."
In a tweet later in the morning, Trump said he was "promised the Wall and Border Security" by congressional leadership when he signed a spending package last year and that "it didn't happen!"
Frustration with the spending bill extends beyond a core group of conservatives who typically oppose spending bills. Some reliable leadership allies, such as Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., also expressed concerns about the spending bill.
"This is a different circumstance. We're about to lose the majority and we've made promises that haven't been kept," Womack said. "If we aren't willing to fight now on the way out of the majority, then when are we willing to fight?"
Republican leaders had hoped to easily approve a spending measure to avoid a last-minute panic over spending. Funding for about a quarter of the government will run out at midnight on Friday, and the government will be forced to partially close unless a spending measure is agreed to.
Support among House Republicans began to crack Wednesday night before the Senate vote even occurred.
Members of the House Freedom Caucus, some of the most conservative members of Congress, railed against the wall-less spending plan in a string of speeches on the House floor. The group's chairman, North Carolina Republican Mark Meadows, urged Trump to veto the spending measure, saying, "We're going to back you up. If you veto this bill, we'll be there."
The frustration grew Thursday morning during a closed-door meeting of House Republicans. Members emerged confused about the plan for the spending bill, telling reporters that the entire plan for a vote expected later in the day was up in the air.
National Feds Alter Policies To Ease Overcrowding In Migrant Shelters Feds Alter Policies To Ease Overcrowding In Migrant Shelters Listen · 3:45 3:45
Ryan stepped out of a closed-door meeting of GOP House members to take a phone call from the president. As that call stretched on, leadership members decided to cancel a regularly scheduled press briefing ahead of the White House meeting.
The spending measure, also known as a continuing resolution, would fund nine Cabinet-level departments and several independent agencies through Feb. 8, when Congress would again be forced to confront the issue. But Democrats, who will control the House in the next Congress, have adamantly refused to provide money for a wall.
In a speech Wednesday, McConnell said he was "sorry that my Democratic colleagues couldn't put the partisanship aside and show the same good-faith flexibility that the president has shown in order to provide the resources our nation needs to secure the integrity of our borders as well as the safety of American families."
A presidential veto or the failure of the House and the Senate to pass the same bill would mean that hundreds of thousands of federal employees including Border Patrol, FBI and DEA agents and TSA officers would continue to work over the Christmas holiday but without pay, while hundreds of thousands of other federal workers would be furloughed.
But Trump was optimistic late Thursday. "Thank you to our GREAT Republican Members of Congress for your VOTE to fund Border Security and the Wall," the president tweeted, adding "So proud of you all. Now on to the Senate!"
In a second tweet, Trump sought to put pressure on Democrats including Pelosi. "Soon to be Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, last week live from the Oval Office, that the Republicans didn't have the votes for Border Security. ... Nancy does not have to apologize. All I want is GREAT BORDER SECURITY!" | {
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Frank is a contractor. His company has been brought in to refactor some back-end web services that were all developed by a single person, "Nicholas," over the course of a couple of years.
From the front lines,
Having looked at it, we've decided that a complete rewrite is the only solution. Here's just one example of what can only be called "paid by the line" programming.
private int GetMessage( int selected ) { int index = 0; // Get the Message switch( selected ) { case 0: index = 0; break; case 1: index = 1; break; case 2: index = 2; break; case 3: index = 3; break; } return index; }
According to the submission, we can "only imagine what other fun things this codebase does" but I can't think of anything. Instead, the challenge of the day is to rewrite this function as many different ways as possible. Keep in mind, you're not being paid by the line. | {
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Vice President Pence visited Dominoes Park in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood Friday afternoon on the way to the policy event where President Trump will deliver remarks outlining new U.S. policies on Cuba.
Pence tweeted pictures of his meeting with locals in the neighborhood hotspot, where former Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fl.) introduced him informally to the domino players and attendees.
“I need to come back on a sunny day and play some dominoes,” Pence said.
Visited Domino Park in Little Havana before @POTUS' speech at 1. Tune in ➡️ https://t.co/Tb8xIP0p25 pic.twitter.com/P8655Vq2LL — Vice President Pence (@VP) June 16, 2017
One reporter asked Pence if he had ever been to Little Havana before. “I have,” he said, "but never here to dominoes. I have to come back when it’s a little drier and I have more time.”
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Many took pictures with vice president. Some expressed their support for Pence and President Trump, shouting, “Viva Trump! Viva Trump!”
Pence also responded to questions about his hiring of an outside counsel regarding the Russia probe into the 2016 election, calling it “very routine.”
Diaz-Balart said that the vice president’s visit to Little Havana was “a very gracious and appreciated gesture.” | {
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Al Ameling, 58, a technical analyst who lives in Marble Rock, near the Minnesota border, is representative of the profound demographic shift among white rural voters in the northern Midwest that helped produce Mr. Trump’s stunning upset. Mr. Ameling voted for Mr. Obama in 2008, sat out in 2012 and enthusiastically backed Mr. Trump. Nothing he has heard since Election Day has shaken his support, including reports this week that American intelligence agencies are investigating unverified accounts of meetings between Trump aides and Russian officials, as well as sex tapes purportedly made of Mr. Trump in Moscow. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump called the allegations completely false.
“The way it is nowadays, unless I see positive proof, it’s all a lie,” Mr. Ameling said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. He added he was more concerned that government officials might have leaked the material to the news media. “I don’t know if it was classified, but if it was, whoever leaked it needs to go to jail,” he said. “We need law and order back in this country.”
I headed to Monticello because it was the site of Hillary Clinton’s first campaign stop after declaring her candidacy for the Democratic nomination in 2015. When she rolled up in her black van, a pack of journalists took off at a run, myself included, an enduringly silly image.
Mrs. Clinton rarely returned to the state in the general election campaign, giving it up as all but lost. Jones County, which includes Monticello, is the birthplace of the painter Grant Wood, and where older men still wear the style of pinstriped overalls in his “American Gothic.” It is a beautiful place, with bald eagles soaring over wintry farm fields. Mr. Trump carried the county by 20 percentage points; Mr. Obama easily won there four years earlier.
At Darrell’s, there are actually two Tables of Knowledge, one favored by Democrats and the other by Republicans. Among them are an optometrist, farmers and former employees of a utility company. I asked if there was anyone who had voted for Mr. Trump after having previously supported Mr. Obama. | {
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Bihar is one of the worst-affected regions during Monsoon.
Chest-deep in brown, flowing monsoon water and holding bags of clothes and utensils above their heads, residents in Bihar are hungry and in despair.
"When many of us poor people drown, then the politicians suddenly take notice... But otherwise, nobody cares about us," shopkeeper Raj Majhi told AFP.
Majhi's home -- like many others -- is submerged, with only rooftops remaining above floodwaters. His family has found its way to a small patch of land beside a highway, where they cook on a small stove.
Bihar is no stranger to floods, and is usually one of the worst-affected regions during the monsoons, but as one of the poorest regions in South Asia, residents feel helpless faced with the annual deluge.
This year's floods -- caused by torrential rains in Bihar and from across the border in Nepal -- have been unrelenting.
At least 67 people have been killed in the state and 4.5 million residents affected by the floods so far, and water levels are still rising.
Thatched huts have been washed away and entire communities cut-off as roads and bridges are destroyed and crops devastated.
In Sitamarhi district, floodwaters cover roads and homes as far as the eye can see. Marooned villagers, tired from hours of wading through the churning waters, wait for help to arrive on small islands of higher ground.
Farmer Sonabati Devi managed to save some of her goats, but not much more.
At least 67 people have been killed in floods in Bihar.
"We left the house to save ourselves and left everything behind," she said, sitting under a makeshift tent -- one of many that have popped up around Sitamarhi using meagre household materials that villagers managed to salvage.
In areas where floodwaters have eased slightly, villagers cram into small, wooden boats or swim home to retrieve belongings.
Some have received khichdi from the government.
"My children keep asking me for food and say they are hungry, but what can we do?," said Nima Devi, who only eats once a day with her children when the khichdi is distributed.
But many others are going hungry, with next to no food supplies and only the clothes on their back.
In a rare spot of good news, no extreme warnings have been issued by the weather department for the days ahead, although rains could continue.
But even when the water retreats, villagers face the daunting task of cleaning up homes -- now littered with rubbish accumulated by the flood -- that weren't swept away. | {
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President Donald Trump told Bloomberg that he is considering indexing capital gains taxes to inflation.
The move would result in a $102 billion tax cut over the next 10 years that would overwhelmingly benefit wealthier Americans.
But the idea is legally dubious.
President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that he is mulling a tax move that would save America's wealthiest billions of dollars.
In an interview with Bloomberg, Trump said he was considering indexing capital gains taxes to inflation, a legally dubious move that would result in a $102 billion tax cut over the next 10 years.
"I’m thinking about it," Trump said.
Reports in July indicated that the Trump administration was considering the move, which would index the cost of the purchase of an asset to inflation. Here's how it would work:
An investor who made a $100,000 real-estate investment in 1990 and sold today for $1 million must pay taxes on the $900,000 difference.
But under Trump's new plan, the $100,000 investment would be adjusted for inflation.
Based on the consumer price index inflation rate between 1990 and today, the value of the initial investment would be adjusted to about $198,000.
That means the investor would owe taxes on the $802,000 difference, a significant savings compared with current law.
According to the Penn-Wharton Budget Model, over 97% of the benefits from such a tweak would go to the top 10% of income earners in the US, 86% of the benefit would go to the top 1% of income earners, and 63% of the benefit would go to those in the top 0.1%.
Additionally, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service, the tax cut would do almost nothing to help boost the economy.
While Trump is considering the idea, it may not be possible — legally or politically. Since the Senate is split 51 to 49 in favor of Republicans, Democrats could block any legislation that includes the change under the chamber's rules. Given that reality, the Trump administration was considering making the change unilaterally by adjusting Treasury Department regulations.
But President George HW Bush's administration looked into doing the same thing, and the Justice Department determined that the move was illegal. | {
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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A hiker who thought he discovered a puppy along a San Diego trail in March actually ended up taking in a coyote pup.
San Diego Humane Society said the man was walking his dog on March 22 in Tierrasanta when he thought he had discovered an abandoned puppy. He ended up bringing the animal home and calling the Humane Society to report his discovery.
Humane Law Enforcement found that the puppy wasn't a pooch at all, but actually a coyote pup.
Officers brought the little coyote to the society's Project Wildlife, which works to rehabilitate wildlife for release back into the wild.
The pup was then transferred for care at Fund for Animals in Ramona.
SDHS said the pup's mother may have been moving the den when the hiker discovered the animal. Coyotes move their dens regularly to protect their young or re-use their den multiple times. | {
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Het gaat niet zo goed met de PVV. Nadat de partij bij de Gemeenteraadsverkiezingen afgelopen woensdag ongeveer de helft van de stemmers wist te trekken van de Tweede Kamerverkiezingen (en in Rotterdam veel minder dan dat) verliest Wilders ook deze week weer aanhang in de wekelijkse peiling van Maurice de Hond. Zijn grootste tegenstrevers doen wél goede zaken: zowel DENK als GroenLinks gaan vooruit.
Is Nederland momenteel bezig met een ruk naar links? Als je de wekelijkse peiling van Maurice de Hond ziet, zou je dat haast wel gaan denken. Daarin is nog maar eens zichtbaar dat de PVV het erg lastig heeft; de partij verliest opnieuw een zetel en noteert nu 11 blauwe stoelen in de Tweede Kamer. Dat is de slechtste score in ruim tien jaar tijd, zo observeert Maurice de Hond.
Tegelijkertijd verliest ook de ChristenUnie een zetel en gaat ook de VVD onderuit – de grootste regeringspartij houdt nog maar 24 zetels over, en de kleinste moet het met 6 rooien. Weliswaar wint het CDA een zetel, maar dat weet toch niet te verhinderen dat de centrum-rechtse coalitie als geheel twee zetels kwijtraakt en nu nog slechts 58 aantikt.
Tegenover dat verlies van rechtse partijen staan zetelwinsten van enkele linkse partijen. GroenLinks nestelt zich naast het Forum voor Democratie als de tweede partij van het land met 16 zetels, en ook de Partij voor de Dieren en DENK boeken winst. Al met al boekt politiek links 3 zetels winst, terwijl politiek rechts 3 zetels achteruitkachelt – en dat allemaal in slechts één week tijd. Is dit het begin van een wederopstanding van politiek links? Laten we het niet hopen, maar op basis van deze uitslagen is het helaas ook niet helemaal uit te sluiten. | {
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A random and digitally reproduced postcard of one of the images, with a hand-written note on the back of the postcard, and an APOML logo sticker. Shipping included. Postcard image randomly selected.
Less | {
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Documents released Wednesday including search warrant affidavits and a lengthy evidence inventory provide details of both the drug raid that left one Killeen police officer dead and another injured and of the crime scene investigation that followed the deadly shooting.
Police Detective Charles “Chuck” Dinwiddie, 47, and Officer Odis Denton, 37, were shot as they and other officers served the narcotics search warrant just after 5:30 a.m. Friday at 1104 Circle M Dr. Apt. 3 in Killeen.
Dinwiddie died at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the intensive care unit of Scott & White Hospital.
Denton, who was shot in the femur, underwent surgery and was released from Scott & White on Wednesday.
Two other officers were hit by gunfire, but were spared injury by their protective gear.
An inventory of evidence collected over the course of about 12 hours as the crime scene was processed through the afternoon on May 9 and into the early morning hours on May 10 lists dozens of shell casings, projectiles, projectile fragments among more than 150 items gathered and documented.
Investigators also seized a glass pipe identified as drug paraphernalia, a safe, a grinder, a laptop computer, two walkie-talkies, a 9-mm pistol, and three cellphones from inside the apartment.
The evidence return does not list any drugs. | {
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After two years of planning and construction, the Buddha Blessed Temple has been completed in a suburban area south of Louisville, in the US state of Kentucky. More than 600 people visited the temple on Sunday to celebrate its grand opening, which featured Vietnamese and Buddhist chanting, dance, songs, and traditional culinary offerings in a public event. The temple’s programs had been held in a nearby rented space beginning in 2006, led by Rev. Dr. Thich Hang Dat, a student of the Zen teacher Hsuan Hua in the Quy Nguong Zen Buddhist tradition.
The temple, which is surrounded by more than six hectares of land that it acquired three years ago, will offer regular programs on a weekly and seasonal schedule under the theme Changing Minds, Transforming Lives. Drone footage shows the arrival of guests at the temple. | {
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Garden designs New Jersey
Garden design is a feature that the Japanese perfected long years ago. Garden beauties outside a house always fascinate the people around and create a soothing experience. This is the one reason that people are nowadays going with designing and landscaping. This allows people to get closer with Mother Nature and relax the sunshine with their private area. A garden design always facilitates the land owners in enhancing the total property value which can be of greater assistance, especially when people are planning to sell their lands. With remarkable designs people can plant various plants and shrubs and can have an inimitable splash of color in their exteriors.Whether the lawn is curved or straight people can design them in a stylish manner and have a comfortable area to lighten up their minds. Choosing the right plant for the garden may be a complicated job, but can be done very easily. Native plants are the best option to have in our garden because they are available in the nearby nurseries. Having a splash of colors in the garden area can be simply done by choosing native flowering plants but blossom different colors.Bamboos have always been a great alternative to home owners and are something that can go with the trends changing. In addition to this people believe that bamboos soak up all the negative energies in the surrounding and change it into positive energy. Water features are getting a very well accepted mode of enhancing the lawn area and make look the garden look more elegant. Water features act as a center of attraction for the guest and the slight harmonizing sound of running water always makes the environment lively. Many people find designing their lawn difficult and designing them with the designer will be the correct alternative.Design correctly based on the customers need according to their budget and the space available. The best way to find a designer is surfing on the web or asking for reference to our neighbors, family or friends. A good design plan should be the most important element at the beginning of any new garden landscape projects. The design should reflect our taste and preference as well as taking into account our particular space and requirement. Well planned by a skilled garden designer our garden will give enjoyment and inspiration for years to come.As accessories play an important role in decorating our indoor, they play an important role in decorating our outdoor. Gardens without garden accessories look incomplete. Garden designers design garden with the accessories to look them more beautiful. There are a lot of designs with the garden designers that inspires us for our garden. | {
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Theros will be out soon, pushing Innistrad block and its horror tropes right out of Standard. For me, a guy who writes a weekly tournament report, it is a weird time to be playing Standard. This isn’t a new phenomenon—whenever a block is about to rotate we are left with a lame duck format. Players have a few weeks to ditch their non-eternal playables from Innistrad block, start brewing with the ever growing spoiler, and enjoy a few more weeks with their pet decks from current standard. I, like a lot of players, have mixed emotions about the whole thing. I won’t miss being blown out by a miracled Bonfire of the Damned but I will miss blowing other people out with a miracled Terminus. I will miss Restoration Angel blinking Snapcaster Mage but won’t miss Restoration Angel blinking Thragtusk. I will miss UW Midrange and Esper Control but won’t miss Jund, Junk, or the deck I’m playing this week, Bant Auras.
It is strange to think that Bant Auras won’t survive rotation when Theros is an “enchantments matter” set. Hell, I suppose it’s possible that the deck does get the tools it needs to continue to frustrate hapless opponents, but lets look at what is loses; Avacyn’s Pilgrim, Geist of Saint Traft, Invisible Stalker, Rancor, Spectral Flight, and all of the check lands that support the three color manabase. As of writing this, 110 cards are known from Theros, and while I’m no Patrick Chapin, I can say that I would not slot any of these cards into the current Bant Auras deck. My guess is that if you want to play a relatively uninteractive game by slapping pants on your creatures, the Bogle deck in Modern is probably the best place to do it.
Since we have a lame duck format, and I’m playing a lame deck, I want to add a couple of features to this weeks Ensnaring Cambridge to, you know, add some value to the column. Magic players love value. First, I talked to all of my opponents about their favorite spoiled cards from Theros, that way you can at least see that my opponent is really into Thassa, and not just the victim of Invisible Stalker with an Unflinching Courage. Second, I got into the financial speculation game by putting $60 of my hard earned money into some cards that could potentially be flipped for value somewhere down the line. The speculation stuff is after the end of the tournament report, but you have to read the rest of the article first, I’m evoking scout’s honor on this one.
As usual, I played Wednesday Night Standard at Pandemonium Books and Games in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For reference, here is Raymond Tan’s Bant Auras deck I’m playing for the second and final time:
Bant Auras
Round 1—Bernie with GW Stuff (2-0)
It turns out Bernie is just getting back into the game after an extended hiatus. He explained to me before we started playing that he was still tweaking this deck, and that his girlfriend, sitting down the table, had his better standard deck—Slivers. This whole explanation was voiced in a superb South Boston accent, something I actually don’t hear a lot of on this side of the river. Bernie’s deck was filled with “Witchstalkahs, Elixah of Immatality, and Scahvenging Ooze”. The card Bernie is most excited by in the Theros spoiler is Bow of Nylea, because the card oozes with flavor and can be played in a bunch of casual brews he is currently working on.
Games one and two were relatively unexciting (non-interaction is sort of Bant Auras M.O. after all) but there was one interaction which threatened to actually make this poker match a game of Magic. Bernie had four Celestial Flare in his maindeck, which are pretty good against me. Game one, I was attacking with too many creatures for it to make a difference but game two, I was forced to slow down the game, not attack indiscriminately, and wait until I had a creature I could throw away before attacking into two untapped plains.
Round 2—Andrew with GB Rock (1-2)
Andrew said his favorite card spoiled so far is Curse of the Swine,* which I believe instantly cements him as a solid dude. Maybe it’s because I did my master’s thesis on the Odyssey, where Circe casts this sorcery on Odysseus’ men, or because I was forced to read some capitalist propaganda called Animal Farm in high school, but the card feels very literary to me.
Anyway, Andrew was playing GB Rock, which seems like it was initially built by someone who had a personal vendetta against Bant Auras. The deck plays Mutilate, Liliana of the Veil, Abrupt Decay, and Ratchet Bomb and this is not even mentioning Golgari Charm and Devour Flesh in the sideboard. Since GB can basically ignore the line of text that says “hexproof,” Bant Auras is put in the basically unwinnable situation of playing against efficient removal.
Game one, my turn three Fiendslayer Paladin met Liliana’s -2 ability. Then my Geist of Saint Traft was exiled with Lifebane Zombie. Andrew landed a Desecration Demon and I played a naked Invisible Stalker. The game was over very shortly afterward.
Sideboard:
-3 Simic Charm
+2 Negate
+1 Spell Rupture
Simic Charm just doesn’t do enough here. Though you can occasionally blank a Golgari Charm or Abrupt Decay by giving all your permanents–including enchantments–hexproof, it just doesn’t match up well against edict effects. Negate and Spell Rupture proactively stop Liliana and Mutilate so they come in here.
Game two, Andrew mulliganed to five and I luckily had the Negate for his turn four Liliana. I won on the back of Fiendslayer Paladin, who singlehandedly put me up to 36 life. Game three, Andrew didn’t cooperate with me and only mulliganed once, and not the two or three times I needed him to in order to have a shot at winning. The final board state looked like this with Andrew swinging for lethal:
Round 3—Steve with Jund (2-0)
Steve’s Theros crush is Thassa, God of the Sea, which makes sense because that card is awesome. Unfortunately, Steve had no devotion to blue and was playing Jund, which is another bad matchup for Bant Auras. Though Steve didn’t have any Liliana’s in the maindeck, nor did he have any Mutilate shenanigans, Bonfire of the Damned is always around, lurking near the top of library, waiting to burn out my enchantment wearing idiots.
Game one, I played an early Gladecover Scout, enchanted it with Spectral Flight, and then later put two sets of Ethereal Armor on it and won. For what it’s worth I also played out a Fiendslayer Paladin in order to play around a potential Liliana, but this was just Bonfired away. There was some element of a race with him attacking with a Scaveging Ooze and a Lifebane Zombie but they turned out to be no match for my 9/9 flying, first-strike, hexproof, elf scout.
Sideboard:
-2 Simic Charm
-2 Avacyn’s Pilgrim
+2 Negate
+1 Spell Rupture
+1 Mending Touch
Avacyn’s Pilgrim basically dies to everything in the Jund deck, so I like to take out a few of the mana dorks in order to have another answer to Bonfire out of the board. Mending Touch is of course much better against decks with Supreme Verdict but I think having one is fine here as it effectively counters a Bonfire or allows a suited up creature to attack into Thragtusk or Huntmaster and his wolf without fear.
Game three, Steve gets stuck on two lands for the first few turns, though he does manage to fire off a Duress, taking Rancor, and two consecutive Golgari Charms both destroying Spectral Flights. Since, Steve was casting figurative Disenchants all over the place, I had to get there with a pair of pant-less Fiendslayer Paladins. Steve did manage to draw a couple of lands in a row to threaten my knights with a Bonfire for two, but I still had a Negate in hand to seal the game.
Round 4—Kevin with Gruul Aggro (2-1)
Kevin’s favorite card in Theros so far is Xenagos, the Reveler. While perhaps Kevin likes Xenagos because he’s into Satyrs, I suspect its more likely because this dude loves playing Green/Red beatdown.
Game one lasted five turns:
T1—Land
T2—Land, cast Simic Charm to bounce Legion Loyalist with Madcap Skills
T3—Land, Geist of Saint Traft
T4—Land, put Rancor and Unflinching Courage on Geist of Saint Traft, swing for ten
T5—Win
Sideboard:
-3 Simic Charm
-1 Avacyn’s Pilgrim
+2 Feeling of Dread
+2 Fog
Even though Simic Charm saved me in game one, I like Feeling of Dread as a way to continually lock down attackers (and potential blockers) and Fog to stop any Ghor-Clan Rampager bloodrushing.
I have no recollection of game two, except that he Skull Cracked me both times I would have gained life from Unflinching Courage. Game three, Kevin got stuck on one land, and I was able to put multiple pairs of pants onto an Invisible Stalker** and win the game:
Now that I’ve amazed you with my skill laden wins with Bant Auras, let me tell you a little bit about what I bought to get into Magic speculation. Feel free to tell me how bad I am at in the comments.
Here is what I knew about Magic speculation before spending a few hours roaming TCGplayer and putting stuff in my cart.
You should invest in inexpensive cards because they are lower risk than cards that cost more. If I buy 20 cards at $.15 each and they don’t move, well, I only lost a few dollars and can always ship them back to a bulk buyer for a little less than what I paid. If I buy 20 cards at $5 and don’t move them, well my electricity bill is not getting paid. Also, if a card goes from bulk to playable, it should multiply in price several times, from $.15 to $1 is almost seven times the initial investment. This is not commonplace in more expensive cards. You should invest in EDH playables. Since the Standard market crashes every couple of years, with the exception of a handful of eternal playables, and the Legacy/Vintage environment is hostile to 95% of the cards that Wizards prints, Commander seems to be the safest market for speculating. If I had realized that bulk rares like Asceticism, Mycosynth Lattice, or Deserted Temple would be worth actual money, well, I would be a much richer man. Your speculation stock should be diversified. Instead of going in on 500 Hex Parasites, it’s certainly safer to have a speculation box full of several different targets. Think about this like roulette, you make more money if you have all your chips on 22 black, but if the ball doesn’t land on 22, you’re going to wish you have spread out your chips a little more. If the price of something spikes, get rid of it while it’s hot. Cards often fluctuate very quickly in value before falling once again. Think about Land Tax‘s price after it was taken off the Legacy ban list, it went from $5 to $35, but after seeing essentially zero legacy play it settled around $15. Don’t get greedy. Don’t speculate on cards from the newest set until prices go down. While I wish I would have bought Tarmogoyfs for their initial $4 presale price tag, for every Tarmogoyf there are 50 cards that presell for way higher than they ought to be. I actually traded for Time Reversals at $25 when they came out and I still hate myself for it. Be patient, these things take time.
So with my limited knowledge of speculating and my limited available funds here is what I bought:
8x Merciless Eviction ($.45 ea)
This is a unique, powerful, and versatile, “wrath” effect in EDH that has a non-zero chance of seeing some standard play.
8x Nightveil Specter ($.65 ea)
This guy saw play in the RTR block control decks, its mana cost works well with the devotion mechanic, and seems like it has some chance of being played in the post rotation standard.
8x Razorverge Thicket ($1.66 ea)
Though the Scars lands are almost exclusively played in Modern, they are seeing a reasonable amount of play. Razorverge is played in Melira Pod, GW Hate Bears, and Boggled Enchantments and seems like a good candidate to shoot up to $4 when Modern season starts.
8x Diabolic Revelation ($.24 ea)
This is exclusively an EDH and casual card but it has a unique and splashy effect which seems to encapsulate what EDH players want to do—get more cards to do more cool things.
8x of each Gatecrash primordial ($.15-.20ea)
I didn’t actually find any Sylvan Primordials for this cheap, though I’ve been picking those up for a dollar when I see them. All of the Primordials seem to be tailor made for EDH and will see play much to the bane of everyone around the kitchen table. Gatecrash was a recent set and one that was drafted quite a bit, so I think these will take some time to emerge from the bulk bin, but emerge they shall.
8x Breaking // Entering ($.49 ea)
Why is Glimpse the Unthinkable a $20 card? Because casual players fucking love to mill their opponents. Breaking//Entering is pretty close to Glimpse with the added bonus of also reanimating a creature which, coincidentally, casual players also like doing.
8x Mimic Vat ($1.49 ea)
Another EDH card. How is this not already $5?
8x Leonin Arbiter ($.34 ea)
This card is seeing play in some of the GW Hate Bear decks in Modern. If one of these decks has a real finish come Modern season it seems like it could go up a dollar or two.
8x Obzedat’s Aid ($.23 ea)
I don’t actually know why I bought these. It’s a cool and unique effect so…maybe casual players will want it?
20x Phyrexian Ingester ($.15 ea)
A guy’s got to dream right? I realize this isn’t Duplicant but, if it’s even a fifth of what Duplicant is and can command one-fifth of the price, I’d still make a few dollars.
That’s it for my tournament report-speculation target hybrid. Next week I will be playing Red Deck Wins, a deck that still looks to be very much a thing post-rotation, as well as the only deck I have played during Ensnaring Cambridge that does not have islands in it.
*If you haven’t read LSV’s spoiler spotlight on Curse of the Swine, you’re clearly doing it wrong.
**Doesn’t it seem that flavor-wise, Invisible Stalker should lose his invisibility, and thus become blockable, when enchanted by things like Ethereal Armor? Creatures can block Haunted Plate Mail which seems like just about the same thing right?
At age 15, while standing in a record store with his high school bandmates, Shawn Massak made the uncool decision to spend the last of his money on a Seventh Edition starter deck (the one with foil Thorn Elemental). Since that fateful day 10 years ago, Shawn has decorated rooms of his apartment with MTG posters, cosplayed as Jace, the Mind Sculptor at PAX, and competes with LSV for the record of most lifetime Islands played. When he’s not playing Magic, Shawn works as a job coach for people with disabilities, plays guitar in an indie-pop band, and keeps a blog about pro wrestling. | {
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Description
This DIYPNP N76 Connector kit can be built for a wide variety of Japanese and American cars from the 90’s. Based on the MicroSquirt Module board, this ECU kit packs lots of features and lots of processing power.
Available Features / Technical Specifications, Based on MS2/E Firmware Version 3.2.1 or later
OEM ECU Connector to plug right into the factory harness!
Speed Density, Alpha-N and Hybrid Alpha-N (both SD and A-N algorithms hybridized) Supported
Onboard 2.5 bar MAP sensor
2 Ignition Inputs (for dual wheel ignitions)
4 Spark Outputs (Up to 4 Cylinder Coil On Plug, up to 8 Cylinder Wasted Spark)
Natively support two fuel outputs for batch or bank-to-bank fueling. Optionally upgrade to 4cyl sequential or 6/8 cyl semi-sequential with this module.
Rotary Ignition Support
Enhanced Acceleration Enrichment (EAE)
Boost Control
Knock Control
Launch Control
Flat Shift
Tachometer Output
Fully Adjustable Rev Limiter
Table Switching
4 General Purpose Outputs
4 General Purpose Inputs (2 analog, 2 digital)
Support for Flex Fuel
Optional Realtime Baro Correction
Closed Loop O2 Correction
Plenty of Proto Area, add your own customizations!
There’s more than we could list here– click this link to view the full feature list of MS2/E.
Also- you can click this link for the official DIYPNP Product Page Feature List which includes the above list plus a hardware level feature list (that tells you not just what you can do, but what hardware is available to do it)
Note: Some of the features listed above use the General Purpose Inputs/Outputs.
Application List
A partial list of what cars this connector fits is shown below. For more details including a list of vehicles we have detailed documentation and startup maps for, click here.
