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Progressive Jews accused President Donald Trump of blaring “straightforward anti-Semitism” after he said from the Oval Office on Tuesday that Jewish Americans who vote for the Democratic Party are either ignorant or disloyal.
The smear — which sparked widespread outrage and the trending hashtag #DisloyaltoTrump — came after Trump once again baselessly accused Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) of hating Jews and Israel.
“Where has the Democratic Party gone?” Trump said. “Where have they gone where they’re defending these two people over the state of Israel? I think that any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”
IfNotNow, a youth-led progressive Jewish advocacy group, quickly hit back, condemning the president for once again deploying the kind of hate-filled rhetoric that has fueled recent anti-Semitic attacks in the United States.
“This is an explicit dual loyalty charge wielded by the president of the United States against 80 percent of American Jews who voted against him,” the group said in a statement to Newsweek, alluding to 2018 midterm election data from the Pew Research Center.
“It is not merely an anti-Semitic dog whistle — it’s a bullhorn to his white nationalist base,” said IfNotNow. “American Jews and Democratic voters know full well the impact of the racist policies of Netanyahu and the Israeli government on the Palestinian people. This is why an overwhelming majority… oppose those policies, like unchecked settlement expansion.”
The idea that Jews are disloyal and trying to undermine our country from the left has been the animating force behind the deadly, antisemitic violence we’ve seen under the Trump administration. This rhetoric from the president is going to get Jews killed. It already has. https://t.co/nWSAD6ZUtU — IfNotNow🔥 (@IfNotNowOrg) August 20, 2019
Trump’s attack on American Jews comes days after he publicly urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop Tlaib and Omar from entering Israel.
The Israeli government last week initially barred both lawmakers, but later said Tlaib could make the trip to visit her 90-year-old grandmother who lives in the occupied West Bank — provided that she refrain from expressing support for boycott activities.
Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman ever elected to Congress, refused to accept these “oppressive” conditions and decided on Friday to cancel her planned trip.
Trump has since been intensifying his attacks on Tlaib and Omar, and on Tuesday he expanded his smears to the Jews who have rallied in support of the two progressive lawmakers.
Beth Miller, government affairs manager at Jewish Voice for Peace Action, told Newsweek that Trump’s comments “play into the anti-Semitic trope of Jews holding ‘dual-loyalty'” and were “wildly disconnected from reality.”
“A rapidly growing number of American Jews support conditioning, cutting, or ending U.S. military aid to a country that uses our tax dollars to violently oppress Palestinians,” said Miller.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who is Jewish, also fired back at Trump.
“Let me say this to the president,” Sanders tweeted. “I am a proud Jewish person and I have no concerns about voting Democratic. And in fact, I intend to vote for a Jewish man to become the next president of the United States.”
This piece was reprinted by Truthout with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. | {
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“ALL HAIL GWAR!”
Dave Brockie Memorial Art Show opens by appointment until June 7th
|| 213 Bond St. Brooklyn, NY 11217 || (917)446-8681 || [email protected] ||
On Saturday May 3rd, MF Gallery hosted a special memorial art show dedicated to our good friend Dave Brockie, a.k.a. Oderus Urungus of the band GWAR, who passed away suddenly in March 2014. Nearly 100 artists responded to the open call for pieces that pay tribute to this legendary artist!
Dave was prolific in many different visual mediums and collaborated often with MF Gallery; from his retrospective solo show / performance in 2004 to GWAR's Crack-a-Thon in 2010 and 2011 and numerous group shows throughout the years.
HUndreds of a rtists, fans and friends of GWAR came out on Opening Night to see the art show and celebrate this great man's life with MF Gallery. Music by GWAR, Death Piggy and DBX played all night, along with projections of various GWAR / Dave Brockie videos.
The Dave Brockie Memorial Art Show will up be up until June 7th, 2014 and will be viewable by appointment only. Contact Martina Secondo Russo at (917)446-8681 or [email protected]
CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES FROM OPENING NIGHT
( CLICK ON THUMBNAILS BELOW FOR ARTWORK DETAILS ) | {
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Pedro in pinstripes?
What could have been had Pedro Martinez gotten his way in 1997, with the spiraling Expos set to trade the Hall of Fame-bound hurler.
“Yes, all the time,” Martinez wrote on a Bleacher Report live chat Tuesday when asked if he ever wanted to play for the Yanks. “I asked to be traded to the Yankees 3 times before I got to Boston…I was the last last one left on [Montreal’s] rotation and when I was asked where I wanted to be, at that exact moment [the] yankees were taking off, I wanted to be somewhere that I could win.”
The Yankees were on the cusp of winning three straight World Series when the Red Sox swooped in and traded Carl Pavano and Tony Armas to the Expos for Martinez, who was coming off the first of three Cy Young awards.
And the Yankees apparently also wanted Martinez. Then-Red Sox GM Dan Duquette said in 2015: “The Yankees were trying hard to trade for him, too.” But the Red Sox won out and quickly signed the free-agent-to-be to a six-year, $75 million contract extension.
The rest is history. Martinez turned into Public Enemy No. 1 in The Bronx during his seven-year stay in Boston, eventually winning a title with the Red Sox in 2004.
Martinez first mentioned his interest in the Yankees on his way to Cooperstown in 2015, and said he also asked the Expos to send him to the Indians, Orioles or Giants. | {
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Article content
OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is accusing former Liberal cabinet minister John McCallum of an “invitation of foreign interference in the Canadian election” after McCallum’s comments on the deteriorating Canada-China relationship were published in a Hong Kong newspaper.
McCallum, who was fired as the Canadian ambassador to Beijing for making politically charged comments in January, told the South China Morning Post in an interview this week that China should halt its “punishments” on Canadian exports, and that “anything that is more negative against Canada will help the Conservatives, (who) are much less friendly to China than the Liberals.” He added, “it would be nice if things will get better” before the election.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or John McCallum is openly inviting 'foreign interference' from China in upcoming Canadian election: Scheer Back to video
To Scheer, this was an open appeal to the Chinese government to help Liberals get re-elected in the contest scheduled for October. “This invitation of foreign interference in the Canadian election — to a regime that has proven itself hostile to Canadian interests — is absolutely reprehensible,” he said in a statement Wednesday. | {
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PHOTO Robert Couse-Baker
Cops used to flip low-level “offenders” busted with cannabis to become snitches. Now, with weed legal, they can’t!
As promised, marijuana legalization has profoundly changed American policing, but not in the way legalization advocates predicted.
Yes, marijuana arrests have declined in some jurisdictions. According to cops, that’s the problem: Rather than allowing police officers to focus on more serious crimes, legal cannabis has made police work more difficult. As law-enforcement officers recently told researchers at Washington State University, without low-level marijuana crimes on the books, police are having difficulty cultivating informants. According to the study, informants were people who, picked up on a low-level cannabis bust, would have previously been flipped into a source to avoid punishment.
Though relying too heavily on informants leads to both over policing as well as deadly raids on innocent people — as well as serious consequences for the informant, whose personal security is at risk after being branded a “snitch” — without informants at all, more serious cases can’t be cracked.
According to the Spokesman Review, WSU researchers interviewed some 150 cops around Washington state, which, along with Colorado, was the first in the United States to legalize cannabis in 2012. Sales began in 2014.
For the most part, cops’ woes in Washington resemble complaints registered elsewhere. A common thread is that dogs serving in canine units, trained to sniff out cannabis, have had to be retrained, retired, or transferred to careers detecting marijuana in schools (one area where “legal” cannabis is still a criminal offense). Another is that despite statistics stating otherwise, police adamantly believe that marijuana legalization has somehow led to an increase in crime, particularly around cannabis retail outlets.
Drug-dog alerts are unreliable. According to findings accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court, almost all U.S. currency has traces of drugs on it, so a canine can alert to any amount of money; further, a canine unit can also be trained by its handler to “alert” to anything at all.
But perhaps drug dogs are not as unreliable as people. Police have to had to hire new dogs trained to sniff other drugs, but they’ve also had to figure out how to get new human sources and that’s proven far more difficult.
In interviews with researchers, police “said, ‘Marijuana was how we got CIs [confidential informants],’” said David Makin, a researcher at WSU’s Criminal Justice Department, in comments to the Spokesman-Review.
Cops complained about legalization in other predictable ways. One county sheriff actually went on record to say that the data that shows dispensaries have either had a negligible effect or caused crime to go down shouldn’t be trusted, because well, apparently data — the bedrock upon which “science” is built — can’t be trusted.
“It’s one thing to look at pure statistics and numbers,” Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich told the newspaper. “It’s another thing to come down and talk to people about life on the street.”
Though legalization means police have to adjust and they may not be too happy about it, a shift away from confidential informants and towards other, more reliable evidence might both increase trust in police. It could also save lives, by preventing no-knock raids on innocent people like the Houston couple greeted by armed men in kevlar at their door.
As the ACLU recounted, Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, a married couple in their 50s, were at home when police burst into their home in a no-knock raid. They were there because a confidential informant had told them, mistakenly, that the couple were dealing heroin.
The couple’s dog charged at police, who opened fire and killed the dog. Tuttle, a Navy veteran and — like many Texans — a gun owner, came at the police firing his own weapon. Both he and Nicholas were killed.
Marijuana is not legal in Texas, and legalization might not have convinced cops’ bad source to not give them bad information and it might not have prevented police from using that bad information. And in serious cases involving, say, terrorism or organized crime, flipping a low-level operative to snitch on the big boss could save many, many lives. But how likely is it an al-Qaeda cell or a mafioso honcho is going to be the prize won after cops bust smoking weed? You’ll have to ask them, and they may tell you to ignore the data and trust them… because that’s always worked.
TELL US, would you ever work with the police? | {
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Show full PR text
MAD CATZ® ANNOUNCES TRITTON™ KUNAI™ UNIVERSAL STEREO GAMING HEADSET
New Headset Delivers Affordable Quality to Multiple Gaming Platforms
San Diego – June 10, 2013 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced today the TRITTON Kunai Universal Headset. The new console stereo headset is expected to ship Summer 2013.
The TRITTON Kunai Universal is compatible with most popular consoles, Windows® PC, and Mac, as well as smart phones and smart devices. The TRITTON Kunai Universal features striking aesthetics, 40mm Neodymium speakers, and an in-line remote offering easy access to volume and chat controls.
Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, said, "The TRITTON Kunai range has proven popular thanks to its balance of performance, value and aesthetics and today's announcement will allow us to reach passionate gamers on virtually any platform."
The TRITTON Kunai Universal headset will be available in gloss black, gloss white and gloss red colors.
MAD CATZ Announces S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 Professional Gaming Keyboard for Windows PC
Twelve Macro Keys and Thirty-Six Programmable Comands Enhance Competitive Gaming
San Diego – June 10, 2013 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced today the S.T.R.I.K.E.3 Professional Gaming Keyboard for Windows® PC. Expected to ship fall 2013, the S.T.R.I.K.E.3 has been designed with the competitive gamer in mind, offering an impressive feature set and a unique membrane key-bed designed to offer the full tactile feedback of mechanical keys but without the excessive noise or the need to 'bottom out' the keys.
"The S.T.R.I.K.E.3 demonstrates our commitment to providing gamers with a product range that meets their budgets and exceeds their expectations," said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive. "Our range of S.T.R.I.K.E. keyboards has captured the imagination of passionate gamers and we are pleased to expand the range with the S.T.R.I.K.E.3."
The S.T.R.I.K.E.3 features a full RGB backlit key-bed, capable of displaying up to sixteen million customizable colors. In addition to full media controls and a removable wrist-rest, the S.T.R.I.K.E.3 features a total of twelve macro keys and three separate modes of operation, providing a total of thirty-six programmable buttons.
The S.T.R.I.K.E.3 will be available in gloss black, gloss white and gloss red colors.
MAD CATZ® ANNOUNCES F.R.E.Q.4D GAMING HEADSET FOR WINDOWS® PC AND SMART DEVICES
GameSmart™ Headset Features ViviTouch™ 4D Sound Technology
San Diego – June 10, 2013 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced today the F.R.E.Q. 4D Gaming Headset for Windows® PC and Smart Devices, expected to ship fall 2013.
Part of the Company's GameSmart range, the F.R.E.Q. 4D is the first Mad Catz headset to feature ViviTouch™ 4D Sound. Designed to add a new dimension of sound perception to the gaming experience, ViviTouch 4D Sound combines muscular bass with sensory feedback, producing an actual physical sensation to the gaming audio. In addition to gaming use, the F.R.E.Q. 4D is equally at home with movies or music, featuring multiple EQ settings and a detachable in-line cable which allows for easy conversion from USB to 3.5mm to support standard stereo audio on iPhone®, tablets and most smart devices.
"Utilizing ViviTouch™ 4D technology, we believe the F.R.E.Q. 4D brings an added sense of realism to sound effects in first person shooters and action adventure games," said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive. "The F.R.E.Q. 4D demonstrates our commitment to PC and Smart Device gaming, which we believe will resonate with passionate gamers."
The F.R.E.Q. 4D Gaming Headset will be available in gloss black, gloss white and gloss red colors.
MAD CATZ® ANNOUNCES TRITTON® PRO+™ TRUE 5.1 SURROUND SOUND HEADSET FOR WINDOWS® PC AND MAC
New Headset Features True 5.1 Surround Sound with Eight Separate Speakers
San Diego – June 10, 2013 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced today the TRITTON Pro+ True 5.1 Surround Sound Headset for Windows® PC and Mac expected to ship Summer 2013.
Based upon the Company's critically acclaimed TRITTON Pro+ console headset, the Windows PC and Mac version features four separate drivers in each ear cup for true 5.1 surround sound. The TRITTON Pro+ for Windows PC and Mac features an in-line remote and Selectable Voice Monitoring (SVM), allowing users to choose if they hear their own voice in the headset.
"The TRITTON Pro+ headset resonates with passionate gamers thanks to its advanced feature set and multiple speakers which deliver highly accurate sound separation, ideal for online gaming." said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. "We believe the TRITTON Pro+ for Windows PC and Mac will enable us to further strengthen our leadership position within the high-end PC audio category."
The TRITTON Pro+ for Windows PC and Mac sports a lightweight and flexible design, and is available in gloss black, gloss white and gloss red colors.
MAD CATZ® ANNOUNCES TRITTON™ KUNAI™ STEREO GAMING HEADSET FOR WINDOWS® PC AND MAC
New Headset Delivers Affordable Quality to Desktop Gamers
San Diego – June 10, 2013 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced today the TRITTON Kunai for Windows® PC and Mac. The new stereo headset is expected to ship Summer 2013.
Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, said, "The TRITTON Kunai range has proven successful with a console audience and we are confident that passionate PC and Mac gamers will appreciate the performance and value synonymous with the brand."
The TRITTON Kunai features striking aesthetics, 40mm Neodymium speakers, and an in-line remote offering easy access to volume and chat controls. The TRITTON Kunai for Windows® PC and Mac will be available in gloss black, gloss white and gloss red colors. | {
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There are nearly as many Canadians who use Facebook daily as there are people in this country who are registered to vote—which is why the federal government is working with Facebook to protect its next federal election from fake news, filter bubbles, and cyber meddling.
The Canadian Election Integrity Initiative, which was designed ahead of the 2019 federal election, was spurred by a cyber-threat assessment conducted by the government's Communications Security Establishment. The report, titled "Cyber Threats to Canada's Democratic Process," comes in the wake of revelations about cyber meddling in recent elections—namely in the US, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Elements of Facebook's new focus on election integrity were on display last month, when Facebook said it took down thousands of fake accounts in Germany ahead of that country's election.
Facebook is now facing perhaps its biggest test as it looks to curb foreign electoral interference and the rampant disinformation on its platform, both of which undermine the nature of democracy.
Kevin Chan of Facebook Canada. Image: Tracey Lindeman
Facebook Canada's election integrity project includes a partnership with a local digital news media literacy organization MediaSmarts, as well as a "cyberhygiene guide" that highlights particular vulnerabilities such as phishing and page-admin authentication. Facebook also has a crisis email line to help politicians and parties with hacking concerns.
Since Donald Trump won the US presidency, explosive details have been published in the media detailing how Russia worked systematically to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. A major component of that influence was peddled via social media, and Facebook in particular, which saw thousands of fake accounts, suspicious ad buys, and reams of disinformation.
Read More: It Looks Like Facebook Bought Google Ads to Combat Its Russian Ad Scandal
Just yesterday, Recode reported that a top executive at the social media company admitted that Russian agents used Facebook Messenger as part of its US election interference campaign.
What happened in the US is a warning to other nations facing their own impending elections and the impetus for the Facebook to enact an election integrity initiative in Canada. It's clear this is part of Facebook's global approach to addressing how its platform is used in future elections.
The initiative was rolled out at a swanky luncheon hosted by the Economic Club of Canada, a non-partisan speaker's forum, at Ottawa's Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel on Thursday. Kevin Chan, Facebook Canada's head of public policy, said the social media company is working on preventing bad actors from interfering with the democratic process.
"At Facebook we take our responsibilities seriously," Chan said. "We don't want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy."
Karina Gould, Canada's Minister of Democratic Institutions, name-checked certain issues that shaped the outcome of the US election, namely fake news, concerted disinformation campaigns, and the overarching foreign influence that infiltrated social media.
Zuckerberg once told the media it was a "pretty crazy idea" that Facebook had helped elevate Trump to the presidency
The misinformation that gets injected into our online exchanges and public discussions have worked to erode the public's faith in traditional media and distort our understanding of the issues at hand, Gould noted. "This has resulted in what's known as a 'filter bubble,'" she said. "It's easier than ever to hear only what you want to hear, and that doesn't make a good citizen."
According to the cyber-threat assessment, Canada observed "low-sophistication cyber threat activity" during the 2015 election that won Justin Trudeau the prime ministership. However, she noted, 2019 will be a whole new ball game—especially after the shocking results of the US election.
"Social media platforms must begin to view themselves as actors in shaping the democratic discourse," the minister said.
Previously, Mark Zuckerberg has been reluctant to tackle Facebook's fake news problem. In the days following the US election he told the media it was a "pretty crazy idea" that Facebook had somehow helped elevate Trump to the presidency.
He's since changed his tune. The company has promised to hire thousands of workers globally to help review flagged and suspicious content, as well as use machine learning to identify suspicious patterns of behavior on its platform. Most importantly, Facebook has also vowed to reform advertising on the platform. Chan said at the luncheon that Facebook users should be able to see who commissioned an ad displayed on their newsfeeds.
In Canada, rules on third-party campaign advertising already exist. Minister Gould said it's also "illegal for foreign entities to try and influence the outcome of an election." Penalties for breaking those rules can include a fine of up to $50,000 or five years in prison, or both, she added.
Gould also said she's currently reviewing Canada's Elections Act to "ensure fairness and electoral integrity."
All eyes will be on Canada's 2019 election as Facebook works to prove the efficacy of its new measures to combat foreign influence and the prevalence of fake news on its platform. | {
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Last month, popular Christian apologist Josh McDowell made news (at least in the atheist world) when he called the Internet a threat to Christianity:
“The Internet has given atheists, agnostics, skeptics, the people who like to destroy everything that you and I believe, the almost equal access to your kids as your youth pastor and you have… whether you like it or not,” said McDowell… … “Now here is the problem,” said McDowell, “going all the way back, when Al Gore invented the Internet [he said jokingly], I made the statement off and on for 10-11 years that the abundance of knowledge, the abundance of information, will not lead to certainty; it will lead to pervasive skepticism. And, folks, that’s exactly what has happened. It’s like this. How do you really know, there is so much out there… This abundance [of information] has led to skepticism. And then the Internet has leveled the playing field [giving equal access to skeptics].”
So, to paraphrase: When people have access to knowledge, they start asking questions… and that’s bad for Christianity.
At least he admits it.
Brandon Peach at RELEVANT — it’s a Christian magazine, so I assume they use ALL CAPS to fit in with their readership — has a really fascinating article in which he explores whether there’s any truth to what McDowell said.
Turns out there’s a lot of truth to it. Just looks at the numbers:
While Christianity enjoys a robust online presence, the edge still seems to belong to its unbelievers. ChristianForums.com, online since 1998, boasts a quarter-million members. But with an Alexa ranking of almost 12,000 in the U.S. and only 68,000 unique page views per month, it lags behind the most popular forums for the irreligious. The web’s largest atheist forum is a subcommunity of the social media site Reddit, launched in 2005. Its Alexa traffic ranking puts it in the top 50 sites in the United States with 2 million unique visitors per month, many of those to its “Atheist” subcommunity of 154,000. The Christian “subreddit,” a devoted group comprised largely of recovering evangelicals with a zeitgeist-oriented view of Scripture, enjoys less than a tenth of the atheists’ readership.
Peach hits the target when he explains why the Internet has been so good for atheists. For so long, Christians have had a place to discuss and share their views — church. Until the Internet came along, we didn’t have our version of that . Now that we have a space where we can talk about our (lack of) religious beliefs, it’s that much easier to communicate our views.
And because there are so many of us, in so many different Internet mediums, it’s hard to ignore us. (Of course, it helps that the facts are all on our side.)
It’s not just that atheists control the Internet, though. It turns out that the Internet is full of people who are willing to question your beliefs, whatever they may be. As atheists, we’re used to that. We know how to defend ourselves. For Christians, it might be a jarring experience for someone to question what you’ve always believed to be true.
One commenter on RELEVANT‘s website makes another valid point: “Holy robes and Doctorate degrees mean little online. The facts and arguments must stand by themselves.”
As Peach writes:
It’s safe to say the majority of voices [Christians] encounter in web forums, news blogs and Facebook timelines will not echo those heard in their church foyer.
Not surprisingly, the Christian response to all this has been to shelter people from our views, not tackle them head on. Instead of engaging with us in a battle of ideas — a battle they’re always reluctant to take on — they’ve basically raised the white flag and built their own little Jesus-y enclaves online:
YouTube is too dangerous; try GodTube. Wikipedia is too liberal; use Conservapedia. Church remains the bubble in which rhetoric is exchanged; the bubble merely now extends to the web. The net result allows Christians to be “in the world but not of the world” and secularists to control the traffic flow on the largest thoroughfares of the information superhighway.
While Peach doesn’t mention this, the whole article is just a testament to the importance of atheists coming out and sharing our views, whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, a blog, comment threads, forums, or — dare I say it — real life.
The more we do that, the harder it is for Christians to keep pace. All the evidence is in our favor and, unless they completely isolate fellow Christians from the real world forever, it’s inevitable that they’re going to be exposed to the truth one way or the other. It may have been possible to “protect” Christians from opposing viewpoints before the Internet but it’s hard as hell to do that now.
We’re the ones who tell Christians the emperor’s not wearing any clothes. We’re the ones that question the dogma they’ve just accepted their entire lives. We expose the religious frauds. We expose the horrific consequences of blindly following faith. We’re the faith’s worst nightmare because we shed light on all the lies pastors tell in church.
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The thrash metal legend Metallica recently announced that they have teamed up with Stance for eight different styles socks, titled Stance x Metallica. The products are including a mix of performance and casual options.
READ: METALLICA RELEASES NEW WATCHES WITH NIXON
There are currently two Master of Puppets, one Ride The Lightning and two Kill ‘Em All, one Metallica Stack, one Infant/Toddler Socks and one Flaming Skull Stance in socks designs.
The products are available at Metallica and Stance Web Store.
In addition, Metallica recently had a partnership with Billabong LAB for 4 products. It includes t-shirt, jacket, board shorts and a wetsuit on the collection. | {
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When the Census Bureau releases its poverty figures for 2011 tomorrow, the official poverty rate could reach its highest point since 1965, as I discussed earlier this year. Although private-sector employment improved in 2011, other factors that affect the poverty rate (such as the amount of unemployment assistance provided to jobless families, government employment, and real average weekly wages) fell.
But even if the comparison to 1965 proves technically true, it will be misleading. That’s because the official poverty rate is based on families’ pre-tax, cash income. It ignores all non-cash benefits (such as SNAP, formerly called food stamps) and working-family tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit — the very parts of the safety net that have expanded substantially over the past half century and that have reduced the reality of poverty, even if the improvement doesn’t show up in the official poverty figures.
In 1965, cash programs that are included in the official poverty measure — Unemployment Insurance, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (since converted into Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), Supplemental Security Income for the low-income elderly and people with disabilities, and state and local general assistance programs — comprised more than 90 percent of the benefits provided by major federal income-support programs for low-income and jobless Americans. By 2010, they accounted for only a little more than half of the benefits.
In other words, the official measure of poverty counts various means-tested cash assistance programs that have shrunk markedly, while ignoring key forms of “non-cash” assistance that have expanded substantially. The result is that using the official poverty measure to compare today’s poverty rate to that of decades ago yields a distorted picture that obscures more than it illuminates.
The Census Bureau is developing alternative poverty measures that count the full safety net’s effect. Its most complete and analytically sound measures — those that follow the poverty-measurement recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) — go even further, also accounting for rising work expenses and out-of-pocket medical expenses, for example, and modestly updating the poverty line itself.
Under these measures, poverty rose slightly over the last decade, including during the recent downturn, but has been flatter than the official rate since 2000. Census will release NAS-based poverty data for 2011 later this year.
Unfortunately, the NAS measures don’t stretch back to the 1960s or 1970s to allow a full comparison with the official poverty data. But a cruder measure that I calculated myself — unlike the NAS measures, it’s not a complete and balanced measure of poverty — shows the growing importance of non-cash benefits in raising people out of poverty back to 1979 (see chart).
Under this measure, which counts taxes, the estimated value of food stamps, and housing assistance, poverty rose much more slowly in recent years than the official poverty rate. It shows that in 2010, such “non-cash” assistance cut the number of people in poverty by more than 10 million, or 3 percent of the population.
Tomorrow’s Census data will likely underscore the very serious state of poverty in America. But as we consider how to reduce the number of poor families, we shouldn’t get distracted by comparisons that fail to account for how effectively major parts of the safety net have fought poverty.
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In just two months, the Trump Administration has already made it harder for African Americans to buy a house, to vote, to enjoy clean air and water, and to retire with dignity.
Last year, then-candidate Donald Trump famously asked black voters the following question: “What do you have to lose by trying something new?” He then promised that, if elected President, “the result for them will be amazing.”
The opposite has been true. In just the first 60 days, this Administration’s policies have already undermined racial equality across a striking range of areas, including affordable housing, voting rights, environmental protection, and retirement security.
In one of the Trump Administration’s first actions, announced just an hour after the President was sworn in, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) canceled an imminent cut to its annual mortgage insurance premiums. Trump’s decision will effectively hike the annual premium by a quarter of a percentage point, costing around 1 million borrowers an average of $500 on their mortgage payments in the coming year alone. This change will make it uniquely more difficult for black families to afford homeownership—nearly half of all African-American homebuyers in the United States rely on FHA insurance, compared to just one in five white homebuyers.
What’s worse, the rate hike was not justified by any economic reality. FHA is required to collect enough insurance to protect against the risk of future mortgage default, but an independent analysis last November demonstrated that current premium levels were actually over-collecting from the working families using FHA programs. The Trump team’s decision to rescind the rate cut simply means that FHA borrowers are paying more for insurance than is even necessary to protect against future risk.
Notably, on the same day that the Trump Administration made it more expensive for black families to buy homes, it also signaled its intent to pull back from protecting full civic participation by black voters. On Inauguration Day, the Justice Department sought a one-month delay of court proceedings regarding the Texas voter ID law—which excludes black voters by a two-to-one margin compared to whites—in order to “brief the new leadership of the Department on this case.” Later, the Department abruptly announced that it was abandoning its position that the Texas law was motivated, in part, by a racially discriminatory intent. The Justice Department’s new political team took this position in the face of no new factual evidence, and despite the Department having advocated precisely the opposite view in multiple federal courts for the preceding five years.
The consequences of DOJ’s change of heart could be far-reaching: If the court concludes that the state acted with a racially discriminatory purpose in adopting its voter ID law, it could order that all future voting changes or restrictions in Texas be suspended until the state demonstrates that those changes are not discriminatory. By withdrawing its discriminatory intent claim in the voter ID case, the Justice Department is giving up a potentially critical tool to protect minority voters in Texas far into the future.
These are not isolated examples: President Trump’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year would eliminate, or drastically cut, programs across the government that are central to the health and economic security of African-American communities.
Take, for example, the reported proposal to eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice. The environmental justice office was created nearly 25 years ago to address, through grantmaking and coordination of federal policy across the entire cabinet, the concentration of environmental harms in minority communities. African-American communities face a disproportionate share of environmental risks and accompanying health threats—whether from exposure to contaminated drinking water, as in Flint, Michigan; heightened risk of chemical disaster, with African-American families disproportionately likely to live within “fenceline” areas close to chemical facilities; or exposure to industrial pollution, with black families 79 percent more likely to live in neighborhoods where air pollution from factory emissions presents their greatest health risk.
Even when it comes to saving for retirement, the Administration’s early moves signal hostility to bipartisan efforts that would help working families better prepare for retirement while also helping black families overcome the racial wealth gap. Last year, the Labor Department finalized rules to facilitate state efforts to expand access to affordable retirement options, as one step toward promoting retirement security for the tens of millions of workers without access to an employer-sponsored plan. Workers who will benefit are disproportionately minority—in the five states that have already adopted auto-IRA initiatives, 56 percent of potentially eligible workers are people of color. And black families have tons of ground to make up in preparing for retirement: The average white family has more than $130,000 in liquid retirement savings, compared to just $19,000 for the average African-American family.
Yet Congress is poised to use the Congressional Review Act to kill the Labor Department rules, and the Trump White House has already endorsed nullification on the ground that state-led efforts “give a competitive advantage to public plans.” This reasoning, of course, ignores that the private sector has had decades to reach this market and has chosen instead to leave it underserved.
So, in just two months, the Trump Administration has already made it harder for African Americans to buy a house, to vote, to enjoy clean air and water, and to retire with dignity. The President’s campaign pledge was correct: The results of his policies for African Americans have in fact been “amazing”—it is amazing how much harm can be done so quickly. | {
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Het structureel tekort ligt in de lijn van wat de federale regering had vooropgesteld. Het nominaal tekort ligt met 1,13 procent dan weer een pak lager dan de 1,7 procent waarvan was uitgegaan. Het saneringsbeleid van de regering werpt vruchten af, zegt Wilmès.
Ze herinnert zich dat de oppositie bij de parlementaire bespreking van de begroting 2017 begrippen gebruikte als "gebouwd op los zand" en "budgettaire kloof". Maar, zegt Wilmès nu, "vandaag zijn onze voorspellingen bevestigd".
"Na alle onheilspellende berichten en framing is het nu tijd voor de realiteit en de cijfers", zegt ook minister van Financiën Johan Van Overtveldt. Volgens hem leverde België vorig jaar de grootste inspanning van heel de eurozone. "Die positieve lijn moeten we aanhouden voor 2018, met bijzondere aandacht voor het onder controle houden van de uitgaven."
De overheidsschuld bedroeg eind 2017 103 procent van het bbp, tegenover 106,7 procent bij het aantreden van de regering, kloppen Wilmès en Van Overtveldt zich op de borst.
(Lees verder onder de foto) | {
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Svensk debatt domineras just nu av det här med att vägra skaka hand med det motsatta könet, om det är kränkande eller inte att ta en gubbe i hand för att sedan slå sig för bröstet när hans gumma sträcker fram kardan. Miljöpartiets Gustav Fridolin kunde först inte fatta att det fanns kvinnor som uppfattade detta som kränkande, som en särbehandling bara för att de råkar vara kvinnor. Det handlar om svenska seder och bruk, det är västerlandets seder och bruk. Det handlar om att ta seden dit man kommer, men det fattade inte feministen Fridolin – språkröret i det feministiska Miljöpartiet – förrän det blev debatt om det där. Feministen Fridolin fattade noll när det dök upp kränkta kvinnor, på TV-rutan och i verkligheten.
Feministen och miljöpartisten Yasri Khan är uppväxt med att inte ta någon kvinna i handen. Det anses för intimt. Det fanns de som har samma uppväxt, fostran och religiösa övertygelse som Khan som inte hade några som helst problem att ta kvinnor på brösten, på baken, i skrevet under nyåret i Köln eller under en sommarlovsfest i Kungsträdgården. Nu tror ju inte jag att Yasri Khan skulle göra så, jag konstaterar bara att det finns dubbla måttstockar om vad som är intimt och inte bland de män som har fått byta miljö och kultur.
Det finns de västerlänningar som har fostrats av naturister till naturister. Skulle de för sig att åka till stränderna utanför Dubai eller i Oman kan de inte hänvisa till sin uppväxt medan de struntar i de seder och bruk som råder i de länderna. De kan inte ens visa för mycket hud, och det anses vettigt om kvinnorna sätter på sig huvudduk utanför hotellrummet. Den västerländska turisten brukar visa hänsyn, ta seden dit turisten kommer – och följa de seder och bruk som gäller i den miljön, i den kulturen. Skulle man få för sig att inte göra det, får man ta konsekvenserna.
Om de som flyr eller flyttar hit till Sverige inte vill ta till sig de seder och bruk som vi borde försöka upprätthålla här så finns det alltid en annan plats och en annan kultur där de sederna och bruken man vägrar att göra sig av med är kutym. Ingen har ju tvingat folk till ett land där vi anser att det är naturligt att ta en kvinna i handen utan att börja tänka intima tankar. Ta seden dit du kommer, eller kom till en plats där dina seder funkar. För varför skall anpassningen alltid vara enkelriktad?
