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President Barack Obama is adamant that he will not be held "hostage" by the Republicans in the House of Representatives, who are threatening not to raise the U.S. debt ceiling without some concessions on future spending and Obamacare. If the debt limit is not raised, allowing the Treasury Department to borrow more money, the federal government will default on some of the bills it owes in the next couple of weeks. Lots of commentators believe that such a default would have significant, if not devastating, downside economic effects.
Maybe so. But we should also want to consider the ways a relentlessly rising level of debt could damage our economic prospects. The debt ceiling for the United States is currently set at $16.7 trillion. In 2000, the U.S. national debt stood at $5.7 trillion. The amount of the U.S. national debt is now roughly the same size as the annual output of the economy. Is this a problem?
Yes, suggests recent research by numerous macroeconomists. Specifically, they find that a big public debt "overhang" likely slows down future economic growth for more than two decades. In other words, excessive national debt racked up now will make future Americans considerably poorer than they would have been otherwise.
Let's start with a 2012 study in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, conducted by the Harvard economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff and Morgan Stanley chief economist Vincent Reinhart. In that study, which looked at 22 advanced countries, the researchers identify in the years between 1800 and 2011 some 26 episodes lasting more than five years in which public debt to GDP ratios exceeded 90 percent. They argued that if the public debt-to-GDP ratio is greater than 90 percent for five or more years, then, on average, economic growth rates fall from an average of 3.5 percent to 2.3 percent annually, a drop of 1.2 percent. Even the fierce critics who pointed out a major error in the earlier work of Rogoff and Reinhart find that when the debt-to-GDP ratio is greater than 90 percent that subsequent economic growth averages 2.2 percent annually, falling from 4.2 percent when the ratio is below 30 percent.
Similarly, a 2010 working paper by the International Monetary Fund economists Manmohan Kumar and Jaejoon Woo looked at the effect that high public-debt-to-GDP ratios had on the economic growth of 38 advanced and emerging economies between 1970 and 2007. The study found evidence that surpassing a debt-to-GDP threshold of 90 percent has a significant negative effect on growth. The researchers also reported that a 10 percent increase in the debt-to-GDP ratio is associated with a 0.2 percent slowdown in annual real per capita GDP growth. As it happens, America's debt-to-GDP ratio climbed from around 60 percent in 2003 to a projected 108 percent this year. If the IMF's findings are accurate, that implies that future economic growth rates will be about one percent lower than they would otherwise have been. Kumar and Woo concluded that the chief cause for depressed economic growth is less investment in capital goods, which in turn produces a slowdown in labor productivity.
A 2011 Bank for International Settlements working paper, drawing on data on government debt in 18 economically developed countries from 1980 to 2010, found that passing a debt-to-GDP threshold of 85 percent slowed growth. Specifically, the study found that a 10 percent increase in the debt-to-GDP ratio resulted in a nearly 0.2 percent reduction in subsequent average annual growth. "The immediate implication is that countries with high debt must act quickly and decisively to address their fiscal problems," the researchers concluded. "The longer-term lesson is that, to build the fiscal buffer required to address extraordinary events, governments should keep debt well below the estimated thresholds."
In a 2012 article in the Journal of Accounting and Finance, economists from the University of Dallas and Hofstra University assessed the maximum sustainable level of national debt for the United States. Assuming that the economy was operating at its full potential, the researchers estimated the sustainable upper limit of the debt-to-GDP ratio is around 93 percent. "A higher debt to GDP ratio is unsustainable and will drive the economy into a succession of lower growth periods accompanied by increased unemployment," they concluded.
Rogoff and colleagues acknowledge that the 90 percent ratio "should not be taken as a law of nature." Nevertheless, most recent research on the effects of a sustained debt-to-GDP ratio higher than 90 percent has converged on the finding that it reduces future economic growth by more than one percent from what it would have otherwise have been. A one percent cut in economic growth may not sound like much, but over time it means that Americans in the coming decades will be a lot poorer than they would have been. Rogoff and colleagues estimated that effects of such a public debt overhang last about 23 years.
Before the financial crisis, U.S. economic growth averaged 3.2 percent annually. If a high debt-to-GDP ratio reduces growth by one percent each year, future annual growth will likely average 2.2 percent. With a population of 315 million, the U.S. currently has a GDP per capita of roughly $53,000. The Census Bureau expects U.S. population to grow to about 375 million over the next two decades. In 20 years, the difference between economic growth of 3.2 versus 2.2 percent amounts to $5.5 trillion. At an annual economic growth rate of 3.2 percent, per capita income would rise to $84,000 over the next 20 years. On the other hand, growth at 2.2 percent would yield a per capita income of $72,000.
In other words, Americans two decades hence would be, on average, $12,000 poorer than they would have been had our leaders the foresight to rein in our burgeoning levels of public debt.
Such a long-term economic slowdown does not have the fiscal drama that the White House and Congress are using to entertain the rest of us. Yet, as Rogoff and company comment, the "debt-without-drama" scenario is reminiscent of T.S. Eliot's famous lines: "This is the way the world ends/Not with a bang but a whimper." When then-Senator Barack Obama opposed raising the debt ceiling back in 2006, he warned, "Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren." He added, "America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better." We still do. | {
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Unions want Christie back in court to explain why he plans to skimp on billions of dollars in committed payments in coming fiscal year
Credit: C-Span via NewsWorks Credit: C-Span via NewsWorks New Jersey public-employee unions, already in court with Gov. Chris Christie’s administration over the state pension contribution in the current fiscal year, say they are preparing to file a new lawsuit challenging Christie’s planned payment into the pension system for the next fiscal year.
A total of 14 unions representing teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public workers said their attorneys are readying the new suit to contest Christie’s plan to make a $1.3 billion employer contribution into the pension system during the fiscal year that begins July 1. Christie announced that contribution amount while putting forward his new, $33.8 billion budget last week.
True, a $1.3 billion pension contribution would be the largest ever made by the state, but it’s far below the roughly $3 billion payment the state committed to make after Christie signed benefits-reform legislation in 2010 and 2011.
Though the leaders of the New Jersey Education Association said they were open to discussing some aspects of a sweeping new benefits-reform proposal Christie put forward last week, they were among the union officials who called for the new lawsuit over state pension contributions yesterday. The pension system covers the retirements of roughly 773,000 current and retired employees.
“It’s time to return to the rule of law in our state and to protect the future of hundreds of thousands of New Jersey families,” said NJEA President Wendell Steinhauer.
It’s the 2010 and 2011 legislation that formed the basis of the suit the unions filed against the state last year to compel the Christie administration to put in more than the $681 million contribution that’s budgeted for the current fiscal year. Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson sided in favor of the unions last week, ordering Christie and lawmakers to find ways to come up with another $1.6 billion to live up to a $2.25 billion state contribution that was called for in the reform legislation, which also required the
employees to contribute more.
Christie has said the state simply can’t afford to make the pension payments he committed to, and his spokesman said last week that the governor is appealing Jacobson’s ruling.
Last week, Christie also called for another massive overhaul of public-employee benefits in New Jersey, saying the current pension system should be frozen and that all employees should be moved instead into a hybrid retirement system with some features of a 401(k) plan. Christie also said public-worker health benefits should be cut, and that the savings should go toward paying down pension system debt, which measures between $37 billion and $83 billion.
“This governor’s continuing disregard for his own pension-funding law leaves us no choice but to go back to court to resume this fight in court on behalf of hundreds of thousands of public-sector workers who make their full pension contributions and depend on the modest income they earn in retirement,” said Charles Wowkanech, president of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO.
Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said yesterday that the unions are ignoring “the basic math and reality of the situation we face.”
“The Governor is focused on working towards a real solution with those unions and legislators who are willing to come to the table so that we can achieve lasting reform, rather than push this problem off to tomorrow,” Roberts said.
It’s unclear right now whether Jacobson will accept the unions’ new lawsuit or wait for the current litigation to go through the appeals process first. Last year, when the unions also challenged the state pension contribution for the coming fiscal year, Jacobson said she could only consider a suit over the pension contribution once the associated fiscal year had begun. | {
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Despite the appearance of conflict between Apple and U.S. law enforcement, the company is not only cooperating in many search requests but actually training the FBI and other police forces.
The company doesn't train police on cracking product security, but does walk them through other avenues for collecting data from devices like iPhones and Macs, as well as iCloud accounts, according to one Forbes source. Forensic specialists are alerted to iOS and macOS updates that could impact investigations.
Apple reportedly offers this training for free, and spends much of its time handling local and regional police forces that don't understand the technology or processes involved in gathering Apple-connected data. In one instance, a police department printed out 15,000 pages after receiving a file from Apple, instead of leaving it in the digital arena.
"We have a great relationship with them [Apple] from a local field perspective and also from understanding products and what they do from an engineering standpoint, which [goes back] to Quantico," according to John Bennett, the special agent in charge of the FBI's San Francisco division, which is one of the first points of contact between Silicon Valley firms and the rest of the bureau. Some of Apple's training is done at the FBI's Silicon Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory.
"From our experience in San Francisco, we have meetings with Apple and they are not only a great company but they're also victims. Their stuff gets hit and their employees get in harm's way, so they call us locally on a lot of things they need help for," Bennett added.
Separately, another Forbes source commented that the FBI has turned to at least one third party in its attempt to get into the iPhone SE of Devin Kelley, who killed 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. It's unknown if the FBI has awarded a contract, and/or if it has successfully hacked the device. | {
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In announcing his initial recruiting class earlier this summer, Rutgers men's basketball coach Steve Pikiell left the door open for a late addition.
Apparently, a Canadian recruit is walking through it.
After reportedly visiting Rutgers this week, Eugene Omoruyi, a 6-foot-7 forward out of Orangeville Prep in Rexdale, Ont., made a verbal commitment to play for the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday afternoon.
SNY.tv was the first to report the commitment and Omoruyi followed by tweeting his intentions to play for Rutgers.
According to CanadianBallers.com, Omoruyi also had scholarship offers from USC and Loyola Marymount.
Omoruyi, who has the ability to play both forward spots, averaged 17.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 52.3 percent from the field last winter, according to the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association website.
He becomes Rutgers' fourth recruit for the 2016-17 campaign. Roselle Catholic forward Matt Bullock, Texas junior-college forward Candido Sa and Jacksonville, Fla., forward Issa Thiam enrolled at Rutgers in July and spent the last four weeks working out for the Scarlet Knights.
In addition, Pikiell began building his 2017 recruiting class last week with a verbal commitment from New Hampshire guard Geo Baker.
Pikiell might not be done adding players for the upcoming season. Chad Rykhoek, a 6-11 center who left the Baylor basketball program two summers ago due to medical reasons, is looking to revive his career as an immediately eligible graduate transfer.
Rykhoek visited Rutgers and worked out with the team Wednesday.
It's not immediately clear whether Rykhoek -- a Fort Worth, Tex., native who reportedly has previously visited Clemson, Colorado and Georgia Tech -- has one or two years of eligibility remaining.
Keith Sargeant may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook. | {
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Watch video on Youtube »
The $46,000 Tennessee logo.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee has spent $46,000 for the design of a new logo featuring the white letters TN on a red background.
WSMV-TV reports that the state hired advertising and marketing company GS&F to design the new logo.
"This is something a fifth-grader could easily produce on his or her computer at home," Chris Butler, with watchdog.org, told WSMV.
A spokesman for Gov. Bill Haslam said the new logo is needed to give the state a more unified look on signs and letterhead.
The governor's office said the new logo will be gradually introduced as current stationary runs out.
The new state branding follows a decision by the Tennessee Department of Transportation to replace a green-themed symbol introduced by Haslam's Democratic predecessor Phil Bredesen. The department in 2011 introduced a new logo featuring the TDOT acronym on a red field the shape of the state. | {
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Mass matters
The cause
This NASA animation shows what a collision between two worlds may look like. As you can see, the outer shell of the impacted planet is stripped away, leaving behind a dense core.
For the first time ever, astronomers think they've discovered an exoplanet that survived a catastrophic collision with another planet. And according to the new research, which was published February 4 in the journal Nature Astronomy , the evidence for the impact comes from two twin exoplanets that seem to be more fraternal than identical.The pair of planets in question orbit a Sun-like star (along with two other planets) in the Kepler-107 system, which is located roughly 1,700 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus the Swan.Known as Kepler-107b and Kepler-107c , these planets have nearly identical sizes (both have a radius of roughly 1.5 times that of Earth), yet one planet is nearly three times as massive as the other. The innermost planet, Kepler-107b, is about 3.5 times as massive as Earth, while Kepler-107c, which sits farther out, is a whopping 9.4 times as massive as Earth.This means the inner planet, Kepler-107b, has an Earth-like density of around 5.3 grams per cubic centimeter, while the more distant Kepler-107c has a density of around 12.6 grams per cubic centimeter — which is extremely dense, even for an alien world. (For reference, water has a density of 1 gram per cubic centimeter.)This perplexing density discrepancy left researchers scratching their heads. How could two equally sized exoplanets in the same system (and at nearly the same orbital distance) have such different compositions?To determine exactly why Kepler-107c is so dense, first the researchers considered what they already knew. Previous research has shown that intense stellar radiation can strip the atmosphere from a planet that sits too near its host star . But if the innermost planet lost its lighter atmospheric elements, it should be more dense than its twin, not less. According to the study, this would "make the more-irradiated and less-massive planet Kepler-107b denser than Kepler-107c," which is clearly not the case.However, there is another way that a planet can lose a lot of mass: by getting smacked with another planet. And this is exactly what the researchers think happened to Kepler-107c.The researchers argue that the denser planet, Kepler-107c, likely experienced a massive collision with a third, unknown planet at some point in its past. Such a gigantic impact, the study says, would have stripped the lighter silicate mantle from Kepler-107c, leaving behind an extremely dense, iron-rich core. According to the study, Kepler-107c could be as much as 70 percent iron.Because the mass and radius of Kepler-107c matches what would be expected from a giant planetary impact, the researchers are fairly confident that the collisional scenario they've outlined in their paper is accurate; however, they still need to confirm their hypothesis. If proven correct, this new find would become the first-ever evidence of a planetary collision outside our solar system.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Closer to home
Though astronomers have never confirmed a collision between exoplanets in another star system before, there is evidence that a similar cosmic crash occurred in our own solar system . In fact, a leading theory about the formation of the Moon is that it formed when a small protoplanet rammed into early Earth.By analyzing lunar samples returned by the Apollo missions, scientists learned that the composition of Moon rocks is very similar to that of Earth's mantle. Furthermore, the Moon is severely lacking in volatile elements, which boil away at high temperatures. Taken together, along with a few other lines of evidence, this indicates the Moon may have formed when a very large object (roughly the size of Mars) struck Earth with a glancing blow early in the solar system's history, some 4.6 billion years ago.This mash-up melted and tore off some of the outer layers of Earth, which may have temporarily formed Saturn-like rings around our planet. Over time, much of this ejected material drifted back to Earth's surface, but there was still enough debris left in orbit that it eventually coagulated and formed the Moon.With the discovery of Kepler-107c, it seems planet-shattering impacts are not just a sci-fi trope , but instead may occur much more frequently than we once thought. And with the long-anticipated launch of the James Webb Space Telescope coming up in March 2021, it may only be a few more years until they start to reveal themselves en masse, so be sure to stay tuned. | {
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CHICAGO (AP) — Authorities say a 28-year-old woman was fatally shot and her 4-year-old son was wounded by gunfire in Chicago.
Officials say the shooting happened Friday evening on the city’s West Side. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office identified the woman as Nikia Betts. Officials say she was shot in the head and taken to a hospital, where she died less than an hour after the shooting. Police say the boy was shot in the arm and was in good condition at a hospital.
A man who identified himself as Betts’ cousin told the Chicago Tribune she was walking through an alley near her home when the shooting occurred. Ronnie Betts says he heard gunfire before the boy came running with a gunshot wound to his arm, saying “mom’s been shot.” | {
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If there's one thing I've learned about guys during my years as a sex writer, it’s that they’re desperate to feel okay about their junk—and with nicknames like that, it’s no wonder. This is true regardless of what a guy is packing, from micro-members to skyscraper schlongs.
In fact, I once interviewed Jonah Falcon, the man with the world’s biggest penis, and found him living a secluded “asexual” lifestyle that he called “depressing.” You see? The grass is always greener... on the other side of the locker room.
Even men who aren't worried about their size are often deeply concerned that their dicks are ugly or weird, smelly or bad-tasting. Guys with foreskin sometimes feel like freaks; guys without it wonder if sex would be better with it.
Then there are the aesthetic anxieties about scars, curving, coloring, freckles, warts, moles and pubic hair. Testicles come with their own Magnum-sized worries about sagging and unevenness.
This is all before sex even begins. Then you get your performance-related insecurities: “Is my dick hard enough?” “Did I last long enough” “Does my cum taste like crap?”
I don’t just see this in my reporting. Take the unsolicited dick pic phenomenon. Some of these virtual flashers simply get off on violating women’s consent—but I can’t help but think that others are engaging in a desperate and self-sabotaging plea for acceptance: “I'm just a dick pic, standing in front of a girl, asking her to love him.” (Oh right, you’re probably a dude and might not get that reference: Go watch Notting Hill and it will all—and I mean all of life—make sense.)
I have one thing to say about this rampant dick anxiety: Y’all are tripping so damn hard.
I don’t mean that to sound harsh. We’re all, men and women, made to feel bad about our genitals. That’s just how our sexually-repressed society rolls. We use the same word for the penis as we do an inconsiderate jerk, and “pussy” does double-duty describing either the vagina or a pathetic wimp of a human.
At the same time, we schizophrenically build up the almighty phallus as the defining symbol of manhood. We even call it one’s manhood. So it’s no surprise that men would have all this penis pathos.
But as a so-called sexpert, and a red-blooded heterosexual woman, I can tell you there is every reason to love your dick—and you’ll find some of the most important examples below. Consider it your idiot’s guide to “dickceptance.”
Vaginas are only so big
In that utterly American way, we tend to apply bigger-is-better thinking to a man’s erection—but the average vagina is only three to four inches deep. And the all-important G-spot is generally only two to three inches inside.
Size really doesn’t matter, and if you don’t believe us, read these Secrets to Pleasing a Woman From a Guy With a Micropenis.
You have no idea what an average dick looks like!
If you insist on disregarding what I have to say about the relative unimportance of size, consider that you probably don’t have an accurate picture of what an average dick looks like anyway. Fortunately, science reveals the average penis size. How do you stack up?
Just think about it: If you’re straight, you typically only see other guys’ junk in porn and the locker room, right? Surely you already realize that X-rated stars do not have average-sized man parts. But here’s something you may not know about those seemingly gifted dudes who insist on letting their members air-dry at the gym: They might not be what they appear.
According to the Kinsey Institute, “In general, smaller flaccid penises lengthen at erection by a greater percentage than do larger flaccid penises, with most men reaching an average size of 5 to 7 inches, so the flaccid size of a penis is not a good predictor of erect size.”
Dicks smell great
Popular wisdom seems to be that penises are stinky. Sure, if you play a bunch of basketball and don’t shower for a week, it’s gonna have a nasty funk. But if you exercise basic hygiene, it’s not a problem. (There are a few simple fixes you can make if your penis really does stink.) If anything, it might have the slight woodsy scent of a manly cologne. We women like manly cologne.
And taste good too
Again, if you shower like a civilized human, there just isn’t any bad taste to speak of. Unless you plan on having a couple ribs removed so that you can try it for yourself, you’ll just have to take my word for it.
You can pee anywhere, for crying out loud
Clearly this isn’t sexy-times related—unless golden showers are your thing—but, man, I have been waiting to get this off my chest. YOU MEN GET TO URINATE ANYWHERE YOU WANT. Just whip out that pee tunnel and you’re good to go. In the woods, on the side of the road, in the snow. You’ll never have to know the misery of squatting to pee.
Foreskin is awesome
Lots of guys think foreskin looks funny. What they’re failing to see is the beauty of the mechanics of the thing, and the way a woman will appreciate being able to effortlessly glide her hand over the head.
So is no-skin
A circumsized dick is like a present without the wrapping—it’s 100 percent immediate gratification. No woman will argue with that.
Penises are “morning people”
Man, first thing every morning, without fail, your little guy pops right up out of bed like you never will. It’s inspiring, really. That dude has a real zest for life. In terms of role models for how to be in the world, it’s a toss up between the penis and the Dalai Lama.
Not getting the morning wood the way you used to? No problem. Here are 8 Ways To Protect Your Erection.
Ejaculation is awesome
I guess I don’t have to try too hard to convince you of this. I don’t just mean the awesomeness of the associated ecstasy, though. It’s also the dramatic visual display of pleasure. Nature’s fireworks, man! It makes ladies’ jaws drop in awe—and, OK, I’ll admit, a bit of jealousy. Now, some women do ejaculate, but it’s much less common, and more difficult to achieve. So count your blessings, penis-havers.
Your wang is a beautiful thing
The delicate ridges and veins. The mind-bending smoothness, even when it’s hard. (I could write a 1,000-word ode to the beauty of the frenulum alone, you guys.) It all makes for a breathtaking sight—and any woman who’s any fun to have sex with will agree.
For more on your favorite appendage—from erectile dysfunction to the differences between ejaculations and orgasms—check out our Definitive Guide to Your Penis.
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Alameda County residents, you have a little more than a week to tell your Board of Supervisors how you feel about Sheriff Ahern’s proposed upgrade to phone surveillance technology shared by several law enforcement agencies in the county. The Board will consider the proposal on October 13.
IMSI catchers, also commonly referred to as “Stingrays”, are devices that masquerade as a legitimate cell phone tower, tricking phones nearby to connect to the device in order to track a phone's location in real time. While law enforcement says it uses them to locate suspects, they can sweep up the signals of people in a wide radius. But the current technology in use in Alameda County does not have 4G capabilities, and this week, the Board put the brakes on approving funding to upgrade to the system.
Currently, though it’s a little unclear because of the secrecy surrounding IMSI catcher technology (also commonly referred to as “Stingrays”), records indicate that the Alameda County District Attorneys office and the Oakland Police Department have the technology. [1] The DA’s at least was purchased with federal grant money from the Department of Homeland Security. This proposal would upgrade the existing technology “in partnership with” the DA and the Oakland and Fremont Police Departments.