Make Model Engines From To Notes Acura Integra All 1992 1995 Acura Legend C32A 1991 1995 Dodge Stealth All except SOHC 91-92 1991 1996 Ford Aspire All 1994 1997 Ford Escort 1.8 DOHC 1991 1995 Ford Festiva All 1990 1993 Ford Probe F2, F2T 1990 1992 Ford Probe KLDE 1993 1995 Eagle Talon 4G63 1995 1998 Honda All All 4 cylinder 1992 1995 Lexus LX450 1FZ-FE 1996 1997 Mazda 626 All 1990 1995 Mazda B series pickup 2.2 and 2.6 with EFI 1990 1993 Mazda Miata 1.6L BP 1990 1993 Mazda Miata 1.8L BP 1994 1995 Mazda Miata 1.8L BP 1996 1997 Mazda Miata 1.8L BP 1999 2000 Mazda MX-3 All 1992 1995 Mazda MX-6 F2 1990 1992 Mazda MX-6 F2T 1990 1992 Mazda MX-6 FS (2.0 4 cylinder) w/ manual transmission 1993 1997 Mazda MX-6 KLDE, KLZE (V6) 1993 1995 Mazda Protégé All 1990 1998 Mazda RX-7 All 1989 1995 Boost control output is intended for single turbos. Mitsubishi 3000GT All 1991 1998 Mitsubishi Diamante 6G72 1992 1996 Mitsubishi Eclipse 4G63 1995 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse 2.4 w/ manual transmission 2000 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 4G63 2003 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 NA w/ manual transmission 2002 2005 Includes O-Z Rally Edition Mitsubishi Galant 2.4 (4G64) 1994 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage 1.8 SOHC 4G93 1993 2000 Mitsubishi Montero 3.5 V6 1994 1997 Subaru Impreza All 1993 1995 Subaru Legacy All 1991 1994 Subaru SVX All 1992 1995 Suzuki Sidekick 1.6 MFI 1992 1995 Suzuki Sidekick All w/ manual transmission 1996 1998 Toyota Celica 3SGTE 1990 1991 Toyota Corolla AE101 4AGE 20V Silvertop automatic trans 1992 1995 JDM model Toyota Corolla AE111 4AGE 20V Blacktop 1996 2000 JDM model Toyota Corolla 1ZZ-FE 1998 2002 Current firmware does not control VVTi on 2001-2002 Toyota Echo 1NZ-FE 2000 2002 Toyota MR2 3SGTE 1991 1995 Toyota MR2 5SFE manual transmission 1993 1995 Toyota Paseo 5E-FE 1992 1995 Toyota Pickup, 4Runner All 1992 1994 Toyota Supra All 1991 1992 Toyota Tacoma, 4Runner 2RZ-FE, 3RZ-FE 1995 2000 Does not fit 2000 California model Tacoma Toyota Tacoma 5VZ-FE manual transmission 1995 1997 Toyota Tercel All 1991 1995
This board supports up to four BIP373 ignition drivers which are not included in order to keep your cost down since most of you won’t need them for running your stock setup. If your application does require internal ignition drivers (again, most do not) you can add BIP373 ignition drivers to your kit. We offer a DIYPNP BIP373 mod-kit which includes the BIP373, Heatsink, and mounting hardware here. | {
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MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Reports On The “Overlap Between Fox News Contributors” And The Romney Campaign | {
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Dozens of activists have been arrested in the United Kingdom as Extinction Rebellion protesters kicked off two weeks of peaceful civil disobedience worldwide demanding governments take urgent action on climate change.
Activists blocked roads, bridges and squares all over London’s government district of Westminster on Monday.
By 12:30pm local time (11:30 GMT), 135 people had been arrested in the British capital, the Metropolitan Police said in a tweet.
Hundreds joined a sit-in on a busy inner Sydney road in Australia, which was brought to an end by police dragging demonstrators away and charging 30 people.
A small group of activists also locked themselves to a bridge in Brisbane, Australia, where police said they arrested and charged seven people.
Meanwhile, demonstrators shut down part of Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, by chaining themselves to a bright pink car. Police said 30 people were arrested later in the day but none were charged.
190921162628620
This was the start of planned disruptions in 60 cities around the world over the next two weeks by protest group Extinction Rebellion, which is warning of a looming environmental “apocalypse”.
‘Burn capitalism, not petrol’
In the German capital Berlin, about 1,000 people blocked the Grosser Stern, a traffic circle in the middle of the city’s Tiergarten park dominated by the landmark Victory Column, in a protest that started in the early hours.
Members of Extinction Rebellion also set up a camp outside Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office, reflecting dissatisfaction with a climate policy package drawn up last month by her government.
In the Netherlands, hundreds of demonstrators chanting “rebellion!” blocked traffic in downtown Amsterdam, defying a ban by police who said they would make arrests to prevent them from disrupting commuters.
Protesters march on Russell Street in Melbourne, Australia [Darrian Traynor/Getty Images]
‘No Planet B’
Extinction Rebellion was established last year in the UK by academics and has become one of the world’s fastest-growing environmental movements.
Campaigners want governments to declare a climate and ecological emergency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss, and be led by new “citizens’ assemblies” on climate and ecological justice.
The movement, also known as XR, now has chapters in some 50 countries.
190923172327049
The group has scheduled non-violent protests chiefly in Europe, North America and Australia over the next two weeks. Events will also be held in India, Argentina, and South Africa.
An “opening ceremony” on Sunday evening attracted hundreds of people to central London, where plans are in place to shut down key sites – including Westminster and Lambeth bridges – in addition to protests outside key government departments.
Hundreds of activists barricaded themselves inside a Paris shopping centre for hours over the weekend, unfurling banners with slogans such as “Burn capitalism, not petrol” above restaurants and fashion boutiques.
In New Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted cities, dozens of protesters staged another preliminary event by holding a “die-in” on a road in the heart of India’s capital.
Holding up hands covered in red paint and signs such as “There is no planet B”, they called on the Indian government to act to tackle climate change.
“I don’t know if I will have a future or not,” Vansha Jain, 17, told AFP news agency. | {
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On a GOP Roll (from left): Mia Love, Evan Jenkins, Elise Stefanik, and David Rouzer
Not that anyone’s paying attention, but GOP House candidates are set for a great cycle.
When pundits, prognosticators, and analysts predict that Republicans will win an additional six to twelve seats in the U.S. House of Representatives this year . . . the pulses of most political junkies fail to quicken.
Republicans currently hold 233 seats in the 435-seat House. What’s the big deal if next year House Speaker John Boehner leads a majority of 240 Republicans or 250 Republicans?
The midterm House elections might not have the high stakes and inherent drama of the fight for control of the U.S. Senate or the year’s big gubernatorial elections. But if Republicans want to be a governing party, controlling the House and protecting their incumbents are a prerequisite, and adding to that majority is a sign of good health for the GOP. If Republicans are going to make the blue states competitive, competing for the winnable races in places such as Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York is a good intermediate step.
Strangely, the National Republican Congressional Committee is likely to be solidly outspent by its Democratic counterpart — $117 million for the NRCC to $130 million for the DCCC as of late October. But money may be less decisive in House races than in other contests. Back in 2010, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee outspent its Republican counterparts $122 million to $95 million — and lost 63 seats.
DCCC chairman Steve Israel didn’t have much choice this week when he lowered expectations, calling the election environment “tough and unpredictable” and “admittedly difficult.”
With no one really expecting Democrats to come even close to retaking the House, most liberal groups have put their resources into the Senate and gubernatorial races. Considering the distracted liberal groups, the traditionally more-Republican midterm electorate, President Obama’s low approval rating, and the angry mood of voters, the stars are aligning for a near-ideal situation for House Republican candidates. Perhaps the 2014 midterms are best seen as a measurement of just how high the ceiling is for Republicans in the House of Representatives.
Yes, Republicans appear likely to lose a handful of seats they currently hold. California’s 31st congressional district, which includes San Bernardino, is the most heavily Democratic district currently represented by a Republican, incumbent Gary Miller, and Miller is not seeking reelection. Republican Paul Chabot is a veteran solid candidate, but he’s getting outspent in a district that would be a heavy lift for any first-time Republican candidate.
In Florida’s second congressional district, Representative Steve Southerland should have enjoyed an easy reelection bid. But a controversy over an all-male fundraising event combined with the presence of a solid Democratic challenger have national media writing his political obituary. Southerland is working to tie opponent Gwen Graham (daughter of former Florida senator Bob Graham) to Nancy Pelosi and other Washington Democrats, to nationalize the race in this district in the Florida Panhandle that rates a R+6 on the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
In Nebraska’s second congressional district, eight-term incumbent Republican Lee Terry survived a close primary to find himself in a tough fight against Democrat Brad Ashford. Terry won his R+4 district, which includes Omaha, by just 4,000 votes in 2012, about 1.5 percent. Terry didn’t help himself by refusing to give up his congressional paycheck during the government shutdown.
For better or worse, one incumbent Republican widely expected to be a goner appears to be hanging on. In New York’s eleventh district, Representative Michael Grimm, indicted on 20 counts of filing false tax returns, mail fraud, wire fraud, and other charges, led by four points in a September poll. Either the district’s voters doubt the charges against Grimm, they’re used to allegations of impropriety by lawmakers, or they’re not entirely opposed to Grimm’s stated policy of throwing reporters he doesn’t like off a U.S. Capitol balcony.
That’s the bad news for Republicans. The good news is that these risks are offset by a handful of near-automatic pickups.
Don’t put too much stock in that poll that showed Republican Mia Love narrowly trailing Democrat Doug Owens in Utah’s fourth district: “Chris Karpowitz, co-director of the BYU center, calculated the poll’s fourth-district results as having a margin of error of about plus or minus 6.4 percent and should be viewed only as showing the race is close.” It’s an extremely Republican district, R+14 in the Cook index.
The open-seat race in North Carolina’s seventh district is another one that’s probably an almost-automatic GOP pickup. The current representative, Democrat Mike McIntyre, is retiring, after surviving close races in 2010 and 2012. Republican David Rouzer is the strong favorite in this R+12 district.
In West Virginia’s third district, which is R+14, incumbent Democrat Nick Rahall managed to hang on despite being a top GOP target the past two cycles. Only one poll has been done in the fall, showing Republican Evan Jenkins ahead by six points. Rahall survived the GOP wave of 2010 and Romney’s big win at the top of the ticket in 2012, so no one should count him out, but as we’ve seen in the past two cycles, Blue Dog and rural Democrats are an increasingly rare breed. Put Rahall in the “endangered, but not yet a definite goner” pile.
In New York’s 21st district, one of the few districts with a dead-even score in the Cook Partisan Voting Index, Republican Elise Stefanik leads the polls consistently — sometimes by the high single digits, sometimes in double digits.
Moving on to the more competitive races . . .
Both House districts in New Hampshire feature hard-fought, closely contested races with contradictory polls. In the first district, depending on which poll you read, either Democrat incumbent Carol Shea-Porter is ahead by four (WMUR/University of New Hampshire) or former representative Frank Guinta is ahead by six (New England College).
In the second district, incumbent Democrat Annie Kuster is ahead by seven (New England College) or GOP challenger Marlinda Garcia is ahead by five (UMass Amherst/WBZ Poll).
Recent history suggests that Democratic House candidates feast in New Hampshire’s presidential-year elections and endure famine in the midterms: Democratic House candidates won 54 percent of the combined statewide vote in 2008, just 44.5 percent in 2010, and 49.9 percent of the vote in 2012. Each year, both seats flipped.
Right next door in Maine, the Pine Tree State’s second district features a tight open-seat race in which Republican Bruce Poliquin is keeping pace with Democratic state senator Emily Cain. As in the state’s governor’s race, an independent candidate is taking a significant slice; Blaine Richardson is at 8 percent. Of the two House districts in Maine, the second is much more competitive, scoring a D+2 on the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
In Hawaii’s first district, Charles Djou was one of the most unlikely Republican victors of 2010, winning a special House election in May of that year but losing in the November election. The last two polls show Djou tied with state representative Mark Takai.
A new poll offered a curveball in New York’s 24th district, where the race between incumbent Democrat Dan Maffei, who was first elected to Congress in 2008, and former federal prosecutor John Katko was considered a toss-up. A new poll by Syracuse.com/The Post-Standard and Siena College puts Katko ahead of Maffei among likely voters 52 percent to 42 percent.
The NRCC is sending more money to Iowa, where Republicans are narrowly leading in two open-seat races. A Loras College poll sounded the alarm for Democrats in Iowa’s first district, where Republican Rod Blum led by a point over Democrat Pat Murphy; and in Iowa’s third district, where Republican David Young is two points ahead of Democrat Staci Appel. Iowa’s first district is scored D+5, and the third is scored even. David Nir, the political director at the liberal site Daily Kos, summarized: “New Iowa House polls from Loras are very depressing for Dems. . . . Thanks, Bruce Braley.”
In the open-seat race in Massachusetts’s sixth district, the last two polls have put Republican former state senator Richard Tisei narrowly ahead of Democrat Seth Moulton. Moulton beat Representative John Tierney in the district’s primary earlier this year. Tisei ran in 2012 and came within one point of beating Tierney. This is the least-Democratic district in the Massachusetts, at D+4. If elected, Tisei would be the first openly gay and married member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Illinois’s tenth district, comprising the northern suburbs of Chicago, features a rematch between Democratic representative Brad Schneider and the man he beat for the seat in 2010, Republican Bob Dold. Previously Dold was the Republican representing the most heavily Democratic district in Congress, with the district scoring a D+8. The one poll conducted this fall found Schneider up by two. Late last week, the DCCC ordered an additional $318,000 on Chicago cable in advertising to help Schneider.
Illinois’s twelfth district, represented by Democrat Bill Enyart, scores even on the Cook index. A poll conducted last week put Republican challenger Mike Bost ahead by two points. The DCCC committed an additional $485,000 to help Enyart late last week, as well.
Finally, you don’t often see a white Republican win in a majority-minority district, but that’s a distinct possibility in Nevada’s fourth district, where first-term Democrat Steven Horsford is endangered by a particularly sluggish early-vote effort among Democrats. State assemblyman Cresent Hardy is the GOP candidate hoping to keep the vote close or narrowly ahead in Clark County and build up a lead in the district’s more Republican-leaning rural counties.
— Jim Geraghty writes the Campaign Spot on NRO. | {
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea on Friday adamantly rejected an American request to continue sharing military intelligence with Japan, as the two American allies remained locked in festering disputes over trade and history.
Mark T. Esper, the United States secretary of defense, visited Seoul to attend an annual defense meeting and personally implore his South Korean counterpart to remain in the intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA.
Washington considers the agreement important for the security and stability of the region. South Korea and Japan face similar threats from North Korea and China, but there is a deep-seated mistrust rooted in Japan’s colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945.
“The only ones who benefit from the expiration of GSOMIA and continued friction between Seoul and Tokyo are Pyongyang and Beijing,” Mr. Esper said during a joint news conference with his counterpart, Jeong Kyeong-doo, on Friday. | {
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By federal statute, September 17 is designated as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. Americans are treated to speeches, news articles, and proclamations praising the U.S. Constitution. Woodrow Wilson, writing in the late 1800s, correctly observed that an undiscriminating and almost blind worship had developed toward the Constitution in all the American states. One hundred and thirty-one years have passed since Wilson penned those words, but little has changed. The American people continue to venerate our national charter.
But is this adulation warranted? The Anti-Federalist opponents of the Constitution did not believe so and urged the people of the 13 states reject the new form of government. The Federalists, on the other hand, claimed to have an elixir to solve the nations problems without re-creating an omnipotent government reminiscent of the British Parliament.
Constitution Day is a perfect time to reevaluate the assurances made to secure ratification of the Constitution and the prophetic warnings against it. Which side was right? Who correctly forecasted the future?
Heres one indication: In Federalist No. 78, Alexander Hamilton claimed that the Supreme Court would be the least dangerous of the three branches of government because it could not appropriate money or command armies. It had neither Force nor Will, he claimed.
An Anti-Federalist calling himself Brutus questioned whether the world ever saw, in any period of it, a court of justice invested with such immense powers, and yet placed in a situation so little responsible. Brutus did not accept the argument that the court would be the weakest branch. The power of this court is in many cases, Brutus asserted, superior to that of the legislature. He pointed out that under Article III, the Supreme Court would be authorized to decide upon the meaning of the constitution, and that, not only according to the natural and ob[jective] meaning of the words, but also according to the spirit and intention of it.
Brutus was correct to be concerned about an unelected and unaccountable body exercising immense power. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court has the final say on numerous policy issues such as abortion, capital punishment, and affirmative action. Just last year the Court in Obergefell v. Hodges nationalized marriage law by holding that the traditional definition of marriage, which has existed for millennia, is unconstitutional. The Court acts as a continuing constitutional convention that makes policy under the guise of the law. Rather than the weakest branch, it is arguably the most powerful.
Now lets look at the presidency. In defending the presidents commander-in-chief power, Federalists tried to draw contrasts to the British king. In the North Carolina ratifying convention James Iredell pointed out that the king of Great Britain is not only the commander-in-chief of the land and naval forces, but ... also has the authority to declare war, while in the South Carolina convention, Charles Pinckney emphasized that the American executives powers did not permit him to declare war.
But the Anti-Federalist called Cato saw many similarities between the president and a king. [W]herein does this president invested with his powers and prerogatives, essentially differ from the king of Great-Britain?, asked Cato. He went on to describe the president as the generalissimo of the nation with command and control of the army, navy and militia.
Our current generalissimo in the White House sends forces into combat without any concern about declarations of war that were so important to the Federalists. President Harry S. Truman even tried to nationalize the steel industry during the undeclared Korean War using his claimed commander-in-chief power. Our presidents regularly embroil American forces in conflicts around the world and claim powers that even King George III would envy.
On this Constitution Day lets be honest with ourselves. The Constitution and the Federalists did not deliver on the promises of limited powers. The Anti-Federalists, however, perspicaciously saw the flaws in the system and tried to warn the people. If we desire to reform our all-powerful national government, we should jettison The Federalist Papers and instead listen to the wisdom of Brutus, Cato and their fellow Anti-Federalists. | {
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Christine Ferretti
The Detroit News
Highland Park — After two decades in an unmarked grave, Michigan State Police have exhumed the body of a young murder victim to extract DNA in hopes of cracking the case and giving her a name.
The woman was found fatally wounded at first light on May 20, 1996, in an alley on Cortland near the Lodge Freeway in Highland Park.
Neighbors at the time told police they’d heard a gunshot in the early morning hours prior. The woman, believed to be between the ages of 15 and 25, had suffered a gunshot wound to the throat.
Highland Park Police sought tips and reached out to the media repeatedly, but no eyewitnesses came forward, nor did potential relatives.
With no leads, the girl was ultimately laid to rest in an unmarked grave the following April as the state’s “unidentified female No. 17” for 1996, says Michigan Police Detective Sgt. Sarah Krebs.
But Krebs said the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2015 provided funding to have the girl exhumed from a Canton Township cemetery to obtain DNA. Her body was unearthed in October. It’s now being stored with the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The DNA sampling is being processed, Krebs said, adding she’s hopeful that a fresh look at the long unsolved case will generate tips.
“There has been quite a bit of activity on this case, but still no leads. Right now, we have no idea who she is,” Krebs said. “She was a young girl, which makes you think somebody realized she was missing, too.”
Highland Park Police Detective Kelly Dupuis has been working the case for two years along with state and federal authorities. It’s an investigation she says has been “completely cold” despite the woman’s clear description, unique clothing and watch.
“We haven’t gotten anywhere with it,” Dupuis said.
The Jane Doe was dressed in a white skirt and a T-shirt covered with yellow smiley faces and red lip prints, her naturally curly reddish-brown hair pulled into a ponytail.
She wore size eight-and-a-half black tennis shoes with white trim, and a gold-tone watch shaped like a teddy bear with a brown leather wrist strap. She had long, purple-painted fingernails and pink polish on her toes.
The girl had freckles and brown eyes, was 5-foot-3 and weighed about 190 pounds. Although the autopsy report described her as an African-American female, police say she appeared to be bi-racial or even caucasian.
Dupuis says the body was found close to the Lodge Freeway, which leads authorities to believe the woman may have been traveling along the freeway with her killer.
“I want someone to come forward if they recognize her. That’s No. 1,” she said. “Even if they don’t know who she is, if they know something about the homicide.”
The Jane Doe marks the fifth exhumation of a possible juvenile that the state has conducted since 2010 with funding from the national center.
The case could be viewed by the public for the first time in November 2013, when it was entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System — or NamUs, Krebs said.
Michigan State Police have identified 45 people since they began using the database as cases have been resolved by DNA evidence, fingerprints or dental records connected to missing persons.
Michigan has 301 unidentified persons cases. About 30 of those are juveniles, Krebs said.
In two recent cases, the Michigan State Police Missing Persons Coordination Unit identified remains leading to convictions in the deaths of French artist Bilal Berreni and Detroit grandmother Evelyn Gunter.
The State Police unit includes Krebs, who is the coordinator of the missing persons side, while her colleague, Jane Wankmiller, is an analyst with human remains, dealing with unidentified cases.
Prior to forming the unit, Michigan officials were not submitting DNA evidence or actively putting cases into a database to try to connect the state’s missing persons with unidentified remains, Krebs said.
Officials say there’s a chance that the unknown woman’s DNA could find a hit if a family reference sample is logged in the system.
In 2011, State Police and other Michigan law enforcement agencies joined forces to solicit family members and friends of Michigan’s missing to gather for a free data-collection event and vigil.
The annual program, Missing in Michigan, was spearheaded by Krebs and is the first of its kind in the state — possibly the country — that commemorates missing loved ones and allows authorities and relatives to log new tips, collect DNA and update and create missing person profiles in NamUs. This year’s event will take place May 14 at the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters.
“There are hundreds and hundreds of family reference DNA samples now due to the event,” said Krebs.
Anyone with questions or information on the Highland Park Jane Doe case can submit them to [email protected] or, contact Detective Dupuis at (313) 600-9205. | {
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Without question, the top reason the defense gave the entire organization indigestion in 2015 was a lack of taking the ball away.
We all know how closely correlated turnovers are to winning and losing, and when you have arguably the most disappointing season in franchise history (expectations to reality) and you also have the worst takeaway year in the history of the sport, the two things can often be linked together.
You may recall this paragraph summary from last year's final "Cowboys Morning After" that followed the finale against Washington:
IN THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL RECORD KEEPING, NO TEAM HAS EVER HAD FEWER TAKEAWAYS THAN THE 2015 DALLAS COWBOYS. In fairness, the 2013 Houston Texans had just as few (11), but now the Cowboys can imagine how many teams and how many years of football has been played to consider just what that means. Pick any team and pick any year you can think of from the time you were a baby or perhaps even when your father was a baby, and that team in that given year took the ball away more than 11 times. While it may seem impossible to fathom, it is true.
Looking back, it is still hard to believe. And yet, it doesn't really matter if one believes it. It happened. In graphic form, here are the past 10 years of takeaways from the Cowboys' defense:
You can see that of all of the mysterious issues of 2015, this is a stat -- the lack of interceptions and fumble recoveries that cannot be blamed on Tony Romo's collarbone, right?
Well, actually ...
Back after Week 8, we talked about one item that clearly seemed to explain how all of the issues are tied together -- and I wanted to update those numbers to complete 2015 this morning.
This theory actually has been pushed forward by my radio colleague, David Newbury, who loves the sport and looks at stats and film as much as I do. It goes like this:
In 2014, the NFL had 32,784 plays (which tells you that with 32 teams, each defense faces about 1,000 snaps a season). In that total, 19,094 passes occurred which resulted in 450 interceptions and 1,211 sacks if you total up the defensive accomplishments.
But, here is where game theory comes in -- if you divide those 32,784 plays into two categories, you will see the stats begin to tell you a story. The categories are: 1) plays in which the defense is ahead by four points or more and 2) plays in which they are not. If you simply divide it into those two, you see how the game is different for a defense with a lead of more than a field goal.
So, now, look at those 32,784 plays divided into those two categories:
Stay with me. There is a lot here. But, look, the top row shows normal situations. The bottom row is what happens when you get to play defense against an offense that needs points. Look at the run/pass balance. When game is neutral, it is nearly a 50/50 run and pass split. When you fall behind, it turns to 67/33.
Now, look at the number of passes for a team that is behind. Just 8,352 passes (43 percent) in a league that threw 19,094 times. But, that 43 percent accounted for 54 percent of all interceptions (241 of the 450) and almost 50 percent of all sacks. That is incredibly disproportionate and shows a few things.
1) Offenses clearly are forcing the ball into spaces more. They need points. They have to get more aggressive.
2) Newbury has this one: "To me, it's more about the D-line being able to go get the QB without worrying about stopping the run. The offense is forced to throw more and run less. They throw 67.4 percent of the time when losing by four points or more. Look how balanced the offenses are when they are winning ... And teams abandon play action and sprint-outs when they are losing. The QB stays in the pocket more, thus the D-line knows where he's going to be before the ball's snapped. Heck, think about what Romo went through when opposing defenses knew he had to throw the ball. Defenses weren't honoring the run. They were pinning their ears back to get to Romo."
So, if the numbers prove that you need a lead to get most of the turnovers in the league, then it stands to reason that we have been looking at takeaways wrong all this time. Maybe it isn't that teams are good because they get takeaways. Maybe it's that they get takeaways because they are good. Do certain teams always get takeaways because their offense puts them ahead, and thus the opponent has to do things they are not comfortable doing?
How does this apply to the story of the 2014 and 2015 Cowboys?
In 2014, the Cowboys defense was on the field for 978 snaps. In 2015, it was 997 snaps. Roughly, that is just one more snap per game -- 61.1 per game in 2014 to 62.3 in 2015. Negligible. There is almost no relation whatsoever to this ridiculous theory that the 2014 team never let the other team on the field. As you can see, they did at nearly an identical rate with Tony Romo and DeMarco Murray as did last year's team.
No matter how great your offense is, the other team gets the ball back every time you score. In a make-or-take it league, this would make more sense. Unfortunately, that only exists on basketball playgrounds.
But, here is where 2014 and 2015 differ. And this is quite important:
You certainly didn't need an eye-catching graphic to show you that the team was never ahead last season, but if we believe that most interceptions and sacks happen when a team is ahead and the other team has to force the issue with determined passes and the defense not worrying about your running game, then we can quickly see that the Cowboys defense was never in this position -- just 16 percent rather than 49 percent.
We could run the numbers of how this played out -- but given that the Cowboys were never ahead all season long, there is almost no data. The best example was Sam Bradford throwing into the Cowboys secondary in Week 2 and throwing picks. But, those are the only three turnovers the Cowboys got from advantageous spots all season. Five of the 31 sacks came from those small spots, too.
The pass rush actually improved significantly. They had 31 sacks in 506 pass plays this past year -- one sack every 16.3 pass plays. In 2014, it was 28 in 558 -- one sack every 19.9 pass plays. That is a very significant improvement to where they are almost at league average. In 2014, they were not close to the league average, despite being in a spot to get a ton of sacks. But, in 2015, despite being a better pass rush team -- they never were able to force teams to throw.
So, we circle back to the start.
How does the offense help the defense? By getting a lead and forcing other teams to respond. They will still get 60-65 snaps, but if more of them are passes, the turnovers return and the sacks add up if everything else is equal. And that is specifically how this should work. | {
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I like puzzles. If it’s a non-trivial one, in order to come up with a solution I usually spend a few days (on and off) thinking about it. But it also has to be interesting to get my attention.
As an example, consider one of my earlier blog posts series: Tuply singleton, Tuply singleton v2, Tuply singleton v3. This is what I do in general, and blog posts are usually just the result of my thinking. Blogging (or pen & paper) is one of the best tools we have as humans – given the reliability of our memory.
But then another thought came. What if someone had asked me that same question on a job interview? Most job interviews usually have a time constraint, so there’s a high chance I would come up with the first (erroneous) version.
To me, this is freedom of creativity – to keep thinking about something that seems interesting and come up with a solution, without being pressured or constrained by time. | {
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Amid the spirit and excitement of Christmas, a Texas couple is doing their best to keep children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border on everyone’s radar.
In what appears to be an ode to the thousands of children who were separated this summer, Kate Naranjo in Austin built a nativity scene outside her home with Jesus in a cage, which has “ICE” (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) written on the wall.
“Each year we try to bring a little levity but also some seriousness to the holiday season,” Kate Naranjo told Fox7Austin.
The nativity scene usually shows Jesus in a manger, a reflection of the story of his birth. But this couple isn’t the only one making this statement. On the first Sunday of December, a church in Oklahoma put a fence around their 20-year-old nativity scene, to send the message: “The Holy Family Was A Migrant Family.”
The pastor of the Fellowship Congregational Church in Tulsa told CNN that he was drawing parallels between the very similar stories of current migrants seeking safety and the story of Jesus’s birth.
“Though it is not a direct comparison, the details in Matthew’s Gospel … can be used to consider the people fleeing to our country seeking shelter from oppression and violence,” Chris Moore told CNN.
Meanwhile, St. Susanna’s Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts has put baby Jesus in a cage, and the three wise men closed off by a wall, a reflection of the caravan of migrants coming from Honduras.
“Jesus was about taking care of one another. This is not the way to take care of one another,” Pastor Stephen Josoma told CBS Boston.
Outside Naranjos’ home in Austin, a huge board, designed as a parchment scroll, stands next to the scene. It reads: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” a quote from the Statue of Liberty, another source of division in the immigration debate.
“We are making a statement because during this holiday season no matter what country you live in, no matter what your ethnicity is, you should be with your family at this time and unfortunately our country in recent history has decided to separate families,” Naranjo told Fox7Austin.
For her, this isn’t the first time making a statement. Last year, the couple portrayed President Donald Trump as the Grinch.
“If you know your history and you know the story of the nativity scene then you don’t see this as political because this is a reflection of Jesus’s story— he was a refugee,” said Naranjo.
An Indianapolis church started the trend back in July, when the horror of child-separation was just unfolding, but a caged nativity scene still remains relevant many months later. | {
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7 min read Wrenching Photos Of Unrecognizable Bear Reveal Horrors Of Exotic Pet Trade
<p> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeFriendsFoundation/photos/pb.28211827656.-2207520000.1426877002./10152620086592657/?type=3&theater">Facebook/Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand</a> </p>
The heartbreaking story of a young sun bear kept in a dark room for most of her short life is a searing example of the unthinkable suffering people inflict upon animals captured for the wildlife trade. WARNING: Disturbing and graphic images below. Volunteers from the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand arrived at a Buddhist temple last week to do a routine check-up of their animals. They discovered something horrible: a 3-year-old sun bear named Kwan who had been kept in a dark, sunless room for the past 2 years.
Pictures of Kwan are absolutely wrenching. Emaciated and hairless, it's impossible to recognize the shrunken figure as a bear. Her face is covered in sores, and she has twisted, untrimmed claws. She can barely hold up her head, but she still turns to her rescuer in what looks like a show of gratitude.
For comparison, this is what a healthy sun bear looks like. The group "begged" the temple to let them take Kwan, they said in a post, and rushed her to their rescue center. They fought through the night to keep her alive, though she was too weak to eat and stopped breathing several times. Despite their best efforts, the little bear slipped away a few hours later.
"We have done all we could to keep her with us," WFFT wrote. "We are all devastated of this loss." While Kwan was worse off than most, she's not alone. In Thailand, where the exotic pet trade is still thriving, many people take in young wild animals only to become disenchanted when they grow up. The easy thing to do is dump them at a Buddhist temple, which are seemingly "sacred places" where animals should be protected, WFFT said on Facebook.
But many of the animals abandoned at these temples are doomed to lives of neglect in small, barren cages. Many monks are well-meaning but unprepared to care for wildlife, and a few shameless temples will encourage people to turn over their animals so they can create zoos of sorts. These zoos, like the one where Kwan was kept, bring the temples both attention and money.
"When you have six bears, three gibbons, five monkeys, then it's not a coincidence anymore," WFFT founder Edwin Wiek told the Los Angeles Daily News. "It's a business."
While WFFT is working hard to fight this practice, they have no power to seize animals and it's difficult to get authorities involved when the culprits are monks. "Religious leaders are just like politicians and wealthy people often above the law, so legal charges for illegal wildlife possession or animal cruelty are usually not pressed by police or other authorities," the group wrote.
There are still four other bears at the temple where Kwan was found, kept in dirty cages with rotten food, but they might have a better chance than she had. WFFT has been complaining to authorities about the temple since 2012, though they only discovered Kwan the day they rescued her. After her story was posted, authorities told the organization that they would be removing the other four bears within the next few days. | {
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Following reports of a shooting at an Alexandria, Virginia YMCA baseball field being used for practice for the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity.
