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Two new studies remind us that eating habits may be strongly influenced by people around us.
Getty Images
Being a people-pleaser might make you popular at parties, but it probably isn’t doing much good for your waistline.
A new study by Case Western Reserve University researchers shows that people-pleasers tend to overeat in social settings in an effort to make other people feel more comfortable. They feel pressure to eat, whether they’re hungry or not, in order to match what people around them are eating. Problem is, they tend regret their choices later. “It doesn’t feel good to give into social pressures,” said Julie Exline, a Case Western Reserve psychologist and lead author of the study, in a statement.
The study involved 101 college students who completed a questionnaire about their people-pleasing characteristics, also known as sociotropy. Students who reported worrying about hurting other people, frequently putting others’ needs before their own and being sensitive to criticism ranked high in people-pleasing.
After the assessment, the students were seated with a female actor pretending to be another participant. The experimenter handed a bowl of M&Ms to the actor, who took about five M&Ms and then offered the bowl to the student. The student later reported how many M&Ms they took and why. Those students exhibiting high sociotropy usually took more candy.
“People-pleasers feel more intense pressure to eat when they believe that their eating will help another person feel more comfortable. Almost everyone has been in a situation in which they’ve felt this pressure, but people-pleasers seem especially sensitive to it,” said Exline, whose study was published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.
In a separate paper appearing online in PLoS ONE, researchers at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands explored the effects of social eating in a different situation. They observed 70 pairs of women dining together in a lab set up to look like a restaurant. The researchers watched the women from a separate room, through a hidden camera, and recorded how many bites of food each participant took — and, importantly, when.
The researchers found that the women tended to mimic each other’s eating behavior — taking bites when their dining partner took a bite. This mimicry was three times more likely to happen at the beginning of the 20-minute meal than at the end, possibly because the women, who were strangers, were trying harder to make a good impression at the outset, the researchers surmise.
The study couldn’t say for sure that the women were synchronizing their eating in order to seem more likable, but previous research has found that the tactic works: people report greater liking for those who mimic their behavior.
Whatever the motivation, a “plethora of research has demonstrated that eating behavior is profoundly affected by social influences,” according to the authors, led by psychologist Roel Hermans. They write:
…[T]he presence of others influences the amount of food eaten in a meal. Several studies have found that people eat more in the presence of others than when alone. Likewise, an individual’s consumption can be modified by an eating companion; people tend to eat as much or as little as do those with whom they eat. … These effects have been found to be robust and to override strong physiological influences.
Neither study looked at the impact of social eating on weight gain or obesity, but the findings jibe with previous research on how obesity travels through social networks. People who have overweight or obese friends and family members are more likely to become obese themselves, compared with those who surround themselves with thin people.
So, especially for people-pleasers with weight problems, it might be a good idea to be more conscious of eating habits in social situations. Just remember, there’s no harm in passing up that extra cookie. Who knows, there may be another people-pleaser who will thank you for it. | {
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Aerial imagery using drones: a step-by-step guide for drone users:
Aerial imagery is a term used for photographs/videos taken by an airborne vehicle such as a helicopter, a plane or a drone. These aerial images are not only fascinating for us but also are a source of information. Taking aerial photos was a very expensive exercise but not anymore, thanks to the drone technology. Drone technology has revolutionized the way we see things around us and a dying profession of photography is looking live and vigorous again. We can now get aerial photos and videos at an extremely affordable price using these machines. In this article, I tried to cover all the key aspects of doing aerial photography and videography using drones.
The importance of Aerial Imagery:
Aerial imaging has been a source of information for many professionals. Since this article is mainly on practical aspects of aerial photography, I do not want to lose the focus and would like to list below just a few of the applications which come to mind.
Aerial images are a source of information for disaster management services.
Mining professionals use these images.
Military purposes
Entertainment purposes, such as films
Historical studies.
Industrial drone inspection
Reconstruction and rehabilitation
Agriculture applications such as crop health monitoring and spraying.
Urban planning
Wildlife protection
Tourism
How drone technology changed the field of aerial imagery:
Made it affordable
Created opportunities for new businesses and small business owners
Revival of photography
Created new jobs
Changed the entertainment and filmmaking industry
Skills required for aerial imagery:
Skills in photography and photography gear
Ability to fly drones and related licensing requirements
Knowledge of some additional equipment and data handling issues
Marketing strategy to make money out of it
Key Steps to start a business of aerial imagery services (Skip first two if you do not want to earn money from it):
Make a plan from scratch to finish(I mean getting paid) and learn the skills you need. Get the license (if required) for the category of drone you wish to fly. Get the starting equipment (see below). Do not buy all the equipment if you are a beginner, I have seen many hobbies fading out and people losing money on their brand new gear. Start making aerial photos and videos. When you produce something valuable, a momentum, you feel and start moving forward from there.
Step-1: Make a plan
If you want to use aerial photography and filmmaking as a business, then you need a business plan. A good read is here how to write a business plan. I would like to mention just a one liner here that you have a better chance to do business if you have a business mindset. It has nothing to do with your videography skills. The market is highly competitive, and before embarking on any business endeavor, you must get a good professional advice from experts in the business field. It is beyond the scope of this article, so I leave it here.
Step-2: Getting a drone pilot license:
You do not necessarily need a drone pilot license to fly a drone. For general information read this and for more detailed information, contact the aviation authority of your country of residence. However, you must have a knowledge of drone flying and associated risks. It is nice to get a drone insurance before you start making some serious videos. It could be a requirement of insurance companies that you must have a drone pilot license. If this is the case, then you would have to get the license first. I would recommend getting a drone pilot license in any case because the training provides some valuable information which would help you in future. When I got my drone pilot license and certificates in aviation and radio communications, I learned so many new things such as:
Knowledge of Meteorology (types of wind, types of clouds, ) Aviation authority terms (some are critical for drone pilots!). A few are a classification of airspace, Visual Terminal Charts (VTS), en route charts (ERC), Automatic terminal information service (ATIS) and Aerodrome weather info service (AWIS). Aeronautical radio communications, Time Zone communication techniques. Risk assessment techniques (includes your basic health and fatigue! And of course other threats) Importance of flight plans
Step-3: The equipment required for Aerial Photography and Videography:
Now coming to our main topic, what equipment you would need for aerial imagery. So, here is the list of essential and optional videography gear. But as I mentioned before starting with the essentials, just move with the momentum you get along the way.
Essential equipment:
Drone with a camera
What drone should you buy entirely depends on the budget you have set. You can get some idea by reading ““Drone Buying Guide“.
There are few things you need to know before selecting a drone and camera. Every camera has a different maximum resolution. The high-end cameras can capture 4K videos (the top quality videos) while lower end cameras do not have this capability. If you do not want to get confused with this, here are the few simple things you should know:
A 4K image have Resolution of 2160 pixels high X 3840 pixels wide
A full HD 1080p image have Resolution of 1080 pixels high X 1920 pixels wide
There are cameras on cheaper drones which have even lesser resolution than these.
The more the pixels in rows and columns, the clearer would be the image. However, you mostly find HD 1080p and 4K video capabilities in new drones except for low-end drones.
Another important factor is the frame rate of the camera. The frame rate is in frames/second. The higher the frame rate, the smoother would be the video.
A tablet While buying a tablet, you should select a suitable size. The radio controller of you drone should be able to handle the size of the tablet without any particular arrangement. Spares.You should have some spare propellers and batteries for your drone.
Optional Equipment:
This list could be huge. I will add few items here soon. So stay tuned.
Step-4: Doing Aerial Photography and Videography: What are the important considerations and how to get it done
Once you have all the gear ready, now it is time to capture some videos and photos. I would recommend a team of minimum two people is good to do a photography session. One would be controlling the drone and the other controlling the camera.
Try to practice indoor first with a small hobby drone like Hobby Blade Nano QX.
Once you are confident as a pilot, you can go outside now. When taking a drone shot, some people just try to go above and move fast. This practice is not always right. Instead, I would prefer to rise and move slowly close to the point of interest and giving a dynamic effect. If you move too fast, you can get a strobing effect dependent on the frame rate of your camera. You would develop a feel after some practice. One other thing you can do is to look the videos by other people and try to understand how a particular video was taken which looks amazing to you.
Another thing is zooming in and out at the point of interest can give us amazing effects.
Take some extra batteries and props for your drone if you are going far away to take some shots. Some expensive drones also have dual batteries, and if your budget allows, you can get one of those.
Like any photographer, you should also strive for perfect time and light conditions such as sunrise and sunset times. The hour before and after sunset and sunrise is called a “golden hour” and the light condition and view of the sky during this hr is amazing and you can take some breathtaking videos.
Once you get the footage you want, you can later edit it using various software available.
Consider the weather conditions before planning a video session. It is hard to fly drone when the wind is gusty, and the videos may not be smooth.
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The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is concerned about conditions of detention of persons in the territory of self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic.”
Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine Matilda Bogner stated this while presenting a report on the human rights situation in Ukraine between May 16 and August 15, 2019, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“In the government-controlled territory, we are free to carry out our activities. We have confidential access to places of detention. In the territory controlled by the armed groups, our activities are restricted. We continue to be denied access to places of detention,” Bogner said.
She added that the activities of the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission were seriously restricted in the areas under control of self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic” during the preparation of the report. Those restrictions included, in particular, the continued denial of access to places of detention. The authors of the report emphasize that this is of particular concern against the background of serious allegations of human rights violations and once again call for unhindered access to such places. "We also call for the abolition of other restrictions on our activities in Donetsk and Luhansk," Bogner said.
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In June 2019, Canada passed The Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act (Bill S-203). This law makes “it illegal to hold any cetacean in captivity, for reasons other than rehabilitation and scientific research.
Breeding or trading reproductive materials of whales and dolphins will also be prohibited. Any breach of this ban carries fines of up to $200,000.” The United States needs to follow suit and also end whale and dolphin captivity!
Cetaceans, which are more widely known as marine mammals, are whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Sadly, they’re often taken from the wild and kept in captivity for entertainment and they suffer immensely.
In the wild, these highly social creatures stay close to and travel with their pods. In captivity, they are forced into man made “pods.”This leads to aggression amongst tank members. This only adds to the depression and physical pain they experience from being trapped in pools far too small for creatures who would swim thousands of miles a day in the wild.
In captivity, cetaceans become so depressed they self-mutilate and attempt suicide by trying beach themselves.
In terms of physical health, they don’t get anywhere near enough exercise and they do not reach the life expectancy they would in the ocean, dying at much higher rates and younger ages.
The United States has far more facilities with captive marine animals than Canada. The U.S. is also the country with the third most captive dolphins in the world.
With especially cruel and infamous marine parks like SeaWorld, we need to pass a bill like the one Canada did as soon as possible.
Sign this petition demanding that the U.S. Congress end marine mammal captivity in the United States. And make sure to sign your local representatives asking them to introduce legislation that fights against the captivity and exploitation of whales and dolphins.
This article was first published by OneGreenPlanet on 28 February 2020. Lead Image Source : Tinseltown/Shutterstock
What you can do
Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you. | {
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The president’s nominee to take over the helm of the National Security Agency (NSA) is mostly a stranger to privacy and civil liberties advocates.
They say that Vice Adm. Mike Rogers Michael (Mike) Dennis RogersDemocrats slam DHS chief for defying subpoena for testimony on worldwide threats Remembering 9/11 as we evaluate today's emerging threats Hillicon Valley: Tech CEOs brace for House grilling | Senate GOP faces backlash over election funds | Twitter limits Trump Jr.'s account MORE will have a lot of work ahead as he takes over for Gen. Keith Alexander, the NSA’s current chief, during a period of dramatic changes to soothe concerns about the agency’s snooping on millions of Americans.
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“He has not been on my radar in any detail,” said Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists’ project on government secrecy. “He takes this position at a moment of intense political turmoil that is unlike what he had likely faced in his previous career.”
Rogers has spent more than 30 years in the Navy, and is an expert in cryptology. Since 2011, he has led the U.S. Cyber Fleet, the Navy’s cyber command. Before that, he served as the director of intelligence for both the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. Pacific Command.
As NSA director, Rogers will also be taking over the U.S. Cyber Command.
A White House review group last year suggested that the president split the two roles, citing “a pressing need to clarify the distinction between the combat and intelligence collection missions.” Late last year, the White House rejected that suggestion and decided to stick to one “dual-hatted” role.
“He’s probably in the more traditional role of the director of the NSA, to be less of a public figure. It’s only in the last few years really that people like Alexander and [former Director Michael] Hayden have emerged in a very prominent way,” Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said.
“In that respect, the selection is not that surprising. But our focus really is on the changes ahead, and I think that’s likely the question that he’s going to be facing,” Rotenberg said.
It is evident that Rogers will have his job cut out for him.
President Obama announced a series of reforms to the embattled NSA earlier this month, after leaks from former contractor Edward Snowden revealed to the public the extent of the agency’s surveillance operations.
The president said that NSA officials would need to obtain a court order before searching a database of records about virtually all Americans’ phone calls, and that agents would only be able to get call data about people two steps removed from a suspected terrorist, instead of the current three. He also called for the phone records database to be shifted out of government hands, but was not specific about where exactly it might go.
“Virtually all the details still need to be filled in,” said Harley Geiger, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology’s freedom, security and surveillance project.
Critics have urged Obama to end the program outright. The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, a small federal commission tasked with protecting privacy rights, voted 3-2 earlier this month that the program was illegal and should be ended.
Intelligence officials have defended the phone records program. Last week, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the Senate Intelligence Committee that it was an “important tool” that helped to detect terrorist threats.
“The president was a little bit more ambiguous as to what the alternatives should be,” Geiger said. “He wanted to maintain the same capabilities but it’s unclear what form that will take. I would imagine that the NSA staff has a very significant role to play in evaluating these alternatives.”
Aftergood noted that an insider like Rogers, with decades of military history, might be exactly the person to follow through on reforms at the NSA
“I think any attempt to graft an outsider onto the NSA would create problems of its own,” he said. “And so someone promoted from within is probably well-positioned to make the changes that Congress decides are necessary.”
Rogers will need to be confirmed by the Senate in order to take up the helm at the U.S. Cyber Command.
Rick Ledgett, whom Obama selected to be the next deputy director of the NSA, would not need to go through the Senate.
In a statement, Clapper praised Ledgett for his “remarkable career in signals intelligence” and his “keen insight of the entire intelligence enterprise.”
Ledgett previously led an NSA task force focused on handling how to mitigate the damage done by Snowden’s leaks to the public.
Despite that background, though, Aftergood said he did not see Ledgett’s promotion as an indication of a new dedication to secrecy at the agency.
“Everybody over there is pretty passionate about preventing leaks,” he said. “And if it wasn’t Mr. Ledgett, it was going to be someone else who would view the world pretty much the same way.”
Transparency at the agency and its bulk collection of phone records will be the two biggest challenges facing Rogers when he enters office, Geiger said.
“There are other things, but those are two of the really big ones,” he said.
“And if the NSA director is not working on those problems, then they’re not really addressing the fundamental issues underlying the debate.” | {
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J Street founder and President Jeremy Ben-Ami stated that many congressmen and senators refuse to criticize Israel because they "live in fear" of retribution from pro-Israel groups, Haaretz reports.
Ben-Ami made the comments on Tuesday evening during a tepid debate between Ben-Ami and Bill Kristol, editor of Weekly Standard and a director of the pro-Israel Emergency Committee for Israel, on what it means to be pro-Israel in America in 2012
* * *
Chemi Shalev writing in Haaretz' West of Eden blog:
J Street's Ben-Ami: 'U.S. Congressmen live in fear of pro-Israeli intimidation'
Many American senators and congressmen “keep quiet” and refrain from criticizing Israeli policies because they “live in fear” and are “intimidated” by pro-Israeli groups such as the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), according to J Street founder and President Jeremy Ben-Ami. Ben-Ami’s bald assertion came during a debate with Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, a director of ECI, held on Tuesday night at Manhattan’s palatial B’nai Jeshurun Synagogue and moderated by Jane Eisner, the editor of the Forward. Ben Ami said that because of accusatory ECI ads in the New York Times and other media outlets, members of Congress are afraid of being branded as anti-Israel and are deterred by the “ramifications” of voicing open criticism of Israeli policies. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Never Miss a Beat. Get our best delivered to your inbox.
It was a rare moment of tension in an otherwise civil and even friendly debate, which pitted representatives of the two diametrically opposed poles of the current Jewish debate on Israel – the controversial lobby J Street on the left and the no-less contentious Emergency Committee on the right. The crowd of 700-800, mainly from Manhattan’s Upper West Side, clearly favored Ben Ami’s positions though they were obviously pleased by Kristol’s agreement to debate him. [...] Ben-Ami, who deals with the Israeli-Palestinian issue seven days a week, was clearly better informed on the details of the issues than Kristol, who is a major player in the overall Republican agenda. Kristol repeatedly cited his own ignorance in order to dodge open disagreements with Ben-Ami, conceding that he doesn’t know much about the blockade of Gaza, that he is not aware of the details of Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank and that he is incapable of judging whether Israeli democracy and the rule of law are indeed endangered by the government’s refusal to carry out High Court orders to evacuate the settlements at Migron and at the Ulpana sector of Beit-El, as Ben-Ami asserted.
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Jubileuszowy Akt Przyjęcia Chrystusa za Króla i Pana został przyjęty w kwietniu tego roku. Oficjalne obchody odbywają się jednak dzisiaj. Na uroczystość przybyły tłumy pielgrzymów. Wziął w nich udział także prezydent Andrzej Duda i inni politycy. Wydarzenie transmitowała Telewizja Trwam, Radio Maryja oraz Polskie Radio.
REKLAMA
Dowiedz się więcej:
Jak przebiegała uroczystość?
Dookoła sanktuarium od rana zgromadziło się ok 6 tys. pielgrzymów - podała Telewizja Trwam. Następnie odbyło się nabożeństwo i konferencja wyjaśniająca powody intronizacji. Andrzej Duda pojawił się tuż po zakończeniu tej części uroczystości i powitały go brawa. Wspomniano też, że prezydent z tej okazji podarował sanktuarium Ewangeliarz. Podczas mszy kardynał Dziwisz powiedział:
Nie lękajmy się takiego aktu. Jezus Chrystus niczego nam nie zabiera, a wszystko daje. Jego panowanie nikomu nie zagraża, bo wyraża się przez miłość, która została ukrzyżowana.
Biskup Czaja przypomniał, że zgromadzeni na uroczystości to "przedstawiciele narodu polskiego". Dodał, że są tam, aby "z radykalnością swoich postanowień przyjąć Jezusa Chrystusa na nowo za króla i pana. Zacytował także "Królestwo" Norwida. Wśród obecnych był także suspendowany ks. Piotr Natanek.
Po przyjęciu komunii i błogosławieństwie nastąpiło oficjalne ogłoszenie Jezusa Chrystusa "Królem Polski".
Króluj nam Chryste! Króluj w naszej Ojczyźnie, króluj w każdym narodzie - na większą chwałę Przenajświętszej Trójcy i dla zbawienia ludzi. Spraw, aby naszą Ojczyznę i świat cały objęło Twe Królestwo: królestwo prawdy i życia, królestwo świętości i łaski, królestwo sprawiedliwości, miłości i pokoju. Oto Polska w 1050. rocznicę swego Chrztu uroczyście uznała królowanie Jezusa Chrystusa - brzmiał akt.
Dalej zawierzono Chrystusowi państwo polskie, rządzących, "wszystko, co Polskę stanowi" oraz wszystkie narody świata, "a zwłaszcza te, które stały się sprawcami naszego polskiego krzyża".
W akcie znajdowało się także wyznanie:
Przepraszamy Cię za narodowe grzechy społeczne, za wszelkie wady, nałogi i zniewolenia. Wyrzekamy się złego ducha i wszystkich jego spraw. Pokornie poddajemy się Twemu Panowaniu i Twemu Prawu. Zobowiązujemy się porządkować całe nasze życie osobiste, rodzinne i narodowe według Twego prawa.
Jutro akt intronizacyjny zostanie odczytany we wszystkich polskich kościołach.
Skąd wziął się pomysł na intronizację?
Idea intronizacji Jezusa sięga pierwszej połowy XX wieku. Kojarzy się ją z wizjami, których miała doświadczyć polska pielęgniarka Rozalia Celakówna. Wewnętrzne głosy miały jej podpowiadać, że Jezus domaga się od polskich władz konkretnych, ściśle sprecyzowanych działań. Jednym z nich miało być uznanie go królem Polski. Był to konieczny warunek ocalenia kraju w obliczu zbliżającej się wojny. CZYTAJ WIĘCEJ>>>
Jak Episkopat oceniał pomysł intronizacji?
Episkopat w marcu 2008 roku twierdził, że ogłaszanie Chrystusa Królem Polski jest "niewłaściwe i niepotrzebne", a w 2012 r. uważali jeszcze, że "nie trzeba Chrystusa ogłaszać Królem, wprowadzać Go na tron". Zmienili jednak zdanie. W styczniu 2016 roku bp Andrzej Czaja oświadczył: „Stwierdziliśmy, że uznanie przez wspólnotę ojczysta panowania Jezusa Chrystusa nad nią jest teologicznie dopuszczalne”. | {
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Del. drops concealed weapon charge against engineer
Cris Barrish | The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal
WILMINGTON, Del. — Prosecutors dropped a felony charge of carrying a concealed firearm Monday against an engineer whose Tennessee firearm permit expired when he obtained a Delaware driver's license.
Jeremy Preston, 33, of Middletown, Del., who said he was enduring a "Second Amendment nightmare," told The News Journal about his June arrest.
"It's definitely a load off my back, that's for sure," Preston said after getting the news from his lawyer.
Preston said he soon would take the necessary steps to get the arrest expunged from his record in hopes of salvaging his career designing efficiency systems for nuclear plants.
Since his June 17 arrest, he has been prohibited from entering the Peach Bottom nuclear plant in York County, Pa., and has been working from his company's office in Wilmington.
Although the Delaware Attorney General's Office initially had instructed Middletown police to file a charge against Preston that could have put him behind bars for up to eight years, state prosecutor Mark Denney said a more thorough review of the facts persuaded authorities to drop the case.
A scheduled preliminary hearing in New Castle County Court of Common Pleas here will no longer be necessary, said Denney, who said his office will file the paperwork with the court.
Echoing state Prosecutor Kathleen M. Jennings, who had urged Preston to call her to try to resolve the case, Denney said his office did not want "a stupid mistake" to burden Preston with a felony conviction.
"This was not something that needed to be treated as a violent felony or someone who had a horrible criminal history," Denney said.
Denney said prosecutors will propose that Preston not try to retrieve the .40-caliber Glock pistol taken from him until he gets a Delaware concealed-carry permit.
Preston countered that he won't get such a permit because he won't ever "drive in Delaware again with a gun in my car."
Although a prison term was unlikely for Preston, who has no criminal record in Delaware and said he had never been arrested previously, he said the arrest has cost him money in legal fees and jeopardized his $100,000-plus-a-year job.
"It's devastating for me," Preston said in the article published Monday. "This is my career. I've spent a long time establishing a reputation as a hardworking engineer and now I get falsely arrested with these bogus charges, and it's pretty serious."
"Some of the damage has been done," Preston said, adding that his employers "are looking at me funny. They don't have time for this. They don't want the hassle. I can't work at a nuclear plant with a felony."
While police reports show that Preston's Tennessee permit to carry a concealed weapon expired when he obtained a Delaware driver's license in December, he contends he never knew that would happen. Tennessee officials never informed him his permit had been canceled.
Preston also said he thought he was protected by a reciprocity agreement between the two states that recognizes each other's concealed handgun carry permits.
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He said he even checked the Delaware Attorney General's Office website to review the state's policy on reciprocity and saw nothing that indicated his Tennessee permit would be invalid if he got a Delaware driver's license.
The Attorney General's Office website says someone with a permit in one of the 18 states with which Delaware has reciprocity agreements can carry a concealed weapon "while visiting or traveling through Delaware." However, it also says out-of-state permit holders "are responsible for knowing and obeying all of Delaware's laws and regulations."
Preston's lawyer, Joseph A. Hurley, said that while authorities had "probable cause to make an arrest," his client did not need to be prosecuted.
It's "roll first and deal with it later," Hurley said of the law enforcement approach in Delaware. "If somebody loses their job, that's too bad. That's the way the system works."
Preston said he got the concealed carry permit last year while living in Tennessee because he drives nice cars and fears getting carjacked or robbed.
When he was transferred to Peach Bottom in spring 2012, Preston returned to the Middletown home that he bought in 2006 but had been renting while he worked in other states.
At that point, he checked the attorney general's website and saw information about the reciprocity agreement.
Preston said he pays taxes in both Delaware and Tennessee but lists Tennessee as his home on his federal tax forms and considers it his permanent residence.
In December, he bought a new car and wanted to register it in Delaware rather than drive to Tennessee. After his insurer was told he needed a Delaware driver's license to register the car, he obtained one Dec. 13.
He did not run into problems in two previous traffic stops in New Castle County and Philadelphia. Both times Preston said he showed officers his gun and permit and was allowed to drive off with his weapon.
But when he was pulled over about 1:30 a.m. June 16 for speeding, Middletown police learned that his Tennessee concealed carry permit was attached to a person's driver's license. So by surrendering his Tennessee driver's license to get one in Delaware, he invalidated his Tennessee gun permit.
The officer kept the gun and said he had to check with the Attorney General's Office to see if criminal charges were warranted, Preston said.
Preston drove home, but the day after the traffic stop, the Attorney General's Office instructed police to get an arrest warrant for Preston on the felony charge. | {
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NEW DELHI: A premier think tank on Friday said that there is a sense of uncertainty in the business confidence of Indian firms since the demonetisation drive last year.Delhi-based National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in a report said that besides demonetisation, firms’ confidence also got hit by the expected roll out of the Goods and Services Tax ( GST ).“While firms experienced restoration of normalcy in terms of the availability of cash but the then impending implementation GST had also increased wariness about the impact on business,” NCAER said in its latest quarterly Business Expectations Survey.The survey elicits responses from firms/industries across six cities to assess business sentiments and represented in terms of ownership type, industry sector and firm size based on their annual turnovers.The survey showed that the NCAER Business Confidence Index (N-BCI) fell 2.5% in July 2017 over April 2017 on a quarter-on-quarter basis.The business sentiments survey was carried out in June before the GST implementation.Indian economy grew 5.7% in the April- June quarter, slowest in three years, as de-stocking activities undertaken by manufacturers ahead of GST rollout and lingering impact of demonetisation hit economic activity.“The N-BCI has shown large swings since de-monetisation was implemented on November 8, 2016,” the think tank said.In January 2017, the N-BCI fell 16% before improving 24.6% in April 2017 on a q-o-q basis.“The aggregate change of N-BCI in July 2017 had significant variation across regions, sectors, firm sizes and ownership types, thereby reflecting a sense of uncertainty,” it added.The large variation in the business sentiments of firms across sectors in July was evident in the index of consumer durables and the intermediate goods sectors which improved 20% and 1.7%, respectively, on a quarterly basis.The BCI of the capital goods and consumer non-durables sectors declined by 13.5% and 10.3%, respectively. The BCI of the services sector showed a fall of 5.3% between April and July 2017.Overall, as per the survey, sentiments regarding production, domestic sales, exports, imports of raw materials, and pre-tax profits remained subdued in July over April. These subdued sentiments were broad-based with all the sectors showing declining trends between the two quarters.GST was rolled out on July 1.“There was a considerable deterioration in the situation pertaining to labour employment and wages over the last three months, and expectations about future labour employment and wages were further subdued,” the report showed.On the political front too, the outlook was subdued as expectations pertaining to seven of the eight components showed deterioration in sentiments over the last quarter.The components showing significant decrease in positive responses in the order of magnitude of change in percentage points were: external trade negotiations, pushing the economic reforms forward, managing conducive political climate, managing government finances, managing the overall economic growth, managing inflation , and managing unemployment.Only the eighth component-‘managing the exchange rate’ showed an increase in the percentage of positive responses. | {
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I think it was supposed to be a flannel shirt. Though, not a flannel shirt that looked anything like the one I drew. Hm. I blame my cold.
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On all sides of an argument, advocates push ridiculous extremes.
Take the conservative push against windmills, which hopefully reached some kind of zenith last year when Alan Jones, appearing on on ABC’s Q&A, pulled a “swifty” on the cost of wind. After he was picked up by Melbourne PhD student Dylan McConnell in this factcheck on the Conversation, Alan acknowledged he exaggerated wind costs by a mere 1000%.
Dylan’s diligence spurred ABC’s Q&A to adopt a commitment to fact-checking via “the Con”.
Alan is far from the worst offender. My predecessor as Chair of Geology at the University of Melbourne, Ian Plimer, has a long history of mixing it with the best. At about the same time as Alan admitted his gross exaggeration, Ian posted on the libertarian website Cataxally Files.
Ian was spruiking yet another book “Heaven and Hell: The Pope condemns the poor to eternal poverty”, aimed at debunking what he regards a pitiful waste on a misguided attempt to solve a non-issue. The title of Ian’s Cataxally Files piece proclaims renewables contribute 0.0% to the New South Wales electricity generation. His specific target was wind.
For the record, AEMO data shows that in 2015 wind dispatched 1691 GWhours onto the grid, or 2.7% of the total electricity generated in NSW, including small-scale distributed solar PV generation.
A small number yes, but 0% definitely not.
For the record, in 2015 rooftop solar contributed around 1.9% of the total NSW generation, hydro another 2.9% and large scale solar about 0.3%. So renewables in fact contributed about 7.8% of the electricity generated in NSW in 2015.
So, in this weird world of exaggerated advocacy Ian would appear the master, trumping Alan by an infinite margin.
It’s not just the conservative side of politics that pushes the limits of credibility on energy matters. The renewables crowd is often way off-beam when it comes to costs.
PV costs are coming down for sure, and while wind would easily beat coal on cost, if the latter were required to capture and store CO2, you can’t run an electricity system with just wind and PV alone. At least, not like the one we are accustomed to.
Renewable grids are expensive to build in part because of what we have come to expect, and demand, from our energy system in terms of reliability. And to deliver that security is going to cost.
In water stressed environments, such as Australia, where hydro resources are limited, backup options remain very expensive, as evidenced by the SolarReserve’s recently commissioned Crescent Dunes plant. Crescent Dunes is a concentrating solar thermal power plant with 1.1 GWhours of molten salt storage allowing 10 hours of dispatch at full power (110 MW). The design output is expected to average a modest 55 MW (or 482 GWhours per year).
