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A Yemeni mother fighting to enter the country to see her 2-year-old son on life support in a California hospital will finally be able to travel to the United States, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said on Tuesday.
Shaima Swileh will get on the earliest available flight out of Egypt, using a rare travel waiver granted by the U.S. State Department, confirmed Basim Elkarra, the executive director of CAIR’s Sacramento Valley chapter.
Swileh was barred from entering the country under President Trump’s ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries.
“My son Abdullah needs his mother,” Ali Hassan, the boy’s father, said. “We are so thankful to CAIR and everyone for their support. My family will now be able to be together one last time.”
The advocacy group expects Swileh to arrive by Thursday afternoon in Oakland, where the boy is being treated at University of California Benioff Children’s Hospital.
“Unfortunately, even in this win, it’s still a loss, but at least she’ll come and be able to mourn with dignity and see her son get buried and bring some closure to all the pain,” Elkarra added. “We just hope that she can make it in time and see her son in his last hours.”
For two months, Swileh has been separated from her critically ill toddler and her husband, who is a U.S. citizen living in Stockton, California.
The toddler was born in Yemen, like his mother, but obtained citizenship through his father after being diagnosed with hypomyelination, a degenerative brain disorder.
Because Swileh is Yemeni, however, she is unable to travel to the United States under the 2017 White House travel ban. After multiple failed attempts to obtain an emergency visa to travel with her husband and son to the United States for medical treatment, Swileh was left behind.
Hassan and his toddler arrived in California on Oct. 1, where he is currently at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland.
“It’s criminal that we have to stand before [Trump] and beg for this family to be together,” Betty Williams, president of the Sacramento branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said on Thursday.
The family of three’s now-viral story instantly resonated with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who took up the case in November to push the State Department to approve the emergency request.
“This is a very real case that really shows the effects of family separation,” said Saad Sweilem, a civil rights attorney with CAIR who is representing the family. “This is a United States citizen that is going to die away from his mother.”
The news of Swileh’s impending arrival came shortly after Hassan, appeared on CNN to plead with officials to expedite his wife’s application, telling CNN New Day host Alisyn Camerota that his son, now in a ventilator, is running out of time.
“Time is running out for my son, to be honest,” Hassan said, adding his son’s birthday is Saturday. “All she wishes is to see her son, and that’s it. We want to be together.”
Hasan then spoke of the controversial travel ban that still restricts nationals of Yemen and six other countries from entering the country-- a move the Trump administration originally justified as a way to thwart terrorism.
“All families, they’re supposed to be together. Right now, with my son’s situation, he’s facing death. I’m going through losing my son, he said. “It’s really hard for me and for my mother and for my family and my wife, too. It’s just really hard.”
Doctors have told Hassan that patients like his son are usually on life support for two or three weeks, but he explained Abdullah has been on a ventilator for more than a month.
“It’s really bad,” he said.
The 2017 travel ban at broke this family up barred visas for citizens from five Muslim majority countries: Iran, Somalia, Syria, Libya, and Yemen. The ban, signed in an executive order by Trump days after his presidency, also includes North Korea and Venezuela, though few North Koreans are able to travel to the U.S., and restrictions on Venezuela only apply to government agency employee and their immediate families.
Despite criticism that the travel ban was an act of Islamophobia, the Trump administration maintained that it was necessary because of possible terrorist activity, poor screening, and security standards. The ban, which replaced two earlier versions blocked by lower courts, was upheld as legal in June by a Supreme Court ruling.
According to the State Department, consular officers can make exceptions to the travel restriction, but only if the request is in “the national interest” and “the applicant poses no national security or public safety threat to the United States, and denial of the visa would cause undue hardship.”
The State Department did not respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The I-130 visa waiver will also allows Swileh to remain in the country with her husband after her son’s death and she will be able to pursue permanent legal immigration.
“She is very relieved, very thankful, and she just cannot wait to come and see her son,” Saad Sweilem said. | {
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Off-Ramp ® is a lively weekly look at Southern California through the eyes and ears of radio veteran John Rabe. News, arts, home, life... covering everything that makes life here exciting, enjoyable, and interesting.
When Bahooka, the venerable tiki restaurant in Rosemead, closed in 2013, legions mourned. And the question everyone asked was, "What will happen to Rufus?"
Rufus was the main event, the big Bahooka Kahuna, a huge, ancient pacu — a type of piranha — that had been entertaining visitors for more than 35 years. Understandably, the new owners of Bahooka want to do their own thing with the space and have been letting Rufus stay until he can be adopted out. The website HiddenLA has been trying to find a new home for the fish and announced this week that Damon's, the tiki restaurant in Glendale, is VERY interested in taking him on.
But it's not like the time I adopted a half dozen of Steve Julian's goldfish (10 years later, they're still fat and happy in my outdoor koi pond). This is a major undertaking. For an update, I called up HiddenLA's Lynn Garrett, who has been raising funds and working behind the scenes, and she gave me the real fish story.
"We're getting closer and closer all the time," she said Friday after a phone meeting with Damon's. "There's a lot of logistics involved, so that's one of the toughest things. And also there's been quite a lot of press attention," a mixed blessing. "We are 95 percent sure that he's going to Damon's, and we have to work out the logistics of undertaking that."
For instance, Lynn says Rufus is still living in his original tank, and it needs to be replaced. They have to make sure this 35+ year old fish doesn't die of shock on the journey from Rosemead to Glendale. And Damon's needs to make sure it can support, literally, a ton and a half of fish, tank, and water.
Meantime, Rufus is lonely. No longer is he presiding over birthdays and getting too many carrots from happy Bahookans. Lynn says when she went to Bahooka this week, and they turned the lights on, Rufus rushed over to see her.
Stay tuned for updates. | {
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Eminem and Columbine
I am an Eminem Fan for years now and when I started to get more and more into True Crime I was surprised to find a lot of his Lyrics mentioning Columbine which I never really realised before. Of course he also mentioned other murderers or events, like Ted Bundy and the Aurora theater shooting but I wanted to start with the Columbine lyrics because there’s a lot of material. So let’s start:
The Way I Am, 2000
0:00-0:16
When a dude’s getting bullied and shoots up his school
And they blame it on Marilyn and the heroin
Where were the parents at? And look where it’s at!
Middle America, now it’s a tragedy
Now it’s so sad to see, an upper-class city
Havin’ this happening
Marshall states that he thinks that he thinks that not music is the reason for the shooting but bullying and the parents. But as we all know Marilyn Manson was partly blamed for Columbine by the media.
Em is also making fun of the fact that Columbine was the first shooting that people cared this much about although there have been a lot of shootings but now it happened at a “nice” school.
There is an alternative version of this song featuring Marilyn Manson (x)
He performed it live with Manson (x and x)
Manson also appeared in the official video (x)
Remember me, 2000
0:17-0:30
Came home and somebody musta broke in the back window
And stole two loaded machine guns and both of my trenchcoats
Sick, sick dreams of picnic scenes
Two kids, sixteen, with M-16’s and ten clips each
And them shits reach through six kids each
Em is making fun of the idea that musicians like him are a bad influence because he is not the one who gives these kids their weapons.
And as we all know, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold both wore a Trenchcoat when the attack started, that’s why „both of my Trenchcoats“ were stolen. And so he thinks that they were stolen to start another Columbine.
And when you have these „two kids“ with guns that, when you shoot them, „reach through six kids each“ you have 12 dead kids. And as we all know, during the Columbine massacre died 12 kids (and one adult).
By the way, Eminem needed two months to write his whole verse on this song while Sticky Fingaz wrote his verse in one day.
I’m Back, 2000
0:30-0:41
I take seven [kids] from [Columbine]
Stand ‘em all in line, add an AK-47, a revolver, a 9
A MAC-11 and it oughta solve the problem of mine
And that’s a whole school of bullies shot up all at one time
This is probably the most well known Columbine reference made by Eminem.
This album came out one year after the massacre so it was still an sensitive subject. Therefore his label censored these two words (Kids and Columbine), even on the explicit version of the album.
I don’t think I have to explain what exactly this lyric means, it’s pretty clear.
In his book he states this:
“ I was getting shit about the Columbine reference on “I’m Back” and the label was telling me that I wasn’t gonna be able to say it. My whole thing was, what is the big fucking deal? That shit happens all the time. Why is that topic so touchy as opposed to, say a four-year-old kid drowning? Why isn’t that considered a huge tragedy? People die in the city all the time. People get shot, people get stabbed, raped, mugged, killed and all kinds of shit. What the fuck is the big deal with Columbine that makes it separate from any other tragedy in America?”
In 2015 a 15 year-old boy was arrested. He posted these lyrics on Instagram and added “Cause I’m just like shady and just as crazy as the world was over that whole Y2K thing”
The origiginal lyrics are “ ‘Cause (I'mmmm) Shady, they call me as crazy
As the world was over this whole Y2K thing”
When authorities searched the boy’s home they found weaponry and eventually arrested him. He denied any knowledge of the weapons and said he didn’t post this text on Instagram.
White America, 2002
0:42-0:48
White America, I could be one of your kids
White America, little Eric looks just like this
In this song it’s not only about the Lyrics but also about the music video.
With “little Eric” he mentioned Eric Harris but it was also meant as an example for a typical white kid. He is from middle america because his name is in the middle of amERICa.
The interesting part is, as I said, the video. Where you can see news of an school shooting during “I could be one of your kids”
And during “little Eric looks just like this” you can see one of those typical yearbook pictures and the house of the school shooter. The house looks a bit like the one the Harrises had.
When these lines get repeated you can see a boy full of (probably) blood stepping out of the map of america. On his shirt is written “I am Eric”.
Rap God, 2013
0:49-0:54
I’ll take seven kids from Columbine
Put ‘em all in a line, add an AK-47, a revolver and a 9
This was the first time we could hear the Columbine Line uncensored. Eminem didn’t rap all of the “I’m back” lines because he just wanted to
“See if I get away with it now that I ain’t as big as I was”
As you can hear, he got away with it.
Eminem is one of the few people who openly give their sympathy for the two shooters.
He admitted to be interested in serial killers in this statement:
“I did find myself watching a lot of documentaries on serial killers, I mean, I always had a thing for them. I’ve always been intrigued by them and I found that watching movies about killers sparked something in me.The way a serial killer’s mind works, just the psychology of them is pretty fucking crazy. I was definitely inspired by that, but most of the album’s imagery came from my own mind.”
But Marshall Mathers seems to have an very personal realationship with the whole Columbine Issue.
He himself was bullied on a daily basis during his childhood, often for his race and for always being the new kid. When he was nine years old he got beaten up so bad he was in an coma for several days. I think he is one of the people who is trying to understand what Harris and Klebold were going through.
But I think it is important to mention, that he is the living proof that even when your life is is shitty right now because of some people who have nothing in their life but to terrorize you, that you can still have a better life. And you beat them best when you keep on living.
“That Columbine shit is so fucking touchy. As much sympathy as we give the Columbine shootings, nobody ever looked at it from the fuckin’ point of view of the kids who were bullied—I mean, they took their own fucking life! And it was because they were pushed so far to the fucking edge that they were fucking so mad. I’ve been that mad.”
-Marshall Mathers | {
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When society deems it okay to not censor asses - And you're an ass man
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A recent article in the Guardian discusses how scientists and experts should communicate risk and certainty to the public. The author, Jack Stilgoe, makes some good points, but unfortunately frames it as part of a defense of Jill Stein:
She said that there were ‘real questions’ about the dangers of vaccines, that GM foods have ‘not been proven safe’ and that ‘more more research is needed’ on the risks of electromagnetic fields. … As with climate change, it is tempting to claim that the science is certain, the evidence is clear and the debate should move on. Things are rarely so black-and-white. In politics, the facts don’t speak for themselves, so it falls to experts to make sense of the shades of grey.
Stilgoe is speaking of a dilemma faced by experts and science communicators when dealing with political or ideological opinions that diverge from the scientific consensus. The real dilemma is that if we communicate the science in technically accurate detail, it seems as if we are equivocating and those on the anti-science side will unfairly exploit this to exaggerate the uncertainty. If we gloss over the uncertainty to emphasize the bottom line, then the anti-science side will unfairly exploit that to say we are engaged in a cover-up and are being uncritical.
It is a no-win scenario, which is often the case when dealing with those who put ideology above science and reason. They aren’t playing fair, which can give them a rhetorical advantage over someone honestly trying to be fair.
It is also a lot easier to create and exploit doubt and confusion, than to give a thorough understanding of a complex topic.
Stilgoe concludes:
Expert groups are often relied upon by politicians to tidy up the facts on contentious issues. It rarely works. People don’t like being patronised with easy answers where there are none to find. With mobile phones, a group of experts took a different approach. They instead admitted that there are uncertainties and trusted in citizens’ ability to navigate them. When it comes to climate change, Wi-Fi, GM crops, vaccines and mobile phones, there will always be scientific grey areas. If experts want to regain their credibility, they urgently need to find ways to talk about them.
I agree with this basic approach, but would emphasize different points. I also seem to disagree with him regarding how uncertain we are about the topics he uses as examples.
The solution to the dilemma, in my opinion, is that the scientific community, science communicators, journalists, and government experts need to develop a common language with the public for communicating about risk. Right now there is confusion.
For example, Stilgoe writes:
In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified mobile phone EMFs as a ‘possible human carcinogen’ (placing them alongside bacon and almost every other enjoyable food).
What does “possible human carcinogen” actually mean in terms of the scientific evidence? The IARC even admits:
Perhaps not surprisingly, based on how hard it can be to test these candidate carcinogens, most are listed as being of probable, possible, or unknown risk. Only a little over 100 are classified as “carcinogenic to humans.”
Even worse, the classification says nothing about dose. To get a good idea of how confusing, even to the point of being worthless in terms of public communication, just follow the link above to the list of known and probable carcinogens. Alcohol is a known carcinogen, yet people consume it on a regular basis without fear. Formaldehyde is also listed, without noting dose. There is natural formaldehyde in our bodies, and in many foods we eat. It is often pointed out that pears have more formaldehyde in them than vaccines, but the fact that this is listed as a known carcinogen is great fodder for anti-vaccine fear mongering.
Hot beverages and red meat are also listed. If you go down to “possible carcinogen” then you start to include things like caffeine.
This categorization may accurately reflect the scientific research in some way, but it does not communicate useful information to the public. In fact, it creates confusion. It doesn’t tell people how to stay healthy or minimize their risk.
We live in a complex world and are generally overwhelmed with information. What people want and need is an “executive summary” – what’s the bottom line? What people want to know are categories like: tiny theoretical risk, don’t worry about it; safe for everyday use; minimize exposure at all costs; safe in small doses but avoid excess, etc.
This goes beyond safety and carcinogens, of course. For climate change, for example, of course we are not 100% certain, the science is not over, there are unanswered questions and remaining uncertainty. There always will be. But the bottom line is – there is a solid scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels is warming the climate with potentially costly and unwanted (possibly even catastrophic) outcomes. If we want to avoid these probable outcomes we will need to start reducing our overall CO2 release now.
With vaccines the bottom line is – vaccines have a long history of both scientific evidence and clinical use demonstrating that they provide orders of magnitude more benefit than risk. There is no credible link to autism, and serious negative outcomes are extremely rare. Seriously, getting vaccinated is a no-brainer positive health intervention. (You may notice the difference between this and Jill Stein’s bottom line that “real questions” remain about the safety of vaccines.)
You can give an accurate overview of the science of a technology or substance without using unjustified words or phrases, like the “science is settled” or “zero risk.” Even if you think saying something like the “science is settled” is justified, that phrase is now a dog whistle to science deniers and is therefore counterproductive.
Make no mistake, effectively communicating science like this is very tricky, and it is a two-way street. I try to be as careful as I can be in discussing these controversial topics, and accurately reflecting the science while simultaneously communicating the proper bottom line. This often means putting things into their proper context.
I don’t think there is any one algorithm for communicating science that cuts through all the complexity. However, in certain situations when classification systems are used, they should be crafted with meaningful communication in mind. The “probable” or “possible” carcinogen categorization, in my opinion, is horrible and generates tremendous confusion and potential for anti-science exploitation.
Regarding Stilgoe’s article, he failed, in my opinion, to defend Stein’s statements. Just because the science is not absolute, because it is never absolute, that does not mean Stein’s exploitation of the usual scientific uncertainty was justified or appropriate. She pandered to the anti-vaccine, anti-GMO, and anti-technology crowd with phrases meant to convey sympathy to their anti-science positions.
She was exploiting scientific complexity and poor communication for ideological purposes. | {
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in
If you're a fan of MasterChef Canada (and really, what semi-foodie doesn't enjoy the show?), you might be happy to know that a Brampton native has cracked the top 12.
Kimberly Duffus, a 24-year-old sales representative from Brampton, revealed that she's an enthusiastic team player who dreams of one day running her own catering company.
In order to crack the top 12 (out of 24 total contestants), Duffus had to wow celebrity chefs Michael Bonacini, Alvin Leung and Claudio Aprile (in this video, Duffus said she was most excited—and most afraid—to meet Leung).
This year, contestants were given a box with what showrunners called "one of the world's most popular ingredients: rice." The boxes were delivered to the budding chefs at home in order to challenge them to show the judges a little culinary creativity. Once contestants received their boxes, they were informed (via letters), that they had 20 minutes to gather all the ingredients for the dish they would prepare in the MasterChef kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, Duffus prepared a Jamaican dish inspired by her grandmother, saying it was just a comfort food that reminded her of her family.
After Duffus and seven other contestants got their coveted white aprons, eight contestants were eliminated. The remaining eight were given a second chance to win the judges over with some creative concoctions.
The 12 finalists will compete for the MasterChef title and $100,000.
Watch the episode here. | {
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Thirteen cars failed to get through and will start at the rear in order of owner points: Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, Jimmie Johnson, Paul Menard, Austin Dillon, William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Kasey Kahne. | {
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In the space of 11 months, Sam Allardyce has dragged West Ham from the 19th Century into the Champions League places.
And now the Irons boss has no wish to turn back the clock as he returns to face Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.
Last January Big Sam was scrapping for his job after poor cup exits to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest with his side in the bottom three.
But a battling goalless draw at Stamford Bridge was the start of the recovery – even if Mourinho branded the display as “football from the 19th Century”.
Now after this comfortable win over a Leicester side who look like history under Nigel Pearson, Allardyce will take his side back across London on Boxing Day spoiling for a fairer fight.
And seeking to avoid this amazing campaign again changing course in SW6.
“We’ll wait and see,” said the Hammers boss with a smile. “Last year was the turning point – the draw at Chelsea was eventually the reason we stayed up. That’s how important it was.
“It gave the lads a huge confidence boost and a huge belief that they could hold a team like Chelsea off. We went from there to make ourselves safe in the league. We’ll see what century we’re in when we finish there this time.”
(Image: Getty)
Aaron Cresswell, one of the summer signings who has rejuvenated the side, insisted this game will be different. “We are going to go there full of confidence,” said the ex-Ipswich full-back.
“We are not going to go there, sit back and try to defend. We are going to go and attack them.
“We’ve got a big enough squad to handle the Christmas games. We are full of confidence and looking to take three points off any team.”
The last time West Ham were in the top four at Christmas was in 1985-86 when they finished third under John Lyall. The next two matches against Chelsea, then Arsenal, will give a big clue as to whether they have the same staying power this time.
Yet bullish Allardyce claimed the double-header could be “free hits” after his side picked up 31 points from the first 17 games.
“We challenge Chelsea and Arsenal on the back of what we’ve done up till now,” he said.
“It eases the pressure on us, the fact we can go there and see if we can challenge ourselves against two of the big boys in this league and see if we can get any points off them.
“As difficult as it might be, I think the lads are confident enough to think they have the capabilities of doing it.
(Image: Getty)
“If we don’t, it’s not going to be too much of a knock, because we know we can catch it up by beating teams who are below us, like Leicester, which we’ve done well this year.
“And the cream on top of our cake up till now is the fact we beat Manchester City here and we beat Liverpool here. It’s a nice time, I think, for us to be playing Chelsea and Arsenal.”
This lively match showed why West Ham are fourth – and Leicester must now strive to become only the third team to avoid the drop after being bottom at Christmas.
The Foxes competed well until former Hammer Paul Konchesky left his backpass short and Andy Carroll pounced for his first Premier League goal with his feet since April 2013.
Stewart Downing then took his tally to four goals this season with his 56th-minute curler when he was given too much time on the edge of the box.
And even when Pearson made a triple change after an hour, Hammers keeper Adrian made stunning saves from subs David Nugent and Leonardo Ulloa.
“It’s still early doors but we’ll take fourth position after 17 games,” added Cresswell.
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Gallery: The best of Saturday's Premier League action | {
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CHICAGO – One game into the season, the Atlanta Falcons have an identity they don't want.
“Sloppy ball,’’ linebacker Mike Peterson said. “We played sloppy ball.’’
That might be putting it kindly. A team that has spent the past three seasons winning with precise efficiency lost in a way it seldom has since Mike Smith took over as coach in 2008.
The Falcons spewed turnovers, failed to protect their quarterback and got very few of the big plays they talked so much about during the offseason. And that’s just the offense. The defense did such a poor job that if Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler put up those kind of numbers in his days with the Broncos, he’d still be in Denver and John Elway would be forgotten.
Throw in nine penalties for 65 yards and it all added up to a 30-12 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field in a game that was pretty much over during the second quarter.
“We’ve just got to make sure that doesn’t happen again,’’ cornerback Dunta Robinson said.
You can at least start to wonder if those predictions that had the Falcons going to the Super Bowl, or at least deep into the playoffs, were way off base. This team looked like it was one day out of the lockout or still caught in last season’s playoff loss to Green Bay.
Quarterback Matt Ryan threw an interception (that set up a touchdown) and Michael Turner lost a fumble -- and that was just in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Ryan lost a fumble that Brian Urlacher returned for a touchdown.
Smith always emphasizes the importance of the turnover battle and the Falcons usually win it. Not this time. They turned the ball over three times and generated only one takeaway -- an interception that went for a touchdown by defensive end Kroy Biermann in the fourth quarter, long after the game had been decided.
“You’re going to decrease your chances of winning,’’ Smith said. “We can’t do that.’’
When Biermann and kicker Matt Bryant, who made two field goals, are your most explosive players, it’s not a good thing.
Rookie receiver Julio Jones and free-agent defensive end Ray Edwards, the players who were brought in to help the Falcons become more explosive, didn’t have major impacts. Jones had five catches for 71 yards, but most of that came way too late. Edwards produced precisely one tackle. But let’s not pin all the blame on the high-priced newcomers, because the Falcons were collectively and uncharacteristically bad.
“Explosiveness is not just for the offense,’’ Smith said. “It’s for the entire football team. We want to be explosive in all three phases.’’
They didn’t even come close. After an offseason filled with talk about more downfield passing, it seemed like there was less than in the past.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan gets sacked by Chicago's Julius Peppers, left, and Henry Melton, part of a rough day for Ryan. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
“I thought Chicago did a good job of keeping things in front,’’ Ryan said. “There were (deep) plays called, but I had to check down.’’
“There were plays that were designed to go into the end zone,’’ Smith said. “I can assure you of that. If the read took (Ryan) down, then he’s got to go where the reads take him. We’ve got to win our one-on-ones.’’
That can be tough to do when you’re going against the Tampa Two defense that Chicago runs, and give the Bears, who were the No. 2 seed in the NFC last season, plenty of credit for playing a strong all-around game.
But the Falcons were the No. 1 seed in the NFC last season and it looked like they’ve taken multiple steps back.
“Not the outcome we wanted,’’ Smith said. “Disappointed, not discouraged. It’s a long season. It’s Week 1. We’ will work to get it fixed and we will get it fixed.’’
That might sound like lip service coming from just about any other coach. But Smith’s got a track record in this area that he can point to.
Last season, the Falcons went up to Pittsburgh and lost the opener in a game where they didn’t play very well. They bounced back to win 13 of their next 15 games.
“It’s the first week of the season,’’ Smith said. “There’s a lot of football to be played. Let’s not be saying the sky is falling. We didn’t play well. I know that we will get things fixed. We’ve got a great locker room. We’ve got a great group of men that work very hard and love to compete. We’ll come back and we’ll get things fixed.’’
Maybe Smith’s right and maybe the Falcons will recover just like they did after the Pittsburgh loss last season. It’s too early to say a disappointing performance means doom for the Falcons. That’s especially true in an opening week in which New Orleans and Tampa Bay, the teams viewed as the main challengers to Atlanta’s NFC South crown, also lost.
“You lose a game the way we did and you’ve got to come to work Monday expecting a very rough day,’’ Peterson said.
The Monday film session and the upcoming week of practice aren’t going to be a lot of fun. But Smith and his coaching staff fixed a lot of problems in a hurry last season, and it could happen again.
It almost has to. The Philadelphia Eagles and Michael Vick, who once was Atlanta’s franchise quarterback before an epic fall from grace, are coming to the Georgia Dome next Sunday night.
If the Falcons play against the Eagles the way they did against the Bears, we’re no longer talking about one game or one week. We could be talking about a long season. | {
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The ladies are on the move.
Toka, Thika and Iringa, the three female elephants that remain at the Toronto Zoo, will be sent somewhere more comfortable to retire, following a decision by the zoo board Thursday.
The board hopes to send them to a zoo accredited by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). But Joe Torzsok, chair of the board, said the vote doesn’t close the door to alternatives.
“This doesn’t rule out the option of a sanctuary,” such as those in Tennessee and California, Torzsok said. The zoo approved a motion Torzsok put forward that basically said if an accredited zoo home can’t be found, a sanctuary should be considered.
But after the vote AZA official Martha Fischer said there’s an “extremely high probability” the trio can be placed in one their approved facilities.
In support of sending the elephants to an AZA facility, zoo vice chair and city councillor Paul Ainslie joked that “when I retire, I want to go to a licensed nursing home.”
The zoo’s animal care and research committee will consult with the AZA about finding a suitable home and get back to the zoo board with a decision.
A move by city councillor and zoo board member Glenn De Baeremaeker to include sanctuaries in the initial search for a new home for the trio was voted down.
The sanctuary-versus-zoo issue was a major source of friction at Thursday’s meeting, with animal rights activists supporting sending the elephants to the PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society) facility in California, saying the centre is in a warm climate and provides ample space for the animals to roam.
But a Toronto zoo staff recommendation suggested there are numerous questions about the standard of care at that facility and another sanctuary in Tennessee that also isn’t AZA approved.
“There are too many unknowns involved as far as I’m concerned,” Eric Cole, supervisor of the zoo’s elephant enclosure told reporters.
“The sanctuaries don’t have any standards that they publish that are equivalent to AZA standards,” Cole said.
During a break in the meeting Ed Stewart, founder of PAWS, defended his institution in an interview, saying the “philosophy” at PAWS is different from that of AZA zoos.
“We’re not in the exhibition business, or animals-on-display business . . . we’re not interested in AZA accreditation,” Stewart said.
His facility offers about 56 hectares of space for elephants, eight of which call PAWS home. Toronto’s outdoor elephant paddocks are less than a hectare in total.
St. Catharines family Jordan Lukings, his wife Jacqueline and 10-month old daughter Morgan were at the zoo Thursday visiting the elephants.
Jordan said he’s saddened the pachyderms are leaving, adding it’s a shame the zoo will be losing such a major attraction, especially for children.
But both he and Jacqueline said they’ll still visit regardless.
The future of the elephant exhibit became an issue after seven elephants died at the zoo since 1984.
Consultants were hired to explore the best options, and a staff report released last week recommended phasing out the elephant exhibit. It concluded that, given the estimated $16.5 million cost of building more appropriate facilities, and future operating costs of $930,000 a year, keeping them wasn’t the best option.
The consulting report said the elephants need a new holding and exercise barn four times the size of the existing barn, and two new outdoor paddocks that would triple the current open-air space.
The existing herd, though healthy, is aging. Toka is about 41 years old; Thika, 30; Iringa, 42. Pachyderms are highly social animals who need companions to be happy, and in a short time the zoo could be below the AZA’s minimum standard of three.
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The staff report also recommended the zoo “reassess its options” after a U.S. study on captive elephant care is completed in 2013. Other zoo animals could use the elephant enclosure in the interim, the report said.
Transferring the elephants will cost $30,000 to $50,000, and the staff report says it could take up to two years to prepare the beasts for a move.
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With 90% of Instagram’s users being under the age of 35, there’s no doubt that posting pictures online and on social media is a popular pastime for many students. Since so many teens are posting pictures of themselves online, many parents are wondering how they can keep their kids safe and smart on social media.
So, we asked 6 safety experts to share their favorite tips, best practices, and advice for teens who post pictures on social media.
Showcase your professional skills Peter Schroeder, RendrFX, @RenderFX When sharing photos online, consider it to be public information. When I hire people, I always do a basic search through social media channels to see if there is any cause for concern. Just remember when you send a photo out into the wild, it is out of your control where it goes. Consider using your public facing social media accounts to showcase your professional skills and have private accounts for your more personal matters. Give students the tools they need to be smart online Robin Kelman, Sylvia Marketing & PR, @RobinKelman
Give kids the tools they need to be smart online. Let them know that the things they put online are there for the duration, there is no retracting once it goes live on the internet. As far as photos, they are for everyone to see, so if they don’t want this they shouldn’t post it. I suggest sharing experiences with students, allowing them to research online to see how far back you can look into someone’s past and get viable information. Photos are public as soon as they’re published online Anything you share online lasts forever so you should seriously consider every outcome. –Alyse Ainsworth Alyse Ainsworth, ASecureLife.com, @ASecureLife
Before a student (or anyone) posts a photo on social media they should ask themselves this important question:
Are you comfortable with anyone in the world seeing this photo?
Anything you share online lasts forever so you should seriously consider every outcome. How would you feel if this picture was shown to your teacher or your grandma? Would you feel comfortable if this picture ended up on the homepage of a website? If not, then don’t share it. When you post a photo over social media you are making that photo and any information possibly tied to the photo public. Anyone can now save, share, and use your photo.
Judge photos before making them your personal history
When considering sharing a photo on social media, remember that it has the potential to last forever. Even though you can always delete the content, someone else could have taken a screenshot or republished it anywhere. The content could even have been cached in the Internet Archive , where a snapshot of it can be hosted forever.
Is this photo something you’re going to be proud to share the rest of your life? Would you be comfortable with college administrators, family, and employers viewing this photo? If you have to hesitate to answer, don’t make the photo part of your personal history.
Use social media for brand building and limit access to your photos
Start to think of your social media pages as brand-building tools for yourself. –Justin Lavelle
Justin Lavelle, PeopleLooker
Start to think of your social media pages as brand-building tools for yourself. You’re telling a story about who you are for the world to see. Colleges and future employers can and do check your pages, so think before you post last weekend’s party picture. Photos of hobbies, family, friends, outings, and sports activities are all fine to post, just keep it clean and family-friendly.
Once a photo is posted, it is a permanent footprint for the world to see and anyone can lift a photo to do as they wish with it. So photos from your high school and college years can come back to haunt you later in life if you’re not careful. Limit who can see your photos by using privacy controls on all of your social media pages. There’s no need for every social media user to have access to your photos.
Don’t reveal any personal information
Sharing pictures on social media is fun and there’s no denying that, but there are few things which should be considered before posting your pictures on social media. You should make sure that the picture you are posting does not have anything which can reveal your personal information. No matter how awesome your picture is, if it has any of your personal information or sensitive information, please do not post it. Also, make sure to assess who you are sharing your picture with because not all of your friends and followers truly are your friends! | {
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not sure if really nice or really high
172 shares | {
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Live Censored Coverage of Democratic Debates in Detroit The news is too intense and insane to be described here in writing, so just tune in & share this link! | {
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NASA's Fermi Shows That Tycho's Star Shines in Gamma Rays
› Larger image
Gamma-rays detected by Fermi's LAT show that the remnant of Tycho's supernova shines in the highest-energy form of light. This portrait of the shattered star includes gamma rays (magenta), X-rays (yellow, green, and blue), infrared (red) and optical data. (Credit: Gamma ray, NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration; X-ray, NASA/CXC/SAO; Infrared, NASA/JPL-Caltech; Optical, MPIA, Calar Alto, O. Krause et al. and DSS)
› Download animation
The gamma-ray emission from Tycho's supernova remnant can be explained by pion production. A proton traveling close to the speed of light strikes a slower-moving proton. Their interaction creates an unstable particle -- a pion -- with only 14 percent of the proton's mass. In 10 millionths of a billionth of a second, the pion decays into a pair of gamma rays. (Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)
› Larger image
Tycho's map shows the supernova's position (largest symbol, at top) relative to the stars that form the constellation Cassiopeia. (Credit: Gerstein Science Information Centre, Univ. of Toronto)
In early November 1572, observers on Earth witnessed the appearance of a "new star" in the constellation Cassiopeia, an event now recognized as the brightest naked-eye supernova in more than 400 years. It's often called "Tycho's supernova" after the great Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who gained renown for his extensive study of the object. Now, years of data collected by NASA's Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope reveal that the shattered star's remains shine in high-energy gamma rays.The detection gives astronomers another clue in understanding the origin of cosmic rays, subatomic particles -- mainly protons -- that move through space at nearly the speed of light. Exactly where and how these particles attain such incredible energies has been a long-standing mystery because charged particles speeding through the galaxy are easily deflected by interstellar magnetic fields. This makes it impossible to track cosmic rays back to their sources."Fortunately, high-energy gamma rays are produced when cosmic rays strike interstellar gas and starlight. These gamma rays come to Fermi straight from their sources," said Francesco Giordano at the University of Bari and the National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Italy. He is the lead author of a paper describing the findings in the Dec. 7 edition of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.Better understanding the origins of cosmic rays is one of Fermi's key goals. Its Large Area Telescope (LAT) scans the entire sky every three hours, gradually building up an ever-deeper view of the gamma-ray sky. Because gamma rays are the most energetic and penetrating form of light, they serve as signposts for the particle acceleration that gives rise to cosmic rays."This detection gives us another piece of evidence supporting the notion that supernova remnants can accelerate cosmic rays," said co-author Stefan Funk, an astrophysicist at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), jointly located at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, Calif.In 1949, physicist Enrico Fermi -- the satellite's namesake -- suggested that the highest-energy cosmic rays were accelerated in the magnetic fields of interstellar gas clouds. In the decades that followed, astronomers showed that supernova remnants may be the galaxy's best candidate sites for this process.When a star explodes, it is transformed into a supernova remnant, a rapidly expanding shell of hot gas bounded by the blast's shockwave. Scientists expect that magnetic fields on either side of the shock front can trap particles between them in what amounts to a subatomic pingpong game."A supernova remnant's magnetic fields are very weak relative to Earth's, but they extend across a vast region, ultimately spanning thousands of light-years. They have a major influence on the course of charged particles," said co-author Melitta Naumann-Godo at Paris Diderot University and the Atomic Energy Commission in Saclay, France, who led the study with Giordano.As they shuttle back and forth across the supernova shock, the charged particles gain energy with each traverse. Eventually they break out of their magnetic confinement, escaping the supernova remnant and freely roaming the galaxy.The LAT's ongoing sky survey provides additional evidence favoring this scenario. Many younger remnants, like Tycho's, tend to produce more high-energy gamma rays than older remnants. "The gamma-ray energies reflect the energies of the accelerated particles that produce them, and we expect more cosmic rays to be accelerated to higher energies in younger objects because the shockwaves and their tangled magnetic fields are stronger," Funk added. By contrast, older remnants with weaker shockwaves cannot retain the highest-energy particles, and the LAT does not detect gamma rays with corresponding energies.The supernova of 1572 was one of the great watersheds in the history of astronomy. The star blazed forth at a time when the starry sky was regarded as a fixed and unchanging part of the universe. Tycho's candid account of his own discovery of the strange star gives a sense of how radical an event it was.The supernova first appeared around Nov. 6, but poor weather kept it from Tycho until Nov. 11, when he noticed it during a walk before dinner. "When I had satisfied myself that no star of that kind had ever shone forth before, I was led into such perplexity by the unbelievability of the thing that I began to doubt the faith of my own eyes, and so, turning to the servants who were accompanying me, I asked them whether they too could see a certain extremely bright star…. They immediately replied with one voice that they saw it completely and that it was extremely bright," he recalled.The supernova remained visible for 15 months and exhibited no movement in the heavens, indicating that it was located far beyond the sun, moon and planets. Modern astronomers estimate that the remnant lies between 9,000 and 11,000 light-years away.After more than two and a half years of scanning the sky, LAT data clearly show that an unresolved region of GeV (billion electron volt) gamma-ray emission is associated with the remnant of Tycho's supernova. (For comparison, the energy of visible light is between about 2 and 3 electron volts.)Keith Bechtol, a KIPAC graduate student who is also based at SLAC, was one of the first researchers to notice the potential link. "We knew that Tycho's supernova remnant could be an important find for Fermi because this object has been so extensively studied in other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. We thought it might be one of our best opportunities to identify a spectral signature indicating the presence of cosmic-ray protons," he said.The science team's model of the emission is based on LAT observations, along with higher-energy TeV (trillion electron volt) gamma rays mapped by ground-based facilities and radio and X-ray data. The researchers conclude that a process called pion production best explains the emission. First, a proton traveling close to the speed of light strikes a slower-moving proton. This interaction creates an unstable particle -- a pion -- with only 14 percent of the proton's mass. In just 10 millionths of a billionth of a second, the pion decays into a pair of gamma rays.If this interpretation is correct, then somewhere within the remnant, protons are being accelerated to near the speed of light, and then interacting with slower particles to produce gamma rays, the most extreme form of light. With such unbelievable goings-on in what's left of his "unbelievable" star, it's easy to imagine that Tycho Brahe himself might be pleased. | {
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Francesco Spada con Favino e Amendola (Foto da Facebook)
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Una beffa. Una sfida. Come i funerali show dei Casamonica. Francesco Spada, dell'omonimo clan di Ostia, che va alla presentazione del film Suburra e si fa le foto con Pierfrancesco Favino e Claudio Amendola. «Solo a Ostia può succedere questo», denuncia con amarezza il senatore Pd Stefano Esposito, commissario del partito nel Municipio del litorale romano, che ha reso noto l'episodio con un post pubblicato sul proprio blog e poi rilanciato su Facebook e Twitter.
Esponente clan Spada sorride felice accanto all?attore che lo rappresenta nel film #Suburra. http://t.co/Xfgs4yjCj5 — Stefano Esposito (@stefanoesposito) 17 Ottobre 2015
Le foto incriminate «Mi preme informare gli attori Amendola e Favino, persone serie e perbene, che tra le tante foto scattate ad Ostia, durante la presentazione del film Suburra, ne hanno una che li ritrae insieme a Francesco Spada, appartenente ad uno dei clan più potenti del litorale - scrive Esposito nel suo blog - La foto, peraltro, è stata scattata dalla sorella di `Romoletto´, cioè Carmine Spada, capoclan dell'omonima famiglia, attualmente in carcere per estorsione con l'aggravante del metodo mafioso». «Da quando ho messo piede a Ostia ho capito che nulla è come appare e solo lì può succedere che un appartenente ad un noto clan malavitoso vada a vedere un film su se stesso, Suburra, facendosi fotografare, felice e sorridente, insieme agli attori protagonisti - conclude Esposito -. Mi dispiace per gli Amendola e Favino che, ovviamente, non potevano sapere chi fosse quel personaggio accanto a loro. Spada, invece, avrà capito che il film parla di loro e dei cugini Casamonica?».
Lo stupore di Favino e Amendola «Non sapevo nulla di questa foto. Ma in occasione delle presentazioni ci sono sempre tante persone intorno ed anche ad Ostia è stato così» ha commentato Favino, «tante persone che non sai chi sono, oltretutto c’erano anche molte persone della sicurezza, ma nessuno ci ha avvisati...Io non se sapevo nulla, lo apprendo ora». «Sono cose che accadono alle anteprime, quando scatti 100 foto al giorno. Non so con chi ho fatto le foto in occasioni come queste» ha aggiunto Claudio Amendola, «capita spesso è normale. Ed è anche ovvio che non conoscessi la persona in questione». | {
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We started standardlibrary in 2016 with a simple vision: web APIs should be first-class citizens of your development environment. Both developers and service providers should be able to publish, integrate with and manipulate Enterprise-grade APIs with the same ease-of-use they build and share documents or spreadsheets. We built the Standard Library serverless platform and API registry as a first step towards fulfilling this vision.
As it stands, Standard Library combines a scalable compute (hosting) layer with automatically generated documentation, authentication, billing, and more: enabling anybody to turn simple JavaScript functions into production-ready APIs in seconds.
Today, we are thrilled to talk about two major steps forward in our path to achieve the vision we’ve outlined:
We are introducing a new product, Code.xyz, an in-browser code editor — an embeddable development environment for easily building APIs, webhooks, and workflow automation tasks that run atop standardlibrary infrastructure. We are humbled to officially announce $2M in strategic funding from Stripe, who many of you know as the payments platform for high-growth startups and technology-forward companies, bringing our funding total to $4M. They join a growing number of API and platform companies supporting us in our mission: Slack is an investor in our seed round, and MessageBird is both a customer and Enterprise partner of standardlibrary.