The shooting took place in the dugout at a field used for baseball practice shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday morning. The injured include House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, at least two Capitol Hill police officers, the gunman, and at least one congressional staffer. His wounds were not believed to be life-threatening. A suspect is also reportedly in custody.
A source said Democratic lawmakers were practicing at their own field miles away when they heard about the shooting. They immediately stopped and prayed together.
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The annual charity game is scheduled for Thursday, and Republican members were set to play against their Democratic colleagues at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
Reaction from both sides of the political aisle have been pouring in after the shooting. Here is some of the reaction.
President Donald Trump:
"The Vice President and I are aware of the shooting incident in Virginia and are monitoring developments closely. We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders, and all others affected." The president also tweeted about Scalise.
Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a true friend and patriot, was badly injured but will fully recover. Our thoughts and prayers are with him. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2017
First Lady Melania Trump:
Thank you to the first responders who rushed in to help protect those who were hurt in Alexandria, VA. My thoughts & prayers to everyone! — Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) June 14, 2017
Ivanka Trump:
Speaking at a workforce development roundtable event at the White House, the senior adviser and eldest Trump daughter said she was "offering our thoughts and prayers to Congressman Scalise and all of the victims in today's tragic events." She added, "We are grateful for their service and their dedication to this country. And thank you everyone for traveling here to be with us today. My father said this morning it is times like these we must all work together for our country, and we appreciate you doing just that."
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas:
Williams , who was at the scene of the shooting, has been the head coach for the Republican team since he first joined Congress in 2013. A Williams staffer was reportedly shot during the incident.
Please keep the member of my staff and all members of the congressional baseball team in your thoughts and prayers pic.twitter.com/wH4b6wXQhs — Rep. Roger Williams (@RepRWilliams) June 14, 2017
Gov. Terry McAullife, D-Virginia:
In a statement following the shooting, McAullife thanked the US Capitol Police and local first responders for their swift action in stopping the gunman and treating the Congressmen.
Below is the Governor's statement on this morning's shooting in Alexandria: pic.twitter.com/GqRB6Pxl6f — Terry McAuliffe (@GovernorVA) June 14, 2017
Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-South Carolina:
"The world changed a little bit for us as members" Duncan told reporters, recalling his interaction with a person who had reportedly asked Duncan, who was leaving practice at the time, if there were Republicans or Democrats practicing on the field Wednesday morning.
MORE: “I did have an interaction with someone...who asked me if the team practicing was Democrat or Republican team,” Sen. Duncan says pic.twitter.com/7i4cM14XKk — CBS News (@CBSNews) June 14, 2017
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky:
Speaking on the Senate floor, McConnell said the Senate will embrace the spirit of the bipartisan congressional baseball game "as we come together in expressing both our concern and our gratitude."
We're concerned for all those injured in #Alexandria. We'll keep them in our prayers & continue to send them every wish for quick a recovery pic.twitter.com/9lWTIedFvR — Leader McConnell (@SenateMajLdr) June 14, 2017
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky:
Paul was present during the shooting, saying he is now "shaken but unharmed." He added, "Many people likely would have died this morning if not for the bravery of the Capitol Police. My thanks to them are inadequate but heartfelt. They never hesitated to put their lives on the line to save everyone. Please pray for those who were injured."
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont:
Our prayers go out for a full recovery of Rep. Scalise, the congressional aides and police who were injured. We’ve got to stop the violence. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 14, 2017
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut:
We are all pulling for you @SteveScalise. My heart is with you, the Capitol Police, and everyone who was on the scene. — Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 14, 2017
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California:
This is a tragic moment for their families, loved ones, and the entire community on Capitol Hill. — Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) June 14, 2017
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Georgia:
"I was on the field, but I'm okay. This was a senseless act of evil. Please pray for those who were shot and their families."
Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Florida:
Rooney, a member who had just left to drop off his children at school , offered words of support to Scalise on CBS News Wednesday morning, saying, "I love you man. I'm sorry I wasn't there with you."
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin:
This morning the hearts of the whole House are with @SteveScalise, the brave Capitol police, staff, and all those who were in harm's way. — Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) June 14, 2017
Vice President Mike Pence:
Karen & I are praying for @SteveScalise, the Capitol Police, & all hurt for a speedy recovery. Our hearts are with them & their loved ones. — Vice President Pence (@VP) June 14, 2017
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri:
Unspeakable evil. Pray that Rep Scalise, police officers and everyone else will be ok. — Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) June 14, 2017
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York:
Saddened by news of the shooting in VA this am. Thoughts & prayers for Rep @SteveScalise & others injured & hope for a speedy recovery. — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) June 14, 2017
Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland:
I am monitoring reports of the situation in Virginia. Thinking of my friend, @SteveScalise, and his staff. — Steny Hoyer (@WhipHoyer) June 14, 2017
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-California:
"This morning, the U.S. Congress suffered a despicable and cowardly attack. My thoughts and prayers are with Whip Steve Scalise and the others wounded, Capitol Police and staff, and their families. We are profoundly grateful for the heroism of the Capitol Police, whose bravery under fire undoubtedly saved countless lives. On days like today, there are no Democrats or Republicans, only Americans united in our hopes and prayers for the wounded."
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson:
At the top of his opening remarks at a budget hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Tillerson said, "We were all stunned news of the events that effected one of your colleagues. Scalise is a friend of mine and represents many of my friends in Louisiana. My prayers and those at state are with the injured and law enforcement that responded to the attack."
Nikki Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations:
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida:
Mayor Muriel Bowser, D- DC:
We are aware of the situation in Alexandria, VA. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected and the first responders. — Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) June 14, 2017
Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords:
Giffords, who, while she was in Congress, was wounded in a mass shooting in 2011 that ended with the deaths of six people. Twelve others were injured. She was the last active member of Congress to be shot before Scalise.
My heart is with my former colleagues, their families & staff, and the US Capitol Police- public servants and heroes today and every day. — Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) June 14, 2017
Former Vice President Joe Biden:
Jill and I are praying for the victims and their families. Grateful for courage of my former colleagues, first responders & Capitol Police. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 14, 2017
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon:
Horrific. Thoughts & prayers with Rep. @SteveScalise, Capitol police, and staff. — Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) June 14, 2017
Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pennsylvania:
I am safe. Please pray for @SteveScalise, my colleagues, their staff, and @CapitolPolice involved in this horrific shooting. — Rep. Lou Barletta (@RepLouBarletta) June 14, 2017
Rep. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana:
This is unspeakable. I am praying for my friend and colleague @SteveScalise and his family. — John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) June 14, 2017
Rep. Glen Grothman, R-Wisconsin
Thinking of my friend @SteveScalise this morning. Praying for him, Capitol Police and the others injured as this horrific news comes in. — Rep. Glenn Grothman (@RepGrothman) June 14, 2017
Sen. Bill Nelson, R-Florida:
We are all Americans first, regardless of party. We are all on the same team. And we’re praying for those injured in this heinous attack. — Bill Nelson (@SenBillNelson) June 14, 2017
CBS News' Len Tepper contributed to this report. | {
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The relatively small but crowded southwestern city of Freiburg is at the center of a renewed debate on refugees and asylum seekers in Germany.
In the city of around 220,000, many people still feel the shock that sparked the discussion: The rape and murder of Maria, a 19-year-old medical student, allegedly by an underage Afghan refugee, while she was returning home from a party.
Maria, who also volunteered to help refugees in Freiburg, was found dead in the Dreisam River on October 16. An autopsy later found that she had been raped and her body dumped in the river.
Watch video 05:06 Share Murder in Freiburg Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2UBri Murder in Freiburg
Hussein K., the 17-year-old Afghan who was detained last Friday on suspicion of committing the crime, arrived in Germany in 2015 as an unaccompanied minor and had recently moved in with a German foster family.
While German politicians like Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel insist that the incident in Freiburg be viewed as an individual act, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and some of its supporters blame the crime on the uncontrolled influx of asylum seekers into the country in recent months.
In the city of Freiburg, however, many residents seem to agree with Vice Chancellor Gabriel.
"We are all sad because of what happened to her but this should be seen only as an individual act and not be associated with all refugees," one German woman who was Christmas shopping in Freiburg's city center, told DW.
Afghan asylum seekers fear that the murder of Maria will change how locals view refugees and asylum seekers
A contrite tone
Ironically, it is Afghan asylum seekers in Freiburg themselves that strongly associate the murder of Maria to the presence of refugees and asylum seekers, especially from Afghanistan.
When speaking to media and other Germans, many Afghans seem apologetic and feel they have failed their German hosts. "We are ashamed!" said Naz Khanum, an Afghan asylum seeker.
The elderly woman added, "She [Maria] used to help refugees and look what he [the accused Afghan] did to her."
She and more than a hundred other Afghan asylum seekers gathered in the Freiburg city center on Thursday afternoon to light candles in memory of Maria. But the group also had a message for the people of Germany: Don't paint us all with the same brush.
"The accused killer is just one person and only he is accountable for his actions. But what have these children done to deserve any possible future backlashes?" Naz Khanum said, pointing at her two grandchildren. The family lives in a refugee camp on the outskirts of Freiburg.
Ali Mohebi came to Germany over one year ago and organized the candle lighting in memory of Maria in Freiburg
Increased deportation?
One of the organizers of the candle lighting ceremony, 27-year-old Ali Mohebi, understands the importance of sending a clear message to German politicians and the public.
"We don't want the incident to change how the people of Freiburg view us," he said, adding that the city has so far remained a welcoming and generous host to asylum seekers from Afghanistan. But the Afghan community, he noted, is scared the situation may soon change.
"We have witnessed the kind of debate the incident has triggered and we want to make sure the murder does not affect our future as a group," Mohebi told DW.
The fear Ali Mohebi and many others are feeling is reinforced by an agreement between the governments of Afghanistan and Germany to deport rejected Afghan asylum seekers to safe cities in Afghanistan.
They are frightened that incidents like the one in Freiburg will increase their chances of being deported to the same land they fled from.
Still, Mohebi and his friends who organized the candle lighting in Freiburg remain hopeful that their attempt will convince Germans that refugees and asylum seekers feel the same way about the ghastly incident as any other group.
It remains to be seen if the atrocity in Freiburg will play any role in future asylum-related debates in Germany. But reports suggest that plans are underway to deport in the coming days the first group of Afghan migrants whose asylum requests have been rejected by Germany. | {
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The official Tumblr of PAPER Magazine. A place for fashion, pop culture and the latest from Papermag.com. | {
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Image copyright Getty Image caption Judge Alex Kozinski says he apologises for making his clerks feel uncomfortable
A well-known US federal judge announced his retirement on Monday after several women alleged he subjected them to inappropriate sexual behaviour.
Judge Alex Kozinski has been accused of inappropriate touching and lewd comments by 15 women, according to a Washington Post report.
The 67-year-old judge said he will step down because the accusations are not good for the judiciary.
Mr Kozinski apologised in a statement.
"It grieves me to learn that I caused any of my clerks to feel uncomfortable; this was never my intent," he said.
"For this I sincerely apologise."
A law professor at the University of California, Irvine, Leah Litman, told the Post that the judge had pinched her leg and talked about just having had sex before they appeared on a panel together.
Retired judge Christine Miller said Mr Kozinski reportedly grabbed her breasts during a car ride after she declined to go to a motel and have sex with him in 1986.
A lawyer, who was not identified, said Mr Kozinski approached her and kissed her on the lips with no warning in 2008.
"I may not have been mindful enough of the special challenges and pressures that women face in the workplace," the statement by Mr Kozinski said.
Mr Kozinski was a judge on the ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals. He was appointed by US President Ronald Reagan in 1985. | {
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Embattled music mogul Damon Dash was arrested on Wednesday afternoon — accused of owing more than $400,000 in child support.
Dash, who is best known for founding Roc-A-Fella records with Jay-Z, was led into Bronx Family Court in cuffs after two felony warrants were issued for his arrest, the New York City Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
“We’ve been looking to arrest him since 2015,” Sheriff Joseph Fucito said, confirming the former record executive was nabbed in Manhattan without incident.
RAPPER KODAK BLACK SENTENCED TO MORE THAN 3 YEARS IN WEAPONS CASE
Authorities have spent the last four years trying to convince Dash to turn himself in after he fled New York, one law enforcement source said.
The 49-year-old is accused of owing hundreds of thousands of dollars in child support to his two baby mamas but says he is broke — filing legal documents last week claiming he has no income.
The sheriff’s office confirmed the arrest warrants were issued in relation to the $404,000 in child support that Dash owed to ex-wife Rachel Roy and baby mama Cindy Morales.
AKON MULLING 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RUN, SAYS KANYE WEST IS 'NOT CRAZY' JUST 'AWAKENED'
In April 2015, a Bronx family court judge issued an arrest warrant for Dash — ordering him to pay $62,000 to Morales. This year, a Supreme Court divorce warrant was issued for Dash after he was found guilty of contempt of court and was ordered to pay $342,000 to Roy.
On Wednesday, Dash emerged from family court holding hands with his fiancee Raquel Horn — two lawyers and a private film crew in tow — and ranted about how he had been crucified “just like Jesus Christ” while claiming he had paid the child support and had no cash flow problems.
RAPPER LIL REESE IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER BEING SHOT IN CHICAGO
“Ain’t no money problems,” the mogul said, dressed in dark shades and a camel coat, as a small crowd of fans gathered outside court.
“I went to turn myself in with money! I already paid it! And I still walked it with cuffs,” he railed, adding: “No more warrants. Everything is clear.”
But in a filing in Manhattan federal court last week, Dash said his personal income was “virtually nonexistent” and claimed his only revenue stream was payments from “Empire” creator Lee Daniels who owed him $2 million.
Dash, a father of three, said he was facing additional unexpected expenses because his current fiancée, Raquel Horn, was pregnant.
RAPPER YG BRINGS STORMY DANIELS ONSTAGE TO SING 'F--- DONALD TRUMP'
In November, Daniels and Dash settled a $2 million feud over claims Dash was cut out of producer credits and profits on the hit series — with Daniels agreeing to pay the music producer in installments.
But in his Manhattan filing, Dash said the money hadn’t been forthcoming and claimed the payments had been held up because creditors were garnishing his income.
“It is very difficult to address the mounting bills until I receive some relief from the courts,” he wrote.
On Wednesday, the record executive accused both his baby mamas of gouging him for cash.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“They’re pieces of dog s–t because they put money before family values,” Dash said. “I’m very disappointed in Rachel in not caring about her children, relationship with her children, before bread. It’s all been about money.”
Attorneys for Dash, Roy and Morales did not immediately respond to request for comment.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post. | {
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Knows about time consuming task on Monday Tells you about it at 3:59PM on Friday and that its due at the end of the day
1,853 shares | {
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Mick Jenkins' last release, Wave[s], came out back in August. He's been working on his proper debut album for the last several months, and is currently in the process of finishing it up. In the meantime, he's released a new track, "The Artful Dodger," which is produced by Kaytranada and THEMpeople and features a BadBadNotGood sample. Listen to it below, and check out the cover art below.
Watch Jenkins perform "THC" at Red Bull Sound Select Presents: 30 Days in LA, via Pitchfork.tv: | {
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Holy shit balls. My rematch Santa blew me away! He traveled abroad and got me the most thoughtful gift! It's a painting of a scene from the 2nd of the Yangtze rivers! PAINTED ON A LEAF FROM A BANYAN TREE. it's so amazing I can't stop smiling!! My colors were soft colors and earth tones and this is all of that I imagined. Its people like my rematch Santa that keep my faith alive in these exchanges. The pictures don't even do it justice! Thank you so much rematch!! | {
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Compatible with 1.38 up to 1.67
Interactions:
-Open
-Spawn Random Rocks/Gems/Metals
-Buy
---Gem
-----Single Piece
-------Cut
---------[Size]
-----------[Gem name]
-------------[Cut Name]
---------Random
-------Uncut
---------[Gem name]
-----Set
-------[Size]
---------[Gem name]
-----Complete Set
-------[Size]
-------Uncut
---Metal
-----Single Piece
-------Smelted
---------[Size]
-----------[Metal name]
---------Random
-------Ore
---------[Metal name]
-----Complete Set
-------[Size]
-------Ore
-Store
---Gems
---Metals
---Rocks
IT DOESN'T WORK! HELP! NO INTERACTION!
As requested, I added a feature to buy gems/metals in quantity. Sorry it took me months to implement this, I was kinda busyTranslations are still welcome.This is a small chest to make life easier for all you RGM collectors out thereWhen you buy it from the catalog, it'd come with a few random rocks/gems/metals stocked in its inventory (you can now turn off this feature in the tuning xml). Note that for these randomly generated RGM, you'll have to take them out and collect them before you can send them to be smelt/cut since they're not set as collected.With this object, you can buy gems and metals (prices are now tunable too):Gem-Large : §850-Regular : §500-Uncut : §350-Random : §750Metal-Large : §850-Regular : §500-Unsmelted/Ore : §350-Random : §750-Large : §10,000-Regular : §5,000Gem-Large : §500,000-Regular : §200,000-Uncut : §20,000Metal-Large : §100,000-Regular : §15,000-Unsmelted/Ore : §10,000All gems and metals are available regardless of required location, provided you have the required EPs installed.Available in Decorative/Misc for §500.Available gem cuts:-Emerald Cut-Oval Cut-Pear Cut-Plumbbob Cut-Marquis Cut-Crystal Ball Cut-Brilliant Cut-Heart-Shaped Cut-Polished Split Cut-Star Cut-Spire Cut-Skull Cut-Sculptor's Egg Cut-Gem Dust Cut-Sun Cut-Moon Cut-UncutCompatibility: 1.38 and up.Also, I read some comments saying that if you buy a complete set only to sell them back for a profit, it takes so long to sell them all since you have to sell them one by one. Therefore I made this mod to aid itMerry Christmas!2013/03/17:-Changed the code so that the random gem option will no longer generate a gem with a cut type from EPs that are not installed.-Added Czech translation (Credit:Peccoskaify)2012/11/26:-Added Chinese and Taiwanese translations (Credit: jarod95)2012/09/07:-Updated for 1.38.2011/06/20:-Updated for 1.22/2.16/3.12/4.9/5.7/6.4/7.2/8.0.2011/05/09:-Added a feature to buy gems/metals in quantity.-Added Spanish translation (Credit:San-ji)-Added Finnish translation (Credit: Some_body)-Added Dutch translation (Credit: pcexpert)-Added Swedish translation (Credit: Gabbe27)2010/10/29:-Updated for 1.17/2.12/3.8/4.5/5.2/6.0.2010/08/16:-Added Italian translation (Credit: Cristina).This mod is only compatible with 1.38 and newer patches. (You can pm me for older versions) If your game version is indeed 1.38 or newer yet you still get no interaction, please verify whether you're using the new CC setup under Documents. If you still have problems, I solicit you to read this guide S3PI &For translations: crincrict (German), boblen (Russian), Cristina (Italian), Gabbe27 (Swedish), pcexpert (Dutch), Some_body (Finnish), San-ji (Spanish) | {
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By Rosemarie Francisco and Manuel Mogato
MANILA (Reuters) - China plans to occupy a disputed chain of reefs and rocks in the South China Sea to expand its territory before regional rules on maritime behavior come into effect, the Philippines' top diplomat said on Wednesday.
The Philippines believes China's incursion into the Scarborough Shoal is a threat to peace in Southeast Asia, said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.
In Beijing, a foreign ministry spokesman described the shoal - which lies about 125 nautical miles off the Philippines' main island of Luzon - as China's "inherent territory".
In an interview with Reuters in his Manila office, del Rosario said the Philippines would file a diplomatic protest against China after it discovered concrete blocks on the shoal, which Chinese ships have occupied since April last year.
He urged regional governments to speed up talks on a binding code of conduct (CoC) governing behavior at sea.
"We think that China is trying to stay ahead of the CoC," he said. "We think that they have an assertion agenda that they are trying to complete before they are able to sit down and negotiate a CoC."
Tension over the South China Sea, one of the world's most strategically important waterways, has risen as China uses its growing naval might to assert extensive claims over the oil- and gas-rich waters more forcefully, fuelling fears of a military clash.
Four of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Vietnam and the Philippines, have overlapping claims with China. Taiwan also has claims over the entire sea.
"This kind of activity places the region in jeopardy in terms of peace and stability," del Rosario said.
"If the Philippines is the target of China today, another country could be the target tomorrow. So this should be considered as a regional issue."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei, asked about the Philippine's latest accusations, said they were not true, though he did not provide details.
Story continues
"What the Philippines said of the situation is not true. The Scarborough Shoal is China's inherent territory," he told reporters in Beijing.
"Based on the present circumstances the Chinese government's official ships have been conducting normal patrols in the waters around the Scarborough Shoal in order to safeguard its sovereignty ... This is China's legitimate right and cannot be questioned."
"LARGER CHALLENGE"
China and the Philippines accuse each other of violating a 2002 declaration of conduct, a non-binding confidence-building agreement on maritime behavior signed by China and ASEAN.
Del Rosario said the latest Chinese activity in Scarborough Shoal was discussed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, where fresh surveillances pictures were shown.
"If we looked back to what they did in Mischief Reef, this could very well be a repetition of what happened there," he said, adding the latest incursion was "a significant and larger challenge" for the country.
In February 1995, the Philippines discovered a cluster of huts in half-submerged Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, 130 miles off its coast. Several years later, the shelters which China had said were meant as shelter for fishermen, had been turned into a multi-level concrete fortress.
Philippine officials said the concrete pillars and blocks in Scarborough Shoal appeared to have been dropped from an aircraft, describing them as possible material for permanent structures.
It could be the first case of occupation of an uninhabited feature in the South China Sea since the 2002 code was signed.
(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard and Sui-Lee Wee in BEIJING; Editing by Robert Birsel, John Stonestreet) | {
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Three years ago, a girl named Osman lived with her little tawny dog Tiger in Robindra Shorbod, a park in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where she scavenged for plastics to trade for small coins. Osman, like so many other orphans and children from impoverished families, survived from one day to the next, feeding herself whenever she was able. Following her on her daily hunt through the park was playful Tiger, who never wandered too far from her line of vision.
Osman with Tiger:
Osman and Tiger formed one of the ten child-canine pairs discovered by Australian photographer and animal rights advocate Sam Edmonds when visiting the city. With help from the humane organization Obhoyaronno and its tireless work on behalf of Dhaka’s stray dogs, he found a makeshift family composed of youngsters and the dogs who had drifted into the park. With whatever change they earned, the boys and girls fed their dogs; at night, those who did not go home to their small tin shacks remained with the dogs, keeping them warm under the dark shroud of night.
Rabi with Kalu:
Thanks to the efforts of Obhoyaronno, the country’s practice of dog culling, whereby stray animals are picked up from the streets and inhumanely killed for fear of spreading rabies, has been terminated in Dhaka, and yet the future remains precarious for the city’s street dogs. Obhoyaronno controls stray dog populations through a Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release program, or CNVR, meaning that instead of killing dogs who may or may not be infected with rabies, they capture and treat dogs before releasing them back to the exact place in which they were found.
Al Amin with Michael:
Despite the progress made by Obhoyaronno, Edmonds admits that the widespread fear of rabies can sadly lead to the mistreatment of dogs, who are viewed as potential carriers. Daily life for the homeless dogs of Dhaka is frightening and difficult, and neglect and abuse are not uncommon. Compassion is rarely shown to these animals, and the photographer quickly found that although some were timid, the Robindra Shorbod dogs reacted to kindness with gratitude and wagging tails.
Rubel with Romeo:
In a culture where homeless dogs are cast aside, forgotten, and feared, these young children recognized the simple fact that their lives had value. In turn, the dogs became their guardians and friends, with each kid sharing a special bond with his or her own specific dog.
Shakil with Jax:
For the street children of Dhaka, who don’t attend school and who sometimes have no other place to call home, the Robindra Shorbod was a place to strive to make a living, to fill their bellies and save portions for their dogs. With their canine companions, they were permitted—if only for a few moments—to be children in the purest sense of the world; to run, to play, and to laugh. To feel protected while they lay their heads to sleep.
Noyon with Bullet:
When Edmonds bade farewell to the children and their dogs, he gave them the gift of their portrait, each girl or boy accompanied by his or her dog. He asked them not to pose, and when the time came, he gave them each a print to hold on to as he made his way back home.
Ladin with Michael:
Last month, Edmonds checked in on the kids and dogs of the Robindra Shorbod through a friend in Dhaka who reported back to him that most of the children have grown up and are no longer living in the park. Although some were able to be tracked down, the locations and fates of the dogs unfortunately remains unknown. The family of the Robindra Shorbod has dispersed, and yet their story is an enduring one. It’s a tale of the indelible ties that bind our human species to the gentle creatures we call dogs, a timeless fable about the power of empathy and grace. Even in the most painful of circumstances, these children and their dogs found something to hold dear.
Sumaia with Tiger:
To help the dogs of Dhaka, please consider following or contributing to Obhoyaronno. | {
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It's been almost a year in the making, but now the city says it's at last ready to part with its vast stockpile of some 1,750 decommissioned street signs. Starting April 28, the first batch of 100 signs will be sold at online auction via Platinum Liquidations.
The signs, many of which are of the classic "acorn" style design, have been held in storage at a facility on Eastern Avenue since 2007, when the city began its consolidated street furniture program. The retired road makers come in a range of styles, some which haven't been seen on Toronto's streets in decades.
Every year the city replaces about 1,800 signs due to damage or weathering. Those that are illegible or completely wrecked - crunched into a ball or splintered with sharp edges - will be scrapped. The city expects between 200 and 300 signs that are suitable for sale will be added to the auction inventory annually.
The minimum opening bid will be $30 for each sign, progressing upwards in increments of $5 for a maximum of 60 days. Unfortunately, Platinum Liquidations says it can't predict which signs will be for sale at any given time, so expect to check the website often if you're after a particular street.
In the meantime, why not whet your appetite by checking out pictures of the signs in storage.
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
Image: Chris Bateman/blogTO. | {
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É. A forma correcta será «à última hora». Aliás, se reflectir um pouco sobre a frase, concluirá que "última da hora" não tem sentido: última quê? Se se dissesse «último», ainda podíamos depreender que estava ali subentendido um minuto, um segundo, um instante (ao último instante da hora...). Mas não, o que temos é a última hora... como no correio.
Ou, ainda: jornal Última Hora, notícias de última hora, viagens de última hora, etc., etc, | {
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Not sure if I should delete the OAG memes I made Or keep them up
151 shares | {
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
} |
Berkeley scientists have discovered a voracious species of primitive oil-eating bacteria that have largely consumed the huge deep-sea plume of dispersed oil fouling the Gulf of Mexico since the deadly BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in April.
As a result of the bacteria, the toxic plume that was once 22 miles long and more than 3,600 feet deep is now "undetectable," Terry C. Hazen, the chief microbiologist at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, reported Tuesday.
For millions of years, bacteria have been eating oil that seeps from the sea floor, but Hazen and his colleagues discovered a particularly gluttonous form that multiplied rapidly in the months after the April 20 oil-rig explosion and spearheaded the plume's unexpected disappearance from the gulf's cold waters, Hazen said.
"We're still finding bacteria but no oil," Hazen said. "The plume is undetectable."
Because of their unique ability to consume oil swiftly, the bacteria should make a valuable tool against future oil spills that pose a threat to the environment, once they are firmly identified and cultured for what Hazen calls "bioremediation."
Oxygen consumption
The plume was created by a chemical dispersant called Corexit 9500 that BP dumped around the wellhead after its oil rig exploded in an effort to break up the torrent of crude oil gushing from the seabed. The plume continued spreading through the water even after the underwater gusher was finally plugged July 15.
The spreading plume had aroused fears that it could devastate the marine ecology in the gulf because many oil-eating bacteria consume oxygen as well as hydrocarbons - a process that could produce "dead zones" of life-threatening oxygen depletion. But the newly found microbes devour the microscopic droplets with far less depletion of oxygen than other oil-eating bacteria, Hazen and his lab colleagues reported.
Hazen and his team report on the new microbes in the online journal Sciencexpress on Thursday.
Just last week, scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod reported that their data, gathered by their autonomous underwater detectors in June, showed the plume was breaking up so slowly it could threaten sea life for months to come. The Woods Hole scientists, headed by oceanographer Richard Camilli, also reported their findings in Sciencexpress.
"These new findings on the plume's rapid degradation will be extremely helpful for us to learn more about the natural processes that can degrade oil so rapidly in the sea," Camilli said Tuesday in an interview.
He pointed out, however, that some of the plume's microscopic oil particles are being diluted naturally in the seawater, while other organisms are playing a role in consuming varied chemical molecules in the plume's hydrocarbons.
Thriving in cold water
The bacteria were discovered by Hazen's team working aboard research vessels leased by BP. From May to June, the scientists visited 17 sites to collect more than 200 samples of the plume at depths of between 3,600 and 4,000 feet.
The team found the new species in a class of microbes particularly adapted to thrive in cold water and known as gamma-proteobacteria. The species degrades oil much faster than biologists had expected, Hazen reported.
The group's work is supported by part of the $200 million grant that BP gave to an environmental research project jointly run by UC Berkeley, Hazen's team, the Berkeley lab, and the University of Illinois.
"We're a Department of Energy national lab," Hazen said, "and our work is completely independent of any funding source." | {
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At least 12 people reportedly killed as Assad’s forces and opposition fighters clash in Quneitra amid Israeli strikes.
Fighting between government forces and opposition fighters has intensified in the Quneitra province in Syria’s south, situated in the 30 percent part of the Golan Heights under Syrian control.
More than a dozen people were killed, including both pro-government forces and opposition fighters, in the latest increase in fighting in the countryside of al-Baath city and near the town of Khan Arnab, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Sunday.
The deaths came as the al-Qaeda-linked Levant Liberation Committee [Hayat Tahrir al-Sham] and allied anti-government groups launched an offensive to take control of al-Baath city, one of the few towns in the province that has remained under control of Syrian government forces in recent years.
Abu Omar al-Jolani, a Quneitra-based media activist, told Al Jazeera that “the battle is ongoing” and that armed groups “managed to break the regime’s first line of defence”.
Also on Sunday, Israeli fighter jets targeted Syrian government positions in the region for a second day in a row, reportedly destroying a handful of tanks.
The UK-based SOHR reported that the strikes killed two Syrian army soldiers and injured several others.
After Israeli air strikes hit the area on Saturday, Syrian state news agency SANA accused Israel of supporting the Levant Liberation Committee, formerly known as al-Nusra Front.
Israel has been occupying roughly 70 percent of the Golan Heights since the 1967 Middle East war.
Since the outbreak of fighting in the Golan region in 2012, it has carried out sporadic air strikes, mostly targeting government forces and their allies.
In recent months, President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, backed by Russian air power, have gained ground in Syria from opposition fighters and armed groups.
New attack launched
Since the war began in 2011, it has killed hundreds of thousands, driven millions more from their homes, caused a global refugee crisis and drawn in regional and world powers.
The conflict is far from over. Opposition fighters hold large expanses of the country, including around Idlib province near Hama, and launched a new attack in Quneitra in the southwest on Saturday.
Anti-government fighters also hold the Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus, parts of the desert in the southeast and a large pocket south of Hama around the city of Rastan.
READ MORE: Iftar for the homesick – Remembering Ramadan in Raqqa
As recently as March, opposition fighters advanced from Idlib province to within a few miles of Hama, before the army and its allies pushed them back in weeks of fierce fighting.
However, the army drove the fighters from their biggest urban stronghold in Aleppo in December and have also forced several important opposition enclaves to surrender over the past year.
US-led coalition air raids have also caused large numbers of civilian casualties, according to the SOHR.