It’s no secret that law enforcement agencies around the country are increasingly arming themselves with incredibly invasive surveillance technology, with the help of federal money. What is secret is what kind of technology each agency has and how they use it. And perhaps more than any other kind of technology we’ve seen adopted recently, when it comes to IMSI catchers, it’s clear that this secrecy is no accident.
That’s why we were concerned to see the County of Alameda considering an upgrade to its own technology with no public discussion. We sent a letter to the Board pointing out exactly why:
Law enforcement agencies across California have improperly denied public records act requests about the use of “Stingrays.”5 That governments would work with surveillance vendors to hide technology from both the general public and the judges charged with protecting our constitutional rights is truly disturbing. Sheriff Ahern is asking for approval to sign an agreement with this company. You should deny it.
Lawmakers are starting to question this secrecy. As we mention in the letter, California bill SB 741 would address some of these problems. SB 741 passed the California Senate and Assembly nearly unanimously, and it's currently awaiting a signature from the Governor. And Santa Clara, which recently considered purchasing an IMSI catcher:
ultimately decided against it. Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey Smith says this was due to Harris’ overly restrictive contract terms, noting, “we couldn't get them to agree to even the most basic criteria we have in terms of being responsive to public records requests.”
The use of IMSI catcher technology in Alameda County has never been subject to the requisite open public discussion. But the Alameda County Board of Supervisors doesn’t need to look far to get an idea of how Alameda County residents feel about street level surveillance technologies:
As demonstrations against Urban Shield, activism around Oakland’s Domain Awareness Center, and packed public hearings about Sheriff Ahern’s purchase of a drone demonstrate, Alameda County residents are clearly concerned about the use of surveillance technology in their community.9 Sheriff Ahern ignored public sentiment against drones when he decided to circumvent your authority and use taxpayer dollars to purchase a drone in December.
In fact, many of the same activists who recently demonstrated against Urban Shield, as well as Brian Hofer of the Oakland Privacy Working Group, attended the September 29th meeting where the Board considered Ahern’s proposal.[2]
That pressure at the meeting is why the Board postponed approval of the IMSI catcher upgrade for two weeks, in order to provide more time for public comment. The Board will consider the upgrade at its October 13 meeting. In the meantime, we hope Alameda County residents will take this opportunity to make their voices heard by contacting their supervisors (contact information below). You can get inspiration from EFF’s letter. Even the two-week postponement means the Board knows IMSI catchers aren’t trouble-free. Make sure they know exactly how much trouble they can be.
Contacting the Board of Supervisors via phone is best. However, the emails provided are for their legislative aides and can also be used to contact them and tell them what you think about IMSI catchers. Check the Board of Supervisors site to find your district if you’re not sure.
District 1, Supervisor Scott Haggerty Phone number:(510) 272-6691
Aide: [email protected]
District 2, Supervisor Richard Valle:
Phone number: (510) 272-6692
Aide: [email protected]
District 3, Supervisor Wilma Chan Phone number: (510)272-6693
Aide:[email protected]
District 4, Supervisor Nate Miley Phone number: (510)272-6694
Aide: [email protected]
District 5, Supervisor Keith Carson Phone number: (510)272-6695
Aide: [email protected]
[1] It’s clear from public records that the Oakland Police Department has a contract with IMSI catcher manufacturer Harris Corporation and uses its Stingray regularly for arrests. It's also clear that the District Attorney was awarded grant money to purchase IMSI catcher technology. In September of 2014, the DA’s office told ARS technica that the purchase hadn’t yet been fulfilled. What's unclear is if more equipment has been purchased since then, or if the agencies are sharing equipment. The Sheriff’s proposal states “The current equipment owned by the District Attorney’s Office is proprietary to the Harris Corporation.” | {
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Charlotte Smith
A manuscript of one of Bach's late cantatas has sold for a season-record price of £337,250 at Christie's in London.
The manuscript, which sold to a private collector in the US, is the Taille (tenor oboe) part for Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte, BWV 174, and is the first example of Bach’s musical hand to appear on the open market for 16 years. It shows the script of two of Bach’s copyists - probably his pupil Samuel Gottleib Heder and another, known only as ‘Anonymous IV’ - in the early movements, with Bach’s own unmistakable handwriting appearing for the final chorale (the Passion chorale of Martin Schalling, used five years earlier in the St John Passion). It is a fascinating insight into Bach’s working practises, coming, as it did, in 1729 – mid-way through his period as kapellmeister at the Thomasschule, a job he combined with directing the music at the principal churches in Leipzig.
Bach manuscripts were previously relatively frequent performers on the auction stage: in the 1980s and '90s manuscript sales were known to offer three or more full autograph scores of Bach. Now, however, his appearances are far rarer, and this auction has been one of a shrinking number of opportunities to see the confident sweep of Bach’s handwriting on the page.
‘With all manuscript material, as with Old Master Pictures, there are fewer examples in circulation,’ says Margaret Ford, head of the Printed Books and Manuscripts department. ‘This year Christie’s will be exhibiting the best of what it is offering for sale, and the Bach will be one of two manuscript lots that will be part of that. There will be Degas, Rodin, Picasso and Bach. That just shows its rarity, and the recognition it deserves.’
Thomas Venning, director and senior specialist, agrees: 'The result reflects a very buoyant market for autograph manuscripts in which collectors are focusing more on the towering figures who have shaped European culture.'
Caroline Gill | {
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Mark Milke is author of Tax Me I’m Canadian: A Taxpayers’ Guide to Your Money and How Politicians Spend It.
If Canadians want a case study on how governments make a problem worse, cast an eye at British Columbia and housing. The provincial government, both under the previous Liberals and now the NDP, have continually kept or enacted policy, such as rent control and now a speculation tax, that exacerbates a tight rental market and high real estate prices.
Supply problems and slum promotion: The problem of rent control
British Columbia has long had rent control. That policy always discourages the construction of rental units as it limits the return on investment, which, in turn, squeezes supply, even condominiums bought by potential individual landlords. Such controls also produce slums as landlords have little incentive to fix up or improve units beyond the bare legal minimum. This ultimately harms renters by producing artificial shortages and a degraded housing stock.
In addition to that problem, while rent control acts to limit price increases on the upside, it also has an anti-market effect that prevents prices from falling dramatically on the downside. Consider Alberta, where rental prices have come down since the 2014 oil price crash, and relative bargains can be had. The price drops would be more modest if rental prices had been controlled.
Consider that this position—rent control is negative—is taken even by economists who would not categorize themselves as “free market” but warn about its horrific effects on the housing market. Nobel Prize winner Gunnar Myrdal, active and instrumental in left-wing political parties in Sweden in the twentieth century, often pointed out rent control was counter-productive policy. Another left-wing Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck concurred. Lindbeck once famously said, “In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing it.”
From bombed-out rent control to the speculation tax
Rent control is bad enough on its own. Now British Columbia plans to add to the collateral housing damage with its new “speculation tax”, announced in the recent provincial budget. As of 2019, the new tax will amount to a two-per-cent property tax on secondary homes. The aim is to tax speculation and also homes that might sit empty for part of the year— e.g., a summer vacation home —to try and force them into the rental market.
Here is problem number one: Imagine a retired couple where the carpenter-grandfather built a cottage years ago and where the entire family visits every summer. Maybe the couple rent out the home for part of the year to garner some retirement income. Assume the cottage and property is worth $300,000. That two-per-cent tax means in addition to property tax—perhaps $2,000 already, another $6,000 in tax will be applied courtesy of the B.C. government’s new speculation tax. Effectively, the province just quadrupled the existing property tax bill to $8,000.
B.C. Finance Minister Carole James recently promised the new tax will not apply to British Columbians who own such vacation homes. On the contrary, so far it is clear they too will be caught in this new tax net, at least initially. The interpretation bulletin from the B.C. Ministry of Finance notes B.C. owners will first be forced to pay the tax and then, if their property qualifies, receive a refund from the provincial portion of their income taxes paid—a year later. “A non-refundable income tax credit will help offset the tax for B.C. residents” if how the Ministry of Finance bulletin reads.
Now, problem number two: Note the “offset” language. That implies something less than a full refund, never mind waiting for a year after paying the extra $6,000 property speculation tax. And problem three: What if an elderly couple on a limited income pay little or no provincial income tax? They are out of luck because there is nothing paid in provincial income tax to offset the provincial speculation property tax.
Even if B.C. tries to re-jig the initial proposal to not tax-nail British Columbians—evidence by the way, of tax policy made up in the NDP’s ideological kitchen and not processed through sensible economists—other Canadians (and foreigners) will be hit by the new quadruple-your-property-tax tax. And here’s where the new speculation tax is as dumb as the proverbial post.
How B.C. will kill off lower-priced rental construction
Part of the safety valve for renters in British Columbia is the existence of individually-owned condominiums where out-of-province buyers plunk down a down payment and rent it out in the hopes that one day they will themselves move to beautiful British Columbia. (I understand the desire: I was born and raised in Kelowna; it and much of British Columbia is the nearest thing to paradise.)
The Ministry of Finance notes that “qualifying long-term rentals” will be exempt from the new quadrupled property tax but that leaves a lot of ambiguity.
For one thing, if BC residents will see the speculation tax only partly “offset” from BC income tax paid, it seems highly unlikely other Canadians and foreigners will get anything like a full exemption from the tax. Or even a partial one if their property fails to qualify as a “long-term rental”.
That’s counter-productive: A non-British Columbian may care to vacation in their unit in the summer and rent it out to students for other parts of the year. That adds to the rental pool for a demographic that needs cheaper housing. But it is not clear yet that such partial summer vacation rentals will qualify. At this point, given the ideological proclivities of the BC NDP, I’d bet they won’t.
So, if condominium owners live out of province or out of country, it means at worst, they will pay the full “speculation” tax given there is no BC income tax to be refunded. On a $300,000 property, they’re stuck with $6,000 in extra tax. And that’s on the $300,000 low-price condominium example. Double or triple the condominium value and the extra tax bill will be $12,000 and $18,000 every year in addition to normal property tax.
Official B.C. NDP policy: Only the wealthy need invest in British Columbia
Ironically, by making it more difficult to own property in British Columbia and rent it out part time, the British Columbia government is creating a problem for everyone except the very rich (who can afford an extra $6,000, $12,000 or $18,000 every year). The B.C. government may find the only people who will risk being caught in the combined thicket of B.C.’s rent control laws and new speculation tax net are the wealthy. After all, it is they who can endure the B.C. government’s class warfare-inspired speculation tax, not Canadians of more modest means.
If that scenario unfolds, then the luxury condominium market may do just fine in British Columbia in coming years. But the market for lower and middle-income rental properties bought by out-of-province investors will collapse given the uncertainty and the existing restrictions on making a return. It’s as if their investment money was illicit Russian or Chinese mob cash.
So congratulations Premier John Horgan and Finance Minister James: Your new tax will kill affordable rental construction that otherwise would occur (from out-of-province buyers ponying up and adding to the province’s modestly-priced rental stock. That means only the rich will be able to own property in British Columbia.
MORE ABOUT VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE: | {
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At his hog farm about a dozen miles from Las Vegas' famed strip, Bob Combs became a celebrity of sorts for hauling thousands of pounds of leftovers from casinos' all-you-can-eat buffets and feeding it to his 3,000 pigs.
Farmers used to call the practice "garbage feeding." Today, researchers see it as a tool for stemming climate change. That's because the growing amount of wasted food around the world adds methane, a potent greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere as it rots in landfills.
Combs just happened to be a pioneer recycler.
"These buffets, they generate so much waste," said Nicole Civita, director of the Food Recovery Project at the University of Arkansas School of Law. "They have to serve all kinds of food, a diversity. But the side effect of all that choice is there are lots of things we don't choose."
Casino diners in Las Vegas aren't the only ones to blame. Together, the world's food makers, farmers and consumers toss away one-third of all the food produced for human consumption.
If global food waste was a country, it would be the third-biggest greenhouse gas emitter after the U.S. and China. In the U.S., methane accounts for about 11 percent of greenhouse gas emissions—about a quarter of which comes from decomposing, uneaten food. If more supermarkets, restaurants and hotel chains redirected that waste into farm fodder, it could benefit not just the climate by reducing methane emissions, but also conserve the huge amount of resources that go into growing food for livestock.
"When we're talking about food waste going to animals, what we're talking about is to offset the food we feed to them," explained Dana Gunders, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). "That's the biggest climate benefit of feeding wasted food to animals. But on top of that you can benefit from it not decomposing in landfills."
It seems like a win-win-win situation. But a patchwork of restrictive state and federal laws means U.S. farmers rarely feed food scraps to livestock anymore. So Civita and her colleagues worked with Harvard University's Food Law and Policy Clinic to produce a report to help farmers revive this out-of-fashion practice.
The guide, called Leftovers for Livestock, helps steer waste-generators and farmers through the various laws that limit feeding scraps to farm animals. Many of those were passed after livestock diseases were linked to animal products in feed, notably mad cow disease in cattle and foot-and-mouth disease in swine. By 2007, the guide reports, only 3 percent of American hog farmers fed scraps to their animals.
"We needed to do this work to demystify all this so that people on the ground, producing our food, can actually make use of this more sustainable feed supply," Civita said. "Farmers are really busy people. We can't expect them to figure out these regs on their own."
The guide addresses just a small piece in the broader discussion of food waste, which has grown louder and more urgent in recent years. The issue has grabbed the attention of U.S. lawmakers, including Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), an organic farmer. In late 2015, she introduced a bill that would, among other things, tweak the laws pertaining to grocery "sell by" dates and expand tax breaks to encourage farmers, restaurants and retailers to donate food waste to food banks and shelters. Tossing food, Pingree said at a meeting in Washington, D.C this summer, is "viscerally something we know we shouldn't be doing."
But it's also morphing, at least in the public's awareness, from a moral no-no in a world where hunger is commonplace—a kind of collective ethical transgression—into a climate change issue (also a moral cause for many).
Gunders of NRDC did a comprehensive study of food waste in the U.S. in 2012 and found that food production consumes 10 percent of the country's energy budget, uses half of its land and consumes 80 percent of its fresh water. Americans throw out $165 billion in food a year, about 40 percent of the country's food—more than 20 pounds per person, per month.
"I kept saying, how can these numbers be true, and if they are, how can nobody be talking about them?" Gunders recalled. "But I think it's very safe to say that the level of attention and awareness has increased dramatically. The concern around food waste has gained a ton of traction."
Last year the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture announced an ambitious goal: a 50 percent reduction in food waste by 2030, in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Across the country, cities are implementing food waste diversion programs, and entrepreneurs are entering the food waste business.
Governments and advocates in industrialized countries have aimed their waste-reduction initiatives largely at consumers. Increasingly, Civita and her colleagues say, farmers have expressed an interest in helping out on their side of the equation and cutting food losses before the food enters consumer channels.
"Farmers all around me said: For ages humans have had closed-loop food systems," Civita said. "But how do we do this legally?"
There are limitations beyond legal ones. Already much of the spent grains in the U.S.—like those used in brewing or distilling—go into animal feed, largely in big, industrialized operations. Most remaining food waste—our leftovers—is more difficult to convert into feed. Meanwhile, livestock producers have carefully calibrated the feed they give so that animals grow to exactly the right weight at the right pace, and wasted food may not represent the most efficient fodder.
"They say: It's going to cost me more in the long run," Civita said. "So we need to do a lot more to figure out how to do this more efficiently. Right now, we're talking about using leftovers as a supplement."
Civita and her colleagues haven't yet calculated the precise environmental impact of recycling food waste into livestock feed. In fact, research around food waste is so new, that the World Resources Institute, working with 200 or so global stakeholders, only this year released a standard measure of it.
"Food waste doesn't mean the same thing universally," explained Kai Robertson, who leads the institute's food loss and waste program. "It's difficult to manage what doesn't get measured, and because it's not that straightforward to measure food waste, this standard provides for a common framework."
Going forward, that standard could help waste generators measure how much they toss—and target better ways to reduce it.
The UN already estimates that diverting food waste into feed could free up enough land to feed 3 billion people, and a University of Cambridge study found that feeding food waste to pigs in the European Union could cut the amount of land used to grow pig feed (soybeans and corn) by 4.4 million acres. That report calculated that 600,000 of those acres are in Brazilian tropical forests and savannah, which are increasingly being cleared to grow animal feed.
"This feels like a silver bullet, but, of course, in a systems-based approach, there are no silver bullets. It's not quite that simple," Civita said. "Although, it gives you a sense of scope and scale. It gives you a sense of the possibility."
At the very least, the practice saves money. The MGM Grand Buffet increased its food donations from about 3,350 tons in 2007 to 14,000 tons in 2011, according to Civita's report, and 20 percent of that went to Combs' farm, where it fed about 3,000 hogs.
"They take that food and immediately put in back in the food system, utilizing excess to substantially increase the efficiency of producing pork," Civita said. "That's a pretty good solution." | {
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Modern Warfare 2 Keeps Call of Duty Branding Ending a lengthy period of inane speculation, Infinity Ward has confirmed that its f
"Just recieved[sic] the first Modern Warfare 2 boxes straight off the press," Infinity Ward community manager Robert "fourzerotwo" Bowling wrote on Twitter alongside the above image of the CoD-tacular box art.
Previously, the developer had only officially referred to the shooter sequel as Modern Warfare 2, with indications that the game's commercial success could be hurt if it wasn't clearly labeled as a Call of Duty title. Publisher Activision certainly has high expectations--just yesterday, it delayed Raven's shooter Singularity into 2010, explaining that the move "clears the way for Modern Warfare 2 to dominate this holiday season."
Look for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to hit PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 10. In the meantime, why not take another look at the first full-length trailer? It's just below. | {
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The main thing you'll notice in the app is a five-icon navigation system down at the bottom of the screen, like so many apps have now. There are two new tabs: saved, which pulls up all the lists and locations you've bookmarked, and contribute, which prompts you to add photos and reviews to places you may have visited. With this change, Google also got rid of the old "hamburger" menu where a lot of these features were previously hidden. Given how robust the Google Maps list features are, I'm definitely glad to have easy access to them from anywhere in the app.
There are a few new features crowdsourced from Maps users that'll show up when you're looking at transit directions, as well. For a while now, you've been able to see specific transit lines in many cities as well as estimated arrival times and some info on how crowded a train or bus might be. Google is expanding the info that you'll be able to see by adding details shared by other passengers, including temperature, accessibility, whether there's security onboard or a women's only car and how many cars a train has. Google will gather this info by asking Maps users to contribute details from their trips, something it already does to get data on how crowded trains are. It'll take a bit before Google has enough info to populate all these attributes for all available transit systems, of course, but it's something to keep an eye out for.
The last new features of note involves Live View, the AR-powered walking directions that Google launched last year. Initially, Live View overlaid giant blue arrows to show you exactly where you were going, but the new implementation simplifies things a bit. It drops a big red pin to show where your destination is relative to your position and tells you how far away it is. If you need turn-by-turn directions, you can still get those details along with the big blue arrows. But if you just need to get oriented in the right direction when coming off the subway, for example, this new Live View feature should help with that.
These updates should all be rolling out to both the iPhone and Android phones today -- except the Live View updates, which Google says are coming soon. It's certainly a coincidence, but these updates also are coming just a week after Apple finished completely revamping its own maps. It's been years since Apple Maps was a bad service, at least here in the US, but improvements like the ones Google announced today go a long way towards keeping Google Maps the default option for so many people. | {
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View Transcript
Transcript
Larry King sits at a table and says into the microphone, "Tonight on 'Larry King Live' we have a dog who makes sexy beer commercials, plus an angry feminist." The woman points to Dogbert and says, "His commercials encourage discrimination against women by portraying us all as sex objects." Dogbert asks the woman, "Are you saying men are so dumb, they get their views on life from beer commercials?" The woman crosses her arms and says, "I call them like I see them." | {
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On this page you’ll find our in-depth and detailed reviews of a number of the most popular and best-selling air purifiers currently on the market, as well as our team of experts’ top picks for the best air purifier for smoke for 2019.
If you’re short on time and just here for our recommendations, we’ll make it easy for you: for large spaces we recommend the Alen BreatheSmart, for medium-sized spaces we recommend the Rabbit Air MinusA2 or the Rowenta PU6020, and for small spaces we recommend the Blueair 203.
This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
>>> CLICK HERE to Shop the BEST SELLING Air Purifiers for Smoke on Amazon <<<
It’s no secret that smoking inside your home leaves a lingering odor that can become nearly impossible to remove as it builds up over time. It’s also no secret that second-hand smoke is one of the most dangerous pollutants for you, your loved ones, and your pets to breathe in – and when you smoke inside, you’re inhaling it on a constant basis.
Regardless of whether you smoke or you’re in love with someone who does, there are few things (short of quitting smoking altogether) that will have more of a positive impact on your long-term health than investing in the best air purifier for smoke that fits your budget and purification needs.
Chart of the Best Air Purifiers for Smoke in 2019
To make things easier, here’s a compact and easy-to-read table breaking down our experts’ top picks for the best air purifier for smoke in 2019:
Do Air Purifiers Really Work for Smoke?
In the past, no, they didn’t. It used to be that removing smoke from the air required the purchase of an ugly, oversized smoke eater that was loud and out of place in most residential settings. Not only that, but they were really expensive too! As such, you could really only ever find them being used commercially in restaurants, bars, and bowling alleys.
More recently, some brands have been releasing air filters that they claim can remove smoke, but in reality most lower-end and entry-level models leave quite a bit to be desired. That’s because they simply don’t have the capacity, technology, or filtration media needed to properly remove gases like smoke, or even the microscopic cancer-causing contaminants that accompany it.
If you’re serious about finding a way how to get rid of smoke smell in the house, don’t waste your money on an air cleaner that markets itself on its price. Sadly, low cost is often the same as low effectiveness when it comes to air purification.
There are, however, a number of great air purifiers for smoke that are both well-reviewed and clinically tested to remove effectively all smoke, related odors, and airborne pollutants from your home.
Best Air Purifiers for Smoke
Trusted by Doctors & Hospitals
As one of the bestselling high-end air purifiers for smoke in the world, the IQAir GC Multigas is a top choice for hospitals, medical offices and laboratories, and residential buyers who demand the absolute highest level of smoke removal and air purification.
Rated to clean up to 1,200 square feet of space , this is easily one of the largest, most powerful air cleaners sold to residential buyers for normal in-home use and definitely a top air purifier for cigarette smoke .