I det kravlösa Sverige, i det kravlösa västerlandet är det alltid ”vi” som skall anpassa oss – oavsett om det är hemma här eller borta där, i Dubai eller Oman. Tills nyligen hade man inte kunnat skriva den här texten utan att bli nerkletad med rasistepitet och fascistinvektiv. Men något händer, och det händer snabbt. Det är därför det illusoriska feministiska Miljöpartiet får sina problem. De har bara varit låtsas-feminister. De har varit mer intresserade av att vara ett multikulti-parti där feminismen har fått stå tillbaka för att kunna attrahera sådana som får ribba av att skaka hand.
När vindarna i debatten nu vänder så kränger den miljöpartistiska skutan i stormen. Trovärdigheten är spolad överbord, och livbåtarna har blåst bort. Frågan är skorven är dömd, eller om det finns någon navigatör som kan ta ut en kurs enligt gamla seder och bruk. Inte är Fridolin mannen att hitta rätt kurs, och inte funkar det med Romson som utkik. Vem skall kunna rädda låtsas-feministerna…? | {
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A Look at Crafting Experiences
By Paul Carrico on November 22, 2016 | Developer Journals | 0
Hello, my name is Paul Carrico and I am excited to be working alongside so many talented people at Pixelmage. I have been making games for about 16 years now. I am a game designer and work on creating and implementing content. I find myself always being drawn back to crafting systems. Working with the crafting communities of EverQuest, EverQuest II, and H1Z1 were some of my favorite times doing design. I am using that experience to add crafting systems that I think would be the most fun and rewarding to play within Hero’s Song.
In Hero’s Song, crafting is meant to be accessible with lots of depth. It is accessible to all players – from seasoned crafting veterans to those who typically do not gravitate to these types of systems. This will become more apparent in a future crafting patch when recipe discovery is added. The intention is that discovering recipes will pull people into crafting. As important components are found, recipe discoveries will happen automatically. Discovering recipes in this way gives context for recently found items. This can create a personal objective to gather the remaining components and craft the newly discovered recipe.
Components can be found all over the world. They can be lying on the ground, living in the world, inside of an object like a mining node, or obtained from killing enemies. Some of the components might be difficult to come by and may only appear in specific locations, at specific times, or during specific phases of the moon.
Crimson Bloom growing in the forest which can be used to make health potions.
Gold ore extracted from a gold vein to make one of the highest tiers of weapons.
Leathery Skin dropped from a Grizzly Bear which can be used to make Leather Armor.
Crafted items can be very powerful. Since the game is a roguelike and the life of a character is finite, upgrades can be very meaningful and offer a large impact on character power. Hero’s Song does not have skill points or level requirements on crafting. The only requirement is to find the ingredients. With a little bit of luck powerful components can be found to make interesting items quickly.
One example of a powerful crafted item is one that has reactive effects on it. From the power of the effect alone, item builds might form around it. The combination of different crafting items and dropped items could generate really interesting sets of gear.
Sentinel Ring has a chance to react to melee attacks and freeze the attacker for a long duration
Please check out the game and please leave feedback at http://forums.pixelmagegames.com/. We are making the game that we want to play, but we also want to make the game that you want to play. | {
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When thinking of rockets, stretching metal honeycomb sheets may not be one of the first things that comes to mind.
But that’s just one of many jobs that aerospace technician Linda Letson does at RUAG Space USA in Decatur. She joined the company in February 2019 after wanting to join the aerospace manufacturing industry for a couple of years.
RUAG Space USA RUAG Space USA
“It is even more interesting than I thought. I knew it would be a lot different than anything I had ever done, but I wasn’t fully prepared,” said Letson.
RUAG Holding AG is a Swiss-based aerospace and defense technology company headquartered in Bern. It has been making payload fairings and composite structures in its space division for more than 20 years for both European and American rockets.
In 2016, the company opened a subsidiary called RUAG Space USA in Huntsville and opened its manufacturing plant in Decatur in 2017.
There they manufacture “composite technology based on aluminum honeycomb cores with carbon fiber reinforced plastic face sheets.” RUAG Space primarily works with United Launch Alliance (ULA), which is right next door to the Decatur site.
“Of course having ULA here and the heritage of rocket development here in the area was really important. The workforce here is just really fantastic for the company. And all that just really made sense,” said Robbie Harris, the manager of the Program Management Office at RUAG Space.
“There's not really anywhere else in the US that was so perfect.”
Harris said previously, the fairings they made for ULA were manufactured in Switzerland and flown to the United States. So having a US-based operation significantly cuts down on overall costs.
“This facility was selected because we could get what they need out of this facility at the rate that we need. Of course, coming to the US is, our plan is to grow and expand. And so we'll be looking to do that pretty aggressively,” said Harris.
And it’s not only RUAG doing business in the Tennessee Valley. According to the Office of the Governor, more than 70 companies operating in north Alabama are tied to European countries.
That’s why last week, Governor Kay Ivey announced the new European Office to Advance Economic Development.
“As we see investment from Europe on the rise, particularly in the automotive, aerospace, forest products and chemical sectors, it has become more apparent to us that having representation on the ground in Europe will help provide new connections, not only with companies within those sectors but also to help us advance our trade opportunities,” said Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield in a statement.
Christoph Doerr was appointed as the director of the office. According to the governor’s office, he is “an experienced German businessman who spent seven years in charge of an industrial operation in Alabama.
“I personally experienced the benefits of investing in Alabama, and I can share that with prospective companies, not just theoretical information about a business location in the state,” he stated.
The Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce said having a dedicated representative in Germany will be a big boost to help grow the area.
“One thing we’ve learned in the last several years of being active and promoting Huntsville is that a lot of people know our history, but they don’t know what we offer today,” said Lucia Cape, Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Industrial Relations & Workforce.
Back at RAUG Space, Harris said some of those offerings include state and local training courses for technicians, like the ones done in tandem with Calhoun Community College.
"Having people trained before they come in the door through programs that the state sets up is a game changer for us. So we really take advantage of that,” said Harris.
Letson is just one beneficiary of that training and said it allows her to excel at RUAG Space.
"Everything has got to be flight ready. You can’t make mistakes. You can’t “oops.” It’s got to be done correct the first time, because a lot of this stuff, once it’s together, there’s no getting it apart,” said Letson.
To learn more about the new office, click here. | {
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Nerdcore.de, das bekannte Blog von René Walter, ist momentan nicht zu erreichen. Ersten Tweets war zu entnehmen, dass der allseits als sehr umstritten (und abmahnfreudig) bekannte Dienstleister Euroweb daran nicht unbeteiligt ist.
Verständlicherweise ist René gerade noch zu sehr am Wüten, um näheres zu erläutern, aber eine WHOIS-Abfrage bei der DENIC bestätigt meine böseste Befürchtung – Euroweb ist im Besitz der Domain:
Domaininhaber: Christoph Preuss Organisation: Euroweb Internet GmbH Adresse: Hansaallee 299 PLZ: 40549 Ort: Düsseldorf Land: DE
Das Abtreten des Domainnamens an die Firma wird häufig als Teil der – hust! – „Kundenbindungsstrategie“ des Unternehmens, das auch unter dem Namen Webstyle und Viscomp agiert, bezeichnet. Update: Das ist bei René nicht der Fall, siehe unten! /Update Über die Geschäftspraxis des Unternehmens zu berichten hat sich für viele Blogger als ausgesprochen kostspielig herausgestellt, und auch ich habe schon freundliche Emails vom Kundenservice erhalten, wenn’s für eine Abmahnung nicht gereicht hat.
Ich muss sagen: Ich bin neugierig, wie René an die Jungs geraten ist. Aber das wird er uns sicher bald erklären. Unter der hoffentlich temporären Domain crackajack.de.
UPDATE: Ich habe gerade mit René telefoniert. Der Sachverhalt gestaltet sich folgendermaßen: Die Firma Euroweb hat ihn für einen Artikel über die Firma abgemahnt. René hat auf die Abmahnung nicht reagiert.
Nun wurde von Euroweb der Domainname gepfändet. Vom rechtlichen Ablauf hat das erstmal alles seine Ordnung – aber auch das ist nicht neu bei Euroweb, die Firma hat ja Anwälte, die sich Mühe geben…
Die DENIC wollte mir am Telefon zum Thema „Wie sind die Regelungen dafür, jemandem den Domainnamen einfach wegzunehmen?“ keine brauchbare Auskunft geben.
René hat einen Anwalt eingeschaltet, und wird jetzt sehen, wie es weitergeht. Der Wert der Domain nerdcore.de sollte in jedem Fall die Forderungen der Firma bei weitem übersteigen.
UPDATE 2: Zum rechtlichen Rahmen der Pfändung von Domains gibt es einen älteren heise-Artikel. Interessant ist der Hinweis
Der Kuckuck ist jedoch dann verboten, wenn der Inhaber die Domain zwingend für seinen Job benötigt.
Noch einen Hinweis an die Autoren der Trackbacks, die uns gerade zu diesem Artikel erreichen: Wie ich schon schreib, gilt die Firma als abmahnungsfreudig. Wer über Webstyle, Euroweb und Viscomp berichtet, ist also gut beraten, auf seine Sprachregelung achten, Wörter wie „Arschgeigen“ zu vermeiden, und sich in der Anwendung des Konjunktiv I zu üben. Das gilt auch für Kommentatoren, die uns Arbeit sparen wollen ;-)
UPDATE 3: Zur meiner Anfrage bei der Denic habe ich von einem freundlichen Leser erfahren, dass die Denic sich aus solchen Angelegenheiten heraushält, weil der Vertrag zwischen dem Registrar/Provider und dem Nutzer besteht. Die Provider verweisen ihrerseits wieder auf Denic, weil sie die Dienstleistung der Denic nur durchreichen. Damit sieht die Denic das Ganze wohl anders als der BGH der beschlossen hat (Geschäftsnummer: VII ZB 5/05 Urteil vom 5. Juli 2005) Mehr Infos dazu gibt es hier.
Neues aus dem Internet: Auf der Facebook-Seite von Euroweb beginnen nun auch einige Nerdcore-Unterstützer zu kommentieren. Ärgerlicherweise geht das jedoch erst, nachdem man das Gelöbnis „Euroweb gefällt mir“ abgelegt hat. Der Twitter-Account von Euroweb schweigt bisher auch noch zum Thema. Und in den Kommentaren tauchte der Link zu diesem Video auf.
Währenddessen kündigte Euroweb eine Stellungnahme „auf dem Blog“ an. Damit ist vermutlich das Firmen-Blog gemeint, denn unter der Domain nerdcore.de gliche das ja einem Defacement.
UPDATE 4: Weit gefehlt:
lässt Euroweb über Facebook verlauten, wo nun die Kommentare aufgebrachter Nerdcore-Leser wieder verschwunden sind.
UPDATE 5: Euroweb kann erklären, wieso die Kommentare weg sind. sie wurden nicht gelöscht, sondern, äh…
UPDATE 6: Lustigerweise hat die FAZ als erstes altes Medium über die Geschichte berichtet. Neue Infos dabei: Rene hat nicht nur auf die Abmahnung nicht reagiert, sondern es gab auch ein Urteil vor dem Landgericht Berlin, was er leider/dummerweise nicht beachtet hat. Euroweb ist wiederum durch die aktuelle Aufmerksamkeit auf das Unternehmen und seine Geschäftsmethoden etwas aufgeschreckt und hat eine Versteigerung der Domain für kommende Woche angekündigt, um das Image gerade etwas unter Kontrolle zu halten. Die Erlöse sollen einem guten Zweck zugeführt werden. In einer Pressemitteilung heißt es:
Das Blog zweitpopulärste Blog Deutschlands, nerdcore.de, ist seit wenigen Stunden nicht mehr erreichbar. Nachdem die Kosten eines gegen Euroweb verlorenen Prozesses durch den Kostenschuldner nicht innerhalb angemessener Frist erstattet wurden, hat Euroweb statt der Kosten nunmehr die Domain nerdcore rechtmäßig im Rahmen der Zwangsvollstreckung übertragen bekommen. In Kürze wird Euroweb die Rechte an der Domain bei Ebay für einen gemeinnützigen Zweck versteigern.
(Formulierungsfehler dürft Ihr behalten)
Das im FAZ-Artikel ohne Link oder Anfrage wiedergegebene Interview mit René hat übrigens pEtEr Withoutfield von den Blogrebellen geführt.
UPDATE 7: Jörg-Olaf hat mit Christoph Preuß, dem Geschäftsführer von Euroweb telefoniert, und schon den Text in Erfahrung gebracht, der bald unter nerdcore.de zu sehen sein soll. Außerdem wird die Sichtweise von Euroweb deutlich.
UPDATE 8: Die Kölner Kanzlei Berger, die die Firma Euroweb im Rechtstreit mit Nerdcore.de vertreten hat, berichtet auf ihrer Website von dem gewonnenen Fall.
Die durch das Gerichtsverfahren entstandenen Kosten sowie weitere Beträge für Rechtsanwaltsgebühren hatte der Schuldner zu zahlen. Obwohl ihm der Gerichtsbeschluss am 10.09.2010 zugestellt wurde, zahlte der Schuldner bis zum 07.01.2011 nicht vollständig.
In einem solchen Fall, kann man einen nicht zahlenden Schuldner über die Vorschriften der Zwangsvollstreckung zur Zahlung zwingen, sofern Vermögen vorhanden ist. Besteht über das Vermögen des Schuldners Unklarheit, kann man Nachforschungen über die Vermögensverhältnisse des Schuldners anstellen. Allerdings ist dies kosten- und zeitintensiv, so dass sich unsere Mandantin dazu entschlossen hatte, in das bekannte Vermögen zu vollstrecken. Zu diesem bekannten Vermögen des Schuldners zählte seine deutschsprachige Top-Level-Domainadresse.
Insbesondere wird sich zum Thema Pfändung einer Domain auf den BGH-Beschluss vom 05.07.2005 – VII ZB 5/05 bezogen, den man hier einsehen kann.
UPDATE 9: Mit Udo Vetter meldet sich nun ein Anwalt zu Wort. Vor allem die Frage, ob Euroweb den wirklich mit der Domain und ihrem Erlös nach Gutdünken verfahren darf, hatte das Rechtsempfinden vieler Leser aufgewühlt. Udo Vetter stellt dazu fest:
In einem Bericht der Süddeutschen Zeitung klingt es so, als sei Euroweb tatsächlich der Meinung, den gesamten Erlös eines eventuellen Verkaufs von Nerdcore.de behalten (und spenden) zu dürfen. Das ist Blödsinn. Alles vom Erlös, das über die Schulden hinausgeht, steht dem früheren Domain-Inhaber zu.
Außerdem stellt er fest:
Außerdem besteht für eine Verwertung der Domain ab dem Augenblick kein Grund mehr, in dem die Forderung beglichen ist.
René hat nämlich anscheinend am Wochenende die letzte Rate bezahlt – was juristisch eindeutig zu spät ist – aber eine pikante Information für das Euroweb-PR-Team sein dürfte, das sich auch mit moralischen Fragen auseinandersetzen muss.
UPDATE 10: Gegen die Annahme der von Euroweb angekündigten Spende organisieren Wikipedia-Nutzer bereits Widerstand.
UPDATE 11: Der Freischreiber e.V. macht das gleiche.
3. Könnte die Firma Euroweb das Geld aus dem Erlös der Versteigerung der Nerdcore-Domain tatsächlich spenden, so bräuchte sie dafür einen Empfänger, der das Geld auch annimmt. Wir aber haben das Gefühl, dass hier mit ziemlich dicken Kanonen auf zierliche Spatzen geschossen wird. Und davon möchten wir nicht profitieren. Und wir möchten auch nicht, dass sich der Kanonier mit einer Spende an Freischreiber ein moralisches Mäntelchen für eine klassische Überreaktion umhängen kann.
UPDATE 12: Nachdem die von Euroweb unter der Domain nerdcore.de geschaltete Seite über längere Strecken nur schwer erreichbar war – und doch mit mehreren Hundert kritischen Kommenaren versehen wurde, ist sie nun wieder war sie nun wieder kurzzeitig offline. Auch der Domaininhaber hat schon wieder gewechselt, laut Denic ist die seit heute, 19.01.11:
Domaininhaber: Daniel Fratzscher Organisation: New Media Marketing & Vertriebs GmbH Adresse: Wallstraße 16 PLZ: 10179 Ort: Berlin
Daniel Fratzscher ist einer der Mitgründer von Euroweb und die Nameserver werden weiterhin von Euroweb betrieben. Bei Euroweb wird man sicher seine Gründe für dieses Weitergeben an eine Firma, die noch nicht einmal eine Website hat, haben. Ich hatte ja auch schon erwähnt, dass die Herren Fratzscher und Preuß nicht nur ambitionierte Unternehmer, sondern auch fleißige Unternehmens- und Subunternehmensgründer zu sein scheinen… Fratzscher ist Geschäftsführer von Maxclip, Viscomp – Und Preuss wiederum der von maxworker, der European Website Company und Euroweb (alles natürlich ohne Anspruch auf Vollständigkeit).
UPDATE 13: Thomas Stadler kommt bei der Bewertung des Falls zu einem anderen Ergebnis als Udo Vetter.
Update vom 19.1.2011:
In dem Beitrag von Udo Vetter wird die Ansicht vertreten, der Gläubiger (Euroweb) müsste im Falle einer Versteigerung den Erlös herausgeben, der über die Schulden des Bloggers hinausgeht. Das wäre aber nur dann richtig, wenn es sich um eine Zwangsversteigerung bzw. Verwertung der Domain im Rahmen einer Zwangsvollstreckung handelt. Das scheint aber vorliegend nicht der Fall zu sein. Euroweb hat sich die Domain vielmehr anstelle der Zahlung – juristisch: an Erfüllungs Statt – übertragen lassen. Das bedeutet, dass der Blogger seine Schulden durch Übertragung der Domain bezahlt hat. In diesem Fall muss Walter den Pfändungs- und Überweisungsbeschluss beim Vollstreckungsgericht angreifen und versuchen diesen rückgängig zu machen. Vom Erlös eines Verkaufs der Domain durch Euroweb bekommt er aber grundsätzlich nichts.
UPDATE 14: Die Online-Version eines werbefinanzierten Popkultur-Magazins veröffentlicht ein Interview mit Euroweb-Geschäftsführer Christoph Preuss – auf die Geschäftspraxis des Unternehmens wird nur am Rande eingegangen. Preuss stellt fest:
„Den Shitstorm haben wir erwartet“
…was die Kommentarfunktion unter der hämischen Ankündigung auf Nerdcore.de ja schon vermuten ließ: Eignet sie sich doch prima zur Kanalisierung (und Löschung) des Shitstorms und zum Sammeln aller kritischen Links zur Unternehmensgruppe, die in nunmehr 1.500 Kommentaren zusammengetragen wurden.
Auf die nächste Abmahnung darf man gespannt sein. Und auch darauf, wie viel Gegenmobilisierungspotenzial dann noch vorhanden ist für eine öffentliche Diskussion, die den Fokus wieder mehr auf die ewig kritisierten Geschäftsmethoden der Firma legt.
Update 15:
Georg Holzer berichtet über die Geschäftspraktiken von Euroweb und anhängende Verfahren in Österreich: Euroweb. Oder: Wie man nicht dümmer reagieren kann.
Update 16, 21.01.11: Die Domain ist (vorläufig?) zurück in Renés Besitz – noch ist unklar, wie es dazu kam, und ob es auch so bleibt. Weitere Updates ab jetzt in diesem Artikel.
Update 17, 22.01.11:
Die Domain ist zurück. Hier ist die offizielle Pressemitteilung dazu. | {
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Yesterday, “Weird Al” Yankovic spoofed Pharrell and his big Arby’s hat with the hilariously on-point “Tacky”. Now, he’s turned his attention to another unsuspecting pop victim: Robin Thicke.
On “Word Crimes”, the “Weird” one parodies Thicke’s (in)famous hit “Blurred Lines”. Gone is the sexist skew and cheesiness of the original — instead, Al flips the song into a lesson about grammar. Yes, seriously, he calls people out for their gross misuse of English, singing: “You learn the definition / of nouns and prepositions / Literacy’s your mission / And that’s why I think it’s a good time / To learn some grammar / Did I stammer? / Work on that grammar.”
The accompanying visual for “Word Crimes” reads like a cross between a lyric video and a fancy English tutorial, full of animated periods and exclamation points. I don’t particularly like “Blurred Lines” (and I’m #sorrryImnotsorry about Thicke’s recent mega sales flop, Paula), but more than anything else, I AM A GRAMMAR NERD. Thus, “Weird Al” wins, hands down.
“Word Crimes” appears on Yankovic’s upcoming 14th studio album, Mandatory Fun, due out July 15th via RCA. | {
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Consultations
Consultation for routine neonatal pediatric and adolescent problems available during OPD hours. Emergency consultations provided by prior appointment only. Night consultations for emergencies are also available.
Daily outpatient services are provided both on appointment and walk in basis. Neonatal, pediatric and adolescent infections like Sepsis, Chickenpox, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Hand Foot & Mouth Disease, Typhoid, Diphtheria, Cough, Flu ,Pertussis, Tuberculosis, Diarrhoea , Dysentery, Otitis Media, Boils, Scalp infections, Worms, etc. and allergic disorders like Asthma, Bronchitis, Atopy are managed on daily basis.
Counselling is an important part of consultation which is done Compassionately.
Easily readable handouts are provided to patients for thorough understanding and referencing. | {
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CINCINNATI -- In transactions that were expected to happen this offseason, MLB.com learned Wednesday that the Reds exercised the $10 million 2015 club option for ace starting pitcher Johnny Cueto and declined options for outfielder Ryan Ludwick and infielder Jack Hannahan.
The mutual option for Ludwick was worth $9 million and it was bought out for $4.5 million, while Hannahan had a $4 million club option bought out for $2 million. Both players automatically become free agents.
None of the moves had been formally announced by the Reds.
Cueto, 28, finished 2014 with a 20-9 record and a 2.25 ERA in 34 starts. A first-time National League All-Star, he led the league in starts and innings (243 2/3), and he was tied for first in strikeouts with 242.
Ludwick, 36, was originally signed as a free agent in 2012 and hit 26 home runs with 80 RBIs in his first season in Cincinnati. His production declined to 11 home runs and 57 RBIs over the past two seasons following a shoulder injury suffered on Opening Day 2013 while sliding head-first into third base. He missed most of that season on the disabled list after having surgery.
This season, Ludwick batted .244 with nine homers and 45 RBIs in 112 games.
Shoulder issues also marred Hannahan's production while in Cincinnati. In only 109 games over two seasons, he batted .209 with one homer and 16 RBIs. Hannahan played with a torn labrum in his right shoulder during 2013 and had surgery last October. A natural third baseman, he was activated in late July and was limited to playing some first base pinch-hitting.
In another move, the club also sent infielder Neftali Soto outright to Triple-A Louisville. Soto batted .100 (3-for-30) in 21 games over two big league stints this season. | {
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McDonald’s is planning on closing hundreds of stores to combat a nosedive in profits as competition heats up in the burger sector.
Kevin Orzan, McDonald’s chief financial officer, said underperforming branches would be shut. It closed 220 restaurants in the first three months of 2015, mostly in the US and China, and another 130 in Japan. This was on top of 350 planned closures. McDonald’s has 36,000 stores around the globe.
Why? McDonald’s is struggling to compete with smaller, more agile fast food chains like Shake Shack and Chipotle. It’s sales were down $5.9 billion in the first quarter, down 11 per cent on the same quarter last year.
2. They're selling fewer Big Macs
Credit: Market Realist
Sales of McDonald's in store are fell this year everywhere but Europe. Global sales were down 2.3 per cent, with big losses in Asia, the Middle East and Africa and in the US.
Even the closures and management reshuffles that go with them are costly, adding up to $200 million in charges.
McDonald's is still by far the biggest burger chain in the US, as the graph shows.
But continuing decline in profits is taking its toll.
The company is trying to combat an image problem with sentimental advertising and healthier food, including a promise to stop serving chicken raised on human antibiotics.
It is still seeing diners abandon its golden arches - not for the traditional rivals in the graph above - but for pricier options that is believed to be more wholesome. Shake Shack, for example, said it will soon serve hamburger and hot dog buns with non-genetically modified ingredients.
McDonald's also announced a pay rise - usually a good way to improve staff morale. But even that got accused of being a PR stunt when it turned out only 90,000 staff in company owned stores would benefit. The majority of workers at franchised McDonald's will still get the state and federal minimum wage.
It remains to be seen what else McDonald's plans to throw on the grill as it attempts to cook up a reversal of fortunes. | {
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This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.
ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — Officials say the body of a man trapped after the sides of a hole collapsed has been found, according to WSOC.
The miner has been identified as 56-year-old Terry Lee Ledford.
The hole that collapsed where Ledford was digging was about 30 feet deep.
Ledford was well known for finding the Carolina Emperor in 2009.
The emerald was 310 carats when Ledford pulled it from the ground in Hiddenite, near where he was mining Wednesday.
The emerald was later cut to 65 carats and is the largest cut emerald found in North America. | {
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Liberalerna har av två olika personer anmälts till Konsumentverket för falsk marknadsföring. Båda anmälarna menar att Liberalernas, före detta Folkpartiets, politik inte kan anses vara liberal.
”Det är historierevision och förvanskar vad liberalism är och alltid har inneburit sen dess uppkomst”, skriver en anmälare till Konsumentverket.
Det var i november i år som Folkpartiet aviserade namnbytet till Liberalerna. Anledningen var att partiet befinner sig i en förnyelseprocess. | {
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Article content
A young bull remains on the run from the law after a heroic escape from a farm auction house and subsequent evasion of the authorities.
The small bull, known as a stocker, was about to be auctioned off at the Ottawa Livestock Exchange on Thursday. When faced with an uncertain future, the stocker decided to take matters into his own hands, and an approximately seven-foot-high door wasn’t going to hold him back from his freedom.
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Bull run: Young stocker jumps nearly seven foot fence to freedom, evades police capture Back to video
“He jumped it,” said an employee at the Livestock Exchange. “He’s f—–g crazy, man.”
Although the jump is impressive, the stocker wasn’t the first to accomplish the feat — several videos on YouTube show bulls clearing fences of similar height.
The stocker, almost 600 pounds, wasn’t out of the woods yet, as Ottawa resident Ken Tasker happened to be driving in the area at the time of the animal’s escape. Tasker came nearly face-to-face with the young bull on Evening Shadow Avenue near Bank Street around 3 p.m. | {
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German Football Association rebuke 'unsportsmanlike' team officials By Rune Gjerulff
Two German team officials, who made taunts towards the Swedish bench last Saturday, will not be given access to the pitch when Germany face Korea Republic tomorrow.
Two German team officials will not be present at the match against Korea Republic. Photo: Marco Verch
The German Football Association have said that two team officials will not be present at their match against Korea Republic on Wednesday as a result of 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' after the dramatic 2-1 win over Sweden last Saturday, Reuters reports.
Team officer Ulrich Voigt and the director of the DFB office for the national team, Georg Behlau, celebrated Toni Kroos' 2-1 winner in the stoppage time by charging towards the Swedish bench, clapping and pumping their fists.
World football's governing body, FIFA, are currently investigating the incident which infuriated the Swedish players and coaching staff. However, independent of FIFA's decision, the German Football Association have now taken action.
"Independent of the FIFA disciplinary commission’s decision, the DFB and the two colleagues in question want to make a clear point of having realized the impact of their unsportsmanlike behavior and already today announce that they will have no function in the pitch side area at the next game of the German team," the DFB said in a statement.
You can see how the Swedish team reacted to the incident here.
Germany will be up against Korea Republic tomorrow in their final match at the group stage.
Here is footage of the incident:
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Are they intentionally hiding the Cures???
Decide for yourself.
There are a number of alternative healing therapies that work well and cost much less (compared to conventional treatment), that Organized Medicine, the Food & Drug Administration, and their overlords in the Pharmaceutical Industry (The Big Three) have made difficult to access. How, when our country organized and industrialized, men like you and I, put up the capital and said to themselves, “here’s
a great opportunity to help people, this is a great thing.” And, it certainly was.
But, when it grew and grew, it was like a runaway train that was perfect for everyone involved all the way down the line, physician’s included. Alternatives out of
this country were already popular and used. Even though Alternative, non-toxic therapies represent a potential loss of billions of dollars to allopathic (drug) medicine and drug companies, we are certain that it was not a malicious act on the part
of industry. Homeopathic cures do represent a sizable income to those that have organized companies, but it targets the individual and not the masses on the whole, that is, until recently. Now, there are companies out there that can offer their products
to physicians and, there are also technological advances that also make it possible to
treat the whole patient, just like a physician. It’s also true that these treatments
absolutely do not interfere with standard medicine, that they have no side effects, do not destroy cells, organs or body functions and are completely harmless.
The Big Three have collectively, through their own success, engaged in a situation that seems like a medical conspiracy for the better part of 70 years. They’ve influenced legislative bodies on both the state and federal level to create regulations that promote the use of drug medicine, without examining what measures could be taken to integrate the basic principles incorporated into natural cures. The system stifled the availability of non-drug, alternative modalities. While we went with the flow that worked, other countries passed us in health care by incorporating all the methods available to cure people. Natural Medicine is not just an alternative in other countries, it’s a prescription. That includes Russia, Europe, Asia, etc. What seems like an absolute conspiracy to limit and eliminate competition from non-drug therapies was an expected outcome that was unavoidable. And, it wasn’t a terrible act on the part of a person or group of men in business. What else could the AMA do, or the pharmaceutical companies: there was no organized effort, not scientific information, false claims were made by charlatans, hocus pocus?
But now, we have well organized entities have powerful cures that can slip right into the empty slot for the people without difficulty. One of them, but we don’t want to
take away from the objective of this article, is commonsensetechnologies.web.com.
Their Technology is recognized as being effective, without opposition. And, its
also a well know fact that their Frequency Formulas can be used at home, in a doctor’s office, in the car, on the phone, on a CD player, I Pod, etc and etc. They’ve even developed a Treatment Channel for Cable Television. Now, let’s continue
with the article.
Flexner Report of 1910.
Needless to say, congress had no choice but to go with the only organized
entities that could help the people as a whole, the American Medical Association (AMA). They needed a “doorkeeper” and they certainly were
organized. Now, the AMA is empowered to certify or de-certify any medical school in the country on the grounds of whether that school met the AMA’s standards of “approved” medicine. Again, the Natural Cure System is now organized enough
for the AMA, the FDA and the Government to introduce Frequency Formulation
Science into the mainstream of health care. With the technology we’ve incorporated into the field of frequency treatments, doctors will have no difficulty understanding it and certainly no difficulty using it in their offices. WOW Technology has made it possible for groups of individuals in offices to receive treatments, to take CD’s home and play the treatments on their Laptop of PC, on their home entertainment system,
phone, I Pad, etc. A simple report carefully written is all that’s needed. We have the products. And with our technology, we can create individual treatments that are very comprehensive for chronic illnesses as well as for every other condition or disorder
that can be named.
The AMA came into existence in 1847 and they are still operating using the
same business plan developed when Pharmaceutical Companies came into
existence. Simply put, it operates very much like a union. We don’t mean that
in a critical way, there just wasn’t any other way. There were 140 medical schools in 1920 and by 1944 there were only 69. Schools too, were caught in the tide but now,
they too are teaching frequency healing.
Not surprisingly, until recently Medical schools that offered courses in bioelectric Medicine, Homeopathy or Eastern Medicine, for example, were told to either drop these courses from their curriculum or lose their accreditation and underwriting support. A few schools resisted for a time, but eventually most schools cooperated (or were closed down. By the way, the AMA was found guilty of conspiracy against chiropractors in 1987 by a federal judge and fined a couple of million dollars. Here in America, it’s no longer possible to keep highly effective alternative therapies from reaching any significant plateau of public awareness. UNTIL NOW, IT WAS
IMPOSSIBLE. WOW is leading this worldwide campaign to introduce the first
FULLY ORGANIZED SYSTEM THAT IS CAPABLE OF BEING PART OF
OF MODERN HEALTH CARE.
Wait until you get a load of what is coming to revolutionize the world of medicine. Medicine just got exciting thanks to A team of researchers at
Common Sense Technologies in Clearwater, Florida have created a technological breakthrough in the use of sound waves, the same sound waves Dr. Oz uses, that Oprah has talked about and that’s been in the news all over the world. The use of sound for healing dates back thousands of years and is considered a branch of vibrational medicine, but this our technology does something different: it’s called WOW (Wave Over Wave), and will, when commercialized will change the outcome in medicine as we all know it. Eventually and maybe even very soon, Doctors will welcome it into their system.
The applications of this technology are wide ranging: not only can doctors use the Wave Over Wave Therapy in their offices to treat disease, conditions, disorders and pain, but it is available for the general public to use as well, all in the comfort of their own home. The Treatment Packages can be used by anyone and it will NOT interfere with your current treatment regiments nor prescriptions. Not only is it available now to the public, but it is ridiculously affordable. The owners of Common Sense Technologies, say that their goal is to keep all of the Treatments at a affordable price especially in our current economic situation. Not only do they offer pre-assembled packages, but they allow you to currently contact them directly over the phone so you can tell them your current condition or illness and they will create a Custom Therapeutic Package solely addressing all your needs. There was a interview conducted with both the owners and it is a worthwhile read, so I will put a link HERE.
Yet the big story here goes beyond the coolness of this new technology: the science of WOW will open the minds of doctors, surgeons and western medical researchers to the benefits of vibrational medicine. Russian scientists and over 17 years of in-depth research. The future has arrived and just as three-dimensional printing will revolutionize manufacturing, this technology will revolutionize the practice of medicine.