It said on Saturday that coalition air strikes in and around Raqqa, the besieged stronghold of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, have killed nearly 700 civilians so far this year. | {
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(Fotogramma)
Basta schiaffi: l'accordo Movimento 5 Stelle-centrodestra è definitivamente archiviato. A chiudere il fascicolo è Licia Ronzulli, senatrice di Forza Italia vicinissima a Berlusconi: "Non si può continuare a prendere schiaffi in faccia pur mostrando grande disponibilità, responsabilità e generosità", dice la senatrice a Circo Massimo, su Radio Capital.
"L'apertura di Di Maio è durata meno di sette ore, sembrava ci fosse uno spiraglio per far cadere i veti. Quando Salvini ha riferito la possibilità, Berlusconi si è detto d'accordo, a condizione di avere pari dignità e di non mettere Forza Italia in un angolo". Ronzulli nega che ci sia mai stata una discussione su un appoggio esterno di Forza Italia a un governo Lega-M5S: "Non se n'è mai parlato. Non esisteva ieri, non esiste oggi e non esisterà domani. Non faremo i portatori d'acqua".
A confermare che la trattativa è definitivamente chiusa è poi lo stesso Silvio Berlusconi, oggi in Molise, che sottolinea: "Serve un governo del centrodestra che trovi i voti in Parlamento", tutte le altre ipotesi "sono spiacevoli, deprecabili e dannose per il paese".
A chi gli chiede come pensa di trovare i numeri, l'ex premier replica che un governo del centrodestra potrebbe ''concretamente fare accordi con uomini saggi, con i parlamentari dei gruppi misti e anche esponenti del Pd". Poi l'affondo contro il M5S: ''I cinque stelle - dice ai microfoni di 'l'Aria che tira' - sono semplicemente un pericolo per l'Italia e va evitata assolutamente - conclude - una loro presa del potere''. | {
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European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas agreed on Friday to use the already available options to circumvent the required EU ministers’ unanimity when addressing foreign challenges, including the Syrian war.
“The EU is made of the entirety of its members,” said Maas. But in some areas, like foreign affairs, adopting decisions by a qualified majority is “feasible” according to the treaties, he added.
All 28 member states’ support is needed to approve “sensitive” issues, including common foreign and security policy. Only a few exemptions, such as the appointment of special representatives, permit qualified majority in foreign and security matters in the Council.
But the so-called ‘passerelle clause’, included in the Lisbon Treaty, allows for extending the qualified majority to the whole decision-making process, as long as it is backed by an absolute majority of MEPs (376) and the unanimity of the EU leaders (European Council). National Parliaments must be also notified.
Juncker challenges unanimity on fiscal policy To break the deadlock on fiscal issues caused by the EU’s absolute majority requirements, Jean-Claude Juncker has resurrected a clause in the Lisbon Treaty that allows for a qualified majority instead. EURACTIV France reports.
“We should make the best possible use of the Lisbon Treaty when it comes to taking decisions by qualified majority in the Council,” including foreign affairs and tax issues, Juncker agreed during the same press point.
The worsening situation in Syria and ongoing tensions with Russia tested Europe’s room for manoeuvring to react to foreign challenges.
In light of the ongoing crises beyond European borders, Maas said “it will be increasingly important” to adopt decisions by a qualified majority.
EU institutions silent as world gets dangerously close to global conflict over Syria The leaders of the EU institutions remained silent on Wednesday (11 April) while the world got dangerously close to a global conflict over Syria, with two member states, Britain and France, getting ready to go to war.
Following the chemical attack in Douma, France and the UK are taking the lead in planning a possible attack against Syrian Government led by Bachar al-Assad.
US President Donald Trump threatened the Syrian regime with an imminent attack, but his Defence team toned down his threat.
Germany has condemned the attack and argues that the perpetrators must be held accountable. But Berlin is not willing to join the strike.
“The repeated use of chemical weapons cannot be left unanswered,” Maas said.
He added that it is “essential” to ensure the coordination of the western nations. But “the aim always must be to find a political solution”, which must be the answer for the Syrian conflict, he told reporters.
Russian involvement
The German minister argued that Moscow must be part of the process to solve the Syrian crisis. “We need Russia, this is why we always said that we should never close the window for dialogue with Russia,” Maas said.
Russia UN envoy 'cannot exclude' war between Russia, US Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia urged the United States and its allies on Thursday (12 April) to refrain from military action against Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack but said he “cannot exclude” war between Washington and Moscow.
But the recent attack in the UK against a former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, further worsened the relations with Moscow, which London accused of being behind the attack.
“Russia needs to change its behaviour, that is the condition. Otherwise, the Syrian conflict cannot be resolved,” he said.
“We are stepping up the pressure,” Maas stressed.
Foreign affairs ministers – who are meeting in Brussels on 16 April – initially disagreed on how to respond to the attack on European soil and failed to reach the required unanimity.
They passed the ‘hot potato’ to the EU leaders, who decided to expel Russian diplomats in EU member states’ embassies.
US, EU to expel more than 100 Russian diplomats over UK nerve agent attack The United States said on Monday (26 March) it would expel 60 Russian diplomats, joining governments across Europe in punishing the Kremlin for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain.
Banking union
Juncker and Maas also discussed the post-2020 multiannual financial framework, the EU’s seven-year budget, and proposals to bolster the economic and monetary union.
The Commission president stressed the need of completing the banking union with the European deposit insurance scheme, the outstanding pillar of the EU’s framework to oversee its systemic lenders and resolve them in an orderly manner if needed.
The German minister said his government was open to discussing the completion of the banking union, as member states agreed as part of a reform push this semester in the economic field. | {
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Quirky fan-favorite dramedy “Pushing Daisies” has been resurrected by The CW, which is now streaming all 22 episodes of the show free on its Seed digital service.
The addition of “Pushing Daisies” is the network’s latest effort to build CW Seed, which launched as a digital-studio sandbox in 2013, into a bigger business with new licensed and original content. “Pushing Daisies,” which aired for two season on ABC from 2007-09, will be available exclusively on CW Seed’s new Roku app for two weeks to promote the launch on the device, before coming to the web, iOS apps and Google Chromecast.
The goal: to establish CW Seed as a branded destination for millennials to watch nostalgic TV series as well as originals — and drive up ad revenue.
“We’re using the borrowed equity of the CW brand and audience, and providing them shows from the past that have been unavailable to them before,” said Rick Haskins, The CW’s exec VP of marketing and digital strategies.
Earlier this month, CW Seed launched all four seasons of SoCal teen soap “The O.C.” and all 13 episodes of “The Ben Stiller Show” short-lived sketch comedy series that aired on Fox in the early ’90s.
“Pushing Daisies,” “The O.C.” and “Ben Stiller” were each produced by Warner Bros. Television. The CW Network is a 50-50 joint venture of Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS. Those join Seed’s current lineup, which includes cheerleading dramedy “Hellcats,” the 1990 adaptation of “The Flash” and improv show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
“We got requests for ‘The O.C.’ all the time, and the same with ‘Pushing Daisies,” Haskins said. “It’s really listening to the audience.” The shows have been available to purchase via digital-video services but until now have not be available on streaming services.
CW Seed also has more original shows in the pipeline. “The Elevator Talk Show,” a short-form series hosted by comedian Pete Holmes, is slated to launch Dec. 15; in each of the 40 episodes, Holmes interviews an up-and-coming comic during an elevator ride at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. Set for the first quarter of 2016 is “Saving the Human Race,” billed as a post-apocalyptic rom-com, and “Vampire! the Musical” (working title), from YouTube musical duo AVByte.
“Part of the pledge of CW Seed is reaching out and finding new talent,” Haskins said.
CW Seed now has a roster of about 40 advertisers. Haskins wouldn’t disclose viewing or financial figures, but said the service has doubled its audience in the past year. “I’m a little hesitant of taking my foot off the experiment pedal… but it has gotten a foothold into a business as opposed to an experiment,” he said. The network’s digital audience across CW Seed and TheCW.com has an average age of 22 versus 39 for on-air shows.
“Because we’re not SVOD, we’re free, we are gaining traction,” Haskins said. “For a millennial audience there’s an advantage to that.”
Compared with Sony Pictures Television’s Crackle — which also provides free, ad-supported premium entertainment — CW Seed relies on promoting shows through through Facebook fans of CW’s broadcast lineup. “We’re not spending a dime on advertising,” Haskins said.
For example, the fanbase for DC Comics-based “Vixen” was built on the back of “Arrow” and “The Flash” Facebook pages, according to Haskins, with more than 50 million impressions from those shows that drove viewers to “Vixen.” He added that CW’s “Vampire Diaries” has 25 million Facebook likes, providing a social-media marketing platform for “Vampire! The Musical.” | {
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Italian Mafia 'godfather' Settimo Mineo held in Sicily raid Published duration 4 December 2018
image copyright AFP image caption Settimo Mineo has been a senior mafioso for decades, authorities say
Italian police have arrested the man said to be the new head of the Sicilian Mafia, along with 45 associates.
The dawn raid in Palermo netted 80-year-old jeweller Settimo Mineo. He was reportedly elected Cosa Nostra godfather at a Mafia meeting in May.
The Mafia suspects are accused of extortion, firearms offences, arson and other crimes.
The Sicilian Mafia - the Cosa Nostra - managed to rebuild its leadership, known as the Cupola, after it had not met for years, reports say. The godfather is also known as the "capo dei capi" - or boss of bosses.
Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini tweeted that it was "an extraordinary intervention" by the Carabinieri (the paramilitary police), "who have dismantled the new 'cupola' of Cosa Nostra".
Turin magistrate Armando Spataro reportedly said that Mr Salvini's message threatened to disrupt the ongoing operation in the city. Moreover, not all those arrested have links to organised crime, and 15 was not the correct number of people arrested, he said in a statement.
image copyright Getty Images image caption The Sicilian Mafia raid is seen as a major success for Italy's police
In recent years police have hit the Cosa Nostra network hard. It was long handicapped by the fact that Toto Riina was in jail, but when he died the Mafia moved to rebuild the cupola without taking orders from a "godfather".
Riina was notorious for his brutality. In 1992 two leading prosecutors, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, were blown up in Mafia hits. Six months later Riina was arrested.
'I fell from the clouds'
Mineo allegedly ran Mafia operations in Pagliarelli, a central district in Palermo. Italian media report that he avoided using a mobile phone and preferred to walk rather than travel by car.
Valued by Riina, he survived an ambush back in 1982 in which his brother Giuseppe died. Another brother, Antonino, was shot dead later.
Mineo was arrested in 1984 on the orders of leading prosecutor Giovanni Falcone. Italian daily La Repubblica says he told his interrogators: "I don't know who you're talking about, I fell from the clouds."
Mineo was jailed for five years in a big Mafia trial based on the Falcone investigation.
In 1992, Falcone and another top prosecutor - Paolo Borsellino - were blown up in Mafia hits. Riina was arrested six months later.
media caption Riina is believed to have ordered more than 150 murders
Mineo was rearrested in 2006 and spent another 11 years in jail. A well-known "pentito" (police informer), Tommaso Buscetta, is reported to have provided intelligence about him. | {
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Every June, the Fraser Institute proclaims a "Tax Freedom Day" to make the misleading claim that Canadians face an ever growing tax burden. The Brass Tax investigates this claim, and finds that the average tax rate is only about half what the Fraser Institute claims. The report demonstrates that far from overtaxing, Canada's ratio of tax revenue to GDP is in fact lower than that of most OECD countries. By using more accurate statistical methods, The Brass Tax challenges the myth of overtaxation that undervalues public services and undermines our ability to invest in programs that are key to the well-being of all Canadians. | {
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It’s since when I launched my blog that I always dreamed of interviewing someone from Oculus, and finally today this dream has come true. Thanks to the huge help of VR Intelligence, that is organizing the VRX event, I have been able to speak with Sean Liu, Director of Product for VR at Facebook!
The VRX conference will be held in San Francisco on December, 12-13th and will feature very high-level speakers from companies like Oculus/Facebook, HP, Snap and many others. I have become one of their media partners because I think it is a very interesting event.
(PS: If you want to discover more this event and register, you can check out this link …and use the code 5049TGH200 to spare $200 on the ticket 😉 )
Sean Liu is one of the speakers of this cool event, and the people at VR-Intelligence, together with people at Facebook, have been so kind to give me the opportunity to have a quick chat with him. I have been so excited to be able to interview him!
Here you are the full text of my short interview with Mr.Liu, where we speak about Oculus Quest and Oculus Go and virtual reality in general.
Hello Sean, it’s a pleasure to host you here. Compliments for what you’re doing at Oculus! Can you introduce yourself to the few readers that don’t know you yet? Hey, Antony. It’s really good to connect with you to talk all things VR, especially as we head into VRX. I’m Sean and I’m currently Director of Product for VR at Facebook. My team’s work focuses mainly on our hardware devices, like Quest, Rift S, and Oculus Go. Sean Liu (Image by Facebook) How have you started working in the VR field? I was participating in the Global Game Jam back in 2014. A friend had borrowed a DK1, and we decided to build a VR game that weekend. We ended up funding it through Kickstarter and eventually launching it on the Oculus store (Oculus Share back in the day). Amazingly, months later I ended up joining Oculus. What do you like the most about this technology? From the very beginning when I began working in this space, the most powerful thing to me about virtual reality is that it allows you to connect. Whether you’re connecting with people or with your passions, virtual reality has this ability to make you feel more connected than anything else that’s come before it. We have this shorthand that we use for our mission and you may have heard some of us say this at F8 or Oculus Connect: we like to say virtual reality lets you Defy Distance. And it’s easy to think we’re being hyperbolic here or that it’s just a slogan. But to us, Defy Distance represents that presence you feel so viscerally when you’re connecting in VR, no matter where you are in the physical world. You really do feel like you’re defying distance. At OC6, Oculus has introduced many amazing features for Oculus Quest, like Hand Tracking, Go emulation and Oculus Link. What is the one you are proud of the most? And Why? Choosing between the three is like choosing a favorite child so I really couldn’t pick just one! If I had to say what my favorite things are about these innovations, it’s what they represent when they all come together. All three of these are part of our commitment to continue to improve Oculus Quest through software updates. We’re at the point where we’ve put Quest into the market, we’re seeing people use and engage with it, and we want to make that experience better and better over time. So it’s seeing each of these features bringing value to people. And, that’s not to mention how it’s not just consumers who benefit. These features also open up new audiences for developers or new ways developers can build. So really these have value for both users and developers. I can’t wait to try the Link with my Quest! We can’t wait for you to try it either … we just announced this week! The software is rolling out in beta, where we’ll continue to test and optimize. From there, we’ll add support for more PC systems. And, later this year, we’ll release a premium, custom optical fiber cable to provide a best-in-class experience with maximum throughput while using Oculus Link. Regarding Hand Tracking, there is a debate online if it is not available on Rift S because of technical issues (like lack on PC of a specialized DSP like the one offered by Qualcomm) or if it has been a business decision because the Quest is the device for consumers you are investing the most in. Can you clarify what is the truth? Well, first I’d like to acknowledge that we’re really excited about the buzz from our community. We’re constantly listening to this buzz and the enthusiasm, questions, feedback — the good and the bad! — all matter to us as we build. As far as hand tracking, we are starting on the Quest platform first. It’s important we evaluate hand tracking on Quest this first go-around before we consider bringing it to other devices. Hands tracking can offer you new interaction possibilities on your Quest These days SuperData has said that Oculus Quest has sold in total 400,000 units. Some people have come out disappointed by this number. Can you comment on this estimate? When we’re talking about Quest, we really do need to pause for a moment and acknowledge just how pleased we are with the reactions we’re seeing from consumers and developers alike — really just the whole community. As far as sales, I can’t comment on any specifics or even broadly, but Mark has spoken on the record about Quest, including during an earnings call this past August when he shared, “we’re selling them as fast as we can make them.” When do you think a device offered by Oculus (like the Quest) can enter the mainstream selling more than 10M units having big retention? 2 years? 5 years? 10 years? I love the enthusiasm you have for our tech, and I can promise you we’re equally excited about the growth of the entire ecosystem over the past year plus. But it’s also important to remind ourselves that we’re still in the very early days of VR. These are truly long-term bets we’re making as a company that we believe will change how we connect in the coming decades. That being said, once again, we’re really excited about the momentum we’ve seen with Quest and how it’s opened up VR to even more people. Quest is an important step along the way — and we’re not slowing down from here! In the future, is there still a place for 3DOF headsets like the Oculus Go? I really can’t comment on our future roadmap at this point, but I can say that Oculus Go continues to be a great way to enter VR and we see it as an accessible entry into VR for so many people. Go remains popular for immersive media and with its affordable price point, it’s a great option for people who are new to VR. Go was also our first product in the all-in-one category, and we’re continuing to build on this form factor with Oculus Quest because we know that all-in-one VR is something people want. But let’s take a step back from the headset itself for a moment and look more broadly at what Oculus Go does — it brings more people into VR. And we shouldn’t gloss over that. Oculus Go still brings people into VR, according to Sean (Image by Oculus) How do you envision the future of virtual and augmented reality? To me, this goes back to the first question you asked me about what I like most about the technology and that’s connection. We really do think AR and VR will be the next computing platform centered around people and their connections. Those in the industry today know this magic and connection that happens with the level of presence AR and VR offers, so the future we imagine is one in which we’re using these technologies to connect on a deeper, more meaningful level. If someone wants to do a job like yours, what would be your best piece of advice? What are the lessons that you’ve learned in these years at Oculus? The best advice I’ve ever gotten was to go and tinker! We’ve got really great online classes for building your first applications in VR, and the community embraces people exploring new hardware ideas. It’s a new industry and ecosystem, so everyone in AR and VR is learning things for the first time. How is it working with the god John Carmack? And how much do you understand of what he says? When he speaks too technically, I grasp like 40% of his words 😀 😀 😀 Of course, I feel really lucky to work with John — he and I have some friendly competition on the Beat Saber leaderboards. He’s had a really foundational influence on VR, especially on our work in the mobile and standalone products. But more than that, we have talent across the whole team. It really does take a village to build a product — I’m awed working with brilliant folks spanning design, engineering, operations, sales, marketing, and beyond. What’s your favorite VR game? (Please tell HitMotion:Reloaded, that is our game… 😀 😀 :D) Haha, I’m excited by all the games you and the community are building! I’m personally a big fan of Asgard’s Wrath on Rift S, and I love showing off the Vader Immortal experiences on Quest to friends and family. Are you excited about your talk at VRX? What do you hope to obtain from this cool event? Absolutely. One of the messages we shared at Oculus Connect 6 in the fall was how we see the industry being at an inflection point right now. So spending time with this community at this time is really a treat. I look forward to taking every opportunity to learn from others in this industry and just getting energized and excited about our work collectively. Open Question: tell my readers something that I have not asked you, but you would like to add to this interview… We recently launched two big titles for Rift—Asgard’s Wrath and Stormland—that have been generating so much excitement for both the community. They’ve both received high praise and ratings from gaming sites, the response has been truly phenomenal. Vader Immortal just released the final chapter to the three-episode saga they launched along with Quest, and Star Wars fans have been calling the experience of coming face-to-face with Darth Vader in VR incredible. We’ve got developers exploring immersive entertainment and getting truly creative with The Under Presents, which launched this week as well. We’re really thrilled with the momentum we’ve got right now and we have more content, experiences, and features to launch next year!
I really want to thank Sean from the bottom of my heart for the time he dedicated to me notwithstanding his busy schedule. I also appreciated a lot the enthusiasm he shared in this interview… it is clearly noticeable his passion for the technology… and it is crazy that he started just hacking a game in a game jam in 2014 and how he’s there driving the forward evolutions of the technology! :O
He clearly dodged some of the questions I was curious about (like the Quest sales), but of course, he can’t talk about these topics. It’s more interesting the fact that he didn’t expressly clarify the reason why the Rift S won’t have hands tracking, and this makes me think about a business decision: if it would have just been a technical reason (like the absence of a DSP), he would have stated that easily.
It is also interesting that Oculus believes that we are at an inflection point of the industry, but at the same time we’re just at the beginning. Sean reminds us that we are still in the early days of VR, notwithstanding the fact that we made huge steps forward in the last 5 years. I have to say that I agree with him.
This also explains why Facebook is very satisfied with how the Quest is performing even if its sales are not exploding as some people were hoping for (that is: it is not going mainstream). Most probably, it has never been the purpose of this device for this year: Facebook knows that changing how people will interact with technology in the next decades will need many years, and it is performing a long-term bet. The Quest marks the inflection point of the curve, but this curve still needs more time to ramp up (most probably, some years).
And it is good to know that Sean and Facebook are still committed to the tech: the last sentence where he promises us “more content, experiences, and features to launch next year!” makes me dream of cool things to come for 2020! I can’t wait to discover what they are preparing behind the curtains…
(Header image by Facebook)
Disclaimer: this blog contains advertisement and affiliate links to sustain itself. If you click on an affiliate link, I'll be very happy because I'll earn a small commission on your purchase. You can find my boring full disclosure Disclaimer: this blog contains advertisement and affiliate links to sustain itself. If you click on an affiliate link, I'll be very happy because I'll earn a small commission on your purchase. You can find my boring full disclosure here | {
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My knee hurts. The terrain is getting a little sketchy, and my lungs start to burn from the high altitude. At mile one I stop to walk, then after a few seconds of “this sucks, this sucks, this sucks…” running through my head I start running again. At mile three I stop to enjoy the view. I’m in Silverton, Colorado days before the legendary Hardrock 100. “I cannot believe these people are about to run 100 miles in this altitude” I say to myself, astonished by the quick run.
This is my second year in Silverton. I came in 2013 with my buddy Trey on a month long dirtbag trip, living out of tents, and running as many peaks as possible. The way we felt, and still feel; life should be lived by people like us. See, we’re trail runners, but not just weekend warriors and not just runners. We run, host, and keep up with Ultra-marathons, we find every reason to hit new trails, and just be outdoors. It’s that mentality that has brought us to Silverton once again.
We made it a mission to go see Hardrock every year, but after a move to Washington I had to sit out a couple of years. In 2016, with one of the most amazing runners lists Hardrock has ever seen. I decided it was time to head back. I packed my huge army duffle with everything I’d need for two weeks of full on dirtbag living. I jumped on a plane, and flew into Oklahoma to meet up with Trey. As soon as I arrived I jumped into Trey’s truck and we headed out. Our first night was spent in New Mexico, near Jicarita Peak in Cerro Del Oso. As the morning sun came into view we jumped into the car to make the eight hour drive with enough time to grab beers, and get in a quick run before finding a camping spot near Silverton.
As we pulled into town, the mountains instantly engulfed us. Stopping at the only shop in town we picked up only the essentials: macaroni and cheese, rice, squash, a six-pack of Dale’s Pale Ale, and a six-pack of Fat Tire. We hit Kendall Campground about two miles north of Silverton and instantly found a spot that would accommodate not only the two of us, but the large amount of people I had invited via the Dirtbag Runners facebook group. After setting tents and hammocks, so no one would snake our new home, we set out on what would be the first few miles of the Hardrock race. It wasn’t easy, I’d say it wasn’t even fun. Going from a city that’s pretty much at sea level to Silverton had me struggling to say the least. Near the end of the run we reached a hard scramble full of loose rocks. Trey and I stopped and sat looking at the awe inspiring views. We had no words. We could only take it all in with beer in hand.
The next morning started exactly as you’d expect. Wake up, coffee, quick food, and a run back out on the course. It was here that my story began. Standing three miles into the course realizing in mere days, amazing runners would be in this wilderness for up to thirty hours. It simply took my breath away. In that moment I remembered the feeling I had in this same town three years before; the feeling that I belonged here, in these woods, fighting this mountain, and with these people. A feeling many Hardrockers have felt. From crews to aid station workers to runners, anyone that’s set foot on this course has felt the energy coming from it. For the next few days we’d run this section of the course, only running new sections to chase wild Pokemon on our phones during our more casual evening runs, or running up to Glacier Lake.
Before we knew it, race day was upon us. We had woke up early, sucked down as much coffee as we thought we’d need, hit up a Mobius Coffee just to be sure we had enough coffee, and watched as all the runners line up for their shot to finish Hardrock 100. As the race kicked off we rushed to the first street crossing to cheer on our favorite runners. We stood yelling, “go get it, Joe!” and “kill it, Kilian!” Wishing Anna Frost good luck, and high fiving others. It was unreal to see these people we all look up doing this.
Once we started the car one thing became very clear, we where being followed. Not by a huge line of watchers going to the next aid station, but by a very specific person going to the next aid station, Ricky Gates. It became very apparent that Ricky and us would be figuring out the course together. We followed each other all day. Stopping one another to ask for directions. And then, as we met the runners at aid station after aid station, we found another familiar face, Billy Yang. It seemed Billy was filming Timothy Olson throughout the race, and we where beating him to every location, and somehow standing in every shot of his. Sorry, Billy!
As the night fell, Trey and I packed up camp and moved to the statue right outside of Silverton. At around four a.m., after probably five hours of sleep, the two of us jumped into his Toyota Tacoma, and drove to the finish line. Our trip had come to this. Free coffee from the gym, and the dozen other early people, trying our best not to fall asleep as we all constantly reloaded the irunfar Live Feed on our phones, slowing the internet speed to a trickle. As the time came closer we all ran outside, waiting to see if Kilian or Jason would finish first. It seemed people yelled five minutes over and over again, raising jokes about Walmsley possibly leading them in, or Kilian stopping to get a Jason Schlarb mullet. Then we saw them. Both Kilian and Jason running next to one another. It was a moment that showed exactly what we all love about this sport. It is a completely selfish sport. We run alone in the woods and mountains for hours and hours. We blow off friends, parties, and obligations for extra miles. In the end the race is always ran with those around us. Jason and Killian, holding hands, leaned in and kissed the rock together.
Hearing that the next runner was a few hours out, we fell back asleep for a few more hours. Later, we woke up to watch Anna bring in the first female place. I knew then that this was a place I’ll always go back to. No more missed years. No more excuses. Hardrock has become part of that which I am, part of the blood that flows in my veins. Can’t wait to see those San Juan Mountains again next year. | {
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Only relatively recently did most Israelis learn about John F. Kerry’s Jewish family roots, information that was met with both astonishment and joy. It seemed to create an instant feeling of affinity. No longer did he embody a superpower, but now it felt as if he shared, at least to some degree, the destiny of the Jewish people. Most Israelis, in my opinion, tend to believe Kerry has an earnest desire to bring peace to this war-afflicted area. They are extremely skeptical regarding the likely success of his efforts, never more so than now, but unlike how they regard some Israeli political figures, they believe Kerry's motivation is genuine.
This apparent intimacy with Kerry may seem irrelevant. One tends to think of political discussions as driven by rational calculations, national strategy, military tactics and well thought-out political reckoning. But for the Israeli public, both on the right and the left, any change to the political status quo vis-à-vis the Palestinians brings to light latent anxieties that derive from the Jewish past in general, and from the Holocaust in particular. In the eyes of an outside observer this may appear strange; Israel's massive military force should have demolished this anxiety. But a more careful examination reveals that it still prevails, and materializes in unexpected forms.
Take, for example, the trend these days in Israel to obtain a foreign passport. Israeli-born men and women with parents or grandparents from Eastern Europe, South America or elsewhere, initiating the legal procedures to apply for a passport from states where citizenship is granted on the basis of former generations. It is time-consuming and expensive, but even so, many decide that they want another passport in addition to the Israeli document they already hold. When asked for their resonating, Israelis often reply they want it “just in case” something happens. So what 'case' are they talking about?
Make no mistake: Most of them are ardent Zionists, who will, most likely, live in Israel for the rest of their lives, raising children and grandchildren, fully integrated in Israeli society. And if, God forbid, a catastrophe should happen, I am not sure whether they would actually use these passports. The vast majority of these dual-nationality Israelis have never been to the places from whence their forebears came, they don’t speak the language and don't relate to it in any real way. The passport is, in fact, more of an emotional insurance, a document that would serve them if history was somehow to reverse itself. Since the image of immigration to Israel is embedded in all Israelis, an inverted image is created, of reverse immigration.
Clearly, the rational aspect of these fears is that Israel should make its existence more secure. For me, the only way to do this is by trying to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Others believe that an increased investment in security measurements should be made, and there are those who wish to expand Israeli sovereignty into the West Bank. But this is beside the point. On an emotional level, both ends of the political spectrum are overshadowed by the horrors of the Holocaust.
It's arguable that the Holocaust evoked two fundamental responses. One is “Never again”— the weakness of the Jews during the Nazi regime, which led to the extermination of 6 millions Jews almost without resistance, should never be repeated. The idea that 'Jewish nature' is weak and should be reformed in a more muscular image is one that has existed since Zionism's conception in the late nineteenth century, but it was reinforced by the Holocaust. The other response is a moral one – our sufferings should create sensitivity to the pain of others. In my mind, most Israelis, excepting those who identify with far right or left positions, oscillate between these two considerations. Strangely, they coexist, even if they are, sometimes, contradictory.
So Secretary of State Kerry really was attempting to do the impossible. Underlying the endless talks on borders, the release of prisoners, land swaps and economic solutions, Israelis aspire to escape their constant and fundamental fear of the future. And even those who are eager to make peace with the Palestinians, willing to withdraw fully from the West Bank and east Jerusalem, were and are really asking Kerry for the impossible: An insurance against the past. In spite of his exhaustive efforts to bring peace, this kind of psychological closure cannot be achieved.
A word about the Palestinians and the Holocaust. They, too, are overshadowed by this historical catastrophe. Against the background of the concentration camps, their suffering may seem trivial; the Holocaust may appear to delegitimize their pain. But this is a distorted mirror, one which should not reflect contemporary events. The Palestinians have endured much agony, and still do, regardless of whom is to blame for it.
Peace seems many years away from the Middle East. Not that the problems are unsolvable, but it takes much more than a rational analysis to make people – least of all, Israelis – able to solve them.
Dr Emanuela Barasch-Rubinstein is the author of two books dealing with cultural interpretations of the Holocaust: The Devil, the Church, and the Saints: Reading Hochhuth’s The Deputy (Peter Lang, 2004), and The Nazi Devil (The Hebrew University Magnes Press, 2010). Her next book, Mephisto in the Third Reich, is forthcoming in 2014. She teaches at the Nevzlin Center for Jewish Peoplehood and Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), Herzliya, Israel. Her bilingual blog on cultural issue from an Israeli perspective can be found here: onourselvesandothers.com | {
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El Gobierno acusó hoy a bancos nacionales y extranjeros, como así también a la aerolínea norteamericana American Airlines de generar incertidumbre en la plaza cambiaria luego de que ayer el blue superó los 15 pesos.
En su habitual conferencia de prensa, el jefe de Gabinete Jorge Capitanich aseguró que la entidades bancarias “auspician” la operatoria de “cuevas financieras” que fijan el precio del dólar “que se les ocurre” con la pretensión de generar “expectativas desfavorables” para la economía del país.
Aseguró además que “no hay relación” entre la cotización del dólar oficial y el blue que -denunció- “constituye un mercado ilegal promovido por cuevas financieras auspiciadas en forma indirecta por los bancos del sistema financiero argentino e internacional”.
“Hay que denunciar clara y contundentemente: Las cuevas financieras no existirían si no existieran los bancos del sistema financiero que especulan y alimentan en forma indirecta la vigencia de estas cuevas”, que, dijo, “ponen el precio que se les ocurre de un modo artificial pretendiendo precisamente generar el incremento y expectativas desfavorables”.
Pasajes y cepo
Capitanich, consideró además una “operación de prensa” destinada a “generar incertidumbre cambiaria” el anuncio de que la compañía aérea estadounidense American Airlines recortó a un máximo de 90 días la venta anticipada de pasajes.
Como respuesta oficial, el funcionario se quejó de que la noticia forma parte de “una agenda de operaciones permanentes de empresas que buscan generar incertidumbre cambaria y ataques especulativos que no tienen fundamento”.