The catch is Crescent Dunes was financed with a massive US$737 million loan guarantee for an output equivalent to about one-quarter of one percent of demand on the Australian National Energy Market - the NEM.
At two to three times the cost of generating the same amount of energy from wind, that’s a high overhead to pay for reliability.
Such costs are just one barrier to making the transition to low emissions energy systems needed to curb the global threat of climate change.
In energy-only markets such as the NEM, there are structural impediments. Low emissions options such as renewables and nuclear have the paradoxical role of suppressing market clearing prices, as for example illustrated by Dylan’s work.
Such markets are deliberately sensitised to the short-run cost of producing electricity which for fossil plant includes the fuel bill. With no fuel bill, renewables have low short-run costs. Rather, much like nuclear, the cost in renewables is mostly up front in the “cap-ex”.
Investors know all this. They need to recoup more than the long-run cost of generation. And they can’t invest in a market where spot prices are significantly depressed by the very technology they are delivering, unless otherwise incentivised.
So to build low emissions technologies, we need incentives, such as the RET. And those incentives have to be paid for, one way or another, or nothing is going to happen.
Both the Government and the Opposition know all this, and no doubt it’s again going to be a key point of departure in the debate leading up to the next election.
Already primed by the previous Prime Minster, the conservatives will target the Oppositon’s ambition for a 50% Renewable target by 2030 claiming it will cost the budget around $80 billion.
It’s of some interest that those estimates are in the same ballpark as the commitment to build our next fleet of defence submarines. Even the recently announced next warship build in Adelaide hits the budget bottom line by around $40 billion.
So just what are we trying to do with our windmills and our warships?
I doubt any serious minded person would pretend any warships and submarines we will build are capable, on their own, of protecting Australia.
The chance is the same any windmills we build could effect a change in climate - just about “Buckley’s”.
So why bother with either?
With warships we bother because they manifest our contribution to a global security effort. It is the combined power of a set of allies that we trust will avert perceived defence threats.
Similarly, only a global effort can effect peace with our climate.
So why should it be either windmills or warships?
I’d rather there were no security threats, just as I’d rather there wasn’t the prospect of anthropogenic global warming. But my knowledge of human history and my reading of the geological record tell me, in both cases, there is. So both would seem to be part of a rational global solution.
So are windmills (or nuclear, solar thermal or Carbon capture and storage) really any less in the national interest than warships, given the threats?
Not to me.
Notes
[1] The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates total system levelised cost for CSP, PV and wind as US$240 per MWhour, US$120 per MWhour and US$74 per MWhour, respectively (in 2013 prices). | {
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At long last, Valve has confirmed that Linux ports of both Steam and the Source engine are in active development, and should be released later this year. These are native solutions that run directly on Linux, without any kind of Wine-like emulation. Left 4 Dead 2 will be the first Source-based title on Linux, but once the engine has been successfully ported other AAA games will surely follow.
Now, the usual port of call is to wax lyrical about how Steam on Linux could finally kick start desktop adoption. Linux might have plenty of productivity apps and utilities, but Windows’ dominion when it comes to games is often cited as one of the key reasons for the failure of desktop Linux. With the Source engine coming to Linux, and assuming developers actually take the time to build Linux versions of their games, rebooting into Windows to play games — or incessant fiddling with Wine or Cedega — could become a thing of the past. This could be it for desktop Linux!
Let’s be serious, though — Linux won’t flourish on the desktop unless Microsoft monumentally messes up. It would seem, though — at least according to Valve co-founder Gabe Newell — that Windows 8 might actually be bad enough for Linux to step in and take the desktop PC reins.
Speaking to Michael Larabel of Phoronix, Gabe Newell expressed “stunning negativity” for Windows 8 and the future of Microsoft. On the flip side, after speaking positively about Linux for hours, Larabel quips that Newell could be “the director of the Linux Foundation.”
While Newell doesn’t say it outright, his comments to Larabel and the timing of Steam and Source for Linux could hint that Valve isn’t confident about the future of gaming on Windows. Linux ports have been in the works for years — and yet now, just a couple of months after the release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, a working version of L4D2 for Linux appears.
We’re no strangers when it comes to critically analyzing Windows 8. There’s no getting around the fact that desktop PCs — and thus gaming PCs — are an afterthought in Windows 8. Matthew Murray, perhaps portentously, even went as far as saying that Windows 8 might drive him to Linux. It’s a little bit extreme to suggest that Windows 8 will be so awful that gamers will flee en masse to Linux, but Valve obviously wants to be first off the boat if such a sea change occurs.
Another possibility is that Linux will power Valve’s “open hardware platform” Steam Box video game console, which it recently confirmed is in development. Valve isn’t a hardware or an operating system developer, so starting with a known quantity such as Linux would make a lot of sense. | {
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Larry Pratt, the longtime leader of the right-of-the-NRA Gun Owners of America, who is now the group’s executive director emeritus, suggested in a radio interview last week that Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg, who has since become an outspoken proponent of gun law reform, was an actor, saying that “little twerp” Hogg is “right out of central casting, in fact he may be.”
Pratt appeared on an April 24 episode of former Missouri Republican state representative Cynthia Davis’ podcast “Home Front with Cynthia Davis.”
Davis asked Pratt about his thoughts on Hogg, falsely asserting that “he wasn’t even there when the tragedy occurred,” a reference to conspiracy theories stemming from an out-of-context quote from Hogg in a CBS documentary.
“According to what he said himself, he was either in a classroom in another building, away from the shooter, or he got on his bicycle and rode to school when he heard there was a shooting going on, so he can’t even tell the same story about what he was doing in the same rather memorable time frame,” Pratt claimed.
“I can tell you exactly what I was doing and where I was when I heard on the radio that the World Trade Center had actually collapsed because of the plane that hit it,” he continued. “I’ll never forget that, I know exactly where I was, and this little twerp can’t even remember what he was doing at that rather equivalent moment in his life? I don’t think this guy could tell the truth if he had a gun at his head.”
“And he’s called a survivor, a Parkland survivor, which isn’t an accurate word either,” Davis said. “Unless you were shot at, I don’t know if that fits, being called a survivor.”
“I think you’re right,” Pratt responded, “it’s just for the dramatic effect. The media is having a field day, this guy’s right out of central casting, in fact he may be. Who knows. His daddy’s an FBI agent, and that certainly would give me some pause in considering the motives of this young man.” | {
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A MIT Innovator under 35 is “Increasing crop yields by applying scientific knowledge to Bee Pollination”
About Beeflow
“Beeflow is a company that generates and applies scientific knowledge to improve crop yields with bees. We provide professionalized pollination services. With a team built by pollination and bee health scientists we can increase between 20-90% crop yields. Beeflow’s pollination service increases beekeeper’s income as well. Bee-hives are transported and safeguarded on fields within scientific standards to avoid any health problem. We can help to reduce bee population decline. Science-based solutions regarding pollination efficiency and bee health are also being developed.” Source
Key links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matiasviel/
http://www.beeflow.co
https://monolyths.kickoffpages.com/
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The "big announcement" from Ford Motor Co. F, -0.68% that President Donald Trump tweeted about earlier Tuesday, highlighting "JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!," was Ford saying it would "create or retain" 130 jobs as it expands capacity at the Romeo Engine Plant in Michigan. That was part of Ford's plan to invest a total of $1.2 billion in three Michigan plants: $850 million to retool Michigan Assembly Plant to build Ford Ranger vehicles, starting at the end of 2018, and to build Ford Bronco vehicles in 2020; $150 million to expand capacity for engine components for several vehicles at Romeo Engine Plant; and $200 million to support a previously announced data center it was building. In January, Ford said it was spending $700 million and adding 700 new jobs at its Flat Rock Assembly Plant. Ford's announcement Tuesday come less than a week after the automaker provided a first-quarter profit outlook that was below expectations, and less than two weeks after announcing a $642 million investment in a German plant that makes Ford Focus vehicles. The stock rose 0.8% in morning trade, after tumbling 9.8% over the previous seven sessions. The stock has now lost 4.9% year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX, -1.11% has gained 4.6%. | {
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In this episode I discuss my notes on Denver's big come-from-behind over the New Orleans Pelicans and all of the interesting things that happened at Pepsi Center Friday night. Torrey Craig got called up from the G-league in the middle of the night and 24 hours later he's getting his first NBA start. Mason Plumlee out-dueled DeMarcus Cousins in the 4th quarter and overtime. And Trey Lyles has Nuggets fans dreaming big as he continues to make everything he puts up.
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Leave a rating and review on iTunes
Simply open your iPhone and log on to the Apple Podcasts app
Find the search icon at the bottom and search for “Locked on Nuggets”
Click on the Locked on Nuggets icon
Scroll down to Ratings and Reviews
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Sign up to FREE email alerts from hinckleytimes - weekly Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email
A new multi-agency campaign across Hinckley and Bosworth is seeking to encourage male victims of sexual abuse to come forward.
The initiative set up by Leicestershire Police and county support organisations hopes to help victims who might otherwise suffer in silence.
In the past year 141 offences of rape and sexual assault against men have been reported to Leicestershire Police, but research suggests this is just the tip of the iceberg with most offences going unreported.
By contrast the same period saw 900 reports from women.
Detective Inspector Reme Gibson, from the police’s signal rape investigation team, said: “We know significantly less men report sexual crime to the police and other agencies compared to females. There may be lots of reasons behind that, they may question their sexuality or even their masculinity.
“It is always going to be a difficult call for anyone, regardless of sex, to come forward and speak to a stranger about an intimate crime plus there is fear of the police and the courts. We want to tell men who may have suffered sexual abuse they are not alone and there is a lot of support out there whether that is in seeking justice through the courts, professional counselling or just telling someone your story.
“We are not working alone, we are working with agencies such as Trade Sexual Health, First Step and the Leicester LGBT to provide a holistic service.”
Police have been successful in bringing prosecutions against abusers and victims are being assured there is no time limit on coming forward.
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The campaign has been backed by ‘Jon’, an abuse survivor who was physically and sexually assaulted from the age of three to 16 by an older brother.
Jon said: “He controlled my whole childhood and has stolen that part of my life away from me. I felt in constant fear. For years and years I hid everything I went through, I didn’t tell anybody.
“When he got convicted it gave me a lot of closure. Find somebody to talk to because you are not alone.”
First Step is a charity which works with male survivors and their supporters.
Cas Beckett from the charity said: “We help survivors take the ‘first step’ towards feeling less isolated through making their own choices.
“Everyone has the right to be respected, to be believed and to live in a safe environment. We can help individuals achieve that.”
Contact Leicestershire Police on 101, or First Step on 0116 254 8535. | {
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Aethuran Dark Saga - A Dark Fantasy Audio Fiction
12 From the shadows within
Oct 07, 2018 Season 1 Episode 14
P. D Usher
After the events in Eastwold, Oryn awakes to find himself in the Shalewood, Lathias concludes his time within the bridge of Nhelm.
Follow on Twitter Subscribe on itunes Subscribe on Android Link to Kevin's patreon https://www.patreon.com/kmacleod link to Kevin's work https://incompetech.com/wordpress/
Support the show (https://patreon.com/Aethuran?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=creatorshare) | {
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Kitava Down! by Zoos716
Fan Art by garbagekeeper
The Sacred Kuduku Ritual by TheMuzzak
Solaris and Lunaris by QueenNie
Fairgraves and Weylam Roth sharing a drink with a Harbinger by Desadaptado2
Fan Art by yy6241
We haven't included all of the awesome submissions we've received so far, so if you see something missing from this post, don't lose heart! We'll be posting more highlights leading up to the winner's post at the end of the competition. It's been only a week since the beginning of The Fall of Oriath Fan Art Competition , but we've already received many amazing entries. Today we'd like to share some of them with you. For those of you who'd like to participate in this competition and to win some cool prizes including microtransactions, comic books and Chaos Orb T-shirts, we remind that you have three more weeks to submit your fan art!We haven't included all of the awesome submissions we've received so far, so if you see something missing from this post, don't lose heart! We'll be posting more highlights leading up to the winner's post at the end of the competition. | {
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Staten Island Advance
Staten Islanders haven't had it easy, but at least these 10 things are no more.
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Staten Island Advance
The repeatedly vandalized Boardwalk no one wanted to visit.
Visit the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk and you'll have no problem walking the entire 2.5-mile span. That wasn't always the case: The boardwalk was previously a hotspot for crime, discarded syringes, burned-out cars, and frequent fires. That all changed when efforts to repair and regularly maintain the site occurred in the mid-1990s. It completely reopened in 1997.
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Staten Island Advance
The New Springville DMV
No one likes visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles, but if you think it's a hassle now, it was much worse a few decades ago. The second-floor facility in New Springville opened for business there in 1982, and a visit there almost guaranteed a painfully long wait. In 1997, the Advance learned that not even the DMV liked this space. The agency moved to Travis a year later.
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Staten Island Advance
The abandoned highway
The unused overpass that spanned the Staten Island Expressway near the Slosson Avenue exits was removed in 2012. The overpass would have been part of the Richmond Parkway envisioned by master builder Robert Moses, according to Advance archives.
The photo here shows construction proceeding in 1963. Work on the Parkway and the Willowbrook Expressway, its twin, was stopped two years later due to economic and political pressures. The overpass never carried traffic.
It was removed to extend the bus and HOV lane from Clove Road to the Victory Boulevard exit.
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Staten Island Advance
Fresh Kills landfill
The most disgusting place in the world was perhaps right in our backyard. If Hell had a scent, it would be the Fresh Kills landfill during the summer. From 1947 to 2001, Staten Island was synonymous with hulking mounds of rotting trash, hungry birds, and a dreadful stench.
We revisited a portion of New Springville 10 years after the dump closed and spoke to a neighbor who recalled its awful presence: "Every summer it used to stink. Now it's like it was never there. Now kids could play outside."
Good riddance!
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Staten Island Advance
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge two-way toll
Motorists used to have to pay to get on AND off the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. The two-way toll was in place when the bridge opened in 1964, until 1986. Pictured here are the unused toll boothes still in place nearly 25 years after the two-way toll ended. They were removed in 2010.
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The Staten Island Ferry fare
The Staten Island Ferry wasn't always free. For about a century, the boat required a small fee to board: The 50-cent fare ended at the stroke of midnight on July 5, 1997.
Then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in the spring that year that a free ferry is strictly a matter of equity and good budgeting, the Advance reported. It was also an election year, which prompted some chatter about Giuliani making the move prior to Election Day. That wasn't the case, he said.
"I made the decision based on the fact that people in Staten Island and the other boroughs outside Manhattan have for years been complaining about two-fare zones,'' Giuliani said. "This is a problem that goes back to when I was a little boy. And now we've solved that problem working with the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority).''
One of the first riders to board the first free ferry was Stuart Shenkman, who, according to Advance archives, carried a bottle of champagne through the turnstile with him, shouting, "It's free! It's free!''
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Staten Island Advance
Waiting for the train to pass ...
Staten Islanders have enough to deal with when it comes to traffic. This 1950 photo of Lincoln Avenue in Grant City shows the type of railroad crossing that disappeared throughout the Island, for good, about 50 years ago. The former Corner House is visible on the left.
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Staten Island Advance
Overgrowth on Woodrow Road
Motorists who travel Woodrow Road might know this best. As the story goes, a fenced-in, extremely overgrown property was home to mosquitoes, rats and other rodents. Residents routinely complained, and after some time, the area was transformed into asphalt for the road.
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Staten Island Advance
The horrors of Willowbrook State School.
Willowbrook State School once operated on the grounds where the College of Staten Island exists today. The former site was home to arguably the darkest moments in Staten Island history.
The state-operated center for the developmentally disabled was over capacity by approximately 2,000 patients; conditions were inhumane; abuse was rampant. Following national exposure and outrage in the early 1970s, the state took great measures to improve Willowbrook and end abuse.
On March 17, 1972, a class-action suit was filed against New York state and then-Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller for the deplorable conditions and negligence suffered by patients at Willowbrook, according to Advance archives.
The lawsuit led to the 1975 signing of the Willowbrook Consent Decree, a state law that reformed the housing and care of the developmentally disabled in New York and the nation.
In 1987, Willowbrook — which was eventually renamed the Staten Island Developmental Center — closed.
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Staten Island Advance
No tokens, please.
The MetroCard made its debut in 1993, but didn't go mainstream until the mid-1990s, ultimately taking the token and putting it "next to the buggy whip and trolley car," as the Advance wrote in 1995. The classic token became a thing of the past when the MTA discontinued the longtime coin in 2003. | {
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The European Union was in disarray tonight after its 27 leaders failed to reach agreement on a new €970bn budget at a two-day summit which collapsed amid acrimony.
David Cameron was accused of trying to “blackmail” other EU leaders but he was not the only stumbling block to a deal for 2014-20 and did not need to wield his veto. Crucially, there was no agreement between France, anxious to preserve farm subsidies, and Germany, which backed Britain’s call for deeper EU spending cuts along with the Netherlands and Sweden.
At a Brussels press conference, Mr Cameron fired another broadside at EU bodies after he failed to win cuts in the administration budget. “EU institutions simply have to adjust to the real world. Brussels continues to exist as if it is in a parallel universe,” he said. He complained that “not a single euro” of savings from the generous pay and perks of Brussels officials had been proposed, which was “insulting to European taxpayers.”
The Prime Minister, who argued for cuts of about €50bn over the seven-year budget period, said Britain and its allies had “stopped what would have been an unacceptable deal”.
He also preserved Britain’s €3.6bn-a-year rebate on its EU contributions, which came under attack from several countries. Mr Cameron claimed that he had seen off an attempt to isolate the UK by uniting all the other 26 EU members against it. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, halted that idea in its tracks.
European leaders will resume talks on the budget early next year. To retain Germany’s support, Mr Cameron will be under pressure to approve plans for banking union in the eurozone at another EU summit next month.
The Prime Minister again raised the prospect of a referendum on Britain’s relationship with the EU. He said the “new settlement” that would follow the euro crisis would bring opportunities for “new consent,” adding: “I support our membership of the EU but I don’t support the status quo.”
British officials blamed the summit’s collapse on the negotiating strategy of Herman van Rompuy, who chaired the talks as President of the European Council. One claimed he had botched it, making little progress in his one-to-one talks with individual leaders and restricting the scope for discussion between the 27 leaders.
Brussels sources hit back, saying there was an unbridgeable gap among countries who are net contributors to the EU budget –notably France and Germany. Mr Van Rompuy tried to reach a compromise by switching money from investment projects to farm subsidies and grants to poor regions but failed to build momentum towards a deal.
Dismissing Mr Cameron’s latest attack on the Brussels bureaucracy, sources insisted Mr Van Rompuy and Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, did not have a veto on the budget. They said administration accounted for only 6 per cent of EU spending, that €6bn had been cut since 2004 and staffing was being reduced by 5 per cent.
François Hollande, the President of France, said: “At past budget summits we tended to see an alliance between France, Germany and Britain to reduce the size of it. The fact there was a change in May [with his election as President] meant our positions were not as unanimous. Today the most uncompromising [countries] are talking about [cuts of] €30bn. These are not insurmountable amounts.”
Hannes Swoboda, president of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats which includes Labour MEPs, said: “It is unacceptable that the majority of member countries are letting themselves be blackmailed by David Cameron who is permanently threatening to block progress in the EU. The British Prime Minister, who is considering leading the UK out of the EU, is having more impact on the future of the EU than those who are committed to strengthening the EU and fulfilling their obligations.”
Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian Prime Minister and leader of the European Parliament group that includes the British Liberal Democrats, said the UK rebate should be abolished. He said: “It is not necessary to isolate Cameron. He isolates himself.” | {
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opinion
Bankole: Children now lead gun debate
School children are finally speaking out with courage as politicians have failed to take common-sense action on assault rifles, action that might have prevented the massacre that claimed 17 lives recently at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
And when grown-ups abdicate their responsibilities or drop the ball on finding a permanent solution to address the easy access to war weapons — like the AR-15 used at the Florida school — children are forced to become the adults.
We got a taste of how America’s children really feel about this issue during their visit to Washington last week days after witnessing a madman take away the precious lives of their friends and teachers at their school. These innocent students came to the nation’s capital to make a frank case about their plight.
Declaring “never again” and “we will not be silenced,” the students and others from around the nation who joined them in a show of solidarity demonstrated in front of the White House and some later met with President Trump.
Their demand is simple: ban automatic weapons that have the propensity to kills dozens of people within minutes. These weapons should not be near schools.
Their demand is not new. What is new is their voice.
We’ve never heard them so loud and clear. That is why their bold decision to petition their government for a change on an issue that has become so divisive in Congress is taking a lot of politicians in Washington by surprise.
The students are not Democrats or Republicans. They are not speakers at the National Rifle Association conventions. They are children who want their schools to be free of assault weapons, because schools are supposed to be safe and conducive environments for learning. They should not be war zones. They should not be killing fields.
This debate has never been about questioning the Second Amendment. It is about whether schools are now going to be war zones instead of centers of academic excellence.
Members of Congress have a choice to make, and these students are forcing them to decide on which side they will stand on this issue.
Absent of making the students’ demands a reality, we risk making our schools war zones and that will force some parents to think twice about sending their kids to school. As the students vowed, what happened in Florida should not repeat itself.
We should applaud these students for their courage, because what they are doing is not only a memory to their friends who died, but is also a powerful tribute to the memory of every other student in the past who has died because a gunman had access to assault rifles.
“We would like to know, why do we have to be the ones to do this?” is how Ryan Deitsch, one of the Parkland survivors, put it to Sen. Marco Rubio during a Feb. 21 CNN town hall.
Another student, Emma Gonzalez, told a rally this week in Fort Lauderdale: “To every politician who is taking donations from the NRA, shame on you. Politicians who sit in their gilded House and Senate seats funded by the NRA telling us nothing could have ever been done to prevent this, we call B.S.”
If the adults in Washington are willing to sit and do nothing, students will lead the charge toward changes to our gun laws. They won’t allow their schools to be war zones anymore.
The response of these students reads like the biblical prophesy, “And a little child shall lead them,” because politicians have decided their alliances are more important than guaranteeing the safety of all children.
[email protected]
Catch “Redline with Bankole Thompson” weekdays at noon on Superstation 910AM. | {
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Easy Guide to Vegan Organic Fertilizers
If you’re new to veganic gardening and searching for alternatives to blood, bone and other so-called “organic” fertilizers, then this list of eco-friendly soil amendments will strengthen and support your green thumb.
Making or purchasing a nutrient-rich mix of vegan organic fertilizers to help your garden thrive is a simple and sustainable way to enrich your soil without compromising your ethics.
I’ve organized this list of veganic fertilizers into the following categories:
– Ready made (those that you can find in your local store or online)
– Low cost (cover crops, Epsom salts, etc., that require a small purchase, but are worth the output)
– Free and fabulous (what you’ll find in your backyard, or compost bin)
– Fertilizers to use sparingly
So let’s get gardening!
Veganic Fertilizers: Store Bought
Veganic Fertilizers: Low Cost
Veganic Fertilizers: Homemade/Free
Veganic Fertilizers: To use Sparingly
These lists are intended as resources rather than lists of specific recommendations.
If you choose to use soy, cotton or alfalfa meal we would highly recommend finding an organic source as conventional sources of these crops are usually heavily sprayed and genetically modified.
If you’re interested in simplifying the process and picking up a pre-made fertilizer blend, then I’ve listed a number of veganic products you can find online or at your local garden store below:
Warning: Most of these companies are not strictly vegan, so read the labels and if it doesn’t have a vegan organic guarantee it’s best to pass.
Grow Veganic: Steady 5 – 1 – 2
“Steady gives your plants a gentle boost of nutrients and energy so they’ll be happy, healthy, and productive. It also helps rebuild depleted soils because it is rich in organic matter and carbon. So besides fertilizing your plants, it is an excellent soil conditioner.” Ingredients:
Alfalfa, Peanut Meal, Mixed Beans, Fermented Grain.
Grow Veganic: Zippy 7-1-1
“Zippy gives your plants a fast acting, concentrated nutrient boost. Use for planting seeds, transplanting, or anytime your garden needs a quick nutrient boost.” Ingredients:
Fermented Grain Solids.
Lady Bug Cottonseed Meal 7-2-1 vegan organic fertilizer
Ingredients: Ground cottonseeds. No filler. Waste not, want not.This natural fertilizer is made from the waste products of cotton farming instead of throwing the nutrients out in the landfill, farmers found a way to turn their scraps into plant food. Garden Pep Cottonseed Meal is an old-fashioned fertilizer, similar to fertilizers that our grandparents used on the garden and farmland.
Growmore Vegetarian 5-2-2
Grow More Vegetarian formula is part of the Natural Organic Fertilizers line specifically designed for your organic growing needs. Contains no animal, fish or poultry products. Made with cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, kelp meal and soft rock phosphate. 5-2-2 Formulation.
FloraBlend Vegan Compost Tea (.5-1-1)
(From General Hydroponics)
FloraBlend is a compost tea that is fermented from a proprietary blend of plant materials, plus seaweed, rock powders and micronized leonardite.
Yum Yum Mix 2-1-1
Available in 4.5 lb shakers, 5 lb, 12 lb, 25 lb & 40 lb bags.
Includes:
Alfalfa Meal: Nitrogen; Vitamins-A, B, E, carotene, thiamine, biotin, pantothenic acid, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, choline; 16 amino acids, co-enzymes, sugars, starches, protein fiber
Cottonseed Meal: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium
Kelp Meal: Nitrogen; Potassium; Vitamins-A, B, B2 , C, calcium, pantothenate, niacin, folic acid; minerals-barium, boron, calcium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, sodium, strontium, sulfur, zinc; 17 amino acids
Greensand: Iron, Potassium, Silicate, Phosphorus, 30 trace elements
Rock Dust: Calcium, Sulfur, Magnesium, Boron, Cobalt
Rock Phosphate: Phosphorus, Calcium, Trace Elements
Humate: Salts of Humic Acid “ improve soil characteristics and aids in releasing other nutrients to plants in usable forms
Dry Molasses: Carbohydrates, Sugars, Trace Elements feeds and attracts beneficial soil organisms – Yum Yum Mix
Down to Earth Vegan Mix 3-2-2
Available in a 6lb box and a 25lb bag.
Contains soybean meal, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, rock phosphate, sul-po-mag, stonemeal and greensand.
VeganVeggie Annual Soil Amendment for Vegetable Gardens (Vegan formulation)
Available in: 1 lb., 2 lb., 10 lb., and 15 lb.
It is designed to bring your pH to neutral, which is the ideal environment for vegetable gardening, and it will pay for itself by producing a more flavorful and more abundant crop. You will experience more veggies per plant and superior flavor. – Sweet Corn Organic Nursery
VeganPepe Organic Fertilizer for Pepper Plants (Vegan formulation)
VeganPepe is rich with a non-animal protein source of nitrogen, soft-rock phosphorus and other trace minerals, as well as a beautiful combination of other Vegan-approved organic soil amendments that are perfect for pepper plants. – Sweet Corn Organic Nursery
VeganMator “ Organic Fertilizer for Tomato Plants (Vegan formulation)
VeganMator provides the proper nitrogen to phosphorus ratio for tomatoes. – Sweet Corn Organic Nursery
VeganSea Water Soluble Seaweed Powder
This product is also the perfect soil amendment for addressing soil deficiencies, and it has a multitude of other benefits as well. Among these are that it will help create an environment in the soil that will help plants survive frost and drought conditions, and because it raises the sugar levels in plants it helps prevent and treat insect and disease problems. It is also the perfect product to use when transplanting because it will help prevent shock and will promote rapid root development. – Sweet Corn Organic Nursery
General Organics BioThrive Grow Plant Food
“BioThrive® Grow Plant Food has a minimum guaranteed NPK analysis of 4-3-4 and is derived from: alfalfa meal, cane sugar, copper sulphate, glacial rock powder, iron sulphate, kieserite, manganese sulphate, molasses, plant extracts, potassium sulphate, rock phosphate, sodium borate, sodium molybdenate, soybean meal, and zinc sulphate. Also contains seaweed and humic acids.” – General Organics BioThrive
General Organics BioThrive Bloom Plant Food
“BioThrive® Bloom Plant Food has a minimum guaranteed NPK analysis of 2-4-4 and is derived from: alfalfa meal, cane sugar, copper sulphate, glacial rock powder, iron sulphate, kieserite, manganese sulphate, molasses, plant extracts, potassium sulphate, rock phosphate, sodium borate, sodium molybdenate, soybean meal, and zinc sulphate. Also contains seaweed and humic acids.” – General Organics BioThrive
Soul Science: Bloom Driver 2-5-6, Emerald City 8-0-0, Garden Wizard 8-8-8, Urban Grow 8-3-1
“Soil Science Products don’t have any animal wastes or bio-solids. They’re perfect for vegans, vegetarians & concerned horticulturists. We use soy meal (or spoon feed with urea and/or ammonium sulfate), soft rock phosphate, mined potassium sulfate and a high percentage of humic shale.” – Soil Science Products
If you know of another company that is putting out purely vegan fertilizer mixes, please let us know so we can add them to this list.
Low cost vegan organic fertilizers
These stock-free fertilizer alternatives are cheaper than buying a pre-made mix, but do require an initial investment.
You might have to spend a small amount of money to get this crop growing, but it’s worth the reasonable investment. Fast-growing plants, such as wheat, oats, rye, vetch, or clover, can be grown as green manure crops before your standard planting, and then tilled into the garden as you ready the beds. Green manure crops absorb and use nutrients from the soil that might otherwise be lost through leaching, then return the nutrients into the soil when they are tilled under. The root system of cover crops also helps improve the soil structure and prevent erosion. Vetch, peas, broad beans (fava beans), and crimson clover are known as nitrogen-fixing crops because they are particularly good at bringing this nutrient back into the soil when they are tilled into the bed. Adding cover crops to your garden during fall and winter will also help reduce weed growth.
Alfalfa meal, Flax Seed Meal, Cottonseed Meal and Soya Meal
All excellent sources of nitrogen.
Epsom Salts
An excellent source of magnesium.
Seaweed (fresh, liquid or meal)
Often used for its trace elements, seaweed is best when harvested fresh from the sea (as opposed to washed up and sitting on beaches.) Some veganic gardeners use bulk kelp meal or spirulina instead (which are sources of potassium and trace minerals).
EM or other Beneficial Micro Organisms
Beneficial micro organisms work harmoniously with plants to increase nutrient availability in the soil, root formation and insect resistance.
Free vegan organic fertilizer
These are my favorite fertilizers because you can create them in your own backyard! I try to use a mix of these soil amendments first, and then add additional veganic ingredients such as wood ash, or spirulina if needed.