, this is easily one of the largest, most powerful air cleaners sold to residential buyers for normal in-home use and definitely a top . Using an impressive 17 pounds of gas phase filter media , the GC Multigas is able to remove smoke, chemicals, harmful gases, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, and other dangerous contaminants from the air with ease.
, the GC Multigas is able to remove smoke, chemicals, harmful gases, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, and other dangerous contaminants from the air with ease. IQAir’s Triple-Seal Filter Technology uses a three-step purification process to ensure that even tiny particles down to 0.003 microns in size are trapped and prevented from being released back out into your home’s air.
uses a three-step purification process to ensure that even tiny particles down to 0.003 microns in size are trapped and prevented from being released back out into your home’s air. Long-last filters are designed with an average life of 12 months – far longer than other high-end brands. This means less regular maintenance and fewer filter replacements are necessary.
>>> Get the BEST PRICE on the IQAir GC Multigas Air Purifier on Amazon <<<
Great for Large Spaces and Homes
Perfect for the mid-range buyer who needs total smoke and odor removal but doesn’t want to spend $1,000+ for a commercial-grade air cleaner, the Alen BreatheSmart confidently offers high-end performance at a price that almost anyone can afford.
Used by many buyers as a total home solution, the Alen BreatheSmart can clean up to 1,100 square feet of floor space , removing smoke and as much as 99.8% of all contaminants in your home’s air.
, removing smoke and as much as in your home’s air. The BreatheSmart uses a combination of Alen’s proprietary SmartSensor and WhisperMax Technologies to deliver high-performance 0.3 micron purification while automatically adjusting the appliance’s speed based on the needs of the air quality in the room.
and to deliver high-performance 0.3 micron purification while automatically adjusting the appliance’s speed based on the needs of the air quality in the room. Changing the HEPA-pure filter takes just seconds thanks to the appliance’s easy on-and-off front cover and child-friendly vent guard.
takes just seconds thanks to the appliance’s easy on-and-off front cover and child-friendly vent guard. A secondary washable pre-filter works to keep the air in your home extra clean, and stretches out the life of your primary filter media. Less frequent replacements means lower long-term costs.
>>> Get the BEST PRICE on the Alen BreatheSmart Air Purifier on Amazon <<<
Captures 99.7% of Harmful Airborne Particles
If you’re looking for a compact air filter for smoke for your bedroom, home office, or garage, the Blueair 203 should be your number one choice. Equipped with the same extreme-filtration technology used in some of the most powerful air purifiers on the market, the 203 delivers a ton of performance for such a small frame.
Made for smaller applications, the Blueair 203 can comfortably keep rooms up to 240 square feet in size clear of smoke, cigarette odors, and the accompanying airborne contaminants.
in size clear of smoke, cigarette odors, and the accompanying airborne contaminants. Rated by the Association of Home Appliance Manufactures as having a Clean Air Delivery Rate of 155 cubic feet per minute – one of the highest ratings of any compact smoke purifier, making it quite possibly the best air purifier for cigarette smoke removal in smaller spaces.
– one of the highest ratings of any compact smoke purifier, making it quite possibly the in smaller spaces. The 203 captures an impressive 99.7% of all harmful particles in the air, including smoke, dust, pet dander, mold, and bacteria.
in the air, including smoke, dust, pet dander, mold, and bacteria. Progressive Filter Structuring means that the Blueair 203 is resistant to clogging – a common problem in lower quality small-frame purifiers.
>>> Get the BEST PRICE on the Blueair 203 Air Purifier on Amazon <<<
Removes Contaminants Down to 0.1 Microns in Size
Considered by many industry experts to be the best air purifier for cigar smoke thanks to its widespread prominence in cigar bars and other smoke-filled establishments, the Blueair 603 is also one of the top rated air purifiers for residential users seeking a high performance cleaner.
Ideal for spacious living rooms and multi-room areas, the Blueair 603 has the power to keep up to 700 square feet clear of smelly smoke odor and dangerous cancer-causing contaminants.
clear of smelly smoke odor and dangerous cancer-causing contaminants. Alen uses a precise combination of activated carbon, HEPA, ionizer, and electrostatic technologies in order to remove over 97% of all airborne particles and contaminants as tiny as 0.1 microns in size – two-thirds smaller than what most other smoke eaters are capable of purifying.
in size – two-thirds smaller than what most other smoke eaters are capable of purifying. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers certified the Blueair 603 as having the highest Clean Air Delivery Rate in its class thanks to its ability to process more than 450 cubic feet of air each minute .
thanks to its ability to process more than . Internal smoke ionizing technology ensures that smoke particles – and smoking’s harmful by-products – are filtered out for a clean, odor-free air output.
Well-Rated for Formaldehyde Removal
Designed to capture even the smallest airborne particles, the Rowenta PU6020 is one of the most stylish air purifiers on the market. Even more importantly, it’s effective in removing more than 97% of tobacco smoke and odors from closed-air systems like your home or professional office space.
The Rowenta PU6020 is rated to cover up to 835 square feet of floor area – enough for the largest of rooms and even some entire apartments.
– enough for the largest of rooms and even some entire apartments. The Onboard Air Quality Sensor automatically adjusts the filter fan according to the level of smoke and other contaminants present in the air.
automatically adjusts the filter fan according to the level of smoke and other contaminants present in the air. Rated to destroy formaldehyde , a cancer-causing poison, which becomes free-floating in the air as a result of cigarette smoke.
, a cancer-causing poison, which becomes free-floating in the air as a result of cigarette smoke. Rest easy with the Rowenta PU6020’s Night Mode which ensures a noise-free operation while you’re trying to sleep – without sacrificing the quality of your home’s air.
Best Air Purifier for Smoke 2019?
So what is the best air purifier for smoke 2019? Well, if price is not an issue and you want to make sure that your home is completely smoke-free, the IQAir GC Multigas is the best pick. If you need to cover a larger space but can’t afford a high-end model like the Multigas, the Alen BreatheSmart is a great alternative that delivers undeniable performance. And for smaller spaces, the compact budget-priced Blueair 203 can’t be beaten.
At the end of the day, every single purifier on this list will be effective in removing smoke and other dangerous particles from your home’s air supply. While some may work slightly better than others (think medical-grade purification), and there’s definitely a difference in how large of a space they can purify, each of these cleaners can be considered the best air purifier for smoke for a wide range of home and commercial needs and applications.
How Do Air Purifiers Work?
Air purification technology is nothing new. We’ve been using cloth, cotton, and other mediums for hundreds – if not thousands – of years to keep harmful particles out of our lungs. In the most basic form, a doctor’s surgical mask or the respiratory devices that firemen wear in the field are both examples of air purifiers.
Early generations of electric air purifiers used fan blades and negative pressure to suction contaminated air into the device and through a fine cloth or synthetic filter. The filter would then trap larger particles floating in the air, resulting in a much cleaner air supply being released out the other side.
Today, air purifiers can trap particles as small as 0.1 micron in size – so tiny that you’d need a high-powered microscope to even see them. And while fans are still used to move air around, any contender for the title of best air purifier for smokers will employ a variety of different ionizing and electrostatic technologies to remove not just particles, but also the gases and VOCs present in the homes of smokers, from the environment.
Do I Need an Air Purifier?
One of the most popular questions that we get from our readers is the all-to-common one-liner, “Do I need an air purifier?” At first, I’d give a detailed explanation of how big of an improvement an air cleaner can make, but after being asked this question nearly every day, I began to just give a one-line answer back:
Do you care about your health or the health or the people and animals you share your home with?
The EPA has publicly stated that the air quality inside of most homes is worse than that in even the most polluted US cities. If you don’t think that warrants investing in an air purifier, you’re dead wrong.
And if you smoke inside, your need for an air cleaner just skyrocketed. Cigarette smoke releases more than 7,000 different chemicals into the air, meaning that if you’re not using the best air purifier for smoke to keep your home clean, all of those pollutants will make their way into your clothing, your furniture, and you and your family’s lungs.
>>> CLICK HERE to Shop the BEST SELLING Air Purifiers for Smoke on Amazon <<<
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The ruling is another blow to President Donald Trump's efforts to use executive orders to carry out major policy moves. | Getty Judge blocks Trump’s order on sanctuary cities
A federal judge has blocked a directive from President Donald Trump seeking to deny federal funding to so-called "sanctuary cities" and other localities that decline to cooperate in enforcement of federal immigration laws.
San Francisco-based U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday barring federal officials nationwide from carrying out the portion of a Jan. 25 Trump executive order aimed at cutting off grants to local governments that won't provide assistance to federal authorities in locating and detaining undocumented immigrants.
Orrick cited public comments from Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions in concluding that the order appeared intended to sweep more broadly than allowed by federal law. The judge, an Obama appointee, called "not legally plausible" the Justice Department's arguments that Trump was simply trying to secure compliance with current law.
"If there was doubt about the scope of the Order, the President and Attorney General have erased it with their public comments," Orrick wrote. "The Constitution vests the spending power in Congress, not the President, so the Order cannot constitutionally place new conditions on federal funds."
The ruling was another high-profile blow to Trump's efforts to use executive orders to carry out major policy moves— a drive his staff is highlighting as he approaches the 100-days-in-office mark.
Trump took to Twitter early Wednesday, appearing to vow an appeal. He also blasted the sanctuary cities decision as part of a series of wayward judicial actions, including rulings that blocked his efforts to bar visitors and immigrants from several majority-Muslim countries.
"First the Ninth Circuit rules against the ban & now it hits again on sanctuary cities-both ridiculous rulings. See you in the Supreme Court!" Trump wrote. "Out of our very big country, with many choices, does everyone notice that both the 'ban' case and now the 'sanctuary' case is brought in .....the Ninth Circuit, which has a terrible record of being overturned (close to 80%). They used to call this 'judge shopping!' Messy system."
District court judges are not commonly referred to as judges of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, although they sit within that circuit, which covers nine western states. The appeals court has yet to rule on Trump's sanctuary cities order.
The key parts of Trump's initial travel ban order—decried by critics as a "Muslim ban"—were blocked in February by a Seattle-based judge. Later that month, a three-judge 9th Circuit panel unanimously declined to allow Trump to immediately reinstate the ban.
Rather than seeing that appeal through or taking the issue to the Supreme Court, Trump chose to redraft the order. Last month, a judge in Hawaii blocked the core of the revised order.
However, Trump was inaccurate to suggest that court challenges were only brought in the 9th Circuit and only judges located in that region have questioned the legality of his actions. Portions of the initial travel ban were also blocked by judges in Boston, New York and Detroit. And the visa-ban part of Trump's revised travel directive was also blocked by a judge in Maryland.
Trump's Twitter assault on the sanctuary cities ruling was in line with a harsh statement the White House issued about seven hours after Orrick's decision, but somewhat out of sync with a Justice Department statement earlier Tuesday downplaying the impact of the judge's order.
"Today, the rule of law suffered another blow, as an unelected judge unilaterally rewrote immigration policy for our Nation," the White House said in the statement, which was unusually attributed to no individual but solely to the "Office of the Press Secretary."
"Once again, a single district judge — this time in San Francisco — has ignored Federal immigration law to set a new immigration policy for the entire country. This decision occurred in the same sanctuary city that released the 5-time deported illegal immigrant who gunned down innocent Kate Steinle in her father's arms," the statement said.
The Justice Department statement emphasized that the judge did not block the federal government from enforcing federal law as it now stands.
"The Court upheld the ‘Government’s ability to use lawful means to enforce existing conditions of federal grants or 8 U.S.C. 1373,' " Justice spokesman Ian Prior said, referring to a provision in federal law that bars localities from policies that impede exchange of information with the federal government.
"The Department of Justice." Prior added, "previously stated to the Court, and reiterates now, that it will follow the law with respect to regulation of sanctuary jurisdictions. Accordingly, the Department will continue to enforce existing grant conditions and will continue to enforce 8 U.S.C. 1373. Further, the order does not purport to enjoin the Department’s independent legal authority to enforce the requirements of federal law applicable to communities that violate federal immigration law or federal grant conditions."
Despite the sweeping denunciation from Trump and the White House, Orrick maintained that his new injunction may not block much or any of what the Trump administration claimed in court it was actually trying to do through the portion of the Jan. 25 order targeting sanctuary cities. If all Trump wanted to do was cut off Justice Department grants to localities that are out of compliance with the law, he can still do that, the judge observed.
"This injunction does nothing more than implement the effect of the Government's flawed interpretation of the Order," Orrick wrote.
Orrick acted on lawsuits brought by the City of San Francisco and nearby Santa Clara County. At least three other suits are pending over the same sanctuary city language in Trump's immigration-enforcement executive order. Since the judge's injunction applies nationwide, it could moot those other suits for the time being.
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The judge concluded that the California localities were correct to be concerned that their funding was in jeopardy and that the grants affected might be more than just the few the Justice Department said were covered by Trump's order.
"Although Government counsel has represented that the Order will be implemented consistent with law, this assurance is undermined by Section 9(a)’s clearly unconstitutional directives. Further, through public statements, the President and Attorney General have appeared to endorse the broadest reading of the Order," Orrick added.
"Is the Order merely a rhetorical device, as counsel suggested at the hearing, or a 'weapon' to defund the Counties and those who have implemented a different law enforcement strategy than the Government currently believes is desirable? The result of this schizophrenic approach to the Order is that the Counties’ worst fears are not allayed and the Counties reasonably fear enforcement under the Order," the judge wrote.
The two Democrats in California's Senate delegation hailed the ruling, while other senators were divided on it. Most senators interviewed near the Senate chamber Tuesday afternoon said they had not seen the judge's decision and were just learning of it from news reports or from reporters.
"It’s fantastic, I’m jumping up and down. Put five exclamation points after what I said," California Sen. Kamala Harris said, predicting that the injunction will be upheld if appealed.
"I think this is highlighting the importance of an independent judiciary, and you know, the law is the law. And so, thumbs up. All of the thumbs up," she added.
"Well, that’s good, as a Californian, that’s good," Sen. Dianne Feinstein said when told of the decision.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said cities should not be undermining federal law.
"There is only one federal government. Read the Constitution," McCain said, adding that he had not read the court decision. "You can’t pass laws in a town or a city that violates federal laws. If you started doing that, then we would have anarchy in this country. That’s a no-brainer."
Technically, the judge's order does not apply to Trump, but only to federal agencies and other executive branch officials. Orrick said injunctions against the president personally are not favored by the courts. He also noted that Trump had no apparent role in carrying out his executive order.
Seung Min Kim contributed to this report. | {
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A senior Egyptian diplomat said yesterday that the country will not organise systems for Egyptian expatriates living in five Arab and African countries to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
Speaking in an interview with Egyptian state-run newspaper Al-Akhbar, Deputy Foreign Minister for African Affairs Hamdi Sanad Loza cited reasons security issues and political unrest as the reasons behind the decision.
Egyptians living in Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia and the Central African Republic will not be able to take part in March’s elections due to security issues and political instability in these countries, Loza explained.
Syria, Libya and Yemen have experienced turbulent security and political situations since 2011, while Somalia and the Central African Republic are witnessing armed conflicts and sectarian violence.
Read: January in Egypt, where pride meets shame
The Egyptian National Elections Commission (NEC) announced on Monday that two presidential candidates applied for the upcoming elections, naming them as current President and coup leader Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Mousa Mostafa Mousa who heads Al-Ghad Party.
Egyptians living abroad are scheduled to cast their votes from 16-18 March according to the timetable set by the National Electoral Commission. | {
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Sociedad Civil demuestra que se puede votar varias veces en colegios distintos La asociación ha denunciado esta irregularidad en el referéndum de este domingo a través de su cuenta de Twitter
EUROPA PRESS MADRID Actualizado: 01/10/2017 16:20h Guardar Enviar noticia por correo electrónico Tu nombre * Tu correo electrónico * Su correo electrónico *
Sociedad Civil Catalana ha distribuido varias imágenes en las que se puede ver a dos hombres votando dos veces en colegios electorales diferentes de Barcelona. «Votando varias veces sin problemas», ha resaltado.
La asociación ha denunciado esta irregularidad en el referéndum de este domingo a través de su cuenta de Twitter. Primero, ha publicado dos fotografías en las que un mismo hombre ha votado primero en el Colegio La Pau sobre las 9.45 horas y después en la Escuela Industrial a las 14.30 horas.
Votando varias veces sin problemas pic.twitter.com/BEJThDHMeY — Soc. Civil Catalana (@Societatcc) 1 de octubre de 2017
En las dos imágenes que ha tuiteado Sociedad Civil Catalana aparece lo que parece ser la misma persona vestida con camiseta azul, pantalón negro y cazadora roja y en ambas fotos lleva un periódico en la mano. En ambos casos está metiendo una papeleta en una urna y la cara aparece pixelada.
Minutos después, la asociación ha vuelto a tuitear una situación similar para denunciar las irregularidades del referéndum. Son otras dos imágenes de un mismo hombre, también con la cara pixelada, vestido con camiseta y cazadora negras y pantalón gris depositando dos papeletas en dos centros de votación diferentes.
Escuela industrial 14:30
Colegio La Pau en la verneda a las 9:45 pic.twitter.com/lD03dpf124 — Soc. Civil Catalana (@Societatcc) 1 de octubre de 2017
Una reportera de 'Informativos Telecinco' también ha podido votar en repetidas ocasiones. En distintas mesas del mismo colegio electoral, IES Picasso de Barcelona, la periodista no encontraba ningún tipo de oposición y depositaba su voto hasta dos veces.
Piden que el Govern quede sin responsabilidades
Societat Civil Catalana ha reclamado que el presidente de la Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont, el vicepresidente, Oriol Junqueras, y todo el Govern "queden apartados de la política indefinidamente" al creer que son los principales responsables de las tensiones vividas en Cataluña.
En un comunicado, la entidad ha reprochado al ejecutivo catalán y a sus líderes que "hayan olvidado que ningún ciudadano está exento del cumplimiento de la ley ni está por encima de ningún otro ciudadano" y que "un representante político tiene la obligación de dar ejemplo al resto de la población respetando y haciendo respetar el ordenamiento jurídico".
Tras lamentar las escenas violentas que se han vivido hoy en diferentes puntos de Cataluña, exige también al Gobierno que "aplique las medidas necesarias para corregir la anómala situación actual, y que garantice que Cataluña siga siendo un espacio de concordia, convivencia y tolerancia en el que los derechos de la ciudadanía estén garantizados" Además, ha denunciado el papel de los Mossos d'Esquadra y ha pedido dimisión o cese inmediato de sus dirigentes.
En esta línea, ha lamentado "la utilización política del cuerpo de los Mossos d'Esquadra que han hecho dejación de sus obligaciones", mientras que ha felicitado la actuación "proporcionada" del Cuerpo Nacional de Policía y la Guardia Civil "en su objetivo de restaurar la normalidad democrática y constitucional de todos los catalanes". | {
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Diez de los once ministros de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN) declararon inconstitucional la Ley de Seguridad Interior, avalando, desde el máximo tribunal, lo que muchos habíamos señalado desde hace dos años. Las razones que tuvieron para pronunciarse por la invalidez de la totalidad de la norma fueron diversas, todas importantes e ilustrativas. La ministra Norma Piña, por ejemplo, expuso el proceso desaseado de aprobación que tuvo la Ley en la Cámara de Diputados: un dictamen que se dio a conocer pocas horas antes de su aprobación; mociones suspensivas por parte de los legisladores de oposición que fueron ignoradas. Ahí estuvimos varios de los integrantes del colectivo #SeguridadSinGuerra cuando la comisión dictaminadora pretendió aprobar el dictamen en fast-track, dentro de un salón pequeño y obscuro, a espaldas del público, como si se estuviera consumando un delito.
Otros ministros sostuvieron que el Congreso no tiene facultades para legislar en materia de seguridad interior. Otros más, como el ministro Arturo Zaldívar, señalaron que la Ley constituía un fraude a la Constitución, una forma de burlar la disposición constitucional que señala que las tareas de seguridad pública debe estar en manos de autoridades civiles, no militares. Una ley que pone en riesgo los derechos fundamentales, incompatible con un régimen democrático de derecho; una ley que normaliza el uso de las fuerzas armadas en lugar de tratarlas como una herramienta excepcional. El ministro José Ramón Cossío señaló que la Constitución solo prevé dos supuestos para que los militares estén en las calles: una declaratoria de guerra o una suspensión de garantías.
La SCJN fungió como contrapeso a un Ejecutivo y a un Legislativo sordos a las múltiples críticas y advertencias sobre los riesgos implícitos de dar facultades extra-constitucionales a las fuerzas armadas. Podríamos ahora empezar de nuevo a pensar el paradigma de seguridad para México, algo distinto al desastre que ha sido la militarización del país los últimos 12 años. Sin embargo, la presentación, el día anterior, del plan de seguridad para el sexenio de Andrés Manuel López Obrador, dio al traste con cualquier esperanza de ver un cambio en materia de seguridad.
La propuesta incluye cuestiones positivas, como un cambio en el paradigma de política de drogas, una reforma profunda al sistema penitenciario y una apuesta por atender las causas sociales de la criminalidad. Pero el corazón de la misma está en la creación de la Guardia Nacional: un cuerpo de seguridad bajo control militar, con entrenamiento militar, adscrita a la Secretaría de la Defensa y conformada por miembros de las policías militar y naval para realizar tareas de seguridad pública.
Los policías militares harán labores de prevención del delito, vigilancia de las calles y serán auxiliares de los ministerios públicos en la investigación del delito. Nada se dijo sobre la necesaria capacitación policial. Para que la reforma no termine en la SCJN, como pasó con la Ley de Seguridad Interior, el nuevo Gobierno anunció que reformará la Constitución para quitar los candados que impiden la participación de las fuerzas armadas en tareas de seguridad pública.
Es difícil entender la decisión del presidente electo. Tiene el capital político para revertir el desastre en materia de seguridad, ha reconocido la ineficiencia de la militarización, conoce los riesgos. ¿Por qué apostar por un –mayor- crecimiento de las fuerzas armadas? ¿Por qué continuar con una estrategia que ha demostrado ser tan costosa en términos de vidas, legitimidad y paz? Las omisiones en el plan para formar instituciones civiles son graves. Igualmente grave es la actitud que denota la propuesta: si la Constitución estorba, que se cambie. Doblegar la Constitución y desoír a la Suprema Corte para seguir un camino que ha dejado cientos de miles de muertos, desaparecidos y desplazados es un error histórico.