Además, Capitanich elogió como contraste a la estatal Aerolíneas Argentinas. "Debemos estar orgullosos de Aerolíneas, que tiene amplia disponibilidad para adquirir pasajes y aviones más modernos que American Airlines", comparó.
La reacción del Gobierno contra la empresa estadounidense se da tras una escalada de tensión en la relación bilateral con el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, en la que la cancillería argentina amenazara con echar del país al encargado interino de la sede diplomática en Buenos Aires, Kevin Sullivan, por sus declaraciones periodísticas sobre el default y la pelea con los fondos buitre.
Por su parte, el ministro de Economía, Axel Kicillof, había acusado también al enviado de Estados Unidos de fogonear la suba del dólar blue.
Nota actualizada a las 9:40 | {
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OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will convene the new Parliament on Thursday, December 5, comprised of all the members Canadians elected on Oct. 21.
The Liberal minority-led 43rd Parliament will begin with MPs electing a new House of Commons Speaker, and then Governor General Julie Payette will preside over Trudeau’s throne speech in the Senate.
The election of a new speaker — the impartial overseer of parliamentary procedure and head of House administration — is done by secret ballot. Those interested in the role are likely already reaching out to their colleagues to garner support.
In the throne speech, Trudeau will unveil what his government’s priorities will be and it’s likely to include major aspects of their 2019 federal election platform such as climate change, affordability, gun control and pharmacare. These are also issues spoken to by other parties during the 40-day campaign.
Because of the renovations underway inside Centre Block, the House of Commons and Senate are now located in different buildings, which will add an extra layer of logistical considerations to the ceremony, which traditionally has the MPs walk down the hall from one chamber to the other, but now that procession will have to travel down Wellington Street from West Block to the Senate of Canada Building.
MPs will then spend up to six days debating the throne speech. The House of Commons calendar has members of Parliament sitting until Dec. 13, before adjourning for several weeks over the holidays, but the Senate could sit until Dec. 20.
All this week, the PM is in meetings with the opposition party leaders to see where common ground may be found. Last week Trudeau indicated that these meetings would inform when to call the House of Commons back, but he announced this before the first meeting today with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer got underway.
On his way into his meeting with Scheer Tuesday, Trudeau said he was “looking forward to cooperating together.” Scheer had called on Trudeau to reconvene the Commons on Nov. 25.
During a joint photo-op in the Prime Minister’s West Block office at the beginning of their meeting, Trudeau said it was “a pleasure” to sit down with Scheer, the leader of the Official Opposition.
“Last month, Canadians elected a Parliament that they expect to work together and that’s exactly what I’m going to be focusing on doing,” Trudeau said.
Scheer said he appreciated the opportunity to discuss what his party’s priorities will be and to know when the new session is getting underway.
“Our country is more divided than it ever has been. We need to get to work as quickly as possible so that we can address the priorities of Canadians and bring our country closer together,” Scheer said.
Around 30 minutes later Scheer left Trudeau’s office and said his party’s support for the throne speech, seen to be the Liberal’s first confidence vote they’ll need to pass to remain in power, will depend on what’s in it.
“It’s up to Mr. Trudeau to find common ground to get his throne speech passed,” Scheer said.
In a statement his office said Scheer raised several Conservative campaign initiatives he wants to see the Liberals take up, including calling on Trudeau to launch a task force to study creating a national energy corridor, tax-free maternity benefits, bringing in stronger penalties for conflict of interest breaches, and repealing environmental regulation legislation.
Scheer said that he doesn’t have anything planned “at the moment” to meet or talk with the other opposition party leaders to see whether common ground could be found amongst them.
While large ideological differences separate them, together all opposition parties hold enough seats to defeat the government should they decide to unite on an issue.
Over the last two weeks the opposition parties have been meeting with their caucuses on Parliament Hill, where the 98 new MPs have been going through orientation sessions.
Given the minority dynamics, more collaboration will be required between the government and other parties in order to see initiatives passed in this parliament
The prime minister is scheduled to unveil his new cabinet on Nov. 20, giving them fewer than two weeks to get up to speed on their files before taking their seats in the House of Commons.
Trudeau spent several days in private meetings lately, where he’s likely been having conversations about the composition of his front benches. With all but two current ministers holding their seats and several newcomers considered by the party to be star candidates, there’s going to have to be a shakeup but how dramatic it’ll be remains to be seen.
Dec. 5 will be the first time all MPs elected on Oct. 21 will be in Ottawa. The Liberals won 157 seats, the Conservatives won 121, the Bloc Quebecois won 32, the NDP won 24, the Greens won three and Independent Jody Wilson-Raybould was re-elected. | {
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Even though federal regulations have greatly hindered medical studies of cannabis, anecdotal evidence of marijuana's healing properties is rampant, especially when it comes to treating epilepsy. Watch below as Dr. Orrin Devinsky from the NYU Epilepsy Center give a scientific explanation of how the compounds of cannabis work in the brain to help in treating epilepsy and seizures.
h/t Civilized
(Image Courtesy of EpilepsyCuring.com) | {
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Put the eggs in the pan right after the fat goes in. If you are making scrambled eggs, crack them into a bowl and mix them as your pan heats to save time. Allow the eggs to set on the bottom for at least one minute before touching them with a spatula. If you are scrambling the eggs, start stirring them after the bottom layer has set. If you are cooking the eggs over easy, add about a tablespoon of water after the bottom has set and put a lid on the pan for a minute to help release the eggs. Run the spatula around the edge of each egg before flipping it, to ensure that you get the whole egg. | {
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C’est un chiffre impressionnant mais pourtant bien réel : une grande majorité de Français ignore à quelle partie du bœuf correspond la pentecôte.
Selon un sondage effectué sur un panel représentatif de la population, ils sont en effet 28% à penser que la pentecôte est issue de la hampe de l’animal tandis que 22% des personnes interrogées croient qu’il s’agit du tendron. Parmi les réponses les plus fréquemment citées, on trouve également les oreilles (13%), les yeux (7%) ou la clochette (4%).
Si l’on peut comprendre que nos concitoyens ne soient pas tous des spécialistes de la viande, certaines réponses interpellent par leur ignorance. 5% des sondés déclarent ainsi que la pentecôte est « une fête chrétienne mais je sais plus laquelle » et 2% vont même jusqu’à imaginer qu’il s’agit « de la descente de l’Esprit Saint sur les apôtres ».
Ce sondage ne fait donc que confirmer la méconnaissance des Français pour les fêtes calendaires. D’autres sondages récents montraient en effet qu’ils étaient 72% à ignorer que le 8 mai marquait la fin du printemps et 94% à ne pas savoir que l’ascension était un insecte de la famille des myriapodes.
Photo:iStock/karandaev | {
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For people whose blood pressure rises when measured at the doctor's office — a condition known as "white coat hypertension" — there may be a real reason to worry, new research shows.
White coat hypertension, which may affect up to 30 percent of Americans, occurs when the blood pressure reading at the doctor's office is higher than it is when checked at home or other settings. It was once thought that it was just the temporary stress of being at the doctor that caused a spike and that it didn't indicate a bigger problem.
But the risk of death was nearly twice as high for patients with white coat hypertension, compared to patients whose blood pressure is normal when taken at the doctor's office and at home, the report published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday shows.
“White-coat hypertension is not benign," said Dr. Haitham Ahmed, medical director of cardiac rehabilitation at Cleveland Clinic, who was not a part of the study. "If seeing a white coat increases your blood pressure, a lot of other stressors in life are expected to as well.”
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Researchers from the Autonomous University of Madrid, who followed 64,000 people over five years, concluded that blood pressure measurements taken at home regularly were a stronger predictor of cardiovascular deaths than doctor's office readings.
"We don't want to dismiss white coat hypertension," said Dr. Raymond Townsend, director of the hypertension program at Penn Medicine and author of the study's editorial via email. "We encourage our patients to do blood pressure readings at home. That is a good way to not only monitor blood pressure where you actually "live", but it also provides a lot of insight for patients to understand how life's little indiscretions, like take-out Chinese with extra soy sauce, can truly affect your blood pressure the next day."
“Life is not void of stressors. That's what life is all about. So it's better that you control your blood pressure so that even when those stressors increase, it's not causing damage to your blood vessels.”
What do doctors suggest?
A 24-hour monitor that checks blood pressure throughout the day, to determine if it's truly elevated and to follow up with the doctor three months later. When choosing a home blood pressure monitor, the American Heart Association recommends an automatic, cuff-style, upper arm monitor. Wrist and finger monitors are not recommended because they yield less reliable readings.
The correct way to use a home blood pressure monitor
Be still. Don't smoke, drink caffeinated beverages or exercise within 30 minutes before measuring your blood pressure. Empty your bladder and ensure at least 5 minutes of quiet rest before measurements.
Don't smoke, drink caffeinated beverages or exercise within 30 minutes before measuring your blood pressure. Empty your bladder and ensure at least 5 minutes of quiet rest before measurements. Sit correctly — with your back straight and supported (on a dining chair, rather than a sofa). Your feet should be flat on the floor and your legs should not be crossed. Your arm should be supported on a flat surface (such as a table) with the upper arm at heart level. Make sure the bottom of the cuff is placed directly above the bend of the elbow.
— with your back straight and supported (on a dining chair, rather than a sofa). Your feet should be flat on the floor and your legs should not be crossed. Your arm should be supported on a flat surface (such as a table) with the upper arm at heart level. Make sure the bottom of the cuff is placed directly above the bend of the elbow. Make sure it fits. Measure around your upper arm and choose a monitor that comes with the correct size cuff.
Measure around your upper arm and choose a monitor that comes with the correct size cuff. Measure at the same time every day.
Take multiple readings. Record the results.
Record the results. Don’t take the measurement over clothes.
If a high blood pressure is recorded it is important to measure two additional times, waiting a few minutes between measurements.
Blood pressure of 120/80 or above is considered elevated; 130/80 to 139/89 is considered Stage 1 hypertension and anything 140/90 or above will be considered stage 2 hypertension, according to the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology guidelines.
If blood pressure reaches 180/120 or higher — and either number in the blood pressure reading counts — people will be classified as in hypertensive crisis with need for immediate treatment or hospitalization.
“Life is not void of stressors," said Ahmed. "That's what life is all about. It's better that you control your blood pressure, so that even when those stressors increase, it's not causing damage to your blood vessels.” | {
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By Eliot Shorr-Parks | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles wrapped up their second day against the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday, and quarterback Carson Wentz ended the session right where he started on Monday -- on fire.
After a slow start on Tuesday, Wentz had a very strong ending to the practice against the Dolphins, including a very strong showing against the Dolphins' first-team defense in an intense, full-field drill towards the end of the day.
Here is a play-by-play breakdown of how Wentz did:
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Matt Rourke | AP PHOTO
CARSON WENTZ
7-on-7 (at about the Dolphins' 25-yard line)
Rep 1: Touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz, who was open in the middle of the end zone.
Rep 2: Drop by Ertz, but the catch was a tough one as it was into double coverage
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Rep 3: Wentz dropped the snap, then very quickly picked it up and threw a short pass to receiver Nelson Agholor, who made a great catch on a pass way infront of him.
Rep 4: Short completion to tight end Brent Celek
Rep 5: Short completion to running back Darren Sproles
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7-on-7 (Red Zone)
Rep 6: Incomplete attempt to receiver Alshon Jeffery in corner of the end zone on a fade route. Plenty of contact from Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, but no flag was thrown.
Rep 7: Incomplete again to Jeffery in the same spot of the end zone. Jeffery was unable to create separation from Howard on either play.
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11-on-11
Rep 8: Play was blown dead on what looked like a false start on the Eagles
Rep 9: Short completion to Jeffery over the middle for about five yards
Rep 10: Running play with running back Darren Sproles
Rep 11: Wentz throws the ball away. In a game it might have been grounding as no receiver was near the pass and he threw it into the dirt.
Rep 12: Run with running back Wendell Smallwood up the middle
Rep 13: Run with Smallwood up the middle
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(WENTZ CONT.)
11-on-11
Rep 14: Quarterback Run for basically no gain
Rep 15: Pass by Wentz that looked like it slipped out of his hands. Either that or he intentionally threw it right at the ground.
Rep 16: Run with Blount blown up in backfield
Rep 17: Incomplete intended for Agholor. It was a tough catch but one Agholor should have made and will likely go down as a drop.
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11-on-11 (full-field in front of everyone)
Rep 18: Short completion to Agholor for about five yards over the middle
Rep 19: Short completion to Ertz along the sideline for about eight yards
Rep 20: Great throw by Wentz, who squeezed it about 20 yards down the field between two defenders right into Agholor's hands. It was a great catch by Agholor, who took a hit from two defenders and still held on to the ball.
Rep 21: Completion along sideline to Ertz
Rep 22: Penalty on defense, which killed the play, but Wentz's pass was incomplete to Marcus Kohnson alone the sideline. Pass was too low.
Rep 23: Short completion to Jeffery for about five yards
Rep 24: Short completion to Ertz for about five yards
Rep 25: Bad pass to Ertz in the end zone. Ertz looked like he was open, but Wentz tried to loft it into him, and the pass fell incomplete -- and only a few inches away from the hands of a Dolphins' defender.
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11-on-11
Rep 26: Short completion to tight end Brent Celek. Might have been sack in a game, but Wentz did a good job avoiding pressure and getting the pass off.
Rep 27: Short completion across the middle to receiver Mack Hollins for about five yards
Rep 28: Running play with Sproles
Rep 29: Pass is tipped at the line of scrimmage, but goes towards tight end Trey Burton who makes a very nice one-handed catch.
Rep 30: Running play with Blount
Rep 31: Pass to Blount along the sideline is complete for about eight yards
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11-on-11
Rep 32: Running play with Smallwood
Rep 33: Pass on great play to Smallwood, who was wide open over the middle of the field, and Wentz hit him in stride, allowing him to pick up about 30 yards after the catch.
Rep 34: Attempt to Ertz is incomplete on a poor throw by Wentz
Rep 35: False start by the offense moves the Eagles five yards back
Rep 36: Quarterback run from Wentz for about five yards
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11-on-11 (red zone)
Rep 37: Completion to Burton for about 10 yards
Rep 38: Running play with Smallwood
Rep 39: Short completion along the sideline to Jeffery
Rep 40: Touchdown pass to Torrey Smith in back end zone. Great throw by Wentz.
Rep 41: Touchdown pass to Jeffery along goal line. Wentz hit Jeffery as he was crossing the field, and Jeffery got past his man and into the end zone.
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(WENTZ CONT.)
STATS FOR TUESDAY: 20/28, 3 TD, 0 INT
STATS OVERALL FOR TRAINING CAMP: 227/330, 68%, 32 TD, 5 INT
GRADE FOR TUESDAY: B+...Wentz was not as sharp on Tuesday as he was on Monday. He got off to a slow start, and did struggle with his accuracy early, even when he was not in team drills.
Where Wentz really shined was in the full-team drill where all the players not on the field were watching. The drill was a very competitive one, and Wentz met the challenge, going 6-of-7 on the drive and taking the first-team offense down the field for a field goal.
Even though it didn't end in a touchdown, seeing Wentz step up in that setting and have his best team-drill of the day had to be very encouraging to coaches. Wentz has risen to the challenge over the past two days of playing well against the Dolphins.
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Wentz has also started to play much better in the red zone than he did at the start of camp.
After totaling 11 touchdowns in the first seven practices, Wentz has 20 touchdowns in the last six touchdowns, including nine over the last two days against the Dolphins. His accuracy in the red zone -- and his decision making -- has improved.
Overall the Eagles have to be very happy with what they have seen from Wentz not only these last two days, but over the last week or so of practice.
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GREG WARD
Rookie receiver Greg Ward has yet to take a step back during camp. He had a nice day on Tuesday against the Dolphins, pulling in a touchdown during a red-zone drill where he easily lost his man at the line of scrimmage and then made the catch in the corner.
It will be interesting to see what the Eagles decide to do with Ward, and if they are willing to risk putting him through waivers.
The former college quarterback, however, is continuing to impress, and given the uncertainty at the Eagles' receiver position, they aren't in a position to cast aside any player with upside like Ward.
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CARSON WENTZ REPORT CARD FROM DAY 1 VS. DOLPHINS
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MARCUS JOHNSON
One player who is basically a lock to make the team, but isn't at 100% just yet is receiver Marcus Johnson.
Johnson helped himself over these last two days, however, making a number of great catches with the second-team offense, including a one-handed catch on Tuesday that got a great reaction from the sideline.
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(JOHNSON CONT.)
Johnson was heading down the middle of the field during an 11-on-11 drill, and had a step on his man, but the pass was thrown a little two far infront of him. Johnson, however, dove for the ball, tipped it with one hand and then grabbed onto it for the catch before he went down. It was perhaps the best catch of the day on either side.
Johnson has held onto his spot as the top backup behind Alshon Jeffery, and at this point, something really crazy would have to happen for him not to make the team.
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EAGLES DEFENSE STEPS UP
It has been a rough few days for the Eagles' first-team defense, as they have not faired well against Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler.
On Tuesday, however, the Eagles' first-team defense stepped up when it really mattered -- in very impressive fashion.
With all the players on one field watching a team drill, the Eagles' defense dominated the Dolphins' offense, forcing them into a three and out. On the three plays the Dolphins did run, one nearly resulted in an interception and another the whistle was blown as Cutler had about eight seconds to throw the ball but couldn't find anyone.
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Seeing the Eagles' defense step up -- especially with the secondary being a major reason why -- was a good way for the team to end the two days with the Dolphins.
The drill was meant to be about as close to a game setting as the two teams could get in a practice, and it was clear the Eagles' defense met the occasion, while Cutler and the Dolphins did not.
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WHO IS ON THE EAGLES' ROSTER BUBBLE?
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RUNNING GAME
It is tough to tell what kind of job the offenisve line is doing blocking during practice sometime, since reporters are on the field and sometimes don't have the best angle.
It does, however, seem like whenever the Eagles run a running play with either Darren Sproles or Wendell Smallwood, something good happens more times than not. With LeGarrette Blount, however, there just has not been the same kind of production.
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Part of the reason could be that Blount will start to shine when he is able to try to run through defenders, as opposed to a drill where the teams aren't tackling to the ground. It could be that he is still getting used to the offensive line.
Whatever the reason, however, the running game just hasn't looked as good in practice with Blount as it has the other running backs.
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SCENE FROM EAGLES VS. DOLPHINS
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PODCAST: EAGLES VS. BILLS TAKEAWAYS
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WHERE TO REACH ME
Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook. | {
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携帯電話端末向け半導体で最大手の米 クアルコムは、データセンターのサーバー向けにプロセッサーを開発する取り組みを断念する準備を進めている。同社の計画に詳しい関係者が明らかにした。クアルコムは、この収益性の高い市場でインテルの牙城を崩すことを目指していた。
同関係者によれば、クアルコムはサーバー向けプロセッサー部門について、閉鎖や新たなオーナーへの譲渡などの可能性を検討している。同部門は、サーバーの中核を成す半導体の市場に英アーム・ホールディングスの技術を導入する方法に取り組んでいた。
半導体各社は長い間、アルファベット傘下のグーグルやアマゾン・ドット・コムのアマゾン・ウェブ・サービシズ（ＡＷＳ）など大規模データセンターのオーナーにプロセッサーを供給することを目指してきた。この市場ではインテルが約99％のシェアを握っている。
クアルコムの広報担当者はコメントを控えている。スティーブ・モレンコフ最高経営責任者（ＣＥＯ）は先月、非中核製品分野での支出削減に照準を定めているとアナリストらに語っていた。
原題： Qualcomm Is Said to Plan Exit From Server Chips Amid Cost Cuts（抜粋） | {
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Update: The Pelicans have traded for DeMarcus Cousins. Click here to read more. | {
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Right Opinion DNC Delusions
In spite of all the evidence that the “Russia collusion” narrative is collapsing around them (see below), Democrats are doubling down on their delusions. The Democratic National Committee filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday against the president, his campaign, members of his family and Russia.
The lawsuit claims that Russia hacked the DNC’s server in order to harm Hillary Clinton and elect Donald Trump, “whose policies would benefit the Kremlin.”
The idea that Trump’s policies would benefit Russia is laughable. He is rebuilding our military and pushing our allies to rebuild their militaries. He has been far tougher on Putin than Obama and Clinton ever were.
The Left has never been tough on Russia. If anything, Putin would have preferred another liberal Democrat in the White House.
Remember, my friends, Robert Mueller has already issued indictments against several Russians and Russian entities for their election-related meddling. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made it clear that no American “was a knowing participant in this illegal activity” and nothing the Russians did affected the result of the election.
What could the DNC possibly know that Mueller and Rosenstein don’t know?
Speaking of things we don’t know, the Trump campaign should countersue and demand access to the DNC’s server. Perhaps then we could find out what the DNC was hiding from the FBI!
This lawsuit is an act of utter desperation. It seems to me that Democrats have concluded that Mueller and his team of liberal lawyers are likely to exonerate the president, so they are launching some kind of preemptive publicity stunt to keep their radical base fired up for the elections.
We cannot allow the extreme Left to control Congress.
Winning!
There are multiple new stories regarding the Mueller investigation, and virtually everything was breaking our away. Here’s my analysis.
McCabe’s Firing
When former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was fired, Big Media, the NeverTrumpers and the Schumer/Pelosi gang insisted that McCabe was purged due to the White House’s meddling in the Russia investigation.
Some insisted that McCabe’s firing was “evidence of obstruction of justice.” Democrats felt so strongly that McCabe was a victim they even offered to hire him.
But Thursday’s criminal referral against McCabe, by an Obama-appointed inspector general, is a big win for the White House.
It completely destroys the narrative that McCabe was fired because of pressure from the president. He was fired because he is a leaker and a liar — not exactly the qualities we need at the FBI. (More on that below.)
McCabe now faces the same charge that Michael Flynn was accused of. It cannot be that Flynn committed a crime and McCabe did not. McCabe must be prosecuted.
Rosenstein’s Visit
The second win was the news that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein delivered to the president last week. When Rosenstein unexpectedly showed up at the White House last Thursday, it triggered a wave of reports that he was about to be fired. Again, fake news.
We now know Rosenstein told President Trump that he was not a target in the Cohen raid. This appears to be a win for the president too.
But something seems odd here. The amount of material seized from Cohen was enormous. It is doubtful investigators have been able to go through it all. So how could Rosenstein possibly know whether or not the president is or could become a target of the Cohen investigation?
I worry this may be another effort to tempt the president to sit down with Robert Mueller to “clear all this up.” I still think that would be extremely ill-advised.
The Memos
The third win was the release of the memos James Comey wrote in order to memorialize his early conversations with President Trump. Two things jumped out at me.
In a March memo, Comey wrote, “I reminded [Trump] that I had told him we weren’t investigating him and that I had told the Congressional leadership the same thing.” Comey added that the president was pleased and said it would be “great if that could get out.”
It is easy to understand the president’s frustration. The director of the FBI says Trump is not under investigation, but he wouldn’t tell the public that. Meanwhile, the media and the Left were smearing Trump day after day.
In the same exchange, Comey wrote that Trump said, “if there was some satellite [a campaign staffer or other associate] that did something, it would be good to find that out.”
Right there it is clear that President Trump was not trying to shut down the investigation. He simply wanted to get the truth out — that he wasn’t being investigated — in order to end the Left’s non-stop lies and innuendo — that Trump colluded with Russia and is an illegitimate president.
In another memo recounting a White House dinner Comey had with the president, Trump asked Comey if he wanted to stay on as director of the FBI. Comey replied that he did. “I don’t do sneaky things,” Comey assured the president. “I don’t leak. I don’t do weasel moves.”
For a guy who presents himself as so honorable, this was breathtaking! We know now that he did sneaky things. He did leak. He did a lot of weasel moves.
And I am pleased to report that James Comey is now under investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general for leaking classified information.
Comey’s memos prove Trump did not try to obstruct the investigation, that he was not under investigation and that Comey is a sneaky, leaking, lying weasel. That is a big win for the White House.
Rudy to the Rescue
Lastly, it was announced Thursday evening that former federal prosecutor and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was joining the president’s legal team. Giuliani’s appointment is being presented as a short-term assignment to wind down the Mueller investigation. For the good of the country, I certainly hope that is possible.
Meanwhile, the Huber investigation into the Deep State needs to massively ramp up. As political analyst Michael Barone observed:
As the likelihood of the charges of Trump campaign “collusion” with Russia seems headed toward zero, the likelihood of proof of a different form of “collusion” seems headed upward toward certainty.“
Officers Down
While all of us were enjoying our lunches Thursday, two sheriff’s deputies in Florida went into a restaurant to enjoy theirs. As they were sitting down, a man walked up to the window and assassinated them.
Gilchrist County Sheriff Bobby Schultz described Deputies Noel Ramirez, 30, and Taylor Lindsay, 25, as "the best of the best.” Schultz added, “What do you expect happens when you demonize law enforcement to the extent that it’s been demonized?”
Meanwhile, law enforcement officials in New York are on high alert following a credible threat that MS-13 gang members are plotting to assassinate police officers in retaliation for “making too many arrests.”
The gang wants to “take the streets back and take out a cop.” Just one more reason why President Trump’s tough border security policies are so needed.
Please keep the men and women serving and protecting us on the thin Blue Line in your prayers. | {
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In a step that confirmed a sitting president and his associates were part of an espionage investigation, FBI director James Comey said it was rare for the bureau to comment on the existence of an ongoing probe.
But among a backdrop of leaks, innuendo and allegations of “fake news”, Mr Comey said he had been authorised to confirm the outline of the investigation, even if he was not permitted to provide many other details.
“The FBI, as part of our counterintelligence effort, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 president election,” he said.
“That includes, investigating the nature of any links between associates of the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaigning the Russian effort.”
He added: “I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining.”
Mr Comey also said he had not been shown evidence that supported Mr Trump’s claim to have been wiretapped by his predecessor in the White House, Barack Obama.
Mr Trump has repeatedly denied any links between his campaign and the Russian government. The head of the congressional committee, before which Mr Comey testified, said it had so far found no evidence of collusion.
But the mere public confirmation that Mr Trump and his officials are part of an ongoing counterintelligence probe is likely to become a millstone around the neck of his administration, already struggling for traction in its first 100 days.
Mr Trump’s supporters will likely brush off the probe as nothing more than a politically motivated attack. Ahead of Monday’s hearing by the House Intelligence Committee, Mr Trump said on Twitter: “[Former Director of National Intelligence] James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!”
Yet among opponents of Mr Trump, knowledge that a probe has been ongoing since last July will add to the anger of those who think Mr Comey acted unfairly in regard to Hillary Clinton.
Why, many people asked, was the FBI director willing to make an 11th-hour intervention during the election campaign by revealing the probe into Ms Clinton’s use of a private email server had been reopened, but not that her opponent was also being investigated?
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Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader in the Senate, said of the probe: “The possibility of coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials is a serious, serious matter. The investigation must be fair, independent, and impartial in every way, and the FBI must be allowed to follow the facts wherever they may lead.”
Mr Comey appeared to try and see off any suggestions that he had not acted fairly. He said members of congress should not make a comparison between his lengthy public comments on the Clinton inquiry, arguing that they concerned “details of a completed investigation”.
Mr Comey, who testified alongside Admiral Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, said it remained the view of the intelligence community that Russia had interfered as part of an effort to try and tilt the election in favour of Mr Trump.
“I think that was a fairly easy judgement for the [intelligence] community,” he said. “Putin hated Secretary Clinton so much, that the flip side of that coin was he had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much.”
Asked about Mr Trump’s allegation that Mr Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower during the election, Mr Comey and Mr Rogers said they had seen no information to support such a claim. The White House last week said Mr Trump stuck by his allegation.
Mr Rogers also said there was no evidence to support another claim that was made by Mr Trump’s spokesman, Sean Spicer – namely that British intelligence had carried out the electronic surveillance at the behest of Mr Obama.
“I’ve seen nothing on the NSA side that we engaged in such activity, nor that anyone engaged in such activity,” he said.
The US government alleged last summer that Russian intelligence had tried to interfere with the presidential election, in an apparent attempt to help Mr Trump. This included hacking into the emails of senior members of Ms Clinton’s team and the Democratic National Committee.
Mr Trump long rejected the claim that Russia had came to his assistance. Moscow also denied the allegations. In late December, Mr Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats in punishment for the alleged interference. Vladimir Putin surprised many by deciding not to reciprocate.
Mr Trump has continued to insist there was collusion between his campaign and Russia, and US intelligence has yet to provide any evidence to support such an allegation.
Mr Comey was asked whether he had yet uncovered anything to support such a conclusion. He responded by saying that he would not be able to comment until the probe was concluded – something he said would not happen quickly. | {
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Yesterday, Bleeding Cool Rumormonger-In-Chief Rich Johnston put his famed corpse mutilation skills to good use Frankensteining the DC Comics April solicitations. While the solicit for April's Harley Quinn #17 noted that fan-beloved writer and Harley Quinn co-creator Paul Dini would be writing a backup story for the book, it was overshadowed by more salacious news like the apparent line-wide adoption of a $3.99 price point. However, a DC publicist took to Twitter this weekend to reveal that Dini, along with regular series writer Jimmy Palmiotti, would be providing the ongoing stories on a regular basis.
Thanks @comicsalliance! Starting with HARLEY QUINN #17 in April, you'll see ongoing backup Harley stories by @Paul_Dini and @jpalmiotti! pic.twitter.com/s7HzGtVw6R — lois lamé (@drinkpinkink) January 14, 2017
It was unclear whether Brett Blevins, listed as the artist on the backup story in Harley Quinn #17, will also be the artist on an ongoing basis, so we asked for clarification:
https://twitter.com/judeterror/status/821371600843001856
And Palmiotti, presumably fearing what ridiculous thing we might make up, responded with an apprehensive:
https://twitter.com/jpalmiotti/status/821373447368478721
There was no need to worry, Jimmy. Everyone just read Dini's name in the headline and started celebrating immediately anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered what we said here. | {
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"The client list — it's none of anybody's business," the 5th Ward alderman said after a committee vote. "What they do for me is already out there. What they do for other aldermen is already out there. But to treat them as an employee without getting any of the benefits, to try to limit what they do, can impact their business." | {
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September is Suicide Prevention Month This September, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recognizes Suicide Prevention Month highlighting VA’s Be There campaign, reminding veterans and their loved ones that...
Military Appreciation Family Day at the Farm set for Sept. 26 JORDAN, MN — The Disabled American Veterans of Minnesota (DAV of MN) Foundation is excited to announce the first annual Military Appreciation Family Day at...
VA rolls out new patient appointment scheduling tool The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched a new appointment scheduling tool on Friday, Aug. 21, at the VA Central Ohio Healthcare System to...
VA partners with OnStar The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today it is partnering with OnStar’s emergency services to improve access to suicide prevention resources for veterans.... | {
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In a Thursday report, Yahoo News reported that the National Republican Congressional Committee had posted a darkened photo of Colin Kaepernick in a fundraiser email.
For Yahoo, Hunter Walker wrote that the photo of Kaepernick used in the GOP email was “a picture of Kaepernick that appeared noticeably altered to make his skin darker.” Walker added that “many” consider the darkening to be “racist.”
"In an email to Yahoo News NRCC Communications Director Chris Pack insisted, 'The photo was not darkened.'" https://t.co/s7oMnc1Uag pic.twitter.com/deCyT05vnX — Hunter Walker (@hunterw) July 11, 2019
Walker went on to quote an anonymous Democrat operative who said that the email photo was “disgusting,” adding that the “House Republicans are running on racism, plain and simple.”
🔊🔊 Rep. @CedricRichmond, a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, just called out the @NRCC’s Kaepernick ad for exactly what it is: "Classic race baiting by Republicans."https://t.co/QjMYHXpPvM — DCCC (@dccc) July 11, 2019
The purportedly darkened photo of Kaepernick is included with a fundraising message reading, “Who do you stand with? Donald Trump and the Betsy Ross flag or anti-American flag Colin Kaepernick?”