Compost
Every good gardener has a great compost pile (if they have the space.) If you’re just beginning, I’ve got a good guide to compost to help you get the most out of your kitchen/yard scraps. A good compost pile is full of wonderful nutrients, nitrogen and beneficial microorganisms to keep your garden going strong. Not only is making your own compost pile easy to do and a free way to feed your garden, it also encourages a strong worm population which is wonderful for your plants.
Vermiculture or Vermicastings (Worm Castings)
Worm castings improve the soil structure and increase fertility. They can be added to your garden without purchasing them from a store (which is obviously harmful to the worms being cultivated for the product), by simply providing the right environment for the worms to thrive in. Re-establishing the natural worm populations in your garden is as easy as providing a cool, damp and dark environment with plenty of nutrients for them to enjoy (compost pile/hay mulch.) If you’re interested in increasing your worm population, this link will help you get started.
Hay Mulches
Mulching is simply covering the ground with a thick layer of organic material. Mulching will not only feed the soil as it breaks down, but will also suppress weeds and encourage worms in your garden. You can do this while plants are growing (as long as you don’t overwhelm the plants) or you can apply mulch when you’re shutting down your garden for the winter.
Compost Teas
You can make wonderful liquid fertilizers with comfrey or nettles and other composting plants. These fertilizers are nitrogen rich, can often be created for free, and your garden will love them. Here are some directions on how to make your own nettle or comfrey compost tea.
Vegan organic fertilizers to use sparingly:
While all of the fertilizers below are stock-free and valuable, they are obtained through mining, so we use them very sparingly or not at all. They are valuable soil amendments though, so if there is a particular deficiency in your soil, which these products will rectify, attempt to use them in small quantities.
You’ll also notice that a number of the ready-made mixes contain some of the ingredients listed below. So if you do choose to purchase a prepackaged mix, make sure to use it sparingly and supplement with compost and other sustainable soil amendments.
Lime
A source of calcium and magnesium, it is also used to help break up heavy clay soil. Calcium is essential for strong plant growth and aids in the intake of other nutrients. Lime can be used to raise the pH level, if your crop requires this.
Gypsum (hydrated calcium sulfate)
Gypsum adds calcium to the soil without raising the pH.
Dolomite
A finely ground rock dust and prized source of calcium and magnesium.
Rock Phosphate
Prized for its high phosphorus content, the primary mineral in phosphate rock is apatite.
Rock Dusts (or Stonemeal)
Containing a blend of different powdered rocks, when mixed with the soil its mineral content is slowly released, revitalizing overworked soils and stimulating microbial activity.
Green Sand
Used as a soil amendment and fertilizer, it has the consistency of sand but 10 times the moisture absorption. Green Sand is mined from deposits of minerals that were originally part of the ocean floor. It is a natural source of potash, along with iron, magnesium, silica and as many as 30 other trace minerals. It may also be used to loosen heavy, clay soils.
Rock Potash/Potassium
Potassium enhances flower and fruit production and helps harden up foliage, making it less susceptible to disease. Rock potash is very slow-acting (it may take years to fully release its minerals). Because the potash is released gradually as the mineral weathers, it is usually used when preparing the soil for planting.
Wood ash
Contains some potassium, phosphate and trace amounts of micro-nutrients such as iron, manganese, boron, copper and zinc. It can have an alkalizing effect on the soil, which many plants do not like, so use it sparingly.
Related Posts:
Beginners Guide to Veganic Gardening
12 Vegan Organic Gardening Tips
What’s Hiding in Your Organic Fertilizer?
Organic Farming Supporting Animal Farms? | {
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A new study from the Oxford Internet Institute claiming that conservatives and Trump supporters are more likely to share so-called “junk news” on social media has a hopelessly slanted methodology, which labels virtually every major conservative news site, ranging from National Review to Breitbart News, as “junk.”
The Oxford study compares the news shared by conservatives and Trump supporters to those shared by progressives, Democrats, and other non-conservative groups. The study claims that on Twitter and Facebook, Trump supporters and the “hard right” share more “junk news” than “all other audiences put together.”
This conclusion makes perfect sense when you look at the list of news sources identified as “junk” by the study’s six researchers.
The list includes:
Breitbart News
The Drudge Report
National Review
The Daily Caller
The American Thinker
InfoWars
Gateway Pundit
World Net Daily
The Federalist
allenbwest.com
Campus Reform
Conservative Treehouse
Danger and Play
CNS News
Newsbusters
Newsmax
Hot Air
Hannity.com
Newsbusters
The Rebel
pamelageller.com
Red State
Truepundit
MRCTV
Frontpage Magazine
Western Journalism
Life News
Washington Free Beacon
Of the 85 “junk news” sites listed by the authors, only 7 — Bipartisan Report, NY Daily News, ShareBlue, Occupy Democrats, Crooks and Liars, Hotpage News, and Odyssey Online — have a clearly left-wing slant. In other words, just 5.95 percent of the sources on the study’s “junk news” list are left-wing.
In other words, the authors’ conclusion that Trump supporters and right-wing pages share more “junk news” than all other groups combined is totally believable. If over 90 percent of the sites on your “junk news” list are conservative, it makes perfect sense!
The researchers have also included items on the list that aren’t even news sites. For example, they include Pastebin, a platform where users can create quick, anonymous posts that can then be linked around the internet. Pastebin is a platform, not a news site. Classifying them as “junk news” is like classifying Blogger or Tumblr as “junk news.” It doesn’t make sense, because they aren’t news.
Other additions are similarly bizarre: Rasmussen Reports, one of America’s most respected polling organizations, somehow made it onto the list. Again, not a news site, but also not “junk” by any definition of the word.
Another site on the list, “mostdamagingwikileaks.com” isn’t a news site either, but a landing page featuring information about Wikileaks and a list of their highest-profile releases during the 2016 election campaign. Given that none of those leaks have been debunked, it’s again unclear how the site can be classified as “junk.”
The authors claim that sites on their “junk news” list must fail on on at least three of the following five criteria:
Professionalism: These outlets do not employ the standards and best practices of professional journalism. They refrain from providing clear information about real authors, editors, publishers and owners. They lack transparency, accountability, and do not publish corrections on debunked information. Style: These outlets use emotionally driven language with emotive expressions, hyperbole, ad hominem attacks, misleading headlines, excessive capitalization, unsafe generalizations and fallacies, moving images, graphic pictures and mobilizing memes. Credibility: These outlets rely on false information and conspiracy theories, which they often employ strategically. They report without consulting multiple sources and do not employ fact-checking methods. Their sources are often untrustworthy and their standards of news production lack credibility. Bias: Reporting in these outlets is highly biased and ideologically skewed, which is otherwise described as hyper-partisan reporting. These outlets frequently present opinion and commentary essays as news. • Counterfeit: These outlets mimic professional news media. They counterfeit fonts, branding and stylistic content strategies. Commentary and junk content is stylistically disguised as news, with references to news agencies, and credible sources, and headlines written in a news tone, with bylines, date, time and location stamps.
The authors do not explain how they were able to determine the editorial standards of over 85 sites, or how Rasmussen failed three of their five tests, or why non-news sites are on their list, or why only 5.95 percent of the sources on their list are left-wing.
Even the Washington Post‘s media reporter, Erik Wemple, is confused by the study’s list, noting that multiple sites classified as “junk news” have been sources for “very reliable information” in the past. “The apparent overclassification of some right-wing sites raises the possibility that the study, at least in part, merely caught conservatives sharing conservative journalism” concludes Wemple.
The rest of the mainstream media uncritically embraced the study’s findings, running headlines like “Hard Right Dominates Use of Fake U.S. News, Oxford Study Finds” (Financial Times), “Study: Trump Supporters More Likely To Share ‘Junk’ News” (Daily Beast), and “Trump Supporters Share More Fake News Than Anyone Else, Study Shows” (The Independent).
The Washington Post also ran a story in its analysis section that references the study, entitled “Fake News And The Trumpian Threat To Democracy,” which uncritically reports the study and fails to reference Wemple’s critique, which is confined to the opinion pages.
Perhaps the most amusing report on the study was from The Inquisitr, a news website, which ran the headline “Donald Trump Supporters Biggest Consumers of Fake News, Says Oxford Study.” I can only assume that neither the author of the piece nor his editor actually read the study, because they don’t seem to have noticed that The Inquisitr is also included on the “junk news” list!
This is the second study from a major academic institution this week that attempts to attack the reliability of conservative media. The other, from researchers at Yale, identified 14 right-of-center and just 6 left-of-center news sites as “hyper-partisan,” while listing Huffington Post and Salon as “mainstream.”
You can follow Allum Bokhari on Twitter, Gab.ai and add him on Facebook. Contact him securely at [email protected] | {
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After a prolonged hiatus, “2 Days & 1 Night” has finally set a date for the filming of its first new episode of the year!
On January 12, sources from the KBS variety show confirmed, “‘2 Days & 1 Night’ will resume filming on January 19. It will be the first recording since the strike, and all of the members will be participating.”
“2 Days & 1 Night” has been on hiatus since autumn 2017 due to the KBS labor union strike. Although the show aired a special episode in November dedicated to the memory of the late Kim Joo Hyuk, the farewell messages recorded by the cast members were not considered official filming. The 10th anniversary special that is currently being broadcast was also filmed before the strike commenced.
However, the KBS labor union announced on December 29 that the production staff of certain variety shows would be temporarily halting their participation in the strike, including “2 Days & 1 Night,” “Happy Together,” and “The Return of Superman.” Accordingly, “2 Days & 1 Night” is now preparing to film its first new episode in several months.
Are you excited for the show’s long-awaited return? Leave your thoughts below!
In the meantime, check out the latest episode of “2 Days & 1 Night” here:
Watch Now
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Owen Poindexter is a freelance writer and a presenter of the Basic Income podcast. He’s also a former Democratic candidate for the California Assembly. We talked about his article 18 Reasons to Support Basic Income.
Comments
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Bouncer is a new paid application for Google's Android operating system designed to give users more control over application permissions.
Permissions give applications extra things that they may access or do and while that is required sometimes for an application to function properly, it is not needed or even abused at other times.
While you could go ahead and only install apps that don't require extra permissions or toggle permissions manually each time you use an application, it is not really that comfortable of a solution.
Note: Bouncer is not free but available for a one-time price of $0.99 or €0.89. The app requests no extra permissions but two accessibility features that it relies on for its functionality.
Tip: Check out reviews of other Android privacy apps such as Lumen Privacy Monitor, Haven, Privacy Hawk, or Privacy Grade.
Bouncer for Android
Bouncer takes care of extra permissions that applications request on Android for the user; it does so to improve privacy, battery life and sometimes even security.
What is great about Bouncer is that it is a fully automated solution that revokes permissions that you may have granted an application if you want that to happen.
Here is how it works:
Whenever you interact with a permissions prompt on Android and select the Allow option, Bouncer displays a notification that lists the following options: Keep the permission. Keep the permission for one hour. Revoke the permission when you press the Home button.
Bouncer will revoke the permission if you select options 2 or 3.
You will notice that Bouncer will revoke the permission automatically by opening the application's permissions on the device and toggling the permissions that you granted; all automated.
There are some restrictions. First, that Bouncer works only with Android 6.0 and higher apps as it requires runtime permissions. Second, that it does not work with apps that you have granted permissions already in the past before Bouncer's installation.
There is a workaround for the second restriction, however. Open Bouncer and switch to the all apps listing. Tap on any app that you want to revoke permissions for, select the permission, and let Bouncer revoke it for you using built-in Android settings.
The process is straightforward but Bouncer does not highlight which apps have requested "problematic or dangerous" permissions and which have not in the listing.
Once you are done going though the list Bouncer will notice any permission requests of the application's so that you may tell Bouncer what to do about it.
Bouncer lists permission changes, e.g. allowed or denied, in the application's main interface.
So what can you use it for?
Well, the primary application for Bouncer is to use it to give applications temporary permissions that are revoked automatically by the app after use. Sometimes, you may want to give the maps app permissions to use your location, or may want to tag a location or take a photo using applications; that's where Bouncer comes in as it makes those permissions temporary if you wish so.
Bouncer does not fake permissions like some custom Android ROMs or root applications do. Means, if you grant a permission the app may make use of it.
Closing Words
Bouncer is an application designed to grant Android applications temporary permissions. It is automated in that it removes permissions automatically when you select the option.
Bouncer won't set permissions to allow again, however, when you start an application another time after its permissions were revoked. Applications may not work properly if they require certain permissions.
Is Bouncer worth the price? That depends entirely on how you use Android. If you need apps to have certain permissions at times but don't want them to have the permissions when you don't run them, then yes, Bouncer may be a useful addition then.
Now You: do you use privacy apps on your mobile devices? (via Android Police)
Summary Author Rating no rating based on 0 votes Software Name Bouncer Operating System Android Software Category Apps Price USD 0.99 Landing Page https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samruston.permission
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Vi känner väl igen mönstret, ministrar och partiledare vill i tv bara möta personer i samma ställning som de själva. Det är svårt att anklaga Gustav Fridolin för att vara feg, men förmodligen gör han en felbedömning i det här läget. Det hade varit en viktig markering att en minister tar debatten. Istället blir det nu vänstern som möter Rickard Jomshof.
SD fick i senaste GP/SVD- Sifo sitt högsta stöd någonsin med 17, 8 procent. Partiet befäster alltså sin ställning som tredje största parti. Lägg då till att invandrar- och integrationsfrågorna bland väljarna anses som de viktigaste. Aldrig någonsin tidigare har klyftan varit större än nu mellan vad det politiska etablissemanget och väljarna. Därmed inte sagt att väljarna tycker SD:s politik är den bästa eller att svenska folket skulle vara emot invandring. SD:s framgångar beror mer på missnöje och protest mot ett etablissemang som länge lagt locket på när det gäller kritiska frågor om asylpolitiken. Det i sin tur beror på en rädsla och fördomar om folket som rasistiskt. Jag hävdar med bestämdhet att svenska folket generellt sett inte är rasister.
Sedan finns det bruna element som hetsar och sprider fördomar och alltid tar tillfället i akt att föra ut sin propaganda. De är förhållandevis få men högljudda. Deras motståndare tar tillfället i akt med att slå oss i huvudet med att vi faktiskt är rasister. Vi är med andra ord utsatta för ett informationskrig mellan olika ytterligheter och sju av riksdagens partier är mer eller mindre handlingsförlamade. Det värsta är att strategin att tiga ihjäl SD eller inte föra några samtal med dem bara gör dem till offer och ökar deras stöd i väljarkåren.
Gustav Fridolin har varit ett undantag han har utmanat SD vilket är bra. Men det räcker inte. De ansvariga för politiken måste våga prata om problemen också, allt är inte svart eller vitt. Jag har varit på flera orter där det finns många asylboenden och där folk röstar på SD. När vi frågat dem varför, säger nästan alla ”att människor far illa på boendena, så har kan vi inte ta emot människor som flytt krig”. Vi röstar på SD i protest. På asylboendena säger uppgivna flyktingar att de bara väntar, att de inte har någon sysselsättning, att de inte får träffa Migrationsverket, att de hamnat i ett vakuum mellan svenska myndigheter, kriget och sina släktingar och familjer som är på flykt. De upplever sin situation väldigt påfrestande och bryts ner psykiskt. Samtliga politiker måste våga tala om problemen också och framför allt göra något åt dem. 1,2 miljoner svenskar emigrerade till USA i slutet av 1800-talet. De flydde svält och fattigdom. Nog kan Sverige ta emot människor på flykt undan krig. Men det vore bra om alla kommuner tog ett ansvar, att vi har ett ordnat mottagande och att människor har en chans att integreras i samhället. | {
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
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Atlanta (CNN) A messy mix of snow, sleet, ice and rain is expected to blanket much of the Southeastern United States as a winter storm sweeps through the region.
The National Weather Service has issued winter storm advisories, watches and/or warnings that stretch from Arizona to Delaware to the Carolinas -- including the metro areas of Atlanta; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama; Greenville, South Carolina; and Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia.
A winter storm watch means there is potential for significant snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may affect travel.
As of early Friday night, snow had fallen in Raleigh; Memphis, Tennessee; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and the northern Atlanta suburbs.
"The heaviest snowfall (is) expected to fall from the southern Appalachians to southeastern Virginia," the National Weather Service said , adding that "most precipitation will begin to taper off by Saturday evening."
Georgia
to 5 inches of snow or more is likely to fall in metro Atlanta. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency due to the threat of severe winter weather. CNN meteorologists forecast 3to 5 inches of snow or more is likely to fall in metro Atlanta. The National Weather Service said overnight snow and sleet accumulation of 2 to 4 inches was possible in Atlanta.
Shelves are empty at a grocery in Smyrna, an Atlanta suburb, as shoppers stocked up for the storm.
"This is a very serious weather event," Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said at a news conference. "My only concern is that I don't think people have an appreciation for the gravity of it. This is a very, very, significant storm."
Atlanta schools let out two hours early; Georgia state offices closed earlier than normal on a staggered schedule.
Crowds flocked to grocery stores to load up on bread, milk and other items in advance of the winter weather.
Still, others were skeptical. Alex Preston posted a photo of long lines on Instagram. "Because of a snow flurry ... really?" Preston's post said.
Ice might become more of a factor than accumulations of snow in parts of the metropolitan Atlanta area through Saturday afternoon, according to CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam.
"The ice seems to be having a hard time transitioning into snow," he said.
Because of a snow flurry...really? #atlantacrazy #atl #atlanta #lol #kroger #milk #eggs #bread #snowpocalypse A photo posted by Alex Preston (@alexprestonatl) on Jan 5, 2017 at 4:32pm PST
The best news about the storm is that it will happen on the weekend, which should prevent another "snow jam" scenario such as the one that paralyzed Atlanta in January 2014.
During that storm tens of thousands of weekday commuters left work around the same time, creating massive gridlock on roads and highways and stranding vehicles for hours.
Carolinas
The heaviest snow is expected in the Carolinas, where a winter storm morning is in effect from 7 p.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday.
Raleigh is likely to face the brunt of the storm, according to the National Weather Service. The North Carolina capital could get up to a foot of snow, making it one of the top five snowstorms in the city's history.
Charlotte may see some 8 inches of snow, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.
Gov. Roy Cooper has declared a state of emergency for all 100 counties. The National Guard is ready, and the North Carolina Highway Patrol has been mobilized, Cooper said.
"It looks more and more as if this will be a significant snow event in North Carolina, so we are asking people to stay off the road when this weather event begins, and also to stay off the road when it ends," he said.
Cooper urged residents not to call 911 to ask about weather conditions.
He said his inaugural event, originally scheduled for Saturday morning, had been canceled but a smaller swearing-in ceremony will be held Friday afternoon at the Governor's Mansion.
CNN affiliate WSOC-TV in Charlotte posted images of bread and milk being cleaned off shelves at a grocery store.
Bread and milk hot commodities as weekend snow approaches. Everything you need to know about the winter weather --> https://t.co/YZwORa8j5v pic.twitter.com/IHzLyT65QM — WSOCTV (@wsoctv) January 6, 2017
Asheville, in the mountains, expected 3-5 inches of snow on Friday, the weather service predicted. The Asheville Airport canceled all departing flights.
Alabama
In Birmingham, the storm was expected to begin earlier Friday, most likely as a wintry mix of snow and sleet. There is a chance the air will remain just warm enough in places farther south that the precipitation will fall as sleet.
The University of Alabama suspended operations for the day.
It looks beautiful in downtown Tuscaloosa. But, please stay off the roadways - they're hazardous. Emergency response may be delayed. #alwx pic.twitter.com/HabHiNwK4F — City of Tuscaloosa (@tuscaloosacity) January 7, 2017
Eye on the snow
Weather and traffic resources These federal government resources have maps you can use to check weather conditions, flight delays, traffic and road closures in your area: Weather www.weather.gov Flight delays www.fly.faa.gov/flyfaa/usmap.jsp Traffic and road closures www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo
Hardy folks from the North often scoff at Southerners when they clear out store shelves at the mention of a winter storm, but the practice might have originated in another region of the country, according to AccuWeather.com.
"It appears that New Englanders can take credit for the purchasing of milk and bread prior to the storm," the site reported last year . "It was the monumental blizzard in 1978 that trapped many in homes for weeks that gets at least some credit for the current tradition."
Amid the run on goods, forecasters are telling people to take warnings and watches seriously.
Join the conversation Track the latest weather story and share your comments with CNN Weather on Facebook and Twitter.
Major airlines issued advisories about potential impact.
FlightAware, an airline tracking website, listed more than 1,100 cancellations and more than 3,000 delays as of 8 p.m. ET Friday.
Snowstorms in the South are notoriously difficult to forecast, as timing or a change of 1 or 2 degrees can be the difference between several inches or just a cold rain. National Weather Service meteorologists labeled the storm forecast "tricky" earlier this week.
There is still some uncertainty, as a few forecasting models show precipitation arriving before the temperatures cool down enough to create snow.
There's also a chance that a narrow band of forecasted higher snow totals could widen, producing heavier snow across a broader area. | {
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This might be on your work desk soon
You might think that having an Xbox One at work wouldn’t be the best idea when it comes to productivity, but Microsoft is trying to convince Small Business owners that picking up the company’s new console is a great investment.
While Microsoft views the Xbox One as “an excellent entertainment device” the company claims that the new console can be so much more. It argues that the Xbox platform is so robust and reliable that it can be a great option in terms of video conferencing and as a networking platform.
Skype, Skydrive, Internet Explorer and Smartglass are some of the apps that come with the Xbox One that could be valuable for SMBs. Microsoft explains that due to such baked in-apps, the ability to integrate with other Microsoft devices via Smartglass, and the possibility of future third party business dedicated apps make the Xbox One and its $499 price tag a great option for small businesses.
Now all you have to do is convince your boss that you need an Xbox for Skype, not for playing games.
Source: Microsoft Small Business Support | {
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Now the EU referendum gloves are off. Not between Remain and Leave. But between Leave and Leave or between, as they should be known, Ukip Lite and Ukip Heavy.
In the Lite corner is Vote Leave, headed by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. It is embarrassed by the aggressive anti-immigration message being pushed by the Heavy mob, led by Nigel Farage.
Vote Leave prefers its anti-immigration message to be discreet. There but not there, so to speak. Even so, the reality of its position has a way of coming to the surface.
Hence the decision by one supposed Lite supporter, Tory peer Baroness Warsi, to join the Remain campaign on the grounds of Vote Leave’s xenophobia.
Warsi’s defection was the major page 1 story in the Times (neatly fitting its Remain agenda). And its leading article noted that the resolve by campaigners to turn down the heat had failed: within days of Jo Cox’s murder the debate “resumed with all the lingering animosity intact.”
That animosity was in evidence also when David Cameron appeared on BBC’s Question Time and received, according to the Daily Mail’s front page, a “mauling over his failure to curb EU immigration” (thereby fitting the Mail’s Brexit, and anti-migrant, agenda).
The Sun also saw Cameron’s TV clash in similar terms, headlining its spread “Immigration, immigration, immigration”. It preferred to lead page 1 with a claim that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had “admitted” it would be impossible to limit EU immigration should Britain stay in the European Union (thus fitting the paper’s Brexit agenda).
Similarly, Corbyn’s remarks were given page 1 coverage by the Brexit-supporting Daily Telegraph, which also made his “commendable candour” the subject of its leading article.
The Telegraph’s main story centred, once again, on Johnson, its Brexit-campaigning columnist: “Boris: Vote Leave, change history.” It was based on Johnson’s column, “Please vote Leave on Thursday because we’ll never get this chance again.”
Newspaper editors may say they report the news, but what they report and how they report it reflects their political stance. Note how the Guardian (which favours Remain) splashed on the prime minister’s TV appearance, but covered it very differently from the Mail and Sun: “I need to make better EU case, says Cameron”.
The Guardian did report that Cameron was given “a hard time by the audience” . While he invoked the memory of Winston Churchill, a member of the audience stung him by invoking the memory of Neville Chamberlain.
The Daily Mirror, a firm Remain supporter but previously nervous about making too much of it, pulled out the stops by devoting four pages to the topic.
One spread called Farage “deluded and dangerous”. Another highlighted Cameron’s “emotional plea” not to quit on Europe (and reported his TV appearance in glowing terms).
A leading article laid into “venom-filled, rabble-rousing, trouble-stirring” Farage and accused Ukip Lite’s Gove of “swimming in the same moral cesspit.” Next to it was a column by Kevin Maguire, which began:
“I want my country back from liars who are happily sacrificing the truth in their fanatical ideological obsession with dragging Britain out of Europe.”
This is a rebirth of the old pro-European campaigning Mirror. Doubtless, it will continue over the coming three days.
Finally, I must commend a piece by Fintan O’Toole in the Irish Times, “Is England ready for self-government?” Who can argue with this single paragraph?
“Brexit is essentially Exit: if the Leave side wins the referendum it will almost certainly be without securing majorities in Scotland or Northern Ireland. For all the talk of reasserting the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, the desire to leave the European Union is driven above all by the rise of English nationalism.”
He then goes on to deliver several more home truths (from abroad). Read and appreciate. | {
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Many years ago, I spoke to a group of labor leaders. I talked about labor history, and how we all love and revere the movement of yesteryear. I talked about how we worship and adore the era of workers rising up against the machinery of the status quo and the heroes who emerged as leaders of those movements.
And then I told them that if we are not cautious, that the next worker uprising will be against us. I warned them of the dangers of becoming so intertwined into the fabric of the establishment that the working class may not readily be able to discern the difference between the two.
For the record, my speech that day was not well received. In fact, come to think of it, a pretty long period of time elapsed before they ever asked me to say anything to a group again. But that doesn’t make it any less true, even if they didn’t want to hear it.
Last night’s election, in my mind, is a sign of such an uprising. There is no need to try and dissect the entire election. There are enough supposed experts doing that today already. And time will tell soon enough what it means for organized labor to live under the new all-Republican regime. But there has been a lot of talk about white America, and that is something I know a little something about.
Yes, a small segment of Trump’s supporters are bigots. And some are racists. But the vast majority are neither. Living here in Iowa, in a rural white community in a mostly white state, I know these people. Most are neither of those things. And when the pickup truck with a Trump sticker pulled up at my polling place, it wasn’t a gun-toting, angry, immigrant-hating redneck who emerged, but rather a union man wearing an AFSCME PAC contributor jacket.
More than anything, this election (in my mind) was about people who are disgusted with the status quo. People who have had little or no interest in voting before came out and voted because their health care premiums have skyrocketed (they blame Obamacare), or they remember losing their factory jobs when Bill Clinton’s NAFTA took effect. Many of them were Democrats once (or still are). They voted in overwhelming numbers, not for Trump, so much as against what they perceive to be the preordained establishment candidate being crammed down their throats.
Even among union members, the disgust for this cycle was palpable. And despite populist movements in both anti-establishment directions (Trump and Bernie), most union leadership inside the Beltway seemingly further embraced the establishment candidates, further alienating membership on both sides of the aisle.
There is a tenet of union organizing that says you identify individuals who are vehemently opposed to you, and then you don’t ever contact them to avoid angering them into voting against you. Labor pushed forward, and we sent the usual mailers, knocked on the usual doors, and made the usual phone calls. The result was, well, Trump.
And while those of us who have been in union leadership recognize the importance of being involved in the political process, and the damage the Right intends to inflict upon us at the first opportunity, our membership has largely come to view the machinery of organized labor as little more than a funding arm of the Democratic Party. I mean, truly, where else can you find a business model where you can invest ten or twenty million dollars in a cycle, get absolutely nothing out of it, and then think it wise to try and double your investment the following cycle?
While we may agree or disagree on the wisdom, the membership, and the people of this country, have come to yearn for something else — almost anything else. And in a world where perception is reality, and where populism is now king, to be content to allow the perception to exist that our entire future as a movement hinges upon every election cycle, and that our only hope is to elect ever more Democrats, is an all-too-apparent recipe for disaster.
Our future as organized labor, most likely, will now depend upon our ability to genuinely mobilize and fight like hell for our survival on every front. Wisconsin is here and now for us all. If we cannot change, and quickly, from just servicing members and putting all of our collective political energy into the electoral process, then I fear there will be precious little left to fight for when the dust settles.
Historically, this populist movement is not unprecedented. And historically, organized labor has always been running from behind to catch up to such movements when they occur.
Our action, or lack thereof, in coming months, will determine the fate of the movement our children and grandchildren will ultimately inherit. I only hope that the leadership inside the Beltway recognizes it before it is too late, and starts contingency planning today, instead of focusing solely upon the next cycle in two years, because today, people are more valuable to us than PAC dollars, and our ability to form an actual movement to respond to attacks is more urgent than wondering which Democrat we will run for office in two years.
Where will we be when Trump appoints a Scott Walker to head up the Department of Labor? Or when official time is taken away in the federal sector? Or when all of us have to hold annual elections to re-certify our contracts?
All of these things will ultimately move to turn the tide in some future election cycle, but in the here and now, it is far too high a price to be paid for a Democratic victory that will merely serve to stop the hemorrhaging.
It’s truly organize or die time, and that doesn’t mean simply signing up new members — it means moving all of them to action around their issues, not ours, because clearly, there must be a difference between the two that we have missed along the way. | {
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After years in Early Access on Steam, Prison Architect will receive a fully-featured release on Oct. 6, developer Introversion Software announced today.
Introversion Software, the developer behind the prison simulator, gave the news on its Twitter page, as well as in a press release.
6 Oct 2015: Prison Architect V1 Launches. After 3 yrs of early access we're finally able to confirm our launch date! #prisonarchitectlaunch — IntroversionSoftware (@IVSoftware) September 21, 2015
According to the release, the new features and modes of the full Prison Architect 1.0 will be revealed on stage at this weekend's EGX, the United Kingdom's largest gaming expo. The premiere will take place at 2 p.m. GMT on Sept. 26, and will also be live streamed on the event's official YouTube channel.
Prison Architect has been available to players in an alpha version for nearly three years. Its launch coincided with that of Steam Early Access, which was first announced in October 2012 and became available to the Steam community in March 2013.
Various pricing tiers for the Windows PC game are currently offered on both the Steam store and the developer's website. These range from the Standard edition at $29.99 to a $49.99 option that allows you to name your own prisoner. Each option grants immediate access to the full game upon its launch.
We last checked in with Prison Architect back in December 2013, when the developer added a new mod system.
The game's most recent alpha update, which the developer noted then would be the last prior to the full release, launched in late August of this year. That update, the alpha's 36th, added a new random event system. | {
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EU-domstolen kom onsdag med sin avgjørelse i en sak fra Spania der Uber er blitt trukket for retten av Elite Taxi, en bransjeorganisasjon for taxisjåfører i Barcelona.