Catalina Pérez Correa es académica en estudios jurídicos en el Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE) | {
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Fred Santore Jr., the box office treasurer at the Richard Rodgers Theater, where “Hamilton” opened in August, said that in his 34 years there this was the first time he had seen “any counterfeit tickets to a show.” Since August, about five times a week, the theater has had to turn away people bearing fake tickets, he said on Friday. (A few hours later, a photographer for The New York Times witnessed two people in line for the evening’s performance — strangers to each other — learn that their tickets were fake.)
Jason, 42, said in an interview last week that he had a healthy skepticism of Craigslist, but he had used the website to buy tickets to other New York City events. An ad there for “Hamilton” tickets appeared genuine, and the asking price — not too high, not too low — seemed appropriate.
He wrote a seller who later said his name was Dan, who agreed to sell him two tickets to the Jan. 2 performance. They met outside the Urban Outfitters store on Avenue of the Americas near 14th Street. Dan, who appeared to be in his 30s, arrived and chatted about how he had already seen “Hamilton” with his fiancée, so when they received tickets as a Christmas gift, he decided to sell them. He handed over a Ticketmaster envelope containing two tickets and a receipt, counted out the $600, said goodbye and strolled north. | {
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Такое заявление сделал и.о. генпрокурора Олег Махницкий в Лондоне, на Форуме по возвращению похищенных активов, передает 5 канал.
По его словам, часть этих средств оказалась в европейских банках, часть вывезли в Россию. По меньшей мере 32 миллиарда - утверждает Махницкий, перевезли через границу в начале года наличными - в грузовиках.
Из этих средств якобы и финансируют деятельность сепаратистов на Востоке Украины.
Читайте последние новости Украины и мира на канале УНИАН в Telegram | {
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Written By Brian Beutler
Crooked Media has partnered with Change Research to conduct a series of Democratic primary polls. The first entry in this PollerCoaster series is now available. You can see all our crosstabs here, browse mobile-friendly toplines here, read open-ended responses here, and download the raw data here.
After the trauma of the 2016 election, it’s natural that prospective Democratic primary voters are fixated on nominating the presidential candidate they believe to be the most electable. But it is increasingly apparent that these voters have formed questionable impressions of what constitutes electability, and in many cases, thrown their support not to the candidates they prefer most in the abstract, but to ones they believe, for one reason or another, will fare better in the general election against President Trump.
That’s one of the key takeaways of Crooked Media’s survey of Democratic voters in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.
We asked 935 voters from Monday, June 17 to Wednesday, June 19 not just for their candidate preferences, but for their second choices, and for information about how they reached their decisions.
Like many pollsters, we found four candidates at the top of the pack. Joe Biden leads with 29 percent, followed by Bernie Sanders with 20 percent, Elizabeth Warren with 19 percent, and Pete Buttigieg with 14 percent. No other candidate has double-digit support.
These same four candidates dominate the second-choice rankings as well, but the ordering there looks much different. Warren tops the list of respondents’ second choices with 20 percent, followed by Biden with 18 percent, and Sanders and Buttigieg with 15 percent. Kamala Harris is the top choice of only five percent of respondents, but 11 percent say she is their second choice.
These rankings mask the extent to which many voters have selected candidates on the basis of perceived electability. Yes, each candidate’s supporters tend to think their candidate would be the best president. But 22 percent of respondents said they prefer their top choice candidate over their second choice candidate because they believe their top choice “has a better chance of beating Trump.” Of those voters, a full 45 percent believe their second-choice candidates would fare worse against Trump because they worry that average Americans won’t like their second-choice candidates as much as their top choice, and this is especially true of people who chose Warren, Harris, and Buttigeg as their second choices. Additionally, large proportions of all candidates’ supporters feel that Biden is the likeliest to beat Trump: 50 percent of Buttigieg supporters, 28 percent of Warren supporters, and 20 percent of Sanders supporters believe this.
What it all means is that a substantial number of primary voters are making decisions about whom to vote or caucus for next year through the prism of other people’s presumed biases. And that may be creating unnecessary distortions, because there’s little reason to suspect voters are equipped to gauge these biases or the nature of electability in general. It may also be creating a self-perpetuating feedback cycle, where voters tell pollsters they support the candidates that political commentators have deemed electable based largely on their strengths in the polls.
The question of electability has frustrated many Democratic activists—particularly those whose favorite candidates have suffered from negative perceptions of their electability. It is common for these activists to assert that the concept electability is essentially fiction. Most polls show Trump losing head-to-head matchups with all leading Democrats, so people should just support the candidates they like best.
There is a compelling logic to this argument, but it is also too convenient.
If we could run the election two dozen times, one candidate would almost certainly outperform all the others—even if by slim margins. Whoever the most electable candidate is, that person would stand the best chance of beating Trump and would be likeliest to beat him by the largest margin. If Democrats can manage to nominate the most electable candidate, it might make the difference between Democrats winning or losing the election. It might even determine whether the next Democratic president will have to govern with Democratic or Republican Senate. These are profound stakes: Will America give Trump a second term? Will America be able to govern itself?
That means two things are true: An enormous amount hangs on Democratic voters getting the electability question right, and yet most voters are shooting in the dark for the right answer.
The outcome of the 2016 election looms large in voters’ minds as they select their candidates today. In open-ended responses, voters repeatedly explained that they’d chosen male candidates over female alternatives because of their view that male candidates are more electable—that the country may be too sexist to elect a woman president. The 2018 elections apparently did little to allay the concern that women candidates won’t get a fair shake in 2020.
What do our survey results say about this concern? Admittedly not much directly, but there are some interesting clues.
1. None of the leading candidates has obvious vulnerabilities that the others lack. Every candidate has haters, which means some respondents said they’re likely to sit out the election or vote third party if their most disfavored Democrats win the nomination. But for Biden, Sanders, Warren, and Buttigieg (and indeed for most candidates) this number is remarkably stable. For Biden it’s 14, Sanders 16, Warren 15, and Buttigieg 16.
2. Most, but not all, leading candidates draw their support very unevenly within the Democratic coalition. Biden struggles with younger voters, but not older ones. Sanders struggles with older voters but not younger ones. Buttigieg struggles with black voters. Warren, by contrast draws her support fairly evenly across demographic groups.
3. Nearly all candidates underperform with black voters relative to their overall levels of support because Biden completely crushes all other candidates among black voters with 62 percent. This is both a source of immense strength for Biden, and also a point of vulnerability, should his support among black voters begin to slip for any reason.
4. As voters become more aware of the candidates in the race, their perceptions begin to change in ways that benefit Warren and Buttigieg and hurt Sanders and Biden. Among the most-aware voters, Warren leads with 25 percent, followed by Biden with 23, Buttigieg with 16, and Sanders with 14. Among all respondents, half see Biden as the most electable. But this overall perception of his electability correlates negatively with candidate awareness—as voters learn more about the field, they become less likely to see Biden as the most electable. This is also true of Sanders. By contrast, the more voters learn about the field, the more they come to view Warren and Buttigieg as electable.
This isn’t enough to say that the conventional wisdom about electability is wrong, but it is enough to say that we should all question our assumptions. And now it’s up to the field to convince the Democratic voters of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina that their perceptions are deceiving them. | {
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Pakistan Army troops shot out the tires of a vehicle carrying a kidnapped US-Canadian couple and their children in a raid that led to the family’s release, a security official said on Friday.The operation late on Wednesday freed American Caitlan Campbell, her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle and their three children who were born in captivity following five years as hostages of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.A senior security source on Friday detailed how the family were freed following a car chase in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan. He said the security forces and intelligence agents, acting on a US intelligence tip, zeroed in on a vehicle holding the family as they were being moved in Kurram agency.Agents from Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and army soldiers attempted to intercept the vehicle, but it sped away and was chased into a district in northwest, according to the security source. “Our troops fired at the vehicle and burst its tyres,” he said, declining to be identified because he is not authorised to speak openly to the media.The kidnappers managed to escape, the security official added, saying the troops wouldn’t fire at the fleeing captors for fear of harming the hostages. The army recovered the hostages safely from the car.DG ISPR Maj-Gen Asif Ghafoor told NBC News that the vehicle’s driver and another militant had escaped to a nearby refugee camp.A second security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said US drones had been circling the town of Kohat, on the edge of the tribal areas on Wednesday, suggesting US co-operation included sophisticated surveillance inside Pakistan.The US embassy in Pakistan declined to comment on the drone report.The family’s rescue has been hailed by US President Donald Trump as a “positive moment” for US-Pakistan relations, which have frayed in recent years amid Washington’s assertions that Islamabad was not doing enough to tackle Haqqani militants who are believed to be on Pakistani soil.Trump, in a statement, said the release of the hostages indicates Pakistan was acquiescing to “America’s wishes for it to do more to provide security in the region”. | {
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The headquarters of Germany's Deutsche Bank is seen in Frankfurt, Germany, September 29, 2016. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
LONDON (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank, one the world’s biggest sterling bears, said on Tuesday that UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s surprise call for a general election is a “game-changer” for the currency, and that it will raise its forecasts for the pound in the coming days.
May’s move should result in a larger and more stable majority in parliament, thereby reducing the likelihood of a so-called ‘hard Brexit’, the bank’s currency analysts said.
“We have been structurally negative on sterling for the last two years but are now changing view. This morning’s announcement of a snap general election on June 8 is a game-changer for both the UK’s Brexit negotiations and sterling,” they said.
May’s announcement paves the way for a lengthier negotiating process with the rest of the European Union, which is more in line with the EU approach, they said.
Sterling rose sharply on Tuesday, hitting a 2016 high of $1.2725.
As recently as March 23, Deutsche Bank analysts reiterated their call for a fall to $1.06 by the end of this year. | {
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Tonight aerospace enthusiasts will hold their collective breath as NASA 's Mars Science Laboratory, aka Curiosity , attempts to land on the red planet at 1:31 a.m. ET.
NASA TV—streaming below from the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California—offers a front row seat to history, and a chance to be among the first to learn the outcome of the rover's "seven minutes of terror." | {
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▲ Image Source: Riot Games (with added text)
What started as an outbreak in Wuhan and the delay of the League of Legends Pro League in China led to a plethora of canceled and reformatted events around the globe. The Coronavirus outbreak has not only affected major stock markets, but has greatly impacted the esports scene as well. We will update this story as more changes are made.
DOTA 2
UPDATED 4/30 - Iconic esports tournament The International, which serves as the world championship for DOTA 2 esports, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 marks the 10th year of TI, and the first time it has ever been postponed.
League of Legends
As of now, both the LEC and LCK have resumed play within their respective studios with on-air talent and teams present, but without audiences.
UPDATE 7/23 - The 2020 Harrisburg University Esports Invitational, the annual collegiate League of Legends and Overwatch tournament hosted by the Harrisburg University Storm, will be fully online and virtual this year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is scheduled to take place from September 19 - September 20.
UPDATED 3/25 - League of Legends developer Riot Games has donated $1.5 million to Pandemic Relief in Los Angeles.
UPDATED 3/12: LCS (NA) - The LA based League originally canceled all post game fan interaction, as well as the players' own handshakes to each other, and is keeping an eye on the situation regarding Spring Split Finals in Frisco, TX. On March 12th, Riot Games took the hard decision to ban all fans and press from the venue, but games will continue being played live in the studio.
UPDATED 3/13: LCS (NA) - The Spring Splits of both the 2020 League of Legends Championship Series and the League of Legends Academy Championship Series have been indefinitely suspended.
The 2020 LCS Spring Finals, which was supposed to take place in Frisco, TX next month, will now be held at the LCS studios in Los Angeles, CA. A full statement was given by LCS Commissioner Chris Greeley on the official LCS twitter account.
UPDATED 3/13: CLoL - All Collegiate League of Legends operations have been suspended immediately. The Riot Scholastic Association of America announced the unfortunate news in a tweet, and also confirmed that if all competitions were unable to continue that it would follow through with awarding the allocated scholarship funds.
UPDATED 3/13: LEC (EU) - The European league semi-canceled their Spring Split Finals, relocating them from Budapest to the Berlin studio. Furthermore, just like the LCS, the LEC has now taken action and banned all fans and press from their studio as well. Due to suspicion that an LEC staff member was exposed to the coronavirus, the LEC has suspended all play for the time being. They have not released plans for an online format, though more information is expected soon.
UPDATED 3/17: LCS (NA) and LEC (EU) - The LEC, LCS, and Academy will resume games this upcoming weekend, in an online format. The full LCS and Academy schedule have been announced, but the LEC has yet to confirm their playoff schedule yet.
UPDATED 3/19: LCS Academy League (NA) - The 2020 LCS Academy League will resume online this week with no observer cam for week 8, and the first day's broadcast has been delayed by 30 minutes due to technical difficulties.
LCK (KR) - They initially began their Spring Split operations without fans, allowing only players and press in the venue, but after a coronavirus scare with their host a few weeks later, barred press as well. The league has since halted operations, and is monitoring their situation, and may move to an online format upon resuming.
UDATED 3/24: The LCK returns for their second round robin in an online format, starting games tonight and playing regular season games through April 16th.
LPL (CN) - The Chinese league started much earlier than the rest, getting a few weeks of play in before the outbreak worsened. However, during their normal season pause for their Lunar New Year celebrations, Shanghai postponed all sports activities, including professional esports and the LPL. They later announced they'd recommence on March 9th, using an online format to finish their season, playing three Bo3's per day, seven days a week. They also still plan to host Worlds 2020, and will reportedly receive help from the Chinese government to make that happen.
Other League of Legends Esports - The PCS (which replaced the LMS and SEA regions) postponed their Spring Split, while the Japanese pro league, the LJL, has also gone spectatorless as well. MSI had its announcement delayed (also available in cartoon form), and Riot canceled their Valorant reveal event and made their TFT Galaxies Showdown online format only. Multiple pro players in Korea have donated some of their salary to coronavirus victims, and FPX made a large donation as well.
UPDATED 3/10: Riot Games' Mid Season Invitational has been delayed till July. Rift Rivals has been canceled and all regions have changed their schedule to start earlier to allow for a large gap in the middle of Summer.
Overwatch League
The Overwatch League has had several canceled Homestands in China and Korea, and then further cancelations of those rescheduled games as well. The Asian-based Overwatch League teams are also now relocating to LA. Paris Eternal's Homestand has also been canceled/delayed. Blizzard also changed its Hearthstone Masters Tour LA to an online only format.
UPDATED 4/30: After two matches in the Asian division — both losses to Guangzhou Charge and Chengdu Hunters — Vancouver Titans Esports Director Tim Holloway confirmed the team will be returning to the Pacific Division of the Overwatch League. Vancouver Titans' next scheduled match is against Washington Justice on Saturay, May 9.
UPDATED 4/14: Overwatch League franchise London Spitfire has not played any matches recently due to the government-mandated quarantine in Korea, but announced on Monday, April 13 that the team expects to start playing OWL matches again in early May.
UPDATED 3/27: Sixteen games of the 2020 Overwatch League were scheduled to take place online this weekend. However, both the New York Excelsior and the Vancouver Titans have stepped back from competing temporarily. The games have yet to be re-scheduled.
UPDATED 3/11: All Overwatch League events have been canceled through April. However, OWL Commissioner, Pete Vlastelica, tweeted out that all games will still be played. Only the events themselves have been canceled. Please continue checking back for more information as the story updates.
UPDATED 3/17: Overwatch League announced their new schedule, with games beginning March 21st. They also announced they'd be playing games entirely online, and across multiple different regions, eliminating the need for travel.
UPDATED 3/24: In an effort to make up for scheduled games canceled by the COVID-19 outbreak , Overwatch League will run sixteen games this weekend. Eight games will take place on Saturday, March 28, and then eight more will take place throughout Sunday, March 29.
Other Esports
UPDATED 9/9: Counter-Strike Global Offensive Major ESL One Rio 2020 has been canceled due to COVID-19.
UPDATED 6/19: Twitch announced it would cancel their TwitchCon San Diego event, set to take place this Fall due to continued concerns around COVID-19. TwitchCon Amsterdam was already canceled this March, meaning there will be no TwitchCons in 2020. Twitch is looking for other potential options to celebrate in an event that would still fit in health safety regulations. Stay tuned for more details.
UPDATED 6/10: PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS initially unveiled the PUBG Continental Series as an online pivot from the standard circuit due to the pandemic with the PCS Charity Showdown. Recently, PUBG esports unveiled PCS 1 & 2 to take place across all four global regions this summer.
UPDATED 5/26: Blizzard Entertainment has announced that BlizzCon 2020 has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. BlizzCon Executive Producer Saralyn Smith said that the community would be updated on any potential updates regarding online pivots.
UPDATED 5/5: ESL Australia announced via Twitter that IEM Melbourne 2020 and the Melbourne Esports Open would be postponed due to COVID-19. The tweet reads as follows: Today we have a tough update to share. Due to the current global health situation @IEM Melbourne 2020, and the @MelbEsportsOpen have been rescheduled to August 21-22, 2021. Please read the full update on our website here: http://iem.gg/melbourne2020.
UPDATED 5/1: Just one day after The Invitational was delayed, EVO has canceled their in-person event at Mandalay Bay and will move to an online format. They are refunding all purchased tickets and hotel reservations automatically. They've not yet finalized their plans for the online format, but they will begin tournament sign ups next week. Stay tuned for updates on EVO here.
UPDATED 3/12: All Call of Duty live events have been canceled and the league is moving to an online only format. The league started off with their own Homestands this year, but similar to Overwatch League, they've had to abandon them for the time being.
Counter-Strike and IEM originally aded a heavy spectator screening to their Katowice finals, but ultimately ran the event spectatorless. New CS:GO league, Flashpoint, moved their entire league to LA and canceled their finals in Stockholm.
Similarly, Psyonix canceled their Rocket League Season 9 World Championship live event, and The Pokémon Company canceled the 2020 Pokémon Europe International Championships. Luckily, the Oceania International Championships Junior Division wasn't canceled so we could be graced with this story below.
Meanwhile, the Fighting Game Community (FGC) got hit hard. The FGC is largely made up of multiple small, grassroots style tournaments leading up to grand events like EVO. Therefore, the FGC lacks the more stable infrastructure provided by large tournament organizers and developers (like Riot Games). Not only does COVID-19 pressure smaller tournaments, though, some of the higher profile tourneys were affected as well. Multiple events in the Capcom Pro Tour were removed and Tokyo Tekken Masters was postponed.
And while the real live NBA was canceled, the NBA 2K League was as well. NBA 2K will be delaying their start and participating in preseason matches in an online format. Brawlhalla canceled their tournament at this upcoming weekend's CEO Dreamland event, and will make up for it with an online tournament at a later date. Unfortuantely, with so many people pulling out of CEO Dreamland, the organizer was forced to create a PayPal to accept donations to keep them afloat. Attendees are requesting refunds, and they're being provided, but CEO Dreamland has no way of covering the costs of the venues, etc. and is facing severe financial burdens.
As far as other gaming related events go, Twitchcon Amsterdam was canceled last week and the GDC was canceled this February as well, which has been going steady for over 30 years. E3 was also canceled, which is a hugely popular expo in LA. Finally - and somewhat anecdotally - Plague Inc., a game where the player becomes a disease with intention of spreading across the globe, was banned in China.
There will be further cancellations and changes to other events in the future. Please follow this article for further updates, and follow our Twitter below. And check here for more esports and gaming news and content. | {
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Say what you will about Netflix CEO Reed Hastings' recent choices, but he's crystal-clear on how customers view his company's tarnished brand.
Hastings made several frank, rueful comments about Netflix's (NFLX) mistakes at the UBS Media conference in New York on Tuesday.
"We did so many difficult things this year that we got overconfident," Hastings said. "Our big obsession for the year was streaming, the idea that 'let's not die with DVDs.'"
Netflix's 2011 troubles began when it announced it would charge separate prices for its DVDs-by-mail and streaming video plans. But the real debacle came in September, when Netflix announced its DVD service would be rebranded as Qwikster. Customers raged so much that Netflix pulled a stunning reversal a few short weeks later and canceled the entire Qwikster plan.
"We moved too fast with it," Hastings said. "We berate ourselves tremendously."
But Hastings didn't shy away from the philosophy behind Qwikster, as he downplayed the DVD business several times during his talk.
"Streaming is the future; we're focused on it," he said. "DVD is going to do whatever it's going to do. We don't want to hurt it, but we're not putting much time or energy into it."
Instead, Hastings sees Netflix as more aligned with HBO (owned by CNNMoney parent Time Warner (TWX, Fortune 500)). He views the on-demand service HBO Go as Netflix's main competitor in the streaming space -- not direct rivals like Hulu and kiosk service Redbox (owned by Coinstar (CSTR)), or big tech players like Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) and Google (GOOG, Fortune 500).
To that point, Netflix has licensed its first original series, "House of Cards," which stars Kevin Spacey and is due out in late 2012. Hastings touted the series several times while he discussed the problem of how customers view Netflix's streaming selection.
"There's this idea of, 'It's the Internet, it's everything!'" Hastings said. "Because when you go to Amazon, you get to choose among all the books. When you go to Expedia, you get to choose all the travel."
But the problem for Netflix, he said, "is that in streaming, we're a cable network from a rights standpoint."
Buying those rights is getting tougher, as studios are demanding more money for their valuable content. One analyst predicted earlier this year that Netflix's streaming content licensing costs will rise from $180 million in 2010 to a whopping $2 billion in 2012.
And last month, Netflix said in a regulatory filing that it has payments of more than $3.5 billion due over the next few years to pay for content under contract. But Netflix is willing to pay dearly for content if viewership pays off.
"We're very much the 'moneyball' content buyers," Hastings said, referring to Michael Lewis' book about a low-budget baseball team's approach to player acquisition. "We'll look at, OK, we paid X for something, so how many people watched it?"
Hastings also faced tough questions about last month's double-bomb disclosure: Netflix now expects to lose money for all of 2012, and it is looking to raise cash in a secondary offering of its stock.
Those secondary offerings are sometimes considered ominous signs, as they can signal that a company needs to raise cash quickly.
"We were probably adequately capitalized, but we were a bit thin," Hastings said. "And then the suppliers get nervous and they want their cash up front, and then you do end up with a cash problem."
Amid all of the problems, Netflix shares are down 74% over the past six months.