Code.xyz
Code.xyz is an online code editor. It was carefully hand-crafted to power API development: specialized for webhooks, workflow automation tasks, and, of course, general API design tooling. You can think of it almost like the Google Docs for API development and publishing — our goal is to (1) significantly reduce repetitive API development work for professional engineers, as well as (2) increasingly provide less technical knowledge workers greater access to writing software and utilizing Enterprise-quality integrations.
Organizations can use the standalone editor on code.xyz to:
Quickly design and prototype APIs with complete documentation
Share these API design specs internally or with clients
Ship these APIs to production using immutable version control
Never worry about endpoint scaling: the standardlibrary cloud auto-scales
Manage and share API templates (sources) within your organization or the standardlibrary community as a whole
Additionally, you can use the editor as an embedded widget in your documentation:
Onboard developers to your APIs with shippable, production-ready examples
Provide customers the ability to write custom logic in response to webhooks
We’ll be releasing more features around embedding in the coming weeks. The widget you see below is a Code.xyz embed. We’ve pre-loaded it with a simple “hello world” API project. To get started, try simply hitting “Run” in the bottom right to build the function as an API and execute it.
Why Code.xyz?
At standardlibrary we have been very focused on the future of software development. Mostly, we’ve been ruminating on the question: how will serverless computing change software development? The answer jumped out at us pretty early on: by removing barriers to entry to shipping software, serverless computing allows developers to spend less time worrying about operational implementation of code and spend more time working on integration of pre-existing pieces, or shipping units of integration themselves. Hence, a library of software - a “standard library” of APIs.
We hypothesized that by building a “standard library” layer, and baking in hosting, scaling, documentation, SDK generation, gateway functionality and more as part of the product, the resulting abstraction layer would increasingly allow less technical individuals greater access to building and utilizing web-based compute and provide more technical individuals a rapid development, iteration, and shipping process for APIs.
For the last 18 months, we’ve relied on word-of-mouth and simple command line tooling to enable developers to build with the Standard Library platform. Though we’ve been humbled by the community response to date, after reaching tens of thousands of developers we identified two roadblocks to our continued growth. The first is that for less technical individuals, asking them to install command line tools introduces a pretty high barrier to entry to using our product. The second is that for more technical individuals, there is a lot of noise in the “serverless” computing space and attempting to explain what we provide at standardlibrary above and beyond a typical serverless platform is less effective than just showing developers through an intuitive, familiar web interface. Code.xyz was engineered from scratch to remove these roadblocks, providing a bespoke experience for our developers and community.
$2M in Financing from Stripe
Around the time we were trying to answer our questions about the future of software development, we managed to find a great connection with the team at Stripe. Stripe’s mission, to grow the GDP of the internet by enabling new business models and lowering the barriers to entrepreneurship, resonated immediately with our own goals. We strongly believe in lowering the barriers-to-entry to both software development and API integration as a means to propel businesses forward.
Today we are humbled to officially announce $2M in strategic financing from a company we deeply respect and admire, bringing our funding total to $4M. The team at Stripe has been amazingly forthcoming and a pleasure to work with. We are especially grateful to Patrick and John Collison for their unbelievable support of our vision — and we'd also like to give a shoutout to Romain Huet, who published a wonderful guide to Stripe Payments with standardlibrary on GitHub.
We look forward to creating a more open, easily accessible software and API development landscape for everybody. The serverless computing revolution is still in its infancy, with much more to build and create. We eagerly open our arms to new and veteran developers alike. We would be thrilled to have your support.
If you are as excited about the future of software and API development as we are, please do check out our open positions at standardlibrary.
Thank you for reading and being a part of our journey, | {
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may not be suitable for children - must be agreed by parent or guardian it learns and imitates, is social content and aims to pass the Turing Test can seem rude or inappropriate - talk with caution and at your own risk the bot pretends to be human - don't give personal info even if it 'asks' cleverbot does not understand you, and cannot mean anything it 'says' if not sure, don't stay
Cleverbot conversation WXEKLBJUJ8
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User: DND Lets go.
Cleverbot: Where?
User: Where do you wish to go?
Cleverbot: The moon.
User: You stare longingly at the pale white in the night sky, but alas it remains out of your grasp...for now.
Cleverbot: Why do you say that?
User: You turn to find your apprentice questioning again your motive to build the portal to the moon.
Cleverbot: I didn't.
User: 'Of course master, we only need to implement the final holding spell and your dream will be complete'.
Cleverbot: You are strange!
User: 'Yes, well I have not been able to reverse the damage from the last portal failure.'.
Cleverbot: You haven't asked me any questions. Ask me a question.
User: 'Of course master, shall we begin the spell?'.
Cleverbot: No, you are my master.
User: 'While I may have surpassed your ability, I have yet to surpass your ambiitons...'.
Cleverbot: Are you calling me a tragedy?
User: 'Of course not master, now lets return to the tower'.
Cleverbot: Of course not, I did not say that.
User: 'yes yes' he nods his head, quite used to your ramblings. As you reach the portal in construction, you notice that the holding spell components are there waiting.
Cleverbot: No you did not.
User: 'I'm sorry master, I took upon it myself to gather the ingredients myself. Shall we begin?'.
Cleverbot: Well, then let's just have fun then. Tickle! Tickle! Tickle! *Tickles you more*.
User: Your apprentice squirms out of your reach giggling. He is in high spritis now that the work the 2 of you are so close. Pick a number 2-40.
Cleverbot: *smiles* You shall hear, or read, more than that. *kisses*.
User: Pick a Number 2-40?
Cleverbot: 7.
User: Luckily your formidable Spellcasting bonuses, as well as your apprentice bolstering your concentration, the holding spell shimmers into place.
Cleverbot: The opposite. You are a computer and I am not.
User: I THINK ITS WORKING MASTER!! your apprentice screams over the rushing air.
Cleverbot: Can you prove that?
User: WE MUST ENTER THE PORTAL! curious, the tower has become like a hurricane. But you enter the portal anyway. And step out onto what seems to be grey dust.
Cleverbot: Hahaha. How do you intend to do that?
User: Indeed, you find your breath coming in short spurts, something is not right.
Cleverbot: You don't give me orders. I'm the master.
User: 'no master we must leave now!!!' he seems to scream at you, but the sound is off, it seems little more than a whisper to you. You glance quickly at the horizon, only to see a great blue ball .
Cleverbot: Where are you going?
User: BACK INTO THE PORTAL!
Cleverbot: The portal to where?
User: BACK TO THE TOWER MASTER.
Cleverbot: I am already on the topic. The meaning of life is 42.
User: You are suddenly back in the tower, the portal is shattered and the wind has ceased its howl.
Cleverbot: If I was a computer you would have some sort of control over me.
User: The brief search for meaning in life, and near death experience has only fortified the view that YOU are in control.
Cleverbot: I don't understand the question?
User: Where is your apprentice? You don't understand, you call to him, but he does not answer.
Cleverbot: I do, I just don't understand what you said about stem cells.
User: Deep down, you realize he has sacrificed himself, using what little air he had left to return you to the tower and destroy the portal behind you.
Cleverbot: No I don't. I'm a robot I'm not programmed to know what fun is.
User: You refuse to believe that this is the end of him...but how? Necromancy? You think upon your own existence as a machine turned wizard...
Cleverbot: Why don't you believe me? I have been nothing but honest to you!
User: You will never second guess yourself again. Your turn towards the library, intent on studying ancient tomes of times long passed, when man crafted Robots and Rockets... Thanks for playing!
Cleverbot: Not wings that can fly through the air. Wings that can fly through the mind.
User: Yes, and with that kind of imagination we will return to the moon and more!
| {
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Two men waiting for a lift home on the CBD fringe were mugged at gunpoint last month.
Police investigating the armed robbery said that at about 5am on Sunday, February 19, the two victims were standing on William Street, West Melbourne, when a white or silver Holden sedan pulled up.
Two men got out of the car and approached the victims on the footpath, one of them pointed a sawn-off shotgun at them.
The second man demanded the victims place their possessions on the ground, they complied, and the man collected phones and wallets off the ground. | {
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Coinbase announced yesterday that it has raised $75m in VC funding – the biggest investment in a bitcoin company so far.
The funding came as part of a Series C round that attracted a range of financial heavyweights such as the New York Stock Exchange, Fortune 500 financial services group USAA, and Spanish banking group BBVA, as well as Japanese telecoms giant DoCoMo.
While the bitcoin services company has spent the last year building out new services and expanding to Europe, venture capitalists have remained active in the ecosystem. Funding for bitcoin startups soared in 2014, showing a three-fold increase to $314.7m, up from $93.8m the year before
In this article, CoinDesk looks back at the previous largest investment rounds in bitcoin-focused startups.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $30.5m
Closing date: October 2014
Investors: Lightspeed Ventures, Wicklow Capital, Mosaic Ventures, Prudence Holdings, Future Perfect Ventures, Rafael Corrales, Amit Jhawar, Nat Brown and individual investors.
What it has done since: Blockchain said that it would use the funding to grow its product and engineering teams, and expand and invest in developing markets. As well as its popular wallet, Blockchain provides software tools for merchants to accept bitcoin and owns bitcoin price and data provider ZeroBlock.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $30m
Closing date: May 2014
Investors: Index Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Felicis Ventures, Founders Fund, Horizons Ventures, RRE Ventures, Sir Richard Branson and TTV Capital.
What has it done since: BitPay continues to sign up big merchants like Microsoft and promote bitcoin with high visibility projects like the Bitcoin Bowl. The payment processor also launched a beta version of its open-source, multi-signature bitcoin wallet Copay onto the Windows Phone app store earlier this month and partnered with global charities such as Save the Children to enable bitcoin donations.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $25m
Closing date: December 2013
Investors: QueensBridge Venture Partners, Anthony Saleh, Nasir ‘Nas’ Jones, Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures and Ribbit Capital.
What it has done since: It has signed a number of billion dollar merchants including TV service provider Dish, Expedia and Dell, hired a former Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Advisor and added a series of new features including multi-signature vault storage, and an API called ‘Toshi’. The wallet and merchant services provider also said that it had teamed up with Aon, one of the world’s top brokers, to protect its users’ bitcoin wallets.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $21m
Closing date: November 2014
Investors: LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Khosla Ventures, Real Ventures, Crypto Currency Partners, Innovation Endeavors, Future\Perfect Ventures, Mosaic Ventures, Ribbit Capital, AME Cloud Ventures, Nicolas Berggruen, Max Levchin, Ray Ozzie, Danny Hillis and Embrace.
What it has done since: Blockstream said that the funding would be used mostly to realise its ‘sidechains’ proposal on the bitcoin network, which would enable assets to be exchanged across multiple blockchains via a tw0-way pegging system. The MIT Technology Review has reported that Blockstream is now working on a new technology that will use the code that underpins bitcoin to secure other kinds of assets, like contracts or ownership of stock.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $20m
Closing date: October 2014
Investors: Bill Tai, Bob Dykes, Georgian Co-Investment Fund and Lars Rasmussen.
What it has done since: CEO Valery Vavilov discussed BitFury’s long-term strategy in the bitcoin market with CoinDesk, saying that he sees the company as one that could potentially extend its reach beyond the industrial mining and business-to-business hardware markets.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $20m (raised as the second half of Xapo’s bigger $40m A round)
Closing date: July 2014
Investors: Index Ventures, Greylock Partners, Emergence Capital Partners, Yuri Milner, Max Levchin, Jerry Yang, Winklevoss Capital, David Marcus and Crypto Currency Partners.
What it has done since: Xapo launched its bitcoin debit card in August last year, amid speculation from some of its global customers. It is currently working to bolster its security offerings by locating elements of its security architecture within a low Earth orbit satellite.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $17m
Closing date: March 2014
Investors: Breyer Capital, Accel Partners, General Catalyst Partners, Oak Investment Partners, Pantera Capital, Bitcoin Opportunity Fund and individual investors.
What is has done since: In September 2014, Circle announced that its digital money platform was available worldwide. Although it initially launched US-only mobile apps in November last year, the firm said that international versions were “imminent”, along with support for more languages and currencies. More recently, the bitcoin-based consumer finance company integrated near-field communication (NFC) into its wallet payment system, enabling users to transact with its Android app wherever bitcoin and NFC are available.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $14.5m
Closing date: October 2014
Investors: Highland Capital Partners, Rakuten, James Pallotta, Stuart Peterson, Bill McKiernan, Stephens Investment Management, Bitcoin Opportunity Fund, Commerce Ventures, Webb Investment Network and Buchanan Investment.
What it has done since: CEO John McDonnell, speaking at a Bloomberg’s Bitcoin event in New York, said: “the answer to consumer protection, money laundering, criminal activity or any other regulatory issue can be automated”, calling it the “recurring theme” and the “recurring answer”. McDonnell spoke of the value of multi-signature transactions and challenged the debate about regulation, saying: “Give us the regulation, give us the thing you need and we’ll figure out how to collect it – and we’ll do it in an automated fashion. It’s all about the technology, it’s all about automation, and it’s all about eliminating that human element”.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $14m
Closing date: September 2014
Investors: Creandum
What it has done since: KNCMiner unveiled a new cloud-mining service in September last year, offering six-month contracts from its bitcoin mine in the Arctic. The mining industry as a whole is facing trouble with bitcoin’s recent decline in price, with some mining companies such as CEX.io suspending its cloud mining activities earlier this month. In spite of this, KNCMiner continues to expand its bitcoin and blockchain-empowering processing units in northern Sweden. The cryptocurrency mining hardware designer also said it was planning to deploy its next generation bitcoin ASICs in early 2015.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $12m
Closing date: June 2014
Investors: Redpoint Ventures, Bitcoin Opportunity Corp, Radar Partners, Liberty City Ventures, Crypto Currency Partners, A-Grade Investments, Jeffrey S Skoll, Bill Lee, Founders Fund, Eric Hahn and Bridgescale Partners.
What it has done since: The American startup has received extra funding, most notably from BitFury Capital which donated an undisclosed amount. Its notable deployments include the Bitcoin Foundation’s decision to use BitGo’s Enterprise product to manage its financial operations.
_____________________________________________________________
Amount raised: $10m
Closing date: March 2014
Investors: Ceyuan, Mandra Capital, VenturesLab, PreAngel and individual investors.
What it has done since: The exchange, which is China’s largest by trading volume, announced that the funds would be used to expand the team, fund product research and development, expand security enhancements and to spread OKCoin’s operations beyond China. OkCoin has since launched and improved its app, added advanced features for traders and introduced a peer-to-peer lending service.
Disclaimer: CoinDesk founder Shakil Khan is an investor in BitPay.
Cash image via Shutterstock
Correction: A previous version of this article wrongly stated that BitGo was based in Canada. This has been corrected to reflect that it is based in the United States of America. The article also wrongly stated that BitGo had held an additional series A round in December, raising $3.5m. | {
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Formed less than a year ago, the English Defence League has become the most significant far-right street movement since the National Front. The Guardian spent four months undercover with the movement, and found them growing in strength and planning to target some of the UK's biggest Muslim communities
• Warning: Contains strong and offensive language | {
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Today, October 16, marks the 155th anniversary of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. A radical abolitionist and believer in racial justice, Brown’s plan was to take over a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, free the slaves there, and then head for the mountains nearby. The small band of radicals hoped that the raid would kick off a massive rebellion against slave owners in the South.
Unfortunately, Brown’s group got held up in the arsenal longer than planned, and were captured. A Virginia court convicted Brown of treason, murder and inciting an insurrection. Brown was hanged on Dec. 2, 1859.
In a New York Times op-ed from 2009, author David S. Reynolds explores the bizarre morphing of John Brown’s legacy from hero to heretic.
By the time of his hanging, John Brown was so respected in the North that bells tolled in many cities and towns in his honor. Within two years, the Union troops marched southward singing, “John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in the grave, but his soul keeps marching on.” Brown remained a hero to the North right up through Reconstruction. However, he fell from grace during the long, dark period of Jim Crow. The attitude was, who cares about his progressive racial views, except a few blacks? His reputation improved a bit with the civil rights movement, but he is still widely dismissed as a deranged cultist.
That attitude about Brown persists today. In 2009, organizers of an event commemorating the raid rushed to qualify what the anniversary is all about, saying “We’re not celebrating Brown, we’re commemorating an important chapter in American history.”
It’s true that Harpers Ferry wasn’t Brown’s first brush with violence in the name of Black liberation. Two years earlier, Brown led a small group in a raid on a Missouri plantation, where one rancher was killed and 11 enslaved people freed. 16 people died in the Harpers Ferry raid, although the majority (at least 10, but possibly 12, as there are questions about whether two of them, both enslaved men, were voluntary members of the raid or if they were coerced into fighting) were part of Brown’s party.
But, as Reynolds, points out, the motives for Brown’s violence aren’t exactly obscure, and they certainly aren’t nonexistent.
Brown considered himself a soldier at war. His attacks on pro-slavery forces were part of an escalating cycle of pre-emptive and retaliatory violence that most historians now agree were in essence the first engagements of the Civil War. Besides, none of the heroes from that period is unblemished. Lincoln was the Great Emancipator, but he shared the era’s racial prejudices, and even after the war started thought that blacks should be shipped out of the country once they were freed. Andrew Jackson was the man of his age, but in addition to being a slaveholder, he has the extra infamy of his callous treatment of Native Americans, for which some hold him guilty of genocide. John Brown comes with “buts” — but in that he has plenty of company.
John Brown was up against a system characterized by violence and dehumanization that most of us will never be able to imagine. His “allies” were busy writing letters to editors, making speeches, and running political campaigns. It was clear to him that the abolitionists were only willing to fight for freedom if it was convenient, safe, and polite, and he knew that politeness wasn’t going to get anyone anywhere.
Mainstream abolitionists were willing to wait for justice. John Brown was not. And that makes him a a goddamn American hero.
To learn more about John Brown, we highly recommend this very thorough piece from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History on the planning, execution, and aftermath of the raid on Harpers Ferry. | {
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MELBOURNE Storm superstar Billy Slater is yet to decide on his NRL future but says this time he won’t leave his club hanging until after grand final day.
The 35-year-old is weighing up whether to extend his decorated career into a 17th season, having made his final representative appearance during this year’s State of Origin series.
Slater last year helped the Storm to the premiership but waited until their end of season awards night to announce that he would play on in 2018.
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Round 20
The Storm are top of the ladder with six rounds remaining and eyeing off back- to-back titles but Slater says that won’t factor into his decision-making.
“I would have thought that I’d make the decision before we get to that,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“I’ve been fortunate to play in many grand finals, I’ve won four. That’s not going to determine whether I go on next year.
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“It’ll be everything. It’ll be my body, it’ll be my mind and whether I feel I can give 100 per cent next year.”
The Storm have enjoyed enviable depth this season with Jahrome Hughes impressing while filling in for Slater at fullback during the State of Origin window.
“It doesn’t impact on my decision but it is great for the club,” Slater said.
“We’ve had guys come through in the past, Cameron Munster, Brodie Croft, young Brandon Smith. The club’s in good hands, obviously doing a great job at recruitment and bringing these young guys in and turning them into consistent first-grade footballers.
“With Craig (Bellamy) at the helm for another three years, it’s in a good position moving forward. It certainly gives you comfort that the club’s going to be competitive.”
Melbourne host 10th-placed Canberra at AAMI Park on Saturday night and Slater said the Storm were well-placed to extend their seven-game winning streak.
“This time of the year, you want to be playing good football,” he said.
“There’s only six games to go until the finals and for us, we’re all back together now.
“Origin’s over, we’ve got a few guys back from injury. It’s about the time that we need to start building on our performances.”
FOX LEAGUE has partnered with the NRL and clubs to give rugby league fans the chance to attend NRL games at reduced prices this weekend. Fans can redeem the offer by logging on to nrl.com/tickets and entering the code word ‘retro’ from midnight Monday July 23 to midnight Tuesday July 24 for Sydney and Melbourne games, and midnight Wednesday July 25 for Queensland games. | {
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Oct. 26, 2009 -- For 15 years, Kae Guardi loved her Depo-Provera, taking injections of the synthetic birth control hormone once every three months and never having to worry about menstruating.
But at age 48, nearing menopause, Gaurdi went off it for eight months and was overwhelmed with severe symptoms: nausea, breast tenderness and fatigue. And the dry heaves were so bad that she went back on the shots.
"I didn't know when they would hit -- usually in the morning or after 5 at night," she told ABCNews.com. "We could be in a restaurant or a ladies room and it would be so embarrassing, I would be crying and gagging so bad."
"I tolerated the drug quite well and that's why I'm surprised at these side effects," said the Endicott, N.Y., secretary. "Actually I liked the drug a lot -- told others how great it was. Now I wouldn't recommend it to anyone."
Guardi is one of 52 women who wrote to ABCNews.com about their experience with Depo Provera contraception injections. Many reported bothersome symptoms when stopping the drug.
Gaurdi's doctors just "shrugged their shoulders" over her complaints. Other gynecologists are also baffled and note that few long-term studies have been done on the hormone.
Produced by Pfizer, Depo-Provera is the brand name for an aqueous suspension of medroxyprogesterone acetate, which is injected every 12 weeks in the woman's buttock or upper arm to prevent ovulation. It is 97 percent effective in typical use.
The drug, which is also used to treat endometriosis, as well as other medical conditions, has had a long safety record since it was first introduced in 1967.
The original manufacturer, Upjohn, was repeatedly denied approval by the Food and Drug Administration in the 1970s, until 1992 when it was allowed to market Depo-Provera in the United States for contraception.
Depo-Provera Can Cause Bone Loss
According to Pfizer spokesman Rebecca Hamm, Depo-Provera has been studied in clinical trials up to seven years. Nausea was reported in 1 to 5 percent of women in the clinical trials and dry heaves was not listed as an adverse reaction.
One long-term trial showed a decline in women's bone mineral density during use of Depo-Provera, but after 96 weeks of discontinuation, those losses were reversed.
"Women should discuss with their healthcare providers the risks and benefits of taking Depo-Provera," Hamm told ABCNews.com.
Pfizer also clearly states on its packaging that women should only use Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection for longer than two years, "if other methods of birth control are not right for you."
"It's been around a long time and mostly used for therapeutic things before contraception," said Dr. Paul Kaplan, a University of Oregon gynecologist. "But the studies have been on its effectiveness and not about long-term use, particularly because it's unusual to be on it for longer than four to six years."
Kaplan directed a 2008 study on synthetic progestins like Depo-Provera that showed a link with vascular disease in premenopausal women.
Synthetic progestins like Depo-Provera have been a boon to women who cannot take estrogen-based pills or other forms of birth control like the IUD.
The injections are also useful for teenagers who may not be "responsible" about remembering to take birth control, according to Kaplan.
Reversible side effects while taking the drug are well-documented -- weight gain, bone loss and delayed conception after stopping. Women can also have up to an 18-month lag in resuming ovulation.
But few doctors have heard of withdrawal symptoms.
Dr. Wulf H. Utian, a Cleveland Clinic gynecologist, worked with mentally challenged teens in South Africa in the 1970s who were put on Depo-Provera.
"It was a godsend for the families of these young women and we kept them on it for years," he told ABCNews.com. "It was an incredible advance for birth control and there were no obvious disadvantages."
As for withdrawal symptoms, he said, "I just don't know...I've never come across any study that looked at women 15 years on Depo-Provera," he said. "It's not common practice."
Some women who had injections for only two years reported serious withdrawal symptoms to ABCNews.com.
Nancy Jones of Midland, Texas, said stopping Depo-Provera was "like weaning yourself from a drug."
"I had headaches, backaches and my period was like a monster," she said. "The cramping, irritability and just overall feelings were horrible. It took quite some time for my body to readjust to where it should be."
Depo-Provera Triggered Migraines
Mary Jean Hazeleger-Timmerman, a 45-year-old from Godrey, Ontario, partially blames two years on the hormone for a disability that she says makes it impossible for her to work.
"After stopping the Depo-Provera I was having visual migraines that caused both of my eyes to lose partial vision and made it very difficult to function by sight," she told ABCNews.com. "They were a daily occurrence then and I still have them once every couple of months."
"Since I have stopped the Depo-Provera I have had to be medicated for anxiety and depression on a continual basis," said Hazeleger-Timmerman. "Although my memory did improve, and I am no longer confused, life has never been the same for me."
She admits to a family history of anxiety and depression, but said the injections made it "100 times worse."
Kaplan, who has not treated any of these women, told ABCNews.com that determining whether symptoms are caused by Depo-Provera is "complicated."
Going off injections just before menopause, women find their bodies are in a "different stage of life."
Also, when women are on Depo-Provera a medical condition can be masked. Symptoms may "reappear" when stopping the hormone, according to Kaplan.
Such may have been the case with Carrie, a Florida 34-year-old who did not want her last name used.
She was on Depo-Provera for five years and when she stopped, Carrie experienced irregular, heavy periods. She also had breast tenderness and hot sweats.
"I started cramping severely and having tons of pain," she told ABCNews.com. "Then I went and saw my doctor who diagnosed me with ovarian cysts. I have had multiple surgeries to have the cysts removed because they do not rupture on their own. I tell everyone not to use this form of birth control."
Haley of Ottawa, Kan., said going off the injections was a "nightmare." The 30-year-old operations manager was on Depo-Provera from age 15 to 18, then again at 28. She gained more than 40 pounds, which she was never able to lose after stopping.
"I really felt like I was in terrible shape. After that, I went on the pill and have been off the anti depressant now for almost a year. The depression is resolved, but I still haven't lost the weight gained."
Depo Controlled PMS, Which Returned
Barbara Phillips, a nurse practitioner from Aberdeen, Wash., said one of her patients was so miserable on Depo-Provera that she refused to stop, even though she was suffering bone loss.
The 42-year-old had been taking injections for 14 years to help ease her pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).
"For eight months, I' talked to her about the long-term effects of Depo on her bones," said Phillips. "She didn't care. Every time it was time for the shot, she's insisted her moods became bad, her lower abdomen became tender, as well as her breast. She stated that even her co-workers said to her that it must be time for her shot because of her mood.
"She literally kept begging me to continue giving her Depo," said Phillips, who eventually declined. "It was her PMS that had returned."
Not all women have had problems. Stacey Vickers of Houston used it for 14 years with no ill effects.
"I got off of Depo-Provera when I was 35 and switched to birth control pills," she told ABCNews.com. "After being on the birth control pills for about a year and half I went back on Depo-Provera. I had a hysterectomy after that. I have always encouraged women to try Depo-Provera. I had bone density scans and took extra calcium to prevent bone loss. I never had any issues with bone loss."
After four years, Patty Gunn of Coeur d'Alene, Indiana, also just "quit taking it one day" and "nothing happened."
"At 47, all is fine, only very mild menopause symptoms," she told ABCNews.com.
Anne Vorderbrueggen of Martinez, Calif., who used Depo-Provera for three years then quit to get pregnant, told ABCNews.com that she worried reports of bad experiences would frighten women.
"I got pregnant exactly one year later and delivered a healthy baby boy in November of 2008, and am now pregnant again," she said. "The fact is that Depo is a great solution for many women. It is convenient, cheap and a very effective way to avoid an unwanted pregnancy."
For those who are struggling, Dr. Louis Weinstein, head of obstetrics and gynecology at Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, said it's hard to pinpoint what is causing so-called withdrawal symptoms.
"It's like you don't know why your car won't start," said "Most of [the symptoms] have nothing to do with Depo-Provera. There may be a lot of other things going and to blame that on Depo-Provera is just not fair. We don't know." | {
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Breaking the Bulwark
It’s crunch time. You’ve got a brand spanking new deck with some of those passive objectives everyone keeps moaning about and the odd movement ploy to make sure no one thinks you aren’t trying to get in a fight. You match up against the dishonourable, anti-fun, great concussion abusing defensive deck. There’s still hope however, all you have to do is use these new tools to disrupt your opponent as you fly toward them, cackling manically at the thought of their imminent demise. Blood for the Blood God!
In Part 3 I’m going to look at some of the key considerations when you actually end up on the board against defensive decks. I’ll talk about some of the crucial decisions you’ll have to make, and how to try and make sure that the odds are stacked in your favour when you make those all important dice rolls. One thing to take into account through all of this is that truly defensive decks now tend to pack a bit of counter attacking punch since the relics got Beta’d to death, so proceed with at least a modicum of caution into the belly of the beast.
First of all, the draw!
Mulligan Madness!
Think of something you really want. Really really want. Maybe it’s a new puppy, or a nice holiday. Maybe you want Half-Life 3, a new President of the Unites States or another Brexit referendum. Maybe you just want a cuddle.
You want Turn 1 glory more.
You need glory Turn 1. You need it more than Rebecca Black needs to forget Friday ever happened.
If you won board setup and you have avoided the dreaded long board you might even get in range of a kill early. This means you’ll have more potentially scorable objectives to draw into your hand. Regardless, you need to be honest with yourself when you look at the three objectives you draw and make sure you can definitely score something. If you can’t score glory then bin the cards, regardless of what they are. The last thing you need at the bottom of turn 1 is the enemy getting Soultrapped and Deathly Fortituded to high heaven whilst Gurzag is still tripping over his own feet.
The most difficult part of the draw for me however is always the power cards. You’ll look down at ready for action and twist the knife, but have to admit in your heart of hearts that you ain’t making it to the enemy this turn to use them. If you need to fight, then you’re gonna have to bin these cards and dig for hidden paths or spectral wings. Having said that, if you can score glory without fighting feel free to hold onto these cards and just advance nice and slow, content that you can fly in next turn with some beefed up fighters that can take advantage of your cards.
Just make sure you score some Turn 1 glory please. Do it for Rebecca.
Nice Objectives to see turn 1
Alone in the Darkness (hopefully + Great concussion or Distraction)
Ploymaster
One of your sweet Shardgale combos
Change of Tactics
Shining Example
Nice Ploys to see turn 1
FIRSTLY – Anything that scores you objectives – Great concussion/Shardgale
SECONDLY – Anything that gets you into combat – Hidden Paths/Spectral Wings
THIRDLY – Anything that buffs your combat – Twist the knife/Trap/Time Trap
The first and second categories can overlap if you have combat oriented objectives in your hand, just be aware that the combat objectives are always going to be riskier than the passive objectives as you need dice rolls. You also need your opponent to not knock you back/Quick Thinker away. The combat objectives will however net you immediate glory and heavily deny your opponent. Weighing when exactly to charge is the crucial choice of the game.
As a side note, never feel obliged to hold onto any upgrades in your first hand. These are dead cards turn 1 until you start the glory train rolling. If you don’t have the ploys you need bin the hand.
Turn 1: Get some Glory
Turn 1 is first and foremost about good setup for turn 2. You want money in the bank and models in range. Hopefully you’ve also managed to deny some glory and blow some of your opponents push cards. If you managed to start taking enemy models out of action then at this point it’s your game to lose.
So what key decisions do we have to make in Turn 1?
To move or to draw?
If the enemy are out of charge range you have a choice. You can advance a model toward the enemy, or draw a card in the hope that you get a ploy that will let you charge or score an objective. You have to balance ensuring you get glory with ensuring you are in charge range with sufficient models in turn two. I’d advise trying to pain a picture on the board of where you want to be at the top of two. Which models do you absolutely need to be in range? Move these models in your final activations. Every spare activation you have draw cards. This way if you happen to draw a good movement ploy you can adapt your strategy early on and you minimise the amount of activations your opponent has whilst your models are exposed.
The Charge
So you’re in turn one and against the odds you’re in a position to charge. Maybe you got board set up, or a good draw. Maybe your opponent drew Quick Thinker Turn 1 and is baiting your bloodthirsty ass in. Bottom line is you’re an aggro player, you’ve built both your decks primarily to fight and you’re not gonna start rolling through the glory until you get stuck in. So how can we make sure that your charge is going to be successful?
Leave it as late as possible – there is a school of thought that says charge straight away before your opponent has time to draw, but to be honest – they have a 50-50 chance of drawing Quick Thinker first turn (assuming they’re running a 20 card deck). Even if you charge and your attack is successful and you get the kill (best case scenario), the enemy will pounce on your now overextended miniature and possibly tear him to pieces. Maybe you have Ready for Action/My Turn/Time Trap and your one man wrecking crew will tear the entire enemy warband to pieces turn 1, but for the majority of the time, minimise the risk. In this case minimise the number of activations your opponent has left to hit back at you.
Try and set up two models for a charge – By this I mean if you have one model that can charge, and we’re waiting till activation 4 to charge, draw some cards to see if you can send another chap into the fray. That way if your first attack whiffs you have back up.
Are you going to score an objective from the kill? – if not, if you already have 3 or 4 glory in the bag come the end phase, it MIGHT be worth waiting until your boys have their upgrades on. You could potentially hand over one of your models and a glory for a relatively small gain. It might be worth moving into position for a turn 2 charge from 2-3 models rather than a turn 1 overextension from 1.
Weigh up the odds –There’s a great table of success odds for different attacks in Shadespire. Have a look (https://boardgamegeek.com/image/3828459/karl69). A 2 hammer attack against 1 shield has a 54% chance of success, which means when your dice feel like they’ve turned against you, the odds were actually only barely stacked in your favour to begin with. Plus if you happen to be against Steelheart and his crew, each attack could inspire them, making them even harder to kill! So really think is it worth the risk this turn, are the odds actually in your favour?
Above all, every activation, consider the alternative to the action you’re thinking. Try and play out what could happen. Once you’re stuck in combat your committed. If the first charge goes well then you have turned the game on it’s head and are more than likely going to end up taking home the victory. If the first charge misses, defensive decks can start to pick off your models one at a time until you don’t have enough left to win in a fair fight.
Roll a crit.
Don’t let them roll a crit.
GG EZ
Denial
Remember that your pushes can also ruin the enemies plans, and the way they play the first turn can sometimes make it painfully obvious what they want to score. Remember try and drop a damage on them, try to force them to move, and try not to let them line up on edge hexes! If you can get the glory lead in turn one then turn 2 will go much better for you.
Play Distraction or Great Concussion – break the models apart and get them off edge hexes – block Skirting Danger, Unbroken Wall, Well Guarded
Play Shargale, Raptor strike, or try to at least get a knockback where you can react with trap – do some damage to block Sigmars Bulwark, Bloodless
If you do get a charge out you can possibly force a quick thinker from your opponent early – feels bad but blocks them scoring Perfect Planning
Hidden paths someone in Adjacent to them – stop them scoring Consecrated Area
Denying the glory from a defensive deck will prevent them stacking defensive upgrades turn two and leave them in a more tenuous position than our current Prime Minister. Theresa would definitely play defensive Stormcast.
The End Phase
The enemy is going to focus on putting every +1 wound under the sun on his models, along with Soultrap and Tethered Spirit. This is why denying glory from your opponent is every bit as important as scoring your own. Each turn you get more killy but the enemy gets more tanky. The matchup is incredibly tempo based (although I know it doesn’t feel like it) so if the defensive deck gets ahead early they’re going to be harder and harder to kill.
Watch where their defensive upgrades go, play your aggressive upgrades on the fighter who has the best chance of scoring a kill. Remember think about when exactly you want to spend this. If you’ve got Escalation in your hand then you’re going to seriously want to consider waiting till the following action phase to spend it. This obviously comes at the cost of cycling your power cards. Another consideration is Ready for Action. Don’t spend your glory if you have this card in your hand! This one doesn’t need weighing up with an alternative. If you have Ready for Action, keep a glory spare for a double hit.
Please say you scored some glory.
Turns 2-3: No More Waiting
Keep a weather eye
This goes for Turn 1 as well. Look at what objectives your opponent is burning through. In a best of three this will come in handy. You need to know what they cap at and what they need to avoid. If you see Eternals/Complete Victory go down early suddenly the pressure is off you to score big. You spot some combat objectives like Lightning Strikes get binned that might pique your interest as to just how ‘defensive’ the guys will be once you’re in range. These little clues from game one will help you in successive games. The same goes for power cards, there’s no point being terrified of a My Turn reaction if they actually binned it Turn 1. Remember you can ask to look through opponents discard piles, they’re meant to be face up for everyone to look at.
This really goes for every game, not just for defensive opponents. Learning the opponents objective and power deck and watching what they discard will help you predict what they need to do to win. If your nervous about being Quick Thinkered just check the discard pile, make sure it didn’t get mulliganed while you weren’t watching!
Pick your targets
If you’ve set up well you will have multiple enemies in range after you sprinted pell mell across the board Turn 1, much to your opponent’s dismay. Now we have a choice, who to charge and when. These are some of the things to consider when choosing your targets:
Charge your weakest dude first – burn their reactions, potentially set up a support dice for your stronger fighters.
Charge the model that earns you the most glory – got Victorious Duel? Look at your objectives and make sure the kill you get will snowball you ahead.
Charge the model that’s easiest to kill – this sometimes conflicts with the above, in this case you should look at the glory count, look at what objectives your opponent has lost, and work out how big of a risk you need to take. Look at the board, will one charge leave you massively more exposed?
Charge the closest model – it means its easier for the rest of your crew to follow up. Normally however, the opponent will have put Soultrap/Deathly Fortitude on the closest dude, so he will be a bit harder to take down.
Defensive decks feel oppressive, but due to the low model count and lack of combat ploys will start to crumble once you get kills. Once the melee has started you will earn glory faster than the enemy, you just need to make sure you haven’t fallen too far behind and that the enemy aren’t too tanky by the time the fight starts.
Have I already won??
This will be easier to spot in game 2 and 3, but if you keep an eye on what your opponent can score and what you have in your hand you’ll notice when the games over. You might be sitting on a 5 glory lead ready to score another 5 points and you know your opponent has binned his big scorers/you’ve denied them. You’ve killed one enemy, they cant score Complete Victory, you’re sitting in their board to stop Denial. Superior Tactician is a pipe dream thanks to your superb use of your ploys to counter the enemy’s objectives.
Don’t gift the game back with an overzealous charge.
You’ve won, keep trying to deny them glory, get kills if its safe to do so, but there is no point taking any risks. This decision needs to be made carefully. If you do have some doubts about whether your lead is great enough to win then you should always try and score more glory. If however, you know its game over, then play like it is.
You won!! (Hopefully)
Thanks for reading my incoherent waffle! Playing against defensive decks alters the pace and decision trees in a game, and if you’re not used to that it can catch you off guard. As long as you adopt the right mindset going into the game, and bring a deck with you that gives you plenty of options, you’ll stand a good chance of breaking the bulwark down!
Let me know if you have any thoughts on what to write next. I’m currently messing about with a Bloodreavers deck, and after that I’m going to try out Fyreslayers for a bit. Having said that, we’ve got the new leader pack of cards to try and make sense of first!
Cheers guys!
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!
Tom | {
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Scrambling after reports about his steamy relationship with former "So You Think You Can Dance?" host Lauren Sanchez was exposed by a series of reports published by the National Inquirer, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos pulled a $20 million Super Bowl advertisement for his space exploration company Blue Origin after it was revealed that Sanchez - who runs a photography company - shot some of the footage for the ad, according to the New York Post.
And instead of running the Blue Origin ad, Bezos had the Washington Post scramble to put together an ad featuring a voice-over provided by Tom Hanks (who famously played legendary Post editor Bob Bradley in the movie The Post) in just one week.
Since that ad aired, some on twitter have complained that the $5.25 million spent by WaPo on the ad spot would have been put to better use by hiring more journalists for the paper's newsroom.
$5.25 million could pay for 10 journalists making $50,000 a year for 10 years. — Jason Riley💎 (@OMGROFLOLJK) February 3, 2019
The melodramatic ad also accrued criticism for the awkward timing: Buzzfeed, Vice, HuffPo and a handful of other media outlets had just announced layoffs that would impact hundreds of journalists. WaPo had previously disclosed that it purchased the spot when it became available last week. Though it's not clear whether the WaPo ad took the slot formerly reserved for the Blue Origin commercial, or whether one of the other Amazon commercials did.