This type of groundbreaking medical technology is making many people a lot of money in Russia. Why? Because it destroys the pharmaceutical paradigm and the doctors that practice it, using electromagnetic vibration to diagnose and cure without side effects yet with pinpoint precision. They use a similar but out dated technology in comparison to Common Sense Technologies by using what they call, Deta Elis Electromagnetic Bioresonance.
The technology therapy created by Common Sense will be sweeping the globe just like cell phones and computers.
Who has endorsed this technology? President Putin of Russia uses it and the Department of Health in Russia has approved it for wide use across their nation, which amounts to three hundred million people. The Russian and American space program uses this technology because it enables convenient and non-invasive monitoring and enhancing of the health of their cosmonauts. Now, Frequency Medicine is affordable and ready for use. It’s accurate and even
much safer in many situations. And, when Frequencies are used with medicine, it’s even greater for the public.
The first stop in this revolution is Hepatitis B and C as well as herpes and Cancer, just to name a few. Russian doctors are claiming a ninety percent cure rate for these incurable infections. Everyone is familiar with the fact that you can shatter a glass with sound.
Both the WOW (WAVE OVER WAVE) technology and the Deta Elis machine, called the “Deta AP” will shatter viruses, bacteria and fungi, coming to us just as antibiotics become more of a terror than a help. This phenomenon where we can kill microbes with frequencies is called BIORESONANCE, and this is the principle that these Deta Elis devices use to cure.
With this “too good to be true” form of medicine (Wave Over Wave & Bioresonance) one can have their diagnosis already in hand from a western practitioner and use one of the treatment machines that one can buy as a consumer/patient. The of the best things is Common Sense Tech. has this available currently and can be used on MP3 players and one will be able to download, like on an IPad, applications that will address specific medical problems. So if you are travelling, for example, and come down with gastroenteritis, you can download on your personal computer the AP for gastroenteritis and run it until you get better. The application programs contain all the frequencies for eradicating the bacteria responsible for gastroenteritis. This is 21st century medicine at its best!
Just as this technology can be used to balance a part of the body it can also be used to destroy parasites and bacteria. By far better than explaining, it is to watch a 33-second video and see it in action.
KILLING PARASITE WITH FREQUENCY ……….VIDEO
Can you see the power of this? Once diagnosed with a particular parasite or virus it can be targeted with a particular frequency that will cause no harm to anything else but kill the parasite/virus. The video above shows parasites exploding.
There have been many researchers that have worked on energy medicine and Bioresonance this past century such as Dr. Rife, Dr. Voll, Dr. Schimmel, Dr. Morell and others. Some of the machines developed through the years run as high as 40,000 dollars.
The Common Sense Technologies have outdone everyone bringing this technology into medical and healthcare practices as well as into every home, because all you need is a computer.
In five years, we will see everyone walking around not just with his or her cell phone but also with a safe therapeutic device that will put health empowerment back into the peoples’ hands.
The Russians conducted extensive studies on over 25,000 people and established an accurate system of analyzing and reinforcing energetic health of the organs, and their connection to specific areas on the skin (dermal-visceral zones).
As a result of these devices’ action, a weakened organ receives energy needed for normal functioning, which is redistributed on a wide scale, restoring their workability. Thousands of people have been able to cut down on their dosages of medicines, and in some cases have entirely stopped taking them and have regained excellent health.
Gentle safe medicine just became a reality so doctors can now go back to the Hippocratic Oath that says: “First do no harm” when treating people. These gentle devices achieve exactly this – they can heal without being invasive and without causing harmful side-effects. The devices can be used with children and pets, and can therefore act as your “family doctor”
One of the most extraordinary claims coming out of Russia answers a long-standing problem in energy medicine and that is the problem of measuring results. They are claiming that the results can be confirmed by all well-known diagnostic methods. To date Deta Elis has developed more than 3,000 treatment programs, with an overall positive effect in many health problems in excess of 85%. So as can be seen here this is the NEW AGE OF MEDCINE!
However we all need to take a stand together and pass this word around and tell our Congressman, Senators and President, that WE THE PEOPLE are taking a stand! Because over the past decades, hundreds of caring, concerned, and conscientious alternative healers have been jailed and abused like common criminals for the “crime” of curing people of life-threatening diseases in an “unapproved” manner by heavy-handed government agents who swoop down on clinics with drawn guns, flax jackets, and Gestapo manners. All the while, these same agents and agencies posture themselves before TV cameras and the public under the ludicrous pretense of being servants of the people and protectors of the common good.
The medico-drug cartel was summed up by J.W Hodge, M.D., of Niagara Falls, N.Y., in these words: ‘The medical monopoly or medical trust, euphemistically called the American Medical Association, is not merely the meanest monopoly ever organized, but the most arrogant, dangerous and despotic organization which ever managed a free people in this or any other age. Any and all methods of healing the sick by means of safe, simple and natural remedies are sure to be assailed and denounced by the arrogant leaders of the AMA doctors’ trust as fakes, frauds and humbugs Every practitioner of the healing art who does not ally himself with the medical trust is denounced as a ‘dangerous quack’ and impostor by the predatory trust doctors. Every sanitarian who attempts to restore the sick to a state of health by natural means without resort to the knife or poisonous drugs, disease imparting serums, deadly toxins or vaccines, is at once pounced upon by these medical tyrants and fanatics, bitterly denounced, vilified and persecuted to the fullest extent.’
(see The Drug Story for more revelations about the AMA, the House of Rockefeller and the pharmaceutical industry)
At long last, however, the public’s consciousness seems to have finally reached a critical mass and is now beginning to seriously question the efficacy and appropriateness of using orthodox therapies and allopathic medicine in general. Thank God. It’s been too long overdue.
Understanding the Nature of Ill Health and Disease
The entire approach and foundation of Orthodox Medicine is based on Luis Pasteur’s Germ Theory, a flawed concept. A disease condition is viewed by the orthodoxy as an isolated event, confined to the area in which it manifests itself (E.g. an ear infection, eye infection, gum infection, lung cancer, skin cancer, etc. ). Under this theory, for unknown reasons, microbes or tumors indiscriminately grow in the patient and must be cut (surgery), burned (radiation), or poisoned (drugs) out of the body. In the orthodox model, the solution is sought through mechanical and chemical means. Seeking to understand WHY the infection or disease condition appeared in the first place, is not seriously explored. The quick fix with a prescription for drugs to smother the symptoms is the typical orthodox ‘answer’.
A contemporary of Pasteur, Antoine Bechamp, had a different opinion as to why disease conditions ‘took hold’. Bechamp felt that the ENVIRONMENT, or the ECOLOGY of the blood played the critical role in deciding whether disease conditions would manifest or not.
Alternative medicine explores the stressors (environmental, biological, chemical, psychological, and emotional) in a patient’s life that cause a weakening of a particular energy field; which in turn allows the manifestation of a disease condition in a weakened area. In order to maintain a state of health, all energy systems within the body need to exist in a state of balance or equilibrium. Imbalance leads to conditions of discomfort (dis-ease) which eventually spirals into ill health if not corrected. The Chinese and Indians (Ayurvedic medicine) had worked all of this out thousands of years ago.
Orthodox or Allopathic Medicine utilizes poisonous substances (drugs) in non-lethal dosages in order to suppress symptoms in an affected area. This approach neither addresses the cause of the disease condition, nor is it responsible for healing the patient. Rather, the use of drugs often will temporarily mask the outer manifestations of the malady, while at the same time, drive the disease deeper into the body…only to reappear at a later date, as a more serious, and chronic health threat. One of the many flaws of the orthodox approach is that it focuses on the disease condition itself, rather than the patient. The term wholistic (or holistic) originally sprang up to distinguish those physicians whose diagnostic gestalt considers all of the physical, emotional, and spiritual energies interacting with the patient.
Do not assume that the only difference between allopathic and alternative medicine, however, is an honest difference of opinion in the philosophies and views on the origin of disease states. Hardly!. There is, in truth, a concerted, organized agenda -concocted, planned, and contrived by the international pharmaceutical companies and organized medicine to suppress any and every alternative, non-drug therapy that WORKS. Why?
Because they want people to keep on coming back for more treatments and more drugs.
A cured patient is a lost source of income. A sick patient who is marginally “improved” is a manageable patient.
Managing patients means routine office visits and renewing of drug prescriptions. Therefore, a manageable patient is a continuing source of income; a cash cow if you will. Multiply that by a few hundred million people and you get an idea why this deceit is being put upon you. The profits from the so called “health-care” industry are staggering!
The thrust of the orthodox pharmaceutical agenda is to provide temporary relief, while never addressing the cause of the disease condition. This agenda insures regular visits to the doctor’s office and requires the patient to routinely return to the pharmacy to refill his prescriptions. This is what the game is all about folks, plain and simple. Deny it or Deal with it,…Stick with it or Get Out of it! … your choice.
Its only Common Sense, take a stand make the decision yourself, but if in doubt research it. Look at all the companies out there that only sell you a few frequencies for hundreds of dollars and make a wise and educated decision. Visit Common Sense Technologies contact information is on their page! | {
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According to a report at BoxingScene.com -- and also according to common sense -- HBO is very interested in a possible October 19 fight between Mike Alvarado and Ruslan Provodnikov, which on paper would be a phenomenal action bout.
Alvarado (34-1, 23 KO) last fought on March 30, beating Brandon Rios in an epic rematch, while Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KO) nearly upset Timothy Bradley on March 16. Both fighters are known for bringing plenty of hard-hitting action, and would sort of be going from the frying pan into the fire in terms of the physicality expected from a fight against one another.
If the fight is made and lands on October 19, it would be paired with the Bradley-Marquez PPV replay from the weekend before, giving it a likely solid bump in viewers. Alvarado has stated he'd like to return home to Denver for his next fight, and given that Provodnikov doesn't have a local audience anywhere and is more or less fearless, this would be a great fight to bring to the city. | {
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Celebrity
Evening Standard
Sir Michael Palin says comedians cannot be told that some jokes are off-limits, and stifling comedy by decree is “dangerous”.The Monty Python star, 77, who is looking back at some of his famous, globe-trotting adventures in a new BBC show, said he objects to humour which “bullies and belittles”. | {
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Science is mostly an incremental process, a slow peeling of the onion to offer small glimpses of understanding. But over time, scientists remove enough layers to expose stunning truths about nature.
This year offered some intriguing revelations along these lines. Below are the top 5. (And check out 2008's top astronomy and spaceflight stories, too.)
5. Stronger link between birds and dinosaurs
Paleontologists have long known that modern birds are the closest living relatives of the long-gone dinosaurs. But just how the transition between dino and Big Bird happened has not been fully understood.
This year, scientists uncovered more fascinating new links between ancient dinosaurs and their living feathered friends, which emerged some 150 million years ago during the Jurassic Period.
In November, scientists announced the discovery of a fossilized dinosaur nest that proves dinosaurs were forming bird-like nests and laying eggs long before birds evolved.
Another link was established in October, when paleontologists announced the discovery of a fossilized dinosaur that apparently sported tail feathers thought to have helped the creature balance on tree branches.Though the creature couldn't fly, it may represent a step in the direction of feathers for flight.
And a third analysis of fossils revealed that a huge carnivorous dinosaur called Aerosteon had a breathing system much like that of today's birds, with hollow bones that filled with air and possible air sacs that would have pumped air through its lungs.
4. Memory's limit found
Common knowledge — and phone number conventions — have held that people can fit about seven things in short-term memory. But research announced this April found that the true fundamental limit, when all memory aids are taken out of the equation, is actually about three or four.
Psychologists presented subjects with an array of colored squares, then showed a single colored square and asked people to recall if it was the same color as the original square in its position. The scientists used a mathematical model that assumed people could only remember three or four squares, and found that it accurately predicted the spread of results on the test.
The research doesn't mean we should reduce phone numbers to four digits, though. In most real-life situations, we can use memory tricks, such as grouping items together (i.e. breaking phone numbers into a chunk of three digits plus a group of four) to improve on our brain's minimal capacity.
3. Huge new population of gorillas discovered
The critically endangered western lowland gorilla has been nearing extinction due to disease, hunting and deforestation. Until recently, scientists had put the number living in the wild at about 50,000.
But this August, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced its scientists had uncovered a previously unknown population of about 125,000 gorillas living in the Republic of Congo. The discovery was a welcome bit of good news for the beleaguered apes, and conservationists say it means their efforts have been working.
But gorillas aren’t out of the woods yet. They still face imminent threats, especially from the deadly Ebola virus, which has decimated many gorilla populations.
2. Electron filmed for the first time
In a motion-picture first, scientists caught the movement of a single electron on film.
The discovery, announced in February, was made possible with a new technology that generates extremely short pulses of intense laser light to illuminate the particle. The resulting movie shows an electron leaving an atom after being excited by ultraviolet light. Since this actually happened in much less time than a second, the sequence was slowed down for human eyes to last a full three seconds.
The groundbreaking achievement should open up doors for new study into the workings of atoms, not to mention a new genre of film: subatomic cinema.
1. The Arctic melts
A piece of the year's most sobering news is also some of its most significant. In September, Arctic sea ice reached the second-lowest level recorded since the beginning of the satellite era, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado. When stacked next to 2007's ultimate record low, the picture is grim: Global warming's effects are before us.
The news also spelled disaster for polar bears, whose primary habitat is sea ice. In May the Interior Department officially listed the polar bear as a threatened species. Officials said the decline of Arctic sea ice off Alaska and Canada could result in two-thirds of polar bears disappearing by 2050. | {
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The Henny House is a lavish estate property privately located in Henny Land. It is surrounded by the Forest of Hen, Hennessy Trails and Lake Hennessy. The 3 story retreat is complete with 7 Bedrooms, 4 baths, 3 living rooms and a Versace themed Chef’s kitchen. It is located on a 9 acre property hosting 2 ponds, 1 creek, and 1 pool. | {
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NAFTA negotiations enter day #4 today. The final Round 1 summary day is tomorrow, Sunday. Information as to specifics is hard to find. Much of the ongoing negotiation is clouded in secrecy.
However, that said, one of CTH mouses (with wolverine teeth) shares a negotiation aspect that drew a great deal of conseternation from the Mexico and Canada side.
The issue revolves around government contracts, specifically U.S. federal contracts for goods and services. President Trump has initiated a “Buy American, Hire American” policy for government contracts; meaning if the U.S. government has to spend money for a product or service, it should be spent on acquisition of American products made by American workers.
Mexico and Canada want access to these lucrative contracts. President Trump’s “America First” procurement process is against their interest. Canada is especially upset about this dynamic. Canada wants to be able to bid on U.S. Federal Government contracts; and Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland referred to the buy-local rules as “poor public policy.”
However, President Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross effectively took the issue off the NAFTA table by signing an executive order earlier this year designed to make maximum use of Buy American rules.
The order instructed government departments to perform studies within five months, with a report due to the president by Nov. 24.
The notice from the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will officially posted on the U.S. federal register on Monday, seeking industry submissions by Sept. 18.
Negotiation insiders say it’s no coincidence that the notice shows up while NAFTA negotiators for Canada and Mexico are still in the U.S. capital.
The U.S. approach has taken the issue of U.S. federal contracts out of reach of NAFTA negotiation teams from Mexico and Canada. American NAFTA negotiators had an easy argument: they just can’t discuss procurement government contract access while the domestic process is ongoing. [The cabinet officials will review submissions, and provide a report to the president by Nov. 24.]
With upcoming procurement contracts for massive anticipated infrastructure projects, negotiating for access to those contracts is now off the table for NAFTA. The Mexican and Canadian teams are crying foul. Oh well, tough cookies. “America First” bitches.
Hopefully, congress will support the America First procurement initiatives within the actual infrastructure spending bills when/if they are completed. Unfortunately, that’s when the Mexican and Canadian corporatist and crony-capitalist DC lobbyists come into play and try to get the laws written so Canadian and Mexican companies can get the benefits of the spending. This “selling access within legislation” process is how corrupt DC politicians get rich. | {
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Arlington Transit is letting passengers ride free Sept. 20 as a way to celebrate the transit agency's 20th anniversary. ART operates 15 bus routes throughout the county.
WASHINGTON — Think there’s no such thing as a free ride? Not if you take the bus in Arlington, Virginia, and you’re traveling on Sept. 20.
Arlington Transit is letting passengers ride free Sept. 20 as a way to celebrate the transit agency’s 20th anniversary.
ART operates 15 bus routes throughout the county. You can look up routes and use an online trip planner on the ART website.
In addition to free rides Sept. 20, ART is taking part in both Try Transit Week, Sept. 17 through Sept. 21, and Car Free Day on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22. Commuters who pledge to go car-free during either of those events can sign up to win a host of prizes. | {
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Hi,
Gill and I are going on holiday to the beach in a few months so Gill decided she needed some new bikinis. Which is fine by me so long as I get pics..
Cheers,
Jim and Gill - jimstoshare @ gmail.com
| {
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Quality installation plus high grade roofing materials are essential factors for a long lasting roof. An experienced Daytona Beach roofing contractor can explain the differences in roofing materials. A roof inspection will provide insight on the roof damage, and life expectancy of the roof. This way it will be easier to determine if roof repair or roof replacement is the best solution. | {
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Ever since The Mandalorian released on Disney+, Baby Yoda has been the face of umpteen memes and gifs. These are a mix of various emotes that viewers can resonate worldwide. All of these memes and gifs are a mixture of cuteness, incompetence, helplessness, individuality and much more. Baby Yoda has been used with games, movies, and even Christmas!
There a number of fans who don’t agree with the name “Baby Yoda” and they’re right time being. Some have even started naming the character as Yodlet, Yokee, Yodalorian to name a few. A large number of fans have decided to settle down with “Baby Yoda” unless there is an official name release for the character. Let us hope we get a name in the upcoming fifth episode.
The latest set of memes have been inspired by the recently aired fourth episode on Disney+ where baby Yoda is seen playing music repeatedly even after Mando stops him.
Below is the fresh set of memes inspired by the beginning scene of the fourth episode where Baby Yoda is seen pressing buttons continuously in Mando’s ship. This in return frustrates Mando and he keeps him aside.
baby yoda knows the vibes pic.twitter.com/9d5StvGv1P — 🎄 (@mattwhitlockPM) December 1, 2019
Twitter user “AndysRoomBand used this as an opportunity to promote his work. Definitely a smart way to promote work using the trends.
We all knew baby Yoda had taste. He's an Envy Adams stan. pic.twitter.com/YEv0lvAhHR — ❄️⎊Tiphs the season✵❄️ (@BrieisTea) December 1, 2019
am opportunistic and unoriginal but anyway baby yoda has all the RIGHTS pic.twitter.com/qJCRSxg2Sd — 🍓 (@wrmism) December 1, 2019
Baby yoda knows the tunes https://t.co/9T9sxeb5Qv — Jet (@Xtasyjet) December 1, 2019
are you kidding me pic.twitter.com/occtAetXqs — Glitter 🦦 (@xoGlitterTV) December 1, 2019
These are just a few of the memes I thought of sharing out of the many, many different tweeted by fans on Twitter. As each new episode of The Mandalorian is releasing we are flooded with Baby Yoda Memes on our social media accounts. And, we are sure that we will be bombarded with new memes post fifth episode release.
Follow our Facebook Page for all the memes and news on The Mandalorian exclusively.
Most Trending Post: Baby Yoda merchandise is finally available at Amazon | {
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Note: I am in no way affiliated with Stellar, or any other Cryptoasset for that matter.
Destined to be the next Ripple… or maybe not?
The closing week of 2017 and first few days of the new year saw the market cap of Stellar (XLM) skyrocket over 400%, from just over $3.5 billion on December 24th to a peak of over $16.5 billion on January 4th. (Source: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/stellar/)
This surge pushed Stellar up through the ranks of Cryptoassets (in terms of market cap). Stellar which was previously not even in the top 10, now ranked as high as number 6 overall (for a short while at least).
With this surge came the media spotlight and shift into the public eye. CNBC even hailing Stellar as:
“a new hottest cryptocurrency of 2018 so far”.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/02/theres-a-new-hottest-coin-of-2018-so-far-stellar.html
A quick look at Google trends also show an uptick of search interest in Stellar of over 6 fold. (Period from December 5th to January 3rd):
What Stellar is all about:
Before going any further I urge potential investors to educate themselves on the Stellar network. Here are some great places to get started:
And a great intro video:
My highlights and takeaways of the Stellar Network:
Fast and cheap transactions: Compared to it’s big brother, Bitcoin, transactions are executed much faster rate and at a massively smaller cost.
Non-profit and decentralized: Unlike Ripple, Stellar’s control is much less centralized.
Great Code quality: Even a quick glance at Stellar’s documentation and API’s and it becomes evident Stellar is head and shoulders above many other popular cryptoassests. (As a side note: I believe assessment of code quality is hugely underutilized in today pricing of cryptoassets and one of the reasons I am bearish on projects such as Iota with poor documentation.)
High profile partners such as IBM and Deloitte.
What Now? Should I invest?
After seeing Stellar’s recent price surge and what the network has going for it, the question becomes: does Stellar deserve this newly inflated valuation or is it merely the result of overly rose tinted speculation.
As a new investor, seeing this sudden uptick in Stellar’s price may convince you that the ship has sailed and it is too late to get in on the action. Likewise for investor’s who held Stellar before and during the price surge, it is easy to think this is the peak and it’s time to cash out.
It is not abnormal to think this way, but imagine for a second that you had bought Apple stock at $2 and saw it jump to $6. You might have felt the same way and decided to cash out. Lo and behold, Apple stock is trading at over $175 today.
This is a long term game and for Stellar this is just the beginning. | {
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A Greenpeace scorecard on green internet companies cites Amazon Web Services as one of the worst dirty energy transgressors.
The 84-page report released this month, “Clicking Clean: How Companies are Creating the Green Internet,” notes that AWS “provides the infrastructure for a significant part of the Internet.” But it is “among the dirtiest and least transparent companies in the sector, far behind its major competitors, with zero reporting of its energy or environmental footprint to any source or stakeholder.” Twitter is also a culprit in many of the same areas, the report continues.
Amazon gets failing grades from Greenpeace on energy transparency; renewable energy commitment and siting policy; and renewable energy deployment and advocacy. The company also received a “D” on energy efficiency and mitigation. Amazon Web Services relies heavily on nuclear and coal energy to run data-guzzling services like Netflix, Spotify, Tumblr and Yelp, the report states.
Twitter weighs in with three “fails” and a “D” – the latter in renewable energy commitment and siting policy.
Apple scored high marks because it uses only renewable energy for its iCloud and iTunes services.
Greenpeace reports some overall progress: Six major cloud brands – Apple, Box, Facebook, Google, Rackspace and Salesforce – “have committed to a goal of powering data centers with 100 percent renewable energy and are providing the early signs of the promise and potential impact of a renewably powered internet.”
Also, a number of leading brands, notably Apple and Facebook , have made “significant improvements in their energy transparency, discarding the previous dogma within the sector of withholding energy data due to competitiveness concerns.” However, transparency remains weak among many brands, especially co-location providers.
Other findings from the report:
As a result of pressure from Apple, Facebook and Google, which are located in North Carolina, Duke Energy, the largest utility in the U.S., adopted a Green Source Rider, opening the market to renewable electricity purchases for large customers in North Carolina.
Google is maintaining its leadership in building a renewably powered Internet, as it significantly expands its renewable energy purchasing and investment both independently and through collaboration with its utility vendors.
Facebook continues to prove its commitment to build a green Internet, with its decision to locate a data center in Iowa driving the largest purchase of wind turbines in the world.
Apple “is the most improved company” since the last Greenpeace report, and “has shown itself to be the most innovative and most aggressive in pursuing its commitment to be 100 percent renewably powered.”
This is serious business because, as the report says: “The rapid growth of the cloud and our use of the internet have produced a collective electricity demand that would currently rank in the top six if compared alongside countries; that electricity demand is expected to increase by 60 percent or more by 2020 as the online population and our reliance on the internet steadily increase.”
And while the shift to an online model can create significant gains in energy efficiency for businesses, “the energy appetite of the Internet continues to outstrip those gains” due to its dramatic growth.
Another problem is that the Internet’s growing energy footprint so far is mostly concentrated in places where energy is the dirtiest. So, “despite the leadership and innovation demonstrated by green internet pioneers, other companies lag far behind, with little sense of urgency, choosing to paper over their growing dirty energy footprints with status quo solutions such as renewable energy credits and carbon offsets while rapidly expanding their infrastructure.”
Amazon and other companies power their infrastructure “based solely on lowest electricity prices, without consideration to the impact their growing electricity footprints have on human health or the environment.”
The Internet isn’t going away; we won’t get to a renewable energy economy and society very quickly or efficiently unless the Internet becomes a platform that leads the way to a clean energy future, rather than leaning on the dirty energy past. Shame on you, Amazon!
Image: Greenpeace Clicking Clean report cover | {
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I picked up a huge box from the post office and of course shook it and could not for the life of me figure out what it was. Of course I got three exchanges all at once, so I had no idea what was what. My nephew helped me open all the goodies with me and our puppies tried valiantly to get their little mouths on them. There is a collection of favorite Tex-Mex snacks from my Santa along with some of her fiance's Asian-Vietnamese favorites, and some from Ohio where the both now live. The cookies are the first to go. The cinnamon cookies were a bit crumbled, probably because I was shaking the box. The pumpkin empenadas are amazing and the gingerbread pigs are super cute and yummy. I can't wait to try all the other goodies in there. The good ramen (yum!) and the chips will be fun for a try. My nephew hasn't forgotten about the buckeye candy, he wants it bad! | {
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Lori Loughlin is second-guessing the decision she initially made about pleading not guilty in the college admissions scandal, according to a new report.
Per Entertainment Tonight, sources say that the "Fuller House" actress "feels very much alone" during this process.
The 54-year-old star and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are being accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as part of the crew team even though neither rowed.
LORI LOUGHLIN'S LAWYERS REPORTEDLY SEEKING FBI ASSISTANCE IN HER COLLEGE ADMISSIONS CASE
"She is watching the reduced sentences of those who have taken plea deals, and wondering each day if she’s made the wrong decision," the source said. "While a few friends have stuck by her side, many others have cut her off."
"She still feels it’s a huge misunderstanding, but seeing others be sentenced has scared her."
CANDACE CAMERON BURE UNSURE HOW LORI LOUGHLIN'S ABSENCE WILL BE ADDRESSED IN 'FULLER HOUSE'
Felicity Huffman, 56, who was accused of paying an admissions consultant $15,000 to have a proctor correct her older daughter's answers on the SAT, pleaded guilty to the fraud charges in May. At the time, a press release stated prosecutors would recommend a four-month prison sentence and a $20,000 fine.
“I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney’s Office,” Huffman said in a statement. “I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions."
LORI LOUGHLIN, MOSSIMO GIANNULLI COULD FACE COURT BATTLE WITH USC OVER COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL, SAYS REPORT
As for how Loughlin is holding up during this period? The source told Entertainment Tonight that "she is trying to live a normal everyday life and to take this time to stay strong but it isn’t easy. Lori doesn’t have the support she once had."
"She is feeling a 'fall from grace' having had a persona as a wholesome mom and now being seen as a pariah," the source continued. "People keep giving Lori a hard time for being out and about and looking carefree, but she realizes that she might end up in prison and this might just be her last months of freedom for some time."
A rep for Loughlin did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment. | {
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“The Commission, the municipality and the emirate removed the symbol and imposed a fine of 100,000 Rials to a ‘foreign school’ which had put the symbol of homosexuals [on its building façade]”.
وصلت شعارات الشذوذ الجنسي لمحلات كليرز لإكسسوارات البنات في المملكه...انتبهواونبهوا بناتكم حسبنا الله ونعم الوكيل... pic.twitter.com/7vJMuQi7VB — ABDULELAH ALMALKI (@Calvin_2002) July 6, 2015
"The symbol of homosexuals is used by the Claire’s store. Be careful and warn your daughters."
“People have gone crazy! Don’t they know that rainbows are a natural phenomenon whose existence preceded its use by homosexuals? What is this madness?”
“And there you have it – they’ve discovered the homosexuals’ symbol. And, so, from now on, the rainbow has become sinful”.
Homosexuality is considered a crime by Saudi authorities. During a meeting held by the Human Rights Commission in Geneva on June 27, representatives from Saudi Arabia opposed a proposed resolution for LGBT rights. “Saudi Arabia reaffirms its commitment to human rights and its respect for international conventions, when they are in conformity with Islamic laws,” said the Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, on his Twitter account.
The rainbow is a symbol of the LGBT community and social media around the world was flooded with celebratory rainbow symbols after the United States Supreme Court legalised gay marriage on June 26. Many international supporters of the ruling donned rainbow clothes and hung rainbow flags from buildings. This surge of colourful support annoyed Saudi officials… and the Talaee Al-Noor International School in Riyadh paid the price.This private international school was handed a hefty fine of 100,000 rials (equivalent to about 25,000 euros) for having repainted its façade with rainbow colours. A school official was also thrown in prison for the rainbow decor.The news was first reported by a Twitter account of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the official name for the Saudi religious police) on July 17. The tweet also included a photo showing the school’s wall, freshly repainted a sober blue.Dozens of Saudi Twitter users applauded the school’s heavy penalty. Some even denounced other organisations using rainbows.This social media user, for example, called for a boycott of Claire’s, a Western company that has stores in Saudi Arabia and specialises in jewelry and accessories for teenage and pre-teen girls. The problem? Claire’s sells rainbow-themed accessories.This Twitter user went even further: he denounced members of a mosque in Riyadh who had recently used multicoloured parasols in their celebration of Eid al-Fitr, the end to the holy month of Ramadan.However, not everyone in Saudi Arabia wants to ban the rainbow. Many internet users also came out against this rainbow witch hunt, calling it absurd. | {
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Elsanna and assorted, other femslash // Conductor of the Feels Train. | {
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Half will go straight to the Buccaneers' athletic programs.
For the second time in less than a year, Michael Jordan is making a sizable donation to his hometown.
Laney athletic director Fred Lynch confirmed Thursday that Jordan would be donating $1.1 million to the Buccaneers. Half of the donation must go straight to the athletic department, according to Lynch, while the other half could help any aspect of Laney High School.
"Contrary to popular belief, Michael is always thinking of us," Lynch said. "People are surprised when stuff like this comes out, but we're not surprised over here at Laney. It's not always publicized, but it's always a nice little gamechanger for Laney athletics."
Jordan donated $2 million to recovery efforts in Wilmington in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in September. He then made a surprise visit to the city in November to deliver Thanksgiving meals at the Lowe's store on South College Road. He also presented a $100,000 donation to the Community Boys and Girls Club, along with new basketball shoes to roughly 100 children at the center. | {
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Image copyright Getty Images
A Labour government would suspend the planned closures of hospital services across England, the party is promising.
It says the national initiative - involving 44 local plans - has lost credibility and needs reviewing.
Under proposals put forward A&E, maternity and stroke units could be scaled back in many parts of England.
NHS bosses - supported by ministers - have launched the programme to modernise the NHS and allow more investment in community services.
But Labour said the process - known as sustainability and transformation plans (STP) - was causing confusion and risked being driven by money rather than what was best for patients.
Earlier this year an investigation by the BBC found hospital services in nearly two thirds of the 44 areas were under threat with widespread concern the infrastructure was not in place in the community to cope.
Image copyright Dan Kitwood Image caption Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth has also promised extra money for NHS staff
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said a "moratorium" was now needed so each of the plans could be properly reviewed.
"These decisions have been decided behind closed doors with no genuine involvement of local people.
"It's a disgrace. The public deserves better."
But the Conservatives dismissed the idea and said funding was in place to pay for the changes.
It is Labour's second election announcement on the NHS, following last week's promise to increase pay for NHS staff.
Sorry, your browser cannot display this content. Find out the NHS plans in your area Search by English county or city Search
Need help finding out which region you are in? See the map at the foot of the page.
Why the NHS is making changes
The STP proposals have been drawn up as part of NHS England's five-year strategy to release £22bn of efficiency savings by 2020.
Reviews were set up in early 2016 in 44 different areas led by local managers.
Each area was asked to submit plans to NHS England, which all have done, and public consultations are due to take place later this year where major changes are being proposed.
NHS England has said the programme is not about cutting services, but delivering them in more efficient and appropriate ways.
It believes patients will benefit from more care in the community and say the programme will lead to a range of benefits, including:
new "super" community hubs of GPs, care workers and district nurses
seven-day opening of GPs
better access to hospital specialists in the community
What's the reaction?
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb was also critical of the STP process.
He said they were "based on the fantasy that there is enough money".
"The Conservatives are re-organising the deck-chairs while the good ship NHS is sinking because they are starving it of funds," he added.
But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "These local plans are developed by local doctors and communities, backed by the top doctors and nurses of the NHS, and will improve patient care."
He said they were "underpinned" by extra funding the health service was receiving up to 2020 and that only the Conservatives could "lock in the economic progress we have made and keep improving the NHS".
Analysis: Is stopping these plans credible?
This is not the first time political parties have tried to make the idea of hospital cuts an issue in an election.
In the run up to the 2010 general election, Tory shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said he wanted to see a moratorium on hospital closures being proposed.
Some of the changes that were being proposed back then are part of the STP process.
Image copyright SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
The truth is closing hospital services has been a political "hot potato" for decades.
While there is widespread agreement the NHS is too based around hospitals - over half of the budget is spent on them - changing the status quo has proved difficult.
NHS England has argued shifting care into the community will save money and also benefit patients by providing care in the community and closer to their home.