After the story went live, NRCC communications director Chris Pack released a statement to Yahoo saying that the photo was not darkened.
Walker initially published his story with a headline that said the photo was darkened, as if it were a fact. He also published his story with no comment elicited from the NRCC. But later the Yahoo piece was updated with Chris Pack’s comment and a new headline reading, “Colin Kaepernick’s skin appears darkened in Republican campaign fundraiser ad.”
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston. | {
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Emergent phenomena are common in condensed matter. Their study now extends beyond strongly correlated electron systems, giving rise to the broader concept of quantum materials.
Measured in terms of publication output, condensed-matter physics is the largest field in physics1. Its size is a consequence of its breadth: the study of systems in their 'condensed' phases can be applied to an almost limitless range of problems such as magnetism, superconductivity and superfluidity, to name three examples out of many. A cornerstone of this approach is the concept of symmetry breaking, the idea that a condensed phase has a lower symmetry than its uncondensed counterpart (for instance, a solid has a lower symmetry than a gas). The framework through which these phenomena were first understood is the Landau–Ginzburg theory of phase transitions: by identifying a suitable order parameter that reflects the underlying symmetry of the system (such as a material's density, to continue with our solid-state example), it is possible to pinpoint the conditions that are required for that symmetry to become manifest.
The overarching theme for condensed-matter physics in the 1960s and 1970s was therefore a continual search for order. Armed with beautiful ideas rooted in symmetry — concepts that pervade physics well beyond condensed matter, in fact — physicists focused on identifying the relevant and, crucially, measurable order parameters that pertained to their system of choice. Inevitably, work tended to concentrate on the hardest problems to crack — typically those in which there was no discernible order parameter or, if there was, that were characterized by an unusual degree of complexity.
As these problems persisted into the 1980s, two crucial developments occurred. Firstly, the realization that there were exceptions to the Landau–Ginzburg paradigm, such as the topological order that underlies the fractional quantum Hall effect. Secondly, the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity brought about a surge of interest in so-called strongly correlated electron systems. Of course, the many-body problem had been known since the days of Nevill Mott, but a plethora of problems linked more or less directly to superconductivity, such as heavy fermions, quantum criticality and the physics of the pseudogap, combined with the rapid growth of the computational power scientists had access to, brought about a fresh urgency to attack the issue head-on.
Although the mechanism of superconductivity continues to be elusive, the era of strongly correlated electron systems has brought about a number of significant developments. Perhaps the most important of these isn't strictly a scientific discovery, however. Rather, it has been a change in perspective. The study of non-trivial or 'exotic' electronic properties of materials has fostered an appreciation for a variety of emergent phenomena resulting from strong correlation effects — cooperative behaviours that cannot be predicted from the properties of individual electrons. These include emergent excitations such as monopoles2 and skyrmions3, the description of which is, in many ways, simpler than the original 'vacuum' of excitations from which they arise.
This taste for emergent properties coincided with the experimental discovery of topological insulators, which was made on the back of large strides forward in the understanding of electronic states in terms of topological invariants — essentially a geometric property of the electron wavefunction4. Although part of a wider surge in interest in topologically protected states of matter, the excitement surrounding topological insulators was principally due to the robust nature of the metallic surface states that characterized them, and the relatively loose requirements for their realization: neither strong electron–electron interactions nor low-dimensionality are required. Moreover, as if to make the point even stronger, these discoveries came almost simultaneously with a flurry of spectacular observations in graphene, including the observation of the fractional quantum Hall effect5,6. This is a system made up of sp2 electrons — hardly the definition of a strongly correlated material — and yet it displays the hallmarks of topological order, which include dissipationless transport and emergent particles with fractional charge and statistics.
As it has become clear that the study of emergent properties is no longer restricted to strongly correlated electron systems, a new, broader description has become necessary. And the term that seems to be gaining currency on departmental websites and research programmes is quantum materials. Indeed, conferences on the topic have started to spring up — for example, the Big Ideas in Quantum Materials workshop held in La Jolla, California, last December.
Of course, on a trivial level all materials exist thanks to the laws of quantum mechanics, and there are cynics who will privately wonder if the description isn't too broad and, well, catchy for its own good. But given the history of condensed-matter physics that we have just outlined, there are good reasons to embrace quantum materials. In essence, they provide a common thread linking disparate communities of researchers working on a variety of problems at the frontiers of physics, materials science and engineering.
At face value, these problems are quite distinct: think of the recent success of groups hunting for emergent particles in solids (last year's flurry of results on Weyl fermions7 are a case in point), and the challenges faced by others looking to harness the promising optoelectronic properties of van der Waals materials for devices and applications. A little further afield, consider the strides forward being made in developing platforms for achieving quantum computers and, by dropping the semantic distinction between material and matter, the control afforded by designer quantum matter platforms synthesized from cold atoms, ions, defects in solids, circuit-QED architectures, and solid-state heterostructures. All these communities face formidable challenges and opportunities. And they all just know they are working on quantum materials.
References 1 Sinatra, R. et al. Nature Phys. 11, 791–796 (2015). 2 Castelnovo, C., Moessner, R. & Sondhi, S. L. Nature 451, 42–45 (2008). 3 Mühlbauer, S. et al. Science 323, 915–919 (2009). 4 Moore, J. E. Nature 464, 194–198 (2010). 5 Du, X. Nature 462, 192–195 (2009). 6 Bolotin, K. I. et al. Nature 462, 196–199 (2009). 7 Nature Phys. 11, 697 (2015). Download references
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HCAP's Michael Fora signs with the Carolina Hurricanes, Kubalík stays
Defenseman Michael Fora makes use of his out-clause and leave HC Ambrì-Piotta in direction of the NHL, where he has signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. Domink Kubalík, on the other hand, stays in the Leventina.
Photo: Robert Hradil / RvS.Media
Michael Fora has signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Hurricanes. He might thus also play for their AHL-affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. The 22-year-old defenseman has made a compelling case for himself in the past IIHF World Championship, where he showed strong performances in the red and white jersey of the Swiss national team.
The homegrown talent has been part of HC Ambrì-Piotta's National League team since 2015-16, when he returned from North America, where he spent one season with the WHL's Kamloops Blazers. Last season, Fora appeared in 53 games for the Biancoblù, in which he put up 28 points (six goals, 22 assists).
While they have lost Michael Fora, HC Ambrì-Piotta can definitely count on Czech forward Dominik Kubalík in the upcoming season. The 22-year-old will stay in Ambrì at least for the 2018-19 season. The forward has agreed to not make use of his NHL out-clause for the upcoming season. In return, the club will not ask for compensation if Kubalík decides to leave at the end of next season. His contract is valid until the end of the 2019-20 season. | {
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Grooveshark, a site that has been under fire from some of the world's largest record labels, has signed a deal with Sony / ATV Publishing. The settlement, which ends all disputes between the companies, will see Sony's large catalogue become legally available via the Grooveshark platform. With an EMI deal also in the bag, is the embattled music streaming service embarking on a YouTube-style road to legitimacy?
What’s the difference between YouTube and Grooveshark?
That’s not the start of some terrible geek in-joke but a question that Grooveshark founder Sam Tarantino has always been happy to answer, and for good reason.
Tarantino, the company’s current CEO, sees his streaming product as very much like a music-only version of YouTube. Just like its Google-owned counterpart, anyone can upload content to Grooveshark in order for the world to enjoy that same material on their machines.
But as Grooveshark has made clear to TorrentFreak in the past, the similarities don’t end there. Just like YouTube, Grooveshark is very aware that some users may upload content to which they don’t own the rights. So, in common with YouTube, Grooveshark abides by United States law and when someone notifies them that a copyrighted track has been uploaded, they take it down.
YouTube’s problems with rightsholders during the past few years (notably Viacom) have been widely documented but the company has largely sorted out its differences with rightsholders and has become a valuable marketing machine and source of revenue. Despite fighting lawsuits with several major labels, Grooveshark has always believed it can follow in YouTube’s footsteps, and now there are signs that against the odds they just might achieve their goal.
Grooveshark has just announced that it has reached a settlement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The agreement, which puts all legal disputes between the companies behind them, sees the signing of a licensing agreement to make Sony/ATV content legally available from the Grooveshark platform.
“We are excited to add Sony/ATV Music’s impressive array of songwriters to our catalogue further advancing our mission to empower creators with the best audio platform in the world,” CEO Sam Tarantino said in a statement.
According to research from Informa, Sony/ATV is the world’s largest music publisher accounting for 30% revenue market share in 2012.
The licensing deal is the second in less than four weeks for Grooveshark. Earlier this month the company announced that it had settled its differences with EMI Music Publishing with the signing of a licensing agreement. According to Informa, EMI is the second largest music publisher with a 20% revenue market share in 2012.
So where now for Grooveshark?
Even on the back of May’s ‘consent judgments‘ no announcement has yet been made in respect of settlements or licensing deals with Universal or Warner. Furthermore, the company still has to shake off some unpleasant problems such as being the subject of a Danish ISP block and being censored by Google. TorrentFreak also asked the BPI if Grooveshark will remain a target in the UK, but we’ve yet to receive a response.
The big question now, however, goes back to the difference between YouTube and Grooveshark. The former proactively screens for infringing content based on lists supplied by rightholders and even has a deal with Universal that allows them to take down, seemingly, whatever they like.
Does Grooveshark aspire to be just like YouTube in all ways in the name of survival? Time will tell. | {
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"NORMAL PEOPLE DON'T WANT IMPEACHMENT"
By: Devvy
August 15, 2008
� 2008 - NewsWithViews.com
Those were the words spoken by Bill O'Reilly on July 30, 2008. I happened to catch the segment while in my hotel room. According to Bill O'Reilly, "normal people" don't want President Bush impeached. Perhaps one must define 'normal' in Bill's world? (Didn't we do that with the other Bill and the definition what is is?) I guess O'Reilly considers phone sex with a subordinate employee normal since it appears he got caught on tape. In a 2004 column, Jonna Spilbor, wrote on FindLaw: "Mackris's complaint details O'Reilly's alleged soliloquies - complete with "ums" and pauses. It seems likely, for this reason, that Mackris must have somehow recorded O'Reilly's ramblings." Spilbor then says Mackris (plaintiff) could have put a stop to it by just hanging up the phone. True, but, in the end, it is O'Reilly who made the phone calls full of very explicit sex talk. Had it truly been an extortion attempt, would O'Reilly pay in the $6 million dollar range out of his own pocket (plus big, fat attorney's fees) to settle or was he terrified the tapes would be played in court if it went to trial? As O'Reilly advises: fair and balanced, you decide.
I would venture to say that most Americans don't want a president impeached, but the Founding Fathers had good reason to make it part of the U.S. Constitution. Bush should have been impeached years ago, but the Democrats who care so much about the lives of our active military, have turned a blind eye since taking power. Not only have they allowed this liar and deceiver to stay in office, they have continued to fund his unconstitutional, immoral invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq for political leverage. The cowardly Republicans gave him free reign until they lost power in 2006. Of course, considering how many members of Congress are making big bux off this unlawful invasion, it isn't surprising they did nothing to hold Bush accountable for his lies and the deaths of 4,140 American soldiers to date.
According to Bill O'Reilly, the millions of average Americans who want Bush impeached are abnormal. Americans who are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, all races, religions and professions - all abnormal because we have looked at the hard evidence and find Bush guilty. Impeachment would only be step one (political). As I wrote in a recent column, Bush, Cheney and Rice should be indicted and charged with murder (criminal). Vincent Bugliosi has laid out the case and jurisdiction in his book (see link below) and in many interviews over the past few months.
Has O'Reilly read the articles of impeachment submitted by Dennis Kucinich? I highly doubt it; even Pelosi has admitted she hasn't read them. I am by no means a fan of Kucinich, but investigating a president for possible impeachment based on a mountain of provbable lies is the job of every member of Congress regardless of party. Has O'Reilly read The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi or watched any of his interviews? I'm betting the answer is no, O'Reilly is too busy guzzling his famous Kool-Aid. Mr. Moral High Road would rather belittle millions of Americans who would rather not see an impeachment, but who believe in what's right and even if it's painful, doing the right thing.
O'Reilly isn't alone dishing out inane remarks. On August 13, 2008, during a segment on the John Edwards affair fiasco, shallow Sean Hannity opened the big hole in his face and made a fool of himself, again. The equally fact challenged, Alan Colmes, attempted to bring up Juan McCain's adulterous affair with his current wife while still married to his former wife. Hannity came to McCain's defense by saying "it was 30 years ago." And, "McCain spent 5 1/2 years as a POW." Well, that excuses his immoral behavior. And, "McCain wasn't the same person when he came back, there were extenuating circumstances."
Extenuating circumstances? Now, why didn't John Edwards think of 'extenuating circumstances' for his confession session with Woodruff last week? See link 3 below to read a factual account of just how rotten McCain treated his former wife. Character counts. McCain didn't have just one affair, he has admitted to many extra marital affairs. While there was a recent flap over the New York Times piece implying McCain had an 'inappropriate' relationship with lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, since there was no serious journalism done, it was easy to dismiss. Knowing his lying, immoral past, I'm inclined to believe it. Perhaps the tabloid rag that printed the Edwards "lies" that turned out to be true, will get around to McCain - after they finish with Obama.
Millions of "abnormal" Americans demanded Bill Clinton be impeached. The fix was in and instead of impeaching him for treason, the foolish Republicans went after him on a sex charge. We the people would rather not have to go through these difficult proceedings, but the destroyers continue to shove these immoral people down our throats with their rigged elections. No president is above the law and when a president steps outside the law, he must be held accountable. As Bugliosi writes:
"How has George Bush reacted to the hell he created in Iraq, to the thousands of lives that have been lost in the war, and to the enormous and endless suffering that the survivors of the victims -- their loved ones -- have had to endure? I have a very distinct impression that with the exception of a vagrant tear that may have fallen if he was swept up, in the moment, at an emotional public ceremony for American soldiers who have died in the war, George Bush hasn't suffered at all over the monumental suffering, death, and horror he has caused by plunging this nation into the darkness of the Iraq war, probably never losing a wink of sleep over it...
"Not only because the words he has uttered could never have escaped from his lips if he were suffering, but because no matter how many American soldiers have died on a given day in Iraq (averaging well over two every day), he is always seen with a big smile on his face that same day or the next, and is in good spirits. How would that be possible if he was suffering? For example, the November 3, 2003, morning New York Times front-page headline story was that the previous day in Fallouja, Iraq, insurgents "shot down an American helicopter just outside the city in a bold assault that killed 16 soldiers and wounded 20 others. It was the deadliest attack on American troops since the United States invaded Iraq in March." Yet later in that same day when Bush arrived for a fund-raiser in Birmingham, Alabama, he was smiling broadly, and Mike Allen of the Washington Post wrote that "the President appeared to be in a fabulous mood." This is merely one of hundreds of such observations made about Bush while the brutal war continued in Iraq."
Bush can be indicted the day after he leaves office. While millions of us may be abnormal in Bill O'Reilly's egomaniacal world, Bush's crimes are so heinous, he must be punished to the fullest extent under the law. You would hope there is one decent American left out there in a prosecutor's office in the 50 states who is getting a case ready against Bush, Cheney and Rice to present to a grand jury. I have no doubt Bush and his coconspirators would be indicted. If enough families of soldiers who have died in Iraq demand a grand jury in their state, it will happen. This is an election year and no District Attorney up for reelection wants pictures of families in anguish splashed on the front page of the local newspaper. America must have justice for their crimes.
Learning Links: | {
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On the night of June 8, a semi-trailer truck crashed through a guardrail and tumbled down a ravine near Xenia, Ohio. On board the trailer were 2,200 piglets.
Between 300 and 400 of the piglets were killed on impact or so badly injured that they later had to be humanely euthanized by responders. Approximately 1,500 of the survivors were quickly captured and brought to a nearby fairground to be held until a second truck arrived the next morning to bring them to their original destination. That left an unknown number of piglets loose somewhere in the surrounding woods.
The Search
Farm Sanctuary was alerted to the accident the night it happened. National Farm Animal Placement Coordinator Alicia Pell immediately began contacting local authorities for information and to offer Farm Sanctuary’s help. She eventually learned that no one had kept an accurate count of the fatalities or of the live piglets who had been picked up by the trucking company. This meant no one knew how many piglets had disappeared into the woods. One estimate by local authorities put the number at 200.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (OHDNR) took charge of the search. The trucking company had relinquished custody of any remaining piglets after it picked up those at the fairground, counting the missing ones as an economic loss. The OHDNR informed us that any survivors would be free to go to sanctuary. With that assurance, we mobilized a rescue team.
The team arrived in Ohio the second morning after the crash. Five staff members had driven from our New York Shelter with a trailer, traveling all night to arrive as soon as possible; meanwhile, Alicia and a staff member from the Southern California shelter had flown in from the L.A. area. The team spent the next two days searching in coordination with the OHDNR and a number of volunteers who showed up to help.
After two days of searching, the rescue team had found no piglets. The search area was vast, and the forest was dense with undergrowth. Searchers could have walked within a few feet of a piglet and not seen him or her. Nonetheless, we concluded that the guess of 200 loose piglets was likely incorrect; the OHDNR estimates that there might be a dozen at most. We also concluded that the only effective way to find any survivors would be through a comprehensive search similar to the kind mobilized for human children missing in the woods, with dozens or more people combing the search area simultaneously. The authorities would not or could not launch such a search with their own manpower and would not allow such large numbers of volunteers into the area.
Considering the hopeless odds of success, our team regretfully decided to depart so that staff could return to their duties at our shelters. We have the OHDNR’s assurance that they will call us if any piglets are found, and Alicia has been in contact with the agency almost daily since the crash. There have been some reported piglet sightings but no confirmed appearances.
The Life and Death of an Industry Pig
The piglets in that overturned trailer were on their way from a nursery to a finishing farm, the penultimate stop on the short but harrowing journey of a pig raised for meat.
In the pork industry, a pig’s life begins at a breeding/gestation facility, where sows are confined in gestation crates barely larger than their bodies as they endure a grueling cycle of insemination and pregnancy. Moved to equally cramped farrowing crates just before delivery, sows give birth to litters of 8 to 20 piglets, who are immediately shifted to an adjacent pen to nurse from their mother through the bars of the crate. Practically immobilized, the sow is unable to provide the affection and care that she longs to give her piglets.
After two to three weeks of nursing, the piglets are moved to a nursing barn, which may be at the same facility or at a different one. They live in this building for another four to eight weeks, denied access to the outdoors as well as bedding or anything to occupy their sharp minds. They do have a little space to move around, a small luxury soon to be revoked.
After the nursery, piglets are moved to a growing/finishing operation, which may be hundreds of miles away. Here they are kept until they are five to six months old, growing rapidly. They are allotted about eight square feet of floor space each in shared pens, and as they grow bigger, their pens become increasingly cramped. For these highly intelligent, sensitive, and social animals, the stress and monotony of intense confinement are literally maddening.
When the pigs have reached a market weight of 250 to 275 pounds, they are considered “finished” and endure another transport: to the slaughterhouse, where they have been preceded by gestation sows who are “spent” after three to five litters, who have failed to breed during their first estrous, or who have produced small litters.
Learn more about the lives of gestation sows and pig intelligence.
Accident Survivors
With the suffering of pigs and other farm animals largely hidden from view in giant industrial buildings, transport incidents are some of the very few occasions when factory farm animals are seen by the public. As dreadful as these accidents are, they have allowed us to rescue animals who would otherwise have been slaughtered within a few days or months.
Among the many animals we have welcomed to our shelters in the wake of transport accidents are the 60 chickens who fell out of a transport truck headed to a Brooklyn live market this Memorial Day and the 87 chickens who survived a similar accident on the Staten Island Expressway last year.
Then there’s Jay, burned horribly when a transport truck carrying him and more than 30 other cattle to slaughter crashed into another vehicle and burst into flames.
The Toll of Transport
A Farm Sanctuary investigation of media reports between 2000 and 2006 concluded that tens of thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands) of farm animals are killed by transport accidents yearly. This estimate was based on a limited sample since not all accidents are reported in the media. No precise numbers could be found because no federal agency or industry group tracks this information.
Additionally, no federal or state agency places limits on how densely farm animals may be loaded in transport vehicles or requires any special training or certification for those who transport them. In the absence of regulations, the industry defaults to its modus operandi: more, bigger, denser, faster. Dozens or even hundreds of animals are packed onto trailers with no regard for their safety. Boxes of cereal are shipped with greater care.
The toll of these transports goes beyond roadway accidents. Under federal regulations, farm animals may be transported for up to 28 consecutive hours without being offloaded to eat and drink, and a number of loopholes can push that limit to 36 hours or beyond (the rule also excludes poultry animals, who have no legal protections at all during transport). Lacking any kind of climate control, the trailers expose their passengers to extreme heat or cold. To make matters worse, many animals begin transport already weak and sick from their months or years in production. The effects of transport listed by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) include stress, heat stroke, dehydration, bloat, trampling, suffocation, and heart failure. Even excluding accidents, transport is responsible for a significant number of industry deaths before reaching a commercial processing plant. Pig processors alone anticipate a one percent loss for each transport according to a 2009 Iowa State University study of 2 million pigs. For every truckload of 2,000 pigs shipped to slaughter, agribusinesses accept that 20 won’t survive the journey. It’s the cost of doing business.
Tragedies of Scale
The reason that hundreds of pigs died in Xenia is that there were more than 2,000 pigs in the trailer. The scale of mortality in these accidents reflects the scale of the animal agriculture industry and each of its components. Animals are raised, transported, and slaughtered by the thousands in the name of efficiency.
Ostensibly, these industry operations have become so massive in order to make use of “economies of scale,” cost advantages gleaned from exploiting animals in large numbers. Whatever economic advantages this model provides, it also guarantees tragedies of scale, from the hundreds of piglets killed in Xenia by a single transport accident to the millions of chickens purposefully suffocated to death in a single facility in Iowa this spring in attempt to stem the spread of avian influenza.
But the ultimate tragedy is not that so many suffer and die from the side effects of the system; it’s that so many suffer and die by design. Billions of animals are raised in torturous confinement and brutally slaughtered at a young age purposefully, to make money from consumers. The accident in Xenia is a mere glimpse of the staggering death toll exacted by the standard American diet and those who profit from it.
Loss and Hope
At this point, it is unlikely that any additional piglets from the accident will be found. We want to thank everyone who helped on the ground and everyone who reached out to express their support, sharing our hope and sadness for these young animals. Like the search for the Xenia piglets, the fight for farm animals can seem daunting. There’s such a large area to cover, such a dense tangle of economic and political interests to impede our progress. But in this larger effort, there are no limits on the number of people who can join and help. Friends, your hope is strong, and so are your voices. Together, we can end the larger tragedy.
Thanks to our generous supporters, we have been able to respond to so many rescues over the years and rescue and rehome thousands. If you aren’t already a member of Farm Sanctuary, won’t you consider joining so you can be part of this amazing community of compassion? A compassionate world begins with you.
All image source: JoAnne McArthur | {
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Xiaomi came within striking distance of Samsung’s lead in the Indian smartphone market last year which led many to expect that the company would end up overtaking Samsung in the future. Market research firm Canalys reported yesterday that Xiaomi had indeed overtaken Samsung as the top smartphone vendor in India this past quarter.
Canalys reported that Xiaomi shipped almost 8.2 million units in India this past quarter and accounted for 27 percent of the market while Samsung shipped 7.3 million units for a 25 percent market share. Counterpoint Research also reported that Xiaomi has taken the lead from Samsung in India, it pegged the former’s market share at 25 percent against Samsung’s 23 percent share. Samsung has refuted the reports of losing the lead to Xiaomi in India. The company says that it’s still the number one manufacturer in India “by a distance.”
Sales vs shipments
A spokesperson for Samsung has said that “As per the German research firm GfK, which tracks sales to end consumers, in the last (November) quarter, Samsung had a 45 percent value market share and 40 percent volume market share.”
This is an important distinction that the company is making here. It’s not going by reports of units shipped by market research firms and instead relying on numbers that indicate just how many handsets were actually sold to the end user. A unit can be shipped and stay on retailers’ shelves for months but that still doesn’t count as a sale for the company.
“Samsung is a full range player and leads the smartphone business across every segment of the India market in 2017. More importantly, Samsung is India’s ‘Most Trusted’ brand. We owe our undisputed leadership to the love and trust of millions of our consumers in India,” the spokesperson added.
Samsung India’s global vice president Asim Warsi also pointed out this distinction in a recent interview. “German research firm GfK reports final consumption which is the most important measure of market share,” adding that while shipment numbers are important, they don’t tell the final market share. “The real share is what I sold out to my customers and here, we are pretty strong,” he reiterated.
This isn’t the first time that Samsung has relied on Gfk’s data to defend its lead in the Indian smartphone market. Canalys reported back in 2015 that Micromax had overtaken Samsung as the leader in the country’s market. Samsung pointed out back then that it continued to lead the market with a greater volume and value share than Micromax.
Xiaomi hasn’t commented on the matter as yet. The fact remains, though, that Xiaomi has seen incredible growth in India within three years of launch. The company will continue to go after Samsung’s lead in this key market so the Korean giant certainly can’t rest on its laurels. | {
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Content note: this post discusses sexual violence, rape apologism and historical femicides
Picture a witch. The worst, wickedest witch you can. The kind of witch who causes crops to fail, floats in water due to Satan’s power, and all-round causes trouble for men.
Your witch doesn’t look like a powerful white man accused of sexual violence, does she?
So why is it, then, that whenever a powerful white man is accused of sexual violence, his defenders rally around and decry the whole thing as a witch hunt?
In the early modern period, many Europeans were killed in witch hunts. Up to 90% of these people were women (ETA I HAVE BEEN CALLED OUT ON THIS AND I AM WRONG. Read this thread. I have erased trans women in this article. READ THIS THREAD. I just want to clarify my stance that of COURSE when I use the term “women” I am including trans women. Every time. But I can do a lot more to be clear about this. I also always welcome call-outs. I’m trying, but I’m still capable of being wrong. I unconditionally apologise for any harm I caused by blarting my cluelessly cis opinions.)These so-called witches were denounced, blamed and ultimately tortured and killed.
The sort of person who cries “witch hunt!” are devoid of any analysis of what actually occurred in the witch hunts and witch trials. Yes, members of the community would accuse the perceived witch. That’s where the similarities end. See, witchcraft and consorting with the devil is bullshit. Sexual violence is not. Sexual violence is frighteningly common, and a lot of men are very willing to admit to having raped someone if the r-word is never used. When a man is accused of sexual violence by one woman, statistically it’s far more likely than not that he did it. When he is accused by multiple women, it becomes a near-certainty. Contrast that with the likelihood that a gobby woman caused a prize calf to come out looking a bit weird by casting a spell.
The profile of the witch was a working-class woman known for a “quarrelsome and aggressive nature“. When men were accused, they, too, were typically working class. Witch hunts were undeniably gendered, with perhaps a class component involved too. It is a very different kettle of fish to accusations of sexual violence levelled at men powerful enough to believe themselves able to do what they want.
It is not hysteria, nor a moral panic, to level true allegations. And, indeed, it’s well-documented that survivors speaking out encourage more survivors to come forward.
For a powerful white man who is also a creep, perhaps survivors coming forward can feel a little like a witch hunt. I’ve written before, on the topic of trigger warnings, that white boys are wrapped in cotton wool their whole life. The same applies here. These men have not experienced true adversity in their lives. They are pampered and protected from ever feeling even vaguely uncomfortable; thinking about how their behaviour might affect other people, and how other people might be experiencing considerably harder lives, is an alien concept. They project their discomfort onto everyone else, blissfully unaware that for the rest of us, it’s not about feelings, but about material circumstances–because, for them, it’s all about his own feelings.
For a powerful white man who has escaped accountability for his actions all of his life, accountability must feel like persecution. And the threat of being held accountable may feel like a witch hunt for men who are aware that they, too, could be held accountable for the exact same thing.
But it is not the same thing, and it never was. These are people who cannot grasp the facts about what a witch hunt actually constituted. They centre themselves in a massive-scale historical femicide, because they are incapable of imagining the world not revolving around them.
So. Powerful white men are not the victims of a witch hunt when sexual violence allegations surface. But nonetheless, there usually is a witch hunt around this time: of survivors.
A moral panic tends to surface, and a round of denunciations comes. The victims of this witch hunt fit the historical profile: they are women speaking out of turn. If you want to see a witch hunt around allegations of sexual violence, look no further than the survivors speaking out.
Every time, it is the same. The survivors’ behaviour is scrutinised, they are smeared, they are accused of all sorts of horrific acts, they are vilified as “grotesque”. All of it, just like shagging Satan helps you kill fields of wheat, is fictitious. It happens in the media, and I have witnessed it too many times to count in networks I occupy when survivors have attempted to speak out against abusers. The function of this is likely much the same as the function of the historical witch hunts: to keep women in their place and to protect power.
That is what a witch hunt looks like; not survivors finally coming forward about mass abusers.
I write this article, partially because once again a rich and powerful white man has been accused by multiple women, and the old media narratives have emerged. But I also write this, fully in the knowledge that the next time a rich and powerful white man is accused, the exact same thing will happen once again. I don’t believe I’ll break the cycle in writing this down, but it saves me having to comment to the exact same effect on every damn time it pops up.
The real witch hunt is never, and has never been, about the men accused. It’s always been the survivors who have been hunted.
__
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To open the new year, Capitals Outsider writers Max Wolpoff and Brandon Alter join to discuss the latest news and developments in the Capitals organization. On this episode:
0:00 World Juniors wrap-up, Axel Johnsson-Fjalby, great draft record
7:33 Washington Capitals, All-Stars, current lines, contracts, possession numbers
28:27 Hershey Bears, ground to make up, stellar goaltending, Riley Barber, Ray Bourque in the Alumni Game, Chris Bourque in the Olympics
47:25 South Carolina Stingrays, goaltending troubles, shining offense
58:34 Parting thoughts | {
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EA Sports have managed to reignite the old fire in the hearts of numerous basketball gaming fans with NBA Live 18 and 19. After taking a two-year hiatus from NBA Live 16, they have slowly been getting back on track to reclaiming the throne of basketball games.
The sheer fun that NBA Live's style of gameplay provides, together with its straightforward and - most importantly - fair system of player progression in its career mode, are easily the two main reasons why players decided to return to this franchise, despite it being an underdog title for quite some time now due to NBA 2K's merciless dominance in the genre.
NBA Live 18 laid a very solid foundation for EA to bring back players to their virtual courts once again, and NBA Live 19 managed to fortify it even further, so it's only natural that fans have been eager to see what NBA Live 20 is going to be bringing to the table.
However, EA have been awfully quiet about the newest iteration of their game thus far - so much so that some players are legitimately worried that they won't be getting a new NBA Live title this year at all.
With no official news on at least the cover star of NBA Live 20, never mind a teaser or a full-on reveal trailer, some fans are fearing that news of another cancellation will soon be published instead.
Yes there are some floating about of Luka Doncic potentially gracing the cover of the game, but since EA themselves have remained quiet on the matter, the troubles and worries of Live fans still very much persist. All of this is particularly interesting when we consider the fact that we got an absolute abundance of NBA Live 19 news in June last year.
EA Sports NBA Live 19
EA's basketball rival, 2K Sports, have already treated their fans with on NBA 2K20's release date and cover stars, and they have also shown a teaser trailer which revealed the addition of female ballers.
This has opened the doors to pre-orders which, knowing 2K's audience and their ever enticing pre-order perks, will be done massively. And yet, still - nothing but radio silence from EA.