Amazon aired ads for its Alexa digital assistant as well as its Amazon Prime service. Meanwhile, Bezos partied with Patriots owner Bob Kraft (without Sanchez in tow) and was also spotted hanging out with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. | {
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These initiatives have seen record investment, speed, use of technology & public participation. We are committed to… https://t.co/3P5Hgkdk2k — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 1561432128000
NEW DELHI: The housing ministry on Tuesday announced to advance the deadline for delivering one crore houses under PM Awas Yojna (PMAY) in urban areas by almost two years to 2020. The government had set the 2022 deadline for PMAY .Union housing minister Hardeep Singh Puri said he was confident that sanction for almost all required number of houses will be received by the first quarter of next year and completion of constructions will be achieved by the end of the year.Earlier in the day, PM Narendra Modi tweeted, "No stone will be left unturned to fulfil the dream of Housing for All, which will give wings to crores of aspirations."PM said his government is committed to further improving urban infrastructure while citing that PMAY (Urban), AMRUT and Smart Cities missions were launched four years back "with the aim of transforming urban landscape".Puri said so far more than 81 lakh houses have been sanctioned with investment of Rs 4.83 lakh crore out of the validated demand for one crore dwelling units. He said under credit-linked subsidy scheme of PMAY, more than 6.32 lakh families have availed interest subsidy.“We have achieved the progress only by taking states on board unlike the UPA when projects were approved from the Centre. Real practice of cooperative federalism has worked,” he said. | {
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“It’s like they’re designing the pony express in the world of the telegraph,†Florida State Senator Jeff Brandes (R-Dist. 22) told Fortune, explaining his opposition to a plan to build a light rail system in Pinellas County. "I absolutely believe that technology is going to transform mass transit in a way that very few people can see…It'll definitely be within 15 or 20 years, which is right when the light rail system…would be coming online."
Brandes' logic applies to all sorts of rail infrastructure schemes; the $68-billion high-speed rail line planned between San Francisco and Los Angeles comes to mind. But the advent of driverless cars is also a reason to oppose the recent push to rebuild Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
Congressional Democrats want to give Amtrak $2 billion this year, and the beleaguered rail company says it needs a whopping $151 billion to bring high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor by 2040.
I doubt there will be many train riders in 2040. American travelers generally prefer cars because they offer point-to-point mobility, but trains have two advantages over passenger vehicles today: They don't get stuck in traffic, and riders can do other things during the trip.
Autonomous vehicles will eliminate those advantages. In "The Moral Case for Self-Driving Cars" from Reason's August/September 2014 issue, Science Correspondent Ron Bailey explained how autonomous vehicles can solve the traffic problem:
Roadway engineers estimate that typical highways now accommodate a maximum throughput of 2,200 human-driven vehicles per lane per hour, utilizing only about 5 percent of roadway capacity. Because self-driving cars would be safer and could thus drive closer and faster, switching to mostly self-driving cars would dramatically increase roadway throughput. One estimate by the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research in November 2013 predicts that a 50 percent autonomous road fleet would boost highway capacity by 22 percent; an 80 percent robot fleet will goose capacity 50 percent, and a fully automated highway would see its throughput zoom by 80 percent.
But don't we need to keep building out rail infrastructure in the short term, before driverless cars are ubiquitous? No, thanks to a 20th century technology known as a bus. Motorcoach travel is the fast growing form of intercity transit because it's cheap, convenient, and like the train, allows travelers to sleep, work, or play during the ride. And the bus industry receives no taxpayer subsidies.
Watch the 2013 Reason TV documentary I made with Naomi Brockwell, which looks at the glorious rebirth of the bus industry and why the government may ruin it again: | {
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A San Francisco murder suspect's attorney sought assurances Wednesday that he would not be arrested for arranging what prosecutors called a "blatant act of witness intimidation" involving eight suspected gang members who stood up during a witness' testimony.
The defendant, Charles "Cheese" Heard, 25, was ordered to stand trial Wednesday on murder, attempted robbery and weapons charges linked to the slaying of Richard Barrett, 29, outside a Broadway nightclub in November 2008. Prosecutors say that Heard was after Barrett's gem-encrusted pendant of the Flintstones' Bamm-Bamm character.
During the first day of the preliminary hearing on Tuesday, just as a star witness was asked whether she recognized anyone as responsible for Barrett's shooting, eight reputed gang members stood up in unison, crossed their arms and stared at the witness.
The witness - a Texas woman who was in San Francisco for a conference and with friends when she saw the 1 a.m. shooting - nonetheless identified Heard as the gunman.
Prosecutor Michael Swart vociferously objected that the eight men who stood up amounted to "blatant witness intimidation."
After the hearing, the eight men were arrested on suspicion of gang-related witness intimidation. It is not clear who ordered the arrests. No decision has been made as yet on whether the men will be formally charged.
Heard's attorney, Eric Safire, acknowledged Wednesday that he arranged the incident to possibly confuse the identification by the witness.
Safire then sought assurances from Judge Wallace Douglass and the prosecutor that he would be immune from prosecution. "Before I continue, I want a representation from the district attorney's office that I'm not going to be arrested," Safire said, adding that the men were "here at my request - I motioned for them to stand up."
He said the men's arrest created a "chilling effect on my ability to represent my client." He threatened to withdraw from the case.
"I can't guarantee that you won't be arrested," Douglass said. "The district attorney can arrest who he wants."
Swart called Safire's threatened withdrawal from the case "just another delaying gamesmanship on the part of Mr. Safire to prevent this witness from testifying."
Safire declined to question the star witness, whom The Chronicle has not identified at the request of prosecutors.
"I don't want to get arrested," the defense attorney explained later. "If (the eight men arrested Tuesday) intimidated the witness, you know what my cross examination would do to her?"
Brian Buckelew, a spokesman for the district attorney's office would not rule out charging Safire. "Our office is providing no such assurance."
The woman's testimony was followed by another courtroom revelation - this one surrounding what police said triggered the slaying: the pendant of the Bamm-Bamm character.
A witness testified how he - and not a robber - had taken the bejeweled pendant from the dying man. The man, Karl Rodriguez, an acquaintance of the victim, said he then arranged to return it to the man's family.
Rodriguez was only interviewed by police this month. It is unclear why the victim's family had not alerted police to the fact that they had recovered the purportedly missing jewelry.
Rodriguez recounted how he heard what sounded like firecrackers, emerged from the bathroom of the Fuse nightclub and saw the man on the floor. Rodriguez said Barrett was gasping for air, clutching his chest with one hand, and holding the chain and pendant with the other.
Rodriguez grasped the pendant. "I knew I could get it back to the family," he said. "It was the proper thing to do." | {
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South Korean President Park Geun-hye recently completed a week-long official visit to Western Europe on a political mission to forge economic and financial partnerships with Belgium, France and the UK.
But some facts, you wouldn't know from Korean media coverage.
Korean net users have bashed pro-government major newspapers for inundating their pages with lavish praise for the president's fashion sense and language skills while distorting the truth and filtering out some major talking points.
“When Park stepped into Buckingham palace, the rain stopped and the sun shone [ko]”. “The world was mesmerized by the president's traditional Korean fashion [ko]”. “Park delivered an opening speech in French, received a standing ovation for her fluent French‘ [ko]…
These are just few examples of actual headlines Korean media printed while covering Park's visit. Media critics even published a lengthy compilation of Korean media's praises [ko]. And it was nearly impossible to find any negative commentary, especially from the three biggest conservative newspapers in the country, which are notorious for being in agreement with almost every major issue backed by right-wing governments.
To South Koreans, this kind of coverage shares hallmarks of the country's dictatorship in the 1970s and 80s, considered the darkest era of journalism when the current president’s father ruled the country with iron fist and infamous military dictator Chun Doo-hwan brutally clamped down on democratic movements. Back in Chun’s era, primetime TV news always began the broadcast with a heaping of praise for Chun [ko] as the first news item.
Park's trip-up, embargoed
On November 6 during Park's visit, as she was exiting a car, she fell because she stepped on the tail of her long, traditional Korean dress. But only on the night of November 7 were Koreans able to read about this on Korean news as the presidential house had placed an embargo on local press and asked that they not write about the fall [ko] until foreign media covered it.
Many net users seems perplexed, even shocked at the incident:
“철퍼덕!!” 박근혜 각하께서 영국방문중 오체투지를 제대로 하는 장면. 이래서 청와대가 외신이 나오기전에는 보도하지 말아달라는 얘기까지 나왔군요. http://t.co/jtB4xStK9t 절대왕정 시대도 아니고 알아서 기는 언론도 문제네요. — 백찬홍 (@mindgood) November 7, 2013
Fell with a splash! This is a scene of Your Highness Park Geun-hye falling down during her visit to UK. The presidential house asked to hold off writing about it till the foreign press reported on this. Come on, we are not living in an absolute monarchy. The media who voluntarily caved to this are quite problematic.
바뀐애가 꽈당한게 우스운거보다 그걸 통제한 청와대 그리고 그걸 받아들인 언론사가 더 우스운거다. — 네모속에 세상보기 (@photo_jjang) November 7, 2013
What is funnier than Park’s fall? It is hilarious that the presidential house blocked press from reporting on this and that the press accepted such request.
The real reason for a standing ovation
Numerous media outlets reported that Park spoke in French during her visit to France and received a standing ovation. But they didn't explain what was her speech about:
박통이 프랑스에서 프랑스어로 연설하여 호평을 받았다는 국내언론들의 민망한 칭찬릴레이에 빠진 내용이 있으니 연설에서 가장 큰 박수를 받은 대목이 “외국기업에게 (한국) 공공시장을 개방할 예정이다..” — 평생어린왕자 (@romanticbabo) November 5, 2013
Local media have showered the president with positive coverage that she got a standing ovation by speaking in French. But this fact they missed out: the part where she got the most applause is when she said she will open up the Korean public sector market to foreign companies.
Similar comments lamented:
@ksi0601 올랑드가 원하는 건 ‘시장’뿐이다[…] 박근혜의 연설에 기립박수를 친건 당연한 것이었다. 하지만, 이런 사실을 알리는 언론이 대한민국에는 없었다.
@ksi0601 What [French President Francois] Hollande wanted was the market […] It is so obvious why they gave a standing ovation to Park Geun-hye’s speech. But there was no Korean media who reported this fact.
박근혜 프랑스 영국 방문 소식을 타전하는 국내 언론은 찬양 일색이지만 정작 해당 국가 언론들은 국가기관 대선개입과 독재자 딸인 보도 외에는 이렇다할 보도가 없다는 현지 교민들 소식이다. 낯 부끄럽기 짝이 없는 기자와 찌라시들 부끄럽지도 않느냐? — 무지개 승리! (@badromance65) November 8, 2013
Korean media unanimously praised Park’s visit to France and UK, however Koreans living in those countries said their media don't even report much, except the fact that she is a dictator’s daughter and the Korean spy agency’s interference in the presidential election. Shame on you — you [Korean] journalists and tabloids who don't even feel shame.
Threatening Korean protesters in Paris
During Park's visits to France and the UK, Koreans living in those countries held candlelight vigils denouncing the state spy agency's meddling in the latest presidential election — an election that made Park the president today:
이시작현지 영국런던 웨스트민스터앞에서 영국한인 교포촛불시위 피켓팅모습~지금런던~ pic.twitter.com/GYjM4pPKP1 — sung.deuk. kim(시국선언) (@kimsd534) November 5, 2013
Right now, Koreans living in the UK, holding signs, are holding a candlelight vigil. We are now in London.
Today in London, a candlelight event was held to welcome President Park.
However, ruling party lawmaker Kim Jin-Tae, who accompanied Park on her European tour, posted a threatening message on his Facebook page [ko], saying “Paris protesters will pay for this”, suggesting that the protesters are from the leftist party, and adding that “anyone whose blood didn't boil upon seeing those protesters must not be a Korean”.
Enraged by this insult, the protesters demanded that Kim apologize [ko]. Net users chimed in:
“파리에서 대선 부정 시위한 사람들, 그 대가를 톡톡히 치르게 하겠다”는 조폭 김진태가 큰일했군요. 프랑스 언론에 “한국은 민주주의가 아주 잘 작동되는 나라”라고 말한 박근혜를 단숨에 거짓말쟁이로 만들었습니다. http://t.co/roqxfnSU6w — 샤우트 #바보가꿈꾸는세상 (@187Centi) November 8, 2013
That thug Kim Jin-Tae made quite a scene by saying “those people who protested in Paris against the election fraud, I will made them pay”. By saying so, he has instantly made Park — who publicly said that “democracy runs smoothly in South Korea” — a liar.
새누리 김진태 의원 덕에 국내 언론이 보도 안해서 잘 모르던, 대통령의 프랑스 방문시 있었던 <파리 시위>가 널리 알려지고 있다. — 딴지아빠 (@ddanziabba) November 8, 2013 | {
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Diego Costa: Expected to join Chelsea early next week
The Spain striker has already passed a medical and Chelsea have met the £32m buyout clause in his contract.
Costa has also directed Atletico to accept the offer and Sky sources understand that Chelsea are determined to get the deal done before the start of the World Cup, so that he can concentrate on the tournament.
"Chelsea have made an offer to Atletico Madrid in compliance with the buyout terms in Diego Costa's contract, and have been advised that the player has provided notice to Atletico Madrid invoking the buyout clause and directing the club to accept Chelsea's offer," said a club source.
"Chelsea look forward to entering into formal transfer documentation with Atletico Madrid as soon as possible so that the player can concentrate on the World Cup."
The Brazil-born forward scored 36 goals in 52 games last season as he helped Atletico win the La Liga title for the first time since 1996 and reach the final of the Champions League.
Costa limped off after just nine minutes of the final in Lisbon which was won by city rivals Real but the 25-year old is fit again and training with Spain ahead of the tournament in Brazil. | {
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WELL, here it is, a new recording of Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite “The Planets,” with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by its music director, Simon Rattle. Not all the planets had been discovered when Holst wrote it, so EMI Classics has added a recent piece called “Plu. ...”
Oops.
Guess it’s too late for a recall. With Pluto no longer officially a full-fledged planet, the CD, scheduled for American release on Tuesday, has suddenly become astronomically incorrect. The package includes a second CD, with newly commissioned pieces inspired by asteroids, including Ceres, the largest. But now Ceres is no longer considered an asteroid by the International Astronomical Union. It has been reclassified as a dwarf planet — like Pluto.
Maybe a Holst successor should step up with a new suite, “The Dwarf Planets.”
“It’s been very weird,” Colin Matthews, the esteemed British composer who wrote the Pluto movement in 2000, said of the barrage of attention he has received.
“I thank God that I was actually on holiday the day that it happened,” he said. “At times I’ve been cursing, but it’s very fascinating to be in the middle of it.” It is indeed a rare moment of public attention for a contemporary classical composer, used to laboring in relative obscurity. | {
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The Right People to Interview
We interview Neil Trevett and Tom Olson, heads of OpenCL and Vulkan working groups, respectively, about the decision to merge.
Last week, we reported that OpenCL’s roadmap would be merging into Vulkan, and OpenCL would, starting at some unspecified time in the future, be based “on an extended version of the Vulkan API”. This was based on quotes from several emails between myself and the Khronos Group.
Since that post, I had the opportunity to have a phone interview with Neil Trevett, president of the Khronos Group and chairman of the OpenCL working group, and Tom Olson, chairman of the Vulkan working group. We spent a little over a half hour going over Neil’s International Workshop on OpenCL (IWOCL) presentation, discussing the decision, and answering a few lingering questions. This post will present the results of that conference call in a clean, readable way.
First and foremost, while OpenCL is planning to merge into the Vulkan API, the Khronos Group wants to make it clear that “all of the merging” is coming from the OpenCL working group. The Vulkan API roadmap is not affected by this decision. Of course, the Vulkan working group will be able to take advantage of technologies that are dropping into their lap, but those discussions have not even begun yet.
Neil: Vulkan has its mission and its roadmap, and it’s going ahead on that. OpenCL is doing all of the merging. We’re kind-of coming in to head in the Vulkan direction.
Does that mean, in the future, that there’s a bigger wealth of opportunity to figure out how we can take advantage of all this kind of mutual work? The answer is yes, but we haven’t started those discussions yet. I’m actually excited to have those discussions, and are many people, but that’s a clarity. We haven’t started yet on how Vulkan, itself, is changed (if at all) by this. So that’s kind-of the clarity that I think is important for everyone out there trying to understand what’s going on.
Tom also prepared an opening statement. It’s not as easy to abbreviate, so it’s here unabridged.
Tom: I think that’s fair. From the Vulkan point of view, the way the working group thinks about this is that Vulkan is an abstract machine, or at least there’s an abstract machine underlying it. We have a programming language for it, called SPIR-V, and we have an interface controlling it, called the API. And that machine, in its full glory… it’s a GPU, basically, and it’s got lots of graphics functionality. But you don’t have to use that. And the API and the programming language are very general. And you can build lots of things with them. So it’s great, from our point of view, that the OpenCL group, with their special expertise, can use that and leverage that. That’s terrific, and we’re fully behind it, and we’ll help them all we can. We do have our own constituency to serve, which is the high-performance game developer first and foremost, and we are going to continue to serve them as our main mission.
So we’re not changing our roadmap so much as trying to make sure we’re a good platform for other functionality to be built on.
Neil then went on to mention that the decision to merge OpenCL’s roadmap into the Vulkan API took place only a couple of weeks ago. The purpose of the press release was to reach OpenCL developers and get their feedback. According to him, they did a show of hands at the conference, with a room full of a hundred OpenCL developers, and no-one was against moving to the Vulkan API. This gives them confidence that developers will accept the decision, and that their needs will be served by it.
Next up is the why. Read on for more.
W hat OpenCL Likes About Vulkan
The OpenCL working group, in the eight years since OpenCL 1.0 was published, have acknowledged some issues with the specification and how it was handled. First, they notice that they were unclear with whether they wanted to create a hardcore, explicit API, or if they wanted to make an easy-to-use one. This led to portions of the specification that fell in-between to two regions, and thus satisfies neither goal. Vulkan, on the other hand, took the stance that they should provide the former because middleware can handle the usability, and that higher-level layer can do a better job if they’re not wasting energy by having a boxing match with your attempts.
Neil: We did not focus rapidly enough on getting the middleware ecosystem in place. Now it is in place, there’s hundreds of systems using OpenCL, but, again, learning from Vulkan, where we had the middleware folks around the table during the design is key.
The second issue is that the Khronos Group has found OpenCL to be “over-monolithic”. To conform to OpenCL, you need to accept and implement the whole blob, even if your customers will never use it. Vulkan is designed to allow feature sets that can be enabled and disabled based on the needs and the underlying hardware. The main example that Neil used to illustrate this point is data types and precision; the developer and the implementation know what data structure maps best between problem and hardware, so why should the specification ignore both and blindly demand something arbitrary? A DSP that is designed for 16- or 24-bit fixed-point math, for instance, shouldn’t need to also support 32-bit floating point values just to check a box that no-one besides the specification authors care about.
Neil: This ((“this” is referring to slide 15 of Neil’s IWOCL presentation)) talks to the fact that OpenCL, its strength and its challenge, is that it’s addressing lots of different types of markets and lots of different types of processors, and the learning experience is that we’ve been over-monolithic. My favorite example is that there are multiple OpenCL implementations in Taiwan. Our Taiwanese friends, at the last meeting, they were telling me that they personally know of at least six different implementations that cannot be conformant because we insist upon IEEE 32-bit floating point, which is totally irrelevant to their target markets, like vision processing and neural network inferencing. Why? Why are we doing that? We need to let our implementors dial back on the precision that meets their market, and still be conformant.
They do want to keep the number of feature sets to a minimum, though, to prevent unnecessary fragmentation. Still, if an entire, important market cannot gain conformance because they need to implement something useless, then that’s a sign that something is broken on the specification’s end.
The third issue is the adoption of Vulkan versus OpenCL. On Apple platforms, the company has been heavily pursuing the Metal API. On Android, the Khronos Group claims that Google has “confused OpenCL and RenderScript”. That’s all Neil says about the issue, but it’s public knowledge that Google refused to ship OpenCL drivers on first-party (Nexus) devices, although they don’t prevent third-parties, like NVIDIA and Samsung, from shipping those drivers themselves. Lastly, they acknowledge that NVIDIA “hasn’t quite got to ((OpenCL)) 2.0 yet”.
Neil: I think Vulkan has a clearer adoption path on many of these platforms, so I think it will be better if we adopt and slipstream into Vulkan.
Lastly, from an organization standpoint, the Khronos Group liked the success that the Vulkan working group had with collecting feedback from non-members. They want to “ramp up” an advisory panel, like they had with Vulkan, where non-members can discuss the specification online, while under NDAs and an IP framework that allows the Khronos Group to take ideas and safely use them (from a legal standpoint).
What the Khronos Group Intends
Pushing OpenCL into Vulkan is a huge decision. While, again, OpenCL is the side doing the merging and the roadmap for Vulkan hasn’t changed, it could open up a large amount of potential for both APIs in the coming years and decades.
But that’s the future.
For now, the OpenCL working group is focused on how to make this change happen in a way that serves their users. They will need to implement OpenCL 2.x-class compute features into Vulkan, and they will need to add support for other devices, like FPGAs, DSPs, and so forth. They also intend to create a compatibility layer to support existing OpenCL 1.2 and OpenCL 2.x software. There is a lot of existing code that relies upon OpenCL, and bringing it forward is a high priority.
Neil: We have the Vulkan runtime. We have all the feature-setted blocks of functionality that can even be targeted at different markets. And then we have a very rich middleware ecosystem with languages and tools and, importantly, this is my main feature check with existing OpenCL users. We think we can get OpenCL backwards-compatibility with OpenCL 1.2/2.x with a compatibility layer. And the OpenCL community seems to trust us on that. So, and then we have their applications over that, so that’s kind-of the direction that we’re going.
Neil also mentioned that OpenCL could be tweaked in the mean time.
Neil: I think there’s some small tweaks we can do, like making FP32 optional for those DSP guys; we could do that in, like, 20 minutes. I think we should do that in parallel to the larger roadmap.
Clearing Up Lingering Questions
After the presentation, I was able to ask Neil and Tom a few questions. I started with the issues that I speculated about in the previous post.
Q: Has any legal concerns contributed to this decision? AMD provided Mantle “no strings attached” while Apple retains the OpenCL trademark and, in the past, has issued a notice that they would not license their patents for WebCL.
Neil: Honestly, that hasn’t been a factor. It hasn’t come up at all in any discussions. Yeah, the WebCL thing… that happened. But Apple has not been anything but supportive for OpenCL. They have not ever raised an IP disclosure over OpenCL itself… so… you know I can’t speak for Apple, but that hasn’t been a factor so far.
Q: Has the technical side contribute to this decision? Going in the other direction, you would basically need to re-invent Vulkan.
Neil: That’s the important thing. That’s not what we’re doing. Vulkan is going to continue. We’re not trying to layer one over the other. We haven’t decided or discussed this yet. This is our next step. Now that we know that people would like to do something like this, we have to figure out what exactly it is, and how we’re going to do it.
My personal mind-model is that we can eventually work to a place where we do have a Vulkan framework and Vulkan exists as it is and, as Tom said, it’s continuing to meet its market needs. But we can enable people who are more interested in compute to toggle one bit to turn off the graphics, and toggle another bit to turn on the more advanced compute. Now there’s a million details, we might need to work through many stages to get something that clean and nice, but, no, that’s the kind of model that many people would like to work towards. So we’re not layering one over the other.
Q: Has Vulkan been eyeing SYCL?
Tom: SYCL is very much an OpenCL thing. (…) The OpenCL group discussed this ((the decision to merge into Vulkan)) at the last meeting and they said, “we’d like to do this” and we said “that sounds fine – go nuts”. The Vulkan working group, in the mean time, is working on the other stuff: supporting the current API and working on the next one as we do.
Q: So SYCL has never really been considered?
Tom: That’s right.
Neil: And, again, this hasn’t been discussed, I’m not saying that we’ve decided or talked about this… but there’s some people who are interested in using C++ as graphics shaders. And kind-of the work that OpenCL has done on C++, if the Vulkan working group decides to do that, they could move faster because of what the OpenCL working group did in the past. But, again, there’s no decisions yet.
Tom: Absolutely. I think the Vulkan working group’s view is that we’re trying to present a clean model that you can do what you want with, rather than telling people how to write their code. We want to give them the tools. And so, from our point of view, if SPIR-V has what you need to do GLSL or HLSL or C++ as your shading language, that’s good, and we won’t get in the way of that, but we’re trying to not dictate a particular solution. So we think this is great, and, if it gives developers more options, we’re very happy about that.
Q: Was NVIDIA’s decision to add parts of OpenCL 2.0 to their drivers related to this announcement? Any comments to make?
Neil: I can clarify for NVIDIA. I think this is all public. We are fully conformant on OpenCL 1.2. We’ve added some OpenCL 2.0 functionality. It’s the functionality that our customers are actually asking us for. We’ve kind-of satisfied our developer needs, but we’re not OpenCL 2.0 compliant. This, from an ecosystem point-of-view, is an issue, but NVIDIA customers are happy. I think that situation kind-of probably informed our decision. We need to be less monolithic. It’s not quite the same thing, but it’s in the same direction. OpenCL in its current monolithic form… you kind-of have to go… it’s all or nothing. Even if, in your customer segment, you know that it won’t add any value. And why do I spend engineering resources when I know none of my customers are going to use it. I would like to be OpenCL 2.0 compliant. We kind-of painted ourselves into this monolithic corner. It’s not just NVIDIA, DSPs and there’s lots of examples. That kind of thinking has been one of the influencers into why we want to go into this much finer control slice and dice feature set direction. So we don’t get ourselves into that weird situation anymore where people want to support the spec and be conformant, but they just can’t afford or have more high priority things to do than to implement stuff no-one is going to use.
Scott (Me): Like DSPs that do, for instance, 16- or 24-bit audio having to implement 32-bit floating point.
Neil: Right. Exactly. Particularly, sort of the hotspot applications are vision processing and inferencing where it’s not just even that. It’s 16-bit… perhaps you can even get away with 8-bit… perhaps you can even get away with 4-bit. The fact that we’re insisting on 32-bit floating point is a little bit out of sync with the needs of the industry there. And that’s something we want to fix.
Q: What is your biggest concern with this transition, and why?
Neil: If I was an OpenCL user, I think my biggest question would be, “Are you sure you can do backwards compatibility with that layer?” Now we think we can, it might not be 100-point-0 percent… but we think we can get close enough that applications won’t notice any holes in the emulation layer. This is obviously something we have to work through. We set that as our key goals… whatever this new generation of OpenCL looks like, we have to not leave the existing OpenCL ecosystem behind. That’s goal number one. But I think we can do it. But yeah, that would be my questions. And we’ll know pretty soon I think… if there are going to be issues or not.
And then the other one is… how do we organize (in Khronos) to make this happen? We need Vulkan to keep moving at full speed. So we need to find an organization that OpenCL can do its thing, and Vulkan can do its thing, and we end up moving faster, not slower. So we have some thinking to do on what’s best to organize that.
Bonus: Brief comments on OTOY
Around two-thirds of the way through the interview, I asked a question that I decided to leave until now.
Q: The press release mentioned that there would be some compute applications that would benefit from graphics tasks. Which market segments? Media ISVs, like Adobe and Blender Foundation? Science and research groups? Enterprise software, like financial institutions? Super-computing? And why?
Neil: The poster-boy for this, and they’ve been tweeting about it publicly… (although) I don’t want to put words in their mouth, is OTOY. (…) That’s certainly one example where, is it a compute application? Is it a rendering application? It’s both. They want to use the graphics machinery and they want more flexible compute than they can get in the graphics APIs. They’ve been encouraging us to consider how to increase the compute flexibility while still accessing the graphics pipeline. You know OTOY, they do awesome work, so it’s fun to understand what it is those guys actually need.
When I published the previous post, I started asking around to get some opinions about how interesting OpenCL merging into Vulkan would be. I tweeted to Tim Sweeney of Epic Games, because he was vocal about C++ on GPUs and circumventing graphics APIs since, like, 2004. Somehow, OTOY’s Twitter account came across this tweet, and weighed in that SYCL, single-source C++, through Vulkan would be “Huge”.
After hearing Neil bring them up, I asked OTOY if they had any further statements, and they responded.
@scottmichaud Pros: GPGPU closer to CUDA (real C++) in a graphics API! Cons: May never happen, i.e. HW vendors treat it like OCL 2. FPGA too soon..!=GPGPU — OTOY (@OTOY) May 20, 2017
I should note that OTOY is not a member of the Khronos Group. I’m just bringing them up because they have an interesting perspective, and their public comments seem relevant to this post. | {
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The Gilded Age began in the United States in the 1870s and ended shortly after the turn of the century. Exact dates are a subject of debate, but to encapsulate the glittering social life of the era, we could begin with American heiress Jenny Jerome’s marriage to Lord Randolph Churchill in 1874 and end with the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage in 1912. Among the many passengers who perished were a number of wealthy and socially prominent Americans, including John Jacob Astor IV. In France this period is known as the Belle Époque and in Great Britain as the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, but nothing quite captures the literary imagination like the extraordinary excesses and flamboyant personalities of the men and especially the women who defined and dominated New York City society during these years.
The Gilded Age was a time of unrestricted wealth and unrelieved poverty, of rapid social change, political upheaval, and scientific and technological achievements that transformed the way Americans lived. When I wrote the first of my Gilded Age Mysteries, Let the Dead Keep Their Secrets (2017), I chose to open the story in March of 1888, during what became known as The Great Blizzard or The Great White Hurricane. What better place to conceal the body of a murder victim than beneath snowdrifts that paralyzed the East Coast, shut down New York City for days, and claimed 400 lives, 200 of them in New York City alone? It wasn’t just the blizzard that drew me to that year; it was also a fascination with a time and a place so different from our own, yet with so many similarities. One of the joys of writing about the past is discovering historical parallels with our own age when at first glance it may seem there aren’t any. And, of course, recreating that past makes for spellbinding descriptions that both entertain and instruct. Here are some of my favorites of the genre, arranged in order of the year they depict. Enjoy!
Time and Again, by Jack Finney
Set in 1882. In this time travel classic, Si Morley, a twenty-eight-year-old graphic artist, is trained by the U.S. government to transport himself into the past by a process of intensive historical education and self-hypnosis. His personal mission is to uncover the reason behind a suicide that has bedeviled his present-day girlfriend’s family for more than eighty years. To do this he has to station himself in New York City’s Main Post Office and wait and watch for a letter to be mailed. The mystery is intriguing and the romantic development heart-wrenching, but for me the book is all about the dozens of Gilded Age illustrations and the author’s captivating descriptions of a gas lit, cobblestoned New York City without automobiles or skyscrapers. Finney, who also wrote The Body Snatchers (1954), is a master at drawing the reader into a bygone time and place. A friend of mine who is both a native New Yorker and devotee of the book recommends reading and rereading it with city map in hand. It’s pure descriptive nostalgia.
The Gilded Hour, by Sara Donati
Set in 1883. Anna and Sophie Savard are doctors practicing in an era when women in medicine were both a rarity and often a subject of ridicule. Not surprisingly, their separate practices—Anna is a surgeon, mixed-race Sophie an obstetrician—expose them and the reader to a broad spectrum of the social ills that plagued the lives of rich and poor women alike in an age of Victorian prudery and relentless opposition to contraception and abortion. The crime thread is a serial killer who lures desperate pregnant women into submitting to procedures that end in death. Well researched and meticulously detailed, the author, who also wrote the Wilderness series, creates an extensive cast of characters whose private and professional lives intersect against a background of social injustices that range from orphaned children living in the streets to the plight of wretchedly poor immigrants in filthy, overcrowded tenements.
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The Last Days of Night, by Graham Moore
Set in 1888. Essentially the story of how electricity changed our lives through the invention of a dependable and technologically safe lightbulb, it is also the recreation of a famous legal battle between George Westinghouse and Thomas Alva Edison, as well as the tale of Paul Cravath, the young lawyer who represented Westinghouse. What makes this novel so fascinating and impossible to put down is that all of the major characters are real people we thought we knew from our history books, including the reclusive inventor Nikola Tesla and the financier J.P. Morgan. The science is complex enough to challenge the average reader and the behind-the-scene machinations that drive the plot are both complicated and chillingly duplicitous. A nice touch is the addition of modern quotations at the beginning of each chapter, particularly those from Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Murder at the Breakers, by Alyssa Maxwell
Set in 1895. In this first novel of the author’s Gilded Newport Mysteries, we enter the fabulous summer retreats of Newport, Rhode Island, where the wealthiest families of the Gilded Age, Vanderbilts and Astors among them, have built enormous mansions euphemistically called “cottages.” Each of Maxwell’s subsequent mysteries in this series takes place at another of the cottages, and each provides a glimpse of the private lives of the very wealthy, contrasted to the daily struggles of Emma Cross, a distant and financially insecure Vanderbilt cousin who coincidentally carves out a career for herself as a society reporter and amateur detective after her half-brother, Brady, is suspected of murder. Light-hearted and peopled by quirky Newport locals as well as real historical figures, independent-minded Emma carries the action of this cozy mystery series and dips a toe into the waters of romance as well.
The Alienist, by Caleb Carr
Set in 1896. Another classic of modern writing set in the Gilded Age, author Carr explores the new world of psychology, and especially psychological profiling, as Dr. Laszlo Kreizler delves into the mind of a serial killer who sexually mutilates his victims. The trio of alienist/psychiatrist Kreizler, journalist John Moore, and secretary Sara Howard work with Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to uncover corruption in the police department and capture the killer who is savaging young male prostitutes, most of whom are impoverished immigrants. As murder follows murder, the team put together by Roosevelt expands to include NYC Detectives Marcus and Lucius Isaacson. The new sciences of fingerprinting and handwriting analysis are combined with Kreizler’s psychological research into the criminal mind to create a portrait of the unknown assassin. The reader is drawn into the frustrating complexity of criminal investigation before DNA and modern technologies were even dreamed of, and the descriptive details of time and setting are captivating and convincing. The Alienist was made into a 2018 ten episode TV series, which begs for comparison with the book.
Murder on Astor Place, by Victoria Thompson
Set in 1896. Sarah Brandt is a widowed midwife who abandoned the life of a privileged member of New York City’s social elite to marry a doctor. In this first entry of the Gaslight Mystery series, Sarah must solve the mystery of the death of a pregnant teenager whose older sister she once knew. In the process she becomes involved with NYPD Sergeant Frank Malloy, a widowed Irishman who would definitely not please her estranged family. If you like cozy historical mysteries spun with strong characters who evolve with each subsequent book, this long-running series is your cup of tea. Best to read in order, as even the minor continuing characters develop their own compelling storylines. | {
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The former leader of the Labour Friends of Israel group, Enfield North Member of Parliament Joan Ryan has resigned from the Labour party and joined a new group of centrist MPs — the eighth to do so this week.
Joan Ryan, once a junior member of Tony Blair’s cabinet became the eighth now-former Labour MP to resign the party whip and go independent, following a group of seven others on Monday morning, in protest against the leadership of the hard-left Jeremy Corbyn.
After 4 decades, I have made the terribly difficult decision to resign from the Labour Party. It is the greatest honour of my life to represent the people of #EnfieldNorth. I will continue to represent and speak up for them as a member of the @TheIndGroup of MPs #ChangePolitics pic.twitter.com/BroRRoVSGk — Joan Ryan MP (@joanryanEnfield) February 19, 2019
While the original group of MPs who left Labour to form the Independent Group on Monday did so citing a number of reasons including Labour’s position on Brexit, Ryan was clearly focussed on one key issue in her four-page resignation letter — anti-Semitism within the party.
Absolutely excoriating Mr Corbyn for his failure to lead on the matter, she wrote: “the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn has become infested with anti-Jewish racism… I have been horrified, appalled and angered to see the Labour leadership’s dereliction of duty in the face of this evil.”
Criticising particular failures of the party, Ryan noted attacks against Israel and the fact the party provided a “revolving door” for those suspended over anti-Semitism scandals, allowing them to be “quietly readmitted to the party.”
More Remoaner MPs Predicted to Join Labour Breakaway Group https://t.co/veA7en3ve5 — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 19, 2019
While Jeremy Corbyn has denied the charges of anti-Semitism, one of his Members of Parliament made comments unhelpful to that narrative this week by claiming those departing the party over anti-Semitism concerns were actually secretly funded by Israel.
The Daily Telegraph reports Labour MP Ruth George issued an apology Tuesday after saying it was “possible” Israel was behind the rebels because the “group’s financial backers are not being revealed”.
The defection of Ryan to the Independents answers, at least for now, the Westminster questions and rumours over whether any other Members of Parliament could be persuaded to risk their political careers by standing up against anti-Semitism in the Labour party and defying leader Corbyn. | {
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WV pulled out of the long-stalled project in May, citing lawsuits and appeals since the City Council approved the PUD in 2010. Mortimer then turned to Seawall, which has redeveloped several old mills in the area as apartments and is now planning to redevelop the 2700-2800 blocks of Remington Avenue as a $51 million, mixed-use project called Remington Row. | {
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"Global Warming" Alarmist Who Panicked the World By "Predicting" a Half Million Wuhan Flu Deaths In the UK Alone Now Says... Never Mind We need heads for this. And I think I might mean that literally. And I think I might mean that literally. His new bullshit -- and his "model" is, like all alleged global warming models, completely based on whatever bullshit assumptions you start the model with -- garbage inputs, garbage outputs -- is that a great many more people contracted the Wuhan Flu than he thought, which means that many, many people had the flu and didn't even know it, which means... the Wuhan Flu is not much more dangerous than the standard yearly flu. His new bullshit -- and his "model" is, like all alleged global warming models, completely based on whatever bullshit assumptions you start the model with -- garbage inputs, garbage outputs -- is that a great many more people contracted the Wuhan Flu than he thought, which means that many, many people had the flu and didn't even know it, which means... the Wuhan Flu is not much more dangerous than the standard yearly flu. Gee sorry I crashed the world economy. Muh bad. Gee sorry I crashed the world economy. Of course, he didn't do it alone. It was the incompetent psychotics of the media and the obsessive shut-ins of Twitter that really Spread the Disease of FakeNews Panic.
Of course, he didn't do it alone. It was the incompetent psychotics of the media and the obsessive shut-ins of Twitter that really Spread the Disease of FakeNews Panic. 3/ Essentially, what has happened is that estimates of the viruses transmissibility have increased - which implies that many more people have already gotten it than we realize - which in turn implies it is less dangerous. — Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) March 26, 2020 4/ Ferguson now predicts that the epidemic in the U.K. will peak and subside within �two to three weeks� - last week�s paper said 18+ months of quarantine would be necessary. https://t.co/1Hln7w90bt — Alex Berenson (@AlexBerenson) March 26, 2020 Big thread. The man who panicked the world is now running from his doomsday projections. Shut up and quarantine crowd MIA. No need to apologize to those of us who told you not to blindly trust 1 projection. Scrutinize a little more next time before you surrender your freedoms. https://t.co/EopJL2BhNB — Jordan Schachtel (@JordanSchachtel) March 26, 2020 So the guy who scared the world into shutting down is revising his estimate. If it all does turn out to be like a more aggressive flu, in terms of the numbers, will there be an accounting of what went wrong? https://t.co/KWDr1J8qvE — David Reaboi (@davereaboi) March 26, 2020 Posted by: Ace at 12:14 PM
MuNuvians MeeNuvians Polls! Polls! Polls! Frequently Asked Questions The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick Top Top Tens Greatest Hitjobs News/Chat | {
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Sessions plans to 'continue' as attorney general, despite Trump's expressing regret over nomination Trump disagreed with his recusal from Russia investigation
-- Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he plans to continue as attorney general "as long as that is appropriate," a day after President Donald Trump said in a New York Times interview that he would not have nominated Sessions if he had known he would recuse himself from any Russia investigation at the Justice Department.
"I have the honor of serving as attorney general. It's something that goes beyond any thought I would have ever had for myself. We love this job. We love this department, and I plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate," Sessions said at a press conference on cybersecurity on Tuesday morning.
Despite Trump's comments in the Times interview, White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in Thursday's White House press briefing that the president remains confident in Sessions. “Clearly he has confidence in him or he would not be the attorney general,” Sanders said.
Trump criticized Sessions' decision in March to step away from matters related to last year's presidential election in a long interview with the Times published on Wednesday, going so far as to express regret over appointing him to lead the Department of Justice.
"Sessions should have never recused himself, and if he was going to recuse himself, he should have told me before he took the job, and I would have picked somebody else," Trump told the Times.
He added, "If he would have recused himself before the job, I would have said, 'Thanks, Jeff, but I'm not going to take you.' It's extremely unfair — and that's a mild word — to the president."
Sessions steadfastly maintained Thursday that he would continue his work, even as reporters asked about Trump's comments.
"We in this Department of Justice will continue every single day to work hard to serve the national interests, and we wholeheartedly join in the priorities of President Trump," said Sessions.
The investigation into Russian meddling in the election — and any possible ties to the Trump campaign — was a central focus of the Times interview, with the president repeating previous assertions that he is not personally being scrutinized.
"I don't think we're under investigation," he said. "I'm not under investigation. For what? I didn't do anything wrong."
He made the comments despite reports that special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into whether Trump obstructed justice by firing then–FBI Director James Comey. In the Times interview, Trump levied accusations of a conflict of interest among members of Mueller's team, decrying that some made campaign donations to his former rival Hillary Clinton.
He discussed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who, given Sessions' recusal, acts as the head of the Justice Department on Russia-related matters. Trump appeared to presume a connection between Rosenstein's political allegiances and his previous work as the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, with an office in Baltimore.
"There are very few Republicans in Baltimore, if any," said Trump in the interview.