In theory, that will help them get care at an earlier stage before their condition worsens. Some have estimated that could help save a third of the £22bn efficiency target.
If this is not to happen, Labour needs to set out how it will make savings or whether it will increase the NHS budget by more than is currently planned - and how that will be paid for.
Read more from Nick
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1. Northumberland, Tyne and Wear
2. West, North and East Cumbria
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4. Lancashire and South Cumbria
5. West Yorkshire
6. Coast, Humber and Vale
7. Greater Manchester
8. Cheshire and Merseyside
9. South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw
10. Staffordshire
11. Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin
12. Derbyshire
13. Lincolnshire
14. Nottinghamshire
15. Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
16. The Black Country
17. Birmingham and Solihull
18. Coventry and Warwickshire
19. Herefordshire and Worcestershire
20. Northamptonshire
21. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
22. Norfolk and Waveney
23. Suffolk and North East Essex
24. Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire and Luton
25. Hertfordshire and West Essex
26. Mid and South Essex
27. North West London
28. North Central London
29. North East London
30. South East London
31. South West London
32. Kent and Medway
33. Sussex and East Surrey
34. Frimley Health
35. Surrey Heartlands
36. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
37. Devon
38. Somerset
39. Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
40. Bath, Swindon and Wiltshire
41. Dorset
42. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
43. Gloucestershire
44. Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West | {
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It's a cosmic whodunnit that has been puzzling astronomers for 100 years. What is shooting protons through our Galaxy at energies up to thousands of times greater than those in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN near Geneva, the most powerful particle accelerator on Earth? Two new sets of observations again implicate the leading suspects: supernova remnants, the expanding shrapnel from stellar explosions. But they may not be the only culprits.
Protons make up about 90% of the high-energy charged particles, or cosmic rays, that constantly rain down on Earth. But directly tracing their origin has been impossible because magnetic fields threading through the Galaxy push the charged particles off their original paths.
Nevertheless, astronomers have long assumed that supernova remnants act as the Galaxy's particle accelerators. That is because the expanding stellar debris creates a shockwave when it slams into the surrounding gas, compressing and enhancing any magnetic fields present. Charged particles traveling through the shock front can get accelerated, and some also get deflected back by the magnetic fields. Some particles may travel back and forth across the front — and gain energy — for thousands of years before escaping as cosmic rays.
Indeed, radiation at a range of wavelengths reveals unequivocally that electrons get such a boost inside supernova remnants — they produce telltale radiation when they move through a magnetic field. Various lines of evidence hint that protons do the same, as expected theoretically. But those observations could have alternative interpretations, leaving the case for the remnants as proton accelerators stubbornly open.
The two new studies — at γ-ray and visible wavelengths — may close the case beyond reasonable doubt. "This is as close as you can get to a smoking gun," says Francis Halzen, a particle astrophysicist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is not involved with either study.
Greg Stewart, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory]
Pion fingerprint
In one study, scientists used a technique for detecting the presence of high-energy protons in supernova remnants indirectly. When high-energy protons smash into other particles of matter — whether in the Earth's atmosphere or in interstellar space — the debris of the collisions contains short-lived subatomic particles called neutral pions. Each pion can in turn decay into two γ-rays of characteristic energies.
To search for these telltale γ-rays, the researchers used NASA's Fermi space telescope, and focused on two supernova remnants, called IC 443 and W44, lying within 3,000 parsecs (around 10,000 light years) of Earth. They found an abundance of γ-ray photons in the range of energies expected from pion decay1.
The results were in line with previous observations at a smaller range of wavelengths by Italy's AGILE spacecraft2. They strongly suggest that protons are accelerated in the remnants, says Stefan Funk of Stanford University in California, a co-author on the study. Electrons can also produce γ-rays when they hit matter or photons, but explaining the observed γ-ray distribution invoking only electrons would involve "extreme fine-tuning in two remnants", he says. "I think it's extremely unlikely."
In the other study, Sladjana Nikolić at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, and her colleagues studied the spectrum of visible light emitted by hydrogen atoms in the shock region of a supernova remnant called 1006.
The spectrum reveals the atoms' speeds, and the researchers found that they could not explain its shape if matter simply crashed together in the shock3. They say that some of the hydrogen atoms must have begun as solitary protons that were boosted to high energies by the shockwave; later, the accelerated protons grabbed electrons from neighbouring hydrogen atoms to produce the observed radiation. "We don't expect to see many particles with velocities higher than a certain level in a gas of a certain temperature," says team member John Hughes, an astrophysicist at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. "But when you have cosmic-ray acceleration, then in fact you can get particles with very, very high velocities."
Speedy protons
Just how energetic can they get? Researchers will attempt to find out by looking for the sources of the highest-energy cosmic rays that originate in our Galaxy, which reach energies of 1 billion MeV (1015 eV). The Fermi telescope is unlikely to be able to track these objects down because it looks at one relatively small portion of the sky at a time, and such cosmic rays — and their associated γ-rays — are rare. But ground-based detectors that look for signs of energetic γ-rays slamming into Earth's atmosphere or neutrinos produced by Galactic cosmic rays stand a better chance. Researchers also hope to study supernova remnants of different ages to see whether their efficiency at accelerating cosmic rays changes over time. "We really want to start to get at the details of how the protons are accelerated," says Funk.
There may be even more surprises in store. In 2011, researchers led by Piergiorgio Picozza of the University of Rome Tor Vergata in Italy reported cosmic-ray observations by a satellite called PAMELA that could not be explained by a simple model of a supernova remnant4. Rather than falling in number at higher energies as expected, the number of cosmic rays rose. To explain the observation "we need more complex processes of acceleration and propagation", says Picozza.
He says that other astronomical objects, such as white-dwarf stars that undergo explosions called novas, might also be able to accelerate cosmic rays, and that some cosmic rays might get energy boosts from several different objects throughout their life as they travel through the Galaxy. "There is more to this story," agrees Halzen. | {
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The full extent of the impact on Chinese exports from the ongoing U.S.-China trade war is now becoming clear.
China’s export growth in greenback terms fell 3.2% year-on-year in September, according to customs data released Oct. 14., after also declining 1% compared to a year earlier in August.
Last month’s drop in China’s export growth was largely attributable to the mammoth decline in shipments to the U.S., which fell 21.9% year-over-year, and also receded from the 16.0% drop recorded in August.
This resulted in average Chinese export growth to the U.S. of negative 15.1% in Q3, a decline from negative 8.2% in Q2.
“After adjusting for Lunar New Year distortions, September export growth [to the U.S.] was the lowest single-month reading since January 1996, when the data series was first released by China customs,” noted Japanese financial services group Nomura.
“The big contraction in the growth of U.S.-bound exports was mainly due to existing higher U.S. tariffs on the $380 [billion U.S. tariff] list and an unfavorable base in September 2018, as Chinese exporters rushed to frontload their shipments to the U.S. ahead of scheduled tariff hikes on the $200 billion (tariff) list.”
Illustrating that there have been no winners in this trade war, although President Trump called for the repatriation of manufacturing from China, many producers are instead opting for low-cost options elsewhere in Asia to maintain profit levels.
China’s imports from the U.S. are also sluggish. Last month imports contracted 15.7% year-over-year after also dropping 22.3% in August, taking the quarterly average growth to minus 19.1% year-over-year in Q3 from minus 27.9% in Q2.
“As a result, China’s trade surplus with the U.S. narrowed to $25.9 billion in September from $27.0 billion in August,” said Nomura.
Nomura noted that China’s total export growth was 9.9% in 2018 and negative 0.1% in January-September 2019. This sudden slowdown of export growth “should bring down China’s gross domestic product by around 1.3 percentage point over January-September this year,” it concluded.
China’s export growth is expected to further slow in the coming months despite the current trade truce. “The truce between U.S. and China might boost sentiment, but we maintain our view that the worst is yet to come,” said the Nomura report.
More FreightWaves articles by Mike
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/author/mikeking
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Congresswoman Frederica Wilson has called for those who mock her to be “shut down and prosecuted.”
Leo Zagami joined Owen Shroyer to discuss the insanity of the radical who want to destroy freedom of speech, but Owen was suddenly apprehended by a Democrat donkey and a liberal clown.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today! | {
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When Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke released his solo album Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes in September, he found a novel way to do it, selling the surprise release as a BitTorrent bundle for $6 a pop. About a week later, fans had downloaded the album a million times. As Gigaom reports, BitTorrent claims that by the end of the year 4.4 million users had downloaded Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes bundles. Some of these bundles were free downloads of “A Brain In A Bottle” and its video, while others were paying customers downloading the whole album and the video. We still don’t know how many people opted for the free bundle versus buying the whole album because Yorke has opted not to release that information. But if a healthy number of those 4.4 million downloads came from listeners who paid $6 for the larger bundle, that means Yorke could’ve made something like $20 million from the record. (BitTorrent’s take is 10%.) That’s pretty great for an album that never appeared on a single Billboard chart. Virtually nobody in music is making that sort of money these days, especially not on album sales. And even if the actual number of buyers was way lower, Yorke still made a pile of money. This sort of album-release strategy only works for artists who are already astronomically famous, but salute Thom Yorke for figuring out ways to keep stacking cash while keeping his artistic autonomy. | {
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An extensive new poll has found that 55 per cent of Europeans want to stop immigration from Muslim countries, with just 20 per cent supporting its continuation.
A survey carried out by the Royal Institute of International Affairs think tank asked 10,000 Europeans in ten different countries if they agreed with the statement, “All further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped.”
55 per cent answered in the affirmative, 25% said they don’t know and just 20% said they disagreed with the statement.
Opposition to Muslim immigration is strongest in Poland, where 71% oppose it compared to just 9% who support it.
In France, which has experienced a number of horrific terror attacks over the last two years, 61% oppose Muslim immigration while just 16% support it.
In Germany, which has seen instances of mass molestation of women carried out by Muslim migrants, most notably in Cologne, 53% support a halt on Muslim immigration, while 19% oppose that view.
The weakest support for halting Muslim immigration is in Spain, where 41% endorse the policy, although this is still a higher number than the 32% who don’t.
Even amongst young people aged 18-29, millennials who would be expected to hold leftist views, a majority of 44%-27% support a halt on Muslim immigration.
The poll is roughly in line with a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted in the United States that found the majority of Americans support Donald Trump’s travel ban policy by a margin of 49-41%. This poll was conducted after protests took place at airports across the country.
Despite the best efforts of politicians on the left to obfuscate the link between Muslim immigration and exploding crime and rape statistics, the people who are actually living amidst this new form “cultural enrichment” have made it very clear that they don’t like it.
This poll proves that opposition to Muslim immigration in Europe is now the mainstream view.
With new elections in France, the Netherlands and Germany set to take place later this year, it remains to be seen how that resentment will translate into actual political change.
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Paul Joseph Watson is the editor at large of Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com.
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Only Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea are more popular in the U.S. than Liverpool, who are run by the same ownership group as the Boston Red Sox and also have LeBron James as a minority owner. Jurgen Klopp has turned the Reds into one of the most entertaining teams in England again, reaching both the Europa League and League Cup finals in his first season in 2016. | {
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Americans in large numbers want the U.S. to reduce its role in world affairs even as a showdown with Russia over Ukraine preoccupies Washington, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds.
In a marked change from past decades, nearly half of those surveyed want the U.S. to be less active on the global stage, with fewer than one-fifth calling for more active engagement—an anti-interventionist current that sweeps across party lines.
... | {
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Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A South Korean soldier uses a mobile phone beside an advert for the Games in Seoul
North Korea has accepted an offer to attend high-level talks next week, South Korean officials have said.
The meeting, on 9 January, will focus on finding a way for North Korean athletes to attend the Winter Olympic Games in South Korea in February.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said this week that sending a delegation to the Games would be "a good opportunity to show unity of the people".
The meeting is expected to be held at Panmunjom, on the border.
These will be the first high-level talks both Koreas have had since December 2015. It is not yet clear who will be attending.
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has previously said he sees the Winter Olympics as a "groundbreaking chance" to improve relations between the Koreas, two countries still technically at war.
However some have expressed doubts over the significance of the move.
US Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Thursday that the agreement was "the result of international pressure", but added that it was unclear whether the move was "a real olive branch" or a "one-off from [Mr Kim]."
Japan's defence minister said his country would remain vigilant, adding that the North went through "phases of apparent dialogue and provocation" and would continue its weapons programme.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Panmunjom has been designated as a place where officials from both sides can meet
The so-called peace village, in the heavily guarded demilitarised zone (DMZ), is where the two sides have historically held talks.
According to an official from South Korea's presidential office, the meeting's priority will be the Pyeongchang Winter Games.
However, he told South Korea's Yonhap news agency that he believed there would also "be discussions related to improving South-North ties after the North's participation in the Olympics becomes final".
Earlier this week, in a small sign of progress, North Korea restored a telephone hotline at their mutual border, to enable the first contact about talks to be made.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption North and South Korea had a brief initial call
However, the South Korean Unification Ministry official told AFP that the acceptance of the invitation to talks was sent by fax on Friday morning.
"The two sides decided to discuss working-level issues for the talks by exchanging documents," Baik Tae-hyun, a spokesman of Seoul's unification ministry, told Yonhap.
'Greatest threat to Japan since WW2'
The tentative moves towards the Olympic appearance come after months of escalating rhetoric from North Korea and the US.
The leaders of both countries have each threatened the other with nuclear annihilation.
North Korea has also infuriated the world with its repeated nuclear tests and missile launches, which have resulted in tightened international sanctions.
As part of efforts to smooth the path to the Olympics, the US has agreed to a request from South Korea to suspend joint military operations, scheduled to take place during the Games.
North Korea despises the drills, which it sees as invasion preparations.
Mr Mattis said the delay was "a practical matter" - part of "the normal give and take", and the drills would be conducted after the Paralympics finished on 19 March.
Japan added on Friday that the decision to delay drills was "not designed to compromise the increased pressure on North Korea".
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Japan's prime minister says his country is facing its greatest threat since World War Two
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that Tokyo, Washington and Seoul remained were still determined to "increase pressure" on North Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday highlighted the increasing threat posed by North Korea.
"It is not an exaggeration to say the security environment surrounding Japan is at its severest since the Second World War", he said.
"By raising pressure on North Korea together with the international community, I intend to do my utmost to solve [its] nuclear, missiles and abduction issues." | {
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HOLYOKE -- Hillary Rodham Clinton will be in the city next month, campaigning for some paper.
Hillary for America is hosting three events with the presidential candidate on Thursday, July 2. One will be held in Holyoke and two more on Cape Cod -- in Osterville and Provincetown, according to an invitation published by the Sunlight Foundation.
"I'm excited to have her here in Holyoke," Mayor Alex B. Morse said. "The issues she has been talking about - leveling the playing field, fighting on behalf of working families, promoting advanced manufacturing, and addressing opioid abuse - truly resonate with us here in Western Massachusetts. I also hope we have time to showcase a local small business while she's in town."
The three events are billed as a "Conversation with Hillary," and targeted at supporters of the Democratic candidate. The events are expected to raise between $1,000 to $2,700 per person.
Details regarding the time and exact location of the event were not available Tuesday afternoon.
The Western Massachusetts event will be co-hosted by Nicole LaChapelle, treasurer for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, and Northampton-based attorney Thomas Lesser.
Clinton will be in the Commonwealth this Wednesday for two back-to-back events in Boston.
Mike Plaisance contributed to this report. | {
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May 11, 2015
SocialistWorker.org readers respond to "The problem with Bernie Sanders" , which argued that a Sanders' candidacy for the Democratic Party presidential nomination is less about socialism and more about funneling left-wing voters into the Democrats.
Sanders' nuanced positions
I DID not know much about Bernie Sanders until the past few days. What I did know was based on the opinions of a few people and the media. The bottom line is that, basically, he was portrayed as a dangerous radical and something of a joke. I've spent a good deal of time listening to his speeches online and reading every article I can find.
Instead of some kind of radical or kook, I found an intelligent, nuanced thoughtful person who goes against the grain of your average politician. If you ask him a question he answers it. He is not afraid to stand by his beliefs. He is open-minded. He is not afraid to go head-to-head with those on the right. He provides space to those on his left to listen to their views. If he is treated with respect, he treats his opponents with respect. The only time I saw him lose it was when he was continuously shouted down by a protester at a town hall meeting who disagreed with his views on Gaza.
I am impressed with his realism. He sticks to his positions and is consistent. But he is willing to make compromises if he can achieve at least some of his goals. Those on the far right portray compromise as something bad. My reading of your article is that you are an all-or-nothing-at-all advocate for your beliefs. If someone such as Bernie doesn't tow your line close to 100 percent, then they are dismissed.
Perhaps Bernie does not even come close to meeting any of your goals. I don't know. At a minimum, I find that I agree with his positions at least 80 percent of the time and that percentage keeps growing as I listen to his nuanced analysis and realistic and opened minded approach to some of the most difficult issues of our day.
Charles Gravitz, Silver Spring, Maryland
Sanders has already won
BERNIE SANDERS does not have to become president in order to win. Just by getting in the ring, he has already scored a major victory for the American working class. His campaign is blazing a new trail to the left in the American political system. In the coming years, we will probably see the development of a Democratic Socialist Party in the U.S.
Win or lose, his campaign will lay the foundation for a new American left. His candidacy has opened the door to socialism in the U.S. The debate about America's economic future will no longer be a debate between the center and the right. Finally, the real left will be heard.
Readers’ Views SocialistWorker.org welcomes our readers' contributions to discussion and debate about articles we've published and questions facing the left. Opinions expressed in these contributions don't necessarily reflect those of SW.
The people who will be galvanized by the Sanders campaign have no reason to consider socialism a dirty word. We have witnessed in our lifetime the epic, miserable failure of unrestrained capital. We can see the devastation global capital is inflicting on the environment. Our generation has trillions in student loan debt. We have no health care. Our wages are stagnant. We feel these truths to be self-evident.
The steel door that capital bolted shut on the working class, locking socialism away from the debate, has been blown off its hinges by Bernie Sanders, allowing socialism in America to finally breath again.
There is a real possibility now for a sustained assault on capital. For too long, radicals have felt completely shut out of the mainstream debate. For too long, we have felt apathetic about the political process in this country because we were relegated to the fringes of society. We had to Occupy in order to be heard. We were totally shut out of the system. All we could do was occupy, protest, or riot.
Now we have the ultimate, mainstream option available: Taking over the White House.
It's only been a few days since Sanders announced his candidacy, but already, the left is beginning to realize how hugely significant a moment this is for American politics. You can hear the first rumblings of an enormous grassroots movement developing. One hundred seventy-five thousand people have already signed up to volunteer for the Sanders campaign.
Hillary Clinton is not a foregone conclusion in 2016, any more than she was in 2008. She can be beat, again. She is not entitled to the presidency. And neither is Jeb Bush.
Americans do not necessarily want to hand over the future of this country to another Bush or another Clinton. We do have the ability to chart a different path. We are capable of another revolution in America: a socialist revolution.
Justin Akers, McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Bernie is our best shot
I WAS very disappointed with this article. It completely ignores the reality of the current presidential race: extreme right-wingers, corporate sellouts and just flat-out corrupt individuals. Without Bernie, one of these characters is guaranteed the position of commander-in-chief.
An independent or third-party candidate has absolutely no chance of beating out the two dominant parties at the current time, but Bernie Sanders represents the first true liberal challenger in a long time to potentially become a serious challenger. His decision to run as a Democrat puts him in a position to directly confront Democratic candidates in debates, as independent/third-party candidates are often overlooked in these debates.
Instead of hoping for some great grassroots movement to emerge, liberals now have a chance to disturb the corporatist powers that be, and force the Democratic Party away from the center-right. That, to me, is monumentally better than potentially allowing Marco Rubio or Hillary Clinton into the White House. One thing is absolutely certain: The poor and middle class would profoundly benefit from Bernie Sanders policies, and that is the best we have for 2016.
Eric, Texas
Vote for Bernie and build movements
SO ARE you suggesting that we not vote in this election? The conclusion of the article says we should be putting our efforts into activism. Do you see activism and voting as incompatible somehow, or mutually exclusive?
Robert James, Temecula, California
A chance for socialists in the election
WOW! WHAT a lot of words, speculation, theory and fluff. While you all are pulling lint from your navels, Bernie--a man in his 70s, a lifelong democratic socialist, an honest, dedicated, real person--is willing to throw himself into the lion's den of presidential politics for his principles, for what he believes in, for the American people. He is DOING something!
It is no surprise when the right attacks him. It is not unexpected, though disappointing, when liberals attack him. But when other socialists attack him because of all kind of "what ifs" and "could bes" and hoped for but non-existent conditions, that's the height of self-inflicted irrelevance.
Instead of cheering the fact that a socialist of the character, abilities, commitment and gravitas of Bernie Sanders has the opportunity to enter a presidential race; instead of getting behind this opportunity to promote socialist ideas and raise the public's consciousness; instead of recognizing this as a very rare opportunity for socialists to take the public stage and do themselves proud, you all choose to give up all that because he is not one of you. Because it did not come about the way YOU think it should. You are not only being arrogant, but you are also unstrategic and immature.
How long has it been since a socialist has gotten anywhere near a presidential election? How long will it be until the next time? If you insist on waiting for perfect conditions, you will wait forever. Carpe diem, dudes! Sour grapes is not becoming to serious socialists.
Max Mastellone, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Sanders can give us hope
BOO! MY life has been miserable under Reaganomics since the day I dropped out of college $250 short of graduation, and you are going to disparage the little sense of hope I've felt since the Obama disappointment became an obvious scam? Bernie can do more as the governor of a small left-leaning state? Should we all move to Vermont?
Shame on you for dashing my hopes. We need national leaders of conviction and we need a national dialogue of meaning. There is no problem with Bernie Sanders challenging within the once great Democratic Party. Remember FDR? Remember Henry Wallace?
Are you really on our side or did you just need to find some dribble to write a few paragraphs because the rent is due? Your writing made me angry, and the timing of it made me even more angry.
Ronald D. Carlson, Ridgewood, New York | {
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Artificial intelligence robots have held a conversation with one another for the first time with surprising and surreal results.
Two graduate PhD students at Cornell University gave voices and 2D avatars to a pair of online "chatbots", which they named Alan and Sruthi.
Jason Yosinski and Igor Labutov explained to BBC News what happened when they left the robots to converse and why they were "stunned" at the results. | {
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“What inspires you?” It’s a common question that is often met with uncertainty amongst young writers, including myself. Sometimes, inspiration seems to strike out of nowhere. Maybe you know your main plot points after waking up from a dream, or shape a character in the span of a train ride. But more often, inspiration is not a magic spell conjured up. While inspiration drives the passion for a story, it takes more than a stirred thought to write out every scene, line, and word. So how do you exercise inspiration and stretch it to fill your creative work? How can something as abstract as inspiration be broken down into concrete tips to trigger ideas? Here are five ways to tackle humdrum periods in the creative process:
1. Be in tune with your five senses and gut feelings. How do you personally react to loud sounds like sirens or slamming doors? Can you spot street art you hadn’t noticed before while walking from your car to the office? Is there a particular memory you associate with the smell of burnt, frozen waffles? How do you know you’re talking to your grandmother and not your teenage cousin? In my first short story in college, I featured a grandfather — except in the first draft, he sounded more like an early twenty something female. To fine tune his voice, I listened to older generations’ manners of speaking and noticed how my own family members converse. Noticing your senses can also unravel any stories hidden behind your own behavior and preferences. And by being conscious of your complex-self and of different environments, you can create more realistic characters and settings.
2. Keep a notebook with you. Jack Kerouac couldn’t have written On the Road without amassing years of notes in his journal. When inspiration strikes, write it down because it may never come in the same way again. In places such as coffee shops and restaurants, where conversation abounds, it’s hard not to hear dialogue. Try jotting down conversations you hear. What struck you about the dynamics? Maybe you first noted tense body language between two people or a tilted voice? A man on a date babbled on the deterioration of his previous relationship, while his date slouched: “She chose her words very carefully. She didn’t really say a lot, but when she did, it was…right. I kind of ramble a lot.” Jot down details such as the way someone holds her hair or elaborate shoelaces of a passerby. A subway musician once stopped singing midway, enthused about my magenta ballet flats with panda heads plastered over the tips. She brought them to the entire train’s attention. While I was embarrassed, the moment reminded me that small details in someone’s appearance can make a big impression, even summing up a person. You never know what material you can look back on and be able to use for a story.
3. Read. It doesn’t matter if you’re not aiming to be the next Hemingway. Notice which books and authors you enjoy reading, and what you like about them. Is it the subject matter? The characterizations? The writing style? They will help fill you with new ideas and enlighten you, even if you can’t travel to India to study with a guru. Read an array of books, including those you might not normally be inclined to peruse. After some recommendations, I read Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, which I personally thought would be unrelatable. But its personification of a house, as well as its tender father and daughter moments ended up resonating with me. Furthermore, read the source material for adapted screenplays. What did The Lord of the Rings trilogy do effectively in a film platform that the books couldn’t convey, and vice versa? In what ways did director Baz Luhrmann make his mark on The Great Gatsby, and did they work for you?
4. Disconnect once in a while. It’s hard to focus on your own thoughts when you’re constantly stimulated. While it may not be feasible to live like Thoreau by Walden Pond, it’s possible to turn off the television set or shut your web browser. I often sit in front of my laptop with the intention of writing out a scene, only to google search news on the latest blockbuster. Hours later, I wonder where the time went. It’s too easy to get distracted. Close a few of those web tabs — stop scrolling through random websites, skimming over Facebook friends’ updates, or posting photos of pen and paper on Instagram. Instead, use that extra time to actually write.
5. Live. I don’t know anyone who wakes up and thinks, “Today I am going to be inspired by a conversation with my local grocer.” You never know what surprises you may encounter on an ordinary day, and thus you never know when inspiration will hit (which again, is why it’s important to keep a notebook)! One thing is for certain — it’s hard to stay inspired if your only reference points are the four walls of a room. I used to be preoccupied with questioning myself about what I want write about. I knew I liked to write, but anyone can attest to the fact that there’s no joy in seeing random words printed on a page. But just by being alive and living, we have our own stories to tell with universal themes intertwined in them. For me, writing and living have become a give and take. So don’t discount anything, embrace new experiences even if they’re seemingly small and insignificant because these moments ultimately become our pool of inspiration.
Guest post from Tiffany Lew. Tiffany is a recent graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She covers arts and culture.
Enjoyed this post? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. You’ll hear back from us!
Don’t miss: 50 Great Screenwriting Quotes | {
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The Greek prime minister has called on Europe to end its sanctions against Russia during a visit to Moscow, warning that they could lead to a “new cold war”.
Alexis Tsipras also rebuked other European leaders who had criticised his two-day visit to the Russian capital, after meeting Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Wednesday.
Brussels is nervous that the new Greek government is breaking European unity over Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and Tsipras’s words in the Kremlin would have been music to Putin’s ears.
However, fears that the Russian president might seek to build closer economic ties with Greece by offering a loan – a possibility floated in a Russian newspaper report this week – or by lifting a ban on Greek food imports, proved unfounded.
Tsipras, speaking at a press conference alongside Putin after their talks, expressed his opposition to the sanctions imposed by the EU and US on Russia over its intervention in Ukraine.
“The counter-sanctions imposed by Russia have inflicted pain on the Greek economy. But we know the retaliations were a response to sanctions [against Russia], the logic of which we do not entirely share,” he said.
“We openly disapproved of the sanctions. It is not an efficient solution. We think it could bring about a new cold war between Russia and the west.
“To get out of this profound crisis we need to leave behind this vicious cycle of sanctions,” he said.
Tsipras also emphasised that Greece is a “sovereign country with an irrevocable right to conduct a multi-faceted foreign policy”.
Putin said he welcomed the Greek position, while Tsipras said it was “springtime for Russian-Greek relations”.
‘We openly disapproved of the sanctions. It is not an efficient solution,’ said Alexis Tsipras in a press conference with Vladimir Putin. Photograph: /Tass/Barcroft Media
But, for all the warm words, there did not appear to be any major new agreements between the two countries. The meeting in the Kremlin came a day before cash-strapped Greece is scheduled to make a €458m (£333m) payment to the International Monetary Fund.
A Greek government official told Reuters on Wednesday that Tsipras would not seek funds in his meeting with the Russian president. “We have not asked for financial aid. We want to solve our issues of debt … within the eurozone,” the official said.
Putin said after the meeting that Tsipras had not asked for any help. A Russian government source told Kommersant newspaper this week that Moscow was ready to offer Athens new loans but only if there were “reciprocal moves” whereby Greece sold Russia particular assets. The source did not specify which assets Russia was interested in, though Moscow has often suggested buying up energy or rail infrastructure in return for lines of credit or reduced gas prices.
The counter-sanctions imposed by Russia have inflicted pain on the Greek economy. Alexis Tsipras
With falling oil prices and western sanctions combining to put Moscow in a difficult economic situation, the prospect of large financial aid being extended to Greece was always unlikely. There was also no major announcement over Greek support for the “Turkish stream” gas pipeline project, though both leaders said there was much potential for cooperation in extending the pipeline to Greece.
More surprisingly, Putin said Russia would not lift a ban on food imports from Greece, imposed on all EU countries as a reciprocal measure for their sanctions against Russia.
Greece was particularly hard hit, as 40% of its total exports went to Russia. Tsipras described the ban on foodstuffs as a “sizeable wound” to Greece’s economy.
Earlier in the day, Russia’s finance minister had said Russia was prepared to discuss the issue of making an exception for Greece. Putin, however, appeared to dash these hopes. The Russian president said he understood Greece had “been forced” to vote for sanctions against Russia by the EU, but said nevertheless, Russia could not make “exceptions for individual countries”. He did suggest the two nations could build “partnerships” in the agricultural sector, though it was unclear what this would mean in practice.
“The best way to solve these problems is to end the whole sanctions war against us, and our reciprocal measures,” said Putin.
When asked by one Greek journalist if Russia wanted to use Greece as a “Trojan horse” to split the EU, Putin smiled.
“The question would be valid if I was the one going to Athens,” said the Russian president. “We are not forcing anyone to do anything.”
There is little doubt, however, that Moscow sees a potential ally in Tsipras on a continent where it has few of them. The wooing of the new Greek government is part of a strategy to undermine the consensus in Europe that Russia’s actions in Crimea and Ukraine require a tough, sustained response. Already, Moscow has reached out to European far-right groups, which includes giving a €9m loan to France’s Front National.
Tsipras has stated his distaste for sanctions on many occasions, and his Syriza party has made no secret of its sympathy for Moscow, while a leaked correspondence has suggested ties between top Syriza figures, including the Greek foreign minister, Nikos Kotzias, and Alexander Dugin, a Russian neo-fascist thinker who advocates the philosophy of “Eurasianism” and has backed Russia going further in Ukraine.
Analysts suggested it was unlikely that the Greeks would go as far as vetoing EU sanctions against Russia, but were instead playing both sides with the Moscow visit, warning Europe that Greece’s support cannot be taken for granted.
Tsipras’s coalition of the radical left and nationalist right took office in January. Since then, relations with the EU, and particularly Germany, have been strained. Greece has been surviving on international bailouts since 2010, with a major repayment to the IMF due on Thursday. The Greek government said this week it was owed €279bn by Germany in reparations for the Nazi occupation during the second world war, an issue Berlin said was legally resolved years ago and dismissed as “dumb”.
Tsipras is likely to be back in Moscow next month for the Kremlin’s lavish celebrations to mark 70 years since the end of the war in Europe. Many European leaders are to snub the event owing to Russia’s current policies in Ukraine, leaving the possibility of Putin sharing the podium with mainly autocratic leaders from around the world, including North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has said she will not come to Moscow for the parade, but will visit a day later to lay a wreath for the war dead. | {
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Um homem obcecado por livros e filmes de fantasia já gastou cerca de R$ 100 mil em cirurgias plásticas, numa tentativa de se tornar um elfo da vida real.
Luis Padron, de 25 anos, é de Buenos Aires, Argentina, e desenvolveu esta obsessão por mundos de fantasia como o visto na trilogia ‘Senhor dos Anéis’, desde que era criança.
Agora, ele está numa jornada para imitar a vida de seus personagens preferidos dos livros de fantasia, após gastar mais de R$ 16 mil em tratamentos especializados que incluem o clareamento de seu cabelo e pele.
Ele também gastou quase R$ 100 mil em diversos procedimentos cirúrgicos, incluindo lipoaspiração na região abaixo do queixo, remoção total dos pelos corporais, uma rinoplastia, e operações para alterar a cor dos olhos.
Apesar de receber olhares curiosos de desconhecidos espantados, todo dia, Luis jurou que não irá parar até estar completamente transformado – e está inclusive planejando uma cirurgia complexa, para ficar com 1,95 metro de altura.
Ver as imagens Ele é obcecado por livros de fantasia desde pequeno (Imagem: Caters News) Mais
Luis, que vende fantasias e acessórios para cosplay, disse: “Eu quero ser um elfo, um anjo e um ser fantástico, meu objetivo é ter uma aparência não humana, etérea, elegante e delicada”.
“Eu tenho meu próprio ideal de beleza, e quero alcançá-lo, independentemente de qualquer coisa. Quero cortar minhas orelhas para que elas fiquem pontudas como as dos elfos, quero que meu queixo fique mais afiado como um diamante, além de fazer um lifting facial e uma plástica nos olhos para que eles fiquem parecidos com os olhos dos gatos”.
“Eu também estou cogitando colocar implantes de músculos. Também há uma cirurgia para ficar mais alto, e eu irei remover quatro das minhas costelas, para que possa modelar minha cintura e torná-la mais fina”.