But Hastings made his case for the stock, saying that people should invest "if you believe Internet video will become ... dominant over the next 20 years." | {
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La periodista y ex jefa de prensa de la UDI, Lily Zúñiga, acusó a la tienda gremialista de ejercer contra ella una "presión matonesca" luego de haber entregado a la Fiscalía los detalles de las boletas que, a petición del ex senador Jovino Novoa, emitió en 2011 a SQM, y que fueron parte de las pruebas que presentó el Ministerio Público contra el 'coronel' gremialista, quien permanece bajo arresto domiciliario total tras ser formalizado por delitos reiterados de fraude tributario.
En una entrevista que publicó este lunes El Dínamo, la profesional se quejó de haber recibido un portazo cuando pidió ayuda a varios personeros de la tienda para conseguir un abogado, y de haber sido calificada de "traidora" por haber proporcionado la información requerida por los fiscales.
Declarada abiertamente como seguidora del ex senador Pablo Longueira, recordó que el año pasado, tras imponerse la directiva que encabezó el diputado Ernesto Silva –apoyada por Novoa–, renunció a su cargo en la colectividad para montar la agencia de comunicaciones Connectiva. Pero admite que, al verse abrumada hace algunos meses por un llamado del Ministerio Público, recurrió a sus antiguos empleadores, con quienes mantuvo por muchos años una relación laboral que se extendió al plano personal. Sin embargo, no obtuvo respaldo alguno.
"Yo tengo fotos en mi casa con Ena Von Baer en mis cumpleaños. Participaba en los cumpleaños en la casa de (el senador Juan Antonio) Coloma, en los matrimonios de sus hijos. Yo era la Lily de lunes a domingo, de domingo a domingo. Viajé con ellos. Estuvieron en mi matrimonio, en mis cumpleaños. Yo estuve en los de ellos. Y creo que cuando tú compartes instancias tan íntimas como tu casa, es porque hay una cosa más cercana. Y de un día para otro, nunca más. O sea… A nadie le importas”, se lamentó.
Pero de la indiferencia inicial, tras su declaración asegura haber recibido numerosos llamados con insultos y recriminaciones y que en un momento, ante la intensidad del acoso, optó por encerrarse en su casa."Todas eran para decirme qué hiciste. Y el qué hiciste era como: huevona, la cagaste”.
Y luego afirma que se armó una "maquinaria" para dejar a su agencia sin clientes, apuntando al actual secretario general del partido, Guillermo Ramírez, el mismo dirigente que hace una semana fue el blanco de las críticas al relativizar el caso quemados y señalar que "se cuenta una parte horrorosa de la historia pero no el contexto".
"Eran presiones directas (contra mis clientes). Y no uno, sino que tres compadres, que sé yo, los que los llamaban. Entiendo que el señor secretario general actual, Guillermo Ramírez, se encargó casi de ser el vocero a los medios para avisar de que yo no trabajaba ni con el senador (Víctor) Pérez, ni con el no sé quién. Toda la maquinaria se fue contra mí. Fue terrible”, dijo Zúñiga.
También relató la actitud del ex timonel Patricio Melero, quien anteriormente le había advertido, la única vez que la llamó por teléfono, que todos quienes colaboraban con los fiscales terminaban "presos".
“Supe de la reacción de Pato Melero en el hemiciclo. A uno de mis clientes (que es diputado), le gritó que era un traidor, que tenía que dejar de trabajar conmigo, que nadie podía estar cerca mío porque yo era una traidora. Es súper fuerte la comparación, pero es como el militar que dejó el voto de silencio (en el “caso quemados”). Era como lo mismo para ellos. Y yo nunca había hecho un pacto de silencio con nadie. Nunca fui con el interés de afectar a nadie. Sólo quería salir rápido de esto”, aseguró.
Lily Zúñiga sí se mostró dolida con el actual timonel de la UDI, el senador Hernán Larraín, por el hecho de haber señalado en el programa 'Estado Nacional', de TVN, que "los acusados han dicho que ‘nada de lo que ha dicho esa periodista es verdadero’, salvo que ella habría girado boletas sin prestación de servicios".
Dijo que le molestaba que no la llamara por su nombre, en circunstancias que hasta hace un tiempo le expresaba su agradecimiento por el apoyo que le brindó en 2006 cuando fue sacado de la presidencia del gremialismo, en un episodio donde incluso él habría llorado en su hombro en uno de los pasillos de la sede partidaria de calle Suecia. “Yo lo que atino es a abrazarlo y decirle: don Hernán, pucha, tiene todo mi apoyo. Ese mismo señor que hacía un par de años me había dicho ‘gracias, Lilita’, ahora me trataba como ‘esa periodista’. Como que no me conocía”.
La ex jefa de prensa admite que el golpe fue duro para su incipiente agencia, porque todos sus clientes eran, al igual que ella, militantes UDI. Y al éxodo de clientes se sumó, dice, el despido hace pocos días de su marido de las empresas Penta."O sea no me meó un gato. Me meó un tigre", expresó.
Pese a todo lo anterior, hasta el momento mantiene su militancia en el gremialismo. "Yo estoy esperando hasta el día de hoy que alguien me diga cuál es la calidad que tengo actualmente en la UDI. Porque yo no he ido a renunciar a mi militancia. Yo estoy esperando que la UDI tenga los cojones para echarme. Eso es lo que quiero. Porque por debajo quieren que yo esté afuera. Y me han alejado de todo. Yo quiero que la UDI tenga los cojones para decirme te vas", sostuvo. | {
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Ret. Lt. Col. Ralph Peters isn’t done taking his former employer to task. A few months after he quit his position as military analyst at Fox News in dramatic fashion—calling the network a “propaganda machine”—he appeared on CNN with Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night and went even further in his condemnation.
While President Donald Trump has claimed that special counsel Robert Mueller is leading a “witch hunt” against him, Peters argued on CNN that it is Fox News that is promoting a witch hunt against Mueller.
“For years, I was glad to be associated with Fox. It was a legitimate conservative and libertarian outlet. And a necessary one,” Peters told Cooper. “But with the rise of Donald Trump, Fox did become a destructive propaganda machine. And I don’t do propaganda for anyone.”
Peters went on to say he believes the network in general and “particularly the prime time hosts” are attacking “our constitutional order, the rule of law, the Justice Department, the FBI, Robert Mueller,” and other intelligence agencies. “And they are doing it for ratings and profit,” he added. “And they’re doing it knowingly, and, in my view, doing a great, grave disservice to our country.”
Asked by Cooper if the prime-time hosts actually believe their own conspiracy theories about the “deep state,” Peters singled out Trump’s most loyal Fox News servant. “I suspect Sean Hannity really believes it,” he said. “The others are smarter, they know what they’re doing."
“I want to cry out and say, ‘How can you do this? How can you lie to our country? How can you knowingly attack our Constitution, the bedrock of our system of government, the bedrock of our country?’” Peters said. “And when you go after the Constitution, you best beware, because you are doing a phenomenal, indeed immeasurable damage.” | {
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Every week, 2000 AD brings you the galaxy’s greatest artwork and 2000 AD Covers Uncovered takes you behind-the-scenes with the headline artists responsible for our top cover art – join bloggers Richard Bruton and Pete Wells as they uncover the greatest covers from 2000 AD!
2000 AD Prog 2163 is out now, containing the second part of Feral & Foe, the brand-new strip from Dan Abnett and Richard Elson (with colours by Joe Elson). And to kick off 2020, everyone’s newest favourite double act are up to their necks in trouble and coming at it feet-first on Richard Elson’s cover…
Kicking off 2020 in style with Feral & Foe!
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure (although seriously, Prog 2162 was out weeks ago – c’mon folks!), Feral & Foe tells the tale of two minions of the Malign Lord, defeated some five years past. Just what the hell do evil minions do when there’s no evil master around anymore? In Feral & Foe, the Necromancer Bode and Warrior Wrath are about to find out.
We asked series artist Richard Elson for the details of putting this latest cover together and, as is so often the case, Tharg (through his Earthly representative, Matt Smith) had some ideas…
Matt asked for a character cover to establish the protagonists of our new strip Feral & Foe. Dan and I are still getting to know Wrath and Bode ourselves, so I’m sure they will evolve a bit from where they are now if we are fortunate enough to be able to continue the adventures of this odd pair.
Tharg studied carefully and then used the old Betelgeusian method of eeny, meeny, miney, zarjaz to pick the perfect cover
After the roughs were submitted, I drew up a full size sketch in Photoshop before going to inks, also digital. Although I think it’s pretty cool, I’m not sure giving Wrath chains for hair was the smartest idea as they are proving to be a bit of a nightmare to draw.
Wrath does her chain toss, checks her nails, baby how ya doin? Kicking ass.
Joe and I were going for a quite gloomy, heavy, oppressive look to the colours in the early issues to establish the hostility of this environment to people like Wrath and Bode, who, having lost the war, now find themselves having to find their way through a world that really doesn’t want them in it.
For the cover I gave Bode’s colour scheme a bit more saturation to try and make the image more engaging to the casual observer. Despite the grimness of their circumstances I think Dan is managing to find a nice thread of humour, both dark and light, in Feral & Foe so I think we have a range of moods to dip into if we get any further covers.
Harry Potter’s really let himself go…
Bode’s spells were drawn on a separate layer and added after the rest of the image was coloured.
Of course, now that I see the finished cover in print, all I can see is the parts of it I would change if I had the chance. 🙂
Bode firing magical blanks – probably just nerves; after all, it is his first time on the cover.
Adding the spell layer – magical Viagra
Abracadabra – ready for action!
And there it is, a magical looking cover from Richard Elson, with Wrath & Bode ready to give you a good seeing to!
Thanks to Richard for sharing those with us. And of course, 2000 AD Prog 2163 is on the stands from today! | {
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"We are not at war with Islam," said John Kasich after the Brussels massacre, "We're at war with radical Islam."
Kasich's point raises a question: Does the Islamic faith in any way sanction or condone what those suicide bombers did?
For surely the brothers and their accomplice who ignited the bombs in the airport and set off the explosion on the subway did not do so believing they were blasting themselves to hell for all eternity.
One has to assume they hoped to be martyrs to their faith if they slaughtered infidels to terrify and expel such as these from the Islamic world and advance the coming of the caliphate of which the Prophet preached.
And where might they have gotten such ideas?
Kasich's word, radical, comes from the Latin "radix," or root.
And if one returns to the roots of Islam, to the Quran, does one find condemnation of what the brothers did — or justification?
Andrew McCarthy was the prosecutor of the "Blind Sheikh" whose terrorist cell tried to bring down a World Trade Center tower in 1993, and plotted bombings in the Holland and Lincoln tunnels.
The U.S. government depicted the sheikh as a wanton killer who distorted the teachings of his faith.
Yet, McCarthy discovered that Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman was no imposter-imam, but "a globally renowned scholar — a doctor of Islamic jurisprudence who graduated from al-Azhar University in Cairo, the seat of Sunni Islamic learning for over a millennium."
Seeking to expose the sheikh as a fraud who had led his gullible followers into terrorism, against the tenets of their faith, McCarthy discovered that "Abdel Rahman was not lying about Islam."
"When he said the scriptures command that Muslims strike terror into the hearts of Islam's enemies, the scriptures backed him up. When he said Allah enjoined all Muslims to wage jihad until Islamic law was established throughout the world, the scriptures backed him up."
"[T]he Blind Sheikh's summons to Islam was rooted in a coherent interpretation of Islamic doctrine. He was not perverting Islam," writes McCarthy in the Hillsdale College letter Imprimis. McCarthy goes on:
"Islam is not a religion of peace. ... Verses such as 'Fight those who believe not in Allah,' and 'Fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war' are not peaceful injunctions...."
In its formative first century, Islam conquered the Middle and Near East, North Africa and Spain with sword and slaughter, not persuasion and conversion.
Undeniably, there are millions of Muslims in America who love this country and have served it in every walk of life, from cops, firemen and soldiers, to doctors, scholars and clergy.
Yet when "moderate, peaceful Muslims" were called to testify as defense witnesses, says McCarthy, they could not contradict the Blind Sheikh's claim that he had correctly interpreted the Quran.
The questions that arise are crucial.
When we call Islam a "religion of peace," are we projecting our own hopes? Are we deceiving ourselves? Are the Muslims we respect, admire and like, as friends and patriots, assimilated and "Americanized" Muslims who have drifted away from, set aside, or rejected many core beliefs of the Quran and root teachings of their own faith?
Are they simply secularized Muslims?
When the Afghan regime we installed sought to cut off the head of a Christian convert, was that un-Islamic? Or does Islam teach that this is the way to deal with apostates?
Is the hate spewing forth from the Ayatollah toward Americans and Jews un-Islamic? Is the Saudis' cutting off of heads and hands of adulterers and thieves and suppressing of women un-Islamic?
Or is that what the Quran actually teaches?
Have the Islamists of al-Shabab in Somalia, Boko Haram in Nigeria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, al-Qaida and ISIS in Syria and Iraq — who daily die fighting in the name of Islam — misread their sacred texts?
Are they all heretics who fail to understand the peaceful and loving character of their Islamic faith?
Or is the West deluding itself? Is it possible we are the ones misreading the sacred books of Islam and what the triumph of Islam would mean for our civilization — because we lack the courage to face the truth and do what is necessary to avoid our fate?
Islam is rising again. Of its 1.6 billion adherents worldwide, many are returning to the roots of their faith, seeking to live their lives as commanded by the Prophet, the Quran and Sharia.
Western survival would seem to dictate a halt to all immigration from lands where this deadly virus we call "radical Islam" — with which Kasich concedes we are at war — is rampant, just as we would halt immigration from lands where the bubonic plague was rampant.
That would surely contradict the cherished beliefs of Western liberals.
But, then, as James Burnham reminded us, "Liberalism is the ideology of Western suicide."
Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of the new book "The Greatest Comeback: How Richard Nixon Rose From Defeat to Create the New Majority." To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Web page at www.creators.com. | {
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今年動漫節企企共去了兩天，其中一天有 Google 所送的入場贈卷，many thx, Google.
其實企企星期六已經到灣仔，不過看到需要排 7hr 才入到場，即打退堂鼓。星期日朝早再去，才可以順利入場。
今次問了 Samsung 借了 NX500 + 一支 16-50mm 鏡頭拍攝，初步感覺不錯，連拍速度令人驚喜，比企企使用中的 D80 實在強得多，已經做到機關槍式連環快拍，影 model 時不知對眼幾時望過來，用連環快拍就可以解決，希望其中一張 ok 就行了。
而且初步感覺畫質都不錯，用 P mode 傻瓜式影相已經能應付大部份場景，相片出來效果都不錯。
對焦速度快，而且可以 touch screen 對焦，很方便，不過連續拍攝有輕微走焦的情況，而鏡頭散景的效果不錯，但要留意對焦部位，否則有機會走焦。
今年動漫電玩節，重點依然在電玩，最大的攤位仍是 Sony 和 Microsoft，其他攤位都是以手機遊戲為主。
Microsoft 今年除了宣傳 Xbox One 外，還為 Windows 10 宣傳，現場有多部運行 Win 10 的 Surface 3 和 Surface 3 Pro，不過 Surface 3 的效能真的慘不忍暏，希望正式版 Windows 10 會有改善吧。
Sony 今年有多項大作和新硬件 Morpheus 這款新型 VR，不過現場實在太多人排，所以企企沒有機會試；相反今年推出的 Star War Battlefront 是一隻非常值得期待的遊戲，玩過守旗模式，玩法和畫面都好吸引，希望到時家裏的電腦可以運行到吧（企企始終不習慣手制打射擊 Game）。
而另外賣 figure 或 figure 周邊產品都有頗多吸引人展品如蝙蝠車，Starwar 的千歲鷹號等，都很吸引。
而星期日雖然多人，但真的多很多 model, cosplayer；星期一則少很多，所以要影相的話始終要揀星期六日。
不過香港龍友「理得你死」的性格在動漫節表露無遺，工作人員不停聲明不可用閃光燈拍攝，雖然在三申五令後大部份人都守規舉，但是依然有部份人不理，工作人員即時帶 model 離開，一齊無得影。
不過當時現場環境的確需要閃光燈才影得靚，但是 model 的眼睛被不停閃就超辛苦，所以大家都應該就一就喇。
不過企企技術只係有限公司，所以影得不太好，勿見怪。
今年都幾樣「玩具」都十分得意，所以拍了數段片給大家欣賞，4K 的啊
這款是一款電源座連遙控，蝙蝠車的像真度極高，很多細微部位都可以郁動，只要安裝了 app，接駁同一 wifi 的話，即可遙控。
這款可以擺設可以令不會動的 figure 變成動畫般，原理是利用盒頂的 LCD 和鏡組合而成。
這個利用磁浮令 figure 變成會動的擺設
這個利用投影機，令到 Ironman 穿上不同的裝甲
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Botswana president called for Robert Mugabe to step down in comments that earned the wrath of the Zimbabwean government.
Zimbabwe’s government has hit back at Botswana’s President Ian Khama following his comments asking President Robert Mugabe to step down.
Khama, in an interview with Reuters news agency on Wednesday, said Mugabe should step aside without delay for the sake of Zimbabwe and the region, comments that “shocked” officials in Zimbabwe.
“The government of Zimbabwe is shocked by this uncharacteristic behaviour on the part of President Khama. It is taboo in African etiquette and diplomacy,” Zimbabwe’s Information Minister Chris Mushohwe said in a statement on Friday.
“We sincerely hope that this will be the last time Botswana’s leader opens his mouth to bad-mouth President Mugabe and fellow African leaders. Why should President Mugabe be removed from office unconstitutionally as President Khama’s sentiments seem to suggest?”
Zimbabwe has been hit hard by anti-government protests as citizens express dissatisfaction over the economy [Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters]
Khama had said Zimbabwe needed new leadership to deal with a political and economic implosion that has dragged down the whole of Southern Africa since 2000.
“It is obvious that at his [Mugabe’s] age and the state Zimbabwe is in, he’s not really able to provide the leadership that could get it out of its predicament,” Khama said.
“They have got plenty of people there who have got good leadership qualities who could take over.”
Botswana is home to an estimated 100,000 Zimbabweans – a fraction of the three million believed to be in South Africa – although this is still enough to strain public services in a nation of 2.3 million people.
It has felt the full effects of its neighbour’s economic collapse under the weight of political violence and hyperinflation.
Although Zimbabwe’s economy stabilised in 2009 with the scrapping of the Zimbabwe dollar, a slump in commodity prices over the last two years has triggered a cash crunch, raising discontent in the country.
Factions of Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party are locked in a bitter struggle to succeed the only leader Zimbabwe has known, but no clear potential successor has emerged.
Zimbabwe has been hit hard by anti-government protests over the past month.
Protesters have been calling on Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, to step down. | {
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The Pittsburgh Steelers can't get the injury bug out of training camp, and the most recent victim was safety and special teams captain Robert Golden. During the team's two-minute drill at the end of Wednesday's training camp practice, Golden collided with another player and went down grasping his knee. Mike Tomlin stated the injury could be "significant" after practice, but also mentioned he will be evaluated.
As it turns out, it has been reported Thursday Golden's injury is not enough to put him on injured reserve and he shouldn't miss the season due to surgery, per Jim Wexell of SteelCityInsider.
#Steelers safety Robert Golden is wearing a protective sleeve on his right knee/calf and limping slightly. ACL's OK, will not miss season. — James C Wexell (@jimwexell) August 6, 2015
Regardless, it now puts the Steelers in a bind at he safety position heading into the Hall of Fame Game this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Starting safety Mike Mitchell is dealing with a hamstring injury, Shamarko Thomas has a shoulder injury, Ross Ventrone injured his ankle early in training camp and now Golden's injury have nearly depleted the safety position.
The only remaining players at the safety position who are deemed healthy are Will Allen, Gerod Holliman, Ian Wild and Isaiah Lewis.
Golden signed a restricted free agent one-year tender before the season, and would be a free agent after the 2015 season.
...
The Steelers saw backup interior offensive lineman Chris Hubbard go down Wednesday as well, but Hubbard's injury was told to be more of a training camp style injury, per Tomlin. Hubbard found himself as the backup at guard along with Cody Wallace in the first depth chart released earlier this week.
...
Rookie OLB Bud Dupree had to leave the practice field Wednesday with a dislocated finger. The training staff was able to pop the finger back into place and Dupree was able to continue practice.
...
Both Jarvis Jones (biceps) and Ryan Shazier (lower back) participated in practice, but were held out of most game-like or team drills. With this being an extended training camp there is no rush when it comes to dealing with injuries to players who have solidified their spot on the team already. | {
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Hoenn The third generation bugs.
This includes Wurmple, Silcoon, Beautifly, Cascoon, Dustox, Surskit, Masquerain, Nincada, Ninjask, Shedinja, Volbeat, Illumise, Anorith, and Armaldo. #265 Wurmple Bafa 49 #313 + #314 Volbeat + Illumise Bafa 27 RYB Dustox and Beautifly AzureGryphon 7 Volbeat Illumise GSC Sprites Axel-Comics 11 Surskit Masquerain GSC Sprites Axel-Comics 21 Anorith Armaldo GSC Sprites Axel-Comics 29 Nincada Ninjask Shedinja GSC Sprites Axel-Comics 20 Wurmple Cascoon Dustox GSC Sprites Axel-Comics 16 Wurmple Silcoon Beautifly GSC Sprites Axel-Comics 28 All hail Volbeat! TheWhiteScatterbug 46 Bug Pokemon Advent Calendar - #13 Anorith TheWhiteScatterbug 12 Bug Pokemon Advent Calendar - #12 Nincada TheWhiteScatterbug 7 Bug Pokemon Advent Calendar - #11 Surskit TheWhiteScatterbug 12 Bug Pokemon Advent Calendar - #10 Wurmple TheWhiteScatterbug 6 265. Wurmple claydoodles 33 Shedinja used Confuse Ray SillyFoe 97 Masquerain puka23 11 Event 6: Joshua and Katie Jiyuria 36 On your shoulder SillyFoe 30 269 LittleAlienGirl 4 265 LittleAlienGirl 5 283 LittleAlienGirl 6 266 LittleAlienGirl 5 268 LittleAlienGirl 1 | {
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I'm a sucker for pretty platformers. Give me a piano-led soundtrack and a heavy-handed shot of "behold my art," and I'm there—even though I'm not actually very good at platformers in the first place. Thus my interest in The King's Bird, "an artistic, momentum-based game that seamlessly combines precision-platforming with physics-based gliding."