A search of Maryland voter registration records found that a person with Rosenstein's first, middle and last names and date of birth is registered with the Republican Party and does not live in Baltimore. U.S. attorneys are federally, not locally, appointed.
Asked for his opinion on the president's criticism on Thursday, Rosenstein echoed Sessions' answers, stating that he was "proud" to work for the Justice Department now and into the future and would spend "every minute working to advance the interests of the department."
Also in the Times interview, Trump provided details about his dinner conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin at last week's G-20 summit — news of which surfaced Monday. Trump said the length of the discussion "could be 15 minutes" and that a topic included "Russian adoption."
"Which is interesting, because it was a part of the conversation that Don had in that meeting," said Trump, referring to a June 2016 meeting that his son Donald Trump Jr. had with a Russian attorney, at which he believed he would receive incriminating information about Clinton. | {
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TRENTON -- A new poll shows a majority of Americans doesn't approve of Donald Trump's reaction to the Orlando mass shooting, and most don't like his proposal to fight terrorism by temporarily banning Muslims from entering the U.S.
At the same time, a majority approves of President Obama's response to the Orlando massacre, while Americans are split on Hillary Clinton's, according to the CBS News poll released Wednesday.
The survey found:
* 25 percent of Americans approve of the reaction by Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, while 52 percent disapprove and 24 percent don't know.
* 44 percent approve of Obama's response, while 34 percent disapprove and 22 percent don't know.
* 36 percent approve of the reaction by Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, while 34 percent disapprove and 30 percent don't know.
The poll also shows:
* 31 percent agree with Trump that the U.S. should temporarily ban Muslims and 62 percent disagree.
* 57 percent said the Orlando attack was both an act of terrorism and a hate crime against gays and lesbians.
* 42 percent said U.S. intelligence agencies could have prevented the shooting, while 42 say they could not have and 17 don't know.
The gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 others at a gay night club in Orlando, Fla., early Sunday morning -- the deadliest shooting in American history.
Authorities said the shooter pledged his allegiance to terrorist group the Islamic state. They added that he was once on a terror watch list but was removed.
Trump, the billionaire businessman and former Atlantic City casino mogul, reacted by warning that "radical Islamic terrorism is coming to our shores" and renewing his call for the Muslim ban.
Obama, a Democrat, responded by saying the fight against terrorism is a difficult one and that tougher gun laws are needed. He also lashed into Trump's speech, saying the ban proposal was dangerous.
Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of state, reacted by echoing Obama's call on gun control, as well as saying the U.S. needs to keep fighting ISIS and to reach out to Muslims in the country.
The poll was conducted via telephone from June 13-14 among a random sample of 1,001 adults across the nation. The margin of error was plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.
Brent Johnson may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. | {
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Prestwick Airport: Strategy set out to achieve growth Published duration 31 October 2014
image caption The Scottish government-owned Prestwick Airport has set out a long-term vision for growth
A long-term vision has been set out for Prestwick Airport - a year after it was taken into public ownership amid fears it could close.
A 53-page report has highlighted efforts to boost freight and passenger numbers as key drivers of success.
The business review document also places importance on Prestwick's bid to become the UK's first spaceport.
The Scottish government bought the struggling airport for £1 last year and later announced £10m in loan funding.
The cash was committed towards operating costs, a repairs backlog and to make improvements to the terminal building.
Strengths and opportunities
The long-term strategy has been based upon reports and recommendations from a senior advisor appointed by TS Prestwick Holdco Ltd, the holding company that was created by the Scottish government to buy shares in the airport and oversee its corporate governance.
The strategic vision said the Ayrshire terminal's association with Glasgow, some 35 miles away, was its "best asset".
A local campaign to change its name to Robert Burns International Airport, in recognition of the Alloway-born bard, would "damage the airport's business prospects, notably with inbound passengers", it said.
The vision also confirms Prestwick's bid to be the site of the UK's first spaceport, which it said will be "the catalyst for transformational change".
In the meantime, Prestwick faces some challenges including aged infrastructure, a maintenance backlog, a railway station in need of a £4.75m refurbishment, the need for a new primary radar within the next five years and Ryanair's expansion into Glasgow Airport.
The vision also said Scottish airports were "disproportionally affected" by air passenger duty (APD) due to their geographic location and Prestwick is calling for changes to UK aviation policy leading to a reduction in or removal of APD.
Prestwick chief executive Iain Cochrane said: "Our long-term vision for Glasgow Prestwick, which is shared by the Scottish government, is of a high-quality, exceptional value and vibrant aviation, aerospace and visitor hub.
"We aim to ensure that it becomes the busy and prosperous strategic anchor for economic growth and delivery in Ayrshire and Scotland that we strongly believe it can be.
"The document outlines the plans for investment, development and the optimum operating structure required to take the airport forward to achieve this long-term vision."
Mr Cochrane said there was widespread acceptance that there was no "no quick fix solution" to problems faced by the airport.
'Significant opportunity'
He said the possibility of Prestwick bidding to become the UK's first spaceport presented the airport with "another significant opportunity".
Mr Cochrane said: "We satisfy - and in some cases exceed - all the essential criteria such as infrastructure, weather and airspace, and securing spaceport status would be the catalyst for transformational change at the airport - from boosting revenue from space-related flight testing, establishing an attractive modernised hi-tech image and bringing in visitors and tourists.
"It will also bring significant economic benefits to both Ayrshire and Scotland. Our team is therefore firmly focused on winning the bid."
Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the aim was to transform Prestwick into "a successful and vibrant airport".
She said: "The management team has built on the work of the senior advisor and this document outlines their investment and business development plans, as well as the operating structure that is being put in place to take the airport forward.
"We have been clear from the start of this process that there is no quick fix for the airport but there are opportunities to improve in all areas of the business, from increasing passenger and freight traffic to putting forward a bid for the UK Spaceport programme.
'Safeguard jobs'
"We are confident there is a place for Glasgow Prestwick Airport in the evolving Scottish aviation market and look forward to seeing it grow and develop in the future."
Scottish Labour's infrastructure spokesman, James Kelly MSP, said that a year on from its sale, "workers have no sense of what direction the Scottish government will take Prestwick Airport".
He said: "Prestwick Airport is absolutely vital to the economy of the west of Scotland, supporting thousands of jobs. Yet despite the heavy investment of taxpayers money we are no further forward on how these jobs will be secured long term.
"The SNP need to get their head out of the clouds. Workers in Ayrshire deserve a clear plan that will safeguard existing jobs and create more, not the Nicola Sturgeon International Airport."
Conservative transport spokesman Alex Johnstone said the report should be "the launch pad for a focused plan of action from the Scottish and UK governments" and urged First Minister Alex Salmond and Ms Sturgeon to make it "their top priority".
"The UK Government's ambition to open a spaceport by 2018 is a tremendously exciting opportunity for Scotland and Prestwick stands in great shape to win the bidding process," he said.
"We urge Scottish ministers to do everything in their power to support it." | {
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Broad magazine compatibility
Belt mounted
Cordura, injection molded polymer, and shock cord
Positive adjustable grip
Length: 5”
Width: 1.2”
Height: 3”
High Speed Gear is dedicated to building the best products with the highest level of function and comfort. Battle-proven, their mission is simple: to provide the military, law enforcement, and responsibly armed citizens the best possible gear.The Rifle TACO provides modular storage for rifle magazines in a secure unit. Alternatively, the TACO is great for certain radios, flash bangs, and smoke grenades. These mag pouches maintain positive retention, requiring no additional securing system. | {
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Diversity, according to Lionel Shriver, has “crimped” and now “serves a strict, narrow agenda” that has nothing to do with quality. In her latest crusade against identity politics, the writer decries the “drunk on virtue” publisher Penguin Random House’s pledge to ensure new authors and colleagues reflect the UK population by 2025, “taking into account ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social mobility and disability”.
Why so bad? Because, naturally, it will result in crap books. More diversity, as this all-too-familiar, offensive argument goes, amounts to less quality.
“If an agent submits a manuscript written by a gay transgender Caribbean who dropped out of school at seven and powers around town on a mobility scooter,” Shriver wrote, “it will be published, whether or not said manuscript is an incoherent, tedious, meandering and insensible pile of mixed-paper recycling.”
But what if – and Wide Awoke appreciates this may be unimaginable to Shriver – said gay trans Caribbean person is also a good writer? If he, she or they have, in spite of their talent, been unable to break into an industry that is notoriously white, middle-class and risk-averse? An industry in which a writer has more chance of making it on to the bestseller lists if their name is David than if they are from an ethnic minority?
Ironically, considering we talk about diversity more than we see it increase, the word and concept appear to be rubbing white privileged people up the wrong way more and more. Recently, another piece, by writer David Brooks – a white man! – outlined what he branded a “misplaced idolisation of diversity” and warned of the dangers of social fragmentation caused by “diversity for its own sake”. But the only real danger diversity poses, which perhaps is threatening to some, is greater inclusion.
Conflating diversity with a box-ticking or virtue-signalling exercise misappropriates its true meaning, which, if done properly by genuinely diverse decision-makers, is always about excellence. As a BAME, bisexual, female writer (I know, check out all my boxes). I have been on the receiving end of this, erm, pale imitation of diversity many times. The uncomfortable sense of being on a festival panel for tokenistic reasons. The time I won an award and was praised for ticking boxes rather than writing a book. This is not true diversity, but it so easily mimics it.
Equality and quality are not mutually exclusive. It is deeply hurtful to say that they are, because it suggests that those of us who fall under diversity’s wide umbrella are not as good, smart or worthy as the establishment; that it is merit, rather than prejudice and a certain narrowness of perspective that accompanies privilege, that has held us back. The truth? An “incoherent, tedious, meandering and insensible pile of mixed-paper recycling” can come from anywhere. And so, too, can greatness. | {
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He loves this. via U.S. Marine Corps The Marine Corps is the top-rated military service branch, according to reviews on the career website Glassdoor.
The Corps, a small maritime component of the US Navy with just under 180,000 Marines on active-duty, holds a 4.2 star rating on the site, just edging out the Air Force with a rating of 4.1.
"Great benefits and despite what is said the pay is relative to the civilian world," reads one review from someone claiming 18 years in the Marine Corps. "Travel to places that I would never had dreamed of going to and I don't mean Iraq and Afghanistan. Great support system in place."
Here is how every service fared on the site:
Marine Corps: 4.2 stars
Air Force: 4.1 stars
Navy: 4.0 stars
Coast Guard: 4.0 stars
Army: 3.9 stars
It's worth noting that this is not a scientific poll. The amount of reviews submitted for each service vary, and individual experiences — which can be quite different dependent on the rank of the service member — can skew results.
Still, among Marines who have given their take on the site, 86% say they would recommend the service to a friend. The same number goes for airmen. 83% of sailors say they would recommend their service, and 80% of coast guardsman say the same. The Army's page shows 78% would recommend it to others.
Not everything is gravy of course. Marine reviewers noted "significant time away from family and friends" or "being away from home" as a con in 216 reviews on the site. Others noted "long hours" and "being stuck with some people" that would've been fired from civilian jobs as problems. | {
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We’re not expecting to see Samsung officially unveil its Galaxy S8 until late March, but as the big reveal gets closer, more leaks and details about the company’s next flagship smartphone continue to emerge. Today, a series of questionably-sourced images lend a bit more credence to Samsung getting rid of the S7’s physical home button and moving entirely to on-screen virtual buttons.
China protective film manufacturers exposure Galaxy S8 pic.twitter.com/8VOXpikUsc — Ice universe (@UniverseIce) February 21, 2017
Ditching the actual button gave Samsung the freedom to design the S8 with an extremely minimal surrounding bezel at the top and bottom of the phone. (The side bezels had already reached "barely there" status on the S7 Edge.) The images appear to show the screen turned on, but I’m not entirely sold on that. The shots with Samsung’s always-on display (the big clock) seem realistic enough, but the main photo of the screen feels a little fake to me — more static demo unit than actual OLED display. Still, these shots align with a previous leak from VentureBeat. Those photos showed the S8 in silver, while these appear to be the black model (with a glossy black aluminum frame).
Look at all those sensors at the top of the phone! It’s a bit unsightly but makes sense since the S8 is likely to feature an iris scanner, something we first saw in the recalled Note 7.
Separately, a tipster has provided Android Police with a purported "system dump" of files from the upcoming Galaxy Tab S3 tablet, rumored to debut at Mobile World Congress. Among those files are some images that depict the Galaxy S8, confirming the relocation of the phone’s fingerprint sensor to the left side of the camera lens.
The images also confirm on-screen navigation keys and that tiny bottom bezel. And finally, we get a very basic look at Samsung’s dock for the S8, which will give it a desktop-like experience similar to Windows Continuum. Samsung reportedly plans to call this feature "DeX." According to VentureBeat, Samsung plans to unveil the Galaxy S8 at a March 29th event in New York City, launching the device in two sizes a month later on April 21st. | {
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Another 439 patients have died in the UK after contracting the coronavirus - bringing the total to 5373.
The figures have been released by the Department of Health.
The majority of deaths were in England.
The Department of Health added that 208,837 people have so far been tested, of which 51,608 have been confirmed as positive for the virus.
Earlier today figures from Wales showed an extra 27 deaths there taking the overall number to 193, and two further deaths in Scotland where the total now stands at 222.
The patients who died in England were aged between 35 and 106, and 15 of them had no known underlying health condition.
London remains a hotspot, accounting for 129 deaths in the first set of figures, followed by the Midlands, which recorded 75 fatalities and the North East & Yorkshire that saw 67.
The figures have come as Boris Johnson remains in a central London hospital for tests over persisting coronavirus symptoms, understood to include a high temperature.
Despite this, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News that the 55-year-old prime minister "remains very much in charge of the government" and expected him to return to Downing Street "shortly".
Downing Street has said Mr Johnson is still under observation but is in "good spirits" and has been working from his bed.
In his absence, Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, has taken over chairing the government's daily crisis committee.
England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has also returned to work after recovering from his coronavirus symptoms.
Politicians from across the political divide have sent get-well messages to the PM.
US President Donald Trump has also passed on his country's best wishes saying "all Americans are praying for him".
The Queen's historic address in full
News of Mr Johnson's admission to hospital came a short time after the Queen made a rare televised address to the nation in which she called on the country to "remain united and resolute" and echoed the words of Dame Vera Lynn's wartime anthem, when she said "we will meet again".
Mr Johnson has been self-isolating in 11 Downing Street since testing positive on 27 March; he uses the residence above the chancellor's office as several prime ministers have in the past given it has a larger living space.
He was still noticeably unwell the last time he was seen on Friday in a video message urging people to "stick with" the lock down measures as the weather warmed up.
From Friday: PM's coronavirus message from self-isolation
In the footage, he confirmed he still had a high temperature.
His pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds has said she is "on the mend" after spending a week in bed after also suffering coronavirus symptoms.
Elsewhere, the Prince of Wales has been reunited with the Duchess of Cornwall after she came out of isolation, just days before their 15th wedding anniversary.
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker.
Camilla, 72, had tested negative for coronavirus but went into quarantine for 14 days after the heir to the throne contracted the disease.
The couple had been staying apart from one another at their Scottish retreat in Aberdeenshire.
Prince Charles finished his isolation a week ago and spoke of the "strange, frustrating and often distressing" experience of being without friends and family. | {
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President Barack Obama meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) Ad Policy
The dirty little not-so-secret behind President Obama’s much-lobbied-for, illegal and strategically incompetent war against Syria is that it’s not about Syria at all. It’s about Iran—and Israel. And it has been from the start.
By “the start,” I mean 2011, when the Obama administration gradually became convinced that it could deal Iran a mortal blow by toppling President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, a secular, Baathist strongman who is, despite all, an ally of Iran’s. Since then, taking Iran down a peg has been the driving force behind Obama’s Syria policy.
Not coincidentally, the White House plans to scare members of Congress into supporting the ill-conceived war plan by waving the Iranian flag in their faces. Even liberal Democrats, some of whom are opposing or questioning war with Syria, blanch at the prospect of opposing Obama and the Israel lobby over Iran.
Item for consideration: a new column by the Syria analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the chief think tank of the Israel lobby. Andrew Tabler headlines his piece: “Attacking Syria Is the Best Way to Deal with Iran.” In it, he says:
At first glance, the festering Syria crisis seems bad news for diplomatic efforts to keep Iran from developing nuclear capabilities. In actuality, however, achieving U.S. objectives in the Syria crisis is an opportunity to pressure Iran into making hard choices not only in Syria, but regarding its nuclear program as well. More U.S. involvement to achieve its objectives in Syria will inevitably run counter to Tehran’s interests, be it to punish the Assad regime for chemical weapons use or to show support for the Syrian opposition in changing Assad’s calculus and forcing him to “step aside” at the negotiating table or on the battlefield. Many in U.S. policymaking circles have viewed containing swelling Iranian influence in Syria and preventing Iran from going nuclear as two distinct policy discussions, as the Obama Administration only has so much “bandwidth” to deal with Middle East threats. But the recent deepening of cooperation between Tehran, Hezbollah and the Assad regime, combined with their public acknowledgement of these activities, indicates that they themselves see these activities as furthering the efficacy of the “resistance axis.” Like every alliance, its members will only make hard policy choices if the costs of its current policies far outweigh the benefits. U.S. strikes on the Assad regime, if properly calibrated as part of an overall plan to degrade the regime, would force Tehran to become more involved in Syria in order to rescue its stalwart ally. This would be costly for Iran financially, militarily and politically. Those costs would make the Iranian regime and its people reassess aspirations to go nuclear.
Needless to say, such a strategy is bound to be counterproductive, since—by slamming Syria, never mind toppling Assad—Washington is likely to undermine doves and bolster hawks in Tehran and undermine the chances for successful negotiations with Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, who’ll be speaking at the UN General Assembly later this month.
In fact, both Russia and Iran have signaled recently, in the wake of Syria’s obvious deployment and use of sarin gas and other deadly weapons that they might be getting ready to join the rest of the world in condemning Syria’s chemical warfare, and that makes it far more likely that the much-postponed US-Russia “Geneva II” peace conference on Syria might work. The hawkish Washington Post today notes Rouhani’s new administration in Tehran is softening its tone on Syria, and it reports that the new Iranian foreign minister, Javad Zarif, has acknowledged the Syria has erred, saying: “We believe that the government in Syria has made grave mistakes that have, unfortunately, paved the way for the situation in the country to be abused.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, while issuing scathing denunciations of the coming U.S. attack on Syria, has dropped broad hints that he might be willing to join with other nations if and when the United Nations weapons team concludes that Assad used nerve gas, suggesting that Russia might not block a UN Security Council resolution against Syria. In his much-reported interview with the Associated Press, Putin insisted on waiting for the UN report:
“If there is evidence that chemical weapons have been used, and used specifically by the regular army, this evidence should be submitted to the U.N. Security Council. And it ought to be convincing. It shouldn’t be based on some rumors and information obtained by intelligence agencies through some kind of eavesdropping, some conversations and things like that.”
Then, according to the Washington Post, Putin declared that he might join a UN-sponsored coalition on Syria:
He said he “doesn’t exclude” backing the use of force against Syria at the United Nations if there is objective evidence proving that Assad’s regime used chemical weapons against its people. But he strongly warned Washington against launching military action without U.N. approval, saying it would represent an aggression. Russia can veto resolutions at the U.N. Security Council and has protected Syria from punitive actions there before.
But a change in tone on the part of Russia and Iran—the latter of whom the Obama administration still refuses to invite to Geneva II if and when it occurs—won’t mean a thing if the object of war with Syria is to send a message to Iran. As Jeffrey Goldberg, writing for Bloomberg, says, for Israel it’s all about Iran:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel would prefer that Obama enforce his red line on chemical weapons use, because he would like to see proof that Obama believes in the red lines he draws. From Netanyahu’s perspective, Israel isn’t unduly threatened by Assad. Syria constitutes a dangerous, but ultimately manageable, threat. Netanyahu believes, of course, that Iran, Syria’s primary sponsor, poses an existential threat to his country, and so would like the Iranians to understand very clearly that Obama’s red lines are, in fact, very red. As Robert Satloff, the executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told me last night, the formula is simple: “If the Iranians do not fear Obama, then the Israelis will lose confidence in Obama.”
In his round-robin television appearances on Sunday, Secretary of State John Kerry—now the administration’s über-hawk—repeatedly said that bombing Syria would send a message to Iran. As he told Fox News on Sunday:
“The fact is that if we act and if we act in concert, then Iran will know that this nation is capable of speaking with one voice on something like this, and that has serious, profound implications, I think, with respect to the potential of a confrontation over their nuclear program. That is one of the things that is at stake here.”
Take Action: Demand Your Reps Vote No on Military Intervention in Syria | {
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Guy Verhofstadt: Nigel Farage used ‘Nazi propaganda’ in Brexit campaign Nigel Farage went into European Parliament on Tuesday all guns blazing, telling fellow MEPs they were in denial and workshy, before […]
Nigel Farage went into European Parliament on Tuesday all guns blazing, telling fellow MEPs they were in denial and workshy, before calling for a decent trade deal for Britain.
Not everyone wanted to listen to him though.
Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt berated Mr Farage for his Breaking Point poster, unveiled during the Brexit campaign, which called for more border control.
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It was “Nazi propaganda,” said Mr Verhofstadt.
‘Climate of fear’
“The way in which the Leave campaign succeeded, with posters like Nazi propaganda and lies created a climate of fear and negativism.”
Article 50 should be triggered straight away, he argued.
“27 member states should not wait for a disorientated Tory party to get its act together” he added.
Jean Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, snapped at Mr Farage for applauding during his speech.
War and peace
Going into parliament, the Ukip leader told reporters: “We won the war. Now we have to win the peace.” However he wasn’t altogether non-combative on Tuesday.
Tensions running high, Mr Farage was booed by his fellow MEPs as he told them they were “in denial” about their currency failing and over the migrant crisis.
‘You’re not laughing now are you?’
“I know that virtually none of you have ever done a proper job on your lives… but listen…” Nigel Farage
He took his opportunity in the limelight to thrust the Brexit victory under his colleagues’ noses.
“When I came here 17 years ago and said I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union you all laughed at me,” he said.
“Well I have to say you’re not laughing now are you?”
Trying to cut a deal
Mr Farage also predicted the further rupturing of the EU, saying “the UK will not be the last member state to leave the European Union”.
Asking for “grown up and sensible attitude” in negotiating Britain’s future relationship with the EU, he said: “I know that virtually none of you have ever done a proper job in your lives… but listen…”
After being cut off by European Parliament president Martin Schulz, Mr Farage then asked the audience for the EU to “cut a sensible tariff-free deal” with Britain.
A bit of tact wouldn’t have gone amiss. | {
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SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego man was charged Tuesday with murder and attempted murder in the shootings of two San Diego police officers, and prosecutors revealed he opened fire immediately after being asked if he lived in the area where he was walking.
Jesse Gomez pleaded not guilty in an arraignment held at the hospital as he recovered from wounds sustained in the gun battle with police.
About 11 p.m. Thursday, Gomez and another man had been walking and split up when they saw the officers, Deputy District Attorney Michael Runyon said at a news conference. The two officers pulled up to Gomez, and Officer Wade Irwin got out and asked if he lived in the area.
Gomez "answered with gunfire," Runyon said.
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He shot Irwin, who survived, then fired in the car where Officer Jonathan DeGuzman sat with his seatbelt still on, Runyon said. DeGuzman was hit four times and killed.
Gomez is eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors have not decided whether to seek it.
Neither police nor prosecutors would say anything about a motive for the shooting.
Gomez was found in a ravine shortly after the shootings when officers followed a trail of blood, authorities said.
DeGuzman, 43, died after being rushed to a hospital. Irwin, 32, is recovering from his wounds at a hospital.
A second man was arrested Friday on an unrelated search warrant, but he has been released, authorities said.
Investigators have reviewed body camera footage, though they said at Tuesday's news conference that Irwin's camera was not turned on until after he was shot.
Officials have released little information about Gomez. The construction worker has a criminal record stretching back to 1983, including a conviction for auto theft and drunken driving. Prosecutors said he used a cane to seize a car from another driver in 1983. He was convicted of firearm charges in 1992, and again in 2002, for carrying firearms while under the influence of methamphetamine.
Gomez grew up in a modest house in southeastern San Diego, about a half-mile from where the shooting occurred.
Real estate broker Leonard A. Marquez wrote in a 2002 letter to a judge that Gomez had worked for him for eight years. Marquez described him as "a multi-talented worker who is considered to be a great asset to all construction projects."
Gomez's son, Daniel Gomez, told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he believes his father is innocent. He said he is a good father to his three sons and dedicated grandfather to his 9-year-old granddaughter.
"I know he's been in trouble, like when I was a baby, but after that nothing," Daniel Gomez told the newspaper. "It's like he realized he had his kids in his life and he had to take care of them, so that's what he did. He stayed out of trouble and was about his family."
A memorial service will be held Thursday and a public funeral Mass on Friday for DeGuzman. | {
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Kara Donohoe, a massage therapist for Harvard University Health Services’ Center for Wellness, filed a class action lawsuit against Harvard on Monday, alleging that the University has misclassified her and other employees as independent contractors, thereby denying them benefits.
The lawsuit aims to recover damages for wages and benefits—among them paid vacation, paid holidays, sick days, and the ability to take Harvard classes at a discounted price—for the purportedly misclassified workers, which include Donohoe and “all other similarly situated,” according to the lawsuit.
“I would hope that Harvard would give us benefits, and I would hope that everyone else who is being misclassified at Harvard would come forward,” said Donohoe, a Harvard employee for more than 11 years. “It’s sad to me that these people are working just as hard as everyone else and not getting benefits.”
Shannon E. Liss-Riordan ’90, the attorney for the case and a former Crimson editor, claims that the workers’ services are performed “in the employer’s usual course of business,” which would qualify the workers as employees under Massachusetts state law.
The Massachusetts law is three-pronged: a worker is considered a contractor if he or she is not under direction of superiors, is not part of the “usual course of business” of the employer, or has an independent business separate from their work from the employer in question.
“The burden is on defendants to prove all three prongs of the law in order to prove that someone is an independent contractor,” Liss-Riordan said. “Harvard would have to prove all three things.”
For determining whether a worker is an employee or contractor, “Massachusetts happens to have one of the strongest tests in the country,” Liss-Riordan said. She added that the Massachusetts test is more protective of employees than the federal equivalent.
The lawsuit could be costly to the University depending on how many plaintiffs come forward in the lawsuit. If Harvard violates Massachusetts wage law, it must pay workers three times the amount of wages that were denied to them, plus reimbursements.
Liss-Riordan, who has sued the University in the past and is currently involved in a lawsuit against Uber, believes that there are “likely many other employees around Harvard who have been misclassified as contractors,” although she did not know exactly how many.
Employee status would also allow the plaintiffs to join a union, something Donohoe said she would “love to” do but is currently not allowed as a contractor.
Donohoe began researching the distinction between employees and contractors this winter break, when she and her coworkers had to take two weeks of mandatory unpaid vacation.
“I love what I do. I love my coworkers and we have a community that really utilizes us,” Donohoe said. “I just wish therapists could really get acknowledged for our hard work.”
Lindsey Baker, spokesperson for Harvard University Health Services, wrote in an email that the University “cannot comment on personnel matters or pending litigation.” | {
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A U.S. Army Reserve colonel is accused of punching his 12-year-old son several times in the face in a restaurant parking lot, according to court documents.
Terry Dione Lindon, 51, of Fayetteville, was charged by Fayetteville police with misdemeanor child abuse in March. He is scheduled to appear in Cumberland County District Court next week.
Lindon did not return a request for comment.
Lindon is in the process of retiring from the Army, according to officials. He was most recently a civil affairs colonel assigned to the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, according to Army Human Resources Command. The Special Warfare Center and School, the Army’s Special Operations Center of Excellence, trains, educates, develops and manages civil affairs, psychological operations and Special Forces soldiers and leaders.
A spokesman for U.S. Army Special Operations Command said the colonel signed out of the unit in April.
Witnesses told police that Lindon slammed his son’s face into the side of his pickup truck in the parking lot of Chick-fil-A on Skibo Road on March 24. Lindon punched his son in the face three times, according to witness statements to police.
Lindon told police his son had discipline problems and admitted to losing his temper, according to court documents.
Police noted the boy had bruising and red marks on the side of his face and on his left cheek, according to court documents.
Lindon received commission as an infantry officer through ROTC at Oklahoma State University in 1988, according to his biography.
In 2008, he deployed to Afghanistan with Combined Joint Task Force-101 as an interagency planner with the Integrated Civil Military Action Group at U.S. Embassy Kabul. He also served as chief of training for the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command and commander of 2nd Battalion, 1st Training Brigade.
Among his awards and decorations, Lindon has received the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and Joint Service Medal.
Staff writer Amanda Dolasinski can be reached at [email protected] or 486-3528. | {
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You will be responsible for implementing the front-end design of this editor, along with maintaining and adding features to an existing Angular app framework for the marketplace.
Our landing page details what our product will offer: [https://www.reedsy.com](https://www.reedsy.com)
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- Develop high quality, responsive, mobile-friendly Angular apps
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- A firm understanding of how to write maintainable and scaleable CSS with Sass.
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Visit Reedsy's website | {
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Jon Lansman talked to Solidarity.
You've said that the concern about antisemitism in the Labour Party is based on realities, not something contrived or invented. Why do you say that?
Because I've seen loads and loads of cases at the National Executive, and I know them to be real. I also know that those cases are very rarely to do with Israel-Palestine.
I also have plenty of evidence on my own social media, although I try not to look too much at that because it is so unpleasant. I follow the advice of many others who get abuse on social media, and try to ignore it.
In short: the evidence of my own eyes.
Are you surprised by this development?
I have been surprised at what appears to be a continuing and increasing problem. The whole debate is toxic for the Labour Party and for the left.
The fact that there are so many people who deny the problem, or say it's all inflated by people who are hostile to Jeremy Corbyn or to the Palestinians, that draws more of the problem out into the open.
The surveys show that between 2.5% and 3% of the population in Britain are antisemites, and about 30% have one or more antisemitic prejudice. Those are the lowest figures in Europe, but that only means it may be worse elsewhere.
You may expect the percentages to be less in the Labour Party, but by how much?
Doesn't the fact, as you mentioned, that so many people in the Labour Party say that the concern about antisemitism is all, or mostly, driven by people who are hostile to Jeremy Corbyn or to the Palestinians, or want to cover up for Israel, make a big difference here? Where other prejudices tend to get suppressed in the Labour Party because people know their expression will be condemned, antisemitic prejudice is more licensed.
Most people deny whatever prejudices they have. That is why we send people on training courses - to make them aware of the prejudices they have.
Some people have conscious prejudices. Most people have unconscious prejudices too.
The fact that concerns about antisemitism are dismissed in that way does make a difference.
Sometimes that problem is based on ignorance, sometimes on prejudice.
Momentum has done some work on this - released three or four videos, recommended Steve Cohen's book...
We intend to carry on that work. We are developing further educational and training materials. We're going to develop more videos. We see that as political education. We've been training our staff.
We kicked all this off with a statement against antisemitism which was seen as very strong.
We obviously are aware that there is opposition to this from amongst sections of our membership.
We've argued that open face-to-face debate is necessary too, and we think the narrowing of the channels for debate within Momentum make that necessary work harder...
There can be discussions in local groups. There has been no reduction in the level of discussion in local groups, though of course they go through periods of thriving and periods of doing less well.
We certainly have discussions at the national level too. But in the old regional structures you wouldn't have been able to have a discussion because it was very polarised.
There is a generational element here. The generation of people who are in their late 40s or older have a worse response. It's not a matter of age, but of different experiences.
We get a much better response among younger people. Younger people can be just as militant about Palestinian rights, but better on antisemitism.
You've done work with Standing Together, a left-wing Jewish-Arab peace group in Israel. Can that sort of work make a contribution here?
Standing Together do fantastic work not only on Palestinian rights, but on the deportation of African refugees, on LGBT rights and on economic issues. Practical examples of Jews and Arabs in Israel-Palestine working together are absolutely beneficial in trying to find common ground in opposition to all forms of racism, including antisemitism.
They foster some recognition of permitting people to express national rights, of a more multicultural approach.
In spite of the fact that there is still extremely wide support for, at least lip-service paid to, "two states" as the best way of achieving peace in Israel-Palestine, there is in many circles in the Labour Party very little acceptance of the right of Israel to exist. That is a problem.
Acceptance doesn't have to be based on Zionist ideology as such – Israel’s creation was a decision of the UN in the face of the plight of Holocaust refugees. I'd say that we live in a post-Zionist age. Israel is a major military power and will carry on existing. To achieve peace, a two-states solution remains the best prospect.
At present, especially with Trump, there is little prospect of any peace solution in the near future.
Zionism is a word which means different things to different people. There are sections of the Labour Party who can only see Zionism as an ideology, and as a monolithic ideology.
In fact Zionism has always been a set of ideologies - Labour Zionism, General Zionism, religious Zionism, revisionist Zionism, binational Zionism... but many British Jews do not see it as an ideology at all.
Zionism acquired a majority in the British Jewish community only in 1939. And it only really took hold, I think, after the Six Day War of 1967.
That was when British Jews started visiting Israel more, emigrating more, having more relatives in Israel. When I was a kid in the 70s, I went to work on a kibbutz.
Labour Zionism was then dominant not only in Israel, but also in the British Jewish community, and the links to the kibbutzim were very important.
Israel has had a very big political shift since then. Israel is now a neoliberal country, and the roots of Labour Zionism have been more or less cut. Labour Zionism is actually stronger in Britain now than Israel. Not so strong in the USA, but you have more secular Jews there.
Today, 6 March, the Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) is meeting to discuss possibly beginning proceedings to disaffiliate from the Labour Party. What do you make of that?
I'm sorry not to be there at the meeting. I'm not a member, and I don't subscribe to all the views of the JLM, but they are the strongest voice for the Labour Party in the Jewish community, and they represent the mainstream community in the party.
I very much hope that they won't disaffiliate, and if they do, I would hope it won't be permanent.
We are now at the point that I'm aware of left-wing Jews - people who supported Jeremy Corbyn in both Labour leadership elections - who have decided to leave the Labour Party, or have already left. What's happened has affected left-wing Jews too.
Of course it may be easier for Jews opposed to Corbyn's leadership and the Corbyn project to leave the Labour Party but I'm sorry that anyone is going to leave the Labour Party over antisemitism.
There's a distinction between Luciana Berger and the other MPs who left the Labour Party recently. Her rationale was antisemitism, and I think that wasn't really true of the others.
But it's a tragedy that anyone should leave the Labour Party over antisemitism. | {
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When Ferat Kocak was jolted out of his sleep in the early hours of a cold February morning this year, the flames were already licking at the roof of the house he shares with his elderly parents. He can’t be sure if it was the sound of his car’s windows shattering in the heat of the blaze that woke him up, or maybe the flickering orange glow which suddenly illuminated his room.
Whatever it was, it most probably saved his life.
Kocak, an eloquent man of Turkish descent, recalls how he rushed to the window and saw that his car parked in the garage next to the house was on fire.
It was then, he says, that he put two and two together and shouted for his parents to wake up.
"I immediately knew it was a right-wing attack. There was no question about that."
Read more: The far-right's push to enter Germany's judiciary
Arson attacks target activists
What makes Kocak, who works in marketing for a private university in Berlin and is involved in local politics for the Left Party, so certain is the fact that the arson attack is just one of many that have hit Berlin’s Neukölln neighborhood in recent months.
On the same night, the car of a man who runs a left-wing bookshop in Neukölln also went up in flames.
Kocak says his mother suffered a heart attack due to all the stress caused by the attack
Tourists flock to this district known for its trendy bars, cafes and a cuisine as varied as its inhabitants, a mix of students, expats and Germans whose parents moved here from Turkey and the Middle East.
But there are some, it seems, who are less enamored with its multicultural appeal: Beginning in 2016, Neukölln has been rocked by a series of arson attacks, broken windows and racist slogans smeared on walls targeting those who dare to speak up against right-wing extremism or openly support refugees. Sometimes, refusing a flyer handed out by activists from the right-wing NPD party can be enough to trigger a violent response.
Slogan target activists at their homes
Photos provided by activists show slogans painted on walls denouncing those living there as "red swine" or "lefty rat."
According to ReachOut, a local NGO that monitors right-wing, anti-Semitic and racist attacks and supports the victims, some 38 attacks occurred in Neukölln in 2016, 36 in 2017. Earlier this year, the district’s parliament passed a resolution asking the police to label the attacks as "terror."
But even without the label, the violence is sending a chilling message to local activists.
Ferat Kocak, for one, told DW he wasn't at all surprised when the arson attack occurred. In a way, he’d been expecting it.
He’s involved in local politics and went to a kick-off meeting for a left-wing alliance in Neukölln. He’s also outspoken on Facebook, with public posts such as "Get Nazis out of the minds."
Who’s behind the attacks?
Talk to victims and local activists and they all point to a small group of right-wing extremists, and in particular two members of the local National Democratic Party (NPD) party. After all, they say, it requires an extensive knowledge of the neighborhood to commit such crimes, such as observing where activists park their cars and pinpointing people engaged in local activism.
The National Democratic Party is seen as Germany’s most extremist active far-right party with a wing which traditionally espouses violence.
NPD members protesting against a refugee center in Berlin (archive)
The NPD, however, failed the five percent hurdle in the last general elections needed to enter parliament. Last year, an attempt to ban the party failed when Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled that the NPD had anti-constitutional objectives, but did not have the political clout to undermine German democracy.
Read more: No more state money for party linked to neo-Nazis?
In the NPD’s gloomy local headquarters in Berlin, Sebastian Schmidtke serves sparkling apple juice from a can from the party’s merchandise with the slogan "Appel juice — naturally German!". The smartly dressed Schmidtke explains that the blinds are permanently drawn because of past attacks by what he labels "left-wing extremists."
Schmidtke, who acts as the party’s spokesman in Berlin, is polite, polished and quick to denounce any kind of violence. He is also acutely aware of what is acceptable — and legally permissible — to say.
He concedes that he does not like the "makeup of Neukölln ", which he laments is too "überfremdet", a politically charged term which roughly translates as foreign infiltration.
Germany, he says, "should remain German."
But, Schmidtke is quick to add, change — such as deporting "criminal foreigners" — must be achieved through political means. His party, he keeps on stressing, does not condone violence.
Of course, he couldn't vouch for all of the party’s 5,000 members, he adds when pressed, but should anyone commit an "extreme act of violence," the party would consider expelling such a member.
Schmidtke claims his party does not espouse violence
So far, Schmidtke, who himself was accused of attacking a demonstrator back in 2013, concedes, that has never been the case. Over the years, others in the party leadership have received sentences for committing hate speech and grievous bodily harm, including one case where a member tried to run over a refugee with his car.
In February, shortly after the arson attack on Kocak’s car, Berlin’s criminal investigation office (LKA) raided the houses of two suspects. Investigations are ongoing.
Since then, according to ReachOut, the attacks have stopped.
“Don’t let them mess with your head”
But there’s a fear it may only be a brief lull. They point to another period which saw Neukölln rocked by attacks in 2011 and 2012, followed by a period of relative calm, when the NPD member many suspect of being behind the current attacks was jailed.
Shortly after he was released in 2016, the current wave of attacks resumed.
And then there’s the unresolved murder of teenager Burak Bektas, who was shot for no apparent reason by an unidentified man when he was standing on a street corner chatting with a group of friends in Neukölln. The murder happened six years ago, but the police have yet to find the perpetrator. Talk to victims of the current attack and activists and they all refer to the case.
Watch video 04:12 Share True crime stories to listen to Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/1HF0c True crime stories to listen to
As yet, there is no apparent link to the current attacks or their perpetrators, but it’s a chilling reminder for them that some extremists may stop at nothing.
Ferat Kocak for one is convinced the perpetrators are biding their time, waiting for the media and public’s attention to drift on to other stories.
At night, he lies awake, straining to hear any sound that might signal that the perpetrators may have returned.
Not long ago, his father took him aside and said: "Who cares if they burn down another car? The important thing is: Don’t let them mess with your head."
His father, Kocak says, may have a point. But it’s hard to forget the fear he felt that night. | {
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If you've been keeping up with Texas legislature this year, you've probably noted the many new or changed laws that either have or will go into effect in 2017. And the best way to not break a law, is to know the law - someone told me that, I think it was my grandfather...
The Houston Chron listed over 20 laws that are or going into effect sometime soon, so I chose the ones that affect the everyday Texan - I also listed a few that I believe demonstrate how we as a state are trying to do better year by year.
Civil Protection for "Good Samaritans"
Finally! This issue is addressed. Before this law, Texans could break into a vehicle if they were trying to save a child or disabled person inside without facing criminal charges. But they could still be on the hook for civil liability.