Luis sofreu bullying na infância após decidir tingir o cabelo, mas conta que no final acabou sendo admirado por sua individualidade – o que motivou o seu desejo de se tornar um elfo.
Ver as imagens Ele sofreu bullying quando criança por seu amor pela fantasia (Imagem: Caters News) Mais
Ele disse: “Eu sofri bullying quando era criança, e como uma válvula de escape eu mergulhava em filmes de fantasia como ‘Labirinto – A Magia do Tempo’ e ‘A História Sem Fim’, e outros contos”.
“Com o passar do tempo, as coisas mudaram. Os adolescentes mais velhos gostavam de mim porque eu era único, e isso me encorajou a começar a transformar o que eu sentia dentro de mim, em realidade”.
“Eu comecei com o cosplay, mas não foi suficiente. Eu queria mudar para me transformar na minha própria percepção da beleza”.
Ele acrescentou: “Não considero isso uma obsessão, mas na fantasia você tem toda a esperança, o amor, a amizade e os bons sentimentos”.
“Isso me ajuda a me sentir uma boa pessoa, mas no mundo da fantasia você precisa ser bonito não apenas por dentro, mas também por fora”.
“Isso mudou a minha vida para a melhor, de muitas maneiras. Eu não consigo nem começar a descrever”.
Nick Reilly
Yahoo News UK | {
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TO GO WITH: Philippines-UN-military,FOCUS by Joel Guinto In this photo taken on September 11, 2014, Filipino peacekeeper trainees wearing anti-biological suit simulate a biological attack during a hostile environment drill at the peackeepers training center in Capas town, Tarlac province, north of Manila. To help guard the world's war zones, the Philippines plucks soldiers from the frontlines against Al-Qaeda-linked militants and communist insurgents. But battle-hardened as these 'warrior peacekeepers' are, they are also trained to turn on the charm when deployed to UN missions in Syria, Haiti and Liberia. AFP PHOTO/TED ALJIBE (Photo credit should read TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images)
MANILA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Al-Qaeda linked Islamist militants in the Philippines said on Thursday they will kill one of two German captives on Oct. 17 unless their demands are met.
Rebels from the Abu Sayyaf group captured the two Germans sailing on a yacht from the western island of Palawan island to the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah in April.
The militants are demanding a 250 million pesos ($5.6 million) ransom and for Germany to stop supporting U.S.-led air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria.
"Today, we are going to tell you about the ultimatum," a Muslim rebel who identified himself as Abu Rami, and said he was a spokesman for Abu Sayyaf, said in a telephone call to reporters based in Zamboanga City in the south.
"After October 17, 2014, Friday, at 3 p.m., you will not see one of them alive. It will be seen by the public so that we can show that we are not playing games."
Philippine security officials say the Germans are being held in the jungles of Jolo, a remote southern island and hotbed of Islamist militants in the mainly Catholic country.
The Abu Sayyaf group has a record of kidnappings, killings and bombings. The militants are know to be holding several other foreigners.
It is not clear if the militants have contacts with Islamic State fighters in the Middle East.
Germany has ruled out taking part in air strikes against Islamic State targets in the Middle East but it did break a post-World War Two taboo on sending weapons to active conflict zones by agreeing to arm Kurdish fighters battling the militants in Iraq. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Editing by Robert Birsel) | {
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Combiner Wars is a storyline that has been playing out across Hasbro’s toys and IDW comic books for the past year and the upcoming Activision video game Transformers: Devastation.
Insiders say it’s the first time these synergistic elements have been combined by Hasbro to tell an overall story.
Additionally, Habsro is creating something a segment of its large Transformers audience has been demanding for years: an animated series aimed at an older audience.
“Our audiences are huge fans of the toy, comics, movies and video games, and for us to continue the legend with the Combiner Wars is a unique story-telling opportunity,” said Daniel Tibbets, Machinima's chief content officer.
Said Hasbro’s senior vp of the Transformers franchise, Tom Warner: “[Machinima is] the perfect partner to help launch a totally new kind of Transformers animation — one that, for the first time ever, is specifically designed for the teen and adult fans who’ve grown up loving the Transformers brand.”
Without going too deep into the complexities of the Transformers universe, Combiner Wars saw groups of Transformers interlock to form one giant robot, known as a Combiner. Superion and Menasor were among the new robots that held the fate of the Transformers’ home world, Cybertron, in their hands. | {
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Gallery: How 'Cities: Skylines' aims to dethrone SimCity Gallery Gallery: How 'Cities: Skylines' aims to dethrone SimCity + 14
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Mariina Hallikainen is the CEO of Finnish game studio Colossal Order, developer of transport management sim Cities in Motion. The upcoming Cities: Skylines will see the developer expand that foundation into a full city builder, one targeting hardcore fans of the genre with both an in-depth core game and modding tools released to the community on day one.
Hallikainen speaks with Wired.co.uk on how Skylines lets players control the world, giving the game over to the modding community straight away, and how her team wants to correct the mistakes of the most recent SimCity.
Wired.co.uk: How long has Cities: Skylines been planned?
Mariina Hallikainen: This is something we've wanted to make for a while. We started the company up in 2009, when we worked on the first two Cities in Motion games. We were super-happy doing that but we always wanted to do a big city builder game.
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We're in alpha at the moment, so there's plenty that we're going to improve but we're able to show the basic elements and features.
What makes Skylines stand out from other city builders?
One of the big things in this game is the map size. We want people to be able to build really huge, complex cities with up to a million people living there. You start with a 2x2km map tile, and as you unlock more areas, you can go up to nine of these. The entire area of the land is 5x5 tiles, so you get to choose if you want to follow the river, or maybe go up to the mountains. Nine is the maximum but it gives you variation within the same map. With the map editor you can create your own, so importing a higher-size map is possible.
Because the city can be really, really big, so we wanted you to have the option to name certain districts. The reason you might want to do this is that we have city policies. You get to set those either globally, or to each district [which affects] the gameplay.
You can limit water or power usage, if you want to save energy or fresh water.
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You can also budget each of the city services, for example if you have a lot of tourists coming in, you might want to make the buses run more frequently. The citizens age and the city evolves as you build, giving you a constant challenge that you need to optimise to their needs. For instance, if you have a low density residential area with elementary schools, families are going to move in and be happy there, so you maybe have different policies than in the city centre. If you're the kind of player that just wants to build, that's also possible. You don't have to go deep into those districts and policies, you'd be fine just building the city as you go.
Also, we don't have set goals or requests for the players, other than building the city, making it thrive and having the challenge of a growing city. Depending on the route you take, you get different monuments. These are kind of like in-game achievements, different monuments that measure your success, such as a futuristic stadium.
Cities in Motion was about pure transport management -- how has it been going from that to building up a full, active city?
Basically, we already had the map size and the road building tool. They are pretty much taken from Cities in Motion 2. We'd already transitioned to bigger maps than the first CiM. We had more flexible, not grid-based maps for world building. Adding all the city services in here is a big task to make it well balanced. But at least the traffic parts, which can usually be very, very difficult, we had covered!
City builders live or die on how players can manage the economy -- how will that work in Skylines?
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The economy is all about the tax income. How you play determines what people are willing to pay in taxes. Let's say you're building a city like Abu Dhabi, if their are oil resources on the map, you get a nice income if you favour the oil industry. It might not be making the people who live there extremely happy, but on the other hand they're still working there. For a tourist economy, it's about making your city attractive, increasing the land value, making sure the public transport works so that people can come in. How you'd get money from tourists would be if the high-density commercial areas are doing well, they are more willing to spend.
It comes down to which area are you favouring. Low density residential is for families, they appreciate certain services but as they get older, they start to want healthcare and similar services. There's still a lot of work to be done on that, this is requiring a lot of hours for the balancing and testing!
Can you have disasters affect the city?
Not yet, at least. We're going to have to see. We're putting all our effort into the modding tools and the core features, and hoping that in the future we get to expand from that. We're still a small team, so it's baby steps.
What did you learn from the reaction to the most recent
SimCity as to what the player base wants from city builders?
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Well, we really liked the original 90s games. We used to play these games when we were younger -- the 90s and early 2000s simulation games. It was the same thing with Cities in Motion, we loved Transport Tycoon, and we wanted to bring that kind of game to the modern day. This is a little bit of the same thing. We always wanted to make a city builder. When
SimCity was announced, we were like "OK, that's it, we're never going to be able to do anything with this!" Then, it didn't go exactly as they planned, probably, so we thought "there's still hope!" We don't like to be compared to the newest one; I think we're really like classic, old-school SimCity.
So no online requirements, as that game was criticised for?
No, this is a single player game, as I think it should be. I mean, I don't want anyone coming to MY town! It's all about you being mayor. You'll be able to share your stuff online, so you can still brag about your city, but people can't send you criminals or whatever. Through the Steam Workshop, we have all the mods, maps, even save games you can share with others. It is all for the community.
You've announced modding will a day one feature in
Skylines -- what's your reasoning for opening the game up immediately?
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We think modding and the community is really important for our games. We have added four different modding tools to this game and we're working on an API that actually lets players write their own code. They can actually make gameplay changes, and import their own assets. If you model for fun, you can actually create pretty much whatever you want and import it into the game. Building the city is also about making it cool and really pretty, so if you wanted to build a city centre with an old town vibe, what you could do is re-texture buildings and import the assets to the game. I'm pretty sure there will be someone planning a lot of things like that! I'm really excited to see when the game comes out, what people will be doing, if they'll create Gotham City or something!
Are you curating content, or will people be free to upload and share what they like?
Pretty free. It'll be shared via Steam Workshop, they can just put it there and then others are free to download it.
Are you prepared for a the inevitable onslaught of penis shaped buildings?
Actually, what happened to us is, when we had our first play test, one of the testers was basically building the roads in the shape of penises! So we were like "it's happened before it's even released!" Now we've seen it, we're good. [laughs]
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What's the interaction with the player community been like on previous Cities games?
On [publisher] Paradox Interactive's forums, we have a lot of communication with the community. There's really cool player exchanges going on, and the German forum for Cities in Motion is huge. We interact with them and they suggest a lot of what should be in the game, and we take on board their input.
It's really the players and community that are shaping the game, so we appreciate the feedback. We try to be as present as possible -- of course, there's always time limitations but it's basically me and Karoliina Korppoo, our lead designer, who answer the questions and take suggestions on board. For example, with Cities in Motion 2, most of the DLC are directly suggested from the community, and we actually make Player's Choice DLC now.
Given you're known for transport management, will there be a similar level of depth to that in Skylines?
Not quite. With buses, for instance, you have the depot that the buses come from, and then you place stops. Then the route will follow that as you're setting up the system. From the budget panel, you choose how frequent the service is -- the more money you put into public transport, the more efficiently it works.
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It's going to be buses, underground, trains, ships and planes.
Cities in Motion is a very niche game, it's for engineer-type simulation players. We want Skylines to be more approachable. We've put a lot of effort into streamlining, because we don't want to have that level of micromanagement where you go right down to set fare prices. This is about the city as a whole, not so much the citizens or the very fine details. But I'm pretty sure someone will mod it so it will look like Sims 3 or
Cities in Motion!
With such a hardcore fanbase for your earlier games, are you expecting much "fallout" that this isn't a new Cities in Motion?
I'm really looking forward to seeing what the community thinks of this, [but] I think some will be a little bummed out that this isn't Cities in Motion 3! They've been asking for that, like "when you do Cities in Motion 3, you have to have these things there..." They'll be pleased we still have a transport option here, including long distance outer connections which go to the cloud, between cities. That's so we can do things like airports and ship harbours, which they've been asking for in Cities in Motion for a long time. I'm super happy that we can push those elements here, to cater to those wishes.
Will you be doing a Cities in Motion 3, eventually?
Colossal Order is only nine people, so all of our team is on this at the moment. We're hiring more people because this is a really big project for us, so we are growing the company. I'm looking forward to working on Cities in Motion 3 in the future but Skylines takes all our time at the moment. I love that series though, and we have an excellent community and a lot of fans. Even though it's a very niche game, it's very important for us! | {
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Earth as seen on July 6, 2015 from a distance of one million miles by a NASA scientific camera aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory spacecraft. NASA
This spectacular glamour shot of our planet is just a taste of things to come, according to NASA, which released the picture from the DSCOVR satellite Monday.
The picture was taken with the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) aboard DSCOVR, which stands for Deep Space Climate Observatory. Launched in February (after a couple failed attempts), the satellite represents a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Air Force to supply real-time solar wind modeling, measure ozone levels and send back an unprecedented trove of images just like this one.
"This first DSCOVR image of our planet demonstrates the unique and important benefits of Earth observation from space," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden in a statement. "DSCOVR's observations of Earth, as well as its measurements and early warnings of space weather events caused by the sun, will help every person to monitor the ever-changing Earth, and to understand how our planet fits into its neighborhood in the solar system."
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Hovering in orbit 1 million miles away from the Earth, between it and the sun at all times, DSCOVR has a unique perspective on the sunlit parts of the planet. Starting in September, the satellite will beam home pictures every single day for the life of the mission.
NASA hasn't had this view of Earth since the Apollo era, NASA told CBS News, and even then, pictures from the moon were taken (with film cameras) from a mere 240,000 miles away. Other crafts have taken images of Earth as they headed to their destinations, snapshots on the way to somewhere else.
This is the most distant image NASA has ever taken of the Earth, and it's amazingly clear.
"The high quality of the EPIC images exceeded all of our expectations in resolution," said Adam Szabo, DSCOVR project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "The images clearly show desert sand structures, river systems and complex cloud patterns. There will be a huge wealth of new data for scientists to explore."
When President Barack Obama saw the image, he tweeted, "Just got this new blue marble photo from @NASA. A beautiful reminder that we need to protect the only planet we have." | {
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Jude Bolton recalls the time he thought he was 'in the gun' as the Swans looked to rejuvenate their list. (1:10)
The AFL's annual meat market was again busy, with some deals done early, some only completed minutes before Wednesday's 7.30pm deadline, while some didn't get done at all.
And while it's still way too soon to judge each club's performance, ESPN AFL draft and trade expert Chris Doerre has analysed all the moves and assessed who he thinks the early winners and losers are.
Adelaide
In: Billy Frampton, pick No.37, pick No.45, pick No.49 (Ellis-Yolmen compensation), 2020 round two pick (Western Bulldogs), 2020 round four pick (Carlton), 2020 round four pick (Gold Coast)
Out: Eddie Betts, Cam Ellis-Yolmen, Hugh Greenwood, Sam Jacobs, Josh Jenkins, Alex Keath, 2020 round three pick
2019 Draft Picks: 4, 23, 28, 37, 45, 49
Grade: E
Rationale: The Crows lost a lot of talent and gained very little, with nothing better than second round selections received in any of the deals agreed upon. With the drafts this year and next year relatively thin, and the likelihood that after bidding pick 37 will move down a few spots, the returns received are likely to be limited.
Adelaide's midfield is weakened with the losses of Ellis-Yolmen and Greenwood, both of whom are high volume contested ball-winners with the capability of adding value to their new teams. Adelaide's key position stocks are substantially weakened with the losses of Alex Keath, who had a strong season in defence and has improved every year, while the underrated Josh Jenkins subtracts from Adelaide's front half as a key forward who has averaged two or more goals each of the past six seasons.
Of less consequence are the departures of Eddie Betts and Sam Jacobs, with Betts -- other than his two games against Gold Coast - struggling this year while Sam Jacobs found himself superseded by the fast-improving Reilly O'Brien.
Frampton was Adelaide's one addition and has the scope to contend for a position as the club's relieving ruck given his mobility and contested marking.
Brisbane
In: Callum Ah Chee, Grant Birchall, Cam Ellis-Yolmen, pick No.48, pick No.72, 2020 round three pick (Essendon)
Out: Tom Cutler, Lewis Taylor, pick No.46, pick No.91, 2020 round two pick, 2020 round four pick
2019 Draft Picks: 16, 21, 34, 48, 52, 55, 72
Grade: B+
Rationale: Ellis-Yolmen was a savvy recruiting decision as a free agent and will add grunt through Brisbane's midfield as a prolific contested ball-winner. Birchall adds stability and experience to Brisbane's defence, to replace the retired Luke Hodge. The question mark surrounding Birchall is his health as he has only played eight games over the past three years. Ah Chee for a 2020 second round pick is arguably overs for the talented utility given he has struggled to play a consistent brand of football at AFL level or play more than 16 games in a year, in his four seasons with the Suns.
With Taylor getting pushed out of Brisbane's best side, playing only five games and last playing in Round 12, he appeared unlikely to reclaim his position with the trade looking inconsequential for the Lions. The loss of Cutler is a similar story as another player pushed outside Brisbane's best team and not certain to earn back his position.
Carlton
In: Eddie Betts, Marc Pittonet, pick No.57, pick No.70
Out: Andrew Phillips, pick No.48, pick No.72, 2020 round four pick
2019 Draft Picks: 9, 43, 57, 70, 85
Grade: E
Rationale: A very disappointing trade period for the Blues with neither the Tom Papley or Jack Martin trades eventuating. The pair had requested trades to join Carlton and would have improved the club's best 22 in positions of need, with Papley one of the competition's premier small forwards and Martin, untapped and with the scope to become a difference maker through the midfield.
While Carlton will benefit from the brilliance of Betts to help their struggling front half, his best is long past with his season highlights coming against Gold Coast with six goals in each of his games against the Suns, but little more.
The loss of Phillips and the gain of Pittonet is largely a wash with both ruckmen depth players.
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Collingwood
In: Darcy Cameron, pick No.62, 2020 round two pick (St Kilda), 2020 round four pick (St Kilda)
Out: James Aish, pick No.56, pick No.69, 2020 round three pick
2019 Draft Picks: 35, 62, 74
Grade: B+
Rationale: Cameron adds depth for Collingwood behind both Brodie Grundy and Mason Cox as a ruckman capable of resting forward. A solid return was received for James Aish given his fringe status having played no more than 15 games for Collingwood in each of his four years at the club. The St Kilda 2020 second round selection gained in the Aish deal is a good return and will help Collingwood towards drafting Reef McInnes through their next-generation academy in 2020.
Essendon
In: Tom Cutler, Andew Phillips, pick No.33, pick No.61, pick No.64
Out: Pick No.37, pick No.52, pick No.70, 2020 round three pick
2019 Draft Picks: 31, 33, 61, 64, 65, 88
Grade: C+
Rationale: Sometimes retaining players is the most important thing and the retention of the contracted Joe Daniher, health permitting, appears the best choice. Playing a combined 11 games over the past two seasons, Daniher, if he can recapture his 2017 form, may opt to remain with the Bombers. If Daniher chooses to move next year, Essendon can force a club into trading for him next offseason given his status as a restricted free agent which allows the Bombers to match any bids made on him.
The addition of Phillips is an addition of depth through the ruck to provide a ready-to-play injury replacement. Cutler adds versatility as someone who can contend for a position in Essendon's best side.
Joe Daniher was retained by the Bombers despite a trade request to Sydney. Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Fremantle
In: Blake Acres, James Aish, pick No.10, pick No.22, pick No.58, pick No.69, pick No.79, 2020 round two pick (Melbourne), 2020 round three (Collingwood)
Out: Bradley Hill, Ed Langdon, pick No.26, 2020 round three pick, 2020 round four pick
2019 Draft Picks: 7, 10, 22, 58, 69, 79, 83
Grade: C
Rationale: Fremantle's return for Hill was strong, with Acres an able and developable component with the combination of picks received in the deal including pick 10 appealing. The return received in the Langdon trade though was poor and leaves Fremantle exposed and further weakens the Dockers on the outside.
The price paid for Aish was arguably too much for a fringe player who has not shown meaningful improvement since his debut season and has not managed better than 15 games in any of his four seasons with Collingwood.
Geelong
In: Josh Jenkins, Jack Steven, pick No.14, pick No.24, 2020 round one pick (West Coast), 2020 round three pick (Gold Coast)
Out: Tim Kelly, Zac Smith, pick No.57, 2020 round three pick
2019 Draft Picks: 14, 17, 24, 36, 93
Grade: B+
Rationale: The departure of Kelly is a major setback to Geelong's win-now chances. The combination of picks received for Kelly was never going to make up for the loss, but the return yielded a strong combination of picks which was the best they were going to do.
With Geelong having enough ruck depth, the departure of Smith, who has only played six senior games over the past two seasons, is inconsequential. The trade of pick 58 -- the pick gained from Gold Coast in the Smith move -- is a strong one by Geelong with Steven a bargain at that price and potentially one of Geelong's best midfielders over the next few years.
Jenkins improves Geelong's front half and provides much needed support for Tom Hawkins. The low cost addition of Jenkins is a positive one having not dropped below two goals per game over the past six seasons.
Gold Coast
In: Brandon Ellis, Hugh Greenwood, Zac Smith, 2020 round two pick (Brisbane), 2020 round four pick (Brisbane)
Out: Callum Ah Chee, pick No.58, 2020 round three pick, 2020 round four pick
2019 Draft Picks: 1, 2, 15, 20, 78, 90
Grade: B+
Rationale: With no trade of the uncontracted Jack Martin completed, it is difficult to judge whether this is a good or bad as it is unclear whether he will re-sign or walk into the draft. Given Carlton didn't put forward an offer suitable for someone of Martin's talent, it seems a reasonable response not to move him to make the point they won't be bullied into making bad trades.
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The addition of Greenwood, while under the radar, represents good value and can provide Gold Coast's midfield a boost with his contested ball-winning capabilities and tackling. Ellis adds much needed run, but being entirely outside oriented, it's going to be a lot harder for him to rack the ball up for Gold Coast, with a substantial production dip likely for Ellis.
Following the retirement of Tom Nicholls and Brayden Crossley's positive drug test, Smith is an addition purely to add depth behind Jarrod Witts.
The return Gold Coast received for Ah Chee, headlined by a 2020 second round pick, is a positive return given he has struggled to play a consistent brand of football in his four years with the Suns. Ah Chee is yet another former top-10 selection Gold Coast have been unsuccessful in developing.
Greater Western Sydney
In: Sam Jacobs, pick No.6, pick No.40 (Tomlinson compensation), pick No.59, 2020 round three pick (North Melbourne)
Out: Aiden Bonar, Jonathon Patton, Adam Tomlinson, pick No.12, pick No.18, 2020 round four selection
2019 Draft Picks: 6, 40, 59, 60, 80, 94
Grade: C
Rationale: The versatility of Tomlinson will be missed by the Giants, who were not adequately compensated given his effectiveness in his 73 games played over the past three seasons. Losing Patton for such a poor return is disappointing given how dominant Patton was in 2016 and 2017. While Aiden Bonar is not a required player long term as he does not project to be a best 22 player due to the sheer strength and depth of GWS' midfield, the return was disappointing for 2017's pick 11.
GWS' trade for Sam Jacobs filled the club's most pressing need and was a must following the retirement of Dawson Simpson and query over Shane Mumford's future, with the Giants in win-now mode.
GWS' trade up to pick 6 from picks 12 and 18 is a wise one, with academy prospect Tom Green likely to attract a bid inside the top-five. Once GWS get a feel for which club is likely to bid on Green, it would not be surprising if they offer a pick swap that involves pick 6 and GWS' 2020 first round selection to delay a bid on the academy product.
Hawthorn
In: Sam Frost, Jonathon Patton, pick No.42, pick No.54, pick No.63
Out: Grant Birchall, Marc Pittonet, pick No.50, 2020 round two pick
2019 Draft Picks: 11, 30, 42, 54, 63, 87, 92
Grade: A+
Rationale: The trade for Frost was a bargain, with Hawthorn filling a key defence post with a plug and play option. Securing Patton for Melbourne's 2020 fourth round selection is one of the steals of the trade period given how dominant he was in 2016/2017. Patton is a strong list fit and will provide Hawthorn a major presence forward of centre.
With Birchall only playing eight games over the past three years, there were hints late in 2019 in his three games that he is still an asset at AFL level. The loss of Pittonet makes little difference in the short term, as a ruckman behind Ben McEvoy and Jonathon Ceglar who was realistically an injury replacement.
Jonathan Patton hopes to reignite his career at the Hawks. Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Melbourne
In: Ed Langdon, Adam Tomlinson, pick No.8, 2020 round two pick (Hawthorn), 2020 round four pick (Fremantle)
Out: Sam Frost, pick No.22, pick No.42, pick No.61, pick No.79, 2020 round one pick, 2020 round two pick, 2020 round four pick
2019 Draft Picks: 3, 8
Grade: B+
Rationale: The versatility Tomlinson adds as a free agent provides Melbourne options whether they choose to utilise him in defence or up on a wing. The Langdon signing was a bargain for Melbourne, helping the club address its critical need for outside run. In moving Frost, it appeared the Demons did not to rate him, with the return received poor for the established key defender.
Melbourne's swap of their 2020 first round selection, pick 26 and 50 to North Melbourne for pick 8 is a committal and high-risk trade. The pick exchange in some respects makes sense with pick 8 a sweet spot in the draft and not much worse than pick 3, but with Melbourne finishing 17th in 2019, they could easily look silly 12 months from now if they have another poor season.
North Melbourne
In: Aiden Bonar, pick No.26, pick No.50, 2020 round one pick (Melbourne), 2020 round four pick (Melbourne)
Out: Pick No.8, 2020 round three pick
2019 Draft Picks: 26, 27, 47, 50, 73, 84
Grade: A
Rationale: North Melbourne made a potentially genius trade moving pick 8 to Melbourne in exchange for picks 26, 50 and Melbourne's 2020 first round choice, taking advantage of Melbourne's desire of securing a second selection inside the top-10 this year. Bonar, 2017's 11th selection, is a bargain for the price paid and critically adds athleticism through the midfield.
The disappointing aspect of the trade period for North was the lack of a big name joining the Roos. With the Tom Papley to Carlton talks stalling and then breaking down, there may have been an opportunity for North to jump back in.
Port Adelaide
In: Pick No.12, pick No.18, 2020 round three pick (St Kilda), 2020 round four pick (Melbourne)
Out: Billy Frampton, Dougal Howard, Paddy Ryder, pick No.10, 2020 round four pick
2019 Draft Picks: 12, 18, 29, 66, 67, 71, 86
Grade: C
Rationale: The three departures leave Port Adelaide's tall stocks looking thin. The Power received a suitable return for Howard and Ryder, though the loss of Howard particularly will hurt with the club's key defence stocks which are arguably the weakest in the competition following the trade. With Frampton depth for the Power, the return received is as expected.
Richmond
In: Pick No.39 (Ellis compensation), No.56
Out: Brandon Ellis, Dan Butler
2019 Draft Picks: 19, 38, 39, 41, 56, 75, 77, 95
Grade: C+
Rationale: The loss of Ellis will mean little in the greater scheme of things for Richmond other than to create salary cap relief given his lacklustre finals play in 2017 and again this season. The loss of Butler similarly will matter little with Richmond's depth of forwards and Butler's outside best 22 status making him expendable.
Little done with little required by the premiers.
St Kilda
In: Dan Butler, Bradley Hill, Dougal Howard, Zak Jones, Paddy Ryder, pick No.51, 2020 round four pick (Sydney), 2020 round four pick (Port Adelaide)
Out: Blake Acres, Josh Bruce, Jack Steven, pick No.6, pick No.59, pick No.76, 2020 round two pick, 2020 round three pick, 2020 round four pick
2019 Draft Picks: 51, 76, 82
Grade: B+
Rationale: The positive is the club secured each of its trade targets and still have their 2020 first round choice. It is a list strategy focused on moving up the ladder immediately at the expense of involvement in the draft, which arguably could be considered overly committal given the Saints were last a top-8 team in 2011 under Ross Lyon. St Kilda were smart to split up pick 6 to gain picks 12 and 18 to facilitate the club's other trades and ensure the club secured each trade target.
St Kilda paid a suitable price to trade for Howard and Ryder, with Howard an upgrade in defence while the hope with Ryder should be that he can co-exist alongside Rowan Marshall. The price paid for Zak Jones was a good get, as he adds much needed speed for the Saints. Butler was added for a suitable price and will be a capable role player in St Kilda's front half with his pressure and speed valuable.
While a soundly fitting component, the price St Kilda paid to add Hill was steep and arguably overs with all the picks moving to the Dockers in addition to the promising Acres too much.
Losing Steven for so little will hurt the Saints and leave their midfield weakened. The return received for Bruce was also arguably below his worth as an AFL standard key forward.
The Saints got their man but they paid a big price for Fremantle's Brad Hill. Paul Kane/Getty Images
Sydney
In: Lewis Taylor, pick No.32, pick No.76, 2020 round three pick (Fremantle)
Out: Darcy Cameron, Zak Jones, pick No.54, pick No.62, pick No.63, 2020 round four
2019 Draft Picks: 5, 25, 32, 44, 81
Grade: C+
Rationale: The loss of Cameron leaves Sydney thin through the ruck. Only once in his three years with Sydney has Callum Sinclair played 20 or more games, while Sam Naismith has not played since 2017, never managing more than 15 games in a season. The return received for Jones is arguably below what it should be and is a loss for the Swans who need more talent rather than letting go more capable, established footballers.
For the pick spent, Lewis Taylor -- a proven performer at AFL level -- is a good fit for a suitable price. The non-trade of Tom Papley was another good move with Papley one of the best small forwards in the competition and not attracting any suitable offers. Sydney was also sensible in their negotiations with Essendon over Joe Daniher, not making any irresponsible offers and holding their ground on what is a reasonable amount to spend on a key forward who has played just 11 games over the past two seasons, on a team with plentiful key forward stocks.
West Coast
In: Tim Kelly, pick No.46, pick No.91, 2020 round three selection (Geelong)
Out: Pick No.14, pick No.24, pick No.33, pick No.64, 2020 round one pick
2019 Draft Picks: 46, 91
Grade: A+
Rationale: Kelly is a major midfield upgrade and was acquired for a good price. He places West Coast firmly back into the premiership mix.
Tim Kelly's trade from Geelong to West Coast was one of the biggest moves of the offseason. Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images
Western Bulldogs
In: Josh Bruce, Alex Keath, 2020 round three selection (Adelaide)
Out: Pick No.32, No.45, pick No.51, 2020 round two pick
2019 Draft Picks: 13, 53, 89
Grade: A+
Rationale: Keath is a great value get for the Western Bulldogs and fills their most pressing need, adding substantial quality to their key defence stocks with his intercepting capabilities at a good price. Paying only picks 32 and 51 for Bruce is good value and fills a pressing need as a capable key forward who can add to the Dog's best 22.
With the Dogs improving their key position stocks at good prices, it's been a strong trade period that may have some impact on moving the club back into premiership contention. | {
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The Coca-Cola Company has dropped its Coke Life brand from Australian shelves after spending two years and millions of dollars trying to launch the reduced-calorie beverage as it tries to adapt to an increasingly health-conscious market.
The soft drink giant launched the drink, made with the natural sweetener stevia, locally in February 2015 in an effort to lure back lapsed Coke drinkers with a product that was less unhealthy than regular Coke and tastier than the sugar-free Zero and Diet varieties.
Life's launch was followed by heavy supermarket discounting by Coca-Cola and its competitors.
But less than a year later, Coca-Cola and Australian bottler Coca-Cola Amatil started experimenting with the Life recipe to try and reduce the sugar content further, suggesting the brand was failing to sell as expected. | {
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プラネットはこのほど、「ムダ毛処理」に関する意識調査の結果を発表した。同調査は4月18日～5月6日、ネットリサーチ「DIMSDRIVE」モニター4,207人を対象にインターネットで実施したもの。
自分のムダ毛をどの程度気にしているか尋ねたところ、女性の「気にしている(計)」は52.9%、男性の「気にしている(計)」は18.9%だった。男性は年代別に見ると、20代では35.4%、30代では43.3%、40代では31.3%がムダ毛を気にしていると回答。若い年代を中心に、男性の間でもムダ毛への関心が高まっていることがわかる。
異性のムダ毛が気になったことがあるか尋ねると、女性のムダ毛が気になったことがある男性は33.6%、男性のムダ毛が気になったことのある女性は50.7%だった。前項では、自分のムダ毛を気にしている男性は18.9%だったが、男性が意識している以上に、女性は男性のムダ毛を気にしていることがうかがえる。
異性のムダ毛について、それぞれどこが気になるか尋ねたところ、1位は男女ともに「鼻毛」だった。男性が気になる女性のムダ毛は、2位が「ワキ」(38.8%)、3位が「口まわり」(27.3%)となっている。男性の視線は、顔やワキなど上半身に集中する傾向にあるようだ。
一方、女性が気になる男性のムダ毛は、2位が「口まわり」(24.7%)、3位が「胸まわり」(24.3%)だった。「眉毛」(21.9%)、「手の甲・指」(21.6%)、「ヒザ下」(21.0%)も僅差で続き、女性は男性の上半身以外にも、全身のムダ毛を細かく見ていることがわかる。
男性に、すね毛の処理をしているかどうかを尋ねたところ、「している」と答えた人は4.4%だった。年代別に見ると、20代の8.3%、30代の10.6%と、40代の7.2%が「している」と答えている。若い年代を中心に、すね毛を処理している層が広がっていることがわかった。
ムダ毛やムダ毛処理にまつわるエピソードを聞くと、女性からは「夏場にワキ毛の処理をしていなくて、電車のつり革につかまれなかった」といった剃(そ)り忘れや剃り残しの失敗談のほか、ムダ毛が濃いことを気にした回答が目立った。また、永久脱毛に関する声も多く、「利用してよかった」というコメントも寄せられている。
男性からは、「ムダ毛をはさみで切ろうとしたら、皮膚を切ってしまった」「ライターで火をつけて燃やしたら、やけどした」など、乱雑なムダ毛処理で失敗したという回答が寄せられた。「ヒゲが濃いのでメンズエステで脱毛した」「美容外科で脱毛した」など、女性と同様にエステや医療機関で脱毛したという声もあった。 | {
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A remote Indigenous community in Canada’s Northwest Territories is celebrating today the creation of a new Indigenous protected area that will safeguard an area of pristine wilderness larger than all of Israel or Belize from any industrial development or mining.