The game is set in five unique, beautifully-rendered worlds inspired by Mayan, Southeast Asian, and Roman cultures. What it's actually about isn't clear: "Escape into a world kept secret by a tyrant, and discover the truth about your freedom" is all the Steam page has to say about it, and the Serenity Forge website isn't any more informative.
But that's okay. Story is nice but spectacle is the real attraction here, and The King's Bird looks to have plenty of that. Which isn't to downplay the value of an engaging and well-told tale—Serenity Forge describes it as a "text-less narrative told through visuals in motion"—but it's the atmosphere that's clearly the priority.
The King's Bird comes out on August 23, and will be priced at $20. | {
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Un attacco terroristico ha colpito il Regno Unito nella notte, a due settimane dal voto per le elezioni politiche dell’8 giugno.
Nell’articolo principale sulla strage aggiorniamo il bilancio dell’attacco. Nel testo a seguire seguiamo l’evoluzione della giornata minuto per minuto e tutti i nuovi articoli pubblicati dalla redazione.
14.31 - Tra le vittime una bimba di 8 anni
La più giovane vittima, finora identificata, dell’attacco terroristico all’arena di Manchester è una bambina di 8 anni, Saffie Rose Roussos di Leyland.
14.25 - In ospedale 12 bambini gravemente feriti
Almeno 12 bambini gravemente feriti nell’attacco di Manchester sono stati ricoverati in ospedale. Lo riferiscono i media britannici che citano fonti mediche. La Bbc aggiunge che sono tutti sotto i 16 anni.
14.15 - In corso un raid della polizia
È in corso un raid della polizia armata nella zona di Carlton Road, nel sud di Manchester. Ne dà notizia il sito del Guardian secondo cui in quella via si troverebbe l’abitazione dell’attentatore che ha colpito al concerto di ieri sera.
13.48 - L’Isis rivendica l’attentato di Manchester
L’Isis ha rivendicato l’attentato di Manchester, secondo un comunicato diffuso da Amaq, l’agenzia di stampa dello Stato islamico.
13.19 - Le parole della regina Elisabetta: “Tutta la nazione è sotto shock”
«L’intera nazione è sotto shock» per i fatti di Manchester, ha scritto la regina Elisabetta in un messaggio. «So di parlare per tutti - ha aggiunto la regina - esprimendo il mio profondo cordoglio a tutti coloro che sono stati colpiti da questo terribile evento. Voglio esprimere la mia ammirazione per come le persone di Manchester hanno risposto, con umanità e compassione, a questo atto di barbarie».
12.57 - Arrestato un giovane di 23 anni
Un uomo di 23 anni è stato arrestato in relazione all’attacco di ieri sera alla Manchester Arena, secondo l’Independent. Non è chiaro se si tratti dell’uomo che è stato fermato al centro commerciale o di un’altra persona.
12.52 - Allarme falso al centro commerciale
È rientrato l’allarme che aveva portato all’evacuazione dell’Arndale shopping centre di Manchester. Il centro commerciale è stato riaperto dopo l’arresto di un uomo.
12.40 - Artificieri al lavoro al centro commerciale
Sono in azione gli artificieri della polizia di Manchester all’Arndale shopping centre dopo che è scattato un allarme che riguarderebbe un pacco sospetto. Intanto alcuni video mostrano l’uomo arrestato dagli agenti armati che lo scortano all’esterno del centro commerciale.
12.30 - Evacuato un centro commerciale a Manchester, fermato un uomo
La polizia inglese sta evacuando un centro commerciale nella zona di Arndale. Sarebbe stato sentito un forte boato. Un uomo è stato arrestato dalla polizia.
12.20 - L’attentato di Manchester cambierà l’agenda del G7 di Taormina
Il summit in programma il 26 e 27 maggio non verterà soltanto sul tema migranti come era previsto ma si concentrerà inevitabilmente sul terrorismo, scrive il nostro giornalista Fabio Martini.
12.10 - May: conosciamo l’identità dell’attentatore. Attacco codardo, probabile un altro attentato
La polizia inglese conosce l’identità dell’attentatore di Manchester ma a questo punto delle indagini non possiamo rivelarla, ha detto la premier inglese Theresa May parlando davanti a Downing Street. May ha avvisato: «Resta alto l’allarme ed è ritenuto probabile un altro attentato terrorista». «È un attacco codardo contro persone innocenti e giovani indifesi», ha aggiunto.
12.03 - Gentiloni: è un attacco all’intera Europa
«L’attacco che ha colpito stanotte Manchester è un attacco all’intera Europa». Lo dichiara il presidente del Consiglio Paolo Gentiloni dopo l’attacco di Manchester.
«Al momento - aggiunge - non risultano cittadini italiani coinvolti ma l’unità di crisi della Farnesina sta continuando il lavoro di verifica».
11.46 - È una sedicenne la prima vittima identificata
È una 16enne fan di Ariana Grande la prima vittima identificata dell’attacco terroristico di Manchester. Secondo il sito dell’Independent, che pubblica anche una sua fotografia con la popstar, si chiama Georgina Bethany Callander, e si era detta entusiasta sul suo profilo Twitter alla vigilia del concerto della sua beniamina alla Manchester arena.
11.34 - May parlerà alla Nazione e parte per Manchester
È previsto che Theresa May a breve faccia un annuncio al Paese davanti a Downing Street dopo la fine della riunione del comitato Cobra. Secondo i media del Regno Unito, la premier dovrebbe poi partire alla volta di Manchester.
11.33 - Sale a 12 il numero di dispersi
Sono almeno 12 le persone disperse, finora confermate, in seguito all’attentato di ieri sera alla Manchester Arena, secondo il Telegraph.
11.32 - Chi è Ariana Grande, l’idolo delle ragazzine
Il nostro giornalista Luca Dondoni racconta la carriera di Ariana Grande, «diventata famosa già da bambina per la partecipazione a una sit-com per i suoi coetanei e poi ancora più popolare come cantante». «Era chiaro che al concerto non potessero mancare proprio loro, i ragazzi, gli adolescenti che questa ideologia assassina ha ancora una volta reso martiri innocenti di una società impazzita».
11.15 - Palazzo Chigi espone la bandiera del Regno Unito
A Roma il palazzo del governo italiano ha issato una Union Jack a mezz’asta, vicino alla bandiera italiana e a quella europea.
11.00 - Mancano due settimane al voto, May è in vantaggio
La Gran Bretagna è stata colpita quando manca poco alle elezioni politiche anticipate dell’8 giugno. Nei sondaggi la premier May è in netto vantaggio.
10.50 - Sui social il simbolo del lutto è il cerchietto di Ariana Grande
Il cerchietto con le orecchie, accessorio molto amato dalla popstar Ariana Grande sui social è stato trasformato in un nastro nero simbolo del lutto.
10.42 - Allarme bomba, evacuato un aereo a Londra
È stato evacuato un aereo passeggeri all’aeroporto di Dubai diretto a Heathrow a causa di un allarme bomba. Ne dà notizia il sito del britannico Daily Mail, che cita un portavoce della compagnia Virgin secondo cui è stato condotto un ulteriore controllo di sicurezza sui passeggeri e si tratta di una «misura precauzionale».
10.33 - Ariana Grande potrebbe sospendere il tour
Ariana Grande avrebbe sospeso il suo tour, almeno le date europee, dopo l’attentato a Manchester. Lo riferisce il sito Usa Tmz, affermando che «fonti legate ad Ariana hanno detto che non si esibirà giovedì a Londra e che ha deciso per ora di mettere `in pausa´ l’intero tour europeo».
10.21 - Sono almeno otto i dispersi
Almeno otto persone risultano disperse in seguito all’attentato di ieri sera alla Manchester Arena: lo scrive il quotidiano locale Manchester Evening News sulla sua edizione online.
10.18 - Trump, giovani uccisi da malvagi perdenti
«Tanti bei giovani innocenti» sono stati uccisi da «malvagi perdenti, non li chiamerò mostri, sono perdenti». Lo ha detto il presidente degli Stati Uniti Donald Trump, commentando l’attentato di Manchester, in una dichiarazione da Betlemme, dopo un incontro con il presidente palestinese Mahmoud Abbas.
10.17 - Non ci sono italiani coinvolti, al momento
«Al momento non risultano italiani coinvolti» nell’attentato di Manchester. Lo riferiscono fonti dell’ambasciata italiana a Londra, che da stanotte sta lavorando in coordinamento con il consolato generale e l’Unità di Crisi della Farnesina.
10.10 - L’Italia alza la sorveglianza
Intelligence e forze di polizia italiane sono in contatto dalla scorsa notte con i colleghi inglesi per avere maggiori informazioni sulla strage di Manchester e per eventuali scambi di notizie. I concerti, come i luoghi affollati in generale, sono da tempo all’attenzione degli investigatori anche in Italia come possibili obiettivi di atti terroristici.
9.50 - Londra rafforza la sicurezza
Il sindaco di Londra Sadiq Khan ha detto che sono state rafforzate le misure di sicurezza nella capitale dopo l’attacco di Manchester. «Londra è vicina a Manchester dopo questo atto barbaro e disgustoso», ha aggiunto il primo cittadino.
9.45 - May riunirà il comitato Cobra
Il primo ministro Theresa May presiederà alle 10 il comitato Cobra, il comitato di emergenza.
9.30 - Macron: lottiamo contro il terrore
Il presidente francese, Emmanuel Macron, esprime cordoglio per l’attentato di Manchester e conferma l’impegno nella lotta al terrorismo a fianco della Gran Bretagna. Nelle prossime ore Macron avrà un colloquio telefonico con la premier britannica, Theresa May.
9.20 - Evacuata la stazione Victoria a Londra, falso allarme
La stazione degli autobus di Victoria a Londra è stata evacuata a causa di un pacco sospetto. La polizia ha chiuso al traffico le strade in questa zona del centro della capitale, inclusa la Buckingham Palace Road. Ma si trattava di un falso allarme.
9.07 - La Borsa di Londra apre in calo dopo l’attacco
Apertura cauta per i listini europei che non sembrano reagire troppo nervosamente alla notizia dell’attentato. Euro stabile sopra 1,12 dollari e sterlina in calo dopo l’esplosione alla Manchester Arena.
9.00 - Il sindaco di Manchester: “Ci riprenderemo”
Il sindaco di Manchester, eletto pochi giorni fa, dichiara: “Colpiti già nel passato, ci riprenderemo”.
8.48 - Bandiere a mezz’asta a Downing Street
La sede del primo ministro Theresa May espone bandiere a mezz’asta per le vittime di Manchester.
8.40 - Trump in Israele aggiornato sull’attacco
Il presidente americano Donald Trump, che si trova in visita in Israele, viene aggiornato costantemente dal suo staff della sicurezza nazionale sull’attacco avvenuto ieri sera. | {
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-- THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOR 'THIS WEEK' on April 16, 2017 and it will be updated.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Starting right now on a special edition of THIS WEEK with George Stephanopoulos: High Alert.
Overnight, North Korea launching another missile. It failed. But these new images have the world on edge. Are they missiles that could some day reach the U.S.? All eyes on the country's unpredictable leader.
And how will President Trump handle this major foreign policy test?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: North Korea is a problem. The problem will be taken care of.
ANNOUNCER: Martha Raddatz just miles from the North Korean border --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) this. I'll be checking here.
ANNOUNCER: -- on the ground with the first line of defense. The service members on high alert. How close are we to confrontation?
MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC HOST: You say the threat is pretty real?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very real.
ANNOUNCER: Tough questions ahead. Our exclusive interview with Trump's National Security Adviser, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster.
And expert analysis from across the globe.
From ABC News, a special edition of THIS WEEK. High Alert North Korea. Reporting from Seoul, South Korea, co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RADDATZ: Hello, from Seoul, South Korea. It's evening here in this city of 10 million people on high alert on a weekend of escalating tensions. Hours ago, there was yet another North Korean missile launch, the fifth of 2017. This time, it blew up seconds after leaving the launch pad. U.S. officials believe it was likely a medium-range ballistic missile of the kind we have seen before.
But, still, the latest launch rattled nerves, especially after the Sunday appearance Saturday of what could be new long-range weapons at North Korea's big anniversary parade, canisters that appear large enough to house a missile capable of hitting the United States. You can see them there rolling past North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Green camo on huge transporters.
If he, indeed, has a missile big enough to reach the United States, and if he can make a warhead small enough to fit on it, will the U.S. be forced the respond?
This hour, all the angles on the most important story in the world right now. And the urgent questions: How far along is North Korea's nuclear program? Are the new missiles we saw at Saturday's parade real? Does Donald Trump have a firm red line? Is there room for negotiation or are Trump and Kim on a collision course?
Vice President Mike Pence arrived here in Seoul today, the start of a ten-day Asia tour. And with China warning both sides to cool it, North Korea is at the top of the administration's agenda. In a moment, we'll talk to Trump National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, a powerful voice in the president's inner circle. He's in Afghanistan, where the United States just proved what it can do with the "mother of all bomb" strikes on ISIS, a dramatic show of American firepower.
But we begin with North Korea's warning that it will annihilate military bases here in South Korea. They said in minutes if the U.S. tries to take out its nuclear program.
We visited the most important of those front line bases, Osan Air Base, just south of Seoul, 48 miles from the border with North Korea. We got exclusive and unprecedented access.
(BEGINVIDEOTAPE)
RADDATZ (voice-over): If North Korea pulls the trigger this could be target number one -- Osan Air Base, just 48 miles from North Korea, well within range of Kim Jong-Un's existing arsenal of missiles carrying god knows what.
(on camera): So a hardened bunker. This is serious stuff.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am. This is your third set of blast doors here.
(voice-over): The first line of defense is always on guard, 24/7 F-16s on constant patrol. Anti-missile batteries primed and ready.
Behind these concrete walls and steel doors, the top secret and rarely seen operations center, on high alert, watching for any North Korean missile activity.
CO. JAMES BORTREE, 607TH AOC COMMANDER, AIR FORCE: We live with it every day. So -- the nice thing is, for my folks, the mission is staring them in the face.
RADDATZ (voice-over): While the world worries that North Korea will get a missile that can reach the United States, there's though doubt here at Osan the threat is up close, dangerous, and continuous. The slogan here: fight tonight. And you hear it often and always with a sense of pride.
(on camera): There aren't many places I go into where it says Fight Tonight in giant letters. It's a little frightening.
LT. COL. JAMES FIELDS, COMMANDER, 521ST AIR CONTROL SQUADRON: But to -- for us, it's our day to day training. We are always training at that level to be able to fight tonight, because we don't know when that call is going to come.
RADDATZ (voice-over): We visited another top secret facility, the first time ever for a camera crew. If a missile is aimed at South Korea, the job here, blow it out of the sky.
North Korea has conducted just five underground nuclear tests in the last 10 years, but missile launches are far more common -- several this year alone, every one closely monitored on these screens, including last night's failed launch.
(on camera): What's it like in here when a ballistic missile is launched?
COL. MARK HOLLER, COMMANDER, 15TH AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY: Well, you would think it would be hectic, but due to the level of training of the soldiers here, it's actually a pretty calm exercise. I would compare it to maybe an air traffic controller tower.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Right next door, rows and rows of bunk beds. If war comes to South Korea, the staff will sleep right here.
LT. GEN THOMAS BERGESON, DEPUTY COMMANDER, U.S./U.N. FORCES, KOREA: And it allows us to do continuous operations for an extended period of time.
RADDATZ: And you've got food, you've got everything you need.
BERGESON: We have food, showers, latrines.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Lieutenant General Thomas Bergeson is deputy commander of all U.S. and U.N. forces in South Korea.
(on camera): What concerns you most?
BERGESON: So our biggest concern is that he's going to miscalculate. That's always the number one concern. So we want to make it crystal clear to the North Korean leadership that this would be a completely futile endeavor were he to challenge this strong, iron-clad bilateral alliance.
RADDATZ: Because we have a new president and he, no doubt, Kim Jong-Un wants to test him in the same way...
BERGESON: Right.
RADDATZ: -- that dynamic works, is this, from your time here, from watching here, one of the more dangerous times?
BERGESON: I would say that there's -- certainly you can feel the tensions. Very clearly, this is serious and they need to know that we are prepared and that this defensive alliance is strong and ready to fight tonight.
RADDATZ: Part of that defense, Patriot Missile batteries.
LT. COL. MARK PELINI, BATTALION COMMANDER, 652ND AIR DEFENSE ARTILLERY: And you'll notice here in Korea, we keep our launchers loaded with live interceptors at all times so that we're ready to fight tonight.
RADDATZ: Tell me a little bit about the batteries, just in terms of what they can stop, how they stop them, how that works.
PELINI: Yes. Well, the -- this weapons system is capable of defeating a wide range of enemy capabilities from unmanned aerial systems to short-range and even long-range ballistic missiles. This battery is capable -- is designed to search for, detect and engage those inbound ballistic missiles.
RADDATZ: At Osan, they're confident in this system, claiming the success rate of the Patriot is nearly 100 percent.
PELINI: And it's a bullet on bullet scenario, where the Patriot missile hits the threat missile and destroys it.
RADDATZ: A few miles from the Patriots, out on the flight line, are the Growlers.
COL. ANDREW HANSEN, COMMANDER, 51ST FIGHTER WING AND INSTALLATIONS: So they have jamming capability, electronic jamming capability, so they can deny the enemy the capability to launch surface-to-air missiles at our aircraft.
RADDATZ: Facing that threat, Major Shawn Wallace, an F-16 pilot, up in the skies training at least three times a week, within miles of the North Korean border.
MAJOR SHAWN WALLACE, F16 AIR PILOT: And you get to see the stark contrast, because as the lights start to come on and you fly along the DMZ, you can look out one window and it's as bright as day, with the city of Seoul and then all of South Korea.
And then you look out the other side of your cockpit, and it is just darkness.
RADDATZ: But make no mistake, it's that darkness which causes concern, the lack of hard intelligence, the unpredictability and the war of words right now have created a region on edge.
(on camera): Kim Jong-Un is basically saying that he could strike and take out any of the American military bases.
Could that happen?
BERGESON: No. No, they could try, but as you saw today, out here, you have air defense artillery brigade and they have the technology and the capability and they're ready to intercept those kinds of missiles.
So they could try. It would be futile.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
RADDATZ: And we're back here now live in Seoul.
I'm joined by ABC News contributor, Colonel Steve Ganyard, a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot and former deputy assistant secretary of state -- and Steve, talk to us about the failed missile launch first.
What do we know about that missile?
COL. STEVE GANYARD, ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It's going to take us a while to figure out, Martha, what the actual kind of missile it was, because it blew up so quickly after launch, we aren't going to have much radar telemetry data. So it will take the intelligence analysts a little while to figure out what kind it was.
But we also can't be too complacent. Even though it's failed, it does show that they're determined to perfect these missiles and develop a long-range missile capability.
RADDATZ: And I suppose a real concern from this weekend is the parade and the missiles that we spotted in that parade. We don't know if they're real, but they appeared to be long-range missiles.
GANYARD: Lots of concerning things coming out of that parade. The first is the size of some of those missiles . So, bigger size means longer range, better chance of getting all the way to the United States.
Also the diversity of missiles that we saw, not just land-based, but we saw sea based, submarine launched missiles. Some of those missiles looked very much like a DF-31, which is a sophisticated Chinese missile. So, lots of questions coming out of that, lots of things to worry about.
But the real takeaway I think is range. For decades, presidents, both Republican and Democratic, have been able to kick the can down the road on North Korea because there's never been an ability to reach the United States. What we saw there yesterday in that ma raid, those missiles that theoretically could eventually reach the continental United States, which is why president Trump thinks he needs to take on the North Korean challenge here and now.
RADDATZ: And of course the nuclear tests that they are still expecting to launch that underground nuclear test. Is there anything that can be done to stop that, to deter them from doing that?
GANYARD: There are a couple of options. One we would call kinetic, and one we would call nonkinetic. We saw in Afghanistan that mother of all bombs. There's actually a bigger bomb in the U.S. inventory by weight, 30,000 mounds, and it's called a MOP, massive ordnance penetrator. And it is designed to go down deep, penetrate 200 feet of reinforced concrete and take out any kind of underground bunker. So that would be the kinetic option.
There's a new Buck Rogers kind of options, it's called a high-power microwave. It would be delivered by a stealthy cruise missile and send an intense burst of electromagnetic energy over that test site, which would go down wires and fry anything underneath the ground. So, nobody gets hurt, but everything gets disabled.
So, the president has a new arrow in his quiver, both kinetic and nonkinetic options here for any kind of an underground nuclear test.
RADDATZ: And Steve, what do you think the reaction would be from North Korea if there was a preemptive strike?
GANYARD: North Korea has been quite clear that if there's any kind of military action on North Korean soil that they will retaliate in some way, but the problem is, is that that retaliation is going to occur on South Korean soil, or at Japan, which means that we need to very closely coordinate with our two closest allies in the region before thinking about any kind of a military action.
RADDATZ: And Steve, very quickly, the North Korean – our intelligence in North Korea is pretty bad. Why is that?
GANYARD: We just have very little human intelligence on the ground. It's a closed, Stalinist society. So, even the internet is controlled. So we get very little information.
Yesterday was very reminiscent of those days of the Soviet days when we would wait for those May Day parades to try and discern what the Soviet Union was doing, what they were thinking, but this is something that's going to continue to bedevil us in terms of North Korean intelligence.
RADDATZ: Thanks, Steve, for all your insight.
President Trump faces major decisions when it comes to dealing with North Korea. And the man who will help him make those tough calls is his top National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. We'll talk to him in an exclusive interview about how he'll advise the president on that and other national security challenges coming up in just two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: Mr. Trump, do you have a red line with North Korea? Would you consider military action? And how far would you let them go?
TRUMP: We have tremendous -- has been just sucked out of our country by China. China says they don't have that good a control over North Korea. They have tremendous control. They have total, absolute control practically of North Korea. I would get on with China. Let China solve that problem. They can do it quickly and surgically. That's what we should do with North Korea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: That was then-candidate Donald Trump during the New Hampshire Primary debate, saying that China should take care of North Korea. Back then, it was a hypothetical. Now it's a reality. So what's President Trump's position today? His National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster joins me now from Afghanistan.
It’s good to see you, General McMaster. We will get to your trip in Afghanistan in a moment, but let’s talk about North Korea.
We know the missile test failed. What can you tell us about that? How long will it take to determine exactly what happened there?
H.R. MCMASTER, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, thanks, Martha. It’s a privilege to be with you.