Now the question that poses itself here is: are EA really in the position to be treating their NBA Live audience like this? The short answer is: no. They really are not. Given 2K's almost unfathomable success year in and year out with NBA 2K, NBA Live is still very much the inferiour product, no matter how fun and polished it may be.
EA Sports NBA Live 19
NBA Live 18 was a true breath of fresh air for basketball gaming fans, mostly due to NBA 2K18's shady microtransactions practices in MyCAREER at the time. That game made fans very hopeful for NBA Live 19, and thanks to essentially the same formula behind the two iterations, EA did manage to rebuild some of their long lost community. But it is still nowhere near enough to properly take on 2K.
What EA should really be doing is advertise NBA Live 20 like there's no freaking tomorrow. Show off the new cover star - whoever it may be, present the new gameplay changes and additions, announce the release date of the demo as well as that of the full game - just let your community know that taking another hiatus is most certainly not on your to-do list.
Stirring up hype is pretty much the go-to strategy of modern day gaming, and with 2K already making some serious waves with NBA 2K20, EA simply cannot afford to sit in the backseat and hope for players to discover their game through price cuts and mediocre to non-existent marketing again.
EA Sports NBA Live 19
As consumers, sports gaming fans can only benefit from competition, and in this case, one party is miles ahead with nitro speed on, while the other one seems to be contemplating whether to shift to sixth gear or not.
NBA Live fans deserve to see their game receive all the possible love and support it can get, because only then can they hope to be victorious in their quest of reclaiming that elusive throne. | {
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Pictures have emerged of the mother and two children who died inside John Lennon's former home - photographed with the man accused of killing them.
The family photos depict mother Arena Saaed alongside six-year-old Shadia Salem and four-year-old Rami Saeed.
They are pictured inside a car with Mrs Saaed's 30-year-old husband Sami Salem, who has been charged with their murders.
Officers from Merseyside Police were called at 7:30pm on May 30 following reports of a concern for welfare of the flat’s occupants.
Pictures have emerged of Arena Saaed (right and far right) with six-year-old Shadia Salem (back left) and four-year-old Rami Saeed (back right), who were found dead at John Lennon's former home, in Liverpool. Also featured in the photos is 30-year-old Sami Salem (far left), who is accused of killing them
Photos show little Shadia, six (left) and four-year-old Rami (right) enjoying happier times. The photos were provided by a member of Mrs Saaed's family, who lives in Yemen.
The three were found dead at John Lennon's former home, on Falkner Street, Liverpool, on May 30 before Mr Salem was arrested.
He was taken to hospital following his arrest after falling ill.
Residents who live near to the property were evacuated over fears of a fuel leak but were later allowed to return to their homes.
Other pictures supplied to the Liverpool Echo show Mrs Saaed and the children enjoying happier times at their home.
A picture released by Mrs Saaed's family show accused Salem (back) playing with the two children at the family's home
The newspaper reported that a member of Mrs Saaed's family in Yemen supplied the pictures but refused to comment on the deaths.
Another of the photos shows little Shadia and Rami wearing a pink and blue hat accordingly - alongside arrested Salem.
Salem was charged with murder when he appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on June 2.
He did not enter an application for bail and was not asked to enter a plea.
The 30-year-old was remanded in custody by Judge David Aubrey, QC until June 30. | {
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There was a small child’s bible that I was given on my tenth birthday, and I used to look at all the pictures in it more than actually read it at that age. There was always this one picture that stood out in my mind, and it was the one where Jesus was kneeling, looking up to the heavenly father praying.
I found myself reliving that picture this morning as soon as my eyes were opened, before I even thought about climbing out of bed to make my pot of coffee. I made the bed and got Al’s medications ready for his breakfast, and poured his milk and orange juice in his two-handled cups.
I found myself crying inside. I could feel the internal shivers weeping from the sadness over flowing from the heart. As I walked through the kitchen attending to the needs of my brother, I heard my soul crying out to the Lord, please don’t leave me now. Please keep your promise that you will not let me have more than I can deal with.
As I am sitting here letting my secrets of my heart seep out for your eyes to read, I say a prayer for everyone who lives on this earth, that they also, do not suffer more than need be. The news at the doctor’s office yesterday, is slowly starting to sink in. The brain has a unique way of taking small bites of information and chewing them up slowly, as to not go into over load.
I see my daddy’s eyes all over again, and although my right mind knows that there is no ending date for my brother, it is very easy to refer from the one who passed to the one who is sick.
There are no tears this morning, and there were none shed last night. I am not sure why I have so much trouble crying anymore. There has only been a couple of times, where my emotions took over me and the floods of my soul came pouring out, covering my face with moisture. For some unknown reason, not crying can help me pretend that everything is alright. I can go forth one more day, and then one more day. I believe that God holds my hand, like my daddy did when he would get up in the mornings, and he would lift me out of my crib and take my hand, and we would walk down the long stair case to the kitchen. I can see my heavenly father doing this for me right now. I can feel his strength wrapping me in a cocoon, and he is lying his hands on me, telling me, my child, everything is going to be alright. I am preparing a better place for your brother, and at the perfect time, he will be ready when I call out to him.
My heavenly father, I want to thank you for giving me the best life that you have given me so far. Thank-you for allowing me the chance to have wonderful parents, and for having beautiful children. I want to give thanks to you, Lord, for giving me the opportunity to care for my father the entire year while he suffered with his bone cancer, and now you bless me once again, by letting me care for another family member. Help me to retain all of my memories, so that when this road comes to a stop, I can go back in my mind, and smile at all the wonderful things that you blessed Al and me with.
Suffer my little children, so that you may come unto me. Through our suffering here on earth, you are making a place for us in your kingdom. I praise your name, and although I do not understand your reasons, I will keep trusting you Lord. Amen.
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Low Back Pain – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment
As a top rated medical practice in NYC, our back and neck pain specialists at VIP Centers routinely diagnose and treats lower back pain by utilizing the most advanced and non-surgical treatments options. At VIP Medical Group, we take a holistic view of the patient and our team reviews each case to determine the best course of action and to develop a custom treatment plan designed to help each individual patient to achieve long-term pain relief. Our goal is to provide every patient with the most advanced and comprehensive therapy available. We use the most advanced, cutting edge technologies in non-surgical options, minimally invasive injections and regenerative medicine to effectively treat a multitude of conditions causing low back pain, without the need for surgery.
Causes of Lower Back Pain
There are many causes of low back pain, some may be age related such as arthritis or other medical conditions including injuries or chronic conditions. Some people may experience acute or chronic low back pain.
Sprain or strain of ligaments or muscles
Lumbar (lower back) muscle or ligaments strains and sprains are the most common causes of low back pain. When the lumbar spine is strained or sprained, the soft tissues become inflamed. This inflammation causes intense pain and may lead to muscle spasms. When muscles go into spasm and do not get enough blood flow through them, they became weaker. Lumbar muscle strain occurs when muscle fibers are abnormally stretched or torn. When ligaments are torn from their attachments it causes lumbar sprain. Soft tissues sprain and strains can result from a sudden movement and injury or from gradual overuse.
Top 5 causes of low back sprain and strain
Improper lifting or lifting a heavy object Sudden movements such as twisting and pulling or falls Poor posture Sports injuries, playing sports that involving pushing and pulling Improper exercising
Lumbar herniated disc
A herniated lumbar disc, often called a “slipped disc” is a cushioning disc that breaks down and the inner core leaks out through the outer portion. The jelly-like center of a lumbar disc can break through the tough outer layer and put pressure on a nearby nerve root, which then irritates the nerve and causes significant pain. When intervertebral disc herniates, it can press on the spinal cord or spinal nerves. The herniated part of the disc is full of proteins that cause inflammation when they reach a nerve root, and inflammation as well as nerve compression cause nerve root pain. The discs walls are also richly supplied by nerve fibers, and a tear through the wall can likewise cause severe pain, weakness, numbness, or changes in sensation.
Degenerative disc disease
Degenerative disc disease is a spinal condition caused by natural age-related changes to the discs that cushion the vertebrae in the spinal column. It can result in the discs losing height and developing small tears in the outer layer. The loss of fluid in your discs makes them thinner and narrows the space between the vertebrae. Small cracks in the outer wall of the disc can also cause the disc to bulge which may start the degeneration process.
Spinal stenosis
Spinal stenosis of the lumbar region is essentially a condition that describes the narrowing of the spinal column in the lower back (lumbar spine), placing pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. This issue can lead to:
pain
numbness
tingling
weakness and sensory loss
muscle fatigue
burning sensation
Lumbar spinal stenosis affects nerves in the lower back, that is why the symptoms can travel from the lower back through the length of the nerve pathway, reaching down the buttocks and legs and sometimes into the feet.
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis is a degenerative spine condition that can cause severe pain and stiffness in the neck or back, making simple tasks such as walking, bending or picking up something from the floor very difficult. A spondylolisthesis diagnosis is described by the displacement of one of the bones of the spine over another above or below it. Think of it as a misalignment of the spine vertebrae.
This forward slipping of the vertebrae may affect the nerves and then causing pain. Spondylolisthesis is found most frequently within the lumbar (lower) region of the spine and does not always give noticeable symptoms, however when it does, chronic low back pain is the most common symptom. The pain can be mechanical (structural) or compressive (pressure on nerves). Other causes can be due to injury or a fracture, in which the vertebra can start to shift out of place if the stress fracture weakens the bone and it is unable to maintain proper positioning. Typically conservative treatment is generally effective.
Skeletal irregularities
Congenital deformities of the spine such as scoliosis, kyphosis or lordosis can cause lower back pain as they upset weight distribution and strain soft tissues: muscles, ligaments and nerves.
Traumatic injury
Unfortunately, trauma to the low back (lumbar spine) is very common. People find hundreds of ways to injure their low back. Car accidents, sports injuries, workplace injuries, falls and other dramatic incidents can cause vertebral fractures, herniated discs and nerve damage. Treatment depends on the severity of the injury, however the majority of low back pain can be treated with conservative methods. It’s very important to treat trauma related back pain early and to have an expert pain management doctor treat it before the condition worsens, which can lead to surgery. However, if addressed sooner rather than later, conservative measure can be very effective. Sometimes symptoms don’t always appear immediately after an accident, however, it’s important to have a medical doctor examine you to ensure there is no further damage.
Fibromyalgia: a condition that causes muscle aches and fatigue
This chronic pain syndrome involves general muscle pain and fatigue, which can translate into lower back discomfort. This condition can be managed in several ways and is quite complex due to the many reasons why it develops in patients.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become very weak and more likely to break. As we get older, our bones get thinner and bone strength decreases. Furthermore, the weakened vertebrae can break – an injury called a compression fracture – and lose about one-half of their height. In many cases compression fractures are painful, some people may experience severe pain and discomfort. Compression fractures are often seen in older patients, but younger patients can get them as well, especially in athletes (high impact sports) or patients who are nutrient deficient.
Sciatica
Sciatica or inflammation of the sciatic nerve is the term used to characterize low back pain which radiates down the leg. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body and runs from the lower part of the spinal cord, through the buttock and down the back of the leg to the foot. The medical definition for sciatica is acute nerve root compression or radiculopathy which is pressure on the sciatic nerve resulting in symptoms of pain, numbness, pins and needles or muscle weakness. The causes of pressure can be due to many reasons such as a slipped disc, also known as a herniated or prolapsed disc, disc degeneration which is wear and tear, or muscle tension for example from piriformis syndrome.
Infection and tumors
Most patients with back pain have a benign condition, however infections or tumors must be considered during an initial patient evaluation because ignored or misdiagnosed them can have serious consequences. Extremely rare but very serious, infection called osteomyelitis can affect the vertebrae and cause pain. Cancer is also an uncommon cause of back pain, however can be destructive if tumors form along the spinal cord.
What are the symptoms of low back pain?
Most people experience discomfort and pain primarily in their low back area, however pain may spread to the buttocks, thighs, or knees. Common symptoms of back pain may include stiffness, tightness, aching, pressure, tingling, or burning, stabbing or shooting pains. Some people may also experience muscle spasms. The symptoms are typically more intense or noticeable when bending or arching the back, when lifting heavy objects, or when sitting or standing for long periods of time. A complex network of spinal tendons, ligaments, bone, discs or muscles near the lumbar spine can be damaged by a number of factors. The first step toward identifying the source of back pain is paying attention to the specific symptoms.
Here are the TOP 10 symptoms of low back pain:
Dull and achy pain Numbness or weakness Muscle spasms Local soreness Pain that radiates down one leg or to the groin, buttock or upper thigh Stiffness and difficulty moving or walking Trouble sleeping Tingling or “pins-and-needles” sensations Limited flexibility or range of motion of the back Loss of bowel or bladder control in severe cases
What are the Non-Surgical Treatment Options For Lower Back Pain?
At VIP Centers, our team of spine and pain management experts creates customized treatment plans to fit your individual needs and preferences. We offer conservative and non-surgical treatments designed to accurately diagnose the underlying cause behind your lower back pain, so that you can feel better faster.
Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection
Epidural steroid injections also called epidural corticosteroid injections are a commonly used option for treating low back pain conditions associated with inflammation. Steroids, which are strong anti-inflammatories, are used to reduce the swelling and inflammation caused by spinal conditions such as Spinal Stenosis and Herniated/Bulging Discs or Sciatica. Corticosteroid injections can reduce inflammation and can be effective when delivered directly into the inflamed and painful area. The pain relief can last from days, months and sometimes a few years, allowing your spinal condition to improve with comprehensive treatment plan, including a physical therapy and an exercise program.
Often people ask if cortisone is safe and the good news is that using cortisone for epidural injections is very safe and effective. It’s a great option to reduce pain and likewise help decrease inflammation in the injured and affected area.
How is the Epidural Steroid Injection (ESI) performed ?
At the time of the procedure, the patient lies face down on an x-ray table with a pillow placed under the abdomen for comfort and to flex the back. All procedures are performed using a C-arm, which is a fluoroscopic machine to help visualize the spine to find the exact area to inject. A small amount of local anesthetic is used to numb the treatment area and to keep the patient comfortable throughout the procedure. With the guidance of the fluoroscope, the physician carefully guides the needle to the epidural space near the affected nerve root. The fluoroscopy machine allows the doctor to watch the needle in real-time on the monitor, ensuring that the steroid medication is delivered as close to the inflamed nerve root as possible. A contrast dye is usually used to confirm the correct location of the needle, followed by a mixture of steroid and local anesthetic to bathe the painful nerve root with soothing medication. Once needle is removed a small band-aid is applied and typically most patients can walk around immediately after the procedure.
Depends of the condition treated it may be necessary to repeat the procedure as many as three times to provide the full benefit of the medication, however many patients feel significant relief from only one or two injections.
Lumbar Facet Joint Injection
Referance: https://treatingpain.com/treatment/facet-joint-injections
Facet joints are very small joints at each segment of the spine that provide stability, flexibility and help guide motion. The facet joints can become inflamed or irritated and painful due to degenerative conditions such as arthritis of the spine, as well back injury, or mechanical trauma and stress to the back. A lumbar facet joint injection is a relatively simple procedure that is usually safely performed in an office settings. Initially, a local anesthetic is applied to numb the skin to keep the patient comfortable throughout the procedure, then a small spinal needle is inserted into the facet joint. Facet joint injections combine a local anesthetic and a corticosteroid anti-inflammatory medication. This mixture is injected using a fluoroscopic (x-ray) guidance and helps to relieve pain, swelling and inflammation coming from the arthritic facet joint. Facet joint injections are generally limited to three within a six-month time frame, however in many cases only one or two injections are required to obtain full benefit.
Trigger points
Trigger points happen when the muscle fibers in a particular spot become hyper-irritated, producing acute pain in a very specific location. Development of trigger point can start when muscle fibers are torn in either a single injury or as the result of repeated small traumas from repetitive stress injuries. The comparison or damage to the muscle fibers results in extra stress being put on the muscle, manifesting as pain.
The pain due to trigger points is often felt in the same area, however it can also radiate and be felt in a completely different part of the body. We call this a referral pattern of pain.
The procedure starts by the physician examining the lower back and determining the areas of tenderness and pain. Once the trigger point is located, it takes an expert in pain management to really know how to “unlock” this tightly bound set of muscles. Using a small needle to deliver a dose of cortisone mixed with anesthetic medication, the medical doctor will directly inject the trigger point.
This helps to decrease swelling and inflammation in the area. The needling and injection process is fast, taking only just a few minutes. Often we try to address a larger area at the same time, so multiple injections sites are performed to help with pain relief.
Dry needling is likewise performed at the same time, this “needling” action of the procedure is a key to successfully treat the “locked” trigger point. Thus, if you are sensitive or have allergies to any of the medications used in the injection, the dry-needle technique can provide relief as well.
The results of trigger point injections can last for many weeks and sometimes even months. Several injections may be needed, however, most patients only need 2 or 3 to give full relief and optimize their results. | {
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Photo: Syrian regime checkpoint in Hama.
In light of the ongoing war, the conflict approaching the city of Hama, and the increasing displacement of people from the countryside, the regime has adopted a policy of re-engineering the population to ensure a base of popular support in city centers. This policy exacerbates the suffering of people currently living in the Hama region, and increases the possibility of humanitarian crisis. Residents have few options: they cannot flee to the east because of ISIS’ presence there, there is increasing violence in the north around Aleppo, and the coastal regions, the only relatively safe place left in the country, are already overwhelmed with displaced persons.
The city of Hama in central Syria is faced with conflict again, as Syrian opposition forces have taken control of three important villages in the countryside north of Hama and are approaching the edges of the city itself. As the battle intensifies, there are only 25 km between them and the city, and more than 10,000 civilians have been displaced and fled for neighboring regions in the past two weeks.
Hama is a strategic site for the embattled parties: it is located in the center of the country, and is a hub for transport between important provinces including Aleppo, Homs, Lattakia, and Deir Ezzor. It also has significant historical importance for opposition fighters, as the city that witnessed the largest massacre in modern history. In 1982, Hafez al-Assad, former President of Syria and the father of Bashar al-Assad, killed between 10,000 and 40,000 residents of the city when quelling a Muslim Brotherhood uprising.
The regime has tried to control the city since the events of 2011 and the conflict in Syria began, forbidding local residents from going out to demonstrate in opposition to President Bashar al-Assad. Despite this, Hama witnessed some of the largest demonstrations against the Assad regime, when nearly 500,000 protesters filled the streets in July 2011 and demanded transition to democratic rule in Syria.
Photo: Picture from a citizen journalist of the July 8, 2011 protest that, according to local sources, had 500,000 participants. The regime responded violently to these protests; Syrian security forces moved into the city of Hama with tanks, and taking full control of it on August 3, 2011. They detained thousands of members of the opposition and threw them in prison, imposed military checkpoints in the middle of the city, and posted security forces at the entrances.
As a result, thousands of local residents of the city were displaced, according to Hama journalist Abada Qujan. They were forced to flee because of their support for the peaceful protest movement, while the regime recruited militias loyal to it, including foreign ones like Hezbollah from Lebanon.
Assad’s forces have controlled the city since 2011, and have continued to hunt down civil society activists and displace local residents, says Qujan. They have pursued and detained so many young men that thousands more have fled to neighboring countries, for fear of being detained, or to areas outside the Assad regime’s control, which is what Qujan himself has done.
One example of the displacement policy the regime has pursued to change the face of the city and restructure the population, as Qojan relates, is that Assad’s forces bombed and destroyed the Masaa al-Arbaeen neighborhood. Masaa al-Arbaeen was a historical district in the northeast part of Hama city. As a result, about 30,000 residents were forced to flee. Most went to other neighborhoods and nearby regions, as Assad’s forces did not allow them to return to the destroyed neighborhood after it imposed control on the district, under the pretext that the residents supported opposition forces.
According to Qujan, the regime has continuously terrorized and detained residents of Hama since 2011, and has relied on a policy of terrorizing youth by tracking and detaining them. The number of activists pursued by security forces have forced them to leave the city. The last peaceful demonstration in Hama was held four years ago, on the thirtieth anniversary of the Hama Massacre, when several activists painted several streets and dyed the Orontes River red.
While there are no precise statistics from human rights organizations about the number of detainees in Hama province, which includes the city of Hama and rural areas, figures from the Documentation Center and Revolutionary Council of Hama indicate that there are over 40,000 detainees, half of whom are in the city.
A few days before the Syrian regime restarted its security campaign, activists received news that the regime had sent warnings to some residents in neighborhoods of the old city of Hama to leave their houses. The regime claimed that they had not obtained security approval for their residency there, or that they were living in informal housing. Most residents were displaced persons whose homes in other neighborhoods had been destroyed.
Regime forces “evicted a number of families from neighborhoods south of the stadium and the Aleppo road. They occupied several houses in neighborhoods south of the stadium and in al-Sabonya, and evicted the families without providing any reason or compensation,” says Khaled al-Hamwi, a journalist and activist in the Hama Opposition Media Center.
“Fighters from Lebanese Hezbollah and soldiers from Shiite militias settled in houses owned by local families who had been displaced, preventing them from returning,” al-Hamwi added.
“There are nearly 250 checkpoints in Hama; every street in the city has at least two check points. Recently, regime forces seized the highest building in every neighborhood, whether it had been a government facility or belonged to civilians, and turned these buildings into main checkpoints, surrounded by heavy artillery and snipers, and in control of other checkpoints throughout each neighborhood.”
In addition to military barracks and security checkpoints, Hama has one of the largest military airports, which is used to bomb northern Syria, and there is also a large Russian and Iranian military presence in surrounding villages, according to accounts by several activists and media professionals.
Hama is the fourth largest city in Syria, and has a population of around 854,000 according to 2009 figures. The city has become the destination for thousands of internally displaced persons in Syria, as it has long been relatively far from military operations.
According to statistics from 2015 from the Syrian Red Crescent, a non-governmental organization, nearly 400,000 people have fled to the city of Hama from the provinces of Raqqa, Homs, and Deir Ezzor since the conflict began. They endure harsh living conditions, and most rely on aid given to them by relief agencies.
This suffering is not limited to displaced persons, but also includes the city’s original residents. According to Maher al-Youssef, a resident of the city of Hama, economic conditions and public services have become increasingly strained as the city has come under the control of militias fighting for the regime. They take advantage of civil society organizations and aspects of life, while the government has abandoned its responsibilities. Houses receive only five hours of electricity per day, fuel prices have multiplied, kidnapping and crime rates have increased, and militiamen have become the only residents who can sustain their livelihoods.
Hosam al-Jablawi is a Syrian citizen journalist. | {
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Nebraska Congressman claims to support an open Internet, but refuses to sign CRA resolution that would restore it
Digital rights group Fight for the Future has released a mock-up and launched a crowdfunding page to put up as many billboards as possible in the district of Rep Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), who just insulted his own constituents and small business owners in Nebraska by cosponsoring symbolic net neutrality legislation that can’t pass this Congress while refusing to sign on to the Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to reverse the FCC’s repeal––which already passed the Senate with bipartisan support.
A new poll released yesterday shows that wide margins of voters in battleground districts will strongly consider where a lawmaker stands on net neutrality when deciding who to vote for in midterm elections, making Rep Fortenberry’s decision not to support the CRA not only hypocritical but potentially very damaging heading into election season.
See the crowdfunding page and preview of the billboard design here: https://donate.fightforthefuture.org/campaigns/fortenberry/
"Jeff Fortenberry betrayed you," reads the billboard design, "He took $99,000 from ISPs and put them ahead of Nebraska businesses and Internet users." It then provides his district office phone number and encourages viewers to call and ask why he won’t support the CRA to restore net neutrality.
"Representative Fortenberry must think his constituents are fools," said Evan Greer, Deputy Director of Fight for the Future, "It’s insulting to ignore the overwhelming majority of voters, and thousands of small businesses, and pretend to support net neutrality while refusing to do the one thing in your power to save it. Politicians in Congress need to understand that Internet users are pissed off and paying extremely close attention. They won’t be fooled and they won’t be placated by empty actions. If Rep Fortenberry truly supports net neutrality, he should sign on to the CRA resolution to restore it. If not, we’re crowdfunding billboards to make sure his constituents know that he sold them out."
Fight for the Future plans to put up as many billboards as possible in Rep Fortenberry’s district based on crowdfunding. If Rep Fortenberry does the right thing and signs on to the CRA, the funds will be used for billboards targeting other lawmakers who claim to support net neutrality while refusing to do anything to protect their constituents from ISP abuses.
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Germany must develop the requisite political will and money if it hopes to receive a record 800,000 migrants by the year-end, according to Karl-Heinz Wendt, chairman of the German Society for the Protection of Civil Rights and Human Dignity.
In an interview with Sputnik, Karl-Heinz Wendt, chairman of the German Society for the Protection of Civil Rights and Human Dignity, said that receiving 800,000 asylum seekers before the end of this year will be a tricky task for Germany, something that can only be implemented if there is the requisite political will and money.
"Given the fact that Germany is home to 80 million people, 800,000 [migrants] will be a small part. If Germany shows the political will to receive these people, this task will be resolved. And also, this is a question of money. So, money and political will are needed to implement the task," Wendt said.
He bemoaned politicians' inaction, urging them to do more to resolve the ongoing refugee crisis.
"The fact is that the influx of refugees did not start yesterday or the day before yesterday, but even Germany was not ready to deal with what was always believed to be a minor problem," he said.
Wendt also called for adopting a spate of amendments to the German legislation that he said still prevents regulations pertaining to migrants from coming into force in his county.
Separately, he warned against attempts to integrate 800,000 migrants into German society.
"I think that Germany is not ready to integrate such a large number of refugees, and we should not set such a goal. What we need is to ensure that these people go back home when the war ends there," Wendt pointed out.
Additionally, he expressed doubt that the Dublin Regulation, which determines the EU member states responsible for examining applications for asylum, will now help German authorities cope with the problem.
Meanwhile, Austrian police have said that about 4,000 migrants have entered Austria from Hungary in the past few hours, with the number expected to double before the end of Saturday. | {
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Magic feels like it’s under attack. Reddit has gone ballistic with the so-called #vendorleak scandal, incensed by stunning (or not so stunning…) allegations of merchant misconduct from an anonymous tipster. Wizards announced Eternal Masters to the joy of many and dismay of many more, reigniting debate about the Reserved List, Legacy, Modern, and future Constructed formats. Blake Rasmussen and Aaron Forsythe tried to quash some of the most conspiratorial rumors, at least for now. Meanwhile, Eternal Masters led to rocketing Reserved List prices, paralleling Modern’s trend of spikes for niche playables that haven’t seen tournament play in years. On their own, these events would have me feeling a little apocalyptic, but none of them incite doomsayers more than Modern’s Eldrazi takeover. We’ll explore this metagame Twilight Zone today.
We’ve investigated the Eldrazi rampage before, both in a Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch debrief and in an explicit discussion of its ban potential. It’s been about a week-and-a-half since Eldrazi Day 0 (February 5, a date which will live in Modern infamy), and we finally have enough metagame data to discuss the broader field in the Pro Tour’s wake. 20 MTGO events, 34 paper, and roughly 500 decklists later, we’re ready to analyze the Eldrazified Modern world. Today, we’ll identify frontrunning Tier 1 and Tier 2 strategies, compare MTGO and paper scenes, and assess the Eldrazi’s impact on Modern. There is still potential for internal regulation, but it fades daily with each new turn one Eldrazi Temple. Be forewarned: as befits our eldritch invaders, this is a disturbing metagame picture.
Collecting Datapoints
In the spirit of my “Metagame Snapshot” and pre-Pro Tour “Metagame Report” articles, we don’t have enough data to conduct a full metagame breakdown like we did in early January. Stay tuned for the March’s Grand Prix aftermath for that more comprehensive metagame portrait! Thankfully, we have more than enough data to describe the format’s evolution over the past eleven days. With a pair of well-attended Pro Tour Qualifiers and a paired Daily and League each day (minus a few missed Dailies), MTGO brings 20 events and just over 210 decks to the analysis. Looking to paper, we see 34 tournaments spanning every continent and hemisphere and contributing about 270 lists. This is on top of Pro Tour Oath’s Day 2 field and dozens of high-performing Pro Tour decklists.
By tabulating these datapoints and calculating a weighted average of the three groupings (based on the values of N relative to metagame periods with more data), we can make a conservative estimate for different deck shares in your average Modern event. We’ll draw on those numbers today in diagnosing metagame diversity and testing if it really is Endless Ones all the way down.
Post-Pro Tour Metagame Summary
If you thought the Pro Tour Oath field was a mess, the current one is going to give you an Eldrazi-sized heart attack. Not Eldrazi Scion-sized either. We’re talking an X=10 Endless One. Analyzing the period from February 5 through February 16, we see a Modern under siege. We’ll make a stop in each of Modern’s different competitive tiers, touching on core format themes along the way.
Our tour through the wreckage begins in Tier 1, which we define as the most-played strategies in Modern. You are likely to encounter these decks in tournaments and need to prepare for them in your testing and sideboarding. For more on our Tier 1 definitions, and those of other metagame classifications, check out our Top Decks page. With that in mind, here’s Tier 1 in all its tentacled glory:
Tier 1: 2/5/16 - 2/16/16
Deck Overall
Metagame % MTGO % Paper % Day 2% Eldrazi 25% 41.5% 22.3% 10.7% Affinity 11.3% 11.8% 10.4% 13.6% Burn 6.3% 2.8% 5.9% 12.3% Infect 4.5% 4.2% 3% 10.3% Jund 4.1% 3.3% 4.1% 5.3% Abzan Company 3.7% 2.8% 4.1% 3.7%
These numbers are about as bad in context as they look in a vacuum. Maybe worse! Eldrazi’s share is more than double that of the next highest deck (Affinity), which itself is about double the next highest after that (Burn). We’ve also never observed such pronounced gaps between different Tier 1 decks, which provides statistical backing to the format polarization we’ve all suspected. Thinking about Eldrazi specifically, the deck has paper shares comparable to the format’s most stifling archetypes in the Bloodbraid Elf, Deathrite Shaman, Treasure Cruise, and Birthing Pod eras. Its MTGO prevalence is, quite literally, the highest I’ve ever seen for any deck: only URx Delver came close in October 2014 at 25%. We’ll talk more about distinct Eldrazi flavors later, but with a core overlap of over 20 cards (central to which are Eldrazi Temple and Eye of Ugin), it’s as fair to group the Eldrazi dominators as it was to lump together Twin, URx Delver, and others.
The rest of Tier 1 isn’t much better, with three linear decks edging the two midrange holdouts to the bottom. At least Jund is hanging on for dear life: I shudder to think of a metagame period where zero BGx representatives claim a piece of Tier 1 territory. Even if we grouped all the non-Affinity strategies together, they still wouldn’t surpass Eldrazi’s 25% throne. This pattern of Eldrazi doubling Affinity, and in turn exceeding everything else combined, is echoed in both MTGO and paper. Of course, MTGO is the real disaster here, where every single Tier 1 deck combined is barely over half of Eldrazi’s online share. We could make some misleading spins on the data (Abzan Company is finally Tier 1 up from Tier 2! Paper is overall better than MTGO!), but these just obfuscate the real narrative of Tier 1: Eldrazi have truly taken over.
None of this precludes the possibility of a metagame reversal in March. Strategies such as Merfolk, Abzan Company, and even Jund are adapting to fight back. It does, however, make the turnaround much less likely. When decks consume such a commanding share, there’s only so much they can realistically decline. Eldrazi at 20% of MTGO, an unlikely 50% drop, would still be a problem.
If you’re still breathing after surveying the Tier 1 devastation, we’ll look now to Tier 2. These Tier 2 strategies represent tournament viable decks, ones you can bring to your average event and have a realistic shot at the Top 8. From a gauntlet perspective, these are also the decks you’ll need to understand how to beat, even if you don’t sideboard specific cards to target them. As with Tier 1, Tier 2 has been dramatically altered by the colorless invasion.