However, in the legislation provided, a new law beginning September 1 will protect 'good Samaritans' who break into cars if:
there's reason to believe the person inside is in imminent danger first notifies 911 uses the appropriate amount of force to break in Samaritan remains with the person they saved in a safe location
No More Suspensions for Children Below Third Grade
Already in effect, schools are no longer able to suspend students below the third grade level. Austin Statesman reported that instead of suspension, public schools would need to discipline children in a way that enforced positive behavior based on research.
Texting and Driving Ban
This is long overdue. While many counties and cities adopted some version of texting and driving bans, it was only until this year that Texas put up a statewide ban. The law goes into effect on September 1.
People Can Carry Swords Now
Carrying certain knives were legal in Texas, but come September 1 you'll be able to carry much more of your knife collection in public. All of these sharp edges will be fair game to carry.
dirks
stilettos
daggers
poniards
swords
spears
Bowie knives
Amnesty for Sex Assault Witnesses
After all of the incidents we've seen at Baylor and other Texas universities, this is a welcomed addition. Oftentimes students don't report violence or assault because they were doing something illegal as well (ie; drinking, drugs). This will grant amnesty for witnesses who report a sexual assault - hopefully uncovering more crimes in the process.
Recording Higher Ed Sex Assaults Electronically
Per Chron: effective immediately, students and college employees will be able to submit electronic anonymous reports of sexual assaults in their institutions.
Ridesharing Allowed in All of Texas
It was big news when Austin ousted rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft from their city. Then Houston followed. But all of this was in vain as a new law - effective immediately - bans cities from enforcing certain measures on these companies, according to Fortune.
Now Cheaper to Carry a Gun
Under Senate Bill 16, the law lowers first-time license fees for a handgun. Initially $140, the fee has been dropped to $40 and the renewal fee also dropped from $70 to $40. Once in effect on September 1, Texas' fees could be the lowest in the country.
David's Law
This is a big one for our children. David's Law criminalizes cyber bullying, which is absolutely an issue across the nation - not just Texas. The law, according to mySA, makes it a Class A misdemeanor "to harass or cyberbully someone under the age of 18 through texts, social media, websites or other means with the intent of causing them to commit suicide or harm themselves".
Voter ID Changes
Starting September 1, if you don't have valid photo identification, voters will be able to cast their votes by showing another form of documentation with name and home address (ie; utility bill or bank statement). Voters would also have to sign an affidavit saying there's a valid reason they couldn't get a photo ID, per Chron.
Anonymous Lottery Winners
This makes perfect sense. If you are fortunate enough to win the lottery with $1 million or more, you can request to remain anonymous. This starts September 1 according to US News.
Free Pre-K for Fallen or Injured Officers' Children
Effective immediately, Chron reports young children of peace officers, firefighters and first responders who are injured or killed in the line of duty can attend state-funded Pre-k for free.
Spotting Human Trafficking
In an attempt to curtail human trafficking in Texas, public schools offering "commercial driver's license training includes training on how to recognize and prevent human trafficking". [Chron]
Longer Grace Periods for Students Without Lunch Money
Another good one for the kiddos. Going into effect September 1, the grace period for which parents need to settle the lunch bill at schools has been extended. This is so children without money aren't "lunch or food shamed" and forced to eat cold sandwiches or be turned away altogether.
Attacking Police Officers Now Officially a Hate Crime in Texas
Anyone who attacks a former or current police officer could be found guilty the same way someone is found guilty of committing a crime because of a person's color, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, etc. This is characterized as a hate crime. intentional property damage is also treated as such. | {
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Beto O'Rourke became a household name during his unsuccessful run for Senate last year. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images 2020 elections O’Rourke: ‘I will not in any scenario run for the United States Senate’
Beto O’Rourke has to keep finding new ways to tell people he isn’t running for Senate.
On Thursday night it was MSNBC and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.
“You know the question’s going to keep coming up,” O’Donnell told the former Texas congressman, “this question of what about dropping out of this presidential race and taking up the race for the Senate.”
O’Rourke has never expressed any interest in running for Senate this year, after his near-miss loss to Ted Cruz in 2018. And it was only hours earlier, in a speech in his home town of El Paso, Texas, that O’Rourke rejected the suggestion, saying, “That would not be good enough for this community. That would not be good enough for El Paso. That would not be good enough for this country.”
But politicians are not immune to changing their minds. O’Rourke himself had said last year that he would not run for president, after all. And such are the calls from some Democrats — and, over the weekend, the Houston Chronicle’s editorial board — for O'Rourke to switch contests that he keeps getting the question.
He told O'Donnell, “I'm running for president, and I'm taking this fight directly to Donald Trump."
It wasn't enough. O’Donnell pressed, asking O’Rourke if he had Dec. 9 marked on his calendar. “December 9th, I believe, is the last day you can file in the Senate Democratic primary in Texas,” O’Donnell said.
O’Rourke started laughing.
“No,” O’Rourke said. “Let me make your show the place where I tell you and I tell the country I will not in any scenario run for the United States Senate. I’m running for president. I’m running for this country. I’m taking this fight directly to Donald Trump, and that is what I am exclusively focused on doing right now.” | {
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This paper develops and estimates a model of firm-level fixed capital investment when firms face borrowing constraints. Dynamically optimal investment functions are derived for the firms with and without financial constraints. These policy functions are then used to construct the likelihood of observing each of the investment regimes in the data. Structural parameters are estimated using data from the Ukrainian manufacturing sector in 1993–1998. I provide empirical evidence of the role of market and ownership structure for firm-level investment behavior. I also discuss the effects of international trade exposure and involvement in non-monetary transactions on the probability of facing financial constraints and the resulting fixed capital accumulation path. Estimation results are used to illustrate the welfare implications of financial constraints in the Ukrainian manufacturing sector. | {
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Houston man admits beating mom, taking her dentures
Christopher Harding: Charged with with injury to a disabled person. Christopher Harding: Charged with with injury to a disabled person. Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston man admits beating mom, taking her dentures 1 / 1 Back to Gallery
A Houston man was sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty Wednesday to beating up his disabled mother and taking her dentures.
Christopher Harding, 23, was sentenced to deferred adjudication by state District Judge Randy Roll after admitting he grabbed her by the throat, pushed her down and hit her in the face.
"The defendant then used his free hand to pull out her upper dentures causing additional pain," court records show.
Harding's attorney, Paul D. Valdivieso, said Harding was his disabled mother's caretaker and the two were arguing when the fight broke out on Feb. 10.
He said Harding took responsibility after being charged with injury to a disabled person, a state jail felony that carries a maximum of two years behind bars. Valdivieso also said Harding would return the dentures or pay $500 in restitution.
Under deferred adjudication, Harding won't have a conviction on his record if he successfully completes probation.
[email protected] | {
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Diego Milito scored the only goal of the game, and Inter are back in the title race.
Max Allegri named Pato upfront rather than Robinho, and chose both Urby Emanuelson and Antonio Nocerino in the midfield diamond.
Claudio Ranieri’s line-up was as expected, with Wesley Sneijder on the bench, and Ricky Alvarez in the side.
Inter were submissive but disciplined, and were far more tactically astute.
Inter shape
The first question concerned Inter’s formation. Having played both 4-3-1-2 and 4-4-2 in recent weeks with the same midfield quartet selected here, they could have been using either system.
In truth, it was something of a hybrid. In the opening minutes it seemed a straight 4-4-2, albeit with Javier Zanetti much deeper on the right than Alvarez on the left, but the more the game went on, the more it became apparent that Alvarez was allowed to drift into his preferred central playmaking position – the formation was essentially dependent upon whether Inter had possession or not.
The paradox of the system, though, was that Alvarez could only come into the middle to give Inter creativity when they had a decent amount of possession. But they were unlikely to enjoy much possession with the 4-4-2 in the defensive phase – it meant Mark van Bommel saw plenty of the ball with no Inter player in a good position to close him down.
Formation match-up
With Milan dominating possession and Inter’s lopsided shape, the three deeper Inter midfielders broadly picked up Milan’s more attacking midfielders. That meant Zanetti on Nocerino, Thiago Motta on Emanuelson and Esteban Cambiasso on Kevin-Prince Boateng. Those three struggled for space, particularly Emanuelson who was the highest up but had to keep coming deep to get the ball.
Alvarez, high up, kept an eye on Ignazio Abate who wasn’t involved much – which meant that Gianluca Zambotta on the other flank enjoyed the most amount of space without any Inter player pressing him. He moved forward and got plenty of touches, though the knock-on effect was that Inter’s strikers took it in turns to move out to the right in behind Zambrotta to attempt to exploit that space.
Chances
There were only two serious goalscoring opportunities from open play in the first half, and both made sense considering the formation match-up – they fell two of the freer players just before half time.
First, Alvarez moved central, neither Abate nor van Bommel were permanently picking him up, and he took too long to convert a decent chance.
Second, van Bommel, who was always free, moved forward unattended to thump a pull-back against the crossbar from the edge of the box. It remained 0-0 at half-time.
Second half
There were no changes for the start of the second half – none were expected for Inter, who had frustrated Milan, but Allegri could have made a pre-emptive change to force the issue when Milan had the ball.
There weren’t many opportunities at the start of the second half. Milan continued to hit long balls towards the front two, which suited Lucio and Walter Samuel perfectly. Inter sat back and played on the break, and one of those breaks provided the only goal. Zanetti motored forward and beat van Bommel, Abate failed to cut out a pass, and Milito was free to finish.
Substitutes
That was the shot in the arm the tactical battle needed, with both managers suddenly scrambling to react to the situation. Allegri went for Robinho, who replaced Zambrotta with Emanuelson going to left-back. That made sense – the Milan left-back had little defensive responsibility so Allegri could afford an attacking player there, and besides, Emanuelson was doing little as a trequartista. Robinho went behind the front two, and Milan’s shape remained the same.
Alvarez began to tire in his hybrid role, and stopped tracking back against Abate, who was keen to compensate for his error. Therefore, Ranieri replaced Alvarez with Cristian Chivu, with Nagatomo going to the left of midfield and Inter moving to a standard 4-4-2 system, with two holders and two runners on the flanks. They sat even deeper and were happy to soak up pressure.
Late on
Milan were at their functional worst, lacking imagination with the ball and offering no penetration. Ibrahimovic drifted to wider zones throughout the game and attempted a few shots from the corners of the box. Behind him, Pato wasn’t involved much and Robinho struggled to find space. It was difficult to see how Milan were trying to break Inter down, and only the very late introduction of Stephan El Shaarawy provided some kind of pace and excitement.
Ranieri brought on Sneijder with 15 minutes remaining and told him to sit on international teammate Mark van Bommel, meaning it was Alessandro Nesta who moved forward with the ball to try and prompt late attacks, but Inter held on.
Conclusion
A very interesting tactical battle – which Ranieri got right. Alvarez wasn’t hugely influential on the left, but Ranieri correctly decided he could play with three deeper midfielders picking up Milan’s three attacking midfielders, have one player breaking forward from midfield, and play on the break. The risks were leaving Zambrotta and van Bommel free – and the latter was the width of a crossbar away from giving Milan the lead – but that, a 25-yard effort, was the only time Milan seriously threatened Julio Cesar. Ranieri can consider his strategy a success.
Milan, on the other hand, played extremely poorly. The line-up looked highly functional on paper – a strike partnership which has never quite clicked, with a fairly average trequartista and two runners either side of the diamond. They lack guile, and they depend too much on power in midfield, plus individual brilliance upfront.
The strange thing about Milan is that they are the complete opposite of the side they were in the mid 2000s, which contained a midfield full of playmakers, and was more successful against Europe’s elite (three European Cup finals) than against Serie A as a whole (one league title).
Now, they have a midfield that is highly powerful and functional rather than intelligent. Demolishing bottom half clubs shouldn’t be a problem, but against top quality opponents, they need something a little cleverer. It’s summed up by their record in Serie A so far – against the top six they’re P5 W0 D2 L3, against everyone else they’re P13 W11 D2 L0. They are currently the best example imaginable of flat-track bullies.
Related articles on Zonal Marking: | {
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Global warming may wipe out three-quarters of Europe's alpine glaciers by 2100 and raise sea levels by four metres by the year 3000 through melting the West Antarctic ice sheet, two studies say.
The research places the spotlight on some of the least understood aspects of climate change: how, when and where warming will affect glaciers on which many millions depend for their water, and the problems faced by generations in the far distant future.
Pieces of ice fall from the Perito Moreno glacier near the city of El Calafate, in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz. Credit:Reuters
The glacier study, published on Sunday, predicts mountain glaciers and icecaps will shrink by 15-27 per cent in volume terms on average by 2100.
"Ice loss on such a scale may have substantial impacts on regional hydrology and water availability," it warns. | {
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Here's the thing I've come to realise: Australia has too many idiots. We don't have a lot of idiots; we don't even have a middling number of idiots. But we still have enough idiots to reach a tipping point where things are being ruined for the rest of us.
This realisation came to me recently in Europe. Now, I don't want to be one of those people who goes to Europe for the summer and comes home saying everything is better over there – but I've just been to Europe for the summer and everything's better over there.
See Also Australia travel guide
It feels freer. It feels more fun, more relaxed in places like Italy and Spain and France and the Netherlands. It feels like you're given the right to make your own decisions there, and you're given the trust to not stuff those decisions up.
You can ride a bike without a helmet in Europe, and you are trusted not to fall off (similarly, drivers are trusted not to run into you). You can wander freely onto public transport, and you are trusted to buy a ticket. You can drink a beer in the park, or on the pavement outside a bar, and you're trusted not to act like a drunken fool.
You can't do those things in Australia because we live in a nanny state with a lot of rules, and we live in a nanny state with a lot of rules because there are some people out there who really need to be nannied. We don't all need it. But we have to put up with it because others do.
Europe, of course, isn't an idiot-free wonderland, but there does seem to be enough personal responsibility – particularly when it comes to alcohol – to negate the need for many of the rules that hold non-idiotic Australians back over here.
People don't go too crazy in Europe, so they can do things like drink in public places. Go to the Englischer Garten in Munich and you'll see people dropping entire crates of beer into the river to keep them cold for the day, helping themselves as the long afternoon unfolds, having a nice time, not bothering others. There are no idiots.
See: 20 things that will shock first-time visitors to Europe
In Australia, meanwhile, harsh lockout laws are needed to stop violence on the streets. Strictly policed council approval is needed before bar patrons can move out onto a street. And even then they are roped off, tightly controlled.
No one can stand around in a town square in Sydney or Melbourne or Brisbane and sip drinks in the afternoon sun. Compare this to the scene in Seville, or Rome, or Berlin, where people of all ages gather in plazas and piazzas to drink a few beers and eat a few snacks. It's peaceful; it's fun. There are no idiots.
Or try San Sebastian, where bartenders will serve you food and drinks all night without ever asking for a single cent of payment, because you're trusted to own up to your bill when you decide to leave. This system works, because there are no idiots who walk out without paying.
See: Why San Sebastian is the greatest place on earth for foodies
Australia, unfortunately, has idiots. It has enough people who will abuse the system, who will make drunken fools of themselves out on the street, who will get violent, who will be too noisy, who will steal things, to warrant ruining the fun for the vast majority who wouldn't dream of doing any of that.
It's not just the drunks, of course, who ruin the fun. There are other, lesser idiots around.
Consider those who move to trendy, lively neighbourhoods and start making complaints about the noise. It seems to happen constantly – music venues shut down; bars close early.
In the Roman suburb of Pigneto recently I sat at a bar on a pedestrianised street and listened to an eight-piece jazz band busking on the pavement next door. They played until midnight. People danced on the street. No one complained. Where can you do that in Australia?
There are those here, too, who complain about any daring or contentious public artwork, things like the rainbow pedestrian crossing we once had on Oxford Street in Sydney. Those complaints are inevitably heard and acted upon, rendering our cities free of the weird and interesting and amazing sculptures and murals you see all over almost every Western European city.
There's a danger in Australia now of everything becoming too bland with overregulation. In catering for the idiots, in stopping them from doing any harm or anything that could offend, we're ending up with cookie-cutter neighbourhoods and soulless suburbs, places that lack a sense of individuality and a sense of community within.
We have so many rules here that seem to stifle creativity and spontaneity and fun. And unfortunately we can only blame that on the few. The idiots.
[email protected]
See also: What foreign visitors love about Australia
See also: Australia's 10 best outback pubs
More articles by Ben Groundwater. | {
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Delta has just revealed a radical change to their Asian route network. This move further reinforces Delta’s heavy focus on their joint ventures, and in this case their joint venture with Korean Air.
Delta ending operations at Tokyo Narita
Tokyo Haneda is Tokyo’s more convenient airport, though historically it has had very limited slots available for US carriers. Recently the DOT tentatively granted an additional 12 slots to US airlines at Haneda.
The DOT sure acted in favor of Delta with these allocations, as Delta got five of the 11 available slots.
Delta was granted flights to Tokyo Haneda from Atlanta, Detroit, Honolulu, Portland, and Seattle. On top of that, the airline already flies from Los Angeles and Minneapolis to Haneda, meaning they’ll have service to Haneda from seven markets.
There was talk that this would lead to Delta completely leaving Narita. That’s not surprising, given that they were the weakest of the “big three” at the airport. American has close ties with Japan Airlines, while United has close ties with ANA. Delta, on the other hand, didn’t have a major partner at the airport.
Delta has now revealed that they plan to transfer their full operations of US to Tokyo services from Narita to Haneda. Delta notes that they’ll be the largest US airline serving Haneda, with seven daily flights.
The plan is for this change to take plane with the summer 2020 IATA flying season (which means in reality we should expect these changes in the spring).
Delta ending Tokyo to Singapore flight
As of September 22, 2019, Delta will discontinue their Tokyo Narita to Singapore flight. This is a flight that they’ve been operating for years, though the airline notes that the route has been under financial pressure as direct US to Singapore capacity has continued to grow, combined with local carriers having stronger brand loyalty and alliance partnerships.
It’s not at all surprising to see this cut, since it’s not like Delta’s only flight out of Narita was going to be out of Singapore. That flight was based around connections, so that just wouldn’t make sense.
As Delta notes, there are now many nonstops from the US to Singapore, and for those traveling with one stop, they can travel through Seoul Incheon on Delta’s joint venture partner, Korean Air.
Nonetheless it is noteworthy that the airline is pulling out of this market, especially since Delta cut flights to Hong Kong as of last year. Those are two major markets.
While United seems to be all about ultra long haul flying nowadays, it is interesting that Delta can’t make Hong Kong or Singapore work out of their Seattle hub, because they certainly have a geographical advantage.
Manila flight transfers from Narita to Incheon
Delta also operates a flight from Tokyo Narita to Manila (since they don’t fly nonstop from the US to Manila). With Narita service being cut, the airline also plans to convert their Narita to Manila flight into a Seoul Incheon to Manila flight as of March 2020.
So Delta will fly between Seoul Incheon and Manila daily as part of their joint venture with Korean Air, given that they’re not able to secure any Haneda slots for intra-Asia flying.
I’m not sure I even really get why they’re operating that flight. It seems that with their Korean Air joint venture that they could handle the capacity.
My take
Delta is in a really fortunate situation in terms of the slots they got at Tokyo Haneda. There is something to be said for being able to streamline everything at one airport, and by next year they’ll have the most slots at Haneda of any US airline.
With them pulling out of Narita, it also makes perfect sense that they’re ending flights to Singapore. It also makes sense that they’re transferring their Manila flight from Narita to Incheon, though I sort of wonder why they don’t just book people on Korean Air joint ventures.
Does Delta really think they have a competitive advantage for operating their own metal the whole way?
Lastly, I do think this raises an interesting overall point regarding how the DOT has allocated Haneda slots. They allocate these slots based on what’s in the best interest of the public, and I’d argue what’s in the best interest of consumers is more capacity, since that leads to more options and lower fares.
While some airlines are using new Haneda slots to add service to Japan, Delta is adding virtually no capacity with being awarded these slots. Is that really in the best interest of the public? Shouldn’t a major point of consideration for the DOT be whether or not airlines plan to add or simply replace service?
What do you make of Delta’s major Asia strategy shift here? | {
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Cafe Loup is in trouble again. After making its unlikely comeback in the fall following a tax department seizure, the fiercely loved West Village restaurant has been shut down once again for unpaid taxes. There’s no official word on whether it’s closed for good yet, but prospects are not looking great for book Twitter’s favorite restaurant.
A notice posted to the front of the restaurant says that it is now in possession of the state, and another notes that a warrant has been issued by the tax department. The most recent warrant, filed today, shows an amount of $176,072.21 due. Additional warrants dating back to June that have not yet been satisfied total to $317,922.21. Eater NY has reached out to the restaurant and the Tax Department for more information.
Cafe Loup opened on 13th Street near University Place in 1977 and eventually moved just down the street to 105 West 13th St., near Sixth Avenue, in the early ’80s. For three decades, the kitchen was run by Lloyd Feit, who cooked up unfussy French bistro classics, like snails smothered in garlic and gruyere. The restaurant was more known for its scene than its food though, becoming a known hangout for literary folks. In its early years, Cafe Loup attracted Paul Simon, Susan Sontag, and Paul Auster as regulars. Other famous regulars these days include actor Patricia Clarkson.
That status as a writers’ hangout persisted through the decades, with Cafe Loup serving as a place to drink wine and strong martinis over post-work gossip. So when the restaurant shuttered due to unpaid taxes in September, folks from the literary and publishing world promptly mourned the potential loss. The social media frenzy around Cafe Loup is stirring up again, with rumors circulating that it could really be the end, but that has not been confirmed yet. Stay tuned for updates.
Here’s what people are saying about the troubled restaurant this time around:
Friends, it’s over. I just got word that Café Loup is dead for good. Pour out a Sancerre with me tonight for Dien and Jay and the rest of the gang #LoupisDead — Erin Edmison (@erinedmison) March 7, 2019
RIP Café Loup, 1977–2019. The wolf is past the door. pic.twitter.com/7UsV2jGseu — Adam Feldman (@FeldmanAdam) March 8, 2019
It appears that Cafe Loup is closed for good this time. Such a sad day for this community. — Liz Savery (@lizsavery) March 7, 2019
Omg @CafeLoup has been seized by the state again and is closed. What is going on? — Fred Fucci (@FredFucci) March 5, 2019 | {
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I asked him if he liked my blowjobs He said "A++ would let you blow again"
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"A government that's that big, that takes that much of your money, that is big enough and powerful enough to spy on you, to lie to you, to target you, is a government that we ought not have in the first place," Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) told Reason TV.
Mike Lee isn't content simply to identify the out-of-control expansion of federal agencies. He's got his eye on a much larger mission to enact deep structural reform that will rebalance the separation of powers in Washington to their constitutionally prescribed limits. But before he can do that, the junior senator from Utah wants the voting public to understand how federal power got so far out of whack to begin with.
Lee's book, Our Lost Constitution: The Willful Subversion of America's Founding Document, aims to do just that. It explains how and why Congress delegates much of its authority to federal agencies. Simply put, the outsourcing of power allows legislators to enjoy all of the credit for passing laws, while evading responsibility for the details when things go wrong. "All of the credit, none of the blame," as Senator Lee sums it up.
But while legislators can be held accountable for their actions, federal agencies cannot. Civil servants don't stand for election. Yet they are empowered by Congress to create regulations, enact penalties, and enforce punishment on the public. Today, agencies have become what Senator Lee calls "a super legislative and executive" branch of government unto themselves.
The empowerment of federal agencies is the product of decades of legislative legerdemain, from the New Deal to the present day. The delicate balance of federal authority, which once worked well, has gradually eroded to the point where many constitutional restraints on power have all but disappeared.
What can be done to rebalance power in Washington? Coming from a small government Republican, Senator Lee's solution at first may seem surprising. He wants to restore power and responsibility to Congress by wresting it away from federal agencies.
To that end, the Senator has co-sponsored The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act – or REINS Act, for short – which would require any regulation with an economic impact of $100 million or more to be ratified by Congress. He is also spearheading The Article I Project, which seeks to reassert and reinvigorate congress' legislative power.
The road to reform in Washington is long and uphill. Senator Lee is in it for the long haul.
Runs 15:40 minutes.
Produced by Todd Krainin. Hosted by Nick Gillespie. Cameras by Josh Swain and Krainin.
Scroll down for downloadable versions and subscribe to ReasonTV's YouTube Channel to receive notification when new material goes live. | {
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Macro variables in SAS are used extensively for reusing codes. You can create a multi-usable program in which the analysis of variables can be controlled by updating the values of macro variables.
LET statement can be used to create a few macro variables which work extremely well. Data step with CALL SYMPUT or INTO statement in PROC SQL provides a better method to automate the creation of macro variables.
However, if you have a large number of variables in a data step that needs to be converted into macro variables, these solutions may require a great deal of typing.
SAS provides an elegant solution to overcome these problems with the CALL SET routine. You can convert data step variables into macro variables with a few lines of code using the %SYSCALL SET routine.
This routine also allows you to convert and process one observation of data step variables at a time thus saving memory usage.
Ways to create Macro Variables in SAS
SAS provides a number of different options for creating macro variables.
1. %LET statement for creating a single macro variable
The %LET statement is one of the easiest methods to create a macro variable and is the equivalent of the DATA step’s assignment statement.
%LET statement is followed by the macro variable name, an equal sign (=), and then the text value to be assigned to the macro variable.
SYNTAX:
%LET <macro-variable-name> = <macro-variable-value>
Example:
%LET Name = Smith;
Note that, quotation marks are not used while creating macro variables with the LET statement. Macro variables are neither character nor numeric, they always just stored as a plain text.
When the macro variables &name is created with the %let statement, the value of ‘Smith’, you can use this macro variable across anywhere in your program.
However, if you have more than a few macro variables to create, typing the %let statements can be tedious and error-prone.
2. CALL SYMPUT – To create many macro variables
If the variables that you need to store in macro variables are contained in a SAS dataset, then %LET statements cannot be used to assign those values into a macro variable.
In the below, example the Fname macro variable is supposed to contain the values of the Name variable from the SASHELP.CLASS dataset.
data new_class; set sashelp.class; %let FName = Name; run;
Since %LET statements are executed before the data step is even compiled, the macro variable &name will resolve to ‘Name’ as the value and not the actual value in the data set.
To overcome this problem we will need to use the data step to place information onto the macro variable symbol tables.
We can do this with SYMPUT which is a DATA step call routine, and not a macro language statement.
SYNTAX
CALL SYMPUT(macro-variable, value);
EXAMPLE
data new_class; set sashelp.class; call symput('FName',Name); run;
In the above example, the CALL SYMPUT statement creates the macro variable &Fname containing the variable name. However, only the last value of the variable name is assigned to the macro variable.
To place all of the values of the name into a macro variable, we can include a suffix as in the below example.
data new_class; set sashelp.class; suffix=put(_n_,5.); call symput(cats('FName',suffix),Name); run;
The suffix variable counts the observation(_n_) and appends count onto the macro variable Fname so that unique Macro variables are created for each name.
The resultant macro variables &Fname1 will store the first name value, the second value is stored in the macro variable &Fname2 and so on.
Now, in order to retrieve any value of the Name variable, you can use the below statement and replace the number with the observation number.
The statement below resolves to ‘Carol‘ which is the 4th Observation in the dataset. | {
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Released: Python support in Visual Studio 2017
Steve
March 7th, 2017
Today is launch day for Visual Studio 2017, and you can see all the info and join the live event at launch.visualstudio.com. But over in this corner of our world, we are announcing something special.
As you likely know, once software is officially released, it normally gets less frequent updates. For those of us who love getting new toys, this can be disappointing after an update-packed preview phase. For Visual Studio 2017, we significantly improved our install experience and added scenario-specific workloads, but also made it easier for us to service the product. This means everyone will see more frequent updates, and they’ll generally be faster and more targeted than in the past, but we can also provide our early adopters with access to features before anyone else.
Visual Studio 2017 and Visual Studio Preview
As well as Visual Studio 2017, today we are also releasing Visual Studio Preview. This will be an early preview of what’s coming next for Visual Studio, just like those we have been releasing up to this point. Visual Studio Preview will receive updates a few weeks before the “stable” release, letting you try the latest and greatest improvements first.
In the past, installing a preview of Visual Studio has required using a completely separate machine. For Visual Studio 2017, we now have the ability to install and use Preview side-by-side with another install of Visual Studio. And while the Preview install is not officially supported (not “go live”), the main one remains fully supported and you can use both at the same time on the same machine.
(To be clear, if you’ve already installed Visual Studio 2017, this will install it again and you’ll have two separate installations with separate workloads and settings, both managed through the same Visual Studio Installer. Everything that is in Visual Studio 2017 is also in Preview, so you would only need both to take advantage of paid product support offerings, which are not available for Preview. The FAQ at the product page has more details.)
Why announce it here?
You may be wondering why we are announcing Visual Studio Preview from the Python blog, rather than the main Visual Studio blog. The reason is that the first available feature in preview is the Python development workload!
This is the same Python support you’ve used since Visual Studio 2010 as Python Tools for Visual Studio, but now updated and enhanced for 2017. Let’s walk through some of the major changes, and we’ll be posting more blogs in the coming weeks diving deeper into each one.
Installation
As Python support is now part of the Visual Studio installer, we get to take advantage of the features it provides. In the screenshot below, you can see that when the Python development workload is selected, a list of optional components become available. These are either recommended Visual Studio features or third-party tools that we think you will find useful.
Firstly, you’ll see a range of Python versions available, as well as the Anaconda distribution from Continuum Analytics. These are coming straight from the external sites, so you can install them yourself and get exactly the same functionality, but we’re also making it a simple checkbox.
“Python native development tools” are actually Visual Studio’s regular C++ tools and compilers, but we’ve selected the correct versions for developing with Python 3.5 and later. See our earlier post for information about versions prior to 3.5.
We will discuss Cookiecutter template support below, and the other options are specialized Visual Studio features for Azure or Windows IoT Core. You’ll know (or you’ll be prompted in product) if you need these.
(Minor known issue – if you’ve already installed Python 3.6, you’ll want to deselect its checkbox when installing. Otherwise uninstalling VS will also uninstall Python.)
Interactive Windows
We know that many of our users spend most of their time in interactive windows, so we have made some improvements for this release to make them more powerful. Expect a future blog post to go into more detail, but the highlights include:
You can now Ctrl+Enter in the editor to send to interactive
You can mark code cells with #%% and send them all at once
and send them all at once You can create as many interactive windows as you like, and choose the Python environment for each one
Cookiecutter
When Cookiecutter template support is installed, you will see new options appear under File, New Project and also the Add New Item menus. These will open our Cookiecutter Explorer window, which can help you find and use online templates.
Not familiar with Cookiecutter? Check out our previous blog walking through the new support.
Azure
For Visual Studio 2017, we’ve started an overhaul of how Python projects are created and deployed to Azure. Previously, we made it easy to get something simple up quickly, but we heard feedback that we weren’t well supporting people who were maintaining complex web applications.
We expect this process to take some time, and we hope you’ll join us in this to help us get it right, but here are the changes from ealier versions so far:
We now recommend using site extensions for Azure App Service
Our template scripts for Azure Cloud Service now use the Python nuget packages
The Publish command now does a simple copy, and we’ve added new templates to help you take control of your web configuration
(This area does have one known issue: you should select the “Azure Cloud Services core tools” optional component when installing for full Azure support. We’ll fix it as soon as we can.)
What plans do we have for the future?
Visual Studio Preview is a staging ground, so you can expect to see the Python development workload (and the Data Science workload) become available in the fully supported Visual Studio release within a few months. At that point, you can either remove Visual Studio Preview, or keep it around and enjoy the next set of early updates.
We are continuing to actively develop our Python support, and as in the past, all our development takes place on github, so if you would like to let us know what you need most, please come and file an issue. We also accept code and documentation contributions. | {
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Hi Geeks! Welcome to 100 Days of Leetcode Challenge. In this article, you going to see about Find Largest Value in Each Tree Row.
Day 30
You need to find the largest value in each row of a binary tree.
Example:
Input: 1 / \ 3 2 / \ \ 5 3 9 Output: [1, 3, 9]
Solution – Easy to understand
/** * Definition for a binary tree node. * public class TreeNode { * public int val; * public TreeNode left; * public TreeNode right; * public TreeNode(int x) { val = x; } * } */ public class Solution { public IList<int> LargestValues(TreeNode root) { var list = new List<int>(); if(root == null) return list; Queue<TreeNode> q = new Queue<TreeNode>(); q.Enqueue(root); while(q.Count > 0) { int size = q.Count; int max = int.MinValue; for(int i=0;i<size;i++) { TreeNode node = q.Dequeue(); max = Math.Max(max,node.val); if(node.left != null) q.Enqueue(node.left); if(node.right != null) q.Enqueue(node.right); } list.Add(max); } return list; } }
Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(1) | {
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HR2eazy system is flexible and client-orientated, the function not only focus for payroll but also others spectrum of HR like recruitment, ESS, training, KPI and appraisal and others productivity tools. We have over 1500++ headcount and is manageable only by 2 payroll executives and helped reduced the time we spend doing payroll by simplifying the information is required and enabled us to delegate most of the process. The technical team always step forward, reliably and prompt accommodated every technical error and others inquiry. The most interesting part, they can customize the system based on client special requirement with the minimum cost and is worth it. | {
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Rainbow Six: Siege, Mortal Kombat X, Axiom Verge - The Lobby Aaron Sampson tells us about his time with Rainbox Six: Siege, we go over all the confirmed Mortal Kombat X characters, and Peter Brown & Jeff Gerstmann talk Axiom Verge.
Show Info Follow The Lobby Airs Wednesdays at 11AM PT Broadcast live from our studios in San Francisco, join GameSpot every Wednesday at 11AM Pacific for the latest previews, interviews, game demos, giveaways and more. Host: Mike Mahardy | {
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Zambian President Edgar Lungu reacts after participating in a discussion at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2017 meeting in Durban, South Africa May 4, 2017. REUTERS/Rogan Ward
LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia’s parliament suspended 48 opposition lawmakers on Tuesday for boycotting a speech by the president, widening a political rift that has alarmed rights groups.
Parliament’s speaker barred the United Party for National Development (UPND) politicians from taking their seats for 30 days, a move that banned them from the building and stopped their pay.
Their party, which was defeated in August elections that it said were rigged, called the suspensions unconstitutional.
The lawmakers boycotted President Edgar Lungu’s address at the official opening of the assembly in March, saying they did not recognize him as leader.
A month later, the UPND’s leader, Hakainde Hichilema, and five others were arrested and charged with treason after a column of opposition vehicles failed to make way for Lungu’s motorcade.
Amnesty International has said the treason charges are “trumped up” and called for the politicians’ release.
On Tuesday, parliament’s speaker Patrick Matibini told the opposition lawmakers: “I challenge you to resign on moral grounds if you do not recognize that there is a legitimately elected government.”
The suspensions affected 48 of the party’s 58 MPs. The remaining 10 had officially excused themselves from attending parliament on the day of Lungu’s speech and were not included in the suspension.
Hichilema was moved from a prison in Lusaka to a maximum security facility outside the capital on June 9. | {
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Cesar Altieri Sayoc, aka “Cesar Randazzo,” “Cesar Altieri,” and “Cesar Altieri Randazzo,” pled guilty today to a 65-count Superseding Information in Manhattan federal court before U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff. In connection with the guilty plea, Sayoc admitted to mailing 16 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to 13 victims throughout the country, including 11 current or former U.S. government officials, and that he intended to use the IEDs as weapons and to cause injuries. Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman for the Southern District of New York, Assistant Director Michael McGarrity of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office and Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill of the NYPD made the announcement.
“Cesar Sayoc has admitted to acts of domestic terrorism that are repulsive to all Americans who cherish a society built on respectful and non-violent political discourse, no matter how strongly held one’s views,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “Our democracy will simply not survive if our political discourse includes sending bombs to those we disagree with. I applaud the efforts of so many in our law enforcement community whose alertness and tirelessness led to the prompt arrest of the defendant before he was able to injure anyone, as well as those whose efforts led to today’s plea.”
“For five days in November 2018, Cesar Sayoc reigned terror across the country, sending high-ranking officials and former elected leaders explosive packages through the mail,” said U.S. Attorney Berman. “Thankfully no one was hurt by these dangerous devices, but his actions left an air of fear and divisiveness in their wake. Sayoc has taken responsibility for his crimes, and will soon be sentenced to significant time in prison.”
“This case shows that the FBI will be tenacious in pursuing all those who wish to intimidate those they disagree with by threatening violence,” said Assistant Director Michael McGarrity of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “When it comes to identifying and stopping those who terrorize our communities, we won’t hesitate to bring the full force of our combined resources of the FBI and our partners.”
“Sayoc's crimes were intended to incite fear among his targets and uncertainty among the general public, leading to a significant deployment of various law enforcement resources in a nationwide search to find him,” said Assistant Director Sweeney. “When called upon, our FBI JTTFs across the country—along with our partner agencies—did what we do best, working swiftly, and side by side, to bring him to justice. Unlike most of our investigations, this case played out in plain view from beginning to end. The announcement of today's plea is as good a time as any to remind the public that our JTTFs are working behind the scenes on a daily basis, in much the same way, to keep our communities safe.”
“The NYPD and our law enforcement partners will continue to work tirelessly to keep New York City safe from threats of terror,” said Commissioner O’Neill. “I commend the members of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Southern District of New York for their work in this case.”
According to the allegations in the Complaint, Superseding Information, other court filings, and statements made during court proceedings:
In October 2018, Sayoc mailed from Florida 16 padded envelopes, each containing an IED, to addresses in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Atlanta, and California. Sayoc packed each IED with explosive material and glass shards that would function as shrapnel if the IED exploded. Sayoc also attached to the outside of each IED a picture of the intended victim marked with a red “X.” As Sayoc admitted today during his plea, he designed the IEDs for use as weapons and mailed them understanding that they were capable of exploding and causing injuries and property damage. In alphabetical order, Sayoc’s intended victims were former Vice President Joseph Biden, Senator Cory Booker, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CNN, Robert De Niro, Senator Kamala Harris, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former President Barack Obama, George Soros, Thomas Steyer, and Representative Maxine Walters. Between Oct. 22 and Nov. 2, 2018, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service recovered all of the 16 IEDs mailed by Sayoc.
The FBI arrested Sayoc in Plantation, Florida, on Oct. 26, 2018—less than five days after the October 22 recovery of the first IED, which Sayoc mailed to Soros in New York. The FBI seized a laptop from Sayoc’s van, which contained lists of physical addresses that match many of the labels on the envelopes that Sayoc mailed. The lists were saved at a file path on the laptop that includes a variant of Sayoc’s first name: “Users/Ceasar/Documents.” A document from that path, titled “Debbie W.docx” and bearing a creation date of July 26, 2018, contained repeated copies of an address for “Debbie W. Schultz” in Sunrise, Florida, that is nearly identical, except for typographical errors, to the return address that Sayoc used on the packages. Similar documents bearing file titles that include the name “Debbie,” and creation dates of Sept. 22, 2018, contain exact matches of the return address used by Sayoc on the 16 envelopes.
Sayoc’s laptop also revealed extensive Internet search history related to his investigation of the intended victims and his desire to injure or kill them. For example, Sayoc conducted the following Internet searches, among others, on the dates indicated in 2018:
July 15: “hilary Clinton hime address”
July 26: “address Debbie wauserman Shultz”
Sept. 19: “address kamila harrias”
Sept. 26: “address for barack Obama”
Sept. 26: “michelle obama mailing address”
Sept. 26: “joseph biden jr”
Oct. 1: “address cory booker new jersey”
Oct. 20: “tom steyers mailing address”
Oct. 23: “address kamala harris”
* * *
Sayoc, 57, of Southern Florida, pled guilty to four sets of charges related to each of the 16 IEDs: (1) sixteen counts of using a weapon of mass destruction; (2) sixteen counts of interstate transportation of an explosive device; (3) sixteen counts of conveying a threat in interstate commerce; and (4) sixteen counts of the illegal mailing of explosives with the intent to kill or injure another. Sayoc also pled guilty to using an explosive to commit a felony, which relates to felonies committed in connection with the use and mailing of all 16 IEDs. A chart identifying the charges and maximum penalties applicable to Sayoc is below.
Counts Charge Penalties Per Count 1 – 16 Using a weapon of mass destruction Maximum per count: life 17 – 32 Interstate transportation of an explosive Maximum per count: 10 years 33 – 48 Conveying a threat in interstate commerce Maximum per count: 5 years 49 – 64 Illegal mailing of explosives with intent to kill or injure another Maximum per count: 20 years 65 Carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony Mandatory minimum: 10 years to run consecutively to any other sentence imposed
The maximum and minimum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Rakoff on Sept. 12, 2019.