Domstolen konkluderer med at den tjenesten Uber tilbyr, ikke kan klassifiseres som en digital tjeneste.
LES OGSÅ: Uber skjulte dataangrep som avslørte informasjon om 57 millioner kunder
– Ikke overrasket
Uber er mer enn en app, fastslår domstolen. Appen kan ikke ses isolert, men må forstås som en integrert del av et helhetlig system der hovedpoenget er å tilby transporttjenester.
Den konklusjonen er Norges Taxiforbund godt fornøyd med.
– Vi er fornøyde og ikke overrasket. Vi har hele tiden sagt at Uber er et taxiselskap og må behandles som et taxiselskap, sier direktør Roar Refseth i Norges Taxiforbund til NRK.
Konsekvensen av EU-domstolens avgjørelse er at Uber ikke kan påberope seg de frihetene som gjelder for digitale tjenester i EU.
Tvert imot står medlemslandene fritt til å regulere Uber på akkurat samme måte som andre transportselskaper. Det er opp til medlemslandene selv å avgjøre nøyaktig hvordan slike transportselskaper skal reguleres.
LES OGSÅ: Uber setter virksomheten på vent i Norge
Store konsekvenser
I Norge regner Refseth med at Uber blir nødt til å konkurrere på like vilkår som de andre taxiselskapene dersom de vil inn på markedet igjen.
– Jeg regner med at samferdselsministeren står bak det han har sagt – at alle som driver med persontransport skal ha løyve. Da må Uber ha biler med løyve, sier han.
EU-domstolens avgjørelse kan få store konsekvenser for Uber i Europa.
I Barcelona betyr det eksempelvis at Uber må skaffe seg drosjeløyver og godkjenning fra lokale myndigheter for å kunne operere lovlig.
Uber: – Endrer ingenting
NRK har onsdag vært i kontakt med Uber Norge som viser til en kommentar fra Uber sentralt:
– I de fleste EU-land vil ikke denne avgjørelsen endre noe siden vi allerede opererer under transportloven. Men millioner av europeere forhindres fortsatt fra å bruke apper som vår, sier en pressetalsperson for selskapet.
Pressetalspersonen viser til at Ubers nye sjef Dara Khosrowshahi selv har sagt at det er riktig å regulere tjenester som Uber.
– Så vi vil fortsette vår dialog med byer i Europa. Det er vår tilnærming for å sikre at alle kan skaffe seg en pålitelig kjøretur ved et tastetrykk, sier talspersonen. | {
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Tesla’s Model 3 has racked up a ton of pre-orders, and whether or not that actually translates to a ton of sales it’s still pretty impressive. Now Nissan is chasing impatient Tesla fans with a new ad campaign for its all-electric Leaf.
Without mentioning Tesla directly, Nissan makes a few not-so-subtle jabs. The main tagline essentially calls out the Model 3 reservation system. The smaller text also mentions the $1,000 cost to reserve Tesla’s new car (which is fully refundable) and the fact that fans actually lined up to place them when the Model 3 was first announced. Nissan also notes that the Leaf comes with $4,000 cash back for qualified buyers.
The Leaf is a solid electric car and it’s available for under $30,000. Then again, it’s nowhere near as impressive or sleek as the Model 3. Nissan launched the vehicle back in 2010 and it’s definitely due for an upgrade. Sales are down significantly (42.8% in the US last year), which may explain why the company is going after Tesla. | {
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Reporters dug into chocolate-pecan pie with White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders Thursday – ending the months-long “piegate” controversy.
“Piegate is over!” declared April Ryan, the Washington, DC, bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks, who blasted Sanders in November for allegedly baking a fake pie.
“It’s a nice pie, I believe you made this pie,” Ryan said, admiring the spokesperson’s baking prowess.
Ryan launched the “piegate” saga around Thanksgiving when she questioned a photo of Sanders’ holiday pie, joking it was “fake pie.”
Sanders promised she’d whip up a pie to prove she could hold her own in the kitchen.
“Okay I want to watch you bake it and put it on the table. But forgive I won’t eat it. Remember you guys don’t like the press,” Ryan replied at the time.
On Wednesday, Sanders posted a play by play of her process, with photos of ingredients — including pecans supplied by Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Nick Ayers from his family farm in Georgia – eggs and sugar being mixed and the pies in the oven.
She delivered the goods at today’s White House press potluck.
“I believe that this is our reset, not just for me but for all of us,” said Ryan, who has often tussled with Sanders in the briefing room. “It doesn’t mean that I need to eat the pie.”
“April if it makes you feel better I’ll take a bite first,” the spokeswoman said, but Ryan wouldn’t bite.
“I am not eating the pie,” she retorted.
Other reporters who dared a taste said it was delicious and chocolaty.
Sanders added a little kick too – in the form of bourbon – but assured reporters the alcohol had cooked off in the process.
“I’m not 100 percent sure which ones have bourbon and which ones don’t,” she said to laughs.
Ryan told The Post her initial tweet questioning Sanders’ pies was a “joke.” She apologized the joke spiraled into “piegate” and she’d never want to offend someone’s culinary skills.
“She’s very serious about her pie making apparently and I never want to offend a woman and her culinary skills,” she said. | {
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Quote: Originally Posted by sweetboy02125 Originally Posted by
Go here :
http://www.samsung.com/us/register-f...-0813-11000427
Ignore the title says for Note 10.1
Click Register now and enter Galaxy note 2 serials
Find Serial number here :Settings -> About Device -> Status -> Serial Number
Enter your GMAIL (must be gmail account) and receive email to redeem
Ended up finding my real s/n from removing my battery and looking under there. The s/n I used from the above way of finding it did not work.How do you pickup the 50 gigs of dropbox space? is that only the 1-2 year thing? | {
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Entführtes Flugzeug landete in Genf – Co-Pilot will Asyl in der Schweiz Der äthiopische Co-Pilot witterte seine Chance, als der Chefpilot einer Boeing 767 der Ethiopian Airlines die Bordtoilette aufsuchte. Er schloss sich im Cockpit ein und verlangte Asyl in der Schweiz. ldc/kle
«Viele merkten wohl erst in Genf, dass etwas Ausserplanmässiges geschehen ist»: Polizisten beobachten einen Passagier, der das Flugzeug der Ethiopian Airlines in Genf verlässt. Richard Juilliart, AFP Gelandet: Das Flugzeug der Ethiopian Airlines wurde auf dem Weg von Addis Abeba nach Rom entführt und landete am internationalen Flughafen in Genf. (17. Februar 2014) Salvatore Di Nolfi, Keystone Passagiere werden in Genf aus der entführten Maschine der Ethiopian Airlines evakuiert. (17. Februar 2014) Salvatore Di Nolfi, Keystone 1 / 8
Eine Boeing 767-300 der Ethiopian Airlines ist heute Morgen entführt worden. Die Maschine musste um 6.05 Uhr auf dem Flughafen Genf landen. Wie die Genfer Behörden an einer Medienkonferenz mitteilen, handelt es sich beim Luftpiraten um den Co-Piloten der Maschine. Der Äthiopier mit Jahrgang 1983 soll in der Schweiz um politisches Asyl ersucht haben. Die Passagiere seien alle wohlauf.
Als der Chefpilot während des Fluges die Bordtoilette aufsuchte, nutzte der Co-Pilot offenbar diesen Moment, um sich im Cockpit einzuschliessen. Er sei aber nicht bewaffnet gewesen, sagte Eric Grandjean, Mediensprecher der Genfer Polizei. Die Passagiere seien nicht in Gefahr gewesen. Um vier Uhr morgens habe der Co-Pilot sich in Genf gemeldet und verlangt, landen zu können: Er sei in seinem eigenen Land nicht sicher und verlange Asyl. Im Internet zirkuliert hierzu ein Soundfile, auf dem zu hören ist, wie der Co-Pilot politisches Asyl in der Schweiz beantragt. Die Echtheit der Aufnahme ist nicht bestätigt.
Passagiere bekamen nichts mit
Während die Maschine über dem Flughafen Genf kreiste, verhandelte der Entführer mit den Behörden. Die Passagiere sassen derweil ahnungslos im Flugzeug und dachten, sie landeten jetzt in Rom. Erst als sie die Schriftzüge des Flughafens entziffern konnten, dämmerte ihnen wohl, dass hier etwas nicht stimmen konnte.
Begleitet von italienischen Eurofightern landete die Maschine schlussendlich in Genf. Danach kletterte der Luftpirat mit einem Seil aus dem Cockpitfenster und liess sich widerstandslos verhaften. Die Passagiere wurden derweil aufgefordert, das Flugzeug mit erhobenen Händen zu verlassen, sie wurden dabei von der Polizei einzeln zu wartenden Fahrzeugen eskortiert. Sie hätten medizinische und psychologische Betreuung erhalten.
Der Co-Pilot sei zurzeit in Untersuchungshaft und werde von der Polizei befragt, sagte Eric Grandjean, Mediensprecher der Genfer Polizei. Der Staatsanwalt von Genf, Olivier Jornot, sagte, eine Strafanzeige könne eine Haft von bis zu 20 Jahren nach sich ziehen. An der Pressekonferenz fragte ein Journalist, ob der Entführer tatsächlich Asyl erhalten könnte. «Dieser Mann hat keine guten Chancen», sagte dazu der Genfer Staatsrat Pierre Maudet (FDP).
Der Flughafen wurde abgeriegelt
Wie die Internetseite Airlinereporter.com zuvor berichtete, habe das Flugzeug um zwei Uhr morgens über dem Sudan das Notrufsignal 7500 abgesetzt, der Code steht für «Entführung».
Ethiopian Airlines bestätigte am Morgen, dass eines seiner Flugzeuge in der Nacht auf dem Flug (ET 702) von Addis Abeba nach Rom entführt wurde. Das Flugzeug sollte um 4.40 Uhr in Rom landen.
Der Flughafen wurde abgeriegelt und war rund zwei Stunden geschlossen. Zahlreiche Flüge wurden annulliert oder umgeleitet. Es kam zu massiven Verspätungen. Man hoffe, dass sich der Betrieb gegen Nachmittag wieder normalisiert habe, sagte Flughafenchef Robert Deillon.
Die Pressemitteilung der Ethiopian Airlines:
Die Anzeigetafel des Flughafens Genf zeigte an, dass die entführte Maschine sicher gelandet ist:
Die entführte Maschine am Morgen am Flughafen in Genf: | {
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There were conflicting accounts of what happened on that bus. Joyous soldiers, black and white, may have been sharing a celebratory bottle of whiskey. Woodard and the driver argued about restroom breaks and Greyhound’s rules requiring a driver to accommodate passengers’s needs.
When the bus stopped in Batesburg, a small town about 30 miles from Columbia, the state capital, the driver summoned the town’s two police officers, Chief Lynwood Shull and his deputy, Elliot Long, and Woodard was ordered off the bus.
Shull admitted using his blackjack on the sergeant. When Woodard wrested it away, Long, gun drawn, ordered him to drop it. Then, by the Gergel book’s account, Shull rained blows on Woodard so ferociously the blackjack broke. Woodard was left sightless, both eyes gouged out, and thrown in jail, igniting a racial fuse that would burn its way across America to Waring, the White House and eventually the Supreme Court.
“It’s more than just an incident, it’s a huge historical moment,” said Patricia Sullivan, a professor of history at the University of South Carolina and author of “Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement.”
As a law student at Duke University in the 1970s, Gergel had read of Waring. But passing mention of Woodard escaped him and he didn’t think much of Waring again until, as an intellectual property and personal injury lawyer and outside counsel to the city of Columbia, he was named to the federal bench.
“In my installation talk, I spoke about Judge Waring,” Gergel recalled. “I saw blank looks.”
He plunged into research, using his inside knowledge of court dockets and evidentiary records. “I understood what I was looking at,” he said. “I knew what to ask for.” | {
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Mesut Ozil: Looking forward to next challenge with Arsenal
The 24-year-old was introduced to the media on Thursday, having been on international duty with his country since his club-record move to The Emirates on deadline day.
Ozil, who joined the Gunners for £42.5million from Real Madrid, scored a penalty in Germany's 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands on Tuesday and is expected to make his Premier League debut at Sunderland this Saturday.
Arsenal have begun their Premier League campaign with two victories and one defeat, and Ozil is confident they have the quality to be title contenders.
Asked if Arsenal can challenge for the title, he said: "Of course, definitely. I know the team and the talent we have here. Every player wants to be successful and Arsenal are one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"We definitely want to achieve something with this team - that is what we work for. Of course it will be very difficult because the league is the strongest in the world. But we will give everything to achieve success.
"We want to play attractive football to improve but of course also successful football. I can't promise to win trophies but I can promise as a team we can give our all to in trophies."
Ozil said that he consulted his international team-mates, Lukas Podolski and Per Mertesacker, about the club - but his central reason for signing for the Gunners was Arsene Wenger.
"Arsenal is a very well-known club, a very successful club with very young players, and the young players develop very well here," Ozil said.
"This was one of the reasons why I chose to come here, I want to continue to improve myself.
"I am really happy to be here under such a great manager.
"That was most important for us, what he (Wenger) thinks about me, what his plans are with me. I decided to come to Arsenal because I have the trust in this familiar environment."
No Real rift
Reports in Madrid suggested that Ozil had been allowed to leave after his professionalism and lifestyle were questioned.
But the Germany international insists his performances for Madrid, scoring nine goals in 32 games last season, prove his professionalism and commitment.
"I don't want to say anything bad about Madrid because I had three wonderful years there," he said. "I have great friends there and also we achieved a lot with the club.
"The people who know me, know how professional I am and I think over the past years one can see how many games I have played - 159 games - and if you are not professional in your life then I don't think you can play that many games.
"So people know how professional I am. This is what counts and I don't care about all the rumours.
"I have a new task here and I am just looking ahead. We have big goals and we will work very hard to achieve these goals."
With Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky suffering a thigh injury on international duty, Ozil could be thrust straight into the starting XI at Sunderland on Saturday.
The German maintains he is ready for the hustle and bustle of the English top flight.
"Of course it is very physical here, but it is a man's sport and I am really glad to play in the best league in the world," Ozil said.
"I want to prove myself in England, therefore I look forward to playing here.
"I also played in the Bundesliga and Spain and always proved myself. I know that I will prove myself here as well."
You can see Ozil's first appearance in an Arsenal shirt on SNF. Game of the Day is from 8pm and Sunderland against Arsenal will feature in Match Choice from 10pm. | {
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With increasing passenger numbers, the 2D structure of the traditional aircraft LOPA (Location of Passenger Accommodations), or seat-map, is reaching its limits. Airlines have structured the cabin in the same rows-and-aisles format almost since the dawn of the jet-age. But, increasingly, that structure is bad for passengers and for airlines’ bottom lines.
Leaving aside the more extreme proposals of double-decker seating for economy class or flying upright, there are solutions that would make passengers more comfortable while helping airlines boost revenue.
Perhaps the best example is the Thompson Cozy Suite, which languished unloved for many years (though Delta did give it some serious consideration). This clever herringbone twist on the traditional triple seat would have allowed airlines to add more rows without compromising passenger comfort. In fact, one of the beauties of this design is that it made the middle seat as comfortable as the window or aisle seat.
But the Thompson Cozy Suite, designed by Northern Ireland-based seatmaker Thompson Aero Seating, never took off. Maybe the idea was too far ahead of its time. Uncertainty surrounding the financial crisis surely made radical change too bold a step for many operators.
But airlines also need a radical market challenge to take big risks.
That time may have come. Molon Labe’s reported success in selling the “S1” staggered short-range seat to an undisclosed Chinese airline would suggest that at least someone is willing to think outside the grid.
The seat is not as an ambitious a vision as the Cozy Suite perhaps, but nonetheless it delivers LOPA flexibility and is an engineering feat, as reported in detail by Runway Girl Network when first revealed at last year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.
Alternative LOPAs don’t have to be limited to economy class seats. They can come in convertibles, like the Butterfly seat by James Lee of Paperclip design.
There is room for blended cabins too, as Formation Design proposes. This variable design delivers 3D density with plenty of room, and the merchandising savvy to inspire customers to buy an upgrade next time they fly – thanks to a clever class mix.
Thinking differently about LOPAs is a smart marketing strategy. Even comparably conservative innovations like introducing premium economy seating or suites in business class can boost the revenue potential of limited space. That thinking just needs to move further back to the rest of the aircraft.
IATA’s second quarter 2018 data reveals two points of concern. Airline profitability is declining compared to the same quarter last year and passenger yields based on fares continue to trend low.
IATA adds, “However premium cabin yields continue to show more resilience than that of the economy cabin, helping to offset some of the impact of higher input prices.” In your author’s view, it seems clear that if more seats offered a distinct passenger benefit, passengers would more likely be willing to pay more.
Alternative LOPAs and flexible dimension seat designs are really nothing new. It is the skies that are changing. Extra fees and ancillary sales will not be sufficient on their own to help airlines turn a profit on their most valuable asset: room.
Just as airlines have learned to be more sophisticated retailers – and applied digital innovations to boost operations – they must become more flexible design thinkers and leave themselves wiggle room to adjust when markets change. The industry’s design firms and manufacturers have shown they are more than ready and willing to help.
It’s time to shake the LOPA out of its shell. Airlines have been kicking this “cabin can” down the road, but eventually the can will kick back.
Related Articles: | {
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About “Reputation [Prologue]”
The Reputation Prologue is the introduction to reputation, and is featured on the first page of both the CD booklet and in the Target-exclusive magazines. Here, Taylor talks about the different ways a person is known or perceived by other people, based on the version of themself that the person has chosen to show. | {
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
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I stalk my ex's facebook to make sure she's having a terrible life | {
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
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Guys that hacked steam y u no hack Origin instead? | {
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The investigations of Marines for possible murders of Iraqi civilians in Haditha last November and, more recently, in Hamdaniyah, seem set to follow the usual course. If anyone is found guilty, it will be privates and sergeants. The press will reassure us that the problem was just a few "bad apples," that higher-ups had no knowledge of what was going on, and that "99.9 percent" of our troops in Iraq are doing a splendid job of upholding, indeed enforcing, human rights. It’s called the "Abu Ghraib precedent."
The fact that senior Marine and Army leaders don’t seem to know what is going on in cases like this is a sad comment on them. Far from being exceptional incidents caused by a few bad soldiers or Marines, mistreatment of civilians by the forces of an occupying power are a central element of Fourth Generation war. They are one of the main reasons why occupiers tend to lose. Haditha, Hamdaniyah, and the uncountable number of incidents where U.S. troops abused Iraqi civilians less severely than by killing them are a direct product of war waged by the strong against the weak.
There are, of course, lesser causes as well, and it is on the lesser causes that we tend to focus. Poor leadership in a unit easily opens the door to misconduct. Overstretched, overtired units snap more easily. Every military service in history has included a certain percentage of criminals, and a larger percentage of bullies. The fact that in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the insurgencies are getting stronger, not weaker, generates increasing frustration among our troops: nothing they do seems to yield any real progress. The enemy’s highly effective use of IEDs leads units that have been hit often and hard to take their frustrations out on the civilian populations, since they cannot find, identify, or shoot back at the people who are hitting them.
But all of these factors are secondary to the power of weakness itself. We may find it easier to grasp what the power of weakness is and how it works on us by first imagining its opposite. Imagine that instead of facing ragtag bands of poorly equipped and trained insurgents, our Marines and soldiers in Iraq were in a very difficult fight with an opponent similar to themselves, but somewhat stronger.
What would fighting the strong do for them? Being David rather than Goliath, they would see themselves as noble. Every victory would be a cause for genuine pride. Defeats would not mean disgrace, but instead would demand greater effort and higher performance. Even after a failure, they could still look at themselves in the mirror with pride. Knowing they faced a stronger enemy, their own cohesion would grow and their demand for self-discipline would increase.
If the enemy’s overmatch were too great, it could lead our units to hopelessness and disintegration. But a fight with an enemy who was stronger but still beatable would buck us up more than tear us down on the all-important moral level.
Now, to see the situation as it is, turn that telescope around. Every firefight we win in Iraq or Afghanistan does little for our pride, because we are so much stronger than the people we are defeating. Every time we get hit successfully by a weaker enemy, we feel like chumps, and cannot look ourselves in the mirror (again, with IED attacks this happens quite often). Whenever we use our superior strength against Iraqi civilians, which is to say every time we drive down an Iraqi street, we diminish ourselves in our own eyes. Eventually, we come to look at ourselves with contempt and see ourselves as monsters. One way to justify being a monster is to behave like one, which makes the problem worse still. The resulting downward spiral, which every army in this kind of war has gotten caught in, leads to indiscipline, demoralization, and disintegration of larger units as fire teams and squads simply go feral.
Again, this process is fundamental to Fourth Generation war. Martin van Creveld has stressed the power of weakness as one key, if not the key, to 4GW, and he is correct. It shows just how far America’s military leadership is from grasping Fourth Generation war that its response in Iraq has been to order all troops to undergo a two- to four-hour "refresher course in core values."
They are caught in a hurricane, and all they can do is spit in the wind. The rest of us should get ready for the house to blow down. | {
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Toronto has been a buzz since Thursday when the news broke that ace pitcher David Price had been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays from the Detroit Tigers.
And Twitter has been even more starry eyed about the 29-year-old pitcher coming to the city.
Welcome to the 6ix! @DAVIDprice14… We can't wait to have you! pic.twitter.com/tDaKGqOZaz — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 30, 2015
Even though Price won’t officially start playing until Monday, his Twitter game has been impeccable.
He even tried to find the young fan that made the makeshift jersey by taping “Price” and the number 14 on the back of an existing jersey.
#jays fans please find out who this kid is and his or his parents Twitter handle!! His price jersey will be waiting pic.twitter.com/7L9IBJHs7o — David Price (@DAVIDprice14) August 1, 2015
Within minutes, and thousands of retweets, the kid’s mother was found.
@DAVIDprice14 Hi David..this young fan is my son Jake Mallory who is a huge fan and one excited young man!! Thanks so much — Emma Watts (@Stemmie05) August 1, 2015
@DAVIDprice14 yuppers that's us! Once i figure out this twitter stuff I'll PM you. #mytwittersblowingup — Jennifer Duplessis (@jjay6555) August 1, 2015
Jake’s mom told CityNews on Twitter that the jersey was being sent to them by Monday.
Not only did Price send one jersey, but two.
Thank you @DAVIDprice14 for not only sending Jake a jersey but one for Noah too! Totally in awe…@BlueJays pic.twitter.com/zTDopdEiTg — Jennifer Duplessis (@jjay6555) August 2, 2015
Now, he did have his trouble getting to the city on Friday but all he asked for was some popcorn.
Jenny got a busted lip but she will be just fine! Things can always be worse…find a positive in negative situations pic.twitter.com/xsi5H0LgqZ — David Price (@DAVIDprice14) July 31, 2015
All I'm asking for from @bluejays is to have the BIGGEST trashbag of popcorn waiting for me at my locker! Best popcorn EVER #sharingiscaring — David Price (@DAVIDprice14) July 30, 2015
And the Jays delivered. | {
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One day last year I was doing my usual daily jaunt through the interwebs, and I came across an announcement for a new Blood Bowl comic book from Titan Comics called Blood Bowl More Guts, More Glory! I was interested, but since I’m not a huge comic book fan, I promptly forgot all about. Then about a week ago, the memory of the announcement randomly popped into my head. I jumped onto Amazon, found that there was now a trade paperback collection of all 4 issues, and promptly made an order.
Now, I should say that this is not my first experience with a Blood Bowl comic book. Back in early 2009, Boom! Studios released a Matt Forbeck written comic called Blood Bowl: Killer Contract. I stumbled across a trade paperback collection of the issues several years later in the graphic novel section of Half-Priced Books here in town. The best that could be said of Blood Bowl: Killer Contract is that it’s a comic book set in the Blood Bowl universe. I guess I couldn’t really have expected much more as I’m sure it’s not exactly easy to write a story about a board game. Still, I was a little disappointed that the comic didn’t revolve around a particularly important team or involve major Star Players. Aside from that, it was a reasonably enjoyable read.
With my original Blood Bowl comic book experience in mind, I had realistic expectations for More Guts, More Glory! and as such, I was able to enjoy the read a bit more than Killer Contract. Like Killer Contract, More Guts, More Glory! is really just a story set in the Blood Bowl universe. The game itself is more of a backdrop than anything as the story focuses on Dreng Sturnblud. Dreng is a past his prime Blitzer who is given a second chance to lead his new team to victory. Along the way, he has to deal with scheming Dwarves, minions of Chaos, and various other bad types.
The story is decent and the artwork is really nice, but more than anything for me, it’s just another piece to add to the Blood Bowl collection. It’s a little more fluff to add to the background. One of these days, I wish someone will produce a comic book telling one of the well known background stories, like the discovery of the book of Nuffle, but until then…
As a bonus, here are some pics from Blood Bowl: Killer Contract in case anyone is interested in picking up a copy on Amazon or eBay. | {
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It was only two weeks ago when the Obama administration extended an invitation to the Secular Student Alliance to an upcoming “Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge” planning meeting:
There was a little bit of grumbling from the atheist side, saying that the SSA should have rejected the offer because it would lend respect to the White House’s Interfaith outreach. By and large, though, I saw a lot of positive feedback from people excited that atheists were finally being offered a seat at the table, even if they believed the table shouldn’t have been there in the first place.
Makes sense. Who wouldn’t be in favor of more inclusion, right? And having a group that represents some of those 30% of Millennials who aren’t religious seems like a very logical move.
That is, unless you’re the Faith & Freedom Coalition. The group, founded by the Christian Coalition’s Ralph Reed, sent out an email blast to members Thursday night encouraging them to call the White House to complain about their outreach to atheists:
President Obama has included the Secular Student Alliance (SSA), a nonprofit organization that helps organize students of no faith, in his Interfaith and Community Service Challenge. The interfaith session also includes many faith based organizations and other non-religious charitable groups. The inclusion of the SSA leaves many scratching their heads as to why an organization that renounces any type of faith would be included in an interfaith meeting. Contact the Obama Administration and let them know you disapprove of including an atheist group in the InterFaith Challenge! Call: (202)-456-1111.
YEAH! How dare the Muslim president invite atheists to our gathering?!
I would say call that number and let the White House know how much you support the Secular Student Alliance and the SSA’s inclusion in the interfaith gathering, but, you know… who’s gonna pick up?
| {
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General Sir Nicholas Houghton, who is currently head of the British military, has bemoaned the limiting effects of democracy, law and public opposition to Britain’s involvement in foreign wars.
He warned if the UK’s enemies think the army will only fight as a matter of national survival it would give succor to Britain’s international opponents, which would encourage “rather than deter revisionist states and their own ambitions.”
“The more worrying constraints on the use of force lay in the areas of societal support, parliamentary consent and ever greater legal challenge,” the general told an audience at the Chatham House think-tank on Tuesday.
He said such limitations could hinder Britain’s “national interest” if it came to a fight.
“Such constraints are particularly significant when the desire to commit to the use of force is in support of operations which some might consider discretionary to the vital national interest,” he said.
This could have a crippling effect on the UK’s ability to present itself as a credible military power, he warned.
“And such constraints may impact on our ability to generate deterrence, which wholly depends on the perceivable credibility of our willingness to use force if necessary.”
Britain’s military role in the world and recent track record of expeditionary wars in Libya, Afghanistan and Iraq are likely to come under increasing scrutiny given the new leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is Jeremy Corbyn.
READ MORE: ‘National security threat:’ Meet the neocons’ worst nightmare
Lifelong anti-war activist Corbyn is chairman of Stop the War coalition and vice-chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
On Monday, the Sun newspaper attacked the new Labour leader for allegedly wanting to abolish the army as a whole.
In his comments on the issue, made during a speech on Hiroshima Day 2012, Corbyn said the measure of a nation’s success ought to be health, high levels of employment and inspiration – not war.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every politician around the world instead of taking pride in the size of their Armed Forces did what Costa Rica have done and abolished their Army, and took pride in the fact they don't have an Army,” he said. | {
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South Korea boosted its arms sales by more than 20 percent last year and has ambitions to become a major weapons exporter, according to a new study. It comes amid frequent ballistic missile tests by arch-rival North Korea.
Research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), released Monday, studied the sales of arms and military services of the world’s largest arms-producing and military service companies in 2016. It found that South Korea dominated the "emerging producers” category.
"The trend in this category for 2016 is dominated by the 20.6 percent overall increase in the arms sales of South Korean companies, with total sales amounting to 8.4 billion," SIPRI wrote in a release. Other members of that category were Brazil, India, and Turkey.
Read more
SIPRI Senior Researcher Siemon Wezeman noted that “continuing and rising threat perceptions” are driving Seoul to acquire more military equipment. Another senior researcher, Pieter D. Wezeman, told AFP the "increasingly nuclear weapons capability in North Korea" has led to "major investments" in the South.
Siemon Wezeman said South Korea is "increasingly turning to its own arms industry to supply its demand for weapons" and is "aiming to realize its goal of becoming a major arms exporter." South Korean arms exports reached $2.5 billion in 2016, compared to $253 million in 2006, according to official data.
Seven South Korean arms manufacturers rank among SIPRI’s top 100 global arms producers, including Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). The firm has developed a supersonic training hunter, the T-50 Golden Eagle, alongside American arms giant, Lockheed Martin. South Korea's missiles, howitzers, submarines, and warplanes are particularly popular across Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America.
Read more
The study comes amid heightened regional unease over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. In its latest test, Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which it says is capable of hitting the US mainland. Seoul responded Monday by adding several North Korean banks, companies, groups, and individuals to its sanctions list.
The South also persists with joint military drills with the US, with the two allies taking part in the annual Vigilant Ace exercise last week. The “war games” predictably angered Pyongyang, which previously ruled out negotiations with Washington over the joint exercises and America's "hostile policy." Speaking to Reuters last month, Pyongyang's ambassador to the UN, Han Tae Song, said "as long as there are continued war games on our doorstep, then there will not be negotiations."
Moscow has also spoken out against joint military maneuvers between the US and South Korea. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said, following North Korea's latest launch, that joint exercises in the region and Washington's rhetoric towards the North had resulted in "provoking Pyongyang into taking some rash action" after months of restraint. | {
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A Tale of Two Asias
Whatever happened to the "Asian Century?" In recent months, two Asias, wholly incompatible, have emerged in stark relief.
There is "Economic Asia," the Dr. Jekyll — a dynamic, integrated Asia with 53 percent of its trade now being conducted within the region itself, and a $19 trillion regional economy that has become an engine of global growth.