After decades of on-and-off discussions and years of negotiations, the Łutsël K’e Dene First Nation (LKDFN) has finally formalized agreements with the federal and territorial governments to jointly establish Thaidene Nëné as a new protected area and to co-manage conservation efforts there.
Thaidene Nëné, which means “Land of the Ancestors” in Denesǫłine Yati, the local Indigenous language, will permanently protect 26,376 km2 of nationally significant boreal forest, tundra, and freshwater ecosystems in and around the East Arm of Great Slave Lake, northeast of Łutsël K’e.
“Thaidene Nëné is an area of breathtaking beauty, natural abundance and immense cultural significance to the Indigenous communities in the region,” said in a statement Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna.
“Our government is proud to work side-by-side with the government of the Northwest Territories, the Łutsël K’e Dene First Nation, the Northwest Territory Métis Nation, and the Deninu K’e First Nation to establish Thaidene Nëné National Park Reserve, as part of our commitment to double the amount of nature protected across Canada for today and future generations.”
The federal government will be investing $40 million towards infrastructure and for the operations of the national park reserve in the first 12 years and $3.4 million annually for operations thereafter, McKenna announced.
‘We’re making history’
Łutsël K’e Dene First Nation Chief Darryl Marlowe said this was a historic opportunity for his community of about 400 people nestled at the eastern arm of the Great Slave Lake.
“We’re making history,” Marlowe said in a phone interview from Łutsël K’e. “The Łutsël K’e Dene First Nation are going to be leading the protection and stewardship of Thaidene Nëné, our traditional homelands that are significant on local, national and global scale.”
(Click to listen to the interview with Chief Darryl Marlowe)
The protection and stewardship of Thaidene Nëné is a sacred responsibility passed down to Łutsël K’e through generations of elders, said Marlowe.
“It’s very important that we keep that area protected as much as possible so our future generations can practice our way of life as future Dene people,” Marlowe said. “For hundreds and thousands of years we were people that depended on the land and we strongly depend on the land today. We never want to leave that way of life.”
Shared responsibility
Steven Nitah, the chief negotiator for the Łutsël K’e Dene First Nation (LKDFN), said the agreement goes a long way in honouring the treaty that the federal government signed with his ancestors in 1900.
“For Łutsël K’e whose homeland, Thaidene Nëné, will be housed in [in the new protected area], we know going forward that land will be managed in perpetuity, we will never have to defend that land against industrial interests,” Nitah said. “And we know what our responsibilities will be in that area.”
Łutsël K’e will be working with two levels of crown governments in the governance, operations and management of a national park reserve and a territorial protected area, Nitah said.
(Click to listen to the interview with Steven Nitah)
In partnership with Łutsël K’e, Parks Canada will protect the 14,305 km2 core of Thaidene Nëné as a National Park Reserve using the Canada National Parks Act, while the territorial will protect an abutting 12,071 km2 as territorial protected and conserved areas under the Territorial Protected Areas Act and the Wildlife Act, Nitah said.
“The common denominator in all of this is the Łutsël K’e Dene First Nation and Łutsël K’e Dene law that we use to protect Thaidene Nëné already,” Nithah said. “So what we’re bringing to this relationship is Crown laws to operate in collaboration and unison with Indigenous Łutsël K’e Dene law.”
Łutsël K’e Dene First Nation, the federal and the territorial governments will share jurisdiction and responsibility for managing Thaidene Nëné with decisions being made by consensus, Nitah said.
LKDFN will also play a key role in staffing and operations through the Ni hat’ni Dene Rangers—”Watchers of the Land” who will serve as the Indigenous guardians of Thaidene Nëné.
Thaidene Nëné will contribute 1.6 per cent to Canada’s efforts to meet international commitments to protect 17 per cent of lands and inland waters, said McKenna.
Overcoming dark history
First discussions about creating a national park in the area began in the late 1960s, but the Łutsël K’e Dene First Nation balked at the idea.
“In 1970, Canada was in the midst of its assimilation policy,” Nitah said. “There was no recognition of rights, no recognition of the treaty, the interpretation of the treaty was informed by their assimilation policy; Indigenous people were removed from national parks, national parks were operating in a very dark space at that time.”
However, in 1982 Canada adopted its constitution, which formally recognized Aboriginal treaty rights.
In subsequent years the changing legal, political and social environment and attitudes towards reconciliation with the Canada’s Indigenous Peoples eventually made it possible for the LKDFN, the federal and territorial governments to sit down and hammer out a package of agreements that created the new protected area, Nitah said.
Valérie Courtois, the head of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative and a leading proponent of Indigenous Partnership Areas, said Indigenous stewardship is needed now more than ever.
“The world is facing an extinction crisis, and Canada has pledged to do its part to turn the tide,” Courtois said.
“The biggest opportunities to conserve lands on a grand scale are coming from Indigenous Nations—places like Thaidene Nëné.”
Investing in more Indigenous Protected Areas and Indigenous Guardian programs will make Canada a global leader on conservation, she added.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Marine protected area in Canada’s eastern Arctic comes with $55M for Inuit communities, PM announces, CBC News
Norway: Deal protects Arctic waters around Svalbard, Norway from fishing, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Island in northwestern Russia becomes nature reserve, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: U.S. government signs new land swap for Alaskan wildlife refuge road, Alaska Public Media | {
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The Latest: Democrats offer more money for border security Democrats are adding hundreds of millions of dollars to improve ports of entry from Mexico and hire more immigration judges to a batch of spending bills the House will consider next week
WASHINGTON -- The Latest on the partial government shutdown (all times local):
11:50 p.m.
Democrats are adding hundreds of millions of dollars to improve ports of entry from Mexico and hire more immigration judges to a batch of spending bills the House will consider next week.
The move represents the party's first steps in detailing how it would bolster border security as it battles President Donald Trump over his demand for building Southwest border wall. Trump's refusal to sign spending bills that lack $5.7 billion to start constructing that wall has prompted the partial government shutdown that enters its 29th day Saturday.
A Democratic aide said none of the money was for the border wall.
The aide said the bills will include $524 million to improve a port of entry in California and another in Arizona. Another $563 million is to hire more immigration judges.
The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the figures publicly.—
———
8:50 p.m.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow is brushing off concerns that the ongoing partial government shutdown will have long-term negative impact on the economy.
Kudlow tells reporters at the White House Friday that the hardship federal workers are experiencing is surely "a bad thing," but that he expects the economy to bounce back quickly once the shutdown is over.
Kudlow says: "This stuff going on now is temporary" and is predicting, "the recovery will be almost immediate."
He adds that, when the government re-opens, "the switch will turn and you won't even hardly know it happened."
Kevin Hassett, the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, had said earlier this week that the shutdown is slowing growth more than predicted.
———
6 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he will make a major announcement on the government shutdown and the southern border on Saturday afternoon from the White House.
Trump and Democrats in Congress remain far apart over Trump's insistence on funding for a wall along the Mexican border as the price of reopening the government.
The two sides have traded taunts and avoided talks so far this week. Trump says the announcement will take place at 3 p.m. He says the announcement involves "the Humanitarian Crisis on our Southern Border."
The political stakes are high as the shutdown moves into a fifth week, with hundreds of thousands of federal workers going without pay and no outward signs of resolution.
———
12:30 p.m.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (puh-LOH'-see) is accusing the White House of leaking information about her planned congressional trip to Afghanistan and saying it's "very irresponsible on the part of the president."
Pelosi's comments Friday came after President Donald Trump canceled the military plane that was to have carried a congressional delegation to Afghanistan on the previously undisclosed troop visit. Trump suggested she travel by commercial plane instead.
Pelosi said she planned to do just that but was thwarted after "the administration leaked that we were traveling commercially." She says the State Department reported "the president outing" the original trip made the scene on the ground in Afghanistan "more dangerous because it's a signal to the bad actors that we're coming."
The White House has denied leaking Pelosi's backup plan to fly commercially and says it leaked nothing that would cause a security risk.
Pelosi and Trump are at an impasse over funding Trump wants for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. The partial government shutdown has reached its 28th day.
———
11:30 a.m.
The White House is denying that it leaked Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (puh-LOH'-seez) backup plan to fly to Afghanistan commercially after President Donald Trump grounded her Air Force jet.
A White House official speaking Friday on the condition of anonymity to address Pelosi's charge said it didn't leak her plan.
Trump revealed the previously secret trip publicly on Thursday and denied Pelosi the use of a military plane for the trip.
Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill says she and accompanying lawmakers were prepared to take a commercial flight but canceled after the State Department warned that publicity over the visit had "significantly increased the danger to the delegation and to the troops, security, and other officials supporting the trip."
Pelosi and Trump are at an impasse over funding Trump wants for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, which Pelosi opposes. The partial government shutdown has reached its 28th day.
———
By Zeke Miller.
———
10:15 a.m.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is canceling a congressional fact-finding trip to Afghanistan and claiming the White House leaked her plans to fly commercial.
Friday's announcement by Pelosi's office came a day after President Donald Trump nixed Pelosi's plans to take a military aircraft to Afghanistan.
Spokesman Drew Hammill says Pelosi and accompanying lawmakers were prepared to take a commercial flight but canceled after the State Department warned that publicity over the visit had "significantly increased the danger to the delegation and to the troops, security, and other officials supporting the trip."
Trump's move to cancel the military plane traditionally used to fly to war zones came a day after Pelosi infuriated Trump by moving to delay Trump's Jan. 29 State of the Union speech in the House chamber.
The White House has not responded to Pelosi's leak claim.
Pelosi and Trump are at an impasse over funding Trump wants for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, which Pelosi opposes. The partial government shutdown has reached its 28th day.
———
12:20 a.m.
She imperiled his State of the Union address. He denied her a plane to visit troops abroad.
The shutdown battle between President Donald Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is playing out as a surreal game of constitutional brinkmanship, with both flexing their political powers from opposite ends of Pennsylvania Avenue as the negotiations to end the monthlong partial government shutdown remain stalled.
In dramatic fashion, Trump issued a letter to Pelosi on Thursday, just before she and other lawmakers were set to depart on the previously undisclosed trip to Afghanistan and Brussels. Trump belittled the trip as a "public relations event" — even though he had just made a similar warzone stop — and said it would be best if Pelosi remained in Washington to negotiate. | {
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Thank you all , I am extremely glad that you like it .
I got a
few messages asking for an
explanation of symbols,
but I'd rather not reveal everything just like that, so I 'll tell only numbers : there are exactly six symbolically presented characters that are associated with Sansa in this period of her life , and two encrypted situations : one concerns her relationship with Littlefinger , the other - with little Robert .
Rack your brains, if you like | {
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Wonders of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt is a land of great wonder. Some of the most fantastic architectural achievements in human history can be found within its borders.
Many Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt favored colossal construction projects, building many monuments, statues and tombs in their own name and in the name of their gods.
Their architectural and engineering skills were so great that a large number of these monuments have withstood the test of time and can still be seen today, thousands of years after being constructed.
In fact, two of the Seven Wonders of the World were constructed in Ancient Egypt. And one of which (the Pyramids of Giza) still stands today, capturing the imaginations of millions of visitors.
The Wonders of Ancient Egypt section contains the following entries:
The Pyramids of Giza - The oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the only one that remains standing.
- The oldest of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the only one that remains standing. The Lighthouse of Alexandria - Also known as the Pharos Lighthouse, another of the Seven Wonders of the World.
- Also known as the Pharos Lighthouse, another of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Egyptian Sphinx - An amalgamation of man and lion, located next to the Pyramids of Giza, and a wonder in its own right.
- An amalgamation of man and lion, located next to the Pyramids of Giza, and a wonder in its own right. The Nile River - A wonder not because of architecture or engineering, but because of its historical and geographic importance.
Do explore the other sections in this site, including: | {
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(CNN) Jeb Bush has built a formidable campaign with top-flight staff in all the early states and announced a respectable third-quarter haul of $13.4 million. But with only $10 million cash-in-hand, the big question is whether he can sustain it.
Bob Mercer, a reclusive hedge-funder from New York, was one of the top Republican givers in 2012 and 2014. And he's betting big -- $11 million big -- on Cruz. Mercer also gave $250,000 to Bobby Jindal and, in a somewhat unusual move, reassigned $500,000 that he gave to Cruz's super PAC to Carly Fiorina's.
Bob Mercer, a reclusive hedge-funder from New York, was one of the top Republican givers in 2012 and 2014. And he's betting big -- $11 million big -- on Cruz. Mercer also gave $250,000 to Bobby Jindal and, in a somewhat unusual move, reassigned $500,000 that he gave to Cruz's super PAC to Carly Fiorina's.
From left, Dan and Farris Wilks are billionaire brothers who made their fortunes in fracking. Along with their wives, they are sending $15 million to boost the campaign of fellow Texan Ted Cruz.
From left, Dan and Farris Wilks are billionaire brothers who made their fortunes in fracking. Along with their wives, they are sending $15 million to boost the campaign of fellow Texan Ted Cruz.
Kelcy Warren, who became a billionaire through piping, is one of two Dallas men bankrolling the majority of Rick Perry's super PAC.
Kelcy Warren, who became a billionaire through piping, is one of two Dallas men bankrolling the majority of Rick Perry's super PAC.
Diane Hendricks, a roofing billionaire, shares a home state with Walker and has long supported his campaigns. She has donated to Walker's PAC Unintimidated, which has raised $20 million.
Diane Hendricks, a roofing billionaire, shares a home state with Walker and has long supported his campaigns. She has donated to Walker's PAC Unintimidated, which has raised $20 million.
New York investor Paul Singer, who gave $10.5 million to outside groups in 2014, has not donated any money yet this election.
New York investor Paul Singer, who gave $10.5 million to outside groups in 2014, has not donated any money yet this election.
Silicon Valley angel investor Peter Thiel has not committed to donating to anyone yet. According to OpenSecrets, he has given more than $5 million in political donations since 2004.
Silicon Valley angel investor Peter Thiel has not committed to donating to anyone yet. According to OpenSecrets, he has given more than $5 million in political donations since 2004.
The Koch brothers -- Charles, left, and David -- are known for making significant financial contributions to conservative presidential candidates. They have reportedly not donated to any 2016 super PACs so far.
The Koch brothers -- Charles, left, and David -- are known for making significant financial contributions to conservative presidential candidates. They have reportedly not donated to any 2016 super PACs so far.
Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the GOP's top giver in 2012, has not given any money to Republican candidates' allied groups for the 2016 election.According to OpenSecrets , he spent almost $92 million on conservatives in the 2012 election.
As presidential candidates gear up for the 2016 election, their super PACs -- which can accept unlimited donations as long as they don't coordinate spending with the campaign -- eye wealthy businessmen who can donate large sums of cash. Here's a look at well-known donors who have given money to conservative presidential campaigns in the past.
As presidential candidates gear up for the 2016 election, their super PACs -- which can accept unlimited donations as long as they don't coordinate spending with the campaign -- eye wealthy businessmen who can donate large sums of cash. Here's a look at well-known donors who have given money to conservative presidential campaigns in the past.
His fundraising total is in the neighborhood of the number that his allies and donors had expected for the third quarter, as he has struggled to get attention in the shadow of Donald Trump . Financial backers of Bush -- many of whom chose the former Florida governor because they thought he was the most formidable contender -- have been dismayed by his standing in the polls in recent months, despite his breakneck pace of campaigning.
With his campaign coffers flush and with ads on the air in New Hampshire introducing his record to voters, they expected him to be up in a far stronger position in the polls -- not competing with Trump and other outsider candidates like Carly Fiorina and Ben Carson
Bush raised more money in the third quarter than rivals Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz , but both have more money than him in the bank -- Rubio with $11 million, Cruz with $13.5. And they have fewer mouths to feed with smaller campaign operations.
Still many Bush allies have said in interviews that while they would like to see progress, they are dealing with a new and unfamiliar phenomenon in Trump. That is why the campaign has spent so much time and money contacting voters in early states like Nevada and New Hampshire.
In interviews, Bush donors have said that while Bush has had his share of gaffes, he has been improving on the campaign trail. They see Rubio's inexperience -- and the inevitable comparisons to Barack Obama -- as a major vulnerability in running a general election race against Hillary Clinton
Photos: Who's running for president? Photos: Who's running for president? Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, John Kasich, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president?
"So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," Trump told the crowd at his announcement. Businessman Donald Trump announced June 16 at his Trump Tower in New York City that he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. This ends more than two decades of flirting with the idea of running for the White House."So, ladies and gentlemen, I am officially running for president of the United States, and we are going to make our country great again," Trump told the crowd at his announcement. Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president?
"These are all of our stories," Cruz told the audience at Liberty University in Virginia. "These are who we are as Americans. And yet for so many Americans, the promise of America seems more and more distant." Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has made a name for himself in the Senate, solidifying his brand as a conservative firebrand willing to take on the GOP's establishment. He announced he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination in a speech on March 23."These are all of our stories," Cruz told the audience at Liberty University in Virginia. "These are who we are as Americans. And yet for so many Americans, the promise of America seems more and more distant." Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president? Ohio Gov. John Kasich joined the Republican field July 21 as he formally announced his White House bid.
"I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support ... because I have decided to run for president of the United States," Kasich told his kickoff rally at the Ohio State University. Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president?
"Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion -- so you can do more than just get by -- you can get ahead. And stay ahead," she said in her announcement video. "Because when families are strong, America is strong. So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey." Hillary Clinton launched her presidential bid on April 12 through a video message on social media. The former first lady, senator and secretary of state is considered the front-runner among possible Democratic candidates."Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion -- so you can do more than just get by -- you can get ahead. And stay ahead," she said in her announcement video. "Because when families are strong, America is strong. So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey." Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Who's running for president?
"This great nation and its government belong to all of the people and not to a handful of billionaires, their super PACs and their lobbyists," Sanders said at a rally in Vermont on May 26. Sen. Bernie Sanders , an independent from Vermont who caucuses with Democrats, announced his run in an email to supporters on April 30. He has said the United States needs a "political revolution" of working-class Americans to take back control of the government from billionaires."This great nation and its government belong to all of the people and not to a handful of billionaires, their super PACs and their lobbyists," Sanders said at a rally in Vermont on May 26. Hide Caption 6 of 6
Rubio, however, has picked up the pace of his fundraising off his strong debate performances. Many voters in early states like Nevada count him among their top contenders in interviews. His campaign is spending carefully to avoid running out of money.
In a memo to Bush supporters, campaign manager Danny Diaz said the fundraising number is "particularly noteworthy given the depth of the current field."
"We knew from the start this was going to be a hard fought and close race, but few could have anticipated just how volatile this field would be," he wrote.
And he emphasized that the campaign is playing the long game. "The overall effort supporting Jeb will be better funded than any other in the entire field and the campaign has a formidable grassroots organization in the early states that is making thousands of voter contacts and recruiting volunteers for February," Diaz wrote.
Brett Doster, Bush's strategic lead consultant for South Carolina, noted the campaign is expanding its operation in the Palmetto State as part of the long-term plan. "This is part of a bigger strategy," he said. "It's impossible for a presidential campaign to be successful long-term if they don't run a balanced campaign between air war versus ground game."
Doster added: "We have the resources we need to go deep into this primary process. "Nobody is going to have a headquarters in Columbia and three field offices this early in the campaign." | {
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The FIA will not introduce more extreme limitations on pits-to-car radio communication during Formula 1 races, contrary to plans announced last year.
Last September, a ban on radio communication was announced, which was later reduced so that it applied only to driver coaching.
But while there were plans to phase in the full ban from the start of this season, FIA F1 race director Charlie Whiting has confirmed that this plan has been abandoned.
"We are going to treat it [the radio communications rules] exactly as we did at the end of last year," said Whiting.
"Anything that could be considered driver coaching will not be allowed.
"But what we said we would do is to do it [introduce the ban] in two stages, we would not allow driver coaching for the remainder of 2014 and then we would clamp down a lot in 2015, but we decided against that."
Plans to introduce such draconian rules on radio communication met resistance from teams, particularly when it comes to the operation of the complex hybrid power units.
As a result, it was decided that the interpretation of the rules used late last season was sufficient.
"The reason we didn't decide to go forward with that plan was the Formula 1 Commission felt there was not really any need to do that," said Whiting.
"It was a fairly severe interpretation of the rules, so I think it was perfectly reasonable to limit it to driver coaching.
"I can't see any reason to change that view during the course of the year."
Although no drivers received penalties in the final seven races of the year after the limitations on radio communications relating to driver coaching were introduced, Whiting said that any such infringements could incur a punishment.
"It's in article 20.1 of the sporting regulations that if a driver is not driving the car alone and unaided, then there is the potential for a penalty," he said. | {
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Temple linebacker Haason Reddick is high on the Lions' wish list, though a trade could be required to get him. .
(AP File Photo)
This is the seventh of an seven-part series previewing the Detroit Lions' positional needs and priorities heading into the NFL draft. The installments are ordered by need, starting with where help is needed the least and ending where it's needed the most.
7. Quarterback
6. Offensive line
5. Defensive back
4. Running back
3. Receiver/tight end
2. Defensive line
1. Linebacker
Current starters: Tahir Whitehead
Current reserves: Paul Worrilow, Antwione Williams, Thurston Armbrister, Nick Bellore, Brandon Chubb, Steve Longa
Best in class: Alabama's Reuben Foster, Temple's Haason Reddick, Florida's Jarrad Davis
First-round possibilities for Detroit (21st overall): Reddick, Davis, Wisconsin's T.J. Watt
Day 2-3 fits: Watt, Vanderbilt's Zach Cunningham, Houston's Tyus Bowser, Alabama's Tim Williams, Florida's Alex Anzalone, Ohio State's Raekwon McMillan
Late-round possibilities: Michigan's Ben Gedeon, San Diego State's Calvin Munson, Missouri State's Dylan Cole
Breakdown: Bob Quinn says he'll take the best player available at 21st overall, and that's what he should say. And it's mostly true too. Five years from now, nobody will remember the Lions plugging in a weak-side linebacker in 2017 if they passed on the next-great receiver or tight end to do it. But that doesn't mean need isn't a factor either. Truth be told, the best pick will be at the nexus of best player, best fit, and best value.
With that said, the Lions' needs dictate they have no choice but to acquire a linebacker in this draft. And because they need that linebacker to play right away, they have to do it early. They can go another direction in the first round if they like somebody else more, but they can ill-afford to head into Saturday with no additions at the position.
That's the spot they're in after the linebacker play dipped to catastrophic levels last season. They couldn't rush the passer, finishing with a whopping zero sacks, and couldn't cover the ball once it was thrown either. They allowed 83.2 percent of passes targeted their way to be caught, and a QB rating of 120.4. Both ranked last in the league.
Now they've ousted half the guys who started games, trading Kyle Van Noy to New England, cutting DeAndre Levy and declining to re-sign Josh Bynes (so far). That leaves Tahir Whitehead as the lone returner with experience, and that experience hasn't exactly been a good one lately. He had 132 tackles last year, but was the second-worst inside linebacker in the league according to ProFootballFocus, and fourth worst against the pass. He allowed a catch every three times he was in coverage. That's not bad, it's a clown show.
Detroit hopes Antwione Williams develops in Year 2, and it raided Atlanta's bench to add Paul Worrilow. But it would be a precarious proposition to count on either as a full-time starter. That's why it's so important for the Lions to add a linebacker sometime on the first two days, preferably one who can cover some territory against the pass. And that's why somebody like Haason Reddick would be an ideal fit.
The Temple defensive lineman was a mid-round prospect at the start of the offseason, but exploded up boards after dropping back to linebacker at the Senior Bowl. Then he blew up the combine, working out with the linemen but posting numbers that would have ranked atop the linebacker class too. He has the athleticism to work sideline to sideline in coverage, while his background up front should help him get after the passer as well. If you're talking about dream scenarios for Detroit on Thursday night, Reddick falling to 21 is right there.
If he's not -- and at this point, that seems like the likeliest outcome -- Florida's Jarrad Davis could get a long look. He sat out drills at the combine while recovering from injury but blew away his pro day with a showcase of strength and speed that had scouts foaming at the mouth. He looks like he could be an immediate upgrade in the pass rush and run game, and he's got the athleticism to cover the pass if he can sort out some technique issues. He also has the intangibles and character profile that Detroit covets these days.
The Lions reportedly have been high on T.J. Watt as well, a violent defender against both the run and pass. But the problem with him is 21 could be a little high, while 53rd overall almost certainly will be too low. Barring a trade, he might be in no-man's land for Detroit.
If the Lions do get into Day 2 without a linebacker, expect Tyus Bowser to draw considerable interest. There's something about 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss -- in eight games -- that appeals to a team without playmaking linebackers. And Zach Cunningham is one of the best-run stuffing linebackers in the draft, though his pass coverage might be more inconsistent than Detroit would like. | {
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There isn’t a caffeine index as such, but the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) does publish productivity data.
Analysing productivity by employee in 38 countries, 2014 data reveal Sweden comes in at a respectable number 11. Sweden’s coffee-quaffing neighbour Norway is the second most productive nation, behind champs Luxembourg, while the workhorses of the US are fourth. Long-lunching France is seventh — far ahead of Japan (20th) and Korea (30th), two countries known for long work hours.
Going global
Coffee breaks are so important to the Swedish that even the country’s mega-brand, Ikea,has a paragraph about on its corporate website: “More than a coffee break, fika is a time to share, connect and relax with colleagues. Some of the best ideas and decisions happen at fika.”
Andreas Astrom, from the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, agrees.
“Swedish management style differs to most other countries. It’s flat and not very hierarchical," Astrom said. "When you have flat structures it's important to listen to everyone and through the communal nature of fika, chatting between employees and management is encouraged. It’s a great way to get everyone’s views on how companies are run." | {
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Which zone most needs a revamp? Ered Luin
The Shire
Bree-land
Lone-lands
North Downs
Evendim
Trollshaws
Misty Mountains
Ettenmoors
Angmar
Forochel
Eregion
Moria
Lothlórien
Southern Mirkwood
Enedwaith
Dunland
Isengard (Nan Curunír)
Great River
East Rohan
Wildermore
West Rohan
Western Gondor
Central Gondor
Eastern Gondor (Ostgiliath)
Old Anórien (Minas Tirith)
Far Anórien
Other View Results
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Have a poll idea? Let us know in the comments below and it might be a future poll. | {
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Ruim een jaar geleden kwamen vier kinderen om het leven bij een ongeluk met de elektrische bolderkar in Oss. Deze maand concludeerde de Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid (OVV) dat er bij het toelaten van de stint op de rijweg grote fouten zijn gemaakt.
De verkeersveiligheid stond niet voorop, de politiek wilde ruim baan geven aan innovatieve vormen van vervoer, zegt de raad. Van Nieuwenhuizen neemt die conclusie over. "De stint had in die vorm nooit mogen worden toegelaten."
Gruwelijk gefaald
De oppositie in de Tweede Kamer vroeg in het debat nadrukkelijk om excuses van de minister, voor de nabestaanden van de slachtoffertjes. "De overheid heeft gruwelijk gefaald", zei Kamerlid Suzanne Kröger van GroenLinks.
"Ik voel de diepe verantwoordelijkheid hier lering uit te trekken", zei minister Van Nieuwenhuizen. Die verantwoordelijkheid rust zwaar op haar. "Als een paard op mijn borstkas." | {
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Aiyanna is interviewing for a fresh secretary man that can do the rest little darling says. On this place of job, nymphs rule and fellows should serve. This ultra-cutie likes prodding her stinkin’ soles in her secretary's face as little darling milks his salami. If this boy desires a opportunity on the task, he has to commence serving her instantly into the interview. Infant makes him lie at the flooring and pull down his cut-offs. This boy turns out like a congenital. No longer most effective does he let her put smelling soles on his face, he smooches her stilettos and gargles on her gorgeous feet. Aiyanna provides his salami several tugs till it's rock rigid. Infant's affected how neatly he complies his imaginable fresh manager. This sizzling vixen likes seeing sizzling white jizz load out of salami. The best way this boy luvs her soles, little darling's hoping a ginormous flow. This boy undoubtedly has a excellent shot at being hired. | {
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Andrés Manuel López Obrador, presidente de México, insistió en que conseguirá 2% de crecimiento al cierre de 2019 (Foto: Cuartoscuro)
El nulo crecimiento económico registrado durante el gobierno del presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador ha puesto en riesgo la sobrevivencia de pequeñas y medianas empresas, así como el empleo de millones de trabajadores en México.
Luis Ernesto Derbez, quien se desempeñó como secretario de Economía al inicio del sexenio de Vicente Fox, sostuvo que las políticas públicas que ha impulsado el presidente López Obrador han sido improvisadas, sin propósitos claros ni una orientación definida, por lo que han provocado excesos y confusiones.
Dijo que la política de austeridad, una de las banderas principales de la denominada cuarta transformación, ejemplifica con claridad la incongruencia gubernamental, porque su aplicación tiene el propósito de eliminar excesos en el gasto público para destinarlo al financiamiento de actividades prioritarias en beneficio del país. Sin embargo, lo que ha provocado es una desaceleración de la actividad productiva y, consecuentemente, un nulo crecimiento de la economía nacional.
Durante un encuentro organizado por la Cámara Nacional de la Industria de la Transformación (Canacintra), Derbez Bautista hizo una serie de recomendaciones para resistir las complicaciones actuales de la economía mexicana, evitar el cierre de empresas y la liquidación de millones de trabajadores de pequeños y medianos negocios.
Recomiendan cuidar la liquidez en las empresas (Foto: Cuartoscuro)
El flujo de efectivo durante los próximos dos años, advirtió, es el único recurso que permitirá sobrevivir al estancamiento económicoCuidar el flujo de efectivo y operar, desde ahora, como si estuvieran sin liquidez
Luis Ernesto Derbez subrayó que debido al decidido esfuerzo por no incrementar la deuda pública, la gestión de AMLO se ha visto obligada a disminuir el gasto público, que se ha desplomado un 19%, y ha provocado la caída del 6% de la actividad económica, 2.8% de la actividad industrial, 0.3% del consumo privado, 2.3% del consumo público y 7.3& de la inversión.
Conferencia "Influencia y representatividad de CANACINTRA en la 4T" impartida por el ex secretario de economía y relaciones exteriores, el Dr. Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista en el marco de la Convención Nacional de Directores y Gerentes 2019.#LaFuerzaDeLaIndustria pic.twitter.com/jOu3IGJuKJ — CANACINTRA León (@CANACINTRA_Leon) November 15, 2019
Recientemente, el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) pronosticó un estancamiento mundial para el primer trimestre del 2020 y una caída de 0.1% para el periodo de abril a julio del próximo año.
Respecto a México, el FMI vaticinó que la economía nacional se desplomará y conseguirá un crecimiento negativo de -0.3% de enero a abril y un estancamiento para el segundo trimestre del 2020.
Apenas el 23 de agosto pasado, el presidente de México, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, mantuvo su pronóstico de que México crecerá un 2% en la segunda mitad de 2019, a pesar de la desaceleración registrada durante el primer semestre de su sexenio.
Sigo igual. <b>Vamos muy bien, muy distinto de lo que piensan los expertos</b> y ya ven que yo soy un poco perseverante
De acuerdo al Inegi, el Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) de México tuvo un crecimiento nulo del 0 % en el segundo trimestre del 2019, en comparación con el trimestre anterior.
MÁS SOBRE ESTE TEMA:
El presupuesto 2020 de López Obrador proyecta un crecimiento de hasta 2.5 %: “Es demasiado optimista”, dicen analistas
El proyecto de presupuesto de AMLO para 2020 plantea un “centralismo dañino”: COPARMEX
Pueblos originarios pidieron a AMLO que rectifique la reducción de 40% al Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas | {
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Last year
Listen /
Rallies in support of immigrants and refugees have been frequent lately. Yet across Tennessee, a large share of residents — perhaps less demonstrative — have mixed feelings.
And Donald Trump, who made border control a pillar of his campaign, won the state with 61 percent of votes. As Tennesseans went to cast ballots last year, WPLN reporters often heard immigration concerns.
“We need to seal our borders,” said Wilma Waye, in Clarksville.
“Open borders? We can’t support the world,” said Carol Langenback, in Lebanon.
And, after a deep sigh, Eugene Oakley weighed in this way: “I love the people, but let them come in legally. We do need to build a big wall. And that means not just for the Mexicans, but that’s for everybody else, even the refugees.”
To varying degrees, these Trump supporters said they question U.S. aid to foreign nations, want immigration laws enforced, and worry that refugee resettlements could allow terrorists in.
Pollsters with Vanderbilt University found last year that registered voters in Tennessee rank defending against terrorism as the No. 1 presidential priority — although associating that threat with refugees is divisive.
More broadly, 74 percent of Tennesseans say that legal immigrants help the nation more than hurt it.
And in the past few years, the trend is toward saying that undocumented immigrants who are already in the country should have a way to apply for citizenship. The latest poll found 51 percent support that view.
“Views toward illegal immigrants in the state of Tennessee are not as simple as saying, ‘They should all be deported,’ ” said Vanderbilt pollster Josh Clinton.