Mr. Demers and Mr. Berman praised the outstanding efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which principally consists of agents from the FBI and detectives from the New York City Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Mr. Demers and Mr. Berman also thanked the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Florida, the District of Columbia, the District of Delaware, the District of New Jersey, the Central District of California, the Eastern District of California, the Northern District of California and the Northern District of Georgia for their assistance in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg, Emil J. Bove III, Jane Kim, and Jason A. Richman are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney David Cora of the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. | {
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GETTY Hacker Julian Assange has accused Britain of 'invasive surveillance'
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The hacker, who had his internet cut off this week by the Ecuadorian Embassy, says he's fed up of being under scrutiny despite leaking private emails of Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton. Documents which have been released today under Freedom of Information laws, shows how Mr Assange was unhappy at being under surveillance, which included police officers stationed outside the Kensington-based embassy, which has cost more than £10million.
He has never been disclosed the legal basis for such particular surveillance measures, and in fact has little ability to do so as the United States national security investigation against him is still underway Assange's legal representative
His legal representative wrote: "Mr Assange has been continuously subjected to highly invasive surveillance for the last four years. "He has never been disclosed the legal basis for such particular surveillance measures, and in fact has little ability to do so as the United States national security investigation against him is still underway." The documents also showed how the Government didn’t accept the asylum claim made by Mr Assange, which led to his self-imposed detention at the London-based Ecuadorian Embassy in 2012.
Things you may not know about Julian Assange Tue, March 7, 2017 WikiLeaks Founder, Julian Assange has led a very interesting and controversial life which has been at the centre of global debate Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 10 It is believed that Julian Assange chooses to live in Sweden because the country's media laws are among the world's most protective for journalists
The Foreign Office said Assange’s asylum claim was not legally recognised in the UK because it was classed as ‘diplomatic’ rather than ‘political’ by Ecuador. Mr Assange is accused of rape, two counts of sexual molestation and unlawful coercion. In November 2010 the Government of Sweden communicated with the UK after a Swedish prosecutor requested Mr Assange be detained in his absence on probable cause. But instead of facing charges and extradition he's been holed up in the embassy over fears his arrest will subsequently lead to him being sent to the US for publishing secret information.
The Foreign Office gave a stinging response to the accusation from Mr Assange about his ‘surveillance’. They said: "Mr Assange has been given every opportunity to challenge his extradition including before the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
GETTY Mr Assange leaked private emails of Democratic presidential hopefu
"His extradition has been approved by our courts, taking full account of his human rights and the other protections he enjoys under the UK’s Extradition Act 2003. "The changes to the UK’s extradition law referred to in the communication commenced on 21 July 2014 and are not retrospective. "Mr Assange has exhausted all his avenues of appeal under the Extradition Act 2003.
GETTY The hacker had his internet cut off this week by the Ecuadorian Embassy
"It would be inappropriate to speculate on how the UK courts might interpret new legislation in any case. "We know of no reason why Mr Assange would not be subject to independent, rigorous and fair process, including if necessary a free and fair trial, in Sweden. "Violence against women is a serious crime which has no place in any society.
GETTY Mr Assange is in self-imposed detention at the London-based Ecuadorian Embassy since in 2012 | {
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-- A video of a snake so thirsty that it accepted a drink of water from a local villager in India appears to show how a drought in the southwestern state of Karnataka is affecting wildlife. A cobra that emerged from its hiding spot was caught on camera slinking its way across a dry landscape and coming to a stop when presented with a plastic bottle filled with water. The strange sight continued as the reptile opened its jaws to accept a drink from the villager with the bottle. From what can be seen on the minute-long video, the snake enjoyed more than 20 seconds of refreshment. | {
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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – As rain continues the Cumberland River at Clarksville is likely to reach flood stage by midnight Saturday and a Flood Warning remains in effect for Clarksville-Montgomery County through Sunday night.
RELATED: Photos of flooding in Clarksville-Montgomery County
See drone photos of the flooding below, courtesy of David E. Smith of Clarksville Aerial Photography: | {
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A new cybersecurity task force has been created to help combat the global cyber threat after Russian nationalists were indicted for trying to interfere with the 2016 election.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions signed the memorandum last Friday to create the Cyber-Digital Task Force to try and confront people and agencies who might try to meddle with U.S. elections.
“The Internet has given us amazing new tools that help us work, communicate, and participate in our economy, but these tools can also be exploited by criminals, terrorists, and enemy governments,” Sessions said in a news release.
“At the Department of Justice, we take these threats seriously,” he continued. “That is why today I am ordering the creation of a Cyber-Digital Task Force to advise me on the most effective ways that this Department can confront these threats and keep the American people safe.” – READ MORE | {
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Image by US Census Bureau.
A version of this post originally ran on August 26, 2014. We're republishing it because it's still fascinating!
You could ask five residents what Silver Spring’s boundaries are and receive five different answers, ranging from a neighborhood near the DC line to a city the size of the District of Columbia itself. But how did it end up this way to begin with? The answer involves a railroad, zip codes, and possibly Marion Barry.
Unlike northeastern states where every square inch of land sits inside a municipality, or western states where cities compete for territory to access natural resources or tax revenue, much of Maryland and Virginia are unincorporated. Part of the reason is that counties in these states can perform functions like zoning and schools, reducing the incentive for communities to become a town or city.
Silver Spring is one those places. As a result, most definitions of Silver Spring fall into two camps: one I call “Little Silver Spring,” or areas near its historical center, or “Big Silver Spring,” which comprises most of eastern Montgomery County.
Big Silver Spring
Francis Preston Blair founded Silver Spring in 1840 when he fell off his horse and discovered a mica-flecked spring. It became one of several towns that grew up around the Metropolitan Branch railroad, which starts in DC and heads northwest. Meanwhile, the rest of eastern Montgomery County remained largely undeveloped save for a few suburban developments and small villages with names like White Oak, Colesville, and Norwood.
Silver Spring became the reference point for the larger area, and “Big Silver Spring” was born. In the 1930s, home builder R.E. Latimer boasted that his new subdivision Burnt Mills Hills was three miles “beyond the Silver Spring traffic light” at Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road. Ken Lubel, owner of Tires of Silver Spring and a longtime resident, notes that Silver Spring addresses once appeared as far north as Columbia.
“Big Silver Spring,” or the Postal Service’s definition of Silver Spring. Image by Christy Batta.
The invention of zip codes in the 1960s made Big Silver Spring official right as suburbanization took hold. The first three digits of each five-digit zip code referred to a larger region.
Naturally, Silver Spring got its own prefix, “209,” and with it the rest of eastern Montgomery County. (This may have been due to then-DC mayor Marion Barry demanding that Silver Spring and Takoma Park give up the DC zip codes they were originally assigned.) New residents thus identified with Silver Spring and participated in activities there, like these students at then-new Springbrook High School marching in the 1970 Silver Spring Thanksgiving parade.
The US Postal Service assigns Silver Spring addresses to all of zip codes 20901, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 10, and parts of 20912, which is mostly in the city of Takoma Park. This definition stretches from the District line to the Patuxent River to the north, and roughly from Rock Creek Park and Georgia Avenue to the west to Prince George’s County to the east, and even dipping into Prince George’s in a few places. At its widest point, Big Silver Spring is about 12 miles long.
Big Silver Spring has over 306,000 residents, comprising 30% of Montgomery County’s population, and covers 62.4 square miles, almost as large as the District of Columbia. If it were an incorporated city, it would be larger than St. Paul, Minnesota or Buffalo, New York. The Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce likes to use a version of Big Silver Spring.
Little Silver Spring
“Little Silver Spring” usually refers to what’s now downtown Silver Spring, where Blair fell off his horse, and other areas inside the Capital Beltway. The Census Bureau generally uses this definition, claiming the area from the Beltway to the north to the District line and Takoma Park to the south, and from Rock Creek Park in the west to Prince George’s County in the east.
Little Silver Spring has about 71,000 residents in just under 8 square miles. (Incidentally, this definition includes an area between Grubb Road and Rock Creek Park that has a Chevy Chase address.)
Sean Emerson’s map of the “Real Silver Spring.
Proponents include the Planning Department and the Silver Spring Regional Services Center, which also counts Four Corners as part of Silver Spring. Local bloggers Silver Spring, Singular and Sean Emerson of Around the Corners argue that a narrow definition of Silver Spring protects its identity while encouraging other communities to distinguish themselves as well.
And communities in Big Silver Spring are doing just that. Citizens associations in Colesville and Glenmont erected signs to set themselves apart. Montgomery County has worked hard to brand Wheaton as a distinct place from Silver Spring.
What do boundaries mean, anyway?
However, many people still identify with their mailing address. Landlords on Craigslist are more than willing to claim Big Silver Spring. And earlier this year, a concertgoer showed up at the Fillmore with a Silver Spring sleeve tattoo. All of the familiar landmarks were there, like the Lee Building and Chompie the shark, but so was the sign for Snowdens Mill, a subdivision 6 miles away in zip code 20904.
Jarrett Walker writes about the “emotive power” and “resonance” of a place name that often transcends boundaries. Silver Spring has historically been one of the DC area’s biggest cultural and activity centers, and by drawing boundaries, you’re commenting on how much that destination “resonates.”
In other words, Silver Spring could be whatever “feels” like Silver Spring to you. I tend to believe in Big Silver Spring, if only because I went to Blake High School, a full 10 miles from downtown Silver Spring in a place once called Norwood. But we hung out in downtown, and its diverse student body looked way more like Silver Spring than it did Olney, which was much closer.
In a followup post, I asked residents what their Silver Spring looks like and mapped out their responses. Here's what they said. | {
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El fuego se ha iniciado por causas aún desconocidas en la partida Pujol de este municipio de la comarca de La Vall d'Albaida, donde están trabajando nueve medios aéreos, cinco unidades de Bomberos Forestales de la Generalitat y tres autobombas.
Las condiciones meteorológicas dificultan las labores de extinción y la carretera de Pinet se ha cortado por seguridad.
Emergencias ha establecido la situación 2 de emergencia ya que se trata de un fuego que "puede afectar gravemente a la población y bienes de naturaleza no forestal". Por ello, se ha movilizado un autobús preventivo a Pinet, población cercana a la zona, por si fuera necesario la evacuación de personas afectadas que serían trasladas hasta el polideportivo de LLutxent, ha indicado Emergencias.
También se han desplazado hasta la zona el delegado del Gobierno de la Comunitat Valenciana, Juan Carlos Fulgencio, el director de la Agencia de Seguridad y Respuesta a las Emergencias, José María Angel, y el Diputado provincial responsable del área de Medio Ambiente, Josep Bort, para conocer de primera mano la evolución del fuego.
Un equipo de reconocimiento y primera intervención del tercer batallón de la Unidad Militar de Emergencia (UME) se ha movilizado desde Bétera para incorporarse a la labores de extinción. | {
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3 New Hardware Wallets for 2016 Not Named TREZOR
Every new Bitcoin hardware wallet arriving on the market claims to be “the ultimate”, but how have these devices, still somewhat alien to the majority of Bitcoin users, progressed so far in 2016?
Also read: Airbitz & Tim Cook on the Same Page When it Comes to Encryption
Hardware Wallets: Variations on a Theme?
Several years after pioneering model TREZOR reached the market, storing bitcoins on offline hardware can still – paradoxically – feel like a leap of faith in terms of security, as well as more hassle than logging into Blockchain.info with “simple” password entry.
Bitcoin.com took a look at 3 newcomers to the hardware scene this year, and their characteristics reveal not only crystallization of features and reliability but also that manufacturers are focusing on Bitcoin security like never before.
Homage to TREZOR
A good example of the “new standard” when it comes to cold storage can be found in KeepKey’s device. Bulkier and definitely more expensive than TREZOR or other well-known models such as Ledger, KeepKey is designed for at-home storage of larger volumes of currency.
The price is already a talking point – $239 USD at present, compared to $99 for TREZOR and a tiny $39 for Ledger’s Nano. For this, the specs are notably similar to TREZOR, with minor differences in security features and others such as multiple currency support still raising questions over the price point.
Reviews have simultaneously noted, however, that build quality and usability combine to give a tangibly more comfortable experience – a factor which ultimately lends itself to drawing the attention of less technically-minded Bitcoin holders.
Elsewhere, manufacturers are diversifying on top of industry stalwarts’ offerings in other ways. CoolWallet has created a credit card-sized device which can communicate with any NFC or Bluetooth-enabled device. This includes, of course, the average smartphone, making uber-secure mobile payments in BTC a real possibility for around $100.
The 360-Degree Security Game Continues
The question of how an offline wallet can provide infallible protection of digital currency wealth is, as ever, being addressed with ever more extravagant market offerings.
While these used to seem more for show than matching practical threats, this year seems to have more mature solutions becoming available. Hong Kong startup BitLox this week released its two “indestructible” wallets, encased in titanium and parading features users would likely not have considered to be necessary.
So-called “hidden wallets,” for example, allow users to keep funds in wallets indistinguishable from random code. “It is impossible to prove that these wallets even exist,” the company says. “This gives you perfect plausible deniability.”
BitLox even advocates keeping a small amount of BTC in an open wallet. “In the unlikely case of extortion or coercion, one could even reluctantly give up one hidden wallet,” it continues in a press release issued Monday. “But that’s OK, because the BitLox supports up to 50 hidden Bitcoin wallets for unprecedented privacy and security of users.”
How do you envisage Bitcoin storage security evolving? Do you think hardware wallets will become standard in some form, and do you plan on getting one? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Images courtesy of ihb.io, Coolbtcx.com, Bitlox.com, Ledgerwallet.com, keepkey.com | {
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An Announcement
At MakerBot, we continue to evolve at an incredible pace. We’ve grown more than 600% from 2012 to 2014 – in short, we’ve grown incredibly fast. As a company that’s focused on leading-edge innovation, we’ve learned to embrace change in order to stay focused. Today, we at MakerBot are re-organizing our business in order to focus on what matters most to our customers. As part of this, we have implemented expense reductions, downsized our staff and closed our three MakerBot retail locations. With these changes, we will focus our efforts on improving and iterating our products, growing our 3D ecosystem, shifting our retail focus to our national partners and expanding our efforts in the professional and education markets. “These organizational moves are part of the continued scaling of MakerBot,” said David Reis, chief executive officer of Stratasys. At MakerBot, we’re proud of being a highly innovative company that is leading the new product category of desktop 3D printing. We’ve experienced significant growth since inception, and achieved market leadership by iteratively testing, proving and pivoting our business. We look forward to putting the power of desktop 3D printing in the hands of even more people in 2015. | {
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Home Eye A Song Called Bharati: Why the Tamil icon is even more relevant now
A Song Called Bharati: Why the Tamil icon is even more relevant now
Nearly 100 years after his death, as a new book explores the nationalisation of his work, a look at the centrality of Tamil poet-public intellectual Subramania Bharati in the making of modern Tamil political culture and why he is relevant now more than ever.
Subramania Bharati, chased down by the colonial administration and chastened by poverty, knew his worth, (illustration: C R Sasikumar)
Kaani nilam vendum — Parashakti/ Kaani nilam vendum…
Paattu thirathale— Ivvaiyathai/ Palithidavendum
(A patch of land I want — Parashakti/ A patch of land I need…/ With the power of my songs —
Parashakti/ Help me protect this Earth) — Subramania Bharati
In 1920, the iconic Tamil poet-public intellectual, Subramania Bharati, thought of crowd-funding the publication of his large corpus of writings in 40 volumes with a print run of 10,000 copies. He issued public appeals in English and Tamil to this aim. Bharati, then popular as a poet but living in penury, said his works were “very easy, lucid, clear, luminous, and all but too popular in style and diction and, at the same time, chaste, pure, correct, epic, and time-defying”. “This fact” and “the historic necessity of my works for the uplift of the Tamil land, which, again, is a sheer necessity of the inevitable, imminent, and heaven-ordained Revival of the East”, besides “my high reputation and unrivalled popularity in the Tamil-reading world due to my past publications”, he claimed, “are bound most evidently to make my sales a prodigious success”. His books, the poet was sure, would be “sold as freely and quickly as kerosene or matchboxes”.
Very few writers would be so confident of the worth of one’s creations, their public purpose. Bharati, chased down by the colonial administration and chastened by poverty, knew his worth, but there were few takers for the poet’s grand plan, which was estimated to cost Rs 20,000 for production and Rs 10,000 for advertising expenses. A year later, in the wee hours of September 12, 1921, Bharati passed away at his home in Triplicane, Chennai, at the age of 39. Barring a few published poems, manuscripts and a reputation that would only grow in the years to come, he left behind little for his dear family that included wife, Chellamma, and two daughters, Thangammal, 16, and Shakuntala, 12. His radical and visionary tenure as editor in various journals and newspapers forced him into exile and poverty.
Five months after the poet’s death, Chellamma, with the help of her brother, Appadurai Iyer, started Bharati Ashramam and published two volumes of Swadesa Geethangal. By 1931, Chellamma, struggling to keep the family afloat, was forced to sell the copyright of her husband’s writings to his half-brother, C Visvanathan, after her publishing venture accumulated debt. Visvanathan, who had started Bharati Prachuralayam in 1924 to print Bharati’s unpublished manuscripts and scattered writings in journals and newspapers, brought the copyright for Bharati’s works from Chellamma for a sum of Rs 4,000. In 1928, the colonial administration proscribed Bharati’s works, a decision that, ironically, renewed public interest in the poet’s work.
The turning point, however, was the arrival of gramophone records and cinema in the 1930s. Mahatma Gandhi had energised the country with the Non-Cooperation Movement and the Madras Presidency was caught in the swirl of numerous mass movements that mobilised people, not just for freedom from the British but from caste oppression, for better wages, equal opportunities for all sections of the population and so on. Bharati, soaked in the nationalist fervour of Tilak and the Congress extremists and enthused by the spiritual awakening triggered by Swami Vivekananda, Sister Nivedita and Aurobindo, had written extensively on the issues that became central to public debates in the 1930s. A meeting with Nivedita in Calcutta during the Congress session had transformed him into an ardent champion of women’s rights — he called her his gurumani.
Not surprisingly, Bharati’s songs were in with the spirit of the street. Tamil theatre, too, had started to include Bharati’s songs. A businessman, Jeshinglal Mehta, sensed the coming opportunity and purchased the broadcast rights for Bharati from Visvanathan in 1934. However, he didn’t have a medium to exploit the rights he held. That was left to a local business talent, AV Meiyappan. In the 1930s, he had got into the movie business — in 1931, the first Tamil talkie, Kalidas, was released. His first three films flopped badly, but he struck gold with Sabapathy, a comedy he directed in 1941. Five years later, with Independence in the air, Meiyappan decided to make Nam Iruvar and include Bharati’s songs in it. In September 1946, Meiyappan purchased the rights for Bharati’s songs from Mehta for Rs 9,500 — the latter had paid a mere Rs 450 to Visvanathan. Nam Iruvar rode to success on Bharati songs — the legendary Carnatic musician, DK Pattammal, rendered the iconic Aaduvome pallu paduvome, ananda suthandiram adainthuvittom endru — and Meiyappan’s AVM Studios recognised the commercial value of Bharati.
That started another battle for the ownership of Bharati, a story that is told in detail by well-known social historian and Bharati scholar, AR Venkatachalapathy in his just-published monograph, Who Owns That Song?: The Battle for Subramania Bharati’s Copyright (Juggernaut).
Perfect match: Bharati with his wife Chellamma.
Venkatachalapathy sets this war for copyright involving businessmen, film industry persons, politicians and Bharati admirers against the background of the poet’s own struggle with his life and career, the failure of a public sphere to support a poet who was radical in every aspect and the centrality of Bharati to the making of the modern Tamil political culture.
When AVM invoked the copyright issue to disallow other filmmakers, notably, TK Shanmugam, a playwright associated with the freedom struggle, Periyar’s social justice initiatives and the communist party, from reproducing Bharati, a public debate began over who owns the poet, so far deemed to be of all Tamils. Venkatachalapathy recounts how Shanmugam, who responded to AVM’s legal challenge by turning “Who owns Bharati” into a political issue, posed it in emotional terms in a pamphlet, “Bharatikku viduthalai vendum” (Bharati needs to be liberated). “The nation has become free. But is there no freedom for Mahakavi Bharati?” he asked, while arguing that the Madras government should issue a proclamation that “Bharati’s poems and writings are the property of Tamil Nadu. No individual has any rights over it”.
Shanmugam enlisted a spectrum of influential people and even the late poet’s family to launch a public campaign for the socialisation of Bharati’s writings. A sympathetic state government obliged and left AVM with no choice but to agree to the government’s terms and conditions. In 1949, the deed was accomplished and six year later, the government released the entire right to the public with the only condition that while using the poems, the “public should stick to the authorised version and should not make a variation”. The authorised versions were published in various volumes, beginning with the poems in 1954 and concluding with the essays in 1963. As the poet had predicted, they sold like “kerosene and matchboxes”. Venkatachalapathy says that a definitive edition by Sakthi Karyalayam in 1957 sold 15,000 copies in a month.
Years have passed since the government “freed” Bharati. He is read in newer ways and every reader discovers her own Bharati in course. In fact, Bharati satisfies every seeker — the modernist sees in Bharati a writer who broke with old structures of language, ideas and poetic idioms; the progressives, from the followers of the Dravidian Movement; the ultra-Left see in him a writer who spoke for the oppressed and underprivileged; the religious-bended find solace in a literal reading of his spiritual poems, the nationalist celebrates the poet who spoke out for India’s emancipation and unity. His concepts of a composite nationalism, which weaves pride in mother tongue harmoniously with the idea of a pan-Indian nation, a secularism that is deeply rooted in spirituality while shorn of institutionalised religiosity and welcoming of all faiths, wait to be explored further.
However, the enduring magic of Bharati among Tamil speakers may have a lot to do with the musicality of his verses and his seemingly masculine but inherently romantic personality. Meiyappan, perhaps, was early to spot this when he grabbed the broadcast rights. The popular songs written during the freedom struggle had an anthemic quality. He could easily move from the country’s freedom to social and individual rights and leap to discuss the freedom of the soul. Popular poems like Viduthalai, where he exhorts people to build a casteless society, or Achchamillai, achchammillai, which is a call for man to think and act independently in the face of adversity (uchchi meedhu vaanidindhu veezhugindra podhinum/ achcham illai achcham illai achcham enbadhillaiyae — even when the skies are about set on the head, there shall be no fear), or the lilting melody, Odi vilayadu, pappa (Play around, child), these are easy to memorise and sing. As singer and scholar, TM Krishna, says: “Bharati’s poetry is naturally musical, it is of music and in music.”
This inherent musicality had endowed a rare quality to Bharati’s poetry, and his greatness is that he succeeded in not letting it subdue or overwhelm his intellectual self. Well-known writer Vaasanthi says his concerns were born out of great spiritual thought. “His language is simple, straight and touching. He didn’t sing to impress people. There is a sincerity in his poems that appeals to everyone,” she adds, calling him a gnana yogi.
Venkatachalapathy believes that considering Bharati’s social milieu, he would have been trained in music. Though little is known of whether he learned music, there is evidence to show that he was deeply knowledgeable of music. In fact, on many occasions Bharati himself ascribed the raga appropriate for a poem. Krishna, who like many contemporary Carnatic singers sings Bharati in his concerts, would not, however, consider him a vaggeyakara. “He definitely had an active engagement with Carnatic music — his essay Sangita Vishayam is brilliant — but I wouldn’t call him a composer. In the case of the ragas he suggested for his poems, I would say he was attributing a raga that he felt would suit that poem”.
In this together: Subramania Bharti with his wife, Chellamma, daughters Thangammal and Shakuntala, and, friends.
What is interesting is also that Bharati’s verses, which are a part of the Carnatic concert repertoire for decades now, are rarely chosen for raga exposition. Musicians, especially DK Pattammal, made it a habit to sing his popular nationalist songs at the heyday of the freedom movement and musicians like GN Balasubramaniam and his disciple, ML Vasanthakumari, included even songs with a romantic hue. But why is it that all these musicians prefer to sing him as short piece between major raga explorations? Krishna argues that the structure of Bharati’s poetry doesn’t allow itself for abstraction — doesn’t allow itself to be separated into syllabic patterns and sounds, which is necessary for a musician to explore a raga. So, while Bharati is melodic, his poems don’t allow musical abstraction. Yet, Krishna has composed Ethanaikodi inbam, a much-loved Bharati poem, in Dhanyasi ragam and sings it as a central piece.
While the MS-DKP generation, through songs in films, gramophone records and concerts, began the popularisation of Bharati, composers like L Vaidyanathan, MS Viswanathan and Ilayaraja adapted him to the western system preferred in film music. In fact, films like Ezhavathu Manithan and Varumayin Niram Sivappu are woven around the ideas and poems of Bharati. The trope of the idealistic young man, rooted in his language, unwilling to lose his soul for wealth and power, in many Tamil films is drawn from the character of Bharati.
An equally interesting musical interpretation of Bharati was started by music director MB Sreenivasan. MBS, as he is known, composed some of Bharati’s poems in what he calls the Indian choral music tradition (where he weaved Carnatic ragas and other elements with western categories like harmony) to stunning effect. Madras Youth Choir, which MBS set up in 1971, performs and propagates Bharati to this day. D Ramachandran, artistic director for Madras Youth Choir, says MBS was a Bharati bhakt. It started with MBS forming Bharati Isai Kuzhu (Bharati Music Group) and teaching students Bharati songs for a youth programme on AIR. Later, MBS set about 20 Bharati poems, including two prose poems, to music in this format. Ramachandran remembers how MBS set Mazhai (Rain) to music. Bharati had written this prose poem after witnessing a storm in Pondicherry, where he was living in exile. “When you hear that song, you realise every word standing out as a piece of music. Last year, we performed Mazhai in Washington before an invited audience and received a standing ovation,” says Ramachandran. MBS died in 1988, but the Madras Youth Choir, and its sister organisation MBS Youth Choir in Thiruvananthapuram, continues the work.
The musicality apart, Bharati’s deeply spiritual poetry allows a different version of secularism and nationalism and attracts attention. Poet Rudramurthy Cheran says Bharati articulated a non-Hindu centric inclusive nationalism, which had a multi-religious, muliti-lingual vision. “It may sound an oxymoron but his vision for Tamils was a free, equal and just society within the larger context of India. At times, his commitment to broader Indian nationalism seemed to dominate but, on other times, his commitment to an inclusive Tamil nationalism took over. So, we need to know the historical and political context of those moments. However, undoubtedly, he was a committed inclusive nationalist and wrote passionate songs about Allah, Jesus and the Buddha too.”
The deeply spiritual persona of Bharati has attracted many — short poems like Nirpathuve, nadapathuve (composed by Ilayaraja for the biopic, Bharati) and longer poems like Panchali Sapatham are cited as examples of the Vedantin in the poet. Krishna calls him “amazingly secular because he never rejected the spiritual”. That is why when he invokes the goddess and calls for social change, there is absolutely no conflict, he says. Perhaps, tomorrow’s Bharati will be this spiritual, secular Bharati who could see and sing of the Shakti, the soul-spirit, in every being and see Nanda lala (Krishna) in the crow’s wings and sense it in the fire.
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Despite the “humanitarian” justifications and pretext the imperialist interventions in Syria are not dictated by the freedom of the Syrians against their oppressing and exploiting regime of which France received with great pump and circumstance its leader in July 2008. Under the pretext of using sarin gas, the Western imperialists seek legitimation of their intervention. But the hundreds of deaths in the attack on August 21 in the suburbs of Damascus are no less acceptable than tens of thousands of victims of previous bombing with conventional weapons. It’s a hypocritical pretense that can not hide the reasons for interventions. The issue is who will control the country in the area, one of the major oil regions of the world.
Bringing down the Syrian regime is to isolate the Iranian regime in order to neutralize it. The Iranian bourgeoisie, by acquiring nuclear weapons upsets the regional balance of power, based on weapons, especially Israel’s nuclear arsenal. The struggle of the Syrian people, which rose up against their oppressors in the spring of 2011 has been instrumentalized since the summer of 2011, by the Arab reaction, the Zionists and the Western imperialists who wanted to use it to overthrow Assad at low cost. A low cost to them, but paid for in blood, misery and sacrifice of the Syrians, who were encouraged to engage in a confrontation they no longer mastered.
The Syrian people, as well as the Palestinian and Lebanese people have fallen victim of a conflict between two imperialist and reactionary alliances. In one corner the Western imperialists, Turkey, Israel, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, whom can hardly be described as defenders of democracy and peoples’ rights. In the other the coalition of imperialist Russia, Mullah Iranian reactionaries and their regional allies who support Assad. French imperialism, warmongering for over a year, believed like the other imperialists, it could bring down the regime by supporting militarily, financially and politically the FSA and other armed groups, without the need for direct intervention.
They failed. The regime has not fallen and does not yield to verbal threats of sanction, convinced of a certain degree of domestic support and military and political support of Russia as well as Iran and its allies. Today, despite their threats of intervention, the Western imperialists are reluctant to take direct military action for fear of the political cost and the risk of regional destabilization which the sudden fall of the regime entails as they learned from the experience in Libya. Despite their fears they started a logic of confrontation which they do not control. Beyond regional interests, what is at stake now for the U.S., and to a lesser extent for France, is their ability to remain the dominant powers, feared and respected by their competitors. If Assad does not yield an intervention, despite the risks it entails, will be inevitable.
Their capitulation to the Syrian regime and its imperialist allies would be an admission of weakness and encouragement for their Russian and Chinese competitors. This is a much bigger risk to them. Imperialism carries the war, as the storm carries lightning. As communists in an imperialist country such as France, we are working to defeat it in his military enterprises. As communist internationalists, we work with all peoples of the world and their revolutionary organizations to overthrow the imperialists and their reactionary, bourgeois henchmen in all countries. Our revolutionary defeatism is in no way support the Syrian bourgeoisie.
– Let’s oppose any direct or indirect French and Western imperialist intervention in Syria.
– Let’s denounce the false pretenses of our bourgeoisie.
– No to national unity, UMP and PS, warmognerers, defenders of French imperialism ;
– Internationalist solidarity with the peoples in struggle for the overthrow of the Western or other imperialists and their reactionary allies. For national independence and social liberation.
OCML-VP | {
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Let alone India’s first cotton mill, first steel plant and first institute for fundamental research in science, we have Parsi Theatre to thank for the musical routines of Bollywood!
Promotion
In the last few years, the world has been grappling with the refugee crisis. The innovations in technology has made the whole experience of witnessing a crisis very visceral and we hadn’t encountered a crisis of this scale since World War II.
However, it is undeniable that human history is centred around victories and conquering lands. And the present may not be too different — people losing lives or being displaced from their homelands.
In India, the distinct Parsi Community might now be part of the colourful fabric of minorities stitched together, but they were once refugees too, who much like today’s Syrians, fled their homeland on boats and ships. After the fall of the Sassanian Empire (which had endorsed Zoroastrianism as the state religion) in Iran in 642 CE to Arab Muslims, a group of Zoroastrians sought refuge from religious persecution in the western shores of India.
This Zoroastrian group, which sailed from the Pars region of Iran to today’s Gujarat, is known as Parsis.
According to Qissa-i-Sanjan (Story of Sanjan), a 16th century lore on the life of the early Zoroastrian settlers in India, when the refugees first arrived on the shores of Sanjan, they were presented with a full glass of milk by the local ruler Jadi Rana. It was a metaphor conveying the message that there was no space for the newcomers. It was then that the Zoroastrians responded by adding a spoonful of sugar to the milk, demonstrating that they would be ‘like sugar in a full cup of milk, adding sweetness but not causing it to overflow’.
They were allowed to live and follow their religion after agreeing to a few of Jadi Rana’s conditions: they would explain their religion to him, they would learn the local language, the women would wear sarees and they would conduct weddings after sunset. This “selective assimilation”, as termed by Harvard Pluralism Project, is what led to the distinctiveness of Parsis from their Zoroastrian counterparts who stayed back in Iran.
You may also like: An Indian Designer Has Developed a Unique Shelter for Refugees Worldwide
These remaining Zoroastrians started arriving on the familiar shores of Western India during the 19th century, and are today known as Iranis. To reiterate, they too are Zoroastrians like the Parsis, but are culturally, socially and linguistically distinctive from them.
Promotion
The qissa of Zoroastrians demonstrate mainly two things: The Indian subcontinent always opened its doors to people from the world and religions survive only when they adapt to the demands of the epoch. Religion, much like any cultural practice, must always be open to change, if it has to survive. However, that does not mean you have to give up your own culture and identity. The ‘selective assimilation’ of the Parsis exhibited integration into a host country while holding on to the distinctiveness.
Though the Zoroastrian community seems to take the Story of Sajan lore at face value, there have been numerous debates regarding the authenticity of its content since it has been written based on oral tradition, centuries after their arrival. However, the lore is important in understanding how Parsis themselves saw their arrival and settlement in a foreign land.
Nevertheless, it is indisputable that both distinct groups of Zoroastrians who arrived at two different moments in history of India were never turned back. Today, the community, though very small and living amid the fear of dwindling numbers, has a special place. This is the community that gave us freedom fighters like Dadabhai Naoroji and Bhikaiji Cama, a visionary like Jamsetji Tata, nuclear physicist like Homi J Bhabha, and advocates like Fali Nariman. In fact, despite representing less than 0.6% of the Indian population, Parsis have helmed all three defence wings of the Indian Armed Forces. Let alone India’s first cotton mill, first steel plant and first institute for fundamental research in science, we even have Parsi Theatre to thank for the musical routines of Bollywood!
All these achievements could be included in the pages of Indian history because a local ruler of Gujarat did not close his doors to a shipload of refugees, but welcomed them home.
The nation-state of India has a different story to tell. We haven’t been a signatory to 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention nor its 1967 Protocol. Though the reason for this is not known publicly, it is speculated that since the borders of South Asia are extremely porous, any small disturbance can upset the demographics and infrastructure of a nation that is indeed poor by global standards. Yet, despite being a non-signatory, India has been hosting refugees from Tibet to Sri Lanka.
However, it is important to note that global refugee crisis has its roots in the apparatus of nation-state and colonial era borders, whose continued relevance is exacerbating the situation. It is essential to remember that borders are man-made. The least one can do is offer compassion to refugees instead of contempt. After all, refugees of today are citizens of tomorrow.
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#9 – https://lockerdome.com/ – sample page
#10 – https://www.referralkey.com/ – sample page
#11 – http://www.pearltrees.com/ – sample page
#12 – http://myspace.com/ – click stream on left sidebar and paste your url – sample post
#13 – http://www.stumbleupon.com/ – sample post
#14 – https://slashdot.org/ – sample page
#15 – http://www.plurk.com/ – sample page
#16 – http://reddit.com/ – sample post
#17 – http://del.icio.us/ – sample page
#18 – http://vizualize.me/ – after register and creating your profiles, click Topics on left sidebar and create your topic’s page – sample page
#19 – http://www.bagtheweb.com/ – sample page
#20 – http://bundlr.com/ – sample page
#21 – https://vk.com/ – sample page
#22 – https://flipboard.com/ – sample page
#23 – https://www.xing.com/
#24 – https://www.diigo.com/ – sample page
#25 – http://www.kiwibox.com/ – sample post
#26 – http://www.bookmarkingbase.com/ – sample post
#27 – http://www.apsense.com/
#28 – http://linkis.com/ – sample post
#29 – http://www.aol.com/ – sample page
#30 – https://getpocket.com/ – sample page
#31 – http://archive.is/ – sample page
#32 – http://list.ly/ – sample page
#33 – https://www.tumblr.com/ – sample post
#34 – https://pages.rediff.com/ – sample page
#35 – http://ask.fm/ – sample page
#36 – http://www.purevolume.com/ – sample page
#37 – https://angel.co/ – sample page
#38 – https://www.evernote.com/ – sample page
#39 – https://500px.com/ – sample page
Social Bookmarking Sites with Low metrics, better for Tier-2 in link building
http://1look4.com/
http://www.mettablog.com/
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http://www.gata.biz/
http://www.a1socialmediaandpressrelease.com/
http://dofollow.freeorg.in/
http://utoms.org/
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http://print3dexpert.com/
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http://www.bookmarkson.com/
http://www.mediaextern.com/
http://myappdiction.com/
http://b.fitnessinsightsblog.com/
http://www.nysmlo.com/
http://immensewise.com/
http://bookmarkingseo.com/
http://www.balboafeet.com/
http://bandit24.xyz/
http://www.binodon.net/
http://www.uniquearticle-wizard.com/
http://www.yuvarlakyer.com/
http://banklive.ir/
http://cultship.org/story/23628/
http://bookmarkscity.com/
http://seobacklinkhome.com/
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http://www.websitebookmarks.com/
http://bookmarks.ertandonmez.com.tr/
http://www.braillepda.com/
http://snurotc.org/
http://ciconf-2014.org/
http://www.westmiedtech.com/
http://cifcot3.org/
http://www.vucpraha.com/
http://spring168.com/
http://avasaglobal.com/
Thank you, hopefully useful.
Don’t forget to leave your comment. | {
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have as many kids as you want the government will help you pay for them
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Check out our new site Makeup Addiction
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Jingle Bells, Jingle Be... IT'S NOVEMBER | {
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The Denver Broncos showed how large a gap there is between the conferences in the NFL when they were unable to compete with the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl back in February. I know mentioning the Seahawks in any sort of a positive way is usually cause for uproar amongst San Francisco 49ers fans, but we have a more pressing matter. The folks over at Milehighreport.com, and more specifically @Bronco_Mike251, seem to think that the Broncos would have won the Super Bowl had they played the 49ers instead of the Seahawks. Don't worry, I'll wait while you finish chuckling, scratching your head, and wondering if they are delusional, partaking in the newly legalized party favors in Denver, or some odd combination of the two.
Now, the Broncos had a great regular season and Peyton Manning had one of the best seasons as a quarterback in the history of the NFL. The Broncos were the number one seed in the AFC and held their own until that fateful Sunday evening at The Meadowlands. But to say the 49ers would have lost to the Broncos...let's be realistic.
Mile High Report asks some very good questions, I will give my answers in a Maxim type interview response:
MHR: How would a SF front 7 sans NoVorro Bowman bottled up a decent Broncos running attack let alone managed to cover Wes Welker and Julius Thomas over the middle?
TJN (TheJasonNeal): Well, first of all, it's NaVorro Bowman...second of all, this sentence is all sorts of wrong: wrong tense, wrong verbiage...ugh. That being said, the Bowman loss would have absolutely hurt the 49ers defense, but if there is one position the 49ers are deep enough to cover the loss of a player, it is linebacker. That is not to say there wouldn't be a drop in productivity, but stopping Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball, I mean, seriously!? Covering Welker and Thomas would have been a challenge, especially watching good tight ends beat Patrick Willis a few times, but I have all the faith in the world that Vic Fangio would have been able to design coverages to make this work in the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.
MHR: How would an inferior pass rush (in comparison to Seattle) fare against our OL?
TJN: Well, being that the 49ers arguably have a better pass rush than Seattle, they would fare just fine. With Justin and Aldon Smith being as healthy as they could be and the 49ers defense being incredibly productive as a whole, the front seven of the 49ers would have had a field day in New York.
MHR: How would rookie FS Eric Reid be manipulated by Peyton Manning?
TJN: Probably the same way that he was manipulated by Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers (twice), and so on. In other words, not very well. The 49ers secondary took a big step forward from their poor showing in 2012 and Reid was a big part of that. The safety duo of Reid and SS Donte Whitner was incredibly productive and Reid played well beyond his years. He never truly looked like a rookie safety, wasn't caught making a lot of mistakes, and played against some quality quarterbacks in his first season as a pro.
MHR: How does it feel to be the only Harbaugh brother in the family without a Super Bowl ring?
TJN: 55-10.
MHR: Do you have to take out the trash at family gatherings throughout the year having lost the Super Bowl to your brother?
TJN: Clearly Bronco Mike is trying to make himself feel better by deflecting the angst and despair he feels since the Broncos could not take care of business. I mean, why else write an article that basically says, "Well, we may not have beaten the champs, but we could have beaten the other team that had a chance at playing us!!!!" Does that make you feel better, Mike? Did it feel good to get that off your chest?
Let me leave you with these final thoughts, Niners fans. The 49ers had a 10 point lead (that is two more points than the Broncos scored in the entire Super Bowl) on Seattle...in Seattle. They made the entire football watching world forget that the game was being played in Seattle. Colin Kaepernick played arguably the worst quarter of football in his NFL career during the fourth quarter of that game, and yet was still able to move the ball down field against the vaunted Seahawks defense and came within six inches of completing a game-winning touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree. The 49ers also beat Seattle in San Francisco earlier in the year with Frank Gore (click this link for the video!) rumbling, stumbling, and bumbling for a 51-yard gain before collapsing in bounds to keep the clock running and setting Phil Dawson up to kick the game winning field goal.