And then there is "Security Asia," the veritable Mr. Hyde — a dysfunctional region of mistrustful powers, prone to nationalism and irredentism, escalating their territorial disputes over tiny rocks and shoals, and arming for conflict.
In today’s Asia, economics and security no longer run in parallel lines. In fact, they are almost completely in collision.
In the one domain, Asian economies have come in recent years to depend increasingly on China — and one another — for trade, investment, and markets. And this trend toward regional economic integration has been reinforced over the last four years by austerity in Europe and slow growth in the United States. But these same economies now trade nationalist barbs, build navies, and acquire new arms and power projection capabilities. With the exception of China, all major Asian states, though their economies are increasingly integrated within Asia, are tacking hard across the Pacific toward the United States for their security.
So much for the new East Asian community of which many in Asia have dreamed.
What explains the change? Put bluntly, Economic Asia and Security Asia have become increasingly irreconcilable. But where Economic Asia was winning the contest in the decade and a half after the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98, Security Asia has begun to overwhelm those recent trends.
Indeed, so powerful was the rise of Economic Asia that it had challenged even the longstanding American role in the region. Intra-Asian trade and investment took off fast with the end of the Cold War, but Asia’s growing web of economic and political connections was particularly reinforced by the 1997-98 financial crisis, which hit hardest in places like Indonesia and Thailand. Across the region, elites came to view the United States as arrogant and aloof, and groped for their own solutions to regional economic challenges. The United States, which bailed out Mexico in 1994, refused to bail out Thailand just three years later, fueling perceptions that it neglected Southeast Asia. To many in Asia, Washington appeared to be dictating clichéd solutions. And, in the ensuing years, preferential trade agreements, regionally based regulations and standards, and institutions created without American involvement advanced. These have threatened to marginalize the United States over time.
But after two years of nationalistic rhetoric over rocks and islets in the East and South China Seas, Security Asia has roared back. Rampant and competing 19th and 20th-century nationalisms have moved again to the fore as pathologies that seemed frozen in time raise the specter of renewed conflict. A recent study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies reports that defense spending in China, Japan, India, South Korea, and Taiwan has doubled in the past decade, reaching $224 billion last year. Asians have worked for decades to develop a pan-Asian identity and enhance their collective clout in the global system. But economic integration has thus far yielded no basis for collective or cooperative security in the Pacific. Instead, the world’s new center of economic gravity looks fragile and conflicted.
Politics Unbound?
Could Security Asia actually overwhelm, or even destroy, the economic gains that were beginning to pull the region away from its debilitating past? Some have argued that this is a temporary phenomenon — a cynical ploy by Asia’s politicians to build support at a time of domestic weakness.
But it is too easy to write off these recent developments as the product of domestic politics. Yes, China, Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam, among others, are focused on internal economic or political developments. Seoul, for example, is in the midst of a presidential campaign. Japan’s governing party faces a stiff test, and probable defeat, at the hands of a resurgent Liberal Democratic Party next year. China is in the midst of a once-in-a-decade political succession, and, what is more, Beijing has hit the upper limit of its existing growth model, which is delivering diminishing returns and threatens to become a major political vulnerability for the government. Vietnam and others in Southeast Asia face domestic pressures to supercharge their economies and reinvigorate reforms.
Yet while it is true that popular chauvinism is a useful tactic for Asia’s beleaguered politicians, such tactics will yield significant costs and enduring damage. Nor are such passions easily turned on and off. Economic and political nationalism is deeply rooted in all Asian countries. It will survive and thrive even after these various political transitions are complete.
Just take the Vietnam-China relationship. Nayan Chanda wrote in his classic history of Indochina, Brother Enemy, that events after the fall of Saigon demonstrated that "Instead of being the cutting edge of Chinese Communist expansion in Asia that U.S. planners had anticipated, Vietnam proved to be China’s most bitter rival and foe."
"History and nationalism, not ideology," he noted, powerfully shape Asia’s future.
Just as these nationalisms threatened ideologies of Communist solidarity in the late 1970s, so do they now threaten ideologies of pan-Asian integration. Economic Asia is increasingly at risk.
Look, for example, at the recent events in China: As protestors took to the streets this fall in dozens of Chinese cities, Japanese businesses were attacked, thousands of China-Japan flights were canceled, and Honda, Toyota, Panasonic, and other popular Japanese brands closed factories. Sales of Japanese cars in China fell nearly 30 percent in September. The Chinese government, which aspires to a prominent role in international institutions, allowed nationalist passions to overwhelm expansive global ambitions: Beijing scaled back its participation in the 2012 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank simply because they were held in Japan.
The ghosts of history are visible elsewhere too. South Korea and Japan have traded nationalist recriminations over even tinier rocky islets. The result is that America’s Northeast Asian allies, despite a robust trade relationship and a powerful shared interest in countering North Korean threats, could not sign even a straightforward intelligence-sharing agreement to enhance cooperation in the face of a common threat from Pyongyang.
Asia’s Schizophrenia
Such developments belie much of what has been written about Asia’s recent evolution. Many have argued, for instance, that Japanese strategy is now motivated principally by realpolitik instincts — specifically a desire to balance rising Chinese power. But if this is true, then it is difficult to understand Tokyo’s festering spat with South Korea.
What is more, Tokyo has long been an exemplar of Economic Asia and a motive force behind the quest for greater regional economic integration. Postwar Japan, a strong U.S. ally with a powerful sense of trans-Pacific identity, has incubated a variety of pan-Asian regional ideas and ideologies, especially with respect to Asian monetary integration. It was Japanese officials who in 1997 proposed the establishment of an Asian Monetary Fund, which helped give rise to today’s Chiang Mai Initiative of bilateral swaps among ASEAN Plus Three countries (the ten Southeast Asian members of ASEAN, plus China, Japan, and South Korea). And it was Junichiro Koizumi, a prime minister with especially robust ties to the United States, who helped to push forward a China-Japan-South Korea trilateral mechanism and, with a competitive eye on China, other trade arrangements on the basis of ASEAN Plus Three.
Amazingly, even amid this autumn’s high geopolitical drama over contested islets, talks among Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul for a trilateral free trade agreement rolled along. The same phenomenon can be seen in Southeast Asia. As fears of confrontation rose last summer, ASEAN Plus Three, which includes the South China Sea’s three most vocal antagonists (China, Vietnam, and the Philippines), announced a strengthening of the Chiang Mai initiative through pledges that double the arrangement’s size to $240 billion in the event of another financial crisis and the establishment of an implementation office. In November, ASEAN and six partners (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea) launched negotiations for a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership that could be worth $17 trillion in trade and will be a counterpoint to Washington’s preferred pact, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Strategic Dilemmas
It is difficult to avoid analogies to Europe in 1914. Norman Angell’s 1910 bestseller, The Great Illusion, argued that war would prove impossible because Western economies were so interdependent as to make conflict suicidal. But Thucydides’ rationales why men go to war — interest, honor, and fear — have tended to prevail in international history.
The current push and pull between Economic Asia and Security Asia thus raises a number of powerful questions.
For one, Asia’s major multilateral institutions have proved to be almost irrelevant to practical problem-solving. Is it, therefore, time to rethink these experiments in regional architecture?
Pan-Asian regionalism has failed to quell Asia’s nationalist demons, and existing institutions, including those that involve the United States, have been largely missing in action throughout the turmoil of recent years. Last summer, ASEAN cohesion collapsed at a meeting in Phnom Penh, with the Cambodian chair at loggerheads with Vietnam and the Philippines over how sharply to confront Beijing. The new East Asia Summit (EAS) has done nothing to consolidate an agenda in between its annual meetings. And the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) has, similarly, become an arena for accusations and counterclaims. Indeed, the ARF is perhaps the most pregnant example of institutional failure. ARF is Asia’s leading security forum, yet all of the major sources of prospective conflict — Korea, Asian maritime claims, China-Taiwan, and India-Pakistan — are largely off the table.
Revisiting Asia’s regional institutions could help to fashion mechanisms better able to address the real problems while buttressing the U.S. position. Inertia and "process-centered" rituals continue to predominate at regional meetings. Diplomats rack up frequent flyer miles but little else.
Certainly, it can be useful for heads of state to meet regularly. But it would be wise for a group of like-minded countries, including the United States, to think through a modest but substantive operational agenda for the next EAS meeting to decide priority issues. Then, depending on the issue, leaders could ask that ARF or the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, or another relevant body, follow up with practical actions. This would begin to inject greater relevance into regional institutions and more connectivity among them.
Whither Washington?
A second question concerns the American role in Asia.
The U.S. role as Asia’s security provider has been reinforced even as the region’s economy has become increasingly pan-Asian, with the U.S. role shrinking in relative terms. This begs the question of whether the U.S. security role is sustainable without a significantly increased American economic profile in Asia, not to mention substantially greater leadership from Washington in driving regional trade and investment arrangements.
At present, Washington faces two strategic dilemmas:
First, the triumph of Security Asia would benefit the United States by assuring its centrality. After all, Washington is Asia’s essential strategic balancer and is becoming more so against the backdrop of growing Chinese naval power and projection capabilities. The dilemma, then, is that a security-dominant Asia will, at the same time, be a vastly more volatile region. And such volatility and instability are precisely what the United States has worked for two decades to avoid.
Washington could find itself navigating uncomfortably between competing territorial claimants. It will find it difficult to avoid choosing sides not just on matters of principle, such as freedom of navigation, but also on this or that specific sovereignty claim — for example, in the South China Sea between China and the Southeast Asian countries whom it has courted (some of whom have disputed claims with one another). An American president could ultimately find himself pulled into a military conflict over tiny shoals to which the United States has no claim.
A second dilemma is that Americans seek a stable, dynamic Pacific Rim for the long term and, in that sense, need Economic Asia to prevail. But economically, Asia is increasingly pan-Asian, meaning that American centrality could actually shrink as trade and investment patterns come to further reflect intra-Asian economic and financial integration.
U.S. economic involvement in Asia is growing in absolute terms but receding in relative terms. Trade with the United States comprises a diminishing share of nearly every East Asian country’s total trade. Yet the U.S. response has been deeply inadequate. Thus far, Washington has focused mainly on security "rebalancing" to the exclusion of economic rebalancing. Asians are providing ever more economic public goods to one another, while the U.S. role in this sphere has ebbed.
If present trends persist, America will only continue to recede. Thus the United States needs to raise its economic game in the region. And that will require revitalizing the U.S. economy and fiscal fundamentals. More than any factor, these could make a difference in demonstrating that the United States has staying power in Asia for the long term.
***
If history is any guide, it may take a crisis or game-changing shift for Asia to move more fully onto the positive path of Dr. Jekyll. Greater American involvement with Economic Asia will help. But there are few scenarios likely to produce a more dramatic shift through which Economic Asia could overwhelm Security Asia.
If China stumbles in its efforts to rebalance its economy, concerns will mount that China is falling into the middle-income trap, potentially risking its political stability. That could bring Asians together through a shared interest in avoiding a downward spiral in China. Similarly, a sudden collapse of North Korea could threaten all of Asia, precipitating a sobering crisis and leading nervous Northeast Asians to work together to manage the transition to a reunified Korea.
But Dr. Jekyll faces a very uphill battle. Even under such dramatic scenarios, nationalistic responses could ensue, leading Mr. Hyde to prevail. | {
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“Sappada, che per il Friuli Venezia Giulia rappresenta già il sesto polo sciistico, dovrà essere proposta ed esaltata come una delle perle delle Dolomiti”.
Lo ha affermato l’assessore regionale al Turismo, Sergio Emidio Bini, nel corso dell’odierno svoltosi ieri nella neo località Fvg con il sindaco Manuel Piller Hoffer, e i gestori degli impianti turistici invernali.
“L’intenzione della Regione – ha aggiunto Bini – è di giungere ad un piano delle priorità e degli investimenti per il rilancio turistico di Sappada condiviso con il Comune e con gli operatori e che rientri a pieno titolo nel futuro piano turistico strategico per l’intero Friuli Venezia Giulia”.
L’assessore è stato accompagnato a Sappada dal nuovo direttore generale di PromoturismoFvg, Lucio Gomiero, al suo esordio istituzionale ufficiale, assieme al quale ha tratteggiato le linee guida che governeranno la promozione della città, prossima a festeggiare il primo anno del suo passaggio dal Veneto al Friuli Venezia Giulia.
“Nel nuovo piano strategico – ha sottolineato Bini – l’offerta invernale regionale dovrà essere completamente rivista e dovrà avere una regia unica per tutti i comprensori”.
Quanto alle strategie, secondo l’assessore, “queste dovranno tener conto del diverso modo di fruire della montagna da parte dei turisti, dei cambiamenti climatici sul lungo periodo e di un fattore di crescita dell’attrattività delle destinazioni montane, anche in estate, che stiamo già registrando e che ci conforta”.
Per il Comune, rappresentato, oltre che dal sindaco, dal suo vice Marco Rossa, la priorità su cui intervenire è la carenza di una struttura polifunzionale e di un’offerta wellness-spa.
Il Comune guarda anche al miglioramento e all’implementazione della ricettività alberghiera, che oggi conta su circa 500 posti letto, mentre risulta in crescita la qualità delle seconde case in affitto e dei bed and breakfast.
Infine, è emersa l’esigenza di ammodernare il sistema degli impianti di collegamento, come hanno confermato anche gli attuali gestori privati che hanno in carico gli impianti di risalita e le piste da discesa, le piste da fondo e il parco giochi Nevelandia con gli annessi campetti da sci.
Il primo passo, ha confermato Gomiero, sarà quello di integrare il punto informazioni nel circuito degli Infopoint di PromoturismoFvg e omogeneizzare i prezzi degli skipass in tutta la montagna friulana.
Quanto alla tipologia di offerta turistica, oltre al pacchetto di offerta neve per famiglie che, attualmente, anche in forza di una scuola sci composta da 40 maestri, rappresenta la maggior attrazione invernale, si punta all’escursionismo, alle attività sportive, alle attività all’aria aperta estive e al cicloturismo, anche in alta quota. Tutte proposte che possono far leva sulla bellezza della soleggiata conca sappadina e sul fascino delle cime e dei laghi che la circondano.
(nella foto di copertina Gomiero e Bini) | {
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İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi, kentteki ücretsiz toplu ulaşımı Cuma gününe kadar uzatmıştı. Bu durumda, CHP’nin Pazar günü Taksim meydanında yapacağı demokrasi mitingine katılacak olanlar, toplu taşımayı ücretli olarak kullanacaktı.
Bu karar üzerine CHP İstanbul Milletvekili Gürsel Tekin belediyeye sitem etmiş ve “Böylesi bir ortamda daha çok hakkaniyet beklerdik” demişti. Belediye de kararını değiştirerek ücretsiz ulaşımı pazar gününe kadar uzattı.
Ayrıntılar geliyor | {
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Nick Fetty | July 8, 2014
During a meeting Monday, the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors discussed offering a tax abatement for a wind farm that RPM Access LLC hopes to build in Mahaska County.
The proposed abatement would reduce the level of taxation placed on RPM Access and Supervisor Mike Vander Molen said this abatement is necessary to make the project feasible. The $290 million project will be dependent upon all landowners involved in the proposal agreeing to sell their land and is expected to bring $60 million into the county over a 30-year span.
Per Iowa Code, the Board of Supervisors must wait 30 days before an ordinance can be adopted. This topic will be revisited during the board meeting on August 18. Construction on the wind farm may begin as early as 2016 and is expected to take about seven months to complete.
RPM Access has 13 projects in Iowa and one in Kansas. The De Soto-based company is also working with Facebook and Google on upcoming operations coming to the Hawkeye State. | {
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Washington (CNN) Americans in key states across the country Tuesday won't just be voting for a Democratic presidential nominee -- they're also making choices in key US Senate and House primaries that will shape the fight for control of Congress this fall.
While not getting as much attention as the headliner race, primaries in California, Texas, North Carolina and Alabama could vault unknown names into key matchups -- or stop some well-known political figures in their tracks.
Here's a few key matchups to keep an eye on when polls close Tuesday evening:
Alabama - Republican primary for US Senate
Republicans want to reclaim the Senate seat in deeply red Alabama held by Democrat Doug Jones, but there's a crowded primary of GOP candidates, meaning the race is all but assured to head to a runoff at the end of the month. Among those Republican hopefuls: former attorney general Jeff Sessions , former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, US Rep. Bradley Byrne and former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, who lost to Jones in a special election more than two years ago. CNN's Alex Rogers has a thorough rundown of that race and explains why all the candidates are trying to prove they're the candidate closest to President Donald Trump.
Most polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
North Carolina - Democratic primary for US Senate
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is up for reelection in this state that has proven to be competitive in the past, but the Democratic primary for picking his challenger has seen an unexpected influence. A group aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has funneled nearly $3 million into ads in the race backing a liberal candidate. Why? Insurgent Democratic state Sen. Erica Smith is challenging former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, who won the endorsement of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. CNN's Lauren Fox and Ellie Kaufman explain why GOP-aligned groups are boosting Smith in hopes of giving Tillis a weaker general election opponent in the fall.
Polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Texas - Primaries for US House seats
If you were looking for an upset win Tuesday, the Lone Star State's US House race primaries might be a good place to start. Texas ' large and diverse population puts its 36 congressional races at the forefront of America's changing demographics and political landscape. One example : incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar, one of the most conservative Democrats in the chamber, is facing a challenge from Jessica Cisneros, Cuellar's former intern , who's backed by New York. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Another possible upset worth watching: 12-term Rep. Kay Granger, the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee, is facing a primary challenger backed by the anti-tax Club for Growth. Granger, one of just 13 GOP women in the House, has Trump's endorsement, but should she lose, House Republicans would be down to just 10 women running for reelection this fall.
Also in Texas, look for some familiar faces hoping to return to Washington, including Trump's former chief physician, Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, who is running for the GOP nomination in Texas' 13th congressional district
Polls close at 8 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET.
California - Primaries for US House seats
The nation's most populous state also goes to the polls Tuesday, and California 's House races could feature some additional down-ballot drama.
One vacated seat -- formerly held by Democratic Rep. Katie Hill, who resigned last year -- is in a very competitive district, and 12 candidates are vying for the spot. Among the colorful candidates are George Papadopoulos, "Young Turks" talk show host Cenk Uygur and the Republican who held the seat before he was ousted in 2018. CNN's Clare Foran breaks down the complicated mechanics of this special election within primary day.
Elsewhere in the state, former Rep. Darrell Issa, a well-known Republican and former committee chairman, is running in a contested primary for the seat vacated by GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter, who resigned from Congress earlier this year, in a district Democrats see as competitive.
Polls close at 11 p.m. ET.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct Jessica Cisneros' first name. | {
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Last April, I was lounging in a hot tub at a clothing-optional resort in Jamaica when a stranger sat down next to me and put his hand on my inner thigh before saying, “if you don’t mind.” (I did.) Six months later at another clothing-optional resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, a man walked up to me and my boyfriend, telling him (but not me) “I just have to do something” before he patted my pubic hair. And just the other day, after I tweeted about orgasm equality, a stranger slid into my DMs to say “I see from your post you like to be pleased.” He proceeded to graphically describe a sexual fantasy involving me.
All these situations have one thing in common: after I presented myself as a sexual being, I was treated like a sexual object—one that was there for men’s gratification. I was up for grabs, literally.
Simply existing is often enough for a woman to be the target of men who feel entitled to her body, but if a woman is open about her sexuality, this seems to serve as extra permission for people to do whatever they want with her. Our sexuality is treated as a commodity, and once we put it out there, it’s considered for sale (and often, for a very low price).
.
After author Kayt Sukel published her book, , she immediately noticed an uptick in unwanted attention. “I had a bunch of dudes send me unsolicited dick pics with notes like ‘I loved your book, let’s meet up sometime,’” she remembers. “Or if they saw the CNN piece about my orgasm in an fMRI, they’d say something about how they’d get me off better than a piece of medical equipment.” Her worst experience? The moment a long-time male friend hit on her after the book came out. “When I said, ‘No thanks,’ he got upset and said there was something deeply wrong with me that I’d get off in public but wouldn’t hook up with him.”
Similarly, Good Vibrations staff sexologist Carol Queen, PhD, says it’s common for customers to get touchy-feely with her when she’s explaining products. “We actually have to train our staff to deal with this sort of thing,” she says. “There are plenty of people who seem to think they have entered a sex candy store when they shop with us.” Queen likes to handle these situations subtly by using clinical sex terms (“nothing with fewer than three syllables”) in an attempt to desexualize the communication. “I’ll also become more protective of my personal space by backing up,” she explains. “More directly, ‘Please don’t touch me while I’m giving you information—that’s not appropriate here.’”
These stories reflect a societal script that says a man’s role is to be sexual and woman’s is to be sexy, says Lisa Wade, PhD, an associate professor of sociology at Occidental College. “We have this notion that men are the ones that feel the sexual desire and have the sexual release and women are the ones that inspire the sexual desire and offer the sexual release,” she explains. “It’s this predator-prey-type relationship.”
This is also reflected in how we learn about sex. Female desire and pleasure are so absent from sex education and the media that 44 percent of male U.S. college students can’t locate the clitoris on a diagram. Meanwhile, sexualized images of female bodies flood billboards, TV ads, and magazines. In porn, women are typically there for men’s pleasure: 78 percent of men (but only 18.3 percent of women) are depicted as orgasming in Pornhub’s 50 most popular videos.
“You see the same thing in the fact that schlubby men are married to beautiful wives in sitcoms,” says Wade. “His attractiveness is irrelevant. It's his sexualness that’s relevant and her sexiness.”
This also means women get punished for having their own sexuality instead of just catering to men’s, with those who express strong sexual desires deemed “sluts” or “whores”, explains Queen, the Good Vibrations staff sexologist. When women are labeled this way, men may deem them unworthy of the chivalry afforded to women labeled “pure” or “innocent.”
This attitude comes from benevolent sexism—the belief that it’s men’s job to protect women (but only certain women) from inappropriate sexual behavior. If a woman doesn’t present herself as innocent, men feel they can treat her disrespectfully because she has no innocence to protect, explains Wade. “It turns into this age-old Madonna/Whore good girl/bad girl situation. The ‘good girls,’ you don’t expose them to your most brutish sexual desires.”
Afrosexology cofounder Dalychia Saah remembers learning—through a song in elementary school—that only “good girls” deserved boundaries. It went: “Girls who sit like this [legs together] get candy, girls who sit like this [legs crossed] get kisses, girls who sit like this [legs spread] get this [sexually violated].” The idea is that the harassment and assault of openly sexual women is somehow deserved can serve as a sort of punishment, explains Saah, who adds: “Identifying and treating people as objects and to sexualize and shame others are strategies used to keep people afraid of pursuing liberation and what it means to reject or redefine social scripts.”
.
It would be a mistake to believe that men who aggressively hit on openly sexual women are just titillated by their expressions of sexuality. Instead, Wade explains, men have been taught that they’re obligated to respond to any sexual signal a woman gives off—whether they’re turned on or not. “They’re pushed to be hypersexual, to always want it. If men are taught to think about themselves as having an on and an off switch, then as soon as a woman says ‘my switch is on,’ they don't know how to interpret it with any nuance," says Wade, adding: "Part of it might be a failure to help men engage with their own sexuality in a way that is caring."
Instead of teaching women that their value lies in whether their legs are open or closed and teaching men that when a woman’s legs are open, she’s inviting them in, we need to teach everyone that the standard for a sexual interaction should be enthusiastic consent, regardless of how someone sits, behaves, speaks, or dresses. “Rape culture says a woman's body is not her own,” notes Latisha James, Assistant Director for Prevention and Response at Spelman College. “It belongs to her parents, or her god, or her husband, or her children but never herself, and for a woman to dare and assert that her body is hers is seen as a selfish act," says James. “Consent culture says that my body is mine, and I am the only and final authority on who gets to interact with my body and how, and that is respected no matter what.”
Dalychia and her Afrosexology co-founder Rafaella Fiallo use the Instagram and Twitter hashtag #SexualNotSexualized—created by hip-hop artist Lizzo—to remind themselves and others that a woman can be as sexual as she wants without asking to be sexualized. They also developed an Erotic Care Plan to help people connect with, and own, their own sexuality.
“It can be really easy to internalize self-blaming messages that reinforce the idea that you shouldn’t own your sexuality,” says Fiallo. “Instead, explore your sexuality, know what it means to surround yourself with things and people that bring you pleasure, and affirm that you deserve to be a sexual being.” Saah adds that even though we need to address sexism and misogyny by calling men out, "we can’t forget to affirm our pleasure in the midst of all of that."
On the beach in Jamaica, I told another woman about the sexual harassment I’d experienced there. “Just tell them to f*ck off!” advised another woman who was listening. The next day, after a man swam up to me and pressed a vibrating rubber ducky against my breasts in the hot tub, I pushed his hand off and said, “No.” He gave me a fist-bump and swam away. Did that mean he was trying his luck—aware his behavior might be unwelcome, but of the assumption he could get away with it? I didn't ask, because it wasn’t my job to teach him. This was about affirming my own right to choose who touches me and how—regardless of whether I'm topless.
Suzannah Weiss Suzannah Weiss is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in New York Magazine, The Washington Post, Playboy and more.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io | {
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Additional Information
Son of Lt.-Col. R. T. Macdonald (C.A.M.C.) and Annie Elizabeth Macdonald, of Sutton, P.O. Quebec. Educated at Trinity College School, Port Hope, and a Graduate of McGill College, Montreal, as B.Sc.
Commemorated on Page 124 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. | {
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Christos Gage returns with “Fray” artist, Karl Moline, to deliver an appetizing filler chapter that contributes nicely to the larger tapestry of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10”. Pick up “I Wish” Part One today, and hit the jump to read our review!
WRITTEN BY: Christos Gage
ART BY: Karl Moline, Cliff Richards
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: August 20, 2014
Reviewed By: ShadowJayd
In the months leading up to the initial release of “Buffy Season 10”, Dark Horse Comics had been proclaiming that the series would be “going back to the basics”. While the first arc effectively demonstrated just that, this latest installment hammers the point home. Not only does the narrative employ the Monster of the Week Month trope in a way that it relates to an overarching series theme, but the theme itself is also reminiscent of Buffy’s early struggles in Season One.
This is not another story about slaying vampires and demons; this is a tale about responsibility and accepting reality. Things have been pretty chaotic since the new rules of magic altered the supernatural status quo, and now Buffy (as self-deprecating as she may be sometimes) has to trust herself, as well as her friends, to make sure things don’t get any worse.
The risks involved in handling the VAMPYR book seem to be as limitless as the directions in which this season can potentially take us, and this leads to a slightly different kind of storytelling from Gage. He manages to be surprisingly direct, yet inconclusive enough to keep readers guessing about the future of the series. There are no subtleties to be untangled in the script, as the characters’ feelings, narrative themes, and story developments are laid out pretty clearly on paper. The book reads like a breeze as it tries to speed to the next arc, and while not necessarily a good thing, it’s almost understandable considering the filler nature of the issue.
“I Wish” Part One begins with the Scoobies revaluating their living arrangements, and lamenting over financial woes. It’s a dilemma that speaks to the real life challenges of residing in San Francisco, where the cost of living is obscenely high. While seeking Detective Dowling’s help concerning pre-teen Giles’ inaccessible funds, a supernatural case is thrown their way that might just be the answer to their housing problems. A haunted apartment building at the centre of 25 missing child cases needs exorcizing. If the gang help, the landlady will offer them cheap rent in return. Simple enough… only nothing is ever simple in the Buffyverse. As they attempt to battle the demon in the building, they’re thrust into an alternate reality that they wished they’d had growing up. The Scoobies have to find a way to reject the fake reality in order to make it back home.
What’s interesting about this alternate universe is that time and geography is of no relevance there. They are still able to interact with each other even though Spike’s reality takes him back more than a century; Giles, nearly five decades, and the others, only as far back as their teenage years. Gage creates a very unique hell dimension that spans generations, using the innermost hopes and desires of each character against them. A few of their personal wishes feel repetitive at times, as they touch upon already explored fantasies, but there’s a sense of intimacy and connectedness that, not only ties the readers to the characters, but ties the issue up quite nicely. as well.
Taking over for Rebekah Isaacs on pencils is Karl Moline (Cliff Richards also credited). While extremely talented, his style is not generally effective when attempting to capture the likeness of the series actors. The fact that his 18th century William looks like True Blood’s Bill Compton, is evidence enough. But that’s not to say his artistic talents aren’t appreciated. In fact, he depicts the widely-varying range of despondency that pre-teen Giles is going through so flawlessly, readers will find it difficult not to feel the same as the story unfolds. Buffy’s fake reality also stands out in execution, as both Gage and Moline manage to personally evoke flashbacks to “Normal Again” (6×17). Other than that, the artwork definitely suffers.
Overall, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10” #6 is a decent installment, seemingly intended to bridge the gap between the first and second arcs. If the final page is any indication, expect more significant plot development in the following issues.
—
Reviewer: ShadowJayd, known everywhere else as Farah Jayden Hakkak, has been a staff writer for Bloody-Disgusting since July 2012. You can find her on Twitter, or passed out by the dirt road behind Wendy’s. | {
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Former FCC Commissioner Idiotically Claims Net Neutrality Helps ISIS
from the a-new-low dept
"In autocratic countries like China and Iran, it is the government that decides which Internet content is permissible, and which must be censored. Individuals have no choice. Under the new network neutrality rules, which prohibit blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization, the FCC dictates to businesses offering broadband services which parts of the Internet they must offer—all of it.
At first blush, this might sound reasonable, and certainly preferable to the government censorship that pervades much of the world. But the First Amendment protects not only the right to speak without government interference but also the right to remain silent and the right not to be coerced into speech by the government. Nowhere is the right to be free from compelled speech more important than the Internet.
"In an America with network neutrality rules, purveyors of indecent material and groups such as ISIS have a right to enter American homes through the Internet, and consumers lack the corollary right to have their broadband providers kick them out. As long as a site is “lawful,” broadband providers are powerless under network neutrality rules to respond to consumer preferences by blocking it or even parts of it, or favoring other websites—all under the banner of “neutrality."