Well, this latest missile test, it just fits into a pattern of provocative and destabilizing and threatening behavior on the part of the North Korean regime. And I think there’s an international consensus now, including -- including the Chinese and the Chinese leadership -- that this is a situation that just can’t continue. And the president has made clear that he will not accept the United States and its allies and partners in the region being under threat from this hostile regime with nuclear weapons.
And so we’re working together with our allies and partners, and with the Chinese leadership, to develop a range of options. And the president has asked the National Security Council to integrate the efforts of the Department of Defense, State, our intelligence agencies, so we can provide options and have them ready for him if this pattern of destabilizing behavior continues, and if the North Korea regime refuses to denuclearize, which is the accepted objective of both the United States and Chinese leadership, as well our allies in the region.
RADDATZ: I want to go back to the missile, if I could, for a moment. Apparently it was a medium-range ballistic missile.
But can you talk a little bit about what we saw during the parade in North Korea and the missiles they displayed there? Are they real? Was that an ICBM?
MCMASTER: Well, I’m not -- I don’t know, Martha, I’ve not been in touch with our intelligence community on that, so I would just defer to our intelligence communities and the Department of Defense on that particular question.
Of course, the purpose of that parade is to sort of demonstrate military prowess in a threatening way, and so whether those weapons or real or fake is -- is unclear I think to -- at least -- I saw it on a television, like you did, Martha.
Of course, the purpose of that parade is to sort of demonstrate military prowess in a threatening way. And so whether those weapons are real or fake is unclear I think -- at least to -- I saw it on television like you did, Martha. Or no, you saw it -- you saw it better than I did. You were -- I think you were close by, just in South Korea.
RADDATZ: Yes, I was a little closer than you were.
Let’s go back to what you were saying before, and today a White House foreign policy adviser briefed reporters on Vice President Pence’s flight to Seoul and said, had North Korea tested a nuclear weapon, other actions would have been taken by the U.S. You hinted at some of that.
What would have happened? What was he talking about?
MCMASTER: Well, the president has made very clear that he is not in the business of announcing in advance exactly what he’s going to do in any particular situation. And I think what you saw last week with the president’s decisive response to the Assad regime, to mass murder of innocent people, including children, with chemical weapons, that this national security team is capable of rapidly responding to those sorts of crises or incidents and events and providing the president with options. And our president is clearly comfortable making tough decisions and respond.
RADDATZ: But the military option’s still on the table?
MCMASTER: Well, all our options on the table undergoing refinement and further development.
RADDATZ: And how close do you think North Korea is to having a nuclear weapon capable of reaching the United States?
MCMASTER: Well, you know, estimates in these sorts of things vary widely. What is clear is, as long -- as long as their behavior continues, as long as they continue missile development -- even though this was a failed missile, they get better and they learn lessons. So what’s critical is for them to stop this destabilizing behavior, stop the development of these weapons, and denuclearize. And that is the best interests of everyone in the region, and ultimately it’s in the best interests of the North Korean people as well.
RADDATZ: North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister said Friday that the Trump administration is more vicious and more aggressive than the Obama administration, saying that Trump’s aggressive tweets were making trouble.
Does the aggressive language increase the likelihood of conflict?
MCMASTER: I think it should make clear to the North Korean regime that it is in their best interest to stop the development of these weapons, to stop the development of these missiles, and to denuclearize the peninsula. And so I think while it’s unclear -- and want to -- do not want to telegraph in any way how we’ll respond to certain incidents, it’s clear that the president is determined not to allow this kind of capability to threaten the United States. And our president will take action that is in the best interest of the American people.
RADDATZ: You know, one of the big concerns here, General McMaster, is how North Korea would respond to aggressive action or some sort of preemptive strike. How do you think they would respond?
MCMASTER: Well, that’s what particularly difficult about -- about dealing with this regime, is that it is unpredictable. This is someone who has demonstrated his brutality by murdering his own brother, by murdering others in his family, by imprisoning large numbers of people in horrible conditions for no reason, for political reasons. So this regime has given the world reason for concern. And that includes -- that includes the Chinese people and the Chinese leadership as well.
I mean, what Kim Jong-Un is doing is a threat to all people in the region and globally as well. I mean, this is someone who has said not only does he want to develop a nuclear weapon, but he wants to use it to coerce others. He’s said that he was willing to proliferate nuclear weapons once he develops them. And so this a grave threat to all people.
RADDATZ: You know, you heard what President Trump said about China in that primary debate, but this week he said, after listening to President Xi, he realized it’s not so easy. Are you truly confident you can get China to pressure North Korea in a meaningful way?
MCMASTER: Well, we’ll see what happens. What we do know is that, in the midst of responding to the mass murder of the Syrian regime, the president and the first lady hosted an extraordinarily successful conference, summit, with President Xi and his team. And not only did they establish a very warm relationship, but since that time they’ve worked together on other issues. On North Korea they worked together. But they worked together as well in connection with the response to the mass murder on the part of the Assad regime in connection with the U.N. vote. I think President Xi was courageous in distancing himself from the Russians, isolating really the Russians and the Bolivians.
And this all occurred on the same day that President Trump hosted the Secretary-General of NATO, representing our wonderful NATO allies. And I think the world saw that, and they saw, well, what club do you want to be in? The Russian-Bolivian club? Or the -- in the club with the United States, working together on our mutual interests and the interests of peace, security.
And I think it was just a great week of the United States, in thanks mainly to our president’s (INAUDIBLE).
RADDATZ: You know, you sound very confident. President Trump of course sounds very confident. But one final question on this: every president since Bill Clinton has said the U.S. will not tolerate a nuclear armed North Korea, and North Korea has only grown stronger in their capabilities. So why do you think President Trump will have a different outcome?
MCMASTER: Well, as you mentioned, this is a problem that has been passed down from multiple administrations. But our president, I think, it’s really the consensus with the president, our key allies in the regions -- Japan and South Korea in particular, but also the Chinese leadership -- that this problem is coming to a head. And so it’s time for us to undertake all actions we can, short of a military option, to try to resolve this peacefully.
And so we’re going to rely on our allies like we always do, but we’re also going to have to rely on Chinese leadership. I mean, North Korea is very vulnerable to pressure from the Chinese. Eighty percent of North Korea’s trade comes from China. All of their energy requirements are fulfilled by China.
So in the coming weeks, months, I think there’s a great opportunity for all of us -- all of us who are really the threat now of this unpredictable regime -- to take action short of armed conflict, so we can avoid the worst.
RADDATZ: And I want to turn to Russia and Syria. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited this week and said relations were at a low point but the president tweeted Thursday, “Things will work out fine between the USA and Russia. There will be lasting peace.”
What suddenly gives him that confidence?
MCMASTER: Well, when relations are at the lowest point, there’s nowhere to go but up, Martha. So -- so I think the secretary's visit to Russia was perfectly timed. You know, Russia has given support to a murderous regime in Syria that has perpetuated a civil war and as cycle of violence that, along with obviously the brutal -- the brutal efforts of and actions of ISIS, have brought suffering to so many people, have created a crisis within Syria that has bled over into Iraq, and of course has bled over into neighboring countries and into Europe and so forth.
And so Russia’s support for that kind of horrible regime, that is a party to that kind of a conflict, is something that has to be drawn into question.
RADDATZ: Do you --
MCMASTER: As well as Russia’s subversive actions in Europe.
And so I think it’s time though, now, to have those tough discussions Russia. And there’s nobody to do it than our Secretary of State.
And then also to find areas of cooperation.
RADDATZ: Do you think we need ---
MCMASTER: Where do our countries align?
RADDATZ: -- more U.S. troops in Syria?
MCMASTER: What can we accomplish together?
Well, I mean, that remains to be seen. I don’t think so. I think what we’re doing now is supporting partner forces in Syria, in certain portions of the country, including the northeastern part of the country along the Euphrates River valley. It is a matter of time only until ISIS is defeated there. And what’s going to be really critical though is what forces can then establish enduring security in those regions that have a legitimacy with the population, that are representative of the population, that can set conditions for reconstruction to begin.
Martha, the cities of the Sunni Arab world in that region are in rubble. And so in a very successful conference in Washington two weeks ago, the United States State Department organized a bunch of donors and like-minded allies, part of coalition to pledge money for reconstruction. But what we need now is we need a security situation that’s conducive to that reconstruction, that can allow so many of these displaced people and refugees to return. And for those long-suffering people to enjoy the security, stability, that they deserve.
RADDATZ: And I want to finish on your trip there to Afghanistan. It’s really remarkable to think about the fact that we’ve been fighting there since 2001. What haven’t we done that we should have? And do you think more troops are needed there as General Votel has said?
MCMASTER: Well, I think what this long campaign here in Afghanistan shows is that the future course of events in war depends not on what you decide to do, but also on the actions of your enemies. And so what we’ve seen here is an interaction between ourselves, our NATO and other partners here, and especially our Afghan partners, and very determined and brutal enemies.
And so what has happened in recent years, at a period of our maximum effort, we didn’t have as reliable a partner in the Afghan government as we would’ve liked. Now we have a much more reliable Afghan partner and we have reduced to considerably the degree and scope of our effort.
Our enemy sensed that and they have redoubled their efforts and it’s time for us, alongside our Afghan partners, to respond.
And so what’s clear in here in Afghanistan is the stakes are high. I mean, this is -- this is really the modern-day frontier between barbarism and civilization. And so with those high stakes in mind, recognizing that the Taliban groups that we’re fighting here, that the ISIS groups that we, alongside -- really the Afghan forces are really fighting and we’re just enabling them -- in the eastern part of the country, are a threat to all civilized peoples.
And so really what we do from this point on is going to depend on the decision that the president makes, and he’s asked our team to integrate the efforts of the various departments, because what we haven’t had, Martha, really here is a very well stitched-together effort that combines what we’re doing politically and diplomatically and militarily and economically and through -- with our Treasury and Commerce departments in the areas financing the economy -- so that hasn’t been stitched together as well as it might have, along with the efforts our multinational partners.
So that’s what we’re assessing now and the president has asked for a range options, and we’ll give him those options. And we’ll be prepared to execute whatever decision he makes.
RADDATZ: OK, we’re going to have to leave it there.
General McMaster, it was great talking to you. Thank you.
MCMASTER: Great talking with you, Martha. Thank you.
RADDATZ: Up next, most Americans know very little about life inside the secretive nation of North Korea. One person who does is ABC's Bob Woodruff. He'll bring us his insights next.
Plus, the former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Chris Hill, joins us as the U.S. and South Korea conduct joint military exercises. We'll discuss what options America has to respond to this crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RADDATZ: North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, is just about 120 miles away from here, but a place few Americans have seen firsthand. My colleague Bob Woodruff recently returned from his eighth trip to North Korea since 2005, bringing us rare insight into life inside the isolated country and its regime's pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB WOODRUFF, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pomp and circumstance taking over part of Pyongyang this week. And in the midst of all the military tension between North Korea and the U.S., Kim Jong-Un, cheered on by a dense crowd, showing off a more modern Pyongyang.
This scene, a stark contrast from when I first arrived the nearly deserted capital city in 2005.
(on camera): But we expect to show you a country that the world knows very little about.
(voice-over): And we did. From our visit to the Children's Palace where your Koreans are trained in sports and music, to their subway system.
(on camera): You can see that this design is some old 30-year-old kind of design.
(voice-over): And to my aerial tour of Pyongyang in 2016.
(on camera): It was amazing. We saw a chance not only to see the cooperative farms as we came in over the suburban area, but also into the town. We had never seen this entire city before.
(voice-over): On my first trip here, we traveled two hours outside the capital to a collective farm, where I met with North Koreans skeptical of the United States.
(on camera): What do on you think about the Americans?
(voice-over): Back then, that 18-year-old told us he thought Americans were the sworn enemy of the Korean people.
(on camera): Have you ever met an American before?
(voice-over): No, he said, he hadn't.
(on camera): I'm an American.
(voice-over): As for what might be behind some of that animosity, the North Korean people, largely cut off from the rest of the world, and prevented by their government from having contact with our country. Most Americans have never traveled there.
That exchange is still limited, but recently, ABC News caught up with a high profile defector from North Korea, the former deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom. He said one of the biggest misconceptions is just how cruel the regime can be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They cannot understand that the North Korean system, it is itself, it's a kind of slavery system. I think one day when North Korean system, you know, the collapse, I think the whole world will be shocked.
WOODRUFF: The country has also provided limited firsthand knowledge of its nuclear progress. In the time I've been covering North Korea, we have put in multiple requests to tour the nuclear facilities that have dominated U.S. headlines.
(on camera): So what do we have here?
(voice-over): In 2008, we were the first members of the media allowed inside Yongbyon nuclear facility.
(on camera): So what we're seeing now inside this room is actually the cold water, just covered by ice, and underneath there is about 1,500 uranium rods.
(voice-over): But our most recent request, like many others, denied.
(on camera): We put in all sorts of requests to visit out here, the launch locations where the missiles are being launched.
(voice-over): Instead, they took us deep into the country to showcase another proud achievement, their high-end ski resort.
(on camera): Are there any other guests, you think?
(voice-over): An eerily empty expanse where skiers take the slopes in time to the patriotic music.
Carefully choreographed scenes have been a constant in my visits here, including those now iconic military parades, like this one in 2010, Kim Jong-Un making his public debut back when he was known as the Young General.
(on-camera): Now that the music stopped, which was really loud, now it's completely silent. Because right up there, Kim Jong-Il and his son, Kim Jong-Un, will come out and watch.
(voice-over): Now, the eyes of the world watching and waiting to see Kim Jong-Un's next move.
For THIS WEEK, Bob Woodruff, ABC News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RADDATZ: And they certainly are here in South Korea. Our thanks to Bob.
Up next, the man who sat face to face with the North Koreans at the nuclear negotiating table. Former U.S. ambassador to South Korea Christopher Hill joins me. And later our panel of experts on what President Trump's stalled domestic agenda may mean for his actions on the world stage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This morning's provocation from the north is just the latest reminder of the risks each one of you face every day. Our commitment to this historic alliance with the courageous people of South Korea has never been stronger. And with your help, and with God's help, freedom will ever prevail on this peninsula.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: Vice President Mike Pence at a U.S. army base in Seoul earlier this evening, attending an Easter meal with U.S. and South Korean troops. His trip to South Korea and Japan coming as our allies in the region wonder how the U.S. will respond to the North Korean threat.
Veteran diplomat Christopher hill joins me to discuss that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: North Korea cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear bomb. We have to be very firm about it.
GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not settle for anything less than the complete, verifiable, and irreversible elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
BARACK OBAMA, 44TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We stand with our ally, South Korea, and insist that North Korea keeps its commitment to abandon nuclear weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RADDTAZ: For decades, American presidents and their advisers have grappled with how to stop North Korea's nuclear program, including our next guest Christopher Hill, the former U.S. ambassador to South Korea. Under President George W. Bush's administration, he headed up the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, and he later served as U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
Ambassador Hill, thanks for joining us.
CHRISTOPHER HILL, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: Pleasure.
RADDATZ: When you were head of the delegation at the six-party talks, North Korea lied, obfuscated, and then pursued more missile tests, and as we saw they've continued to do that.
Why should President Trump expect anything different?
HILL: Well, first of all, the importance of negotiating with them in the six-party context was to force China to take a role, and of course, they were in the chair of this whole process.
But secondly, and I think this brings us to the present day with Vice President Pence's trip, it was important to show the South Koreans that will be do everything we can, including negotiating. And so the days where the U.S. would negotiate with North Korea and leave the South Koreans at the airport wondering what was going on, those days are over. And we worked very closely with South Korea. And I think in the process brought the U.S. and South Korea together.
As for the North Koreans, you bet it's a tough proposition. But I agree with all those presidents you just showed that we cannot allow them to develop a nuclear weapon.
RADDATZ: From what you've seen of the Trump administration, and I know you listened to General McMaster there, what are you hearing that is encouraging you besides what you just talked about with Vice President Pence?
HILL: Well, first of all, it is very encouraging that they are in close contact with the Chinese, that they seem to be trying to work things together with China. That seemed to be an elusive concept at a certain point in time. And yet that, I think, is very much happening.
Secondly, of course, is the vice president's visit because South Korea has some 20 million people within artillery range of North Korea. And they essentially worry about two things. They worry about a preemptive action by the U.S. where they weren't included in it. They also worry about talking to the Chinese kind of over their heads. And they kind of take the view, look, there shouldn't be anything about us without us.
And so I think the effort to kind of clue them in, to be close to them, to listen to them, to discuss the strategy, I think is very crucial. I would like to see, at some point, a U.S. ambassador named to South Korea, but I guess that takes a long time for this administration.
RADDATZ: I guess that's taking a long time in several places. Let's go to President Trump, though. You have mentioned others. You have mentioned the vice president. He has had some very aggressive language. Does that help or make it more difficult?
HILL: Well, I think he's trying to out-North Koreans the North Koreans. So let's see if that works. Certainly it makes people nervous when they're not quite sure what he means by it. And, you know, great powers can't really bluff.
So when you talk in those terms, you have got to be prepared to back it up. And I guess that's what worries people the most.
That said, I certainly appreciate the fact that he has understood this is a major issue. I mean, if I were President Trump, I wouldn't want to go before the American people in 2020 and say, well, you know, we gave it the junior college try and we decided there is nothing we can do about this.
RADDATZ: And when you look at what's happening now and throughout these past presidents, it's very dangerous today. I mean, everybody I have talked to says the threat is very different now because they are close to getting a nuclear missile on an ICBM.
When you look at it, how tense do you think everyone should be?
HILL: I think it is -- we have come to a moment where this is kind of different from the past. First of all, they have had over 25 missile tests. They're working on a whole new generation of missiles. Of course, one of them failed in the last 24 hours. But that doesn't mean they'll try again.
So it's a new generation of missiles. And clearly, they're working on a warhead design for nuclear devices. So this is, I think, a very serious matter. And it's coming down the tracks.
And people often take the view, well, somehow, this is all about their regime survival. This is how they'll survive being a nuclear weapons country. Actually, I think they're more ambitious about it. They see this as a means to somehow decouple the U.S. from its ally in South Korea, from its ally in Japan, and somehow create a situation whereby, at least in theory, holding the U.S. at risk, the U.S. would be less willing to participate in a conflict on the Korean Peninsula, were it to come to that.
So they have ambitious plans for this. And I think we need to be very clear about the need to stop them. And I'm particularly discouraged when I hear people talking about, well, maybe we can freeze their tests in return for freezing our exercises with South Korea.
That is not going to get us in the right direction at all.
RADDATZ: OK. Well, we hope we go in the right direction. Thanks very much for joining us, Ambassador Hill.
Up next, what does the threat from North Korea and how Trump responds mean for his agenda back home? Our expert panel of reporters weighs in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RADDATZ: How are President Trump's actions abroad playing on the world stage and affecting his domestic agenda? Joining me in Washington are ABC News political director Rick Klein; and Jennifer Jacobs, White House reporter for Bloomberg Politics; and here in South Korea, Jonathan Cheng, The Wall Street Journal's Seoul bureau chief.
Welcome to all of you. And I want to start with you, Jonathan, because you're right here next to me. You called North Korea's missile launch today a sign of their confidence in the face of President Trump's warning. What do you mean by that?
JONATHAN CHENG, SEOUL BUREAU CHIEF, WALL STREET JOURNAL: Well, I think it definitely shows that Kim Jong-Un is not going to be cowed when President Trump, arguably -- probably the world's most powerful man, has been saying that if you do anything that crosses the line, we're going to act. That hasn't stopped them from wheeling out what may be as many as three new ICBMs. It hasn't stopped him also from trying to launch --
(CROSSTALK)
RADDATZ: So they're not believing Trump's aggressive talk?
CHENG: I don't know that it's not believing. But North Korea is a small country and it has been wedged here between China, between Russia, between the U.S., Japan, all these powers. And the way it's been able to survive for so long in part has been by charting its own course and doing things against the grain. We don't know what they're going to do.
RADDATZ: OK, Jennifer, I want to go back to you and the word from Washington. There was a poll out Friday through CBS News that 56 percent of Americans are uneasy about Trump's ability to deal with this. Not a good sign, Jennifer.
JENNIFER JACBOS, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, BLOOMBERG NEWS: Yes, you're exactly right. There is substantial unease. And it's -- it's almost like Americans are on a little bit of overload with the bombs on Syria last week and the big bomb in Afghanistan this week. So they're just not sure what Trump is thinking on North Korea. They're on overload.
But I can give you a little bit of a window. I know that his national security team put together various scenarios based on how they thought that North Korea would behave this weekend, and what their reactions to that would be. And I'm told that when this medium-range missile fizzled right after launch, that Trump decided pretty quickly to just downplay it.
I can also tell you a few other quick things, that I'm told that Trump is not into regime change, regime removal for North Korea. He's not thinking about removing Kim Jong-Un from power. He's not thinking about reunify -- trying to unify the two Koreas. That's not on his mind. I'm also told, you know, the word kinetic comes up a lot, that he is definitely willing to carry out kinetic military action. A sudden attack.
But the key thing here, and you heard this a lot in your interview with General McMaster, Martha, is China, China, China. I was told by one adviser that the president has said North Korea is a Chinese problem located in North Korea.
RADDATZ: OK, Rick Klein. But all the talk of national security -- and it seems like all we've talked about for a couple of weeks here. Let's go back to the domestic agenda of President Trump. And he's not really making much progress there -- health reform, tax reform, the travel ban stuck in the courts. So what's up?
RICK KLEIN, ABC NEWS POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, if there is a Trump doctrine, the president is stumbling into that doctrine.
And the context that you mentioned is critical here. We're coming up on the end of that critical first 100 day period, and he is striking out. Nothing going on health care, tax reform, infrastructure. None of these things is moving. But the hope among Capitol Hill Republicans actually is that these things are connected. And what I've heard from several member of Congress on Capitol hill is that this Trump as commander in chief, the actions on the world stage, they are bucking up the mood among Republicans.
At least for now. It's very tentative. And I'll tell you, they have given up on trying to figure out what President Trump really believes because of the recent shifts in policy and just how fast-moving all of these actions on the world stage are.
But the hope is that these things are connected, and that this viewing of President Trump as commander in chief, tackling world problems, that could have a spillover effect on the legislative agenda and they could put some more points on the board domestically.
RADDATZ: And Jennifer, I want to ask you about the flip fops we've heard. Is that really saying much about his strategy, or is it just the reality of governing?