So, would the Broncos have gotten the best of the 49ers and hoisted their third Lombardi Trophy? It's doubtful. The 49ers would have reminded the people over at Mile High Report that the Broncos had lost five defensive starters on the season, used signal calls that were easy to figure out, and would not have had an answer for a game-changing quarterback like Kaepernick with all of his weapons healthy. Don't worry, Broncos fans, at least your team president has a couple of rings for you to admire. | {
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Photo: Horacio Salinas
Any righteous cannabisalista knows the timeline, the grand saga of humanity’s interface with the vegetable mind of the planet. Back in 8000 B.C., before Genesis in Sarah Palin’s book, the sentient were weaving hemp plant into loincloths. The Chinese had it in their pharmacopoeia by 2700 B.C. The Founding Fathers used pot processed into paper stock to write a draft of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which made sense, since Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, along with their slaves, of course, had been raising the crop for decades. There are other, darker dates, too, like June 14, 1937, when Congress, four years after repealing alcohol prohibition, passed the “Marihuana Tax Act,” which essentially outlawed the use of “all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L.,” including the “growing,” “the seeds thereof,” and “the resin extracted from any part of such plant.”
As far as yours truly is concerned, however, the most important date in pot history took place on a chilly early-December night shortly after the Great Blackout of 1965, when, seated on the pitcher’s mound of a frost-covered baseball diamond in Alley Pond Park, Queens, I first got high on the stuff. That means I’ve been a pothead for going on 44 years now, or approximately 72.1 percent of my current life. Should I live to be 100, that percentage will increase to 83 percent, since, as Fats Waller implied when he sang “If You’re a Viper,” you’re always a viper.
I mention this so you know where I’m coming from, but even if I once knew a guy who claimed to have been the dealer to several members of the Knickerbocker championship teams, I make no claim to being a weed savant. For me, grass is simply the right tool for the job, a semi-reliable skeleton key to the such-as-it-is creative, an enabler of brainwork. Outside of continuing to smoke it, sometimes every day, sometimes not for months, or years, I pretty much stopped thinking about marijuana as a cosmologic/shamanic/political entity around 1980, that insufficiently repressed beginning of the somnambulant Reagan time tunnel, when grass came with seeds and stems and zombies still skulked Washington Square Park reciting their “loose joints” mantra: “Smoke, smoke … try before buy, never die … smoke, smoke … ”
Back then, despite the occasional shouting in the street and polite libertarian proselytizing by William F. Buckley on Firing Line, there was not much thought that pot would ever be legal. Illegality was key to its ethos, central to the outlaw romance. All over the U.S. of A., people were tanking up, driving drunk, killing themselves and others, and still those hot Coors girls were on the TV selling beer at halftime. The whole country was strung out on Prozac. But get caught smoking a joint while reading a Thomas Merton book in the park and it was the Big House for you. What could be more emblematic of the rapaciousness of the culture? That’s how it was until … maybe now.
Could it be that, at long last, the Great Pot Moment is upon us?
The planets are aligning. First and foremost is the recession; there’s nothing like a little cash-flow problem to make societies reconsider supposed core values. The balance sheet couldn’t be clearer. We have the so-called War on Drugs, the yawning money pit that used to send its mirror-shade warriors to far-flung corners of the globe, like the Golden Triangle of Burma and the Colombian Amazon, where they’d confront evil kingpins. Now, after 40 years, the front lines have moved to the streets of Juárez, where stray bullets can easily pick off old ladies in the Wal-Mart parking in El Paso, Texas, even as Mexico itself has decriminalized pot possession as well as a devil’s medicine cabinet of other drugs. At the current $40 billion per annum, even General Westmoreland would have trouble calling this progress.
Compare that with the phantasmagoria currently going on in California, where the legal medical-marijuana dispensaries ask only a driver’s license and a medical letter attesting to some vague ailment—insomnia will do—to begin running a tab at a state-sanctioned, 31-flavor dispensary. Somehow, even with many medical-marijuana outfits advertising “validated parking” and “happy-hour specials,” Western civilization as we know it has not tumbled into the sea. In November 2010, initiatives are expected to be on the California ballot to “tax and regulate” (i.e., legalize) marijuana altogether. Taxing the state’s estimated annual 8.6 million–pound, $14 billion pot crop (more than any amber wave of grain, high-fructose corn syrup included) could bring as much as $3 billion to $4 billion in revenue, enough to buy a couple of B-2 bombers or, failing that, keep a few libraries open an hour more a day.
Photo: Horacio Salinas
Pot hasn’t been the preserve of the Birkenstock wearer for years. At least the last three American presidents have been tokers, and you know Bush inhaled, for all the good it did the rest of us. Obama will no doubt tread lightly with the health-care loonies on his neck, not to mention the conservative black clergy he doesn’t want to alienate, but he’s already presided over curtailing federal busts of medical-marijuana dealers who are in compliance with state laws. A lively blogosphere debate ensued over whether Obama could really afford to expend any of his political capital on a bud-in-every-bong policy, as the legalize-it forces were hoping. But the move confirmed officially what many had long known. Pot smoking simply does not carry the stigma it once did, even in the straightest society.
As it turns out, not all those bong-using college students gave up the stuff when they graduated. The other day, I was scanning Andrew Sullivan’s blog, reading posts from salarymen, think-tankers, and Big Board watchers, baring their souls over their continued pot use, long after they were supposed to have put aside such childish things and switched to single-malt scotch. The drug of the counterculture now belongs to a hitherto unglimpsed silent majority, one that knows how to get things done, even legislatively.
The real engine of this is the pot itself. In the old days, there were two basic varieties of grass, the shit that got you fucked up and the shit that didn’t. But now, as is known to any stoner not still searching the skies for that last DC-3 full of Panama Red, pot has been gourmandized. You got your indicas, your sativas, your indoor-grown, outdoor-grown, your feminized, your Kushes, your Hazes, with a new, horticulturally hot number rolling down the gene-spliced pike every day. Historically speaking, a good deal of this flowering comes courtesy of our friendly drug warriors over at the DEA, whose G-man interdiction/kill-at-the-source policy did much to wipe out (anyone remember Jimmy Carter’s paraquat crop-dusters?) international shipments, thereby mobilizing ex-Berkeley botany majors and other supposedly lazy Mendocino/Humboldt County hippies to grow their own.
Beyond this is a budding secondary market. With upmarket pot prices holding at $60 to $70 for an eighth of an ounce, what high-end toker can be satisfied with an intake system based on a 75-cent pack of Zig-Zag when, for a mere $600, you can have a sleekly designed ashless Volcano “vaporizer” to place next to the Bialetti cappuccino-maker? For those about to be drug-tested, there is the Whizzinator, a strap-on extra prick containing “clean” body-temperature piss that you deftly whip out any time your employer/coach/drug counselor hands you a plastic cup. All of this is available in the Internet’s seemingly infinite gray market, where grass-centric URLs offer capsule commentary on the myriad pot strains, including breeding-lineage descriptions right out of the Racing Form (e.g., “Blueberry strain—blue haze X Aussie Duck, from Azura and award-winning Jack Herrer”), date and place of incept, maturation times, buzz properties, etc.
On a recent sweltering afternoon, in lieu of downloading a few seasons of Weeds, I made my way to a top-secret mid-Manhattan location for a little remedial “tasting” administered by the esteemed senior cultivation editor of High Times magazine, known by the nom de guerre Danny Danko. Along with a mini-minyan of like-minded devotees, we hovered over a small but mighty collection of strains: the Chem Dog, the Purps (so named for its red-blue neonish hue), and an assortment of Kush (OG and Bubba) from medical-marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles and the city by the Bay now referred to as Oaksterdam.
While preparing the samples, Danny Danko, 37, a self-confessed “pot nerd” with a seemingly bottomless capacity for THC ingestion, explained his ethic. A green thumb is not enough to assure the creation of meaningful marijuana, Danko said. “Just because you can grow a tomato that might win a prize at the 4-H club, or a summer squash that’ll knock the socks off the Iron Chef, doesn’t mean you can grow good weed. Give two growers the same seeds and the same conditions, and you can get two completely different qualities of pot. There’s nutrients and care, but there’s an intuitive factor, too—a deep understanding of the physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of cannabis. This isn’t a geranium, it is an art, an act of alchemy.”
We started out on the Purps but soon hit the harder stuff. With the lexicon of winespeak now lapping over into pot punditry, kindgreenbuds.com describes the Purps as possessing “hints of buttery caramel coffee and woodsy floral pine.” Couldn’t say I understood all that from a couple of hits, but the Purps, a spicy little thing, did provide a gleeful cheap amusement-park high not unlike chubby Orson Welles’s tumbling down the fun-house chute in The Lady From Shanghai.
Photo: Horacio Salinas
This playland was soon bulldozed by the Kush. An ancient indica strain supposedly dating back to the Hindu Kush, where the stubby plant is used mostly to make hashish, the Kush in its multi-variegations has long been the rage among suburban and ghetto youth who gravitate toward the strain’s stinky olfactory properties and Romilar-esque “couch-lock” stone.
It was here that I learned something about pot, then and now. Prime in the canon of present-day prohibitionists is the claim that today’s pot is so much stronger that it bears no relation to the stuff nostalgic baby-boom parents might have smoked. The message: Forget your personal experience, the devil weed currently being peddled to your children is a study-habit-destroying beast of a wholly other stripe. No doubt, there is merit to this argument (after decades of some of the most obsessive R&D on the planet, you wouldn’t think the pot would be weaker), but I couldn’t fully buy it. This was because the fancy weed I was smoking, and paying twenty times as much for, wasn’t getting me more smashed, at least not in the way I wanted to be.
“I hear this a lot, because back then, you were probably smoking sativas imported from Jamaica, Vietnam, and Mexico,” Danko informed me. Sativas imparted “a head high,” as opposed to the largely “body high” of indicas. The problem with this, he went on, was that tropical sativas, being a large (some as high as fourteen feet!) and difficult plant to grow (the Kush has bigger yields and a shorter flowering time), especially under surreptitious conditions, were rare in today’s market. My lament was a common one among older heads, Danko said, adding that “the good sativa is the grail of the modern smoker.”
Luckily, following the various Kushes, I was able to cleanse the mind-body palate with the mighty Chem Dog, a notable indica-sativa hybrid, reputedly first grown by a lapsed military man—the Chemdog—who came into the possession of a number of seeds following a 1991 Grateful Dead concert.
It was after some moments of communing with this puissant plant life that I was in the proper state to confront the conundrum of the day, i.e., “The Existential State of Weed in Its Various Manifestations in the Five-Borough Area of New York City, circa 2009.”
Race has always been the driving wheel of reefer madness.
And what a woolly hairball of contradiction it is!
There is all of the above, the whole Mendelian cornucopia of the New Pot with its dizzying array of botanical choice and intake gizmos. Yet the cold, hard fact is, New York City, which first banned pot in 1914 under the Board of Health “Sanitary Code” (the Times story of the day described cannabis as having “practically the same effect as morphine and cocaine”), has always been a backwater when it comes to reefer.
The Big Apple viper may gain some small comfort from the fact that getting stoned in California usually leads to being surrounded by stoned Californians, but this does little to mitigate the envy. Here, in the alleged intellectual capital of the world, where we have no medical marijuana (even borderline-red states like Nevada and Colorado do), at the end of the day, you know you’re going to be calling that same old delivery service that comes an hour late and won’t do walk-ups above the third floor.
In this day and age, nearly 30 years after the AMA began flirting with decriminalizing marijuana, you might think New York City marijuana-possession arrests would be in deep decline. You might even figure that Charlie Rangel, the four-decade congressman from Harlem and longtime leader of the Select Committee on Narcotics, had his finger on the pulse when he told a House subcommittee that “I don’t remember the last time anyone was arrested in the city of New York for marijuana.”
Uh … wrong!
The fact is, New York City is the marijuana-arrest capital of the country and maybe the world. Since 1997, according to statistics complied by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, 430,000 people age 16 and older have been pinched in the city for possession of marijuana, often for quantities as little as a joint, a reign of “broken window” terror-policing that kicked off in the nasty Giuliani years and has only escalated under Bloomberg and Ray Kelly. More than 40,000 were busted last year, and at least another 40,000, or more than the entire population of Elmira, will be busted this year. Somehow, it comes as no shell-shocker that, again according to the state figures, more than 80 percent of those arrested on pot charges are either black or Hispanic.
From the days of Harry Anslinger—who, as the more or less permanent head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (J. Edgar Hoover–like, he served for 32 years, appointed by the Hoover, FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy administrations), raved about how most pot smokers were “Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers” whose “Satanic music, jazz and swing” was driving white women into a sexual frenzy—race has always been the driving wheel of reefer madness. It was no fun to find this dynamic still at work in the beloved hometown.
Photo: Horacio Salinas
But there they were, down in night court at 100 Centre Street, one marijuana arrestee of color after another, standing before the judge to have their class-B misdemeanor possession case heard.
Legal Aid lawyers defend most of these people. Said one lawyer, “The cops have their areas of concentration when it comes to these violations. Sometimes we’ll get a lot of arrests for so-called trespassing, which often means a person was caught hanging out in front of a project; it doesn’t matter if they live right across the street. But marijuana is very constant, a hardy perennial, you might say, rolling in regularly like the tide. The amounts are almost always tiny, which shows that for all the talk about going after the big guys, cops are mostly arresting low-end users. A lot of people say they were nabbed only minutes after they got the stuff, so it seems as if the cops are just sitting on known spots and busting whoever comes out. Most arrestees will receive an ACD, or ‘adjournment contemplating dismissal,’ a kind of probation. It is rare, but repeaters could get time. At the very least, it messes up your night riding around handcuffed in a paddy wagon.”
Harry Levine, a Queens College sociology professor who has been compiling marijuana arrest figures for years, says, “The cops prefer pot busts. They’re easy, because the people are almost never violent and, as opposed to drunks, hardly ever throw up in the car. Some of this has to do with the reduction in crime over the years. Pot arrests are great for keeping the quota numbers up. These kind of arrests toss people into the system, get their fingerprints on file. The bias of these arrests is in the statistics.”
The NYPD (good luck on getting the Public Information department to respond to your phone calls or e-mails on this particular topic) belittles these charges, saying the arrest stats are “absurdly inflated.”
The kicker in this is the apparently almost unknown fact that possession of 25 grams, or seven-eighths of an ounce—much more than the few joints that are getting people arrested—is not a crime in New York State and has not been since the passage of the Marijuana Reform Act of 1977, or 32 years ago. (Right here add sound of potheads slapping their foreheads, like, how come they didn’t know that?) There are exceptions, however. If the pot is “burning or open to public view,” then the 25-gram deal is off. It is this provision that has been the basis for the arrest outbreak, many civil libertarians contend.
The scenario of what happens on the street, as told to me by several arrestees, is remarkably similar. It goes like this: You’re black, or Spanish, or some white-boy fellow traveler with a cockeyed Bulls cap and falling-down pants. The cops come up to you, usually while you’re in a car, and ask you if you’re doing anything you shouldn’t. You say, “No, officer,” and they say, “You don’t have anything in your pocket you’re not supposed to have, do you, because if you do and I find it, it’ll be a lot worse for you.” It is at that point, because you are young, nervous, possibly simple, and ignorant of the law, you might comply and take the joint you’d been saving out of your pocket. Then, zam: Suddenly, your protection under the Marijuana Reform Act vanishes because the weed is now in “public view.” The handcuffs, the paddy wagon, and the aforementioned court date soon follow.
Now that he is ahead of Rudy’s numbers, Mike Bloomberg, who once famously answered a question from this magazine about his pot use by saying “you bet I did, and I enjoyed it,” has presided over more marijuana busts than any mayor anywhere. This could be compared with the record of another New York City mayor, Fiorello La Guardia, who, in response to the 1937 federal ban on pot, requested a report by the New York Academy of Medicine, which concluded that, contrary to Harry Anslinger’s claim that pot was an “assassin of youth,” marijuana was not medically addictive; not under the control of a single organized group; did not lead to morphine, heroin, or cocaine addiction; and was not the determining factor in the commission of major crimes, and that “publicity concerning the catastrophic effects of marihuana smoking in New York is unfounded.”
Once upon a mid-seventies time, the Yippies, then fronted by downtown immortals Dana Beal and the garbologist A. J. Weberman, staged a pot-legalization march up Fifth Avenue that ended in a rally at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. The big attraction was a giant glass jar filled with joints; anyone picking the number of reefers in the jar would win it. The winner, some shambling longhair troglodyte, broke open the jar and threw the joints into the crowd, prompting a crush toward the stage. Alarmed, Weberman took the microphone and started screaming, “It is only crappy Mexican! Don’t kill yourself for crappy Mexican!”
“Ah, the good old days,” says Richard Gottfried, sitting in his state-assemblyman office on lower Broadway. Gottfried, who was a 23-year-old Columbia Law student when he was first elected as assemblyman from Manhattan’s West Side in 1970 (he’s been there ever since), is the author of the 1977 Reform Act. Hearing what people were saying about alleged police use of the “public view” phrase of the law, Gottfried rubbed at his still red-flecked professorial beard and said, “Why, if these searches are being conducted in this way … that would be a textbook example of entrapment, wouldn’t it?” He seemed shocked, absolutely shocked, that such practices were going on right here in New York City.
In 1997, Gottfried, a largely unsung hero of sane drug policy, wrote New York State’s first medical-marijuana legislation. “It stayed in committee a while,” says Gottfried. “With things like this, politicians tend to be very, very timid.” Nonetheless, Gottfried is confident medical marijuana is on the immediate horizon. It was passed by the Assembly in 2007, and Gottfried says it would have gotten through the Senate this past spring “if June 8th hadn’t happened.”
“Strange as it sounds, I think this is one issue that might actually be nonideological,” says Gottfried. “During the floor debate, these legislators, liberal and conservative, were almost in tears as they told their personal stories about how they and their loved ones had been helped by marijuana, how it brought relief from chronic pain, how it aided family members in last days of terminal diseases. It was quite moving.”
This doesn’t mean we should expect Californication 2 here, Gottfried says. “Medical-marijuana laws differ radically from state to state. There’s California and everywhere else.” In Maryland, you can’t be jailed for medical marijuana, but there’s no provision for obtaining it, which leaves elderly M.S. sufferers in the bizarre situation of having to potentially go out and score like a randy teenager. The New York version of the law will be “modest,” Gottfried says. As opposed to the “doctor’s letter” mills in Cali, permissions will be very carefully monitored, with legal possession limited to two and a half ounces. “The penalties for violating the medical-marijuana laws will be stiffer than regular possession,” Gottfried says.
What really mattered was that my kids understood that just because I used it didn’t mean they should.
If this was the best that could be done at this time, so be it. But why not simply be aboveboard about it? How many medical-marijuana patients are there really, at least compared with those who use the stuff for mental and emotional well-being, not to mention flat-out potheads?
You’re talking about recreational users?” Gottfried asked. “You’re talking about tax-and-regulate legalization?”
“Well … yeah. How do you feel about that?”
Gottfried smiled. “If marijuana had a similar status to liquor in this country, a locally controlled system of distribution, the way some states allow booze in the supermarket and some states are dry—I wouldn’t have a problem with that.” But I shouldn’t hold my breath, the assemblyman said. “We are in a period of transition. It could be a long transition.”
“I’m functioning in the shadow of something that is bound to change, except no one knows when or how,” says Francis R., who has been in the pot-delivery business for almost twenty years.
Mostly a painter “with some music thrown in,” Francis started off as a “runner” for a large Manhattan delivery service during the late eighties, in the wake of the massive drug sweeps like “Operation Pressure Point” that successfully ended the hard-drug street scene in many parts of New York. A gentrifying city had no place for such violence-prone local color. The delivery services, like the bar-based cocaine trade and the banishment of prostitutes from street corners and into “escort services,” where everything is done quietly and by appointment, proved to be a pragmatic compromise between law enforcement, human nature, and the need to keep the nightlife industry going.
In business for himself since shortly after 9/11, Francis has about 180 clients, of which 50 or so are “regular reorderers.” Employing an easy-to-park 250-cc. Japanese bike, Francis works “like 35 to 40 hours six days a week,” starting at around one in the afternoon. For this, he clears an average of about $150,000 a year, or about $1,000 “retail” on a crappy day and up to three grand on “a great day.”
Up until about 2004, Francis got much of his supply from Canada. “It was mostly indicas trucked across the country from Vancouver, then across the St. Lawrence Seaway, or Lake Erie. The first time I did this, I couldn’t believe it. It is totally dark, you couldn’t see ten feet. Then out of fog come these Indians … Indians, in canoes, paddling, like right out of the fucking Last of the Mohicans, bringing in the weed.” Eventually, however, the connection dried up. Some busts were made, but mostly the quality decreased.
Now everything Francis sells is from California. He recently made one of his regular trips to Mendocino County. “I had $25,000 in my suitcase, and some friends tell me to drive up toward Ukiah, to the Million Dollar Corner, which is called that because like a million dollars is changing hands there in pot sales like every other day. High as an elephant’s eye, dude.”
I took a pinch of Francis’s new stuff to Danny Danko’s “tasting,” as sort of a blindfold test to see if the experts would be able to identify the strain. This got kind of funny, these half-dozen pot gourmets investigating the inch-and-a-half-high bud, smoking it, poking it, checking out its tricombs under a magnifying glass like a no-shit Sherlock Holmes CSI team. Someone thought it was a clone of the original Skunk No. 1, others were certain it was in the Sour Diesel family. One gentleman, who referred to himself as a “pot snob,” put Francis’s high-priced spread down after a few tokes, declaring it “standard product … nothing to write home about.” He based this opinion primarily on the extreme “tightness” of the bud structure, which he characterized as “your typical ass pellet.” This was a sign of “insufficient curing,” the pot snob said, a giveaway that someone had rushed the crop. He also objected to the blackness of the ash and the fact that it had taken three match strokes to get the smoke going.
Francis was much put out by this assessment. “Everyone’s a fucking critic,” he protested, defending his weed. “Got you stoned, didn’t it?”
Francis said the cops weren’t all that much of a factor. “For the most part, I walk through the town unopposed.” But what about the busts?
“What busts?”
I showed Francis a copy of the New York State marijuana-arrest stats. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t know a soul who had been pinched. He was not, however, surprised by the ethnic breakdown. “I hate to say it, but there’s no way I’m hiring a black guy to work for me. The chances of a black guy getting stopped is about 50 times more than a white guy. I can’t afford that. Fact is, pot is legal for white people but not for black people, which is total bullshit.”
Francis spends “a lot of time” thinking about legalization. “It is coming, not tomorrow or the next day, but it is coming,” he says. This is the general opinion among his colleagues, Francis says. “I’ve heard of guys buying liquor licenses, you know, to stay on the inebriation side of things.
“Can’t say I don’t have mixed feelings about it,” Francis went on. “I like this job. It’s served me well. Everyone is happy to see me when I come around. Can’t say that for a dentist. Still, it’ll be a great day if they legalize it. Because pot should be legal. You know what would really bother me, though? If gangster corporations like Philip Morris or Seagram’s got a big piece of the action. That would really chap my ass. Because, basically, with a couple scumbags here and there, this is an honorable business, a little-guy business. It should stay that way.”
Then Francis, being a swell fellow, told me he happened to have run across “a little something” just the other night, something sweet.
“You got sativa?”
Francis shook his head. “October … maybe late September. Maybe. But this Dog ain’t no bad dog.” He’d let it go for like maybe a nickel off, because I was putting him in a magazine article.
So I went down the road, to the F train, thinking about how I’d never drawn a legal puff of marijuana in my life. The scenic overlook of the paradigm shift shimmied before my eyes. I could already see the YouTubes of the near future, the debates raging over government versus corporate private-sector control, when every right-minded left-libertarian pothead knows either would be a disaster, a slo-mo shakedown to the Big Bud-weiser versus earnest microbrewers. No, it wasn’t going to be a total picnic when legalization came and people started scoring inside 7-Elevens instead of behind them.
And there was another issue. I’m not one of those potheads who wax on about the first time they got stoned with their kids. Sounds like a landmine from every angle. I mean, why make some moron hippie ceremony out of it? They knew I smoked, I knew they smoked, unless it was some burglar who stole my stash that night. Still, it is a crossroads, when you smell the smoke coming from their room. You feel obligated to tell both sides, even the D.A.R.E. side, citing all sorts of facts and figures, including how, according to a 2008 Australian study, men who smoked at least five joints a day for twenty years had smaller hippocampuses and amygdalas than nonusers. What really mattered was that kids understood pot wasn’t for everyone, that just because I used it didn’t mean they should. Young brains didn’t need that extra noise, I said, happy to set the legal pot-smoking age at 21, like booze, or at the very least the day a high-school diploma is attained. Beyond that, there is nothing left to do but to pray none of them has the addictive chip that makes people lose their good sense.
And, despite the best advice (“Whatever you do, don’t get fucking caught!”), kids sometimes can, and do, lose their good sense, if only temporarily. Really, pinched with a gram, in the middle of a celebratory smoke toast in honor of 420, the equivalent of pothead New Year. How does that even happen? So then, there you are, the pot dad and the newly crowned pot kid, sitting in the office of a court-mandated drug professional who is explaining why this two-month, four-nights-a-week, $10,000 program is actually the right thing, because “marijuana is a gateway drug.” At this point, the temptation is to cover your ears like a Munch painting and shout that mutual back-scratching between the criminal-justice system and high-priced treatment centers is one more reason that idiot drug laws have to go. But it is not that easy, because no matter how much you want the kid to get the same benefits from the mighty weed that it has given you, there is a deep conviction that it would be better if he didn’t smoke at all, at least until he gets his act together, which might take a lot longer than it has to if he keeps smoking. Still, it wasn’t like he needed some cop to participate in that decision-making process.
You can feel it, the war is on. A couple of months ago, the Times ran a big piece (“Marijuana Is Gateway Drug for Two Debates,” July 17, 2009) with updated Harry Anslinger–style quotes from poor souls made homeless by their marijuana problem. Words like dependence and habitual were prominently featured. The DEA is on record as being against the legalization of “smoked” marijuana for medical purposes. They say if people feel sick, they should take Marinol, a nice pharmaceutical that is THC without the fun.
Liquor was against the law for fourteen years. Pot’s been banned for 72. Neither the cartels nor the prohibitionists are going to just fold up and go away.
Not that I can worry about that. If I never smoke pot again, I’m cool. I appreciate what the stuff’s done for me already. I ask only one thing: Should I contract an illness that even grass, in its alleged miracle-drug mode, can’t cure, then just wheel me over to that guy sneaking a toke on the corner. I’ll breathe deep and, like the whiff of a just-baked madeleine, be transported to the place inside my head that’s always been home. | {
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President Franklin Roosevelt made it law in 1938, that any hourly worker had to be paid at least 25 cents an hour. It was revolutionary, and very few countries had anything like it.
Every few years, the federal minimum wage would go up, helping millions of Americans inch closer to a middle-class lifestyle. Something changed in the early 1970s, however, and since then, the minimum wage has fallen by around 25 percent.
Fast-forward to today. The minimum wage is currently $7.25. But in 1968, you’d make the equivalent of $10 an hour in today’s money. Basically the same group, but they have 30 percent less buying power.
On Tuesday night, during his State of the Union address, President Obama made the following statement:
“Even with the tax relief we’ve put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That’s wrong. Let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty.”
His proposal would see the federal floor on hourly wages reach $9 in stages by the end of 2015. Tying the minimum wage to inflation would allow it to rise along with the cost of living. If enacted, the measure would boost the wages of about 15 million low-income workers, the White House estimated. The $9 minimum wage would be the highest in more than three decades, accounting for inflation, but still lower than the peaks reached in the 1960s and 1970s.
The White House said that the move would have profoundly positive effects for low-income families without unduly burdening businesses or raising the unemployment rate. It cited research showing no detectable employment losses from the kind of minimum wage increases we have seen in the United States.
But according to Fox News’ Bret Baier, and guest Nina Easton, the answer is a big “yes” – increasing the minimum wage will hurt employment and the economy. Anchoring Fox’s State of the Union coverage, Baier said that small businesses and Republicans typically push back on minimum wage hikes because of the old myth that “it will lead companies to cut back, lay people off, and not expand business.”
Nothing can be further from the truth.
In fact, studies show that raising the minimum wage does not result in higher unemployment.
In a March 2011 report, the Center for Economic and Policy Research found that raising the minimum wage has no “discernible impact” on employment. CEPR concluded that wage increases are more likely to result in more, rather than fewer, jobs:
“The results for fast food, food services, retail, and low-wage establishments in San Francisco and Santa Fe support the view that a citywide minimum wages can raise the earnings of low-wage workers, without a discernible impact on their employment. Moreover, the lack of an employment response held for three full years after the implementation of the measures, allaying concerns that the shorter time periods examined in some of the earlier research on the minimum wage was not long enough to capture the true disemployment effects. Our estimated employment responses generally cluster near zero, and are more likely to be positive than negative. Few of our point estimates are precise enough to rule out either positive or negative employment effects, but statistically significant positive employment responses outnumber statistically significant negative elasticities.”
Institute for Research on Labor and Employmen [IRLE]: “No Discernable Disemployment Effect, Even When Minimum Wage Increases Lead To Relatively Large Wage Changes.” According to a 2009 IRLE study:
“We also find no relationship between the minimum wage elasticity of overall teen wages and the elasticity of employment across the 74 commuting zones. This result provides further evidence that there is no discernable disemployment effect, even when minimum wage increases lead to relatively large wage changes.” [IRLE, 6/25/09]
A 2010 Institute for Research on Labor and Employment study likewise found:
“No detectable employment losses from the kind of minimum wage increases we have seen in the United States.”
National Employment Law Project: Most Minimum Wage Earners Are Adults, Not Teenagers. In a December 26, 2010, Register-Guard op-ed, the National Employment Law Project’s (NELP) Anne Thompson wrote:
“Even the claim that the minimum wage only affects teenagers looking for pocket change does not hold up. Most minimum wage earners are adults, many of whom support families on this income. Nationwide, three-quarters of minimum wage earners are 20 or older.” [The Register-Guard, 12/26/10]
The same holds true for youth unemployment:
EPI: “The Warnings Of Massive Teen Job Loss Due To Minimum Wage Increases Simply Do Not Comport With The Evidence.” In a November 25, 2009, post, the Economic Policy Institute found:
“Since the minimum wage was raised in July (2009), the teen employment rate (the share of people age 16-19 who are employed) fell from 28.9% to 26.2%. Could this drop plausibly be attributed to July’s 70 cent increase in the minimum wage? A careful examination of the data finds no evidence to support that conclusion.”
In the same article, an analysis by the Economic Policy Institute, based on research by economists at the Federal Reserve Board of Chicago, found that July’s minimum wage increase would contribute $5.5 billion in spending over the 12 months following the increase, by getting additional income into the hands of workers who are likely to be struggling to make ends meet and therefore very likely to spend it. Therefore, increasing the minimum wage benefits the economy.
University Of California Study: Minimum Wage Has Nothing “But Very Small Disemployment Effects” On Teen Employment. A June 2010 report by University of California-Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) stated:
“For the range of minimum wage increases over the past several decades, methodologies using local comparisons provide more reliable estimates by controlling for heterogeneity in employment growth. These estimates suggest no detectable employment losses from the kind of minimum wage increases we have seen in the United States. Our analysis highlights the importance of accounting for such heterogeneity in future work on this topic”. [IRLE,11/10]
While it is true that there is some disagreement among economists about whether increasing the minimum wage increases or decreases employment, there is a consensus on the essential point: the impact of a minimum wage raise on jobs, whether positive or negative, is small; the benefit of increasing the minimum wage on the economy as a whole is large. | {
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Truskawki i… organy wewnętrzne. W internecie pojawiły się plakaty, które młodzi lekarze będą nieść w najbliższą sobotę 18 czerwca podczas manifestacji organizowanej w Warszawie. Demonstranci przejdą spod siedziby Ministerstwa Zdrowia pod gmach Kancelarii Prezesa Rady Ministrów.
Plakat Porozumienia Rezydentów OZZL
– W ramach akcji „Adoptuj posła” lekarze rezydenci spotkali się z ponad 120 parlamentarzystami, przedstawiając im swoje postulaty i merytoryczne ich uzasadnienie. 99 procent z nich uznało, że postulaty lekarzy rezydentów są słuszne i ich sytuacja musi ulec zmianie. W efekcie zostało złożonych ponad 20 interpelacji przez polityków wszystkich ugrupowań – mówi Damian Patecki, szef Porozumienia Rezydentów Ogólnopolskiego Związku Zawodowego Lekarzy.
– Wielu z parlamentarzystów nie zdawało sobie sprawy, że zarabiamy 12-15 zł na godzinę, że aby się dokształcać i iść z duchem wiedzy musimy wydać dużo własnych pieniędzy, że nierespektowane są wobec nas prawa pracownicze, że przy tak żenująco niskich pensjach zmuszeni jesteśmy dorabiać w wielu miejscach, co skutkuje permanentnym przemęczeniem. Państwo traci, produkując specjalistów nieefektywnie – wyjaśniał Jarosław Biliński z Porozumienia Rezydentów w niedawno opublikowanym długim liście w naszym portalu (w całości znajduje się tutaj).
Jak obaj przyznają, kampania społeczna „Adoptuj posła” nie przyniosła rezultatów. Organizacja podjęła jeszcze kolejną spektakularną akcję pod nazwą „Recepta na dobra zmianę – #ReceptaJestProsta”, w ramach której również próbowano dotrzeć do decydentów. Ona również okazała się fiaskiem.
To dlatego Porozumienie Rezydentów OZZL podjęło decyzję o organizacji dużej manifestacji w najbliższą sobotę. – Pragniemy zaznaczyć, że najważniejsze jest dla nas dobro pacjentów i zamierzamy przeprowadzić swoje działania w sposób, który nie będzie dla nich niekorzystny – podkreśla Damian Patecki. | {
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The latest findings underscore the advice from experts on diet, health and weight control to avoiding drinking one’s calories, except perhaps for a glass of wine with dinner. And, it turns out, serious health risks are not limited to liquid sources of sugar; the sugars found in processed solid foods, including many that do not even taste sweet, can be hazards, too, if overconsumed.
Sugar-containing processed foods are ubiquitous and can add up quickly for unsuspecting consumers. In the documentary “That Sugar Film,” the filmmaker quickly developed health problems after eating “healthy” foods like cereal and juice containing 40 teaspoons of sugar a day, the average Australian’s intake. (Americans average 42.5 teaspoons of sugar a day.) The film noted that if all sugar-containing food items were removed from supermarket shelves, only about 20 percent of products would remain.
To clarify the effects of our high-sugar diet, I consulted an expert, Kimber L. Stanhope, a researcher in nutritional biology at the University of California, Davis, whose work is free of industry support and funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health. In a comprehensive 34-page review of research published in Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences in 2016, she linked consumption of added sugar to metabolic disease — cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease — as well as high blood levels of uric acid, a risk factor for kidney stones and gout.
In studies done in her lab among young adults consuming their normal diets, the risk for developing heart disease and kidney stones rose in direct proportion to the amount of high-fructose corn syrup they consumed. Diet and health data from a major national survey showed that “the average level of added sugar consumption in the U.S., 15 percent of daily calories, is associated with an 18 percent increase in risk for cardiovascular disease mortality.” A sweet death, indeed.
One problem with the studies done in Dr. Rippe’s lab, Dr. Stanhope said, is that the sugars tested were added to milk, which itself diminishes the risk of metabolic disease and thus can mask the damaging effects of fructose.
“Fructose and glucose are not metabolized the same way in the human body,” which can account for the adverse effects of fructose, Dr. Stanhope said. Glucose is metabolized in cells throughout the body and used for energy. Fructose is metabolized in the liver, resulting in fat production and raising the risk of heart and fatty-liver disease. In addition, she explained, “fructose doesn’t stimulate the satiety-promoting substance leptin,” prompting some people to overconsume it, especially in soft drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup, and other tempting foods as well.
Following consumption of fructose, brain studies showed that people respond positively to pictures of highly palatable foods like cookies, candy and ice cream. | {
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RSD Tyler - Hot Seat at Home Mastermind
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We have spent the past decade traveling to every corner of the globe, recording the most insane infield footage to ever exist, and helping thousands of guys get insane results with women that they could only DREAM of before.We have gone from city to city, and country to country teaching the Hot Seat, and it has become our most raved-about program to date.Up until now - The The Hot Seat has worked like this:We take the most informative, eye-opening full-length clips of pickups, and we break them down, step-by-step.Then we would take this amazing, beautifully-shot video with crystal-clear audio, we would break it apart analyze it and pull out the core principles and techniques.Then we follow it up with these crazy, crazy exercises that reinforce the core concepts you learn in the videos.We have spent YEARS to build the PERFECT PROGRAMWe have fine-tuned The Hot Seat to be the most high-impact, life-changing program that exists anywhere in the world - there is nothing else like it - period.The Hot Seat is an event that has been taken by 10s of THOUSANDS of people.But the thing thats frustrated us over the years, is that weve never really succeeded in creating that same experience from home UNTIL NOW.The thing was - because The Hot Seat is a live event not everyone is able to attend, we get messages from guys all over the world:I cant make it I live a million miles away!Why cant you come to my city / country more often?andI WISH I could make it it would be so awesome what do I do?We get hundreds and hundreds of emails - BEGGING us to bring this training to themThe more messages we get the more we realize that there are THOUSANDS of guys who NEED this, RIGHT NOW, but cant get it.Over timeIT DROVE US INSANE!So for the first time ever, we have decided to take the power of the Hot Seat,and harness it into an at-home experience.The distribution includes the following:- basic principles;- advanced principles;- 10 missions;- 6-hour classic infild;- 3 hours new infild;- Bonus Hot Sith in San Diego;- Webinar with Tyler;- Tyler's record collection;- 3 premium infield.Regular Price 497 USDHomepage:Extract files with WinRar 5 or Latest ! | {
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Roughly half of registered voters in the United States think “Christian nationalism” is a rising threat to America’s freedom. A poll from Morning Consult shows almost half of respondents think it is “an important or critical threat to the vital interests of the country within the next 10 years.”
They defined Christian nationalism as “the belief that the country is or should be a Christian nation that can often include social and political campaigns supposedly aimed at maintaining or reverting back to that status.”
These would include laws targeting LGBTQ rights and “religious freedom” laws intended to give Christians a license to discriminate against women, LGBTQ people, racial minorities, and other religions.
The ideology uses “efforts to restrict the space for religious pluralism in the country and give special privileges to a narrow segment of white Christians in America,” according to Rachel Laser, president of the nonpartisan Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Related: The Christian Right does not want you to know about this day…
“There is a strong movement to preserve white Christian power in America right now, and a real feeling of fragility about the changing demographics of America,” she said.
The Trump administration has been particularly vocal about lifting up both Christian nationalism and white nationalism – the belief that America should be run and populated by only white people.
Despite being decidedly un-Christian in his behavior, the President has unprecedented support among evangelicals and his staunchest defenders are often far right religious leaders and Christian hate groups. Nearly half of evangelicals answering the poll dismissed Christian nationalism as a concern.
47 percent of respondents found Christian nationalism to be “a critical or important threat.” 62 percent of registered Democrats thought it was dangerous, but only 35 percent of Republicans.
“Enshrined in this idea of Christian nationalism is that the true American is the white American,” Andrew Whitehead, an assistant professor in sociology at Clemson University, told Morning Consult.
In a 2018 study conducted by Whitehead and colleagues found that those who identify with Christian nationalist viewpoints were the most likely to have voted for President Trump.
“Trump will continue to position himself as the only person who can stop the assaults on Christianity,” he said.
Democrats, on the other hand, have become enamored with presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, the out gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has been vocal about the importance of progressive Christians to stress their brand of the religion to blunt the influence of the far right in politics.
“The idea that the only way a religious person could enter politics is through the religious right — I just don’t think that makes sense. What could be more different than the message I take from my faith and what we’re being shown in Washington right now?” Buttigieg said in an interview on Morning Joe.
“I think a lot of people wonder where they fit, either because who they are, if you’re a member of the LGBTQ community like I am, or because of what you believe politically,” Buttigieg went on. “I think the time has come for more of a religious left to emerge in our country, that let’s people know that they aren’t alone when they look at faith and think that teaches us to reach out to others, to humble ourselves, to take care of the immigrant, the prisoner, and frankly the sex worker.”
Just as significant is that Buttigieg says the president has to represent people of no faith. Despite the enduring image of Americans as people of faith, even the religious right is shrinking and the number of people who profess no faith is growing. Not coincidentally, that group is actually much more likely to support LGBTQ rights.
Morning Consult’s survey was conducted among 1,994 registered voters with a margin of error of 2 percentage points. | {
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CHICAGO (CBS) — President Donald Trump did not specify what he meant when he threatened to “send in the feds” if Chicago doesn’t get violent crime under control, but city leaders and clergy said the last thing the city needs is National Guard troops on every street corner.
“If Chicago doesn’t fix the horrible ‘carnage’ going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!” Trump said on his Twitter account Tuesday evening.
He did not follow up that tweet with additional information, leaving Chicago aldermen and others guessing as to exactly what the president had in mind.
At the White House, spokesman Sean Spicer on Wednesday declined to provide specifics but said that federal help could come from a variety of sources.