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community. Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis. While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
There have been aof stupid net neutrality claims over the years. Net neutrality will somehow prevent ISPs from investing in networks is a common one. So are the claims that net neutrality will result in internet brown outs , trample ISPs' First Amendment rights , result in a return to the Fairness Doctrine , or that it's essentially " Obamacare for the internet ." Underpinning most of these arguments is the grand daddy of them all: the intentionally-divisive claim that net neutrality is a partisan issue to begin with.But former FCC Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth may have done the impossible: he's plattered what may just be the. In his editorial over at Capx titled "Why ISIS Celebrates the FCC’s Network Neutrality Rules," Furchtgott-Roth actually goes so far as to suggest meaningful net neutrality helps ISIS/Daesh. At the core of his stale argument is the idea that net neutrality rules somehow violate giant broadband ISPs' First Amendment rights:You know you're off to a solid, logical start when you try to compare regulations that, with the type of online censorship that's common in both Iran and China. As for net neutrality rules violating ISPs' First Amendment rights, we've repeatedly noted that's bunk. Basically, ISP lawyers threw every claim they could at the wall in the hopes that something would stick. But net neutrality rules don't violate ISPs' free speech rights because. In the case of net neutrality, most financially-objective people realize the threat is the ISP as censor.It's worth noting that the bigger ISPs (AT&T, Comcast, Verizon) have been backing away from this claim in recent months in court filings, seemingly aware that it wasn't going to be an effective tactic. And indeed, during last week's oral arguments in the neutrality case the three Judges involved seemed to indicate it's an argument that won't be getting any serious traction . Still, Furchtgott-Roth (who since his stint with the FCC has bounced around telecom industry think tanks defending horrible business practices ) uses that argument as the foundation for the dumbest net neutrality argument ever made:Yes, that's called, the very thing Furchtgott-Roth's pretending to give a damn about. And sure, if you want to stretch logic to its breaking point you can argue net neutrality helps ISIS, because it helps. That's kind of the whole point. Even if you can forgive Furchtgott-Roth's molestation of logic here, using ISIS to make a cheap political point in the wake of the Paris and San Bernardino shootings sinks to a new and notably-foul low for the broadband industry's anti-net neutrality brigades.
Filed Under: fcc, free speech, harold furchtgott-roth, isis, net neutrality | {
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Jenny Durkan starts as the favorite in the August 1 primary but five others are competitive
By George Howland Jr
The race for mayor of Seattle is not wide open. There is one candidate, barring some unforeseen circumstance, who will get through the August primary: Jenny Durkan, 59. Five others are fighting to be the other candidate to move onto November’s general election.
The reason I express such confidence in Durkan’s electoral strength is two-fold: first, she is the establishment candidate; second, she has the combination of experience and charisma that Seattle voters generally award.
The Seattle establishment is the ruling coalition that has dominated City Hall for decades: The Chamber, the Downtown Seattle Association, big Democrats, big labor and big developers. Seattle’s establishment doesn’t always put forward the most electable candidates, but this year, they’ve got a very strong one. The imprimatur of the establishment has already reaped benefits for Durkan: she reportedly raked in $100,000 in the first week of fundraising. Money doesn’t always win elections, but it seldom hurts a candidate.
For campaign purposes, Durkan’s resume is fabulous. She is running as former President Barack Obama’s U.S. Attorney for Western Washington. In addition, as U.S. Attorney, she successfully sued Seattle over the use of excessive force and biased policing by the Seattle Police Department (SPD). She also shattered a glass ceiling by being the first openly GLBTQ U.S. Attorney in the nation’s history. All of these things will help her win over Seattle’s dominant liberal electorate.
In addition, Durkan will appeal to the city’s more moderate and conservative voters because she was, after all, a tough prosecutor. During her tenure, she took action that raised concerns from both civil libertarians and activists: busting pot shops, using a child-molester informant to convict would-be bombers and holding anarchists in jail when they refused to testify before a grand jury.
Durkan is also running against President Trump. It’s a good time for a mayoral candidate to be a highly accomplished attorney, since the courts are serving as an important check on Trump’s efforts to punish liberal cities. Durkan, of course, won’t be using her legal skills in the courtroom, but, when it comes to electioneering, that’s beside the point. Elections are often more about optics than substance.
Personally, Durkan is more charismatic, telegenic and warm than any Seattle mayor since Norm Rice. Finally, she is the only establishment candidate in the race. She doesn’t have competition in her lane.
The other five viable contenders are not so lucky. This congestion makes it all the harder to figure out who else will make it through the primary.
The Transformers: Oliver and Hasagewa
Two candidates are running to transform City Hall. This means, unfortunately, they will split their base.
The first to declare was Nikkita Oliver, 31, an attorney, an educator, a poet and an activist. Oliver, who is also smart, charismatic and telegenic, is Seattle’s first candidate to emerge from the new civil rights movement.
Oliver’s platform focuses on social justice.
On housing affordability, she transcends the usual debate by calling for density while really protecting against displacement. She also wants rent control and plans to work with the Seattle Housing Authority to build more public housing.
In order to address homelessness, Oliver would open up new 24/7 shelters and levy luxury taxes to pay for homes without barriers—like sobriety, psychiatric treatment or transitional housing—to entry.
In regards to public safety, she advocates for restorative justice “that repairs harms through the cooperation and participation of all stakeholders” and against punitive institutions like the new youth jail in the Central Area. She supports strong powers for the Community Policing Commission to help ordinary folks shape police reform.
Oliver’s candidacy is accompanied by the birth of a new local political party: the Peoples Party of Seattle. Oliver is running a movement campaign, relying on the activism and enthusiasm of her supporters rather than a huge bank account or mainstream electioneering. She refuses to take corporate donations.
Her path is similar to the one that Seattle City Councilmember and Socialist Alternative Party leader Kshama Sawant forged in her citywide victory over incumbent Richard Conlin. This week, Sawant endorsed Oliver.
Since 2005, Bob Hasegawa,64, has been a member of the Washington state Legislature, first as a state Representative then as a state Senator. Hasegawa is a lifelong resident of Beacon Hill and in the 1990s and early 2000s, he was a leader of the effort to reform Teamsters Local 174.
Hasegawa has a low-key, aw-shucks charm and says things like, “I’m just an ordinary worker who happened to get elected to public office.” His personality shows no evidence of the egotism so common to politicians. He gives the impression of just wanting to roll his sleeves up and get to work on behalf of regular working folks like himself.
Like Oliver, he will be running a people’s campaign, albeit with some important differences. As a former Bernie Sanders delegate, he will try to tap into the grass-roots energy of activists in the Democratic Party that fueled the Vermont Senator’s run for president. He will also be looking to attract progressive unionists who want to shake up Seattle’s status quo.
As he opened his campaign, his central issue was a municipal bank, something he has advocated for in the state legislature. The idea has two benefits: first, it removes tax money from corporate banks that do nasty things with it; second, Hasegawa hopes it will enable city government to use its bonding capacity at a lower cost to do things like build affordable housing.
It’s a great idea, but it is a bit abstract to build a campaign around.
Still, Hasegawa has name recognition in his legislative district, the 11th, which includes parts of South Seattle. He also has well-established ties to Seattle’s non-Sawantist, older left-wing activists.
The Urbanists
Three urbanists are running for mayor, which will hurt their chances.
Mike McGinn
While the former mayor,57, probably has the highest name recognition in the race, he also probably has the highest negative rating among voters. Even those who have voted for him in the past may not want to put him back in city hall. Yet in a race as crowded as this one, you can’t count him out. Candidates don’t need that many votes to get into November’s general election.
In his winning mayoral campaign of 2009, McGinn ran as an outsider opposed to a tunnel replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct. Near the end of that year’s mayoral campaign, in a brilliant strategic move, he declared the tunnel was a settled matter because the city council had made it law.
Once he got into office, he governed like an outsider—one unfamiliar with how to set forth an agenda and accomplish it. Meanwhile, he worked furiously behind the scenes to scuttle the tunnel. This second reversal hurt his credibility with the voters. And when, in August 2011, the tunnel was put on the ballot in an advisory vote, the majority of Seattle voters supported it.
Now, in his latest campaign, McGinn is attempting yet a third reversal. He is running as a neighborhood candidate who wants government to do a better job managing growth. Previously, he was a hard charging urbanist mayor, wanting government to help create housing density, transportation alternatives (“Mayor McSchwinn”) and skyscraper construction to attract major corporations.
Neither the progressive nor the conservative neighborhood movement will embrace him. Some of his old supporters, however, still remember him fondly and will vote for him.
Cary Moon
Moon, 53, co-founded the People’s Waterfront Coalition to promote the idea of tearing down the viaduct and not replacing it at all: no tunnel and no rebuilt elevated highway. The idea was wildly popular with urbanists and environmentalists, but went nowhere with the general public or Seattle’s political and business leaders. In August 2011, when Seattleites voted for the tunnel, the idea died for good.
Now Moon is running as an urban planner and a technocrat who understands how cities succeed or fail. It is an untested strategy and doesn’t immediately seem like it will be broadly embraced, but we’ll find out.
Her favorite idea is that speculative foreign investment may be worsening our housing crisis. She admits, however, that no one knows for sure, so, she’d like to study the issue. If there is evidence, it’s worth checking out, but you can’t excite voters with a possibility.
Moon lacks a great personal story to introduce herself to Seattle voters. Basically, she grew up rich as the daughter of a factory owner, not a popular background for a politician to have in the Emerald City. Subsequently, her family sold the business and, therefore, she’s wealthy.
While it may not fit the Horatio Alger narrative, a personal fortune is a terrific thing to have in a crowded primary. The word among politicos is that Moon is prepared to spend big money—including buying serious TV time. If that’s the case and her campaign uses the money wisely, she could find herself in a general election.
Jessyn Farrell
Since 2013, Farrell, 43, has represented Northeast Seattle’s 46th District in the state House of Representatives. Before that, she was executive director of Transportation Choices Coalition, a non-profit that advocates for transit, bicycling and pedestrians.
While in the legislature, she helped make sure the state’s latest transportation package, 2015’s Connect Washington, included $1.3 billion for transit, bike paths and walkways.
In the 2016 Sound Transit 3 ballot measure approved by voters, Farrell included an amendment that required the transit agency to “contribute $20 million to a revolving loan fund to support affordable housing” in areas served by its rail and bus expansion.
The mother of three young children, this year Farrell was a House sponsor for a bill that will provide accommodations for pregnant women in the workplace—including flexible schedules and temporary transfer to less hazardous or strenuous work.
In her announcement for mayor, Farrell came out swinging hard for urban density, telling The Stranger, “We need to go bigger and bolder and faster.” Her unapologetic, pro-growth stance will win her votes among the urbanist faithful. She will be able to combine that support with her legislative base of Northeast Seattle voters who reliably turn out for elections.
Money, however, may be a real problem for her, as she, like Hasegawa, can’t raise any dough for the mayor’s race while the legislature is in session. Currently the legislature is deadlocked over spending for education and the session may stretch into summer.
There are 15 other candidates who have registered for August’s mayoral primary. Due to a lack of name recognition, political experience, money, endorsements or significant grassroots support, none of them are likely to turn up on November’s ballot.
Questions, tips, comments: [email protected]
Award winning journalist George Howland Jr has been hired by Seattle Displacement Coalition to write for Outside City Hall about city politics, housing, homelessness and land use. He is not a member of Seattle Displacement Coalition and no part of his writing serves as a statement of the Coalition’s views. He works under his own editorial direction. The Coalition plays no role in choosing his specific subjects or editing his copy. He even refuses to drink beer with the Coalition’s John Fox. | {
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Führend sind hier die Chatbots. Dabei handelt es sich um Chat-Roboter, also smarte Programme, die selbständig mit Nutzern kommunizieren könnten. Sie sind lernfähig und darauf programmiert, Daten zu erhalten und auf bestimmte Schlüsselwörter und -phrasen zu reagieren. Dadurch können beispielsweise Shopping- und Serviceprozesse dialogbasiert unterstützt werden. 80 Prozent der von Oracle befragten Sales- und Marketing-Leiter gaben an, dass sie diese Technologie bis zum Jahr 2020 einsetzen wollen. Besonders beliebt sind dabei die reichweitenstarken Messenger-Portale als Schauplatz.
Innerhalb der WeChat-App - dem chinesischen Äquivalent von Whatsapp - beispielsweise kaufen, bestellen oder reservieren 650 Millionen Kunden täglich. Die asiatische Allrounder-App wird inzwischen für fast alles, von Shopping über Onlinebanking bis zur Taxibestellung eingesetzt. Im Westen hingegen ist es nur eine Frage der Zeit, bis Facebook die westlichen Messaging-Plattformen dominiere, glaubt Jessica Ekholm, Research Director beim amerikanischen Marktforschungsunternehmen Gartner.
Facebook Messenger bietet sich nicht nur wegen des grossen potenziellen Zielpublikums an. Sondern weil viele Unternehmen bereits eine entsprechende Fanpage haben, die man für die Entwicklung eines Bots dank einfachem Baukastensystem ausbauen kann. Mittlerweile kümmern sich 34'000 Bots der unterschiedlichsten Unternehmen beim Facebook Messenger um die Anliegen der User. Sie werden im Gegensatz zu WeChat jedoch «nur» im Kundenservice, Empfehlungsmarketing oder in Gewinnspielen eingesetzt. Einige bekannte deutschsprachige Beispiele: Der Chatbot Mildred sucht für Lufthansa-Kunden nach geeigneten Flugtarifen. Die Chatbots von H&M und Zalando dienen als freundliche Shopping-Berater. Auf der Website Botlist findet man eine gute Übersicht über die bestehenden Chatbots, deren digitales «Einzugsgebiet» und ihr konkreter Dienstleistungszweck. | {
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We all know the National League East is a bad division this season, but I didn't realize how bad until reading Joe Sheehan's newsletter this morning. Joe checked the interdivisional record for each division since 2006. The five worst divisions:
2006 NL Central: 210-275, .433
2008 NL West: 195-255, .433
2012 AL Central: 199-251, .442
2007 NL Central: 221-275, .446
2009 AL Central: 201-249, .447
The St. Louis Cardinals won the 2006 NL Central with 83 wins (but went on to win the World Series). The Chicago Cubs won the Central the next year with 85 wins. The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2008 NL West with 84 wins. The two AL Central winners in 2009 and 2012 also won fewer than 90 games.
Anyway, the 2015 NL East is 155-210 outside the division, a .425 winning percentage. As Sheehan writes,
"This stuff matters because of the way baseball's honors get distributed. Regardless of the strength or weakness of your schedule or your divisional opponents' schedule, the team that finishes atop its division gets into the playoffs. It's not about absolute quality; it's about relative quality to your group. So when a division is very weak -- as the 2015 NL East unquestionably is -- I think it's fair to ask a question like, "Are the Mets actually any good, or are they just less bad than the field?"
This is what I was hinting at Wednesday when discussing the mediocrity of the AL wild-card race and the bad luck of the Pittsburgh Pirates to be in the same division as the Cardinals. Well, the New York Mets or Washington Nationals are going to win the NL East and neither is a very good team. They're not as good as the Cardinals, Pirates or Cubs; they're probably on par with the Arizona Diamondbacks and maybe not even as good as the Milwaukee Brewers, who have a .426 winning percentage in baseball's best division. (The NL Central currently has the fourth-best winning percentage outside the division of any division since 2006.)
Yes, geography can be just as important as constructing the team on the field. That's baseball in 2015. | {
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Because of the lack of true unifying ideas, some members of these imposed from above "associations" secretly hated them, but to come to school without a red Pioneer tie or refuse to join the Komsomol meant to amass enormous trouble, so signs of belonging to this strange communities were dutifully worn or attached to jackets.
However, many people were really inspired by the ideology of building a communist society and were guided with it through life, so it is not surprising that BAM "building of the century" became the semantic beginning of the new historical epoch and the strongest magnet attracting young people, who were easily leaving the cozy apartments in order to build a railway in the taiga. In a farewell letter from some graduate to her native school, it was possible to meet the final sentence that she will join CPSU only after university graduation.
Thus, joining CPSU was perceived as a very important procedure that had to be earned with the honest labor biography, and to which it was necessary to grow up both mentally and physically. It is not surprising, therefore, that in the interview, which TV took from passers on the eve not long before the New Year holidays somewhere in the 1980-s, a young man quite frankly said that in the past year, the most important event for him was joining the Communist Party. True, some careerists were forced to become communists but were really angry faced with the need to pay the first party fees - quite noticeable to the family budget.
A party meeting at the same time for a man who accidentally got there could seem a nightmare, because of the numerous accusations, abuse, and threats caused by irritation due to the fact it was almost impossible to fulfill all the top-down orders and comply with all the rules, invented by someone unknown. As a result, there was the impression that the cell's secretary standing behind the tribune was preparing the ground in order to make ordinary members guilty, and those, in turn, foreseeing a possible failure to comply with the plan, were going to blame everything on the secretary.
Not so much time passed since then, but the lies and formalism, through every word prevailed then ideology, have long been the talk of the town, as they were exposed and cast out immediately after its cancellation. Recent "convinced communists", not offended by the life and often held high positions in the governing structures, burned their party cards in front of TV cameras and deliberately renounced already disappeared CPSU. Its central office quietly escaped from the state, not bothering farewell to country long time patronized and at the same time driven by not communist ideas, but based on purely selfish motives picked up party funds, the cost of which is still unknown.
Not only that - for the sake of party funds several high-ranking party treasurers allegedly committed suicides jumping from the windows, taking away with them one of the greatest mysteries of the century - how much gold have Soviet communists accumulated and where did they hide it. It is not surprising that publications which soon appeared in national newspapers told that foreign lawyers employed by the new government to search for communist treasury found nothing and helplessly shrugged when confronted with how well all the ends were hidden.
Terrible events of those days were later reproduced in a realistic movie "Party's Gold". Then some articles about the British writer and historian Helen Rappaport appeared in the newspapers. She wrote an exposing book about Lenin, forcing ex-Little Octobrists, once carried Lenin's baby picture in the little star on the school jacket, to grab the head from a fright.
Oddly enough, after a dozen years fully discredited communist ideology began to come to life in the form of school pupils taken to the Pioneers, although officially this children's organization no longer exists and no one is forcing to join it anymore. There have been reports about the revival of the Komsomol movement as well, although it is unclear which goals can pursue Communist Youth League after the resounding failure of the Communist Party which directed it.
Often the leaders of these recovery processes are far from being the young dreamers, but appear to be adults, witnessed themselves day after day how the world's best party was sinking pulling into the abyss the strongest country in the world, and red ties are put on children's necks by old party functionaries, who don't pay too much attention to the fact that those who brought communism to the vast empire from abroad, were likely agents of Western intelligence.
The question arises: what kind of communism are new Pioneers and Komsomol members still going to build, not to mention the elderly communists, vividly remembering the inexorable collapse of the CPSU and the Soviet Union itself? Do they want to run a history on a new round of dispossession, collectivization, compulsory demonstrations, scandalous party meetings, five-year plans, mismanagement, everyday obsessive propaganda, and struggle against the private property?
It is difficult to understand what makes them revive the idea of communism. Well, the simple townsfolk, who felt hard Soviet "happiness" with its regular grocery and trade deficits and the Iron Curtain, have to wonder how short historical memory is and how easy it is to revive faith in the overthrown ideals. | {
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Rape on the rise in Greece, 97% of rapes unreported
The epidemic of rape has been on the rise in Greece, where victims not only include the Greek but also refugees who sit in camps after fleeing from war in their homeland.
Only 3 percent of rape attacks are being reported in Greece due to lack of medical examiners to certify the assaults. According to sources, around 5,000 rapes occur in the country every year. But only about 150 are backed up by a Medical Examiner because 30 of the country’s 51 prefectures don’t have one.
“Imagine the suffering for a rape victim… to have to travel to find a medical examiner,” Grigoris Leon, head of the Hellenic Society for Forensic Medicine, told sources.
In March 2017, the Equality Now charity, in a global report on rape, said that Greece, along with Belgium and The Netherlands, were failing to adequately protect victims.
In Greece, marriage appears to be a legal remedy for “seduction” of a child, at which point criminal prosecution pauses, the report found, although the details of the law were not clear, it said, adding that perpetrators escape prosecution if they marry their victim, in nine of the countries.
“Sexual violence will not end unless it is dealt with at every level in society as part of a concerted effort to change not only laws and policies, but also attitudes and behaviors – in public and in private,” Antonia Kirkland, head of Equality Now’s legal equality program told the British newspaper The Independent.
Moreover, a study by Harvard University warned of a “growing epidemic” of sexual exploitation and abuse in the country, which houses 62,000 asylum seekers stranded by the EU-Turkey deal and border closures through Europe.
Aid workers and officials say there is often nowhere to turn, with victims trapped in camps with their abusers too frightened to go to police or authorities, who frequently lack interpreters and specialists.
About 35% of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence, according to the World Health Organization. One in 10 girls, or 120 million children worldwide, have experienced “forced intercourse or forced sexual acts”at some point in their lives. | {
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Unrest is simmering in some quarters of the Washington news universe regarding changes in the way the Department of Labor (DOL) manages its pre-release media “lockups” on sensitive data like weekly jobless benefits and unemployment.
For years, journalists participating in the lockups have shown up at DOL at the appointed time, then entered a limited-access area to receive the new data and prepare news stories for release as soon as official embargoes end.
The system insures that major news organizations get the data as soon as possible and allows journalists covering the release get a jump on providing analyses and opinion about the data.
But Carl Fillichio, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis’ top communications advisor, circulated a memo earlier this week to interested media informing them that everybody is being required to re-submit their credentials requests. | {
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Family members and friends have begun directing appeals toward Sunil Tripathi in hopes of encouraging him to return home, mother Judy Tripathi said Monday.
Since the former member of the class of 2012 disappeared three and a half weeks ago, family members, friends and law enforcement officers have been conducting foot searches in Providence and raising awareness of Tripathi’s disappearance all over New England.
“One of the things we’ve been thinking about for some time was to talk to him directly,” Judy Tripathi said, adding that she hopes he will “see us all together three weeks later, still hopeful, still optimistic.”
The family released a video on YouTube Monday encouraging Tripathi to contact them and let them know he is safe.
“Sunil, the only thing missing is you,” read the description on the video, which depicts immediate and extended family members and friends coordinating search efforts and speaking to the camera.
Family members have also posted photos and asked Tripathi to reach out to them through a Facebook page dedicated to the search. The family has corresponded with national missing persons organizations like the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and LostNMissing, which also encouraged addressing Tripathi directly, Judy Tripathi said.
“As police and FBI agents probe surveillance videos, the family and friends of missing Brown University student Sunil Tripathi remain positive about his return,” according to a statement from the family released Monday.
Law enforcement officers are continuing to follow the case, Judy Tripathi said.
“We are all bolstered by the fact this case is still very much alive,” she added.
Since surveillance footage possibly depicting Tripathi was revealed March 29, family members have continued securing surveillance tapes from Providence businesses.
Though no new footage of Tripathi has surfaced, the tapes are “eliminating the streets we’ve looked at” as possible routes he might have taken, Judy Tripathi said.
University officials — including University Chaplain Janet Cooper Nelson, a first-year adviser of sister Sangeeta Tripathi ’04 and family friend — have continued to assist the family and are “constantly in touch,” Judy Tripathi said.
Administrators have offered resources to the family, including bedding and clothing.
“(President Christina Paxson) had us for dinner one night at her house,” she added. “She’s been absolutely supportive and in communication with us.”
The University has also provided temporary housing in Gardner House for the family to use as a base for their search effort, she said.
The Office of the President, the Office of Campus Life and Student Services, the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life and the Department of Public Safety have all been involved in assisting the family, wrote Vice President for Public Affairs and University Relations Marisa Quinn in an email to The Herald.
“In terms of additional campus involvement and communications, we will continue to follow the guidance of law enforcement on ways that we can help advance search efforts,” Quinn wrote.
Family members plan to relocate from Gardner House to an apartment near campus to continue the search, Judy Tripathi said. The family will sublet the apartment one month at a time, she said.
“The minute Sunil is found, we will have a reason to pack up and go home,” Judy Tripathi said. “Until then, we will have some presence here.” | {
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What to Know Around 276 small dogs, about 20 of them pregnant, were seized from a Monmouth County home Friday
One of the owners, who was said to be in tears as the dogs were taken, had not been seen by neighbors in years
The dogs will be placed for adoption when they're ready. Information is below in the article
Authorities have seized 276 small dogs from a New Jersey home in what one official described as "the worst hoarding situation" they had seen in Monmouth County.
The house raised suspicions from an Associated Humane Society official as he investigated a report of a dog on the loose by Bennett Road in Howell on Thursday, authorities said. He was knocking on doors in the area when he came across the home, where a foul odor was emanating.
No one answered the door there, but he heard dogs barking inside and notified SPCA. Officers responded and investigated, then launched the rescue operation Friday.
Inside the home, officers found more than 270 Chihuahuas, Yorkies, pugs and mixed-breeds dogs inside.
Many were sitting on bookshelves. One shelf was specially built near the ceiling of the living room, "like a hamster cage for dogs," according to Tierney Park, a Monmouth Sheriff's deputy. "They have steps that go up to the shelf and there were dogs looking down and barking."
There were others living under beds and even between walls. Many appeared petrified as they were brought out, having never been exposed to the outdoors.
"They're just undersocialized, fearful," said Heather Cammisa of St. Hubert's Animal Welfare Center, who was assisting in the rescue. "They haven't been around a lot of people."
Despite that, most of the dogs were fairly well taken care of, according to Ross Licitra, chief of the Monmouth County SPCA Humane Law Enforcement Division.
The owners, Charlene and Joseph Handrick, are expected to face charges. One rescuer described Charlene as distraught and in tears, calling the dogs "my family."
Neighbor Suzanne DeGrande said she hadn't seen Charlene Handrick outside of the home in about five years.
"I would knock on her door and say, 'Charlene, open the door, you have a dog loose,' and she would never open the door," she said.
Another neighbor, Janine Prochnow, said her son used to play with Charlene's son.
"He would come to our house. My son reminded me today we were never allowed into their house," she said.
The Handricks declined to speak with NBC 4 New York outside their home.
The homeowners had told the SPCA and the Associated Humane Society there were about 80 dogs inside. But rescuers ultimately pulled out 276 dogs by Thursday night.
Rescuers vaccinated about 100 dogs as they were brought out. One dog gave birth to three puppies during the rescue, and an estimated 20 others were obviously pregnant.
The dogs will be made available for adoption when they're ready. Anyone interested in adopting may contact St. Hubert's at 973-377-7094, the Associated Humane Society of Monmouth at 732-922-0100 or the Monmouth SPCA at 732-542-0040 or [email protected]. | {
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Ieri sera si è chiuso troppo presto il sipario del teatro comunale. Lo spettacolo “Il Maestro e Margherita”, che ha come protagonista Michele Riondino (il giovane Montalbano), è stato interrotto a causa di un malore accusato dall'attrice Federica Rosellini che interpreta proprio il personaggio di Margherita.
Dopo circa un’ora e mezza dall’inizio della recita è stato proprio Riondino, a sipario chiuso, ad affacciarsi dal palco per rivolgersi verso il pubblico e chiedere se ci fosse un medico per l’attrice che non si sentiva bene. Dalla platea il soccorso richiesto non si è fatto attendere: monitorata la situazione, il medico ha consigliato all’attrice di non compiere ulteriori sforzi e di recarsi al pronto soccorso per degli accertamenti. Poco dopo i soccorritori del 118 l’hanno accompagnata all’Umberto I.
Sempre Riondino, con grande eleganza e attenzione tanto per il pubblico quanto per Federica Rosellini, è tornato sul palco per scusarsi ed annunciare l’interruzione dello spettacolo: «signori - ha detto - purtroppo in teatro capita anche questo. La mia collega non è nelle condizioni idonee per continuare lo spettacolo. Ci dispiace e speriamo di rivedervi la prossima volta».
Ad aver influito sulle condizioni di salute dell’attrice, a quanto pare già non ottimali prima dell’inizio dello spettacolo, potrebbe essere stato anche il freddo, percepito in teatro sia dagli spettatori che dagli operatori. Le scene - lunghe e complesse dal punto di vista teatrale - prevedevano diversi momenti in cui gli attori recitavano seminudi, anche solo con la biancheria intima. | {
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General view of ‘Perdana Forum: Whither Maruah Malaysia 2.0’ in Kuala Lumpur October 25, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 — Academics, politicians, experts and activists believe that one of the biggest problems facing Malaysia 2.0 is race and religion polarisation.
Speaking at the ‘Whither Maruah Malaysia 2.0’ forum here today, academic Professor Lim Teck Ghee outright said that post-GE14 has been an “unmitigated disaster” for the nation’s reform movement.
“What happened in GE14 has been described as a tsunami. We know tsunamis are a once-in-a-lifetime event. What happens next is more important than the tsunami itself. This is where we need to do the asking what we need to focus on.
“It’s very clear post-GE14 has been an unmitigated disaster for the reform movement. That’s why we are all here. We are trying to see what’s gone wrong, what is the role ahead and what we can do together,” said Lim.
Lim Teck Ghee speaks during ‘Perdana Forum: Whither Maruah Malaysia 2.0’ in Kuala Lumpur October 25, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
He noted that with the list of political disappointments and failures by the current Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration growing by the day, it was right to ask whether Malaysia is back to square one and whether the so-called “tsunami” was actually a “small wave”.
Some of the failures that PH failed to address include race relations, governance, the recently concluded Malay Dignity Congress as well as the Dr Zakir Naik issue among others.
However, he did not single out any ethnic group or political party for this perceived failure; instead believing that every Malaysian shoulders the blame, saying that the entire nation must change its mindset of racial and religious polarisation.
“It’s not simply Umno and PAS leaders with this mindset. This mindset is also there with the civil service in the PH leadership. It needs to be addressed. What needs to be done next, we need to be realistic. We find the reform agenda is not just around the corner, it’s a marathon and beyond.
“It’s much more than the Malay mindset that needs transformation but all. The whole bunch of us Chinese, Indians, East Malaysians, we are all part of the ‘Ugly Malaysian’. Queue cutting, name dropping, ass kissing, frog jumping, datukship worshipping, this is a culture that prevails,” Lim said.
Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan speaks during ‘Perdana Forum: Whither Maruah Malaysia 2.0’ in Kuala Lumpur October 25, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
Meanwhile, renowned activist Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan cautioned her fellow panellist, saying that all is not doom and gloom as there is still hope for the country.
But to achieve the GE14 dream, the ruling administration must have some spine and courage in order to do so, she continued.
She pointed out that PH should never have allowed itself to be sidetracked by the games that the Opposition play and must remain firm in its decision to reform the country for the better.
Ambiga observed that the moment the ruling coalition is sidetracked, it plays into the hands of the Umno-PAS alliance and this will give them the advantage.
“But the government must stand firm. For example, the manner which ICERD came about. It became a racial issue and the government instead of standing up to them, gave in to them. And of course, they haven’t stopped giving in. That’s what happens when you give in.
“You give in once, you will continue giving in. What’s the game plan when you have extreme racist rhetoric? I’m expecting our leaders to show courage, put their foot down and say this is unacceptable rhetoric. We have come to see hate speech being spread online and via social media.