It’s now down to 28 percent of voting Tennesseans who say the undocumented should be forced to leave.
On refugees — a subset of immigrants who are fleeing violence or persecution — Tennessee polling isn’t widely available. In early 2016, however,
research by Middle Tennessee State University found that 66 percent of voters in the state oppose accepting Syrian refugees, in particular, into the country.
Tennessee voters have been queried about the idea of a Muslim travel ban.
Back in May, Vanderbilt found that 39 percent of Tennesseans endorsed the idea. Among Republicans and Tea Party respondents, the support was much higher — at or above 60 percent.
The speed at which Trump took action pleased one of his backers, Gayle Allman, of Murfreesboro.
But she told WPLN that she is conflicted about the particulars of the travel ban, especially from the viewpoint of those affected.
“I understand totally — even though I’m not a refugee — I do understand that they’re scared, and they don’t want to lose what they’ve worked for in the country that they’re living in,” she said. “That freedom.”
Ultimately, Allman said she supports Trump’s move to make sure that only “good citizens” arrive — but only if it truly is temporary, and reevaluated in a few months. | {
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Liverpool sealed the signing of Spanish full-back Alberto Moreno today, but how much do you know about him? Find out more with our 10 interesting facts on the defender.
The 22-year-old spent 10 years at Sevilla, his hometown club. He joined their youth academy at 13, and has rapidly progressed through their ranks.
Moreno's first triumph at a tournament came back in 2004, when Spain won the Danone Nations Cup - an international youth competition. He lined up along with Liverpool's Luis Alberto, who is one of his close friends.
He was named in the Team of the Tournament for last year's European U21 Championship, alongside his new teammate Fabio Borini. Moreno faced the striker in the final, where Spain ousted Italy 4-2, with the Liverpool forward getting on the scoresheet.
The left-back recorded an impressive three assists in 10 appearances during last season's Europa League, in which Sevilla were crowned champions.
In that campaign, Moreno provided the decisive ball for both goals in Sevilla's 2-0 second-leg win over Real Betis, which secured his side's progress to the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout.
The starlet is also adept in an attacking position on the left, where he played as a youngster. He turned out in midfield five times for Sevilla last season.
The Spaniard is a strong dribbler, and possesses great anticipation. He made an impressive 2.5 interceptions per game in La Liga last term.
He was among the top 10 for passes attempted and completed in the 2013-14 Europa League.
Moreno's rise has been remarkable - in nine months, he went from playing in Spain's third tier to starting for Sevilla and earning a senior cap for the 2010 World Cup champions.
He is from the Andalusia region of Spain. Apart from the great footballers the area has produced - such as Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro - it is also the birthplace of actor Antonio Banderas and the premier painter/sculptor Pablo Picasso. | {
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Resident Evil publisher Capcom has a new PlayStation 4 title in the works that will "turn heads," according to producer Jun Takeuchi. He teased the game in the latest issue of Famitsu (via Gematsu).
Takeuchi described the PS4 as an "incredible system," and one he's constantly learning new things about. Pressed to say if Capcom was working on any new PS4 titles, beyond those that have already been announced, Takeuchi said this is indeed the case.
"It's gonna be something that will even turn heads overseas" -- Takeuchi
"Of course," he said. "Right now, we're seeing how far we can push the game engine. You'll be surprised by the quality of the games we’re working on right now. I think we'll be able to announce it soon, so please look forward to it. I realize that’s obnoxious (laughs)."
He went on to say: "It's gonna be something that will even turn heads overseas."
One of Capcom's major new PS4 games is the free-to-play dungeon-crawler Deep Down. That game's producer, veteran Capcom designer Yoshinori Ono, is also working on a second PS4 title, according to Gematsu. It is possible that the game teased by Takeuchi is that game, though it's not confirmed.
During his time at Capcom, Takeuchi has worked on a number of franchises, including Onimusha, Lost Planet, and Resident Evil. | {
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Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, Monday, March 7, 2011, at the Point of Grace Church in Waukee, Iowa. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
On a trip to Iowa last week, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty attracted attention not for his policy positions, but for the way he was speaking. Many people thought they heard him using a southern accent.
Back in Pawlenty's home state of Minnesota, an MPR News listener said when he heard a report on the Pawlenty speech on the radio, he couldn't believe who it was.
"I didn't understand where the accent came from," said Mike Supina, a St. Paul architect. "He sounded like he was from Arkansas."
Do you think Tim Pawlenty has a new southern drawl? Listen to these audio samples.
Pawlenty, who lives in Eagan, is from the south — South St. Paul, that is. MPR News asked a few people at Pro Pharmacy in downtown South St. Paul to listen to part of Pawlenty's Iowa speech.
All but one had no idea it was their city's native son speaking.
"He didn't even talk like that when he was governor," Lois Simon said, adding that he sounded like George Bush.
A Washington Post writer also picked up on Pawlenty's accent.
Asked about it after a speech last weekend in New Hampshire, Pawlenty said he sometimes doesn't "use the exact king's English." But he added that he's not adopting an accent to project a folksy image.
"Anybody who actually follows me closely or has looked at these speeches over the years knows that from time-to-time I do that, and it wasn't some sort of strategic decision for that group," Pawlenty said. "I've done it in Minnesota. I've done it in other places."
But Supina, the architect who contacted MPR News about the way Pawlenty sounded, said he's followed Pawlenty closely for years, and never heard him speak like he did in Iowa.
"I've heard Pawlenty speak a lot since he was a state representative," Supina said.
Earlier this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C., Pawlenty used some of the same lines he used in Iowa, but he sounded a lot more like the Tim Pawlenty Minnesotans are familiar with.
Back in South St. Paul, Jim Fleischaker, who cuts hair at the Cutting Corners Barber Shop, said he had no problem with Pawlenty's accent.
"He never ceases to surprise me," Fleischaker said. "To reach the southern people, you've got to speak to them like they do."
But University of New Hampshire political scientist Dante Scala said candidates need to be careful to avoid presenting too many different faces as they travel the nation looking for support.
"You have to be who you are," Scala said. "You never want to become a laughing stock, of course, but you don't want to be seen as inauthentic."
But Scala said sticking to who you are isn't always easy for candidates scrambling for support and trying to appeal to all kinds of people in all kinds of places. | {
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Cheats
- Enable Cheats : sv_cheats 1 (Says in chat when you do this)- Disable Cheats :sv_cheats 0 (Says in chat when you do this)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fly Though EVERYTHING : noclip- Godmode : god- See Players And Guns Through Walls : r_drawothermodels 2- See Though some types of walls : mat_wireframe 1- Infinite Ammo : sv_infinite_ammo 1- Infinite Ammo In Magazines : sv_infinite_ammo 2- Make Smoke Invisible : fog_enable 0- See Where Bullets Land On Enemys : sv_showbullethits 1- See Where Bullets Land : sv_showimpacts 1 | {
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Image copyright SPL
The brain of one monkey has been used to control the movements of another, "avatar", monkey, US scientists report.
Brain scans read the master monkey's mind and were used to electrically stimulate the avatar's spinal cord, resulting in controlled movement.
The team hope the method can be refined to allow paralysed people to regain control of their own body.
The findings, published in Nature Communications, have been described as "a key step forward".
Damage to the spinal cord can stop the flow of information from the brain to the body, leaving people unable to walk or feed themselves.
The researchers are aiming to bridge the damage with machinery.
Match electrical activity
The scientists at Harvard Medical School said they could not justify paralysing a monkey. Instead, two were used - a master monkey and a sedated avatar.
The master had a brain chip implanted that could monitor the activity of up to 100 neurons.
During training, the physical actions of the monkey were matched up with the patterns of electrical activity in the neurons.
The avatar had 36 electrodes implanted in the spinal cord and tests were performed to see how stimulating different combinations of electrodes affected movement.
The two monkeys were then hooked up so that the brain scans in one controlled movements in real time in the other.
The sedated avatar held a joystick, while the master had to think about moving a cursor up or down.
In 98% of tests, the master could correctly control the avatar's arm.
One of the researchers, Dr Ziv Williams, told the BBC: "The goal is to take people with brain stem or spinal cord paralysis and bypass the injury.
"The hope is ultimately to get completely natural movement, I think it's theoretically possible, but it will require an exponential additional effort to get to that point."
He said that giving paralysed people even a small amount of movement could dramatically alter their quality of life.
Reality or science fiction?
Image copyright AP
The idea of one brain controlling an avatar body is the stuff of blockbuster Hollywood movies.
However, Prof Christopher James, of the University of Warwick, dismissed a future of controlling other people's bodies by thought.
He said: "Some people may be concerned this might mean someone taking over control of someone else's body, but the risk of this is a no-brainer.
"Whilst the control of limbs is sophisticated, it is still rather crude overall, plus of course in an able-bodied person their own control over their limbs remains anyway, so no-one is going to control anyone else's body against their wishes any time soon."
Instead, he said this was "very important research" with "profound" implications "especially for controlling limbs in spinal cord injury, or controlling prosthetic limbs with limb amputees".
Realising that goal will face additional challenges. Moving a cursor up and down is a long way from the dextrous movement needed to drink from a cup.
There are also differences in the muscles of people after paralysis; they tend to become more rigid. And fluctuating blood pressure may make restoring control more challenging.
Prof Bernard Conway, head of biomedical engineering at the University of Strathclyde, said: "The work is a key step forward that demonstrates the potential of brain machine interfaces to be used in restoring purposeful movement to people affected by paralysis.
"However, significant work still remains to be done before this technology will be able to be offered to the people who need it." | {
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She has been carefully shipped in a large crate packed with dry ice to an exhibition hall in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, and will be on display until September. Visitors can stroll past the creature and see its orange-brown tufted hair and soft tissue, and imagine it wandering the icy planes thousands of years ago. | {
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Shoe Care
We want you to get the most out of your Softstar shoes. Follow the guide below for tips on keeping your shoes clean and maintained.
Click these links to jump to tips for specific materials:
Care Tips for Full Grain (smooth) Leather Shoes
Includes Sublime, Nova, Shiny, LITE, Plonge and Vegetable-Tanned Leathers
WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVE:
Softstar Shoes are made from eco-friendly leathers tanned in the USA. Leather is a natural product and some variation in texture and hide markings is to be expected. Because we use leather colored with non-toxic food grade dyes, there will likely be some initial color transfer to your socks or skin if your shoes become damp. This will decrease with use, but we don't recommend wearing your new Softstars with your favorite white socks the first time you take them for a spin.
If your shoes are a little snug at first in the toe box area, you can gently stretch them by stuffing the toe box with a dry cloth. Push the cloth tightly into the front of the shoe and let sit stuffed overnight to stretch. Do not use a damp cloth as the water can stain the leather or innersole of some leather types, rendering it non-returnable.
MAINTENANCE:
Most full grain leather we use is naturally water resistant, but our special vegetable-tanned leather (available only by custom selection on some of our design-your-own shoes) is a "naked" leather and will stain from water alone. You can clean shoes as needed with water dampened cloth and let air dry, but please note if you do this on vegetable-tanned leather then you will need to wet/stain the entire shoe to avoid water marks. Condition the leather as often as desired with any quality leather dressing, but be careful to keep it away from the edges of your rubber soles. Do not use mink oil on your shoes, as it can degrade the adhesion on bonded soles and cause the sole to separate from your shoe over time. We highly recommend Bee Natural Amore for general conditioning or Rain & Snow or Nikwax Full Grain Waterproofing on smooth leather for enhanced water resistance. The color on shiny metallic shoes will eventually patina with use into an antique wear look, which can be accelerated with repeated use to water and high wear (e.g. scuffing toes).
WASHING:
We do not recommend frequent washing of any leather product as it strips the leather of it's natural oils and tends to dry stiffer. For all of our leathers (except vegetable-tanned) you can clean by hand with a damp cloth, or if needed you can hand wash your leather shoes using a gentle shampoo and cool water. Let them air dry. Do not attempt to dry your shoes by exposing them to high heat, such as a clothes dryer, a hair dryer or by leaving them on a radiator or next to a fire. Doing so may damage leather or rubber soles.
We are often asked if our shoes can be washed in a washing machine. While not recommended as a normal course of action, when in dire straits the Elves have been known to toss a pair of shoes in the machine and generally have had good results. Just don't mix them with any other item because of color bleeding. Shoes with sheepskin can take 3-4 days to air dry if fully submerged in water, but you can speed up the drying by stuffing with old newspapers and replacing the paper twice a day.
Care Tips for Suede and Nubuck Shoes
WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVE:
Softstar Shoes are made from eco-friendly, tanned in USA leathers. Leather is a natural product and some variation in texture and markings is to be expected. Because we use natural food grade dyes in our leather, there will likely be some initial color transference to your socks or skin if your shoes become damp. This will decrease with use, but please do not wear your new Soft Stars with your favorite white socks the first time you take them for a spin!
If your shoes are a little snug at first across the top of the toes, you can gently stretch them by stuffing the toe box with a slightly damp rag. Push the cloth tightly into the front of the shoe (don't worry, you won't hurt it). Let the stuffing sit in the shoes overnight to stretch the leather.
MAINTENANCE:
Use a suede brush to remove dirt. You can also choose to use a suede/nubuck leathercare product to protect against stains and water absorbstion (we recommend Nikwas Nubuck & Suede Proof). While not necessary, it will help keep your shoes looking new over time. Do not use generic leather care products on suede, but only those specifically formulated for suede. Products for full grain or smooth leather will be too oily and may permanently darken and mat suede fibers. Please do not use mink oil on any Softstar shoes as it will mat the fibers of our natural leather and will break down the adhesive soling on styles that have bonded soles.
WASHING:
We do not recommend frequent washing of any leather product because it will strip the leather of it's natural oils and cause it to dry stiffer. When a suede brush is not enough, you can use a damp cloth or hand wash your suede shoes with a gentle shampoo and cool water, then let them air dry. Do not attempt to dry your shoes by exposing them to high heat, such as a clothes dryer, a hair dryer or by leaving them on a radiator or next to a fire. Doing so may damage leather or rubber soles.
We are often asked if our shoes can be washed in a washing machine. While not recommended as a normal course of action, when in dire straits the Elves have been known to toss a pair of shoes in the machine and generally have had good results—just don't mix them with any other item because of color bleeding. Be sure to give your wet shoes ample time to air dry. Shoes with sheepskin can take 3-4 days to air dry if fully submerged in water, but you can speed up the drying process by stuffing them with old newspapers and replacing the paper twice a day.
Care Tips for Sheepskin Boots
Softstar Phoenix boots are made from genuine, high quality sheepskin.
While genuine sheepskin is incredibly cozy and beautiful, it is also delicate and will stretch under strain. When wearing your Phoenix boots, use care to avoid stepping off the back or sides of your heels while you walk as doing so repeatedly can affect the shape of the boots and alter the way they fit. The best way to prevent this is by insuring you purchase the correct size. For adults, we recommend selecting a boot size that fits very snugly at first, as they will stretch over time. For children, growing room is important, so a little extra space is recommended. If possible, have your kids wear their boots the first few times on dryer days to give them time to form to their feet.
The boot uppers are made from eco-friendly leathers that are tanned in the USA. Our leather hides are natural products and some variation in texture and markings is to be expected. If you need to clean your boots, wash gently by hand with a damp cloth and let them air dry.
Condition the leather as often as desired with any quality leathercare product, but take care not to get any oils on the edges of the rubber soles. Mink oil, specifically, will degrade the sole adhesion and can lead to separation of soling over time—we do not recommend the use of mink oil anywhere on our boots, as it can eventually seep down to the sole. For general conditioning we recommend Bee Natural Amore, For enhanced moisture protectoin we recommend Bee Natural Rain and Snow or Nikwax Full Grain Waterproofing. Be careful to use these products only on the smooth leather portion of the shoes and not on the suede cuffs (leathercare products designed for the full grain leather uppers may permanently darken suede). It is not necessary to apply a suede protectant or waterproofer to the cuffs, but doing so may help keep that portion of the boot looking clean. If you do choose to add extra protection to the suede, be careful to use a product specifically made for suede leather.
Sheepskin boots can take 3-4 days to air dry if fully soaked with water. You can speed up the drying process by stuffing the boots with old newspapers and replacing the paper twice a day. If they become this wet, be very careful to avoid wearing them again until fully dry because the leather will be more susceptible to stretching and the fit may alter. Do not attempt to dry your shoes by exposing them to high heat, such as a clothes dryer, a hair dryer or by leaving them on a radiator or next to a fire. Doing so may damage leather or rubber soles.
Care Tips for Vegan Shoes
Our vegan shoes, such as Quick Dry Runamocs, are super easy to clean! Simply rinse them out by hand with cold water. For tough stains, scrub lightly with a cloth or soft-bristled brush, but be careful not to use stiff or wire bristles. These shoes will air dry quickly, but you can speed up the process even more by stuffing them with newspaper. | {
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It could be weeks before repairs are completed on the MacKay Bridge after a tractor-trailer struck and damaged a toll booth on the Dartmouth side of the crossing.
The truck became stuck in one of the middle, Halifax-bound toll booths designed for cars around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning.
"This is the most extensive damage I've seen in my 20-plus years here at the commission," said Steve Snider, the CEO of Halifax Harbour Bridges.
"He was going at a speed sufficient that he basically cleared the top of the canopy. The entire concrete pads that were up there, and all the electronics were removed."
No one was injured. It's not yet clear what caused the tractor-trailer to crash into the booth.
The truck was cleared from the scene by mid-afternoon Wednesday, though Snider warned that commuters should prepare for delays.
The two lanes on either side of the toll booth that was hit were inspected by structural engineers and deemed safe to reopen.
With the damaged lane closed, the bridge commission has switched one of the MacPass-only lanes to accept MacPass and coins.
Halifax Harbour Bridges CEO Steve Snider called Wednesday's damage the 'most extensive' he's seen in the past two decades. (Craig Paisley/CBC)
Snider said there's not yet any timeline to fix the damage, but it could be weeks. The accident is currently under investigation by the bridge commission.
"We have bridge patrol, our special constables, and they are able to write summary offence tickets for things like speeding and inattentive driving and things like that," said Alison MacDonald, a spokesperson for Halifax Harbour Bridges.
No one was injured, but Snider said staff are "fairly shaken up."
"You have a truck coming at a fairly high rate of speed into the toll plaza and into a lane that's not big enough to accommodate it. We're just very, very fortunate that neither the driver nor staff or any other member of the public were injured this morning," he said.
Snider urged drivers to pay more attention to their surroundings.
"This is a work zone for the people who are out here to serve the public. Please put the cellphones away, please drive at an appropriate rate of speed, please pay attention and be safe," he said. | {
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Donald Trump was branded a racist demagogue, a buffoon and a “wazzock” in the British parliament as MPs debated whether to ban the Republican presidential candidate from coming to the UK.
A series of MPs attacked Trump for his views on Muslims, women, disabled people, global warming and other issues in the three-hour discussion, with some suggesting he was inflaming hate crime against minorities.
Donald Trump debate: UK ban would make him a 'martyr' – live Read more
However, the majority of parliamentarians from both left and right dismissed the idea of banning the businessman and star of The Apprentice in the US, with one saying it would fuel his publicity machine and give him the “halo of victimhood”.
About 50 MPs out of 650 were present for the debate, which was triggered by a petition signed by more than half a million people. Any petition that attracts more than 100,000 signatories is considered by MPs to decide whether it is worthy of debate.
Trump drew international condemnation when he called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on”. He later claimed that in Britain “we have places in London and other places that are so radicalised that police are afraid for their own lives”.
Those most in favour of a ban were some members of the Scottish National party (SNP) – Trump owns golf courses in Scotland – while the Conservative and Labour leaderships opposed the idea.
Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, SNP member for Ochil and South Perthshire, said Trump was racist and she felt so strongly in favour of a ban because his words about Muslims applied to her, her family and her friends.
Anne McLaughlin, an SNP member who supported the ban on Trump, raised laughter by pointing out he was the “son of a Scottish immigrant – and I apologise for that”.
Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, joined the calls for him to be banned, saying people had felt “we need to stop a poisonous, corrosive man from entering the country”. She said Trump was a danger to public safety and her constituents were worried, as hate crimes had risen in line with the rise of such rhetoric.
“Hate crime is being inflamed and stoked by the words that Donald Trump is using,” she said. “I draw the line of freedom of speech when it actually invites violent ideology which is what I feel is happening ...
“If legislation has been practised before and other people stopped from coming into the country, the same rules need to apply to Donald Trump, which is why I feel he should not have been given a visa to visit the multicultural country that we are so proud of.”
Another Labour MP who supported a ban was Jack Dromey, a shadow Home Office minister, who said Trump could push vulnerable young people who believe in the victimhood promoted by Islamic State further into extremism.
Letting someone into the country who demonises Muslims would be “damaging, it would be dangerous, it would be deeply divisive”, he said. “I don’t think Donald Trump should be let within 1,000 miles of our shores. It would embolden the English Defence League and fuel the flames of terrorism on the other hand.”
Keir Starmer, the shadow Home Office minister speaking for the opposition, said Trump’s words “edge towards treating a whole community as a suspect community”. “We have stood against it in the past and we should stand against it now,” the former director of public prosecutions said. “It is a power that should be applied to anyone whatever their wealth and power.”
He said the best response was inviting Trump to meet the multicultural communities of the UK.
Other Labour and Tory MPs also rejected the idea of a ban, saying it was counter-productive. Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, said she had sympathy with the petitioners but rejected the idea of a ban. “I stand here as a proud British Muslim woman. Donald Trump would like me banned from America. But in my Islam, what it teaches me, is that goodness is better than evil. If someone does bad, you do good in return. I will not allow the rhetoric of badness into my heart,” she said.
Paul Flynn, a Labour MP, who opened the debate, said it would give Trump the “halo of victimhood”. The “best plan was not to give him the accolade of martyrdom and we may already be in error in giving him far too much attention,” he said.
Donald Trump debate: MPs make freedom of speech look less attractive Read more
James Brokenshire, a Home Office minister, speaking for the government, also rejected the idea of a ban, while stressing he profoundly disagreed with Trump’s comments about Muslims.
This was echoed by Tory MP Victoria Atkins, who said Trump’s views were idiotic and her constituents would call him a “wazzock” but people should feel confident that his arguments will not win. Banning him would “fuel this man’s publicity machine”, she said.
In another intervention, the Conservative MP Andrew Murrison warned that parliament must not deliver an “almighty snub” to the US and highlighted the fact that the US might actually elect “this ridiculous man” to be their president.
Philip Davies, Tory MP for Shipley, said he had heard a large number of his constituents expressing the same views as Trump and questioned whether those supporting the motion would want them to be excluded as well.
Trump has threatened to pull £700m of investment in Scottish golf courses if he were to banned, but it appears highly unlikely the Home Office will take such a measure.
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has responded to the controversy around Trump by inviting him to tour a north London mosque. Corbyn said it would be better to engage with Trump than exclude him from the country. “I decided to invite Donald Trump on his visit to Britain to come with me to my constituency because he has problems with Mexicans and he has problems with Muslims,” he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday.
“My wife is Mexican and my constituency is very, very multicultural, so what I was going to do was go down to the mosque with him and let him talk to people there.”
David Cameron also has said he does not support a ban, while condemning Trump’s comments about Muslims as “divisive, stupid and wrong”.
The debate revealed that about 30,000 suspicious signatures were removed from a separate, smaller petition saying Trump should be allowed entry to the UK. | {
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(Reuters) - University of Louisville basketball head coach Rick Pitino was placed on administrative leave in the wake of a federal bribery investigation, the university’s interim president said on Wednesday.
Pitino, a Hall of Fame coach who steered the Cardinals to a national championship in 2013, was placed on unpaid leave a day after a probe alleged that coaches with four college basketball programs participated in a scheme to pay recruits’ families.
“While the investigation is continuing and no charges have been filed against the University of Louisville or any of its employees, the allegations are serious,” Louisville’s interim president, Greg Postel, told a news conference.
“It is vital for this university to strictly adhere to NCAA rules and enforce federal law. Doing nothing would be a tacit endorsement of unethical and criminal behavior,” he added.
Postel said Pitino’s employment with the men’s program will be reviewed at a later date and that he hopes to name an interim replacement for him and athletic director Tom Jurich, who was also put on leave, in the next 48 hours.
The scandal, which has rocked college basketball, involves at least four men’s assistant college coaches from around the country and an Adidas AG executive.
Pitino’s lawyers said in a statement their client was effectively fired.
The lawyers said information disclosed in the investigation is insufficient to implicate Pitino in any type of misconduct or other activity that would violate the terms of his contract.
“Coach Pitino has done nothing wrong and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise. The rush to judgment is regrettable,” the statement said.
This is the latest scandal during Pitino’s 16-year stint with Louisville.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association sanctioned the school after investigating the use of strippers and prostitutes to attract players to the men’s basketball program. The team must vacate wins that could include the 2013 national title. The university is appealing the NCAA’s decision.
Pitino also admitted in 2009 to having sex with the wife of a Louisville equipment manager, and having paid for her to have an abortion. Pitino said he was being extorted, and the woman was later convicted.
Pitino, 65, took over at Louisville after spending four seasons with the National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics. Prior to that he was a coach at the University of Kentucky, where he led the men’s basketball program back to prominence and won a national title in 1996. | {
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Pump jacks extract crude oil from oil wells. [File image used for illustrative purposes only] Image Credit: Bloomberg
Dubai: US crude prices plunged to their lowest level in history on Monday as traders continue to fret over a slump in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic. Starting at an already record low of below $5 late on Monday, the future contract prices started trading in the negative within the hour. US benchmark WTI oil price closed at -$37.63/barrel in New York.
Prices rebounded back above zero Tuesday, with US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for May delivery changing hands at $0.56 a barrel.
Space is scarce to store oil amid the current glut, meaning there have been few buyers for the commodity.
The May WTI contract closes Tuesday, and the contract for June delivery is now more actively traded. That enjoyed a modest increase Tuesday after heavy falls a day earlier, rising to above $21 a barrel.
On Monday, a technical oddity exacerbated the price plunge as traders fled the May futures contract ahead of its expiration tomorrow [Tuesday]. The following month's contract [June] fell 11 per cent to under $22.22 a barrel.
At 1.44 EDT (9.44pm Dubai time, April 20, 2020), the West Texas Intermediate crude stood at $2.12. Then WTI crude for May delivery tanked 94%, to $0.97, its lowest level on record.
Stocks plunge US stocks plunge as oil crushed below zero for first time
It dropped even further to a ridiculous 20 cents/barrel before starting to trade in the negative.
What is happening?
After beating the record low multiple times, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery continued to sink to the unheard of price of a penny a barrel and below.
When a futures contract expires, traders must decide whether to take delivery or roll their positions into an upcoming contract. Usually this process is relatively uncomplicated, but the May contract's decline reflects worries that too much supply could hit the markets, with shipments out of OPEC nations booked in March set to cause a glut.
The June WTI contract is trading more actively at a much higher level of $21.6 a barrel. The spread between May and June was more than $23, the widest in history for the two nearest monthly contracts.
Investors bailed out of the May contract ahead of expiry later on Monday because of lack of demand for the actual oil.
Analysts said this month's agreement between OPEC and its peers to slash output by 10 million barrels a day was having little impact because of the virus lockdowns and travel restrictions that are keeping billions of people at home.
This latest plunge is threatening to erase an entire decade of demand growth, slashing thousands of jobs and wiping out hundreds of billions of dollars from company valuations.
Brent declined 5.8% to around $26.44. Brent Crude is more ubiquitous in the market, and most oil is priced using Brent Crude as the benchmark, at least to the tune of two-thirds of all oil pricing.
Reasons
There's no place to put it - we're running out of space to store oil. - Edward Moya, market analyst at OANDA in New York
Industrial and economic activity is grinding to a halt as governments around the globe extend shutdowns due to the swift spread of the coronavirus. Oil has faced its own knock-on effects with a market massively oversupplied and nowhere to put physical barrels of crude. An unprecedented output deal by OPEC and allied members a week ago to curb supply is proving too little too late in the face a one-third collapse in global demand.
"There is little to prevent the physical market from the further acute downside path over the near term," said Michael Tran, managing director of global energy strategy at RBC Capital Markets. "Refiners are rejecting barrels at a historic pace and with U.S. storage levels sprinting to the brim, market forces will inflict further pain until either we hit rock bottom, or COVID clears, whichever comes first, but it looks like the former."
"For many investors or people using these contracts for hedging this is really a big pain," said Edward Moya, market analyst at OANDA in New York. "There's no place to put it - we're running out of space to store oil."
Since the start of the year, oil prices have fallen by more than 90% after the compounding impacts of the coronavirus and a breakdown in the original OPEC+ agreement. With no end in sight, and producers around the world continuing to pump, that's causing a fire-sale among traders who don't have access to storage.
Signs of weakness everywhere
There are signs of weakness everywhere. Buyers in Texas were offering as little as $2 a barrel for some oil streams, raising the possibility that producers may soon have to pay to have crude taken off their hands. The spread between the nearest two contracts for the U.S. benchmark has fallen to its weakest level on record. In Asia, bankers are increasingly reluctant to give commodity traders the credit to survive as lenders grow ever more fearful about the risk of a catastrophic default.
Crude stockpiles at Cushing - America's key storage hub and delivery point of the West Texas Intermediate contract - have jumped 48% to almost 55 million barrels since the end of February. The hub had working storage capacity of 76 million as of Sept. 30, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Fund Inflow
Despite the weakness in headline prices, retail investors are continuing to plow money back into oil futures. The U.S. Oil Fund ETF saw a record $552 million come in on Friday, taking total inflows last week to $1.6 billion.
The price collapse is reverberating across the oil industry. Crude explorers shut down 13% of the American drilling fleet last week. While production cuts in the country are gaining pace, it isn't happening quickly enough to avoid storage filling to maximum levels, said Paul Horsnell, head of commodities at Standard Chartered.
"The background psychology right now is just massively bearish," Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research Inc said in a phone interview. "People are concerned that we are going to see so much build up of inventory that it's going to be very difficult to fix in the near term and there is going to be a lot distressed cargoes on the market. People are trying to get rid of the oil and there are no buyers." | {
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Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly
Growth in Canadian crude oil production has outpaced expansions in pipeline takeaway capacity and, along with past pipeline outages, has driven Canadian crude oil prices lower and increased Canadian crude oil exports by rail to the United States. However, the outlook for increased volumes of Canadian crude oil shipped by rail to the United States is highly uncertain despite significant U.S. demand for Canadian crude oil, specifically on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Crude oil production in Canada increased to 3.9 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2017, up approximately 300,000 b/d from 2016. However, crude oil pipeline capacity out of Canada has failed to keep pace with growing production. Consequently, volumes of Canadian crude oil exported to the United States by rail increased in 2017. In December 2017, U.S. imports of Canadian crude oil by rail set a monthly record of 205,000 b/d, nearly matching the amount of crude oil shipped by rail within the United States that month (246,000 b/d).
Changes in the relative prices of two crude oils—Western Canada Select (WCS) in Hardisty, Alberta, and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) in Cushing, Oklahoma—demonstrate the effects of transportation constraints. Until late 2017, WCS prices averaged $10 to $15 per barrel (b) lower than WTI, largely reflecting differences in the quality of the two crudes. In late 2017 and early 2018, as crude oil production began to exceed pipeline capacity and demand to transport crude oil by rail increased, WCS priced about $25/b lower than WTI.
The price spread between WCS and WTI has since narrowed to an average of $16/b in early April, suggesting some demand for transporting Canadian crude oil by rail has lessened. Low WCS prices may have led some Canadian crude oil producers to reduce output and advance schedules for planned maintenance, likely reducing the need to move crude oil by rail.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on Bloomberg, L.P.
Of the 144,000 b/d of Canadian crude oil imported by rail in 2017, about half (70,000 b/d) went to the U.S. Gulf Coast, or Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD) 3. Imports by rail made up 18% of total Canadian crude oil imports to the Gulf Coast, and 2% of the 3.1 million b/d of total crude oil imported by the Gulf Coast in 2017.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly
With an API gravity of approximately 20 degrees, WCS crude oil is a heavy crude oil that is attractive to Gulf Coast refiners that process heavier crude oil. Traditional suppliers of heavy crude oil into the Gulf Coast region, such as Venezuela and Mexico, have experienced production declines that resulted in lower crude oil exports, making Canada an increasingly important source of U.S. imports of heavy crude oil.
In January 2018, the U.S. Gulf Coast imported more crude oil from Canada (448,000 b/d) than from Venezuela (438,000 b/d) for the first time on record and imported more crude oil from Canada (379,000 b/d) than from Mexico (309,000 b/d) in September 2017. Another outlet for Canadian crude oil on the Gulf Coast may be re-exports. Since the removal of restrictions on crude oil exports from the United States, Canadian crude oil can be re-exported from the Gulf Coast without having to be segregated.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Monthly
Large-scale and sustained increases in crude oil by rail volumes from Canada face several obstacles from the Canadian rail industry and competing pipeline projects. Trade press reports indicate that before investing, Canadian rail companies are requiring that crude oil producers enter long-term commitments for crude oil-by-rail capacity. Canadian crude oil producers have been reluctant to agree to long-term rail commitments because pipeline capacity could increase in the short to medium term as new pipeline projects come online and some currently operating pipelines begin to ease volume restrictions.
Principal contributors: Arup Mallik, Mason Hamilton | {
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CART/IndyCar Meadowlands 1984
Photos from my parents' trip to the Meadowlands IndyCar race the year before I was born. | {
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My Logging practices
Any one who ever worked on a legacy system (you know, that code you ‘just’ wrote, 3 months ago) knows the importance of good logs.