Tier 2: 2/5/16 - 2/16/16
Deck Overall
Metagame % MTGO % Paper % Day 2% Merfolk 3.3% 2.4% 4.1% 2.1% RG Tron 2.7% 1.9% 3% 2.9% Griselbrand 2.3% 0.5% 2.6% 3.7% Abzan 1.8% 1.4% 1.5% 3.7% Naya Company 1.7% 1.9% 1.9% 0.8% Gruul Zoo 1.6% 0.5% 1.9% 2.5%
With a mere six decks, Tier 2 houses the fewest viable strategies we’ve ever seen in a Nexus metagame update. Our previous 10 breakdowns showcased Tier 2s averaging 13 decks each, ranging from 11 (the lowest in July 2015) up to 15 (in August and November). Today’s six is less than half that average. Even comparing datasets of a similar size, our pre-Pro Tour Oath analysis found 13 legitimate Tier 2 contenders, despite covering the same date range and roughly the same sample size. Taken on top of the Tier 1 situation, Tier 2 illustrates an unprecedented narrowing of the competitive field down to just a few decks. The remainder has been shipped to Tier 3, where one-time Modern regulars such as Bogles, Living End, and Scapeshift now wallow with sub-.5% shares on either MTGO or paper. Tier 2 also repeats Tier 1’s linearity, with only Abzan deviating from this model (even if Merfolk and Naya Company at least pack a degree of interaction).
On the topic of linear strategies, I’m reminded of a fascinating r/spikes post on proverbial “canaries in the coal mine” in Modern. In essence, Reddit user Selkie_Love asks us to consider what cards, strategies, or shifts indicate metagame-wide danger. Tier 2 offers us an alarming example of this principle in action: Gruul Zoo. Not necessarily Gruul Zoo alone, which is just a function of Modern rewarding early, proactive strategies (which itself might be another broader symptom to discuss another time). Rather a) that in a metagame with just six Tier 2 decks, Gruul Zoo happens to be one of them, and b) that Gruul Zoo somehow makes the six-deck list when zero blue-based control lists can cut it. This simultaneously points to Eldrazi’s ability to edge out fairer strategies and also warp the metagame towards more linear ones.
So where have all of Modern’s blue decks and Tier 2 regulars gone? At the end of our Modern safari, I welcome you to the desperate Tier 3 hopefuls, all of which are frantically trying to carve out a niche in this Eldrazified climate. Tier 3 is our newest Top Decks category for 2016, including metagame-specific decks which might be strong choices depending on matchups you encounter. We’ve refined our Tier 3 math since last time, although the format has been thrown into such disarray that it’s hard to tell by looking at the table below.
Tier 3: 2/5/2016 - 2/16/2016
Deck Overall
Metagame % MTGO % Paper % Day 2% Ad Nauseam 1.4% 0.5% 1.9% 0.8% UW Control 1.3% 1.9% 1.5% 0% Scapeshift 1.3% 0.5% 1.5% 1.6% Living End 1.2% 2.8% 0.4% 1.6% Bogles 1.2% 0.9% 1.5% 0.4% Abzan Liege 1.1% 0.5% 1.5% 0.4% Suicide Zoo 1% 0% 0.4% 4.5% Jeskai Control 1% 0.9% 0.7% 2.1% Blue Moon 1% 0.5% 1.1% 1.2% Elves 1% 0% 1.5% 0.4% Kiki Chord 1% 0% 1.5% 0.8% Titan Shift 0.9% 0% 1.1% 1.6% Esper Midrange 0.9% 0% 1.5% 0% Lantern Control 0.8% 0.5% 1.1% 0.4% Jeskai Kiki Control 0.8% 1.4% 0.7% 0% Abzan Chord 0.7% 0.5% 0.4% 2.1% UR Delver 0.7% 0% 1.1% 0% Jeskai Delver 0.7% 0% 1.1% 0% Temur Delver 0.7% 0% 1.1% 0% Allies 0.6% 1.4% 0.4% 0% Mono U Tron 0.3% 1.4% 0% 0%
None of our 2015 metagame breakdowns tracked Tier 3, but even without those points of comparison we still notice worrisome patterns. For one, a bunch of decks which should probably be in Tier 2 have fallen below the prevalence cutoff, dipping into Tier 3 instead. These include Scapeshift, Bogles, Grixis Control/Midrange (which don’t even make Tier 3!), Elves, UW Control, Ad Nauseam, URx Delver, and others. Do all of these decks need to be Tier 2 at any given time? Certainly not, and we’d be hard-pressed to observe a metagame period in 2015 where this was the case. But should at least some of them meet the criteria? Definitely: 2015 saw zero metagame periods where at least 3-4 of those decks weren’t Tier 2 instead of Tier 3. As we saw in the Tier 2 section, this points to an overall narrowing of competitively-viable Modern decks. Yes, it’s a small window of data, but we did not see this same narrowing (and certainly not to the same extent) during the weeks between the Splinter Twin ban-effect date and the last day before Pro Tour Oath. This suggests it was Eldrazi, not Twin, which narrowed the field.
When considering Tier 3 decks, you’ll want to focus less on their overall metagame share and more on prevalence in each column. This shows where a deck is most competitive and where it makes few (if any) showings. For instance, Living End is on a solid MTGO run at 2.8%. In paper, however, it’s more “Dead End” at a paltry .4%. Elves and Kiki Chord see similar patterns, with the 0% shifted to the MTGO side and paper logging a respectable 1.5%. Read this way, the table gives a sense of which decks excel in totally Eldrazi-warped fields (i.e. MTGO) versus a more balanced but still Eldrazi-heavy metagame (i.e. paper).
Many Moderners won’t be particularly shocked by these numbers. Shaheen Soorani certainly isn’t, even if the end result still wouldn’t have justified the preemptive banning some authors and players clamored for. Others, particularly those who still doubt the scale of the Eldrazi occupation, will be more aghast. Maybe you saw the Eldrazi coming. Maybe you didn’t, tried to get Grixis to work, and then sold off what’s left of your foiled Twin deck in an indignant fury. Wherever you fall on the Modern spectrum it’s still important to understand these statistics, their relationship to one another, and their historical context. In the short-term, it helps you make informed metagame decisions, whether deciding to bring UW Control or Gruul Zoo to an event, or choosing linear decks to sideboard against. In the mid-term, it allows us to voice informed opinions about the Eldrazi and the field before, during, and after Grand Prix weekend. Most importantly, in the long-term, it reminds us to be critical consumers of metagame data, building a Magic culture that’s more Neil deGrasse Tyson and less B.o.B flat-earther.
Eldrazi Field Notes
Before we close for today, we’re going to make a brief stopover at the vast Eldrazi preserve to see what kinds of Eldrazi decks are seeing play. To be clear, the distinct variants of Eldrazi only matter so much from a metagaming and metagame health perspective. If you’re trying to attack the field, you are up against Eldrazi Temple and Eye of Ugin decks with playsets of Thought-Knot Seer, Eldrazi Mimic, Endless One, and Reality Smasher. That amounts to a 20-24 card-core which we need to target in our metagaming calls. If you, like Patrick Chapin, have given up on beating the Eldrazi and are just trying to assess format health, you’ll take the Eldrazi collectively just as you did the same for URx Twin, URx Cruise Delver, BGx Pod, and BGx Deathrite Midrange. The banlist announcements in each of those eras explicitly group strategies together, and Eldrazi’s core lends itself to similar classification as much as (and maybe more than) those earlier decks.
Despite those disclaimers, we’ll still want to see which specific Eldrazi species are running riot. Metagamers need this information to know if they are facing spot removal and sweepers (RG Eldrazi), a midrange grindfest (UR Eldrazi), or a three-turn clock (Colorless Eldrazi). Metagame analysts need it to see how Eldrazi is itself evolving from its UR and Colorless Pro Tour roots to meet its opposition. The table below breaks down different color pairings in the Eldrazi supertype, splitting them between their MTGO and paper counts. First, let’s look at the top 88% of Eldrazi decks, all of those making up 2%+ of the average Eldrazi pool.
Eldrazi Color Pairings (The Top 88%)
Eldrazi Color MTGO % Paper % Average % Colorless 30.3% 50% 40.2% UR 23.6% 23.3% 23.5% RG 22.5% 1.7% 12.1% Mono Black 1.1% 8.3% 4.7% UG 3.4% 3.3% 3.4% UB 0% 5% 2.5% Jund 2.2% 1.7% 2%
The remaining 12%, consisting of a whopping 11 pairings, can be found in the spoiler box below. To me, those Eldrazi builds packing Urza’s Tower and company are the funniest of the lot. The new ramp deck on the block couldn’t just take Tron’s metagame share: it had to steal their land too!
Even MOAR Eldrazi! Eldrazi Color Pairings (The Other 12%) Eldrazi Color MTGO % Paper % Average % Mono Red 0% 3.3% 1.7% Urzatron 1.1% 1.7% 1.4% BW 1.1% 1.7% 1.4% BR 2.2% 0% 1.1% BG 2.2% 0% 1.1% RB 2.2% 0% 1.1% UW 2.2% 0% 1.1% Bant 2.2% 0% 1.1% GW 1.1% 0% 0.6% Mono Green 1.1% 0% 0.6% Mono Blue 1.1% 0% 0.6%
That’s a lot of Eldrazi, which might come as a surprise or a snore depending on how you felt about Eldrazi after the Pro Tour. If you believed Colorless and UR flavors represented the strategy’s zenith, you’ll be taken aback to see RG variants (those with Kozilek’s Return, Lightning Bolt, Ancient Stirrings, and others) almost tied with the Pro Tour winning combination. If you believed the Pro Tour was just the beginning, you’ll see nothing unusual about the 18 different Eldrazi offerings, but might be more startled by Colorless and UR Eldrazi’s staying power at the top. In both those cases, Eldrazi have both lived up to expectations and challenged them, showing the archetype still has room to grow but also making a strong case for the Pro Tour lists’ power.
If you’re venturing forth into this hostile environment, you’ll need to expect two different kinds of Eldrazi lists. Colorless Eldrazi represent the linear, face-CRUNCHing Stompy decks which try to win fast and hit hard. These decks pack the Chalice of the Void/Simian Spirit Guide package along with minimal removal and maximum beatdown. Basically every other Eldrazi list, although largely focused on UR and RG, play a more interactive game. UR’s Drowner of Hope seeks to win the midrange grind against decks trying to block favorably. RG’s Lightning Bolts combine a bit of extra reach with some early-game disruption against decks like Affinity seeking to go under the 5/5 trampling mobs. Other Eldrazi decks will fit in either the more linear or more midrange categories, and then again within either the grindier camp of UR or the damage and removal-heavy RG party.
As a whole, these numbers point both to the raw power of known Eldrazi lists, but also to the adaptability of the core Eldrazi engine (depend on Ensnaring Bridge and Worship at your own peril!). This deck is evolving both to beat the hate and overcome the mirror. We’ll need to keep both in mind as we move closer towards the Grand Prix weekend.
Fighting Back?
As a deck, Eldrazi is beatable. You can do it with mainstream Abzan Company, offbeat Knightfall brews, throwback enchantment prison decks, or with all those Magus of the Tabernacles you maniac speculators bought out without a single tournament performance to back your investment. As a metagame force, however, Eldrazi is looking very problematic. True, we’re only ten days into the Eldrazi period, but these signs are significantly worse than even the most warped week-and-a-half I’ve seen since starting to track metagame numbers a few years back. It’s going to take some serious firepower for Grand Prix journeymen to innovate their way out of this mess, and even then, the broader issues across Tier 1 and Tier 2 might not be resolved: narrowed deck options, the absence of blue, a linear majority, etc. I’ll keep Tweeting regular metagame updates as we draw closer to the March tournaments, but don’t expect to see an Eldrazi retreat any time soon. After all, Emrakul is coming…
That’s all for today’s metagame update and our analysis of the current Eldrazi situation. And remember, as I talked about last week, even this current picture would’t justify an immediate banning: we really do need to wait until April’s scheduled update. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions about the numbers or their meaning, deck or card choices, Modern as a whole, or how the heck you are going to survive the Eldrazi hegemony (your pick of Affinity, drink, or angry Tweets/Reddit comments). See you all soon!
Sheridan is the former Editor in Chief of Modern Nexus and a current Staff Author. He comes from a background in social science data analysis, database administration, and academia. He has been playing Magic since 1998 and Modern since 2011.
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By The Conscious Resistance
Derrick Broze discusses 3 websites/apps that can help with decentralized community building. We take a look at FreedomCells.org, NextDoor.com, and GetCell411.com
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Find more videos like this at: www.theconsciousresistance.com
Derrick Broze is an investigative journalist and liberty activist. He is the Lead Investigative Reporter for ActivistPost.com and the founder of the TheConsciousResistance.com. Follow him on Twitter. Derrick is the author of three books: The Conscious Resistance: Reflections on Anarchy and Spirituality and Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion, Vol. 1 and Finding Freedom in an Age of Confusion, Vol. 2
Derrick is available for interviews. Please contact [email protected] | {
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By Keith Ridler Associated Press
BOISE, – The U.S. Department of Energy, a Utah-based utility and a contractor that operates an eastern Idaho nuclear research facility have reached an agreement involving plans to build a dozen small modular nuclear reactors in eastern Idaho.
The Energy Department’s Office of Nuclear Energy on Friday announced the agreement with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems and Battelle Energy Alliance, the Energy Department contractor that operates the Idaho National Laboratory.
The utility has been working toward building 12 small nuclear reactors at the Energy Department’s 890-square-mile site about 50 miles west of Idaho Falls.
Officials say the agreement includes using one of the reactors for research and development, and another for power needed by the lab.
Licensing and an environmental analysis are needed before any reactors could be built. | {
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Utility rate cases have become a major battleground over the future of distributed solar generation and the evolving structure of the nation’s electricity system.
In the Midwest, Wisconsin has been ground zero, with state regulators last year approving three rate cases that made solar much less viable through several mechanisms, including a drastic increase in the fixed monthly charges for all ratepayers, regardless of how much electricity they use.
The next major development on that front will be a case that Xcel Energy is expected to file in late spring or summer. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has made it clear that it welcomes requests for increased fixed charges and related measures, as RENEW Wisconsin program and policy director Michael Vickerman and other energy experts see it.
But a March 26 decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on an Xcel rate case in that state could mean Xcel is unlikely to request the type of fixed rate increase that other utilities in Wisconsin have been granted.
In Minnesota, which along with North and South Dakota makes up about 85 percent of Xcel’s upper Midwest territory, the utility had requested a $1.50 increase in fixed charges each month. The Minnesota PUC allowed Xcel to collect more revenue and increase rates in general, but it denied the monthly fixed rate increases.
“Having a neighboring public service commission say no will hopefully warn that not everybody is marching forward” with fixed rate increases, said The Alliance for Solar Choice spokesperson Amy Heart. “That this isn’t necessarily a trend in the Midwest.”
“The decision in Minnesota demonstrates just how out of step the Public Service Commission is in Wisconsin.”
Paying for the grid
The fixed-rate portion of an electric bill is meant to cover the cost of grid infrastructure, and utilities around the country have argued that even when people reduce their energy use – including through solar installations – they still need to pay an increased “fair share” for keeping up the grid.
Since Minnesota essentially rejected that argument, and since the grid infrastructure delivering to Wisconsin Xcel customers is largely the same system as in Minnesota, experts say Xcel would have a hard time justifying higher fixed charges for Wisconsin customers.
In other words, if it costs only $8 a month to deliver electricity to Minnesota Xcel customers, it doesn’t compute that it would cost much more to deliver to customers only a few miles away over the Wisconsin border.
“They will be constrained internally from asking for a large increase in fixed costs, though it doesn’t mean they wouldn’t do it,” said Vickerman. “They would feel like, ‘Hmm, this could cause problems with respect to the other customers served by the Xcel system.”
Heart added that “our suspicion [and] hope is that it’s an indication that Xcel would be more judicious and cautious in their upcoming rate request in Wisconsin as to whether they would include any fixed rate increase.”
Xcel response
Xcel spokesperson Mary Sandok did not respond directly to questions about whether the company will seek higher fixed costs in Wisconsin and whether the Minnesota decision will affect the company’s Wisconsin rate case.
“No decisions have been made in either Minnesota or Wisconsin about whether to include increases in monthly basic service charges in future rate cases,” she said. “Also, each state’s regulatory environment is different, and the decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will not necessarily affect what we decide to do in Wisconsin.”
Sandok echoed the same argument that We Energies and other utilities around the country have made for increasing fixed charges: “Our monthly basic service charge for residential customers in Minnesota and Wisconsin currently is well below the fixed cost of providing basic service to customers: service lines to their homes, metering, billing, etc. These costs are incurred regardless of the amount of energy customers use.”
But the fixed rate increase that Xcel requested in Minnesota was still far below the increases requested and approved for Wisconsin utilities. Both Public Service Corp. in northern Wisconsin and MG&E increased their fixed rates from about $10.50 to $19 per month, and We Energies’ increase is from about $9 to about $16 a month.
The Minnesota Xcel rate case was launched in November 2013 when the utility requested a $291 million rate increase over two years, saying it needed more money to maintain its nuclear plants and upgrade its transmission infrastructure. Like utilities around the country, Xcel is also struggling with dropping or flat electricity demand. Nationwide, this is an effect in part of increased energy efficiency and distributed generation.
The Minnesota PUC decision was in keeping with the June 2014 findings of the state commerce commission and the December ruling of an administrative law judge, which both said that Xcel should reduce its rate increase requests. The PUC also approved the state’s first decoupling program, a structure where the utility does not get more profit the more energy it sells. That program should theoretically alleviate the need for the utility to increase its fixed rates.
Larger context
Across the country utilities have been requesting fixed rate increases and other changes that make solar installations less viable. Renewable energy advocates say the utilities are trying to protect the traditional model revolving around large centralized power plants and limited distributed generation.
In the majority of cases, according to analysis by The Alliance for Solar Choice, regulators have turned down utilities’ requests and made decisions amenable to the spread of distributed solar. But the Wisconsin Public Service Commission has been an outlier, as experts see it, approving rate cases despite a lack of evidence backing up the utilities’ arguments and in the face of public opposition to the changes.
Public Service Commission spokesman Nathan Conrad disagreed with that characterization, saying, “All decisions made by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin are based on the totality of the record before them, no other outside influences or sources are considered in any case before the Commission.”
While renewable energy proponents hope the Minnesota decision could have larger ripple effects in neighboring Wisconsin, Vickerman and others see this as unlikely, given what they describe as the staunchly ideological position of the Public Service Commission.
“It’s really the Public Service Commission in Wisconsin that’s driving the rate restructuring change, moreso than the utilities,” said Vickerman. “This commission has rang the dinner bell.”
RENEW Wisconsin is a member of RE-AMP, which publishes Midwest Energy News. | {
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England has hosted only a handful of senior competitive behind-closed-doors football fixtures and anyone who considers them a suitable and workable solution to the problems now facing sport could probably do with a reminder about how the previous ones went down, starting with the first. This, at least, is a chapter of British sporting history that anyone can be forgiven for forgetting, since it took place 105 years ago.
In March 1915 Bradford City, one of two Bradford clubs in the First Division at the time, met Norwich City of the Southern League in the third round of the FA Cup. They first played in Yorkshire, drawing 1-1 after extra time, and when the match was replayed the following weekend at The Nest, then Norwich’s home ground, it finished goalless. A second replay was thus required, and arranged for a neutral venue – Lincoln City volunteered – but with a caveat.
“There is a condition, made by the FA, that is not to be overlooked in connection with the Lincoln match – namely, that the public are not to be admitted,” reported the Lincolnshire Echo after the game had been arranged. “The obvious object of this is that workmen shall not be drawn away from their employment in war time, especially if engaged, as so many firms are, on government work. Wednesday’s match at Sincil Bank, therefore, will be played behind closed gates.”
A match held on a weekday afternoon between teams who had produced only two goals over four hours of effort, played between 75 and 100 miles from either of their home grounds and from which supporters were officially banned would not, you would think, prove much of a draw. But when matchday came, so did people. “Despite the prohibition of the public, the reserved stand was pretty well filled with spectators, though hundreds remained outside the gates and all entrances to the ground were guarded by police,” said the Echo. Journalists and club officials had been allowed in, along with several hundred off-duty and wounded soldiers but many more were locked outside.
The game started. It didn’t sound much fun. “The ground churned up a good deal, and the players presented black figures before the interval was reached,” reported the Echo. “It looked as though there was little prospect of a goal at either end.”
Goalless it remained as the players went in at half-time, which is when everything went wrong. “The main gates had been rocking somewhat ominously at different periods through the half,” wrote the Echo, while “the crowd outside had begun to tear down the boards near the main gates, and in three or four places on the Sincil Bank side, and would soon have broken through”.
Eventually the crush of people outside the ground, and the damage they were inflicting to it, was such that the gates were opened and “a human tide (including several ladies) poured in”.
The Yorkshire Evening Post reported “barriers were placed against the doors, and a few police guarded them with threatening mien, but eventually the obstacles were broken down … and the police contented themselves with taking the names of a few men who had declined to be overawed by the majesty of the law.”
Nobody was overawed by the majesty of the football, though the game was eventually brought to a scruffy conclusion. Jimmy McDonald put Bradford ahead “in the middle of a scrimmage” in the 78th minute, and Dickie Bond added a second from the penalty spot with the last kick of the game. Norwich were out of the Cup and behind-closed-doors matches were out of favour.
The lesson learned in Lincoln more than a century ago and reinforced much more recently in Paris, Valencia and elsewhere in the days before the complete shutdown of professional football – when thousands of fans gathered outside locked grounds to give their side some sightless support – is that when a significant match is on telling people they can’t come in will not keep them away.
Valencia hosted Atalanta on 10 March behind closed doors. Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP
The only way to manage that is to play it in secret, which is difficult to accomplish when televising it is a key part of the business plan. Many of us are more determined now to avoid large gatherings than we were a month or even a week ago but not everyone is so acquiescent and scheduling a significant football match anywhere before restrictions completely end, even if nobody manages to force the gates, would be an incitement to congregate and a nightmare to police.
There have only been a handful of behind-closed-doors games in England since 1915, including two FA Cup replays after the initial meeting was marred by a non-league side’s goalkeeper being struck on the head by an object thrown from the crowd.
The first of those came in 1985 when Leicester side featuring an attack of Gary Lineker and Alan Smith were drawing 1-1 with Burton Albion, then of England’s seventh tier, when Paul Evans, a solicitor, was knocked unconscious by a flying piece of wood.
They went on to win 6-1 but the FA ordered a fan-free replay, which was set for Derby on 14 January, rescheduled for Coventry two days later because of a frozen pitch, and finally played in front of an audience described in the Guardian as being composed of “FA and club officials, press, radio, television, ballboys, groundstaff, police and two members of the public who managed to find a way in”.
This time the Foxes won 1-0. “It might sound unprofessional but I’m glad Leicester won because none of this was their fault,” said the Burton manager, a then-obscure but already eminently quotable 36-year-old chiropodist by the name of Neil Warnock, who added that in a near-silent stadium the ability to clearly hear each other had helped his players: “We have to talk to each other on the pitch because when you’re part-timers you’re sometimes a little bit slower upstairs.”
His opposite number, Gordon Milne, was less pleased with how the affair was handled. “The crowd is part of the game and you can’t perform without them – they go together,” he snarled. “It’s unfair to ask teams to play in that environment and I wouldn’t like to think any professional side will be asked to do that again.”
It is a conclusion worth bearing in mind, lest in its desperation to find a way out of its predicament football makes Milnes of us all. | {
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Mangala ready to pounce, but realistic on Man City playing time
With John Stones injured against Leicester, the French defender is determined to take his chance should it arrive
Eliaquim Mangala insists his latest first-team opportunity at is not complicated by recently being the unwanted man at the Etihad Stadium.
Mangala became one of the most expensive defenders in football history when he joined City for a reported £32 million in August 2014 from .
City v Feyenoord BTTS 19/20
However, the international undermined his progress with frequently erratic displays and was loaned to last season as Pep Guardiola took the reins in east Manchester.
A purported deadline-day move to collapsed, leaving the 26-year-old to fight for a place in Guardiola's first-team squad this term.
A pair of EFL Cup starts amounted to his most significant action until John Stones suffered a hamstring injury on Saturday, thrusting Mangala into the fray for the final hour of a 2-0 win at .
Guardiola confirmed in-form centre-back Stones is set to miss four to six weeks with his complaint and, speaking alongside his manager ahead of Tuesday's Group F match with , Mangala stated he was ready to take his opportunity for possible game time but accepted there were no guarantees.
"Football is like that. You have to try and take your opportunity," he said. "We know in all the competitions we are involved in that we need more than 11 players.
"It is not just about me. Every player has to be ready when they have the opportunity to play.
"It's not so complicated because I am very realistic. I know in football anything can happen.
"I'm here today but maybe in two months, the summer, one year, I won't be. You never know.
"I am in the squad and in this club. I am going to work to help my team-mates, even when I am not playing.
"We have a common objective and that is to win titles. I want to win titles, even if I am going to play less."
The established pecking order at City means Guardiola is likely to select Nicolas Otamendi alongside club captain Vincent Kompany in Stones' absence but the latter's injury woes over recent seasons means he is unlikely to be over-exerted in 12 matches between now and the end of 2017 for the Premier League leaders.
Mangala's sometimes ungainly contributions in possession make him an uneasy fit for Guardiola's style in the eyes of many observers but he completed 84.2 per cent of his 57 passes at the King Power Stadium and is enjoying developing his game under the former boss – for however long such an opportunity might remain.
"I learn so many things every day because it is a different way to play," he added.
"You have to be really focused on the pass, make a strong pass and control well because our game is to be quick on the ball. You have to win time." | {
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
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Let me out of the basement | {
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Inter midfielder Ricardo Alvarez is set to miss several weeks of action due to a muscle injury.
The 25-year old picked up the injury while training with the squad ahead of this weeken’s fixture against Sassuolo.
According to Sky Sport Italia, the Argentine’s problem was initially thought to be a regular knock but it was later understood that it will take him up to four weeks for the Argentine to recover.
In addition to the match against the Neroverdi, Alvarez, who has scored four goals this season, will most likely miss out on his team’s trips to Fiorentina and Roma, as well as their home match against Cagliari. | {
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Manchester United star Luke Shaw believes he is in the best physical and mental condition of his life and is ready to seize his chance to become an established name in the team.
With his career at Old Trafford seemingly all but over at the start of the campaign, Shaw stormed back into Jose Mourinho's plans with a man-of-the-match display against CSKA Moscow in early December.
He has since started six of Manchester United's last nine games, but according to the man himself, his exceptional display in the Champions League tie had been a long time coming.
Luke Shaw says he is in the best physical shape of his career at Manchester United right now
The 22-year-old says he had been building his way back up to his peak level in the weeks leading up to the match and now feels as though he is ready to kick on and restart his Manchester United career in earnest.
On his performance against CSKA, he said: 'I've always - especially recently - felt really confident, and I knew I was in a good moment fitness-wise with the work I'd been doing. And I knew when my chance would come I'd be ready.
'It was really nice to be recognised by the fans in that game and from there I wanted to build on that performance and now it's been four or five full games I've had and I just want to kick on now. I'm not looking back, I'm only looking forward.'
The defender, pictured playing against Bristol City, is back in Jose Mourinho's first-team plans
Shaw had initially started life at Manchester United well following a £27million move from Southampton in 2014, but his career was brought to a standstill with a broken leg suffered a year after his arrival.
The horror injury took almost a year to recover from, but Shaw believes he is now better off for the experience and says the mental resilience gained from the injury has made it all worth while.
He added: 'A bad injury like I had always stays with you a little bit afterwards but it's in the past and I feel really good and really fit, and my leg feels perfect.
'Body-wise and fitness-wise I probably feel the best I've ever felt. Mentally I feel very strong as well and I'm enjoying my football, and it's now about pushing on and helping the team.' | {
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this is the Funny Little Calculus Text.
it's a calculus text. it's little. it's funny.
it's short (45 pages of picturetext). it's not a traditional text: no exercises.
it's meant to be *read* and *enjoyed* : please do both!
the work is now available via google's play store. you can browse the work, or purchase a (DRM-free) download. the cost = $0.45 = 1 penny per page.
all work copyright robert ghrist, 2012; all rights reserved. all wrongs too. | {
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The Denver Nuggets did not have star center Nikola Jokic for Friday night’s home game against the Phoenix Suns.
FILE PHOTO: Jan 23, 2019; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) keeps the ball away from Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the second half at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
Jokic was suspended one game without pay for leaving the bench Wednesday night during an altercation between teammate Mason Plumlee and Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors, the league announced Friday.
Plumlee was fined $25,000 and Favors assessed $15,000. Both players were ejected. Jokic took steps off the bench along the baseline during the altercation but said he did not step on the court.
The 23-year-old Jokic leads the Nuggets in scoring (19.8 points per game), rebounds (10.3) and assists (7.7). He played in each of the first 46 games for the Nuggets, who entered Friday in second place in the Western Conference, two games behind the Golden State Warriors.
--The sprained wrist that has kept Philadelphia 76ers swingman Jimmy Butler from playing the past two games was scheduled to be examined by a specialist in Los Angeles, the team announced.
Butler, who has averaged 19.0 points in 28 games since Philadelphia acquired him in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, last played Saturday at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder, scoring 18 points in 38 minutes in a 117-115 loss. He did not suit up in victories against the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs this week.
Butler, who had surgery on his right hand this past offseason, is expected to rejoin the team for a game against the Nuggets in Denver on Saturday, but his playing status remains unknown.
--Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson will miss approximately two more weeks due to his sprained left foot, the team announced.
Thompson missed his fifth game because of the injury when the Cavaliers hosted the Miami Heat on Friday.
Slideshow ( 3 images )
Thompson also sat out 10 games in December because of an injury to his left foot. He returned to play in eight games before suffering another injury to the foot against the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 16.
--New York Knicks point guard Emmanuel Mudiay will miss at least two weeks with a left shoulder strain, coach David Fizdale told reporters.
Meeting with reporters prior to Friday’s contest against the Brooklyn Nets, Fizdale said Mudiay will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
Mudiay was injured during Wednesday’s 114-110 loss to the Houston Rockets.
--Chris Paul, sidelined for five weeks with a hamstring injury, should be back in the lineup on Sunday when the Houston Rockets host the Orlando Magic, said head coach Mike D’Antoni.
Speaking after the team’s shootaround, D’Antoni all but ruled out a Friday night return against the Toronto Raptors.
The injury is to Paul’s left hamstring, the opposite leg that caused him to miss Game 6 and Game 7 of the Western Conference finals last postseason. The nine-time All-Star is averaging 15.6 points, eight assists and four rebounds per game in 26 contests this season.
--Thumb surgery has been recommended for the Brooklyn Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie, but the guard might elect to postpone the procedure and resume playing this season.
Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed the surgery diagnosis before Friday’s game against the New York Knicks, according to multiple reports. Whether the surgery for torn ligaments on the right thumb takes place soon, though, has not been decided. Atkinson said doctors, Dinwiddie and his family will make the final decision.
On Thursday, Dinwiddie was trying to determine the severity of his thumb injury with specialists. He last played Wednesday, scoring 29 points in a 114-110 victory over the Orlando Magic. He was originally ruled questionable for Friday night’s game and has now been ruled out of that contest, according to the Nets.
--A change of heart has made Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. change his mind about the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
A source confirmed to ESPN that Smith will compete in the All-Star Weekend event after getting eliminated in the first round last year, then dissing it in September.
Heading into the 2018-19 season after his rookie year, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard from North Carolina State criticized the event and “the gimmicks and everything that go with it.”
--Field Level Media | {
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