“What do we expect them to do? We expect them to speak for everyone, to speak for those who are hurt by the comments of those who are racist,” said Ambiga.
She proposed that Putrajaya sets up a bipartisan committee on race relations in order to have a serious conversation and to “recalibrate” the nation.
The former Bersih 2.0 chief said that if the government is not doing it, then it is up to ordinary Malaysians to galvanise such a movement.
Ambiga then recommended the book penned by Perak Ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah titled Striving for Inclusive Development: From Pangkor to a Modern Malaysian State, citing the last chapter which contains many recommendations that politicians can pick up to change the nation.
“Every politician, every MP should read the book by Sultan Nazrin called From Pangkor to a Modern Malaysian State.
“In the last chapter, His Highness sets out ways we can recalibrate the nation and what is it we need to do to make sure we can compete in this global climate, instead of being a recluse, an island, but one where we can stand proud,” said Ambiga.
Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker speaks during ‘Perdana Forum: Whither Maruah Malaysia 2.0’ in Kuala Lumpur October 25, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker, on the other hand, questioned whether or not the voters’ decision to cast their ballot in favour of PH over Barisan Nasional (BN) had granted their hopes and dreams.
He acknowledged BN’s failure as a ruling administration but asked the audience if there is real change after PH’s takeover, and whether things are getting better or becoming worse.
Ti then slammed the ruling coalition for being “obsessed” with power or retaining power as can allegedly be seen in the tiff between PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his followers who are demanding a date of transition from Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Siti Kassim speaks during ‘Perdana Forum: Whither Maruah Malaysia 2.0’ in Kuala Lumpur October 25, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana
Firebrand lawyer Siti Kassim then called Malaysia one of the most racist and bigoted nations on the planet due to the fact that it is institutionalising race-based policies.
“The curse of race and religion being put into law has made us a society of Us vs Them. It should have been love among us all. Even Israel has equal Muslim citizens. But Malaysia is getting more and more racist and exclusive by developing religious policies day by day, year by year.
“We are one of the most racist and bigoted countries on Earth. What other nation gives 100 per cent university quota just for one race? Which other nation has institutionalised policies on race but Malaysia? Where is the dignity in that?
“Where is the dignity in funding religious affairs using every taxpayers’ funds when it is a constitutional mandate for those of a different religion not to fund something that is not theirs,” said the outspoken activist, before adding that Putrajaya should leave Islamic matters to the Sultans. | {
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Hey! It's you! Well, make yourself at home, and enjoy this week's Weekly Updates! Last week was, though a bit on the light side, somehow busy. On the menu, a bunch of new sounds, two new relics, three new activated items and several bug fixes. So let's not hang around any longer and let's go!
New Sounds
First, there are many new sounds. Most of these sounds are related to weapons and attacks. Previously there was no sound when a melee attack is launched. There wasn't also any sound to show if the attack was successful or not. In short, the game was in serious need of new sounds.
So I decided to add several sounds. When a melee weapon launches an attack, a sound can now be heard. When an attack lands, two types of sounds can be heard depending on its outcome. If blocked, a resonant sound is played. If not blocked, an impact sound is played instead. The sounds playback volume also varies depending on the damage level of the attack. So, the more critical an attack is, the louder the sound is played.
I also decided to add a sound for a successful parade. It really helps to make everything very juicy!
There are a bunch of different sounds ... Too much for this little post ... So, I made a video.
Take a listen:
New Relics
Second, there are two new relics. With these new relics, there are now 26 functional relics in the game. But anyway, here they are:
Ecco Jam
Ah yes, a pot of pure echo! Really tasty on a piece of toast!
Stats
DEF - 15%
Description
A jar of blue jelly. Is sold as "100% pure echo jelly".
With this relic, players get a similar ability of the Gopnik outfit.
Basically, it allows them to obtain some kind of berserk mode. When players took enough damage they enter a berserk mode, which gives them big stats bonuses. After a few seconds, the effect wears off.
What a cute figurine! This cat looks very happy to be here!
Stats
LCK +10%
Description
A ceramic cat a holding a big koban coin.
According to Japanese culture, Maneki-Nekos are supposed to bring luck to their owner. With this relic, players receive a small bonus of luck. Also, they'll be more likely to find money in loot.
New Activated Items
Third, there are three new activable items. With these three new items, there are now 19 activated items in all. Here they are:
Pierre Laroche
This is a roc- sorry, didn't mean to offend it. This is Pierre Laroche. It's a proud rock, to say the least...
Stats
ATK +5%
AGL -25%
Description
A small pebble. You can see white lines all around it. Realy pretty to look at!
With this activated item, players can now throw pebbles. These can either distract enemies but can also hurt them.
Use it wisely!
Toy Brick
Be careful not to walk on that ... It's rather painful!
Stats
ATK +5%
AGL -15%
LCK -5%
Description
A small plastic brick. It's really well built.
With this activatable object, players now can lay down brick mines.
Once thrown and still, the toy brick activates and becomes deadly. When someone passes nearby, it explodes.
Use them well, otherwise, you're going to have a bad time.
Watering Can
Find your inner gardener with this beautiful 100% green watering can.
Stats
ATK -25%
DEF -50%
AGL -5%
HP +10%
Description
A small green plastic watering can. Contains a little bit of water.
With this activated item, players can water many things. When watered, some plants might even drop useful loots. Watering fruit plants also regrow their fruits instantly. Enemies can also be watered and will get wet. Some enemies won't tolerate water at all and will get hurt.
So be nice to our plant friends! You never know, they could even save yourself one day!
Minor Updates
Changed the Shaders to be able to offset a model's UV to change their colours.
Changed how floor types work and marked ice floor as walkable.
Changed the appearance of ice
Fixed a bug where some in-game item would face the wrong way when placed on a pedestal.
Fixed a bug where some important sounds wouldn't play at all
Expanded the projectile return hitbox of the badminton racket.
Changed how the defence VFX appears. This way, a fully blocked attack will also show the defence VFX.
Changed the angle at which the shuttlecock was launched.
Next Week
For next week I plan to do some brainstorming to polish the levels a bit. Maybe a little overhaul of the map generation would be in order...
Otherwise, I also plan to work on the 3D model of most relics. A bit of relic brainstorming would be great over!
After that, it's your usual suspects...
Another thing I'm thinking about is to eventually release a small playable demo to start collecting feedback and discover bugs. I could also set up a bug logging system so players can submit bug tickets. Ideally, I could even do it from the game itself but it would take a bit of brainstorming ...
In short, a lot of brainstorming to do! | {
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Greetings Adventurers,
We hope you had a wonderful time during these holidays and we also hope you enjoyed the special New Year event that took place on January 1st! Do not worry if you missed the 1st part, the 2nd part of the New Year event is still ongoing where you can earn special rewards every day!
This week we are also launching a new event for those with frozen hands, do you want to build a snowman? We hope so! Because you will be able to earn special rewards by assembling event items after defeating monsters or by gathering. Come on, let's go and play!
And if you are tired of the cold weather, the holiday decorations and the carols, travel to Valencia and experience the new hunting quests which are available for skilled hunters.
Thank you for your continuous support and happy new year!
[New Events]
DIY Snowman event will begin. Event period: January 2 After Maintenance - January 16 Before Maintenance During the event period defeat monsters, fish, and gather to get event items which you can Manufacture into the [Event] Winter Snowman full of cool rewards! Click < Here > to find out more!
[Ongoing Events]
Let it Snow: Dec. 27th, 2018 00:00 UTC - Jan. 16th, 2019 23:59 UTC
New Year Events Event 2: Happy New Year!: Jan. 1st 2019 00:00 UTC - Jan. 6th 2019 23:59 UTC
Archer Level-up event: Second level-up period: Dec. 19th, 2018 (after maintenance) - Jan. 16th, 2019 (before maintenance)
Archer 1+1 Dual EXP Share Event: Dec. 12th, 2018 (after maintenance) - Jan. 9th, 2019 (before maintenance)
Archer EXP Boost Event: Dec. 12th, 2018 (after maintenance) - Jan. 9th, 2019 (before maintenance)
Winter-themed UI/Weather: Dec. 3rd, 2018 (after maintenance) - Jan. 16th, 2019 (before maintenance)
[Attendance Rewards]
Loyal Attendance: Dec. 20th, 2018 00:00 UTC - Jan. 23rd, 2019 23:59 UTC
Rookie and Returning Attendance: Oct. 14th, 2018 00:00 UTC - Jan. 23rd. 2019 23:59 UTC
[Ended Events]
Archer Level-up event: First level-up period
WinterFest
[Game World]
Town Guards will now attack monsters when they are nearby.
The wiki for the Stable will now appear when clicking on the [?] button within the Stable’s Horse Exchange window.
<All classes>
The spark effect that comes out while moving left or right and performing dash attacks has been changed in color from red to orange.
Fixed the issue where the Absolute: Stub Arrow skill would not activate properly while the Carver skill was being used.
Fixed the issue where the skill Arrow Explosion would automatically be activated upon pressing Hotkey to activate Bolt of Radiance after using Zephyr Leap or Ultimate: Zephyr Leap in Main Weapon mode.
Fixed the issue where the skill Black Spirit: Radiant Explosion would be activated abnormally after using Ultimate: Zephyr Leap in Glissade or Awakening Mode.
The falling motion will now come out from a greater height while using Zephyr Leap, Ultimate: Zephyr Leap, or Glissade.
Fixed the issue where EP recovery would not work properly while using the skill Ultimate: Zephyr Leap in Awakening Mode.
Fixed the issue where the Archer would go into an abnormal motion when boarding off a horse without having a Main Weapon equipped.
Fixed the issue where EP recovery would not work intermittently on the 2nd hit of the skill Greatbow Training.
Fixed the issue where the skill Breath of the Spirit would not be activated upon using the skill Greatbow Training consecutively while mounted.
The motion when using the skill Righteous Smite through Quick Slot has been changed.
Fixed the graphical issue where the pants of the [Archer] Noel Outfit would appear unnaturally when crouching then moving.
Fixed the issue where the skill description for the Spear of Sylvia was incorrect.
The following statement has been added to the Caphras Stone extraction window. Caphras stats will be reset when you extract Caphras Stones.
Fixed the issue where Durability would not decrease intermittently if some of the Mount gear slots were not equipped.
Removed the Life Training level restrictions for the Capturing Rope item.
Text showing sale price of the item [Event] Rare Cron Box has been removed from the item’s tooltip.
[Event] 12 Black Spirit Emojis (30 Days) have been added to the Pearl Shop for a limited time. Click <Here> for the full details. For details on newly added Pearl Shop Update, please click < Here > !
Fixed the issue where the attacking effect of the Vedir that you face off against in the Archer’s Ascension quest chain would not be displayed.
[Quest]
Added 5 Valencia hunting quests. Adventurers who are above Lv. 50 and have a Hunting level of Skilled 5 or higher can receive the 5 quests below through Rohu at the Areha Palm Forest. License to Hunt Hunting More Giant Lions! Time to Feast on Meat! [Daily] New Pride of Giant Lions [Daily] Rohu's New Hobby
Fixed the issue where an object of Marni's Journal would appear floating in midair during the quest Marni's Journal.
It has been changed that the Black Spirit would be spawned after completing the quest [Crossroad] Each of Their Reasons.
Quest summary has been improved to explain quest completion target for the quest About Kamasylvia.
It has been fixed that only one conversation button would be displayed while progressing through the quest [Awakening] Artifacts of the Naga.
It has been improved that you will now walk through A Reconnaissance Spot which is the quest completion target of the quest The Childish Captain.
Navigation in the quest Trina's Supply System has been fixed to lead to the proper quest target.
Navigation in the Acher Western Camp has been fixed to lead to the proper destination.
It has been fixed the the quest Black Spirit's Gift #11 which gives Inventory slot as a completion reward can be accepted upon completing the quest Operation Breakthrough.
Navigation for the quest ‘The Childish Captain’ has been fixed to lead to the proper quest target.
Fixed the issue where there was an empty space at the bottom of the character creation screen.
The red line will no longer be displayed on the gauge bar of nodes that have been invested in on node info UI.
Text under Status in reservation window of Arena of Arsha will now be aligned in the center.
Fixed the issue where putting the mouse over the check box in Quests window (o) would make it appear as if the check box was checked when it was not.
Fixed the awkward scrolling in the Appearance window under Select Appearance and Skill section of Exchange Pet window.
It has been changed that pressing close button or using Hotkey to close the Pearl Shop (F3) would also close the Buy window.
If the title text in the Status of Alliance Members tab is too long, it will now be abbreviated, and the tooltip will also come out when putting the mouse over the text.
If the text in the status of workers under Worker List window is too long, it will now be abbreviated, and the tooltip will also come out when putting the mouse over the text.
Fixed the issue where the text on Change Skill icon would bleed out of the All Worker List UI.
If the text in the Guild Skills Information is too long, it will now have line breaks on the sentences.
Fixed the issue where the tooltip would not be displayed in My Gardens window when a worker had work in progress.
Added a tutorial for using the Value Pack when going through the [Special Gift] Travelling Light II quest.
The pet Crow will now show the difference in its Tier on its icon.
The EXP icon on the Tag button has been changed to EXP ↑ icon for the Archer 1+1 Dual EXP Share Event.
When you mouse over the list of fence gardens in a Garden UI, you can now see descriptions (tooltip) of each garden.
We are aware that using emojis from the item [Event] 12 Black Spirit Emojis (30 Days) does not appear in Guild chatting for other Guild members in other servers. This will be resolved with Jan. 9th maintenance.
We are aware of the issue where the Black Spirit Emojis do not work as intended across different languages.
We are aware of the issue where [Event] Moonlight Shard x5 reward from Day 3 reward of the New Year event is missing. We apologize for the inconvenience. Players who have completed Day 3 Challenge will receive their missing [Event] Moonlight Shard x5 via in-game mailbox (B) on Jan. 9th maintenance. We ask for your patience and understanding.
We are aware of the issue where some English text is being displayed for the German, Spanish, and French versions of the game. This issue will be fixed during next week's maintenance.
Reach us on the »forums« to share your feedback, opinions, and suggestions. | {
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Updates to Original Post
Yamil Asad is on his way to DC. After proving his value for Atlanta in 2017, expect him to not be satisfied as a depth signing. He’ll push for a spot in the starting XI and he’s likely to get one.
2017 DC United Review
The 2017 season was one that every DC United fan would like to forget. Key players were injured, the offense could not create, and the defense could not prevent. The only good news is that the black-and-red were NOT the worst team in all of MLS. One more win ensured that title went to the LA Galaxy. Several new signings during the secondary transfer window gave some hope for a 2016-esque turnaround, but the season was too far gone. A lot of changes are needed for 2018, but perhaps a new stadium will create a mental reset that is so desperately needed.
Transaction Watch
OUT: Bill Hamid, Sean Franklin, Chris Korb, Lloyd Sam, Marcelo Sarvas, Patrick Nyarke, and Deshorn Brown.
IN: Frederic Brillant, Darren Mattocks, David Ousted, Ulises Segura, and Junior Moreno.
DC United has kept the core of their 2017 defense intact and have made significant offensive upgrades. The one major defensive change is replacing long time keeper Bill Hamid with Vancouver’s David Ousted. I see no loss of quality here and fantasy managers should not hesitate to consider Ousted a top keeper option.
The black-and-red’s midfield has had a significant boost. The first is Costa Rican international Ulises Segura who is a box-to-box midfielder and should added needed creativity. Next is young Venezuelan national team holding midfielder Junior Moreno who should help shore up the defense and help with transitions. Finally, Hungarian international Zoltan Stieber. Technically, Stieber was acquired in 2017, but his late addition left the playmaker with little time to show his skill. Look for him to be a good source of fantasy points in 2018.
Even with all the additions DC United still has more work to do. In addition to new personnel, recent trades have also given DC an injection of TAM, GAM, and another international roster spot. More additions to defense, a new DP attacker, or quality depth signings are all a possibility. Keep an eye open because this team can only get better!
Expected/Predicted Starting XI Picture
Head coach Ben Olsen experimented with a few different formations during 2017. He started with a 4-1-4-1, moved into a 4-3-3, and finished the season in a 4-2-3-1. I think we’ll see DC stick with the 4-2-3-1 at the start of 2018, but Ulises Segura will add some flexibility. He’s a box-to-box player so I expect a lot of movement which will give the look of a 4-1-4-1 at times.
Tactical Analysis
Let’s be honest, when it comes to tactics, nothing really worked for DC last year. With few changes to its back line, the expectation is that DC will make a push for an attack minded style of play. The key to this transformation is Luciano Acosta. Last year, Acosta was frequently frustrated due to injuries and poor team chemistry. To address the frustration, expect Acosta to be surrounded by 3 of DC’s best midfielders.
Stieber played under 600 minutes in 2017, but is bursting with attacking quality scoring 1 goal and earning 1 assist in his limited playtime. Paul Arriola also joined DC late in the season but has demonstrated his speed and honed his work ethic on the USMNT. Fantasy manages should expect both players to build upon the goal and assist totals from 2017. The final piece to the midfield puzzle is newcomer Segura. At Saprissa, he was quite the playmaker scoring 5 goals and earning 4 assists in 2017. So don’t expect him to just hang around in the middle. He’s going to be a mobile box-to-box, deep lying play-maker, or whatever you want to call him type of player.
As for the striker position…. Ben Olsen is still looking for the final piece and the goal is a DP signing. Lacking that, expect Patrick Mullins and Mattocks to rotate depending on the needs of the week. Mullins is a player who knows how to create space for himself when his back is to the goal. He had a great year in 2016, but a poor 2017 due mostly to injuries. Mattocks relies more on speed and jumping ability to break down a defense and become a target for crosses into the box.
On defense, not much has changed, but the center back position is deep. This could mean that DC plans to play around with a 5 man back line, especially during long road stretches. Fantasy managers will want pay attention to starting XIs to get a heads up for this switch.
2018 Expectations and Closing Fantasy Thoughts
The only way DC can go it up and I expect them to do better in 2018. Not 2017 Chicago Fire good, but better. For fantasy managers, keep an eye on their attack. And by that I mean the midfield. They have several players with the potential for big points under the right conditions. Defense may also offer good point potential, especially if they trot out a 5 man back line. Overall, I don’t expect any DC player to immediately before a regular for most Fantasy managers, but they are also not players who should be quickly overlooked.
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How North Korea Is Using Smartphones as Weapons of Mass Surveillance
How North Korea Is Using Smartphones as Weapons of Mass Surveillance
THE United States military is ready to launch microwave rockets that can fry the circuits of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.
CHAMP missiles can be fired from B-52 bombers from 1126km away to disable Kim Jong-un’s nukes as they sit on the launch pad, The Sun reported.
The hi-tech weapons have been hailed as an effective nonlethal way of averting mass casualties if Mr Kim pushes the button.
They are taking centre stage in White House discussions over the US response to the growing threat from the rogue regime as it steps up its firepower, according to NBC News.
North Korea has developed rockets capable of delivering nuclear warheads anywhere on the US mainland — sparking fears that war on the Korean peninsula is imminent.
CHAMPs, which stands for Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project, were first developed by Boeing and the US air force in 2009 and were ready for operational tests three years later.
The missiles harness the power of HMP high power microwave technology to destroy an enemy’s weapons capabilities.
Senator Martin Heinrich, a former air force engineer, told the broadcaster: “Think about when you put something in your microwave that has metal on it.
“You know how badly that goes? Imagine directing those microwaves at someone’s electronics.”
Secret tests have taken place since its first and only declassified rehearsal in 2012.
Mary Lou Robinson, head of weapons development at the Air Force Research Laboratory, said: “It absolutely did exactly what we thought it was going to do.”
She added that now after further development “there is no doubt” the weapons could work.
The report comes as massive joint US-South Korea military drills began this week — which North Korea dubbed a “provocation”.
This article originally appeared in The Sun and has been republished here with permission.. | {
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Xavi Hernández ha conquistado su primer título como entrenador. En su tercer partido oficial al frente de Al Sadd, el ex azulgrana se ha proclamado campeón de la Supercopa de Qatar (Sheikh Jassim Cup) tras imponerse en la final a Al Duhail (1-0).
El equipo de Xavi suma así el primer título de la temporada y la segunda victoria de la semana, tras haberse clasificado el martes para los cuartos de final de la Champions de Asia, en la que eliminaron también a Al Duhail, el equipo al que entrena el portugués Rui Faria.
Xavi celebra con los miembros de su cuerpo técnico la victoria en la Supercopa de Qatar
Pese a no poder contar por sanción con el goleador del equipo ni con el central titular, el Al Sadd de Xavi ha sido muy superior durante todo el encuentro, ha tenido el control del partido en todo momento y le ha bastado un gol de Asad en el minuto 13 de la primera parte para conquistar el primer título de la temporada.
Las mejores ocasiones han sido de un Al Sadd que poco a poco va asimilando los conceptos futbolísticos de un Xavi Hernández que ha empezado con muy buen pie su carrera como entrenador.
La mano del ex azulgrana ya se nota en el Al Sadd, que cayó goleado en mayo ante Al Duhail en la final de la Copa del Emir y en cambio en este inicio de temporada se ha mostrado muy superior, con tan sólo un fichaje con respecto al curso pasado y con la baja de Xavi, que ha pasado del campo al banquillo. La guinda al inicio de su carrera como técnico ha sido la clasificación para el Mundial de Clubs del mes de diciembre. | {
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People were bringing little children to Christ to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Mark 10:13-16
I have young kids – ages 5 and 3 to be specific. They’re great kids, my wife and I love them incredibly and thank God each day for the blessings He gave us. These two little blessings though can be quite active, and loud and usually at times when we wanted nothing more than for them to be still and quiet – especially when they were babies. Taking them to church was always a challenge – when one was a toddler and one was an infant, it didn’t take long for them to become bored – who needs Christ when all you really want is to run around and explore, right?
Each Sunday my wife and I would undergo the same ritual – get up, take care of the kids, go to church with our bag of tricks in tow and keep them occupied and quiet, distract them (which would work until about the Great Entrance) and end up in the cry room with a bunch of other bleary-eyed parents annoyed that they are again technically at church but not really at church. Our saving grace is now that both kids started Sunday school this year and for the first time in the five years we have been parents, we are now taking in services ‘childless.’ For periods of time before this though, it was tough.
The reason we did all of that was for the benefit of other parishioners. When our youngest was really young, we had all intention of staying the full service with her. We figured it was easy – feed her, distract her, next thing we’d know the parish council president would be giving the weekly announcements at the end of the liturgy and off to the hall we’d go for coffee and fellowship. Great success! We (I) figured that if the baby cried a bit, we’d handle it and besides, it was a small baby, who would mind a couple of small cries from a temporarily fussy baby?
Apparently, a lot of people did. The amount of dirty looks we would get, hushed voices that felt like they were condemning us to a parental purgatory, sighs and pursed lips with eyes of indignation from little old ladies was too much to bear – at least for my wife. I didn’t care – the way I saw it, we had as much a right to pray as everyone else did. Just because we had young kids we should be banished from church? Well, my family and I pretty much were – as are many families in my situation each and every Sunday by people that feel they need monastery standards of quiet to be able to pray.
The cry room is not a place where one can pray – it a place where cheerios are flying every which way, where kids are wrestling for the same ball and where people catch up and chit chat. It’s a place where little kids maneuver to get what they need; toys, space, another kids snack; plotting their next moves to become King of the room – all while the parents are trying to keep some sort of futile order. It’s like a well-dressed version of Lord of the Flies set to the soundtrack of sniffles. No cavalry to save the day shows up to save the say. Ever. A lot of stuff goes on in the cry room, none of it is praying though.
A couple of weeks of this was all it took before my wife and I figured there was no point in even coming to church anymore. We could do what we were doing in the cry room at home without the early morning mustering and getting out the door. Why expose our kids to germs? Why get dressed up only to spend two hours in the church building trying to balance on toddler sized chairs, making labored small-talk with other parents that don’t want to be in this little jail any more than you do? Yeah, no thanks.
Where I take solace in this story is that for all the people that don’t want children in church for fear of being disturbed, just as many do but those people are just more coy about it. A church is not a monastery. A church is filled with families that want to pray. It’s filled with parents that want to put their kids on the right path. It is these young families that, believe it or not, are the future of the church. Of the faith itself. By pushing away families with young children, you are condemning the church to a slow and quiet death. There are many parishes across this country that are facing that right now. When parishioners age and pass on to the next life, with no one coming up behind them, who is going to support this church?
My family’s story ended differently than that, thankfully. After spending a couple of Sunday’s at home, we resolved not to be chased away from prayer because our kids are full of life. If the church wasn’t going to change to adjust to young families, we would help it change. My wife began a group for mothers of infants and toddlers – one that was very well received and it still running strong even though my kids (and wife) graduated out of it. I became an usher (mostly) to give courage (and some advocacy) for other young parents that wanted to take part in the service. We grew a resolve because we were not going to let some parishioners dictate our praying… and out faith. Not all parents do that. They just don’t come back.
What’s worse still is that I know priests that discourage young families; that ask families with kids that make any sound to leave – one priest in particular would actually stop the liturgy and ask the parent to take their child outside. Needless to say that this church became a church of senior citizens and only now is beginning to change with a new priest at the helm.
As Orthodox Christians, we need to be mindful of young families. As it is, they are exhausted and nervous about their children misbehaving and wanting to do the right thing. The last thing they need is judgment from other Christians when all they want to do is pray and put their kids on the right path. When you see a parent struggling with a fussy child at church, instead of scowling at them, how about you offer them a hand, like the Christian you purport to be. Instead of chasing them out of the sanctuary with your looks and sneers, help them come closer to God. Realize that this young family is the future of your church and your faith and pushing them out the door to satisfy your need to complete silence helps no one, not even you.
Christ said ‘bring the children unto me.’ Help parents do that so that everyone can reap the reward.
Posted by the Orthodox Christian Network. You can find the Orthodox Christian Network on Google+. | {
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See A. Waley, The Opium War through Chinese Eyes (1958, repr. 1968); H.-P. Chang, Commissioner Lin and the Opium War (1964); P. W. Fay, The Opium War, 1840–1842 (1975).
1839–42 and 1856–60, two wars between China and Western countries. The first was between Great Britain and China. Early in the 19th cent., British merchants began smuggling opium into China in order to balance their purchases of tea for export to Britain. In 1839, China enforced its prohibitions on the importation of opium by destroying at Guangzhou (Canton) a large quantity of opium confiscated from British merchants. Great Britain, which had been looking to end China's restrictions on foreign trade, responded by sending gunboats to attack several Chinese coastal cities. China, unable to withstand modern arms, was defeated and forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing (1842) and the British Supplementary Treaty of the Bogue (1843). These provided that the ports of Guangzhou, Jinmen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai should be open to British trade and residence; in addition Hong Kong was ceded to the British. Within a few years other Western powers signed similar treaties with China and received commercial and residential privileges, and the Western domination of China's treaty ports began. In 1856 a second war broke out following an allegedly illegal Chinese search of a British-registered ship, thein Guangzhou. British and French troops took Guangzhou and Tianjin and compelled the Chinese to accept the treaties of Tianjin (1858), to which France, Russia, and the United States were also party. China agreed to open 11 more ports, permit foreign legations in Beijing, sanction Christian missionary activity, and legalize the import of opium. China's subsequent attempt to block the entry of diplomats into Beijing as well as Britain's determination to enforce the new treaty terms led to a renewal of the war in 1859. This time the British and French occupied Beijing and burned the imperial summer palace (Yuan ming yuan). The Beijing conventions of 1860, by which China was forced to reaffirm the terms of the Treaty of Tianjin and make additional concessions, concluded the hostilities.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: South Asian History | {
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Moments after landing in Beirut on November 21, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri visited the grave of his late father Rafik. The symbolism of that move, after his enigmatic resignation on November 4, defines the Hariri dynasty that has now survived the 2005 assassination of its founder Rafik and a recent quasi coup attempt against the heir Saad.
That dynasty has been beset in the past few years by its Saudi enabler, dissolving its construction empire and reprimanding its reluctance to confront Hezbollah.
The prime minister's triumphant return to Beirut followed by the decision to suspend his resignation breathed new life into the Hariri dynasty and the Lebanese oligarchy that embraced Saad. However, containing the long-term repercussions of Lebanon's latest political turmoil will largely depend on the relation between that dynasty and its enabler. It is a relation shaped by four factors: the shakeup in Saudi politics, the Saudi-Iranian regional enmity, Lebanon's internal dynamics and the struggle within Hariri's Future Movement (al-Mustaqbal).
It is now increasingly apparent that Hariri's abrupt resignation was about Saudi, not Lebanese politics. Riyadh treated Lebanon's prime minister as a Saudi citizen whose businesses have long been under Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman's intense scrutiny. What Riyadh will do about Saudi Oger, the construction business empire that Rafik Hariri built, is crucial, as Saad Hariri must secure financial resources to sustain the dynasty and fund his election campaign in Lebanon.
Furthermore, no matter what Saad Hariri will say or do moving forward, the prevailing narrative in Lebanon might continue to be that the new Saudi leadership holds sway over him, whether through his business or immediate family still remaining in the Kingdom.
While disengaging from Saudi Arabia is not an option for the Lebanese prime minister, Hariri won by points against Riyadh. The attempt to transfer leadership to his brother Bahaa failed, the Lebanese government did not fall yet, the Saudi policy suffered a reputational harm in Lebanon while Hariri's popularity increased and the hawkish Saudi minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan was reportedly removed from handling the Lebanese portfolio.
Al-Sabhan, who went silent after his return from Washington on November 12, was reportedly replaced by a team that includes former Saudi ambassador to Beirut, Ali Awad Assiri, who is on good terms with a wide spectrum of Lebanese politicians. Ultimately, however, Riyadh will decide whether to empower Hariri or not, and what is reasonably expected from him moving forward.
The second factor is the Saudi use of the Iranian threat as a distraction from its domestic turmoil and its genuine frustration with Tehran's expanding influence in the Levant and Yemen. The US administration looked at the Saudi move in Lebanon as a challenge to its regional approach, the Israeli government has no plans to open a dormant front in south Lebanon to please Riyadh and Iran felt comfortable enough to weather the Saudi surge.
Both Washington and Riyadh are heightening the rhetoric against the Iranian regime. Yet Saudi officials cannot engage in Syria and escalate in Lebanon or ask their major Sunni ally in Beirut to bear alone the burden of confronting and negotiating the Iranian regime.