Seeing the right log message when looking for a bug could save you hours of debugging time. Distracting log messages cluttering the log could achieve the opposite effect.
Let’s start with some common pitfalls to see what could go wrong:
Types of log files
The ‘void’
At the extreme, a ‘void’ log file might look something like this:
2017-08-25-19:13:44 Info Process started successfully!
That’s it. That was the entire log file.
I’m pretty sure no one ever said “Oh boy, I wish my log would look like that one!”. If you hear anyone saying that, you are looking at a sadistic maniac and you should back away slowly…
The void might take other forms, like writing the same obsolete log message, that may have been relevant years ago, but right now it’s just noise.
The Astronaut - ‘Houston we have a problem’
2017-08-25-19:13:44 Error Process starting 2017-08-25-19:13:44 Error Initializing map of value 2017-08-25-19:13:44 Error Values initialized 2017-08-25-19:13:44 Error Usimg values for random calculation: 438, 276, 95, 8731… … 2017-08-25-19:13:44 Process started successfully!
At the complete opposite of the void, there is the Astronaut which insist on reporting everything to the log (most of the time reported as errors).
An experienced developer might value from them, as she is looking at the relevant code. But what about a junior developer? A developer from another team? Ops guy? A manager? The log will not make sense for them.
The Astronaut sometimes manifests itself after a manager decided that “we need to log EVERYTHING”. Developers thereby do as they are told and log what they consider everything.
Another great benefit of the astronaut is the angry phone calls in the middle of the night, as the program puts a high contention on the IO and takes much more storage then needed. The ops team LOVES that!
The philosopher
Our last category of logs are the philosophers. Everything that gets written is either so abstract or generic that it could fit to pretty much any context.
The philosopher has an interesting source. Generic messages such as :
2017-08-25-19:13:44 Info File saved successfully 2017-08-25-19:13:44 Info Timer activated 2017-08-25-19:13:44 Error - received invalid request 2017-08-25-19:13:44 Error - NullPointerException
These are actually low level details!
I don’t care that the file was written successfully, I care that the backup processes ended and where the backup is saved. That is the business logic I’m after, the file is just the low level mechanism.
Normally I would not care only that a request was invalid, but also the request details are important and why was it not valid.
etc
That isn’t to say NullPointerException isn’t helpful in a log, but I would much rather see the business logic that failed. Just google NullPointerException + popular framework and you will find many places that it had helped people, but normally it had a stack trace attached and more data for the reader to work with.
Things to remember
Talking about the bad is relatively easy, let’s talk about the good. I have a few guidelines that helped me, but they are not complete. There is much more to the subject which I intend to write about in future posts.
Just don’t take any of these guidelines as rock solid rules.
Production logs should not contain only errors
Remember that not all bugs result in an error. When bug hunting (or just analyzing the logs) seeing (or not seeing) events will allow you to compare with previous versions. Well written log message should also help with understanding execution flow.
The log is not meant for you!
You may be the one writing the log, but just like with code, you are not the only reader. When in production, the first people to see logs are the ops team or on-call developers.
You don’t want be called everytime something breaks, hence you should be writing the log as clearly as possible for them. You can even ask them to review your log files, they may have interesting insights…
In my opinion, you should be aiming the logs for the operation team. I’ll be writing more on that in a future blog post.
Test your log!
Logging is just like any other production code, it needs to be tested.
Are the log messages correct?
Are the log messages clear and short?
Are the log messages Spamming?
Are the log messages Sufficient?
Are the log messages Secure? (Should not contain any sensative information)
Conformity to other log messages in your app/process.
When starting out you want to consult others, the log may look good to you, but horrible for others.
Maximize Information While Minimizing Logging
As i stated above, in my opinion you should be aiming the logs to help the operation team. That means that you should minimize logging and instead you should write more data to other instruments that are less verbose.
The log should be used as a last resort. Maximize the usage of Graphs, Pie charts and other visual aids.
These tools must support a timeline, you will find out interesting stuff:
Why is there a network peak at exactly 18:54 everyday?
Is it regular that this process is running at 100% cpu?
The new manager asked to stop everything and work late hours to investigate a bug that appears to exist for several years.
I witnessed all the above, could have easily been resolved with a basic timeline presentation.
Don’t choose such a tool that does not give you a good timeline.
Summing up
Logging is an important part of your project, just like with code you should have a clear methodology and peer review the output.
I couldn’t find any silver bullet for logging (again, just like with code), but I think I’ve noticed repeating patterns that are harmful/useful which I’m going to continue writing about in future posts. | {
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Opera star Joyce DiDonato will perform Nassim Soleimanpour's White Rabbit Red Rabbit at the Westside Theatre on Monday, October 3.
The Grammy Award-winning singer is the latest performer to take on the solo show, which began performances March 7. It is described as follows: "Forbidden to leave his country, young Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour found a way for his voice to get out when he physically could not — distilling the experience of his isolation in an audacious and utterly nontraditional new play. This wildly entertaining and thought-provoking theatrical piece — where no audience can see the same show twice — blends drama, comedy and social experiment, providing audiences with a potent reminder of the transformative power of theater."
The production features a rotating cast of stars who will see the script for the first time immediately before stepping onstage for their performances: "No rehearsal. No director. No set. No spoilers," says the production. "A different performer each night is handed the script for the first time as they step onto the stage."
Previous guest performers include Nathan Lane (March 7), Whoopi Goldberg (March 14), Patrick Wilson (March 21), Brian Dennehy (March 28), Wayne Brady (April 4), Mike Birbiglia (April 11), Cynthia Nixon (April 18), Kyra Sedwick (April 25), Martin Short (May 2), Bobby Cannavale (May 9), David Hyde Pierce (May 16), Shohreh Aghdashloo (May 23), Alan Cumming (June 6), George Takei (June 13), Rachel Dratch (June 20), Reg E. Cathey (June 27), Kathy Najimy (July 11), F. Murray Abraham (July 18), Josh Radnor (July 25), Ramin Karimloo (August 1), Tony Danza (August 8), Randy Rainbow (August 15), Michael Urie (August 22), and Darren Criss (August 29).
For tickets and more information, click here. | {
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Sydney, May 1, 2009. Photo by Peter Boyle.
May 13, 2009 -- The statement below was presented at a press conference by Vickramabahu Karunarathne (``Bahu''), general secretary of the Nava Sama Samaaja Party (NSSP, New Socialist Party). It was first published at Liam Macuaid's blog. Below the statement is a document that outlines the NSSP's position on Tamil national self-determination.
* * *
There is an international commotion about the bloodbath and the human disaster in Lanka. It can lead eventually to an international intervention that could enslave everybody. We called this press conference to make everybody aware of the developing situation.
Government leaders claim that they have confined the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) activity to a very small area near Mulative. It is said that the LTTE leadership and the last battalions are within the 15,000 people caught in the Area. The LTTE challenges these figures and say that around 120,000 are cornered in the limited area. The UN says it is more than 50,000. Whatever it may be, the only access to food and other necessities for these people is the Red Cross shipments that are supposed to arrive twice a week to this enclosure with the government's permission. This shipment includes 25 tonnes of food and medicine, and the boat takes back is about 500 passengers. There are more than 2000 wounded and sick in the area waiting to go out but the government has not made any extra arrangements for that. While these people are confined to this hellhole the government is continuing its attacks. Shells and multibarrel rockets are used day and night. In the last few days over 2000 were killed and many more are injured.
The Sri Lankan government claims that the LTTE is responsible for this misery and demands that the Tigers should unconditionally surrender. But at the same time the government says that the Tigers are criminals already convicted by Lankan and Indian courts. Therefore they will be punished accordingly. In that event there is no room for any discussion at all. the Tigers are assumed to be just criminals and not even an indirect product of Tamil national problem. At the same time they have accepted that nearly 3000 LTTE cadres are in their custody. But nobody knows where they are. It is suspected that they are kept at some desolate place in Vanni. Their fate is totally unknown. In the recent past many who were in state custody were killed in ``confrontations'' with the prisoners, when they were taken out of the place of imprisonment! Among them, some were LTTE suspects. Wijeweera, a Sinhala rebel was burned alive while he was in army custody. In that background, if the LTTE leaders surrender their fate will be a shameful humiliating death. It will be a severe discredit to the struggle and the Tamil people. In that reality we ask who has the right to demand the LTTE surrender.
We, the Left do not agree with the ferocious methods and the bourgeois politics of the Tigers. But they are Tamil liberation fighters and they have the right to be treated as such. Bogus demands of the government have no meaning. Government is demanding that the Tamil people be allowed to leave Tiger areas so that Tiger militants are left behind to be slaughtered by the army. Some lunatics blame the Tigers for not agreeing to this demand! If these ladies and gentlemen are so committed to the innocent lives they should demand the government to agree to a genuine ceasefire.
The people who have entered the Sinhala army zone are kept in military protected camps. These are open prisons without adequate facilities. No real information about the situation is available from independent sources. Those who divulge information obtained secretly, are punished or thrown out of the country. In such a situation there could be a large number of displaced Tamils who are willingly with the Tiger army. Afterall, to a Tamil misery under the Tamil army may be better than being a prisoner of the alien Sinhala forces. This tragic situation has developed into an international uprising of the Tamil people, or more correctly a Dravidian universal protest. It is severely felt in India and spreading into the developed world. There are violent mass agitations everywhere. This could lead to an induction of foreign forces in Lanka.
We must stop this debacle and bloodletting. Sinhala soldiers are also killed and wounded in thousands. All of them are from poor peasant families. Misery spreads into all corner of the country. We demand that the government stop the war and go for a peace agreement now!
Right of self-determination of Ilankai Tamils
By Dr Vickramabahu Karunarathne
The right of self-determination of Tamil-speaking people is a foremost issue in modern Lankan society. Though it is related to the Tamil vs. Sinhala conflicts narrated in various chronicles, the present form arises out of the inability to construct a democratic, plural, civil society. Though Sri Lanka (the Sinhala equivalent of Ilankai) is considered a nation by the United Nations Organisation, Sri Lankan nationality is yet to be recognised by the masses here. People in Lanka consider themselves as Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim, Burgher, Veddha, etc. and rarely as Sri Lankans. In that sense it is a society of nationalities. As a Marxist, I consider nations are really built on capitalist market economy. I refer to a community as a nationality if, that community of people are in conscious struggle to be a nation but not yet matured fully as a nation.
The word nation is loosely used to represent any group of people with a common language. But such a definition is not useful in understanding problems of nation in modern society. The identities Sinhala and Tamil were used in Lanka for a long period of time stretching as far back as 3rd century BC. But the entity represented by the term Tamil or Sinhala is very different at different times. For example, Sinhala was used in the Anuradhapura period to represent a Vansa, a clan of people associated with a particular agriculture based on a special irrigation system. These people were considered to be of Aryan descent. Aryans were the nomadic people who invaded India around 2000 BC and over-ran Dravidian clan societies clustered around the Indus valley and elsewhere. It is widely believed that around 500 BC some Aryan people came to Lanka and overpowered the Dravidian society that existed there. Thus there were Vansa clashes in that early period of history. These Vansa clashes continued until the end of Rajarata civilisation and the emergence of semi-feudal society in the wet zone. In this society divisions were based more on trade caste groups.
When we look at the Kandyan kingdom before the takeover by the British, we see that the word Sinhala is used to represent the ruling elite. The Radala-Mudali elite referred to themselves as the Sinhala. In this scenario not only the other caste groups in the Kandyan areas were left out of the Sinhala identity, but also the entire community in the low country who spoke Sinhala as their mother tongue. At this stage, caste was more important than any other clan identity. The word jatiya, the Sinhala word used in general today to represent a nation, was used widely at that stage to represent caste. Even today if one asks a Kandyan villager about his jatiya he may assume that as a reference to his caste. In any case at that time and until recently people in Lanka were more loyal to their caste group than any other form of community. Sinhala royalty always thought it is better to marry from Tamil royalty than to a lower caste person from the Sinhala kingdom. This thinking was not confined to the royalty but common to almost all caste groups. Even today, such thinking exists in spite of Sinhala vs.Tamil national clashes.
I explain all these in order to show that the Tamil or Sinhala nations as we know them today did not exist in the past. Nation building is a relatively new phenomenon. It means that a community with the same language and tradition will unite to work democratically. This is the positive side of an emerging nation, its ability to break down caste and other parochial barriers to unite a community with equality and fraternity. In the recent past we saw the emergence of several nationalities in Lanka. The Sinhala nationality emerged with the temperance movement under Anagaarika Dharmapala. Parallel to this there were movements launched by Arumugam Nawalar and Siddhi Lebbe. The Veddha community also asserted its identity under Tissahamy and others.
Thus when the British went away in 1948, Lanka remained a prison house of several nationalities. Power was concentrated in the hands of the English-speaking elite who behaved like a separate nationality. A tiny community of less than 1 million fake Anglo-Saxons, who relished imitating Anglo-American upper classes, appropriated and held all economic, political and social power in their hands. The Tamil upper classes consider themselves a part of this elite. In fact early leaders who collaborated with British rule were famous Tamils such as Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan. It was in their interest to build a state power on the basis of Sinhala Buddhists.
This policy was started by D.S. Senanayake and continued with vigour by the Bandaranaikes. They disenfranchised Tamil plantation workers and made the majority of the working class stateless. A consistent campaign of discrimination was aimed at the Tamil-speaking people. While English remained the language of the rulers, Sinhala was made the sole official language to be used as a device for discrimination. Sinhala colonisation schemes were established in Tamil areas to create communal disharmony and fool the Sinhala poor masses. So-called standardisation was used to discriminate against Tamil students. All this pushed the Tamils into protest and rebellion. As early as 1930 even the Tamil elite had to break away and put separate demands to the British Raj. Then they demanded a 50/50 share in the legislative assembly, meaning that the Sinhala majority should get no more than 50% seats. Later the Federal Party was formed with the demand for autonomy for the north and the east.
In the 1950s, the Marxist movement led by the Lanka Sama Samaaja Party (LSSP) fought against this fraud and stood for equality, democracy and socialism. The Communist Party (CP) in the early 1950s passed a resolution accepting the right of self-determination for the Tamils but nothing was done to take this to the public. The Tamils and other national minority groups had much faith and expected fair play from them.
Later, however,the LSSP/CP leaders made a fundamental mistake and joined the capitalist government of Mrs Sirima Bandaranaike. Once in power they also became pawns in the hands of Sinhala chauvinism. In fact Dr Colvin De Silva, who once said “One language - two nations” became the man who formulated the Buddhist theocratic constitution. This total betrayal led to much disillusionment among Tamil youth. Failure of the old left movement against Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism opened the stage for violence against the Tamil people. Racial riots broke out several times, the worst of which was in 1983. All this led to the liberation struggle of the Tamil people.
Today, the Lankan Tamil nationality is a complex entity. First, the so-called native Tamils of the north and east have developed as Eelam Tamils with a recognisable homeland. Their national consciousness has developed to a high degree among them. The existing armed struggle for Tamil liberation is based on them. Under the memorandum of understanding signed by Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2002, more than one-third of the Tamil homeland was accepted to be under the direct control of the LTTE.
Second, the plantation Tamils of the up-country, descendents of south Indian Tamil workers brought to Lanka by the British Raj, have not identified entirely with the Eelam liberation struggle. Certainly the youth is highly influenced by the struggle in the north and east. But their demands are different, being very largely socioeconomic. Land and citizenship rights, greater autonomy for Tamil areas, and greater Tamil participation in local administration are some of their demands.
Third, there is a substantial Tamil community living in Colombo and its suburbs. They are a combination of native and Indian Tamils. Except for the recent refugees, others are more interested in getting equality and justice than supporting the liberation struggle. However, in spite of these divisions, all Tamils are living under fear and repression. On the other hand, the war has its effect on all Tamils irrespective of their actual connection to the liberation struggle.
The Nava Sama Samaaja Party (NSSP) from its inception defended the right of self-determination of the Tamil-speaking people. Before becoming a party, as a group within the LSSP, in 1974 we came out with our analysis of the Tamil national question. We explained that Tamil nationality is emerging, fighting for its self-determination. The only unity possible is the voluntary union of the two nationalities. For this, recognition of the right of self-determination of Tamil people is a precondition. Acceptance of equality, autonomy and the right of self-determination is the only basis for a democratic unity.
Since 1974 we have been fighting for this position in all our political campaigns. In spite of many difficulties, we have managed to take this message among the Sinhala people. We have influenced the thinking of almost all political parties of Lanka. Concepts of equality, autonomy and the right of self-determination are now very widely discussed. Understanding of the masses has increased tremendously. And now there is widespread resentment against the war efforts of the government.
In 1994, Vasudava Nanayakkara and a few others broke away and collaborated with SLFP-led governments. Though they pay lip service to the Tamil liberation, in practice they have become a part of the treacherous group led by CP and LSSP. It is clear that the Western powers are now backing the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. We explained all along that it is futile to expect the global capitalist powers to intervene here to safeguard the interest of Tamils and Muslims or any other minority. Many Tamil leaders believe that the Indian rulers will help them to achieve freedom from discrimination and oppression. In fact they appealed for military intervention. However, the Indian intervention became a nightmare for the Tamils.
Today Sinhala chauvinists, such as Gunadasa Amarasekera, openly claim that Indian intervention was a god-sent chance for them and regret that it was not fully utilised to crush the LTTE. Now, the same thing is repeated in relation to the Western powers led by the Americans. The Tamils have to accept that it is foolish to expect support for the Tamil struggle from the West against the Mahinda Rajapaksa government that collaborates with the development program of the West. On the other hand the LTTE appears to believe that suicidal attacks by the Tamil youth can achieve liberation. So far no efforts are made to take the issue among the left democratic forces internationally. The Left Front (NSSP) will take the issue of Tamil Liberation among left democratic forces both locally and internationally. | {
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"The letter was sent on Friday," Captain Mindaugas Neimontas, spokesman for the Lithuanian Armed Forces, told BNS on Monday.
The three Baltic countries aim to have a battalion-sized unit permanently deployed in each of the countries, and they would together form a brigade. This is described | {
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Hoover businesses may soon be able to include boozy Sunday brunch options on their menus.
Monday night, the Hoover City Council approved a resolution to petition the attorney general for guidelines to implement the state's "mimosa" bill in Hoover.
If passed, the proposal could allow on-premise Sunday alcohol sales starting at 10 a.m. Currently, on-premise Sunday alcohol sales begin at noon in Hoover.
"Basically, we're asking him to give us the rules for how to do this," said Hoover City Council President Gene Smith.
Some have called the bill "vague." Smith said the council needs clear instruction on if the council can independently vote on the proposal or if a public referendum is required.
The bill passed in state legislature last year said the 10 a.m. Sunday sale start time only applies to other counties or municipalities where Sunday alcohol sales are already allowed.
"This would really benefit our convention centers and restaurants that want to serve Sunday brunch at events," Smith said, adding the earlier sales could benefit many businesses in Hoover.
The council expects an answer back from the attorney general within two to three weeks.
Birmingham city officials previously discussed the law last year, but it failed to make it on the ballot in August. | {
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Overwatch DeToNator.KOREA始動開始
Overwatch部門に全て韓国選手で構成された、DeToNator.KOREAが活動スタートします。
今年の３月頃より選考とトライアウトを重ねてようやく活動開始できる目途が立ちましたのでご報告します。
現在５名所属しております。
最後の１名を選考中です。
今後は、現在DeToNator.GOLDが参加している台湾プロリーグ『Overwatch Pacific Championship 2017』の
Season2に出場するための予選トーナメントに参加予定です。
勝ち上がり、本戦に出場すること。もしくは、APEXの1部リーグに参戦する事を目標に活動していきます。
まだ新しいチームなので、これから少しづつ時間をかけて良いチームに仕上げていきたいです。
それでは、まずは５名の選手を紹介します。
チームリーダー
NakYup
年齢 :２３
今まで経験して来た経歴と過ごしてきた時間を無駄にさせないように頑張ります。
チームリーダとしてチームメイトをよりうまくケアーして世界一のところに到達するようにします。
頑張りますので応援よろしくお願いします。
beksul
年齢：１６
まだ若いんですが若いほどフィジカルは誰よりも上手だと思います！
DTNに入って世界に日本だったらDTNだよなって言葉を出るように頑張ります応援してください！
trona
年齢：１９
今まで韓国でいろんなチームに入って活動をした経験はありますが
海外のチームで活動したことはないです
このチャンスを生かしてチームにも自分自身にも成長できる人になります
応援してくださいありがとうございます
Hymn
年齢：２２
七転八起の考え方で厳しい状況を超えて
もっと高く目指すためいつも長く見てより強くなるため努力して
プロらしい選手になります。ありがとうございます。
Raphael
年齢：１７
まだ足りないとこがいっぱいあると思います
でもここで終わらずチームに必要な存在に残るため頑張ります！
ありがとうございます。
これからDeToNator Familyとなる選手を全力でサポートしていきたいと思います。
応援よろしくお願いします！ | {
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It was recently announced that after four magnificent seasons, Nathan For You was ending. As a huge fan of the show, this bummed me out because it is human nature to want more of the things that you love. But I also completely understood the decision.
For me, the question isn’t how a show as singularly brilliant and original as Nathan For You could end after only four seasons when, for instance, Mama’s Family lasted six seasons and one hundred and thirty episodes. No, for me the question is how were Fielder and his brilliant collaborators able to sustain such an impossibly complicated, difficult, time and labor-intensive, painstakingly crafted project for four entire seasons? | {
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WASHINGTON — Janet L. Yellen, chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, said on Sunday that the American economy was in good health in an upbeat assessment that reinforced expectations the Fed is planning to raise its benchmark interest rate later this year.
Job growth is strong, companies are increasing investment, and the United States is benefiting from the improved health of the global economy, Ms. Yellen said in remarks to the Group of 30, which hosts gatherings of international policy makers and private-sector bankers.
Referring to the Fed’s benchmark rate, Ms. Yellen said, “We continue to expect that the ongoing strength of the economy will warrant gradual increases in that rate to sustain a healthy labor market and stabilize inflation around our 2 percent longer-run objective.”
The Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate twice this year, in March and in June, to a range between 1 percent and 1.25 percent. Investors expect a third 0.25 percentage point increase at the Fed’s final policy-making meeting of the year, in mid-December. | {
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No passport required: Phuket Immigration confirms ‘passport on person’ not required despite ’Operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’
PHUKET: Phuket Immigration has confirmed there is no need for foreigners to carry their passports at all times, despite the ongoing ‘Operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’ crackdown on illegal foreigners netting 300 foreigners in Phuket last month alone.
immigrationtourism
By Tavee Adam
Saturday 17 November 2018, 09:00AM
An expat tucks his passport into his pocket at Phuket Immigration. Photo: Tanyaluk Sakoot
The news also follows the Russian Embassy last week strongly advising Russian nationals to carry their passports on their persons at all times while in Thailand.
Phuket Immigration Chief Col Kathathorn Kumthieng this week confirmed to The Phuket News that although the archaic law remains unchanged, requiring foreigners to have their passports at the ready to show officials at any time of day, enforcement of the law in Phuket will be not so strict.
“We are not enforcing this so hard because we know that foreigners and tourists need to relax in our country, so we see no need to annoy them with rules like this,” he said.
However, Col Kathathorn did advise that foreigners carry a copy of their passports with them just in case.
“This could be a photocopy or just a photo of their passport on their phone, which will be useful if something happens and they need to show their ID or if the foreigner is worried about losing their passport.
“With just a copy, any officer can call in the foreigner’s name and passport number and check their current legal status on our database. But if we do require them to show us their actual passport, they can go back to their hotel or their home and get it,” he explained.
Col Kathathorn did point out that any foreigner who is unable to present his or her passport, given reasonable time and opportunity, will be in trouble. At worst case scenario, the foreigner may be arrested and even face deportation.
Phuket Immigration Deputy Chief Lt Col Archeep Jaroensuntisuk explained that 300 foreigners had been processed under the ‘Operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’ campaign in Phuket in October.
“Of those, 211 had overstayed their visas, with 21 actually arrested and the remaining 190 surrendering themselves,” Col Archeep said.
Col Archeep declined to identify which nationality was the most common for overstays.
However, he added, “In October we also caught 54 people caught for illegally entering the country and 35 others caught for other crimes, including working illegally.”
The ‘Operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’ campaign, now 12 months old nationwide, will continue until further notice, Col Archeep confirmed.
“We will continue working on this as (Immigration Chief) Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn has ordered us to pay serious attention in tourist destinations where foreigners are likely to overstay,” he said.
Col Archeep urged foreigners not to be caught out by overstaying their visas.
“Our system has been updated to make it quicker and easier to extend visas. It won’t take a long time to have it done,” he said.
Col Archeep also urged foreigners to not pay any extra unofficial fees – or bribes.
“If any official asks you to pay an extra charge or asks for a tip, I can confirm that we uphold the ‘No Tips’ policy here,” he said.
“If you find any officer doing this, please call 1178 or my personal number 086-7886359,” Col Archeep added. | {
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"If there are any little girls out there who stayed up late to watch, let me just say: I may become the first woman president, but one of you is next," Hillary Clinton told the Democratic National Convention audience via satellite Tuesday night.
This remark, said in a tone one might use to talk to babies, was the cherry on top of a slate of speakers who lauded Clinton’s landmark accomplishment as the country’s first female presidential nominee of a major party. The word “historic” was on everyone’s lips as Democrats claimed moral superiority for their support of a woman for president.
Never mind the fact that she is a serial liar embroiled in multiple scandals, or that behind closed doors she is insolent and disrespectful, or that she and her husband have gotten rich by blatant corruption and theft.
Yes, never mind all that. Young girls should still look up to Clinton as their hero who broke the glass ceiling.
When I was little, I wouldn’t have wanted Clinton as a role model. I was emboldened by women who were powerful and successful not because of their gender, but because of their rock-solid values and relentless hard work. Here are five women who are braver, stronger and more inspiring than the Democratic nominee.
They come with a bonus: you don’t have to shove their moral shortcomings under your mental rug when you tell your daughters about them.
1. Malala Yousafzai
A champion for girls’ education in Pakistan since she was a young teenager, Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban when she was 15 years old on her school bus. But she wasn’t silenced. She spoke at the United Nations on her 16th birthday, established the Malala Fund (which has poured millions of dollars into funding secondary education for girls in developing countries) and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
2. Ruby Bridges
Six-year-old Bridges was the first black student to attend a segregated all-white elementary school. Every day she walked to school escorted by federal marshals while racists screamed threats at Bridges and threw things at her. Teachers refused to teach her and parents took their children out of Bridges’ class, but she remained remarkably strong and never gave up the fight for integration.
3. St. Kateri Tekakwitha
The first Native American saint in the Catholic faith, Tekakwitha suffered from a bout of smallpox that killed her entire family. When she was 19 years old, she converted to Christianity and refused marriage, facing ostracism in her Mohawk village. She fled her home and spent two months canoeing 200 miles through the wilderness to get to a Catholic mission. She died at age 24 from disease.
4. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell
Blackwell was the first woman in the United States to earn a medical degree. She was admitted to the Geneva Medical School after male administrators jokingly voted to accept her. Defying all expectations, she graduated top of her class and spent her life treating poor children and women in Europe and America. She even opened her own practice and women’s medical college with her sister, who became a doctor as well. She became blind in one eye after catching a disease from a young patient, but continued to pave the way for women’s medical education her whole life.
5. Nelly Bly
Elizabeth Cochran, known by her pen name Nellie Bly, broke barriers and uncovered important stories as one of the country’s first investigative journalists. Angered by a local paper’s column that said women should only cook, clean and raise children, Cochran began writing pieces under the Bly name. When papers tried to assign Bly the women’s beat, she resisted. She soon gained national prominence for her groundbreaking stories about mental health institutions, prisons, poverty and more.
The list of female trailblazers more inspiring than Clinton could fill entire libraries. Don’t let commentators paint Clinton as the best woman to ever walk the earth; our young girls deserve better than her. | {
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In this tutorial, we are going to learn about Mobx which is an easier and simpler alternative to Redux (at least in my opinion).
For this tutorial, we are going to use custom react script which is very similar to Create React App(CRA). CRA allows you to setup React projects without having to do Webpack and Babel configurations but in CRA we cannot use Decorators, so we are going to use Custom React Script which allows us to use Decorators in CRA.
First, let’s install create-react-app you can do that by running the command
npm install -g create-react-app
After that, We are going to run below command where we have used custom-react-scripts flag which allows us to use Decorators, SAAS and LESS in our project you can learn more about this project here
create-react-app react-mobx-app — scripts-version custom-react-scripts
here react-mobx-app is a name of our project.
Then, we will install two libraries mobx and mobx-react(mobx binding for React) by using either of following two commands
yarn add mobx mobx-react or npm install mobx mobx-react.
You might be thinking, why do we need mobx in the first place? Doesn’t React have its own state management?
Well, it does, but there are few problems with it.
It’s not possible to share states with other components using Default React State Management.
With too many states, it becomes very difficult to maintain them in long run.
You might have heard of ‘props drilling’ issue i.e if you want to pass states from parent component to its deeply nested child component, it becomes very difficult to manage all the props since we need to pass props to all components that come in between parent and child components.
These can be solved using Mobx. So let’s dive deeper into Mobx and understand its core concepts.
Core concepts in Mobx
First, we are going to learn about observer and observable.
I have opened a react-mobx-app project in VSCode as you can see here
In `scripts` object, there is a start script which you can run by typing yarn run start in the command line to start the development server.
In Index.js file, let’s create our first mobx state
In above code, we are importing `observable` from `mobx` package which gives us the ability to create a `state`. We then, simply pass an object to an observable function which gives us Mobx state (observable object) we can use it to pass to any component we want. Here, I have simply created a sample Counter component which accepts `appState` as props and renders `count` property on it. Finally, we are rendering counter component to the screen and also passing `appState` as props to `Counter` component.
In the browser, you will see zero counts on screen. With this, we know how to create a state, let’s see how can we modify it.
1 Here, we are creating two functions `incCount` and `decCount` which will be used to increment and decrement the count property respectively.
2.Then we make two buttons labeled `Add` and `Dec`.They will have onClick event handler which will trigger `incCount` and `decCount` methods on button clicks.
If you click on any of these two buttons you will see that the component state doesn’t change(i.e the number doesn’t change). So to make the component re-render when the mobx state is changed, we would need to make every component as observers. After doing that Mobx will make sure your state and Component remain in Sync all the time.
That can be by simply importing observer from a mobx-react package and wrapping it to a counter component.
Now we will be able to see changes in UI whenever there is any change in mobx state.
Actions
Actions are functions that modify the state. Regular functions can also modify the state but actions yield better performance and It informs computed property whenever action is completed. We will cover computed property later in detail. So it is a good practice to modify states in actions instead of regular functions.
Before learning more about actions, we are going to apply a configuration which allows only actions to modify states. You can think of it like mobx in strict mode.
Now we are importing `configure` from the mobx package and applying `enforceActions` as true. Now if we try to modify the state without action, components won’t re-render.
Thus, if you try to click on Add or Dec buttons we will get below warning!
You will see above error message which says that regular function cannot modify state and only actions can. So let us now convert the function into actions.
It can be done by importing `action` from a mobx package and wrap it in a given function. Now if you click on Add/Dec button you will see that the state changes.
Now let us install `mobx-dev-tools`, which gives us the ability to detect changes in mobx state.
We can simply install it by running command
yarn add mobx-react-devtools — dev
Now that we have imported Devtools from mobx-react-devtools package and we are ready to add it anywhere in Counter component.
If you head over to the browser you will see three icons on the right. If we click on the last icon, it becomes highlighted. If we will click on Add or Dec button, the console will show us which actions
got triggered and how values get updated and which components re-rendered because of the state change.
As you can see in above snippet, `action` is showing as `unnamed action`. If you have a lot of action it becomes difficult to debug so to solve this problem we can name our action in such a way which will allow us to debug better.
Above you can see, I have `named action` by passing string in the first parameter.
In a console, you will see action name instead of `unnamed action` like in a previous snippet.
Computed Property
Computed Property is recommended as a way of accessing data from Mobx State. If you want to access data as it was stored in Mobx State then you don’t need a Computed property, but if you want to do some modification on data before accessing it, then using Computed Property is the best way of doing it.
Here we see two numbers, one is count multiplied by 3 and another is count multiplied by 4.
Let see, if can we use count property as it was stored in Mobx State without any modification?
No, because we don’t have data stored in multiple of 3 or 4 in Mobx state, so in this scenario, it would be better to use computed property.
As you can see it is not possible to use count property directly from the Mobx state without doing any modification, as we need to the count in multiples of 3 and 4 so we would be using a computed property to access count by updating its value.
I above example we see how can a computed property is created and also how we can use `this` which points to appState in computed property. you can see I am accessing count property by multiplying it by 3 or 4 and then returning it. [We are accessing count property by multiplying it by 3 and 4 and then returning it.]
Now let’s see how can we use it in our Component.
In above snippet, we are using computed properties `countByThree` and `countByFour` in `Counter` component. Since it a computed property, you do not need to call it as a function, instead, call just with its name like we access any other property. Also, note that they cannot accept any parameters as they are not normal functions.
If you click on `Add` Button you will see that incremented number gets multiplied by 3 and 4. In the same way, if you decrement the number it decrements and gets multiplied by 3 and 4. So Computed Property only reacts/ re-runs, if its dependent state is changed. Here computed properties depend on `count` count so if the count is updated computed property will re-run otherwise, it is suspended which gives us performance boosts in our application.
| {
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
} |
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