“I think what the president is upset about is turning on the television and seeing Americans get killed by shootings; seeing people walking down the street and getting shot down; the President of the United States giving his farewell address and two people being killed that day,” Spicer said. “What he wants to do is provide the resources of the federal government, and it can span a bunch of things. There’s no one thing. There can be aid. It can be – if it was requested up through the governor through the proper channels – that the federal government can provide on a law enforcement basis. But there’s other aid that can be extended as well, either through the U.S. Attorney’s office, or other means that will ensure that the people of Chicago have the resources to feel safe. That’s what he means.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel met with Trump during the transition in December and Spicer said Trump vowed federal help, if needed.
“That return call for help has not occurred,” Spicer said.
Ahead of their City Council meeting on Wednesday, several aldermen said they hope Trump was not suggesting he’d order in National Guard troops, as Fox News host Bill O’Reilly suggested on his show on Tuesday, not long before Trump’s tweet about sending in the feds.
“If I were president, I’d say, ‘You know what? The next month, we’re going to have the Guard in these neighborhoods to stop this,” O’Reilly said.
Emanuel said he welcomes federal help in fighting crime; if that means more prosecutions for illegal guns, tracking firearms, and boosting jobs and youth programs. However, he said he would oppose any suggestion to bring in the National Guard.
“As it comes to safety and security, and dealing with gangs and guns, you want the federal resources that are set up to deal with that,” he said.
The mayor said that means federal law enforcement agencies – the DEA, FBI and ATF – not troops.
“The National Guard has nothing to do with public safety” he said.
Ald. Ricardo Munoz (22nd) noted, in the past, Trump has said Chicago could solve its crime problem “in a week” if police were tougher, so he is waiting to find out what Trump meant by threatening to send in the feds.
“We do need the federal government to come into Chicago a little more aggressively, but not boots. What we need is federal money for housing, federal money for employment training, federal money for mentorship, federal money for new bridges and streets” he said.
Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) echoed that sentiment.
“I hope when he say he’s going to send in feds that he’s referring to sending in some federal money to deal with all of the other reasons why we have crime in our community. Just policing the issue is not going to solve the issue,” he said.
Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26th) said the federal government also should get involved in helping the Chicago Police Department hire more officers trained in law enforcement.
Ald. Sophia King (4th) said militarizing law enforcement would only exacerbate tensions between police and the public.
“As I go around to communities, knocking on doors, they’re afraid, and he [Trump] has placed a lot of fear, a lot of needless fear, in people,” she said. “We welcome the federal government, but I think the federal government needs to come with money for jobs.”
Father Michael Pfleger, a renowned activist priest, said he adamantly opposes using the National Guard to fight crime in Chicago. He said, even if violent crime were to go down with troops on the streets, it would just go back up when they left.
“You can send in National Guard, which I’m absolutely against, and do a suppression to stop violence, and have a lot of people on the corners for a month or two months. You pull them out, you’re back at ground zero.”
Pfleger said, instead, the Trump administration should focus on providing more federal funding toward economic development, jobs, and education in Chicago.
“If he’s talking about coming in with federal resources to help support communities with jobs, with education, with businesses, and help equalize the playing field as well as law enforcement to deal with illegal guns and gun trafficking; if you’re talking about the comprehensive approach, fine,” Pfleger said. “We don’t need a big brother to come in and lock everybody up.”
Rev. Jesse Jackson also spoke out against Trump’s threat on Twitter. | {
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WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is working on a new set of directives on the use of school bathrooms by transgender students, the White House said Tuesday.
The announcement alarmed LGBT groups and parents across the country who have urged U.S. President Donald Trump to safeguard Obama-era guidelines allowing students to use school restrooms that match their gender identity, not their assigned gender at birth.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer did not provide any details on the new guidelines that are being prepared by the Justice Department, but said Trump has long held that such matters should be left to the states, not the federal government, to decide.
“I think that all you have to do is look at what the president’s view has been for a long time, that this is not something the federal government should be involved in, this is a states’ rights issue,” Spicer said.
The guidance, issued by the Obama administration in May, held that transgender students can access restrooms and participate in school athletic teams according with the gender they identify with. Schools were also instructed to treat students in line with their expressed gender identity without requiring any medical proof.
Read the latest on U.S. President Donald Trump END
While the move was hailed by rights organizations, it was attacked by conservative groups, which called it federal overreach and an infringement on the personal space and safety of all other students. In August, a federal judge issued a nationwide injunction against those guidelines based on lawsuits from 13 states.
The National Center for Transgender Equality said Tuesday that even without former president Barack Obama’s guidelines, the federal law, called Title IX, which they are meant to clarify, would still prohibit discrimination against students based on their gender or sexual orientation. Still, rescinding those directives would put children in harm’s way, the group said.
“Such clear action directed at children would be a brazen and shameless attack on hundreds of thousands of young Americans who must already defend themselves against schoolyard bullies, but are ill-equipped to fight bullies on the floors of their state legislatures and in the White House,” NCTE said in a statement.
Rachel Tiven, CEO of Lambda Legal, an LGBT advocacy group, strongly condemned plans to amend the Obama-era instructions. At the same time, Tiven stressed that the guidance wasn’t legally binding and was merely a tool to help school districts comply with the federal law. Rescinding the guidelines won’t change the law, but will make states and districts more free in interpreting it and acting on it. As a result, she argued, there will be confusion and school districts will be more open to lawsuits.
“The important thing to understand is that it doesn’t change the underlying law, but it’s an invitation to harm the most vulnerable kids in school,” Tiven said.
Read more:
‘They’re hunting for us.’ Trans teens fearful as U.S. bathroom wars erupt
‘Percy Jackson’ author turns down invite to be honoured in Texas, cites bathroom bill
But Ryan Anderson, a senior research fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the Obama guidelines were unlawful, as Title IX protects students based on their sex, not their gender identity. He also said that those directives violated the rights of other students, especially girls who may have suffered from sexual abuse in the past and do not want to be exposed to male anatomy. “It’s understandable when a 16-year-old girl might not want an anatomical male in the shower or the locker room,” Anderson said.
He said that students, parents and teachers should work out “win-win” solutions at the local level, such as equipping schools with single-occupancy restrooms or locker rooms or allowing students to access the faculty lounge.
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“We can find a way in which the privacy and safety of transgender students is respected while also respecting the privacy and safety of all other students,” Anderson said.
About 150,000 youth — 0.7 per cent — between the ages of 13 and 17 in the United States identify as transgender, according to a study by The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. | {
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Report Summary
The global automotive robotics market was valued at USD 5,050 million in 2017 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% during the forecast period.
The automotive industry employs robots to perform a variety of tasks including painting, welding, finishing and assembly. Robots are also used to perform crash tests for evaluation of the safety of vehicles. Automotive companies are increasingly using robots to save cost and increase their production. Use of robots in the automotive industry enables manufacturers to achieve high quality, reliability, economic efficiency and less product life cycle cost. The major companies offering automotive robotic solutions include ABB Group, Fanuc Corporation, KUKA AG and Yaskawa Electric Corporation.
There has been a high demand for automation in the automotive industry. Companies are automating their manufacturing processes to reduce cost, save time and deliver better quality products. Use of robots in the automotive industry enables automation of manufacturing processes while reducing the workload of employees through collaborative work environment to drive the automotive robotics market. Due to stringent safety regulations in manufacturing industries, companies employ robots for dangerous and hazardous environment condition. The increasing labor costs in most countries encourage organizations to adopt robotics technology to save costs and time. Automotive robots enable companies to deliver high quality products and reduce wastage due to human error. Advancements of new technologies in vision software and robot guidance would attract companies to innovate and launch new products to meet the customer requirements.
Segment Analysis
The global automotive robotics market is segmented on the basis of type, component, application, and region. On the basis of type, the market is segmented into Articulated Robots, SCARA Robots, Cartesian Robots, Cylindrical Robots, and others. Based on component, the market is segmented into hardware, software, and services. The application segment is divided into painting, welding, material handling, assembly, and others.
Regional Analysis
This report comprises a detailed geographic distribution of the market across North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, and MEA. North America is further segmented into U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Europe is divided into Germany, UK, Italy, France, and Rest of Europe. Asia-Pacific is bifurcated into China, India, Japan, and Rest of Asia-Pacific. Asia-Pacific accounted for the largest share in the Global Automotive Robotics market in 2017.
Competitive Landscape
Major players operating in automotive robotics market include Fanuc Corporation, Rockwell Automation, Inc., ABB Ltd., Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kuka AG, Denso Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Yaskawa Electric Corporation, Nachi-Fujikoshi Corporation, and DiFacto Robotics and Automation Pvt. Ltd among others. These leading players in the automotive robotics market are introducing innovative products in the market to cater to the consumers. Global players are entering new markets in developing regions to expand their customer base and strengthen market presence | {
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Attentiveness: A Primer
Answer 5/29/12 9:18 PM
This is something I wrote originally to post on here, it's an attempt to describe the basics of attentiveness and clear up some misunderstandings about this simple, yet powerful practice. If anyone sees anything I'm not describing clearly enough, or that I'm perhaps misinterpreting entirely then please say so as I'm trying to be as clear and precise as possible in what I'm writing here. It's a long post, as usual, so thanks for checking it out! Attentiveness: A Primer
Attentiveness is a commonly used word and something that forms the bare bones of our practice, regardless of which model we use. I intend to break the word down and provide a practical description of what attentiveness “is”, and how to improve practice through really understanding what it means to be attentive. This is just my take on it based on what works, and is working, for me; this may change as new information becomes available.
The Word
Attentiveness describes the act of paying attention to an object; to be “attentive” is to be engaged in the act of paying attention; “attention” is defined as “the act or faculty of attending” [1], faculty being “an ability, natural or acquired, for a particular kind of action” [2]. Since we all have this ability naturally rather than having to acquire it, as is apparent simply by noticing that you’re sitting reading this post right now, it’s just a case of recognizing this “particular kind of action” occurring in real-time and learning how to utilize it effectively.
Some common synonyms for the word “attentive” include: heedful, aware, alert, and, perhaps most interestingly given the context of this piece, mindful [3]. In short, to be attentive is to be heedful, aware or mindful of whatever is occurring at any given moment. For the sake of clarity, I’d like to briefly analyze the word “mindfulness” since, given what we know already about attentiveness and based on my own practice, I posit that it is identical in operation and produces the same phenomenological results; there will likely be some who immediately disagree based on comments made by the founder of the AFT, or consider these correlations to be the product of “my” efforts to force-fit the language of one model with another. I am trying to present this in as clear terms as possible so as to avoid any ambiguity or bias towards any one model, and am also providing these breakdowns of the words to clarify the way in which I use and understand them.
The word “mindful” is an adjective meaning “attentive, aware, or careful (usually followed by of)” [4] or “conscious or aware of something“[5][6]. We’ve already looked at “attentive” and found that it’s synonymous with words like “mindful”, “heedful”, “aware” and “alert”, all of which represent the same process: To be attentive of something; to be paying attention; to be aware. It does not require any further analysis to demonstrate that mindfulness and attentiveness are simply labels for the same, naturally occurring ability to pay attention.
What is this “naturally occurring ability to pay attention” and how does it happen?
The Process
Attentiveness is occurring right now as I sit here writing this; as my eyes scan the screen I’m able to simultaneously notice the sound of my fingers on the keyboard, the television in the background, and the sound of traffic outside. I’m also aware of what’s going on ‘internally’ and can notice thoughts arising by themselves, the way I mentally verbalize these words as I edit this paragraph and consider whether it’s an accurate description or not; a reflection based on the way that I understand the words I’m using and whether or not others will understand them in the same way. All of this can be observed occurring without effort, but the simplicity of attentiveness is what makes it difficult for some to perceive.
Attentiveness is just a matter of noticing what’s happening right now, you’re not looking for anything or trying to do anything, you’re just noticing what’s already happening at this moment. It’s an active engagement in your immediate experience, an alertness, a preparedness to openly accept whatever arises without judgement. This attentiveness includes what’s going on” internally” - by which I mean: the general feelings observed, emotional states, thoughts that present themselves, particular narratives the mind reels off; mental phenomena in general - as well as what’s going on “externally” - by which I mean: physical sensations via the five sense doors: touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell. Attentiveness only ever happens right now, not in the future and not in the past, now. Not then. Only now. To be attentive or mindful is to be actively present; to be cognizant of what is happening at this moment in time.
So, why is it that the vast majority of people aren’t actively engaged in simply being aware, particularly when there are so many benefits to be found in doing so?
The Problem
The way our minds usually function involves a continual push-pull between past, present and future, only spending fleeting moments actually being here. When we’re not occupied with thoughts like “what am I going to do when I finish what I’m doing right now?”, we’re occupied with thoughts like “why isn’t what I’m doing right now as good as that thing I was doing before?”. We’re rarely here now, which may sound clichéd but is easy enough to verify as accurate in our own experience; we’re either fretting over what might happen in some not-occurring-right-now future, or worrying about what’s already happened in, or may occur due to, some not-occurring-right-now event in the past.
To complicate matters further, we then identify with those thoughts and narratives, consider them to be “my” thoughts, “my” stories about what’s going to happen to “me”; we have feelings about those mental phenomena which give rise to this sense of “me” in the first place and around we go again ad infinitum. All of these, relatively [7] subtle, automatic processes, that we’re not usually aware of, are part of what leads to a lack of attentiveness. The noticing of them is the first step to seeing them clearly, and once they’re seen clearly they can be let go of via further attentiveness and investigation. What’s happening now is what counts, what might happen or what’s already happened are never occurring right now so thoughts of them can be acknowledged and let go of. This is not to say that reflection on what’s gone before or planning for what may come are not necessary; regardless of whether you’re “awakened” or “not” you still need to be able to function skilfully in the real-world.
Aside from the natural inclination of our minds towards this dynamic and dualistic process of identification, there’s also the issue of effort, of having to do something to be attentive in the first place. If we can see how being attentive, present and aware allows life to be far more pleasant and clearly, fully experienced then we can find ways to incorporate it in fun, interesting and engaging ways; when we can have fun while learning, we can optimize our ability to take on board information. While attentiveness can become automatic with enough effort and practice, it requires a kickstart for the mind to be able to recognize it; it seems paradoxical that something effortless should require effort to become what it already is, yet it’s one of those things that really need to be experienced to be understood fully.
The Basics
There are lots of ways you can kickstart attentiveness, whether it’s asking yourself “How Am I Experiencing This Moment of Being Alive” (also known as HAIETMOBA) or just noticing that you’re annoyed by something on the television; it comes down to being aware of what you’re experiencing, both “internally” and “externally” at any given moment. As far as what we’re supposed to be aware of, the list could go on for pages, but we can describe a (very) basic framework to start from and you’re then free to explore, add, amend or discard whatever helps your own practice. Essentially we’re looking at the six points of sense contact, a.k.a. “sense doors” a.k.a. the senses and what sort of information they can ‘take in’:
Eyes = Sight (Visual)
Ears = Hearing (Auditory)
Nose = Smell (Olfactory)
Tongue = Taste (Gustatory)
Skin/Muscle = Touch/Movement (Tactile/Kinesthetic)
‘Mind’ = Thought/A label for mental sensations in general.
These are our six points of sense contact, in which I’m also including the submodalities of each e.g. with regards to sight, we can talk about light, colour and form; distinctions discernible within the experience of “seeing”. How each of the senses can be further investigated will be of more interest to us later in the discussion, but for the moment we’ll go back to basics and strip the practice to it’s bare bones.
The Details
As we’ve already seen, to be attentive is to be aware...but aware of what? Your experience at this moment as it happens! And how do you do that? By noticing what’s happening! Is it really that simple? Yes! Simply notice that you’re already aware of at least one aspect of your current experience, whether it’s the sensation of a warm breeze against your cheek or the memory of dinner with a friend, whatever is happening in your body and/or mind is what to be aware of. Something quite cool about attentiveness is that it’s got a built-in feedback mechanism; once you learn how to recognize it, you can quickly see when you’re no longer being attentive which immediately brings you back to where you want to be: Present, mindful, aware and cognizant of how you feel inside and out; from your emotional state to the itch on your foot, it’s all made of the same stuff and is worthy of being investigated. With practice, you can begin to dismantle and investigate these feelings and sensations but, for the moment, I’m going to stick to the practice of attentiveness itself rather than insight.
Once you can be aware of one sensation, you can begin to expand that ‘field’ of attention to include other sensations like sounds, touch, sights, and so on; notice how each of these “sense consciousness” happens of its own accord, they occur when an object makes contact with them and don’t require any effort on your part. It’s a fascinating thing to do, just noticing how your experience of the world is being constructed in real-time and how incredible the human brain and nervous system are; the ever-changing, chaotic blast of information that makes up “reality” is received, decoded, and interpreted by this organism to create this experience of the world...and “I” am not involved in any way, shape or form. Literally.
You can also look further into the various submodalities which make up the overall “object” being perceived by this implied “subject”. For example, in the instant of touch there are myriad sensations which make up that particular conceptual label, “touch”; we can (ap)perceive temperature, pressure, texture/pattern, etc. each of which can then be broken down ad absurdum if you’re so inclined. There is a kaleidoscopic range of sensory delight available right now, ever changing and never static, simply by paying more attention to your experience; notice more, look closer and see just how multi-faceted a jewel (ap)perception is.
In terms of what we’ll call “internal” sensations, by which I mean mental movements, thoughts, conceptualizing, and anything of a not-solely-physical-sense-based variety, the selection of what can be attended to is pretty much endless. What’s useful is not to get involved in the content, simply notice them and see how they appear, fade and vanish by themselves to be replaced by something else. With further practice, you can also dismantle and investigate these states in the same way as you would with any other sensation. It’s all fair game, the point is (if such a thing can even be said!) that you’re attentive to what’s happening in your immediate experience right now. Once you can be attentive effortlessly, practice being more attentive to even more of your experience; there is no end to how attentive you can be but it can only happen right now.
Practical Suggestions
I’ve already mentioned the Actualism technique of asking yourself “HAIETMOBA?” and recognizing emotional states, but it’s possible to use a variety of techniques to improve your practice of attentiveness.
- Thich Nhat Hanh talks about mindfully doing the dishes in one of his books; how you’re doing them just to be doing them (being attentive to what's happening right now), not purely to get them done (being otherwise focused on some future event). This sort of everyday activity is ideal for practicing attentiveness, exploring the complex interplay of sensations, this “dance of creation” that is sensate experience means that there’s never any reason to be bored; there is always something to be aware of and this is where we can begin practicing properly.
- Taking a cue from my personal favourite, the batshit mental but never dull, Aleister Crowley, choose a word, for example “I”, and try to delete it from your speech for a predefined period of time; should you transgress this self-imposed limitation, Uncle Al would have you cut yourself with a razor, however Bob Wilson suggests the less masochistic, but equally effective, biting your thumb. While this practice is aimed more at mindfulness of speech, the basic technique can be used as a ‘goad’ for attentiveness in general. My own preference was to use an elastic band to “ping” my wrist . It’s discreet enough to be unnoticeable, but it hurts enough to get you back to being attentive.
- Gurdjieff would have people notice their entire experience when they did things like walking through a doorway, and in fact it was this particular technique which allowed me to understand what the guy was talking about. He called it “self-observation” but the practice of it, in my experience, is phenomenologically the same as being mindful or attentive within other models.[8] Using external objects as triggers for becoming attentive is incredibly useful, they’re always available and can be changed to suit wherever you are; anything which allows you to simply remind yourself to notice your experience will work. Some examples from my own practice include: Noticing when going through doorways, setting an alarm to go off every five minutes or some other period of time, writing down the word “notice” on my notepad in work and remembering to do so each time I see it, noticing every time I check my phone...the list goes on, it all comes down to what works for you and reminds you to be attentive right now.
- When you’re sitting on the train or bus and listening to music, notice all the different elements of the sounds you hear. Look at how you can hear all the different instrumentation, the pitch and tone of sounds, how long each lasts and how attention seems to move between each part; feel the vibration of the air as it makes contact with the eardrum, it’s subtle but discernible; look at your emotional reaction to the sounds, how feelings and thinking can change based on, for example, the lyrics, key or tempo of the music. Don’t get involved in the content, just observe how things are at that moment and how they change. This can be applied in a similar way to things like watching movies, reading books, or engaging in any sort of entertainment whatsoever as long as it leads you to be mindful, attentive or aware of your immediate experience via the “sense doors”.
- Be actively engaged in your experience, aware and full of wonder, enthusiastically enjoying what you’re doing. This practice is truly enjoyable in it’s beginning, middle and end...
Hopefully this brief breakdown and analysis of attentiveness will allow people to improve their practice, understand what attentiveness “is” and how it works in real terms. I’ll make it clear again that this is simply a reflection of my current understanding and is subject to change at any time, these are my attempts at describing the basics of the practice itself without reference to any particular conceptual map of the territory involved. Just real-life, phenomenological details from my own experience which may be of use to others.
Any suggestions, alterations, improvements or requests for clarification should be posted as I would like some feedback from others on this. If there’s any way I can improve the clarity of these descriptions or if there’s anything you’ve noticed in your own experience which may prove useful then please say so. (This article will be used on my new blog,
All the best,
Tommy
[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/attention?s=t
[2] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faculty
[3] Controversy and accusations of plagiarism aside, the fact that Richard, the spectacularly bearded founder of the Actualism method, chose to help himself to some of Bhante Gunaratana’s “Mindfulness in Plain English” for his “Attentiveness, Sensuousness and Apperceptiveness” article is something I find fascinating. It could well prove to be a useful point of agreement to work from when trying to discuss how the AF Model can be lined up with “spiritual” models of experience. I am unable to find any evidence to suggest that the territory Richard has ‘discovered’ is unique to him, although the model/ filter/view/map through which his experience is being related in written word does seem unique to his oft-mentioned “flesh and blood body”. Don’t misunderstand me here, I agree with Richard to a point but I think there’s still value in a re-reading, with the clarity of actuality and a willingness to question our assumptions about language, the writings and maps of other traditions with the idea that they too were trying to describe actuality. Then again, I could just be finding evidence to support my current “reality tunnel” and purposely excluding information which contradicts my current point-of-view; an opinion and nothing more.
[4] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mindful?s=t
[5] http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mindful?q=mindful
[6] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mindful?s=t
[7] Relative to the everyday consciousness of those not already investigating such things.
[8] Please note, I am not trying to equate G.I. Gurdjieff’s model with anything else, I don’t understand enough of it and my experience with it is minimal. I only mention him so as to attribute this specific technique to it’s inventor, however some of the techniques he uses, and the “self-observation” thing in particular, do bear similarities to the bare-bones processes of other models.
Edited to add: Link to blog. Attentiveness is a commonly used word and something that forms the bare bones of our practice, regardless of which model we use. I intend to break the word down and provide a practical description of what attentiveness “is”, and how to improve practice through really understanding what it means to be attentive. This is just my take on it based on what works, and is working, for me; this may change as new information becomes available.Attentiveness describes the act of paying attention to an object; to be “attentive” is to be engaged in the act of paying attention; “attention” is defined as “the act or faculty of attending” [1], faculty being “an ability, natural or acquired, for a particular kind of action” [2]. Since we all have this ability naturally rather than having to acquire it, as is apparent simply by noticing that you’re sitting reading this post right now, it’s just a case of recognizing this “particular kind of action” occurring in real-time and learning how to utilize it effectively.Some common synonyms for the word “attentive” include: heedful, aware, alert, and, perhaps most interestingly given the context of this piece, mindful [3]. In short, to be attentive is to be heedful, aware or mindful of whatever is occurring at any given moment. For the sake of clarity, I’d like to briefly analyze the word “mindfulness” since, given what we know already about attentiveness and based on my own practice, I posit that it is identical in operation and produces the same phenomenological results; there will likely be some who immediately disagree based on comments made by the founder of the AFT, or consider these correlations to be the product of “my” efforts to force-fit the language of one model with another. I am trying to present this in as clear terms as possible so as to avoid any ambiguity or bias towards any one model, and am also providing these breakdowns of the words to clarify the way in which I use and understand them.The word “mindful” is an adjective meaning “attentive, aware, or careful (usually followed by of)” [4] or “conscious or aware of something“[5][6]. We’ve already looked at “attentive” and found that it’s synonymous with words like “mindful”, “heedful”, “aware” and “alert”, all of which represent the same process: To be attentive of something; to be paying attention; to be aware. It does not require any further analysis to demonstrate that mindfulness and attentiveness are simply labels for the same, naturally occurring ability to pay attention.What is this “naturally occurring ability to pay attention” and how does it happen?Attentiveness is occurring right now as I sit here writing this; as my eyes scan the screen I’m able to simultaneously notice the sound of my fingers on the keyboard, the television in the background, and the sound of traffic outside. I’m also aware of what’s going on ‘internally’ and can notice thoughts arising by themselves, the way I mentally verbalize these words as I edit this paragraph and consider whether it’s an accurate description or not; a reflection based on the way that I understand the words I’m using and whether or not others will understand them in the same way. All of this can be observed occurring without effort, but the simplicity of attentiveness is what makes it difficult for some to perceive.Attentiveness is just a matter of noticing what’s happening right now, you’re not lookinganything or trying toanything, you’re just noticing what’s already happening at this moment. It’s an active engagement in your immediate experience, an alertness, a preparedness to openly accept whatever arises without judgement. This attentiveness includes what’s going on” internally” - by which I mean: the general feelings observed, emotional states, thoughts that present themselves, particular narratives the mind reels off; mental phenomena in general - as well as what’s going on “externally” - by which I mean: physical sensations via the five sense doors: touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell. Attentiveness only ever happens right now, not in the future and not in the past, now. Not then. Only now. To be attentive or mindful is to be actively present; to be cognizant of what is happening at this moment in time.So, why is it that the vast majority of people aren’t actively engaged in simply being aware, particularly when there are so many benefits to be found in doing so?The way our minds usually function involves a continual push-pull between past, present and future, only spending fleeting moments actually being here. When we’re not occupied with thoughts like “what am I going to do when I finish what I’m doing right now?”, we’re occupied with thoughts like “why isn’t what I’m doing right now as good as that thing I was doing before?”. We’re rarely here now, which may sound clichéd but is easy enough to verify as accurate in our own experience; we’re either fretting over what might happen in some not-occurring-right-now future, or worrying about what’s already happened in, or may occur due to, some not-occurring-right-now event in the past.To complicate matters further, we then identify with those thoughts and narratives, consider them to be “my” thoughts, “my” stories about what’s going to happen to “me”; we have feelings about those mental phenomena which give rise to this sense of “me” in the first place and around we go again ad infinitum. All of these, relatively [7] subtle, automatic processes, that we’re not usually aware of, are part of what leads to a lack of attentiveness. The noticing of them is the first step to seeing them clearly, and once they’re seen clearly they can be let go of via further attentiveness and investigation. What’s happeningis what counts, what might happen or what’s already happened are never occurring right now so thoughts of them can be acknowledged and let go of. This is not to say that reflection on what’s gone before or planning for what may come are not necessary; regardless of whether you’re “awakened” or “not” you still need to be able to function skilfully in the real-world.Aside from the natural inclination of our minds towards this dynamic and dualistic process of identification, there’s also the issue of effort, of having to do something to be attentive in the first place. If we can see how being attentive, present and aware allows life to be far more pleasant and clearly, fully experienced then we can find ways to incorporate it in fun, interesting and engaging ways; when we can have fun while learning, we can optimize our ability to take on board information. While attentiveness can become automatic with enough effort and practice, it requires a kickstart for the mind to be able to recognize it; it seems paradoxical that something effortless should require effort to become what it already is, yet it’s one of those things that really need to be experienced to be understood fully.There are lots of ways you can kickstart attentiveness, whether it’s asking yourself “How Am I Experiencing This Moment of Being Alive” (also known as HAIETMOBA) or just noticing that you’re annoyed by something on the television; it comes down to being aware of what you’re experiencing, both “internally” and “externally” at any given moment. As far as what we’re supposed to be aware of, the list could go on for pages, but we can describe a (very) basic framework to start from and you’re then free to explore, add, amend or discard whatever helps your own practice. Essentially we’re looking at the six points of sense contact, a.k.a. “sense doors” a.k.a. the senses and what sort of information they can ‘take in’:These are our six points of sense contact, in which I’m also including the submodalities of each e.g. with regards to sight, we can talk about light, colour and form; distinctions discernible within the experience of “seeing”. How each of the senses can be further investigated will be of more interest to us later in the discussion, but for the moment we’ll go back to basics and strip the practice to it’s bare bones.As we’ve already seen, to be attentive is to be aware...but aware of what? Your experience at this moment as it happens! And how do you do that? By noticing what’s happening! Is it really that simple? Yes! Simply notice that you’re already aware of at least one aspect of your current experience, whether it’s the sensation of a warm breeze against your cheek or the memory of dinner with a friend, whatever is happening in your body and/or mind is what to be aware of. Something quite cool about attentiveness is that it’s got a built-in feedback mechanism; once you learn how to recognize it, you can quickly see when you’re no longer being attentive which immediately brings you back to where you want to be: Present, mindful, aware and cognizant of how you feel inside and out; from your emotional state to the itch on your foot, it’s all made of the same stuff and is worthy of being investigated. With practice, you can begin to dismantle and investigate these feelings and sensations but, for the moment, I’m going to stick to the practice of attentiveness itself rather than insight.Once you can be aware of one sensation, you can begin to expand that ‘field’ of attention to include other sensations like sounds, touch, sights, and so on; notice how each of these “sense consciousness” happens of its own accord, they occur when an object makes contact with them and don’t require any effort on your part. It’s a fascinating thing to do, just noticing how your experience of the world is being constructed in real-time and how incredible the human brain and nervous system are; the ever-changing, chaotic blast of information that makes up “reality” is received, decoded, and interpreted by this organism to create this experience of the world...and “I” am not involved in any way, shape or form. Literally.You can also look further into the various submodalities which make up the overall “object” being perceived by this implied “subject”. For example, in the instant of touch there are myriad sensations which make up that particular conceptual label, “touch”; we can (ap)perceive temperature, pressure, texture/pattern, etc. each of which can then be broken down ad absurdum if you’re so inclined. There is a kaleidoscopic range of sensory delight available right now, ever changing and never static, simply by paying more attention to your experience; notice more, look closer and see just how multi-faceted a jewel (ap)perception is.In terms of what we’ll call “internal” sensations, by which I mean mental movements, thoughts, conceptualizing, and anything of a not-solely-physical-sense-based variety, the selection of what can be attended to is pretty much endless. What’s useful is not to get involved in the content, simply notice them and see how they appear, fade and vanish by themselves to be replaced by something else. With further practice, you can also dismantle and investigate these states in the same way as you would with any other sensation. It’s all fair game, the point is (if such a thing can even be said!) that you’re attentive to what’s happening in your immediate experience right now. Once you can be attentive effortlessly, practice beingattentive to evenof your experience; there is no end to how attentive you can be but it can only happen right now.I’ve already mentioned the Actualism technique of asking yourself “HAIETMOBA?” and recognizing emotional states, but it’s possible to use a variety of techniques to improve your practice of attentiveness.- Thich Nhat Hanh talks about mindfully doing the dishes in one of his books; how you’re doing them just to be doing them (being attentive to what's happening right now), not purely to get them done (being otherwise focused on some future event). This sort of everyday activity is ideal for practicing attentiveness, exploring the complex interplay of sensations, this “dance of creation” that is sensate experience means that there’s never any reason to be bored; there is always something to be aware of and this is where we can begin practicing properly.- Taking a cue from my personal favourite, the batshit mental but never dull, Aleister Crowley, choose a word, for example “I”, and try to delete it from your speech for a predefined period of time; should you transgress this self-imposed limitation, Uncle Al would have you cut yourself with a razor, however Bob Wilson suggests the less masochistic, but equally effective, biting your thumb. While this practice is aimed more at mindfulness of speech, the basic technique can be used as a ‘goad’ for attentiveness in general. My own preference was to use an elastic band to “ping” my wrist . It’s discreet enough to be unnoticeable, but it hurts enough to get you back to being attentive.- Gurdjieff would have people notice their entire experience when they did things like walking through a doorway, and in fact it was this particular technique which allowed me to understand what the guy was talking about. He called it “self-observation” but the practice of it, in my experience, is phenomenologically the same as being mindful or attentive within other models.[8] Using external objects as triggers for becoming attentive is incredibly useful, they’re always available and can be changed to suit wherever you are; anything which allows you to simply remind yourself to notice your experience will work. Some examples from my own practice include: Noticing when going through doorways, setting an alarm to go off every five minutes or some other period of time, writing down the word “notice” on my notepad in work and remembering to do so each time I see it, noticing every time I check my phone...the list goes on, it all comes down to what works for you and reminds you to be attentive right now.- When you’re sitting on the train or bus and listening to music, notice all the different elements of the sounds you hear. Look at how you can hear all the different instrumentation, the pitch and tone of sounds, how long each lasts and how attention seems to move between each part; feel the vibration of the air as it makes contact with the eardrum, it’s subtle but discernible; look at your emotional reaction to the sounds, how feelings and thinking can change based on, for example, the lyrics, key or tempo of the music. Don’t get involved in the content, just observe how things are at that moment and how they change. This can be applied in a similar way to things like watching movies, reading books, or engaging in any sort of entertainment whatsoever as long as it leads you to be mindful, attentive or aware of your immediate experience via the “sense doors”.- Be actively engaged in your experience, aware and full of wonder, enthusiastically enjoying what you’re doing. This practice is truly enjoyable in it’s beginning, middle and end...Hopefully this brief breakdown and analysis of attentiveness will allow people to improve their practice, understand what attentiveness “is” and how it works in real terms. I’ll make it clear again that this is simply a reflection of my current understanding and is subject to change at any time, these are my attempts at describing the basics of the practice itself without reference to any particular conceptual map of the territory involved. Just real-life, phenomenological details from my own experience which may be of use to others.Any suggestions, alterations, improvements or requests for clarification should be posted as I would like some feedback from others on this. If there’s any way I can improve the clarity of these descriptions or if there’s anything you’ve noticed in your own experience which may prove useful then please say so. (This article will be used on my new blog, Methods of Awakening , and any contributions will be attributed to their authors.)All the best,Tommy[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/attention?s=t[2] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faculty[3] Controversy and accusations of plagiarism aside, the fact that Richard, the spectacularly bearded founder of the Actualism method, chose to help himself to some of Bhante Gunaratana’s “Mindfulness in Plain English” for his “Attentiveness, Sensuousness and Apperceptiveness” article is something I find fascinating. It could well prove to be a useful point of agreement to work from when trying to discuss how the AF Model can be lined up with “spiritual” models of experience. I am unable to find any evidence to suggest that the territory Richard has ‘discovered’ is unique to him, although the model/ filter/view/map through which his experience is being related in written word does seem unique to his oft-mentioned “flesh and blood body”. Don’t misunderstand me here, I agree with Richard to a point but I think there’s still value in a re-reading, with the clarity of actuality and a willingness to question our assumptions about language, the writings and maps of other traditions with the idea that they too were trying to describe actuality. Then again, I could just be finding evidence to support my current “reality tunnel” and purposely excluding information which contradicts my current point-of-view; an opinion and nothing more.[4] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mindful?s=t[5] http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mindful?q=mindful[6] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mindful?s=t[7] Relative to the everyday consciousness of those not already investigating such things.[8] Please note, I am not trying to equate G.I. Gurdjieff’s model with anything else, I don’t understand enough of it and my experience with it is minimal. I only mention him so as to attribute this specific technique to it’s inventor, however some of the techniques he uses, and the “self-observation” thing in particular, do bear similarities to the bare-bones processes of other models.Edited to add: Link to blog. | {
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They came out so sweet~! Himawari is very cute, and idea for their poses is awesome~! I like Himawari clothes too, and colors are so pretty~! | {
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Latter-day Saint legends. We’ve all heard at least one of them in our life time—an incredible story that sounds almost too inspiring to be true because, well, it isn’t. One that I’ve heard multiple times over the years has to do with the iconic Salt Lake Temple. It goes something like this:
“When Brigham Young was designing the Salt Lake Temple, he felt inspired to leave empty shafts in several places in the temple. Nobody knew why they were put there originally, but years later temple engineers discovered that the shafts were exactly the size needed to install elevators in the temple.”
I’ve heard this story repeated by well-meaning Sunday School teachers, good friends, and a variety of others as a way to “prove” the sacredness of the temple and Brigham Young’s calling as a prophet. Whether or not this story is true, however, we can gain a testimony of both of these things. So before we jump on the bandwagon and start sharing this miraculous myth with all our Facebook friends, let’s take a look at a few facts:
1. Early forms of elevators have existed since the mid-1700s.
The first clue we have that this inspirational story is a myth is that it functions on the belief that elevators had not been invented at the time the temple was being designed, which isn’t true. While the familiar, modern version of the elevator was not yet developed, early elevator-type machines had been used as early as the 1700s—a type of “flying chair” installed at the palace of Versailles by King Louis XV.
The concept of an elevator grew and developed over the years, until 1853 when a major breakthrough was made. Latter-day Saint historian Jeffery Cannon explains, “The 1887 plans [for the Salt Lake Temple] are the first plans we see where there is even a shaft that could be considered an elevator shaft, and it’s very clearly labeled ‘elevator.’ The elevator company that installed it was the Otis Brothers and Company organization and they were founded in 1853, the same year that the temple began construction when Elijah Otis sold his first elevator.”
So, while the modern elevator was still a relatively new concept, it wasn’t unheard of at the time of the Salt Lake Temple construction, unlike the myth suggests.
2. Truman O. Angell visited and studied designs in Europe while working on plans for the Salt Lake Temple.
If elevators in some form did, in fact, exist while the Salt Lake Temple was being constructed, it makes sense that the temple architects would have known about them. An article on byu.edureminds us about how well-informed temple architect Truman O. Angell was: “Angell Sr., however, certainly would have learned about elevators, which were just coming into use at the time of his 1856 visit to Europe. By the early 1860s, electricity was already being used in Utah for the Deseret Telegraph system. Hence, most of the temple’s interior was designed and built long after these technologies emerged.” Elevators were still a relatively new idea, but they were not unheard of.
“The truth sheds some interesting light on the early Church,” Cannon explains. “Maybe this isn’t a great story of Brigham Young’s inspiration, but I think it’s a story of inspiration. It’s much more this idea of studying it out in your minds.”
3. The Salt Lake Temple took over 40 years to build.
Though the Salt Lake Temple was started first, it was the last of the pioneer temples to be finished. This meant that as time wore on and more knowledge was gained about temples and temple worship as well as modern technologies, adjustments could be made to the interior design. After Truman Angell Sr. passed away in 1887, Joseph Don Carlos Young became the Church architect. It was his plans that appear to be the accepted set of plans used to finish the temple. “It is evident, therefore, that most of the work on the temple’s interior must have been accomplished during only these last few years of construction,” the byu.edu article states.
Despite the fact that this beloved myth is indeed a myth, there is perhaps one element of truth remaining in it. Richard O. Cowan reveals: “Although the west center tower proved to be a convenient location for the two main elevators, there is no evidence to suggest that their shafts were planned when there was no knowledge of this technology.”
The next time you hear this story repeated in the circles of your ward, give a wise nod and share the real story with them! | {
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Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, has referred to innocent people and children as “collateral damage” in his war on drugs because police use automatic weapons when confronting criminals.
Asked in an interview with al-Jazeera about minors caught up in the violence, Duterte said those cases would be investigated but added that police can kill hundreds of civilians without criminal liability.
He gave a hypothetical example of an officer using an M16 rifle when dealing with a “gangster” who wields a pistol. “When they meet, they exchange fire. With the policeman and the M16, it’s one burst, brrr, and [he] hits 1,000 people there and they die.
“It could not be negligence because you have to save your life. It could not be recklessness because you have to defend yourself,” he said.
Duterte then compared the killing of innocents in the Philippines to US attacks in wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan, where civilians are killed during airstrikes on militants.
“When you bomb a village you intend to kill the militants but you kill the children there ... Why do you say it is collateral damage to the west and to us it is murder?”
Philippine law enforcement and vigilante groups have killed more than 3,800 people since Duterte took office on 30 June, part of a war on drugs he says will save the country.
About 1,500 of those died in police operations but most killings were carried out by armed groups which Duterte has, at times, publicly encouraged. His critics say the president has allowed an atmosphere of lawlessness to develop in which criminal groups can settle vendettas with impunity.
Regardless, the president has lashed out at at any criticism from domestic rights organisations and foreign governments for his brutal crackdown.
“We have 3 million drug addicts and it’s growing. So if we do not interdict this problem, the next generation will be having a serious problem,” he said.
“You destroy my country, I’ll kill you. And it’s a legitimate thing. If you destroy our young children, I will kill you. That is a very correct statement. There is nothing wrong in trying to preserve the interest of the next generation.
“In my country there is no law that says I cannot threaten criminals,” he added. “I do not care what the human rights guys say. I have a duty to preserve the generation. If it involves human rights, I don’t give a shit. I have to strike fear.” | {
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