The third factor is the internal dynamics of Lebanese politics. The Saudi pressure internationalised the situation in Lebanon until further notice, after it was localised in 2014 with the rise of ISIL and the need to take unified action against it. The rare unity of the Lebanese oligarchy thwarted an external attempt to destabilise the country, which reflected a certain maturity of the Lebanese political system.
The question is, once the national unity sentiments wind down in Lebanon, will Hariri join Riyadh's public campaign against Hezbollah? What kind of electoral alliances will he form? Hariri, who was concerned about holding the legislative elections next May, will most probably be eager now to organise it as soon as possible to capitalise on the latest surge in his popularity.
The last factor is the jockeying inside the Future Movement and Hariri's inner circle. In the past few years, Hariri faced growing dissent in his movement because of his detente with Hezbollah and his endorsement of General Michel Aoun as president. These voices were hushed when Hariri came to power in December 2016, but they began to emerge again in the weeks prior to Hariri's attempted resignation.
Known as "al-Sabhan's men", these individuals sought to push for a more agressive approach towards Hezbollah wihin the Future Movement. There are speculations that the prime minister might now purge some of his advisors who coordinated with al-Sabhan. This would allow Hariri to have better control over his political movement. If he decides as expected to strengthen the moderate camp, this would mean that he plans to maintain the status quo of his partnership with President Aoun.
It is worth noting that Hariri did not rescind his resignation yet. What he did is basically buy time and space for international mediation to reach a compromise he can sell to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Riyadh has three main demands in exchange for agreeing on Hariri retaining his premiership: one, a clear public statement by Hezbollah that it will pull its fighters out of Syria, Iraq and Yemen; two, the strict adherence to the policy of dissociation that preserves the neutrality of the Lebanese government's foreign policy; and three, the withdrawal of Hezbollah from the Lebanese cabinet.
President Michel Aoun gave public guarantees that the Lebanese government will remain neutral. The two guiding principles of Lebanon's policy of dissociation are endorsing the Arab consensus on regional issues and abstaining when Hezbollah is described as a terrorist organisation.
Hezbollah adamantly rejected any Saudi veto on its participation in the Lebanese government. Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah hinted on November 20 that the Lebanese group might be ready to withdraw from Iraq, but remained ambiguous about plans for Syria and Yemen.
The current crisis could indeed be a rare opportunity to curb Hezbollah's inflated regional role. The French government is leading the mediation to reach a political outcome that grants Riyadh a face-saving exit and does not give an impression that Hezbollah has backed away under Saudi pressure. Lebanon, however, is not out of the woods yet, the common interests that currently bind the Lebanese oligarchy might prove once again to be stronger than any external pressure.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy. | {
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UK Met Office uses graphical tricks to hide the pause
The UK Met Office went to some effort to graph the last 160 years, from hottest calendar year to coldest.
Name the scientific reason:
1. Because the order of the calendar years is important.
The graph reveals mysterious patterns — Years ending in 3, 4, or 5 are more likely to be hotter. Years containing a six are statistically more likely to be green.
OR
2. Because climate models show a linear rise in temperatures, and no “pause”, and this graph does too. Glance at it sideways and be afraid!
The Met Office used to say one year doesn’t mean anything, only long term trends matter.
Now they graph the noise.
Thanks to Barry Woods for pointing me at this, and carefully putting the years back in their chronological order in the graph below.
See the pause? See the noise?
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please wait... Rating: 8.7/10 (98 votes cast) | {
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It's been an eventful Monday for the Buffalo Bills. First, general manager Buddy Nix steps down, although the move had been in the works for months. Second, the Bills also opened organized team activities.
The most interesting note for Buffalo’s OTAs came from the quarterback position. The Bills’ team website reports veteran journeyman Tarvaris Jackson took first-team reps on Monday, while Kevin Kolb and rookie EJ Manuel were second and third string, respectively.
Although it's very early to read much into this in May, it’s still interesting to point out that Bills rookie head coach Marrone gave Jackson the first nod. Someone has to get starter reps, and perhaps the coaching staff feels Jackson is ahead of the competition at this stage.
Marrone insisted that he will eventually switch up the rotation in practice during this three-way competition. All three quarterbacks will get a fair shot. However, Jackson is probably the least-favored quarterback of the three to win the job. Kolb played decent football with the Arizona Cardinals last year before getting injured, and Manuel is definitely considered the team’s future -- if not the present.
Jackson, who rotted on Buffalo’s bench in 2012, is pretty much stuck in the middle between the two quarterbacks. We did a recent poll in the AFC East blog to on who Bills fans thought would win the job, and Jackson received just five percent of the vote. But it appears in the second week of May, at least, that Jackson still has the chance to pull off a three-way upset in Buffalo. | {
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BANGALORE: Infosys has introduced an onsite rotation policy for employees and set an upper limit of 18 months on the duration that employees can stay in overseas locations when they go for client-specific work.The company declined to talk about it, but the move appears to be an effort to encourage employees by giving more of them an opportunity to work overseas.While TCS introduced a rotation policy in 2010, Wipro did it in late 2011, with the duration set at a maximum of two years.Rotations are becoming the norm as onsite opportunities are declining, given the slowing demand for IT and pressure to hire locals. IT employees have always regarded onsite opportunities in the US or Europe as one of their biggest perks. Companies too believe it's important for employees to be part of the client's environment, because it helps them become more engaged and develop domain- and client-specific knowledge.Infosys' new policy was sent to some project managers and delivery managers last week, said sources familiar with the development. After completing 15 months onsite, employees would be sounded out on their winding-down process, sources said.The policy is seen as a retention sop, especially for those at the junior level, some of whom have been unable to go onsite despite holding H-1B visas. H-1B holders can ordinarily work in the US for up to six years.But the new policy could lead to higher costs and administrative work, since it would mean applying for more visas. "A petitioning employer has to pay $2,000 if the employer has more than 50 employees and more than 50% of those employees are on H-1B or L1 visas," said Senthil Kumar, managing attorney, Murthy Immigration Services.Rakesh Prabhu, partner-immigration practice in ALMT Legal , however, notes that a shorter stay may mean that the employee's chances of a permanent residency in the US become lower.All IT companies' rotation policies provide for exceptions. If a customer demands that an employee stay longer, or if the employee's manager thinks the duration should be extended, it could be done. But such instances may be extremely rare.Infosys' latest move follows another major employee encouragement initiative. The company has made an unusual provision of Rs 130 crore for bonus payouts. In the US, the company is learnt to be giving a special bonus of $50,000 for top performers in the level 8 band (VP and above), said sources. | {
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I guess that wouldn't be grimdark enough.Also, at the time of the Great Crusade Terra has already lost all its oceans and wildlife. The people of Terra were living inside enormous hive cities and underground. Still, I don't know why the Eye was red and black and I couldn't find the story behind it. Sanguinius' armor also had eyes like these, however he remained loyal to the Emperor. | {
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【7月24日 AFP】SF映画『ブレードランナー（Blade Runner）』や『エイリアン（Alien）』で知られるリドリー・スコット（Ridley Scott）監督が、20世紀FOX（Twentieth Century Fox）とタッグを組み、メキシコで今月に刑務所を脱獄し逃亡中の麻薬王「エル・チャポ（El Chapo）」ことホアキン・グスマン（Joaquin Guzman）受刑者の人生を基にした小説を映画化することになった。米芸能誌ハリウッド・リポーター（Hollywood Reporter）が23日、伝えた。
同誌によると、原作となる小説は米作家ドン・ウィンズロウ（Don Winslow）氏の新作「ザ・カルテル（The Cartel）」（原題）。グスマン受刑者は今月12日、14年ぶり2度目の脱獄に成功したことが明らかとなったが、「ザ・カルテル」はその約1か月前に出版されていた。映画の脚本と製作総指揮はシェーン・サレルノ（Shane Salerno）氏が担当するという。
ウィンズロウ氏は、「ザ・カルテル」の執筆にあたり、10年以上かけてグスマン受刑者に関する情報を収集。作中には、2001年に同受刑者が脱獄に初めて成功した事件に着想を得た場面も登場する。(c)AFP | {
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Recently, Ripple have initiated a rebrand of XRP to try and encourage people to stop referring to XRP as Ripple. This is mostly because Ripple refers to the company that own XRP, the company that have also produced the xCurrent, xRapid and xVia technologies. XRP, refers to the currency native to these technologies.
Another reason for the rebrand, was to try and help Ripple step away from XRP . Since Ripple own a sum of XRP, many are calling the currency out as a security. These claims, have led to a number of lawsuits that are now causing the company a great deal of problems. As a matter of fact, the most recent lawsuit was filed just yesterday.
Now, we want to have a look at why XRP is still under valued and want to discuss what is going on. Nothing has changed since the rebrand (other than the logo of XRP) so we need to try and unravel what is going on here.
Firstly, as highlighted by Cryptovest, people aren’t spending XRP. The currency is most known for cross border transactions yet it seems that people are holding on to it instead of spending it, therefore, XRP isn’t being used to its full potential and as a result, is failing to hold any value.
See more from Cryptovest, here-
https://cryptovest.com/news/xrp-xrp-5-reasons-the-assets-value-is-shaky-after-rebranding/
As mentioned, the security debate and stream of lawsuits is another thing that is holding back the price of XRP. Likewise, XRP’s association with securities is stopping big exchanges such as Coinbase from listing the currency. A coinbase listing would allow XRP to start to rack up value once again, yet, for as long as the security flag is being waved, XRP won’t see this listing, end of story.
Interestingly, the Cryptovest article also believes that confusion surrounding XRP is another factor that is causing problems for the value of the currency . According to Cryptovest:
“The marketing and impression of XRP as a coin for spending is confusing. Is XRP trying to be the internet money, a currency, or a utility coin like Ethereum? So far, the news and updates are only leading to more market speculations.”
We agree with this. Nobody really knows what XRP wants to be anymore. This is proven by the fact people still refer to XRP as Ripple, nobody really knows the true direction of XRP, nor the company. This isn’t a marketing problem as such though, it is just the organic result of the complexities surrounding Ripple as a company and of course, XRP as a currency. | {
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Government spending cuts brought some tens of thousands of people onto the streets of London and other British cities on Saturday in protest, with union leaders expected to call for a general strike.
Marchers carried signs reading “No cuts” and “Tax justice not tax havens”, condemning the austerity measures introduced by Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government in a bid to reduce Britain’s huge deficit.
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“Austerity isn’t working. It is hitting our jobs, our services, our living standards,” Mr Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) umbrella body, was to tell a rally at the end of the march in Hyde Park. “Ministers told us that if we only accept the pain, recovery would come. Instead we have been mired in a double dip recession.”
Britain climbed out of a deep economic downturn in late 2009 but fell back into recession at the end of 2011. | {
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Trump family critics did not respond kindly when Ivanka Trump, a White House aide and Donald Trump's daughter, showed off her fan mail on social media.
“Overjoyed by these beautiful letters. Reading them is one of the highlights of my week,” Ms Trump posted on Twitter, along with a photo of her reading the notes covered in, ‘thank you’s’, yellow smiley faces, hearts, and messy handwriting.
One letter depicted a face with green dollar signs.
“Dollar Signs for Eyeballs=The Trumping Down of America. First Family used to teach children to value respect & compassion over pure greed,” one Twitter user responded.
Another wrote, “Whatever staffer made these fake letters to Ivanka Trump, I loved this little touch - was it a commentary on being blinded by greed?
Several people on social media questioned why Ms Trump was being thanked.
“Why would anybody, especially children, send thank you letters to Ivanka Trump?” a Twitter user wrote.
Others suggested that the President had sent the letters.
In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home Show all 13 1 /13 In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The front of the house http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The lobby http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The house exterior http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The patio http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The bedroom http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living room http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living area http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The Living Room http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The kitchen http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living room http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The bathroom http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The living room http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow In pictures: Ivanka Trump's Washington DC home The hall http://www.zillow.com/blog/ivanka-trumps-new-dc-digs-209874/. Zillow
“Wow, your dad's drawings look great,” a person said. | {
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Have to spend Valentine's Day with my girlfriend When I just want to stay home and try to beat Skyrim
200 shares | {
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Marijuana could soon be in your child's school, but it's perfectly legal.
The Bay District School Board voted to advertise the use of medical marijuana for qualified patients. A parent or parent-designated adult would have to administer it for the student, not a school health employee.
"In order not cross over into that threshold and have medical marijuana on campus and in control of school personnel, we put that as a parent responsibility," Superintendent Bill Husfelt said.
He explained this is in accordance with state law.
"The law doesn't require that we have to let employees do that. That is a personal family decision and they provide the distribution of that to their children at the times when it's needed," he said.
Medical marijuana cannot be administered on a school bus or at a school-sponsored event, and it excludes products that can be smoked or inhaled.
The decision will be brought to a final vote in the coming months. | {
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Bacteria resistant to an antibiotic of last resort have been found in pigs, meat and a small number of hospital patients in China, setting off alarm bells for doctors and researchers.
Scientists discovered bacteria with a gene that makes them resistant to an old antibiotic called colistin.
"What they discovered is that by mouth it doesn't work, it doesn't get absorbed. But you could put it through your veins and it's very powerful because we haven't used that antibiotic for a very long time," Dr. Peter Lin, a family physician and medical commentator on CBC News Network, said Thursday.
For doctors, colistin is last line of defence against some infections.
"When they found this gene popping up in China in the animals and in the meats that they were testing and also in the patients, now they're worried because now this germ is now strong against this last line. And so if we don't have another antibiotic to come in, what do we do then?" Lin said.
Worse yet, the Chinese researchers found the new resistance gene, called mcr-1, was easily spread by plasmids, a portable form of DNA.
Prof. Jian-Hua Liu with the South China Agricultural University in Guangzhou and his co-authors found the mcr-1 gene had the potential to spread to bacterial species such as Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause diseases ranging from pneumonia to serious blood infections.
In Wednesday's online issue of the Lancet Infectious Diseases, the researchers report finding the gene in 166 of 804 pigs at slaughter across four provinces, and from pork and chicken sold in 30 open markets and 27 supermarkets in Guangzhou between 2011 and 2014.
It was also found in 1 per cent of 1,322 samples they tested from hospitalized patients in China, which the researchers called a relatively low proportion.
'Sorry, there is nothing I can do to cure your infection'
"Although currently confined to China, mcr-1 is likely to emulate other resistance genes … and spread worldwide," the researchers wrote. "There is a critical need to re-evaluate the use of polymyxins in animals and for very close international monitoring and surveillance of mcr-1 in human and veterinary medicine."
The discovery of the spreading mcr-1 resistance gene echoes the 2010 discovery of another so-called "superbug" gene, NDM-1, which emerged in India and rapidly spread around the world.
David Paterson and Patrick Harris from Australia's University of Queensland wrote a commentary in the same journal, titled, "Colistin resistance: a major breach in our last line of defence."
The links between agricultural use of colistin, colistin resistance in slaughtered animals, colistin resistance in food, and colistin resistance in humans are now complete, the pair said.
China leads world
"There have been previous calls for curtailing the use of polymyxins in agriculture. We must all reiterate these appeals and take them to the highest levels of government or face increasing numbers of patients for whom we will need to say, 'Sorry, there is nothing I can do to cure your infection,'" Paterson and Harris wrote.
China is one of the world's largest users and producers of colistin for agriculture and veterinary use.
Worldwide demand for the antibiotic in agriculture is expected to reach almost 12,000 tonnes per year by the end of 2015, rising to 16,500 tonnes by 2021, according to a 2015 report by the QYResearch Medical Research Centre.
Lin and other doctors suggested people can do their part in curbing antibiotic resistance by only taking the drugs when prescribed, taking the full course and returning unused antibiotics to the pharmacy for proper disposal rather than fostering the spread of resistance genes among bacteria in the sewage system. | {
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Although the Twins scored more runs than all but four American League teams in 2014, they ranked 11th in home runs.
That was par for the course. Over the past decade, the highest the Twins have ranked among AL teams in homers is ninth, and they've often been at the very bottom of the pack.
There is reason to believe, however, that this year's Twins lineup will produce more long balls than any we've seen in quite some time.
Image courtesy of Rick Osentoski, USA TODAY Sports
hybridbear, HitInAPinch, Eephus and 1 other like this
Let's take a look at the projected starters for each position.Not really a power threat. In his younger years Suzuki could be counted on for double-digit homer totals, but all signs indicate that those days are long gone. Fortunately, he's playing a position where offensive expectations are low, and he'll likely be splitting time with a guy in Josmil Pinto who offers much more deep ball potential.He's never been a huge homer threat, but last year was strange even by Mauer's standards. Now that he's been able to go through a normal offseason, I think a healthy Mauer easily flies past his 2014 total, but he has only topped 13 homers once in his career, and last year 10 first basemen surpassed that number in the AL alone. This will pretty clearly be an area of relative weakness, but the rest of the lineup can make up for it.Is Dozier the homer-hitting machine that went deep 18 times in the first half, or the guy that hit only five home runs after the break? Probably somewhere in between, although his total of 18 in 2013 backs up the notion that he can be a consistent 20-HR threat. No AL second baseman other than Dozier hit 20 home runs last year.Plouffe emerged as one of the better young power-hitting infielders in the game in 2012, when he launched 24 balls into the seats in just 119 games, but in two seasons since he has hit only 14 homers apiece. Last year that total came along with 40 doubles, and if a few more of those clear the wall this year, he can rank in the upper echelon at the hot corner.His seven homers as a rookie last year came as somewhat of a surprise, considering he'd connected for only 25 in 548 games as a minor-leaguer, but he's always had a good line drive swing and as he matures into his mid-20s he seems to be adding more strength. Seven looks like a good baseline estimate for his first full season, and that'd be just fine; only five AL shortstops had a higher total last year.Here's a guy I'm really excited about. Arcia got off to a bit of a slow start last year but was locked in after the All-Star break, cranking 15 homers in 57 games. He's entering his second full season in the majors, and if he can make some advancements with his plate approach while staying healthy, there's no reason he couldn't hit 35 or 40 bombs.This one's tough to call, since we don't really know who's going to be the starter and we certainly don't know what to expect from Hicks if he lands the gig as expected. Hicks went deep only once last year, but hit eight homers in 81 games as a rookie in 2013. He certainly has the ability to reach double-digits but for now expectations are understandably scaled back.Hunter has been a model of consistency in numerous facets, and power is one of them. He has hit 14-plus homers every year since 2001, and was still producing plenty of pop last year at age 39, notching 17 dingers to rank fifth among AL right fielders. It would be no shock if he fell short of that total this year considering his age, but I'd expect Hunter to provide average output at worst.Another wild card. In terms of pure power, Vargas has much as anyone in the organization, and he showed it by putting some balls into orbit at Target Field last summer. In the minors, he hit 59 homers in 381 games. If he can make enough contact to stay in the lineup, he seems like a lock to reach at least the mid-teens, with the potential to approach 30.At a glance, the Twins look like a good bet to have at least average power at most positions, and there are other factors that could push them along even further. Will Pinto become the primary catcher at some point? Will Miguel Sano join the club? Can Hicks get it together and hit 10-plus homers as a regular?All things considered, I think this looks like a lineup that will place more balls in the seats than any in recent years, so snag those Home Run Porch tickets if you're a collector. | {
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Not much more to say. Pittsburgh Is 64.8 percent white and 26 percent black.
Between 2010 - 2016, 87 percent of known homicide suspects were nonwhite (84 percent black, 3 percent Hispanic or Asian).
This data was compiled by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services.
In a 65 percent white city, 87 percent of homicides between 2010 - 2016 had a nonwhite perpetrator (84 percent were black) | {
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The Gympie-Gympie stinging tree contains the same toxins as that of spiders and scorpions, scientists find
Scientists discover mass extinction event that heralded dawn of the dinosaurs
7 new species of peacock spider discovered
A Sydney scientist has discovered seven new species of peacock spiders, the beautiful, tiny Australian jumping spiders renowned for their courtship dance.
By Gemma Chilton • Reading Time: < 1
Image credit: Footage and photos courtesy Jurgen Otto
A SYDNEY SCIENTIST and photographer, Dr Jürgen Otto, has described seven new species of peacock spider from the southern coast of South Australia and Western Australia.
Endemic to Australia, the tiny beauties (4-6mm) are renowned the world-over for their amazing courtship dances, as shown in the above video.
Related Video
FEATURE: Dance of the tiny peacock spider
The latest discoveries, described this month in the journal Peckhamia, bring the total number of confirmed species in this family of jumping spiders to 48.
Jürgen discovered the new species with Perth-based spider expert, David Knowles, and described and named them with US-based spider expert David Hill.
MORE PHOTOS: 7 new species of tiny, beautiful peacock spiders
One of the seven newly discovered species; M. vespa. (Image: Jürgen Otto / Flickr)
READ MORE: | {
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What do your peers say about PAM? Get your copy of IT Central Station’s PeerPaper which is full of unbiased reviews of One Identity Safeguard Read the Report Read the Report
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The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights continues to say they are not required to handle cases relating to discrimination against transgender students, according to a HuffPost report.
HuffPost discovered three cases about transgender students’ experiences with school bathrooms or sports teams that Education Department officials specifically said they do not have to handle. One of these cases involved a transgender teenager in Texas who said was not allowed to use a bathroom corresponding with his gender and that he was not allowed to room with male peers on school trips. These three newly reported cases are in addition to two cases about transgender students’ access to locker rooms and bathrooms that the Washington Post reported OCR closed in June last year.
Under Trump, OCR has discussed the scope of the cases it looks at and whether it should focus more on individual complaints rather than looking for systemic problems as the Obama-era OCR did. It dismissed a lot more cases as well, according to Politico. In the first two months, Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Candice Jackson began her role, the department closed more than 1,500 complaints of discrimination and dismissed 900 outright.
The department said the complaints involving transgender students do not fall under its jurisdiction, according to the HuffPost. In February of last year, the Department of Education and Department of Justice rescinded guidance on protections for transgender students who use the bathroom appropriate for their gender in a joint letter. The letter stated that there must be “must be due regard for the primary role of states and local school districts in establishing educational policy.”
The 2016 Obama administration guidance read:
This guidance further clarifies what we’ve said repeatedly — that gender identity is protected under Title IX. Educators want to do the right thing for students, and many have reached out to us for guidance on how to follow the law. We must ensure that our young people know that whoever they are or wherever they come from, they have the opportunity to get a great education in an environment free from discrimination, harassment and violence.
The letter made clear that schools should respond promptly to sexual harassment claims when it involved a trans student’s gender. It also stated that transgender students should be able to access bathrooms and locker rooms and belong to sports teams that match their gender identity and that schools must be aware of students’ gender and cannot ask students for a medical diagnosis or treatment before complying. States resisted the guidance, with nearly half the states joining two lawsuits that challenged protections for transgender students.
In addition to the department saying these complaints are not under its jurisdiction, the HuffPost report says OCR has received fewer complaints, with the number of complaints filed dropping about 40 percent.
Although schools can still choose not to discriminate against transgender students and to create an inclusive environment, there are consequences to letting them decide on their own. Transgender students are putting their health at risk by not going to campus bathrooms. According to a recent report, “Separation and Stigma: Transgender Youth and School Facilities,” which uses data from a 2015 survey of young people and 2016 study of adults, 70 percent of trans students said they have avoided using campus bathrooms and some of the trans students said they drank less and developed urinary tract infections.
Transgender students are already contending with harassment and abuse at school. A 2011 National Center for Transgender Equality report found that students who “expressed a transgender identity or gender non-conformity” in grades K-12 experienced widespread harassment. Seventy-eight percent of those students experienced harassment, 35 percent experience physical assault and 12 percent experienced sexual violence. Some of the harassment was so severe that 15 percent left a school in K-12 or in their college years. Students who were harassed and abused by teachers had “dramatically worse” health outcomes than students who were not.
Forty-one percent of transgender people attempted suicide in their lifetime compared to 4.6 percent of the U.S. population, according to a 2014 Williams Institute report. Trans people who have experienced discrimination, violence, or rejection by their community have an elevated prevalence of attempts, according to the report. For example, 50 to 54 percent of those who were harassed or bullied at school attempted suicide. | {
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by Michael Blaha
So you have prepared a data model. You’re proud of your work. Now how do you explain the model to others? You want them to understand your work and you want their feedback. We can think of three techniques for presenting data models.
Use a Data Modeling Tool
An obvious approach is to present a data model with a data modeling tool. For a large model you would jump from subject area to subject area during discussion. You may also use popup screens to show detail such as definitions.
Advantages . This technique is easy for the presenter. There is minimal preparation. The audience sees the current model which can evolve and change up to the meeting time. The model can be live and updated during a presentation.
. This technique is easy for the presenter. There is minimal preparation. The audience sees the current model which can evolve and change up to the meeting time. The model can be live and updated during a presentation. Disadvantages. This technique is not viable for a large audience. It’s also not suitable for a business audience. Participants find it difficult to grasp a model of any complexity when it is presented via a tool. They are overwhelmed by the sheer quantity. They find it hard to track all the pieces of a model, what they mean, and how they fit together. Many participants will just tune out. It will appear that you didn’t prepare.
The bottom line is that you should not use a data modeling tool for a general audience. Only use this approach for a small group of persons who are knowledgeable about a model. Such a group will have a context to aid understanding.
Use Slides
Another obvious approach is to present a data model with PowerPoint slides. You use a tool to construct the data model. Then you copy and paste diagrams into the slides and add explanation.
Advantages . This is a good technique for an expert audience. They already understand data modeling and want you to quickly get to the important points. With slides you can abridge a model, suppress detail, and focus on the core. You can display diagrams, definitions, and explanation together. The slides become useful documentation.
. This is a good technique for an expert audience. They already understand data modeling and want you to quickly get to the important points. With slides you can abridge a model, suppress detail, and focus on the core. You can display diagrams, definitions, and explanation together. The slides become useful documentation. Disadvantages. Slides can be overwhelming. They provide a peephole into a model and the audience can lose perspective. Slides are a static snapshot of a model that can be changing. It’s a hassle and work to prepare slides.
Slides are helpful for explaining a data model to an expert audience. You can quickly communicate important ideas. You can also use slides for a business audience but it’s more difficult. With a business audience, it’s best to strip down a model to its core and add lots of explanation.
Nominally Recreate a Model
A more subtle approach is to recreate the model live, in front of an audience. We came upon this technique some years ago. You prepare a model in advance and use it as a guide. You tell the audience that you already have a model and are creating it as a presentation technique. You then create a model in front of the audience.
Advantages . Audiences like this approach. They can ask questions about the evolving model and understand why it is structured a particular way. It’s less work for the presenter than preparing slides.
. Audiences like this approach. They can ask questions about the evolving model and understand why it is structured a particular way. It’s less work for the presenter than preparing slides. Disadvantages. You have to run a meeting and be proficient with modeling. That’s a high skill barrier. You must be sure to capture comments from the audience. Diagrams are only part of a proper data model – textual definitions, rationale, and explanation are also important.
This is a valuable approach, but we seldom see it being used. Many developers just don’t think about it. This is a great approach for explaining a model to a business audience. You pull them along as you construct the model. It’s also good for explaining a complex model to an expert audience.
In Conclusion
We use all three techniques in practice. Our choice depends on the audience and nature of the data model. This is consistent with our general approach to software development. We believe that developers should be fluent with multiple software techniques and adapt to meet business needs. | {
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Star wide receivers being shipped out has been the defining storyline of the NFL's offseason, and another big name apparently surfaced in trade discussions prior to the start of free agency.
In his mailbag Thursday, in response to a question about the reported investigation into Tyreek Hill's involvement in an alleged domestic battery, The Athletic's Jay Glazer revealed he heard "rumblings" that the Kansas City Chiefs wideout was the subject of trade talk.
"On a separate note, even if none of this happened, there were questions in Kansas City about whether they could re-sign Tyreek Hill," Glazer said. "I heard some rumblings at the start of free agency that his name was being thrown about in trade talks, but at the time thought it had to do with his contract more than anything else. I think this one will take a little while to play out."
It was reported in early March that Kansas City and Hill were discussing a record-setting contract extension. It's unclear how the incident that reportedly left Hill's 3-year-old with a broken arm will affect his future with the Chiefs.
In February, Glazer received significant backlash for saying the New York Giants could trade Odell Beckham Jr. this offseason. His prediction ultimately came to pass, however, as the Giants dealt Beckham to the Cleveland Browns on March 13. | {
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Original ThronesDB and NetrunnerDB code designed and built by Alsciende. Adapted to The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game by Sydtrack. Contact:
RingsDB card images and data kindly supplied by Hall of Beorn.
Please post bug reports and feature requests on GitHub.
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The information presented on this site about The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game, both literal and graphical, is copyrighted by Fantasy Flight Games. This website is not produced, endorsed, supported, or affiliated with Fantasy Flight Games. | {
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check out these two sluts fuck each other then take the cock ending with the stupid trailer trash whore taking a load on the face!
Published by triggermike2013 | {
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Bernardo Alvarez, a longtime Venezuelan ambassador to the United States who led Hugo Chávez’s diplomats in defending his country’s socialist revolution to skeptical foreign governments, died Nov. 24 in Caracas. He was 60.
His death was announced by Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. He did not provide a cause of death.
Mr. Alvarez served as Venezuela’s ambassador to the United States from 2003 to 2010. His tenure came during a period of strained relations between the two countries, but many U.S. officials considered the former college professor a pragmatic diplomat who helped prevent ties between the countries from deteriorating even further.
“He was the last of the moderate Bolivarians,” said Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, which recently hosted Alvarez for an event. “With Bernardo there was always a willingness to engage in dialogue that wasn’t necessarily true of others in the government.”
For the past year, Mr. Alvarez had been serving as Venezuela’s ambassador to the Organization of American States, where he helped stymie a hemispheric push to isolate Maduro for jailing opponents. He also helped quash an opposition campaign to cut short Maduro’s term through a recall referendum.
Maduro said Mr. Alvarez had been reaching out in recent days to President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team in a bid to improve ties with the United States.
Venezuela and the United States have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010. Mr. Alvarez was expelled twice from Washington, in 2008 and 2010, in retaliation for Chavez’s decision to oust U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy for allegedly plotting his overthrow and then denying credentials for his named successor.
Bernardo Alvarez Herrera was born Aug. 18, 1956, in Carora, Venezuela, and was a graduate of the Central University of Venezuela. He had a master’s degree in development studies from the University of Sussex in England.
He was a political-science professor at the Central University of Venezuela and held several governmental positions, including in the country’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, before becoming ambassador to the United States.
Mr. Alvarez was also Venezuela’s ambassador to Spain, served as deputy foreign minister and from 2013 to 2015 headed the Chavez-created Bolivarian Alliance of 11 leftist-run Latin America and Caribbean nations.
Information about survivors was not immediately available. | {
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