JACOBS: Probably just the reality of governing. I mean, one striking thing here is that he's listening to his career staff. That's -- he's been almost establishment in his actions and his thinking with this. But, you know, his staff had been arguing that these were not shifts so much as, you know, concessions in his favor. For example, I was told that in his meetings where the NATO Secretary General, that he was very, very firm, very pushy about wanting, you know, more money for defense. More participation in fighting terrorism. And that he's getting his way on those things. On China, on the currency manipulation, there was this new report out from the Treasury Department this week that very specifically said that none of our trading partners could meet the criteria right now to be labeled a currency manipulator.
So again he's listening to his career staff right now, which is unusual.
RADDATZ: And, Rick, is he listening to Republicans on the Hill? IS he listening to his base?
KLEIN: It's quite the time for on-the-job training. Now, the base and Republicans on the Hill, those are two very separate things. If you look at the way that he has been moving, despite all of the talk about broken campaign promises, he's actually moving closer to the mainstream of the Republican Party. Maybe even the broader, bipartisan mainstream about America's role in the world.
That heartens a whole bunch of Capitol Hill Republicans. Who -- the people that have heartburn over this are more of this core base. And that includes members of the Freedom Caucus, some Libertarians who say what is it with this -- all this foreign adventurism?
The same goes really for the staff shakeup that we hear about so much and the attention right now on Steve Bannon getting sidelined. There's an interesting twist for the potential for Steve Bannon to be set off to the side. The fact is, a lot of members of congress would privately cheer that on the Republican side. Steve Bannon is not liked widely by members of Republican leadership. In fact, many of them are getting close contacts now and good relationships with Jared Kushner.
So, it could be that these internal staff shakeups actually help President Trump even though they are not good headlines, they help with his relationships on Capitol Hill.
RADDATZ: And Jonathan, I wanted to talk to you again about here on the Korean peninsula. We started the program that way. We end the program this way. What do you expect here next? I mean, when I walk around the city, people are not frightened. Pretty are pretty calm. People are pretty used to it. But you heard us talk today, it is at a very, very serious stage.
CHENG: You're right, the South Koreans are used to this. They have lived in the shadow of the North Korean threat for 50, 60, 70 years. It's not unusual for them to hear these bellicose remarks from the North.
What they aren't used to is hearing it also from the White House. And if you're a South Korean here, you're looking at a neighbor that is perhaps on the verge of something big happening here. And it may start there, and it may start from Washington. And you feel a little bit caught in the cross fire.
RADDTAZ: So they're more nervous when they hear this aggressive talk?
CHENG: I think so. Again, usually, the White House, Washington, has been a reassuring force. I think that's why Mike Pence is here. In a certain I think he's here to reassure the allies. But you have Trump tweeting and -- sometimes going quite wild in his rhetoric from one side to the other, and it's unclear what exactly he intends to do.
RADDATZ: And does it seem to you, quickly, that he has a red line?
CHENG: Well, I don't know what that red line is. And I don't know that North Korea has gotten the message either. And I think south Korea, here, too, is concerned that nobody knows right where this is.
RADDATZ: OK. We'll have to watch -- we'll have to check back in with you again. Thanks you for joining us. Thanks to all our panel. We'll be right back after this from our ABC stations.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RADDATZ: That's all for us today from atop the Vista Walker Hill Hotel in Seoul. Thanks for sharing part of your Easter Sunday with us.
Check out "WORLD NEWS TONIGHT", and have a great day and a great Easter. | {
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Photos by Mike Calimbas (Texas Event Photographer)
Top Texas Pro MMA Circuit Releases Summer Schedule; Headed To Houston, Lubbock, and San Antonio For Next Three Events
HOUSTON, TX, July 8, 2013 – Legacy FC promoter Mick Maynard released the rest of their summer schedule earlier today with three fight cards in all coming up statewide between now and September.
The next card (previously announced) is actually coming up in Houston on July 19th with Legacy Fighting Championship 21 anchored by two title fights – including Angel Huerta (6-1) taking on Matt Hobar (7-1) and Larry Crowe (6-2) taking on Bubba Bush (5-2) respectively in the bantamweight and middleweight divisions.
That show also features the promotional debuts of the promotional debuts of both UFC vet Leonard Garcia and top female boxing champion-turned MMA fighter Holly Holm so it should be one heck of a way to kick off the summer for the Legacy Fighting Championship.
See the rest of the current fight card for Legacy FC 21 on our TXMMA Event Calendar here.
As far as Mick Maynard’s most recent announcements go, the busy Texas MMA promoter also confirmed today that the promotion with be headed to West Texas and also returning to the San Antonio area with Legacy FC 22 and Legacy FC 23 taking place in August and September respectively.
We’ll break down these fight cards in much further detail as they near but if the current lineups are of any indication, TXMMA fans in both cities can expect plenty of excitement with top local talent piling on for both cards.
For Lubbock, that means West Texas natives like Paul Buentello, Eric “Big Head” Davila, and Marcus Sursa will all be making appearances at Legacy Fighting Championship 22 along with nearby New Mexico native Damacio Page. The show will also feature Abilene’s Brandon Farran and DFW’s Clayton Robinson along with Houstonian Artenas “Machine Gun” Young who will be fresh off his stint on Bellator’s Fight Masters reality show. Of note for him is that this will mark the return to the area where he scored most of his greatest career successes to date while fighting for the now-defunct Shark Fights promotion.
Meanwhile for San Antonio and Legacy Fighting Championship 23 this September, Fans at Cowboys Dance Hall should no doubt be in for another treat as Texas veteran and local instructor Pete Spratt returns for what should be another striking-based affair against South Texan Danny Salinas. Likewise, the planned co-main event should be another slugfest as well as Leonard Garcia makes the quick turnaround following his LFC debut later this month when he takes on Austin’s Nick “The Ghost” Gonzalez. LFC 23 also features several other locals including Richard Odoms and Rodrigo Pinheiro along with some top talent from the Corpus Christi and beyond so look for this one to be in the running for one of the year’s top Texas MMA cards if everybody competes up to form.
Below are the complete fight cards for Legacy Fighting Championship 22 and 23 as announced to us earlier today.
Legacy FC 22 – August 23, 2013 (Lubbock, TX)
Main Card (Projected)
205 lbs.: Marcus Sursa (12-8) vs. Paul Buentello (30-15)
170 lbs.: Artenas Young (9-5) vs. Eric Davila (20-12)
135 lbs.: Damacio Page (12-9) vs. TBD
175 lbs.: Brandon Farran (7-7) vs. Mike Jasper (7-0)
125 lbs.: Johnathan Lopez (3-3) vs. Joseph Sandoval (6-4)
155 lbs.: Clayton Robinson (8-3) vs. Luis Luna (7-4)
Prelims
125 lbs.: Jon Voth vs. Gino Davila
155 lbs.: Dustin Roe vs. Jessie Moreno
170 lbs.: Danny Perez vs. Thomas Moreno
205 lbs.: Bruno Bastos vs. Gabriel Garcia
125 lbs.: Jason Gallegos vs. Albert Tapia
125 lbs.: Larry Garcia vs. Joe Saucedo
145 lbs.: Javier Minjarez vs. Santana Martinez
265 lbs.: George Trujillo vs. Eric Lunsford
Legacy FC 23 – September 13, 2013 (San Antonio, TX)
Main Card (Projected)
170 lbs.: Pete Spratt (25-22) vs. Danny Salinas (11-5)
145 lbs.: Leonard Garcia (15-11-1) vs. Nick Gonzalez (18-12)
265 lbs.: Richard Odoms (7-1) vs. Sammy Smith (3-2)
170 lbs.: Rodrigo Pinheiro (3-1) vs. Joseph Daily (4-4)
185 lbs.: Roger Narvaez (5-0) vs. Chris Spicer (4-4)
145 lbs.: Ray Rodriguez (3-1) vs. Patrick Ybarra (5-1)
105 lbs.: Paulina Granados vs. Tessa Simpson
Prelims
135 lbs.: Billy Buch vs. Raymond Moreno
125 lbs.: Jonathon Ramirez vs. CJ Vergara
185 lbs.: Allen Wilson vs. Cameron Martin
170 lbs.: Marcel Lumakang vs. Chris Lopez | {
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There has been a drop in the amount of fine collected from violators of the ban on smoking in public. Until two months ago officials monitoring the Smoke Free Chennai project collected Rs.2 lakh a month, but in the last two months it has fallen to Rs.1 lakh.
Project coordinator S.J. Govardhan says since April 27, 2010, when fine began to be imposed on violators, around Rs.18 lakh has been collected in Chennai from 15,971 persons for violating the ban. Across the State, Rs.50 lakh has been collected as fine and deposited to the government treasury, Dr. Govardhan said.
On why there has been a drop, officials said patrolling needed to be intensified. There is also a requirement for patrol vehicles, he added. Officials of the Smoke Free Chennai Project in the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine have sought more vehicles and personnel to carry forward the campaign, the funds for which would come from the fine collected, Dr. Govardhan said. At present, Chennai has four patrol vehicles, and the enforcement squad includes two health inspectors and a police official.
The Cell has developed special stickers for Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses. In the next few months, stickers would be pasted on suburban trains too.
Awareness programmes
The State Tobacco Cell has been conducting awareness campaigns for the past year in various government departments to sensitise them to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003.
The Centre for Tobacco Control, Cancer Institute, which held awareness programmes for heads of schools and colleges recently, found that since the World No Tobacco Day was observed on May 31, when a majority of schools are closed for vacation, children and teachers remained largely unaware of the significance of the date.
“Though educational institutions are informed about the need for tobacco control, the tobacco industry's marketing technique among children and the guidelines issued by the government to declare an institution tobacco free, it will be a long way before the message gets across effectively,” said E. Vidhubala, assistant professor and in-charge of Resource Centre for Tobacco Control, Cancer Institute.
“Recently, we held an awareness programme to find out how many heads of institutions had understood the provisions of COTPA,” she said.
Recalling his experience at the Cancer Institute workshop, Chennai School headmaster S. Srinivasan said, “It was a revelation to me that the boy who supplies tea to us at school sells tobacco products after school hours. I have told him that stern action would ensue if he did not stop it right away.”
Principals of private and corporation-run schools have welcomed the Central government decision to empower school principals with the authority to issue challan to violators. Seethalakshmi Viswanath, Principal of Amrita Vidyalaya, Nesapakkam, said, “We normally do not encourage even fruit vendors. Empowering us to fine violators is a welcome move.”
On how heads of educational institutions would be held responsible for tobacco-free environment in the areas surrounding them, Dr. Govardhan said, “We will take action against the heads of the institutions if we find that they have not issued challans to the violators.” | {
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Supreme Court hearing a case where a man lived-in, had sex with a woman he promised to marry
The Supreme Court has decided to examine whether civil liability can be fastened on a man, who walked out of a promise to marry a woman after long cohabitation (live-in) and a consensual sexual relationship, by treating such a relation as "de-facto" marriage.
Observing that many-a-time such a relation resulted in a break-up and an offence of rape was not made out, the top court said in such a case, the woman should not be rendered "remediless" and subjected to any kind of exploitation, even if a criminal offence is not made out against the man.
This is an issue which needs to be examined, it said.
The sensitive matter came up before a bench of Justices AK Goel and S Abdul Nazeer when it was seized of a petition of a man challenging the order of a trial court and the high court refusing to quash a case of rape against a woman in Karnataka.
The Supreme Court issued a notice to Attorney General KK Venugopal and requested him to depute an Additional Solicitor General to assist the court. It also requested senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi to assist the court as amicus, or friend of the court, and posted the matter for hearing on September 12.
The man had promised to marry the woman with whom he had lived for six years but later backed out. "Thus, she was induced for intercourse during the cohabitation (live-in) on that consideration and not by free consent. The petitioner committed offence under Section 376 - punishment for rape - of Indian Penal Code.
"With the trial court having taken cognisance, the petitioner approached the High Court for quashing it. The High Court rejected the prayer for quashing," the Supreme Court noted.
It also noted that during the course of the hearing, a question which arose for consideration was whether, on account of long cohabitation (live-in), even if the relationship was held to be consensual, and the petitioner is not held liable for the alleged offence, he can be held responsible under civil liability by treating the relationship to be a de facto marriage.
"This interpretation may have to be considered so that a girl is not subjected to any exploitation and is not rendered remediless even if a criminal offence is not made out. Somewhat identical issue has been subject matter of consideration in several decisions...," the Supreme Court bench said referring to other cases in which similar issues have been the subject matter of consideration in several decisions. | {
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(CNN) The halftime show at a Thanksgiving football game between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions got off to a rough start.
Brothers Osborne, a country music duo, only got a few notes into their first song before the music came to a halt and the lights dimmed abruptly at Ford Field in Detroit.
The reason? The power had gone out.
Moments later, the lights turned back on, and after a brief delay, the show resumed.
"Well obviously we've had a power hit here in Detroit, just a few notes into the Brothers Osborne here at halftime," announcer Joe Buck said on the broadcast, airing on FOX.
Read More | {
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Chinese exchange OKCoin announced today it will add futures trading to its platform, saying it is one of the first major exchanges in the world to offer users the chance to trade futures denominated in bitcoin.
OKCoin’s futures trading, which will be in beta for the next two weeks before going live, partly solves bitcoin’s price volatility problem and reduces risks by allowing bitcoin earners to ‘lock in’ a future price.
More advanced traders can use futures to utilize higher leverage opportunities for price speculation. Trading of derivatives like futures also serves to move volatility away from the underlying asset and ultimately causes prices to become more predictable overall.
Professional trading tools
Founder and CEO of OKCoin, Star Xu, said it was part of the company’s plan to bring institutional and professional trading tools to digital currency investors and help build the bitcoin trading platform of the future:
“Today’s launch of bitcoin futures trading capabilities builds on the algorithmic trading tools we pioneered and launched on our platform last month. We have already seen a favorable response from institutional and individual investors. We are helping to make participation in bitcoin a more safe and stable process. The ability to trade futures will further cement our position as one of the world’s leading bitcoin exchanges.”
OKCoin’s chief technology officer Changpeng Zhao said that OKCoin would ascertain it was gathering accurate pricing data with a US dollar index based upon prices from 10 different bitcoin exchanges.
Reducing risk in bitcoin investment and trading was a major factor in increasing bitcoin adoption, he added.
Seeking more professional customers
Beijing-based OKCoin, like mainland China’s other ‘big three’ exchanges, is increasingly seeking business from a new breed of professional digital currency traders in lucrative external markets like Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and the US.
Along with new English-language sites and support, the companies are adding a variety of ‘pro’ features. Huobi has just opened its margin trading system and interest-bearing bitcoin ‘savings accounts’ to all after a successful six-week beta trial, and BTC China’s new mobile app offers real-time market data and a fast-trading interface.
Other Asia-based exchanges, like Hong Kong’s Bitfinex and BTC.sx, which is dual-incorporated in the UK and Singapore, also offer their own implementations of margin trading and derivatives.
OKCoin itself launched an English website, P2P margin trading and a range of algorithmic trading tools in June, with an aim to making things easier for larger- and higher-volume traders.
The largest mainland Chinese exchanges offer extremely low or even 0% trading fees, which also attracts high frequency traders and increases liquidity.
Volatility image via gopixa / Shutterstock | {
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Wusstest du, dass Zusammenfassung aus 80 Jahren Harvard-Forschung zur Frage, was glücklich und gesund macht (englisch, 2017) innige Beziehungen nicht nur unser Lebensglück, sondern auch unsere Gesundheit stärker beeinflussen als Geld oder Ruhm? Positive zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen können unseren geistigen und körperlichen Verfall hinauszögern. Stärker noch: Unsere Beziehungen zu anderen Menschen haben einen größeren Einfluss darauf, ob wir ein langes und glückliches Leben führen, als unser gesellschaftlicher Status, der IQ oder gar unsere Gene.
Der Autor: Sven Jungmann Erst war Sven Jungmann als Mediziner und Unternehmer im Gesundheitsbereich begeistert von der Idee der posthumen Datenspende. Aus einem Gespräch mit Bekannten über lernende Gesundheitssysteme wurde so eine Diskussion über die Chancen und Risiken der posthumen Datenspende. Bildquelle: Alexander Kleber
Spannend! – Noch faszinierender ist allerdings die Frage: Wie haben Wissenschaftler das herausgefunden? Die kurze Antwort lautet: mithilfe von Langzeitdaten. Die etwas längere Antwort: Im Jahr 1928, kurz vor der Weltwirtschaftskrise, startete die renommierte Universität Harvard ein Forschungsprojekt mit zunächst knapp 270 Studierenden, Später wurde die Studie um zahlreiche zusätzliche Teilnehmer erweitert. unter ihnen auch der zukünftige Präsident John F. Kennedy.
Jahrzehntelang sammelten die Forscher nicht nur gesundheitliche Daten der Teilnehmer, sondern auch alle relevanten Lebensereignisse, von Hochzeiten über Todesfälle hin zu beruflichen Stationen. Heute sind die wenigen noch lebenden Studienteilnehmer der ersten Stunde über 90 Jahre alt, Daten ihrer Kinder sind häufig ebenfalls in der Studie erfasst. Die Auswertungen des massiven Datensatzes zeigen ganz klar: Hier geht es zum TEDx-Vortrag von Robert Waldinger, der aktuell die »längste Glücksstudie« betreut (englisch, 2016) Wie zufrieden wir im Alter von 50 Jahren mit unseren zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen sind, sagt mehr über unsere Gesundheit im hohen Alter aus als unser Cholesterinspiegel.
Würdest du deine Gesundheitsdaten nach deinem Tod spenden?
Generell verraten uns gesundheitliche Langzeitdaten wichtige Zusammenhänge, die sich erst nach Jahrzehnten bemerkbar machen. Eine wichtige Unterscheidung in der Forschung ist die zwischen prospektiven und retrospektiven Studien. Bei ersteren haben die Wissenschaftler eine klare Forschungsfrage im Kopf und planen den Versuchsaufbau gründlich; die Studien gelten als besonders aussagekräftig, da konkrete Hypothesen getestet werden. Im Zeitalter von Wie eine KI generell funktioniert, erklärt dir Neurowissenschaftler und Gastautor David Hofmann hier künstlicher Intelligenz (KI), die uns dabei hilft, auch riesige Datensätze – Stichwort »Big Data« – in Sekundenschnelle auszuwerten, sind Langzeitdaten zu einer wichtigen Ressource geworden. Oft scheitert es jedoch daran, dass eine wichtige Voraussetzung für eine funktionierende KI nicht erfüllt ist: Es mangelt an vielen guten Daten. Und das oft aus gutem Grund. Denn wer will schon seine sensiblen Daten zur eigenen psychischen und körperlichen Gesundheit weitergeben, um eine KI damit zu füttern? Schließlich können die ja sonst wo landen, geleakt oder ausgeplaudert werden …
Datenschutzregeln für Gesundheitsdaten gibt es aus gutem Grund. Wenn sie in die falschen Hände geraten, öffnen sie Tür und Tor für Stigmatisierung oder gar Diskriminierung.
Wir stehen also vor einem Dilemma: Auf der einen Seite brauchen wir Langzeitdaten, um wichtige gesundheitliche Fragen zu erforschen, und haben bereits die Werkzeuge, um genau das zu tun. Auf der anderen Seite müssen wir Sorgen und Ängste von Menschen und Patienten ernst nehmen, deren Daten dafür notwendig sind.
Die Lösung für das Dilemma ist verblüffend einfach: die posthume Datenspende!
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Keine Angst vor Hackern: So kann die Datenspende nach dem Tod aussehen
Geschlechtskrankheiten sind oft stigmatisiert, chronische Erkrankungen können Versicherungsgebühren in schwindelerregende Höhen treiben und Bist du gegen psychische Krankheiten gewappnet?, fragt Lena Nugent psychische Krankheiten erschweren häufig die Jobsuche: Darum haben wir ein Interesse daran, unsere Gesundheitsdaten zu schützen – zumindest zu Lebzeiten. Denn wenn unsere Daten erst nach dem Tod »gespendet« würden, fielen fast alle Risiken weg, die zu Lebzeiten zu Diskriminierung führen können: Verstorbene haben keine Jobs, keine sozialen Verpflichtungen und keine Versicherungen.
Die posthume Datenspende könnte ähnlich wie die Organspende funktionieren. Statt deiner Organe würden deine Daten zur weiteren Verwendung und Forschung zur Verfügung gestellt und an eine staatliche Datenbank gespendet werden; je nach persönlicher Präferenz könntest du zu Lebzeiten entscheiden, ob nur deine Gesundheitsdaten oder auch Konsum-, Reise-, Einkommens- und andere Daten anonymisiert oder pseudonymisiert genutzt werden dürften. Ausgewiesene Wissenschaftler hätten Zugriff auf die Datenbanken.
Hacker und Datendiebe dürften ein sehr geringes Interesse an Daten von Verstorbenen haben, da sich mit diesen im Vergleich zu Lebenden verhältnismäßig wenig (Löse-)Geld verdienen ließe.
Symptome, Medikationen, Blutwerte: Je länger und detaillierter Daten gesammelt werden, desto genauere Analysen können durchgeführt werden – und desto besser könnten in Zukunft Menschen mit ähnlichen Ausprägungen oder Krankheiten unterstützt werden und desto besser könnte ihnen geholfen werden.
Dabei geht es um viel mehr als um ein paar Aussagen darüber, was unsere Gesundheit im Alter bestimmt. Tatsächlich könnte die posthume Datenspende unser Gesundheitssystem im positiven Sinne auf den Kopf stellen.
Operation oder Physiotherapie: Das würden wir gewinnen
Angenommen du leidest – Diese Studie zeigt, dass 85,5% der Deutschen mindestens einmal im Leben an Rückenschmerzen leiden (englisch, 2007, Paywall) wie fast alle Deutschen irgendwann mal in ihrem Leben – an Rückenschmerzen. Nachdem sie in den letzten Monaten stark zugenommen haben, gehst du zu einer Orthopädin, die bei dir nach gründlicher Untersuchung einen Bandscheibenvorfall diagnostiziert. Sie rät dir zur Operation. Aber muss das wirklich sein?
»Das größte Risiko ist, dass die Chancen der Digitalisierung und Vernetzung im Gesundheitswesen nicht gesehen werden.« – Franz-Joseph Bartmann, Vorstandsmitglied der Bundesärztekammer
Jetzt beginnt das Abwägen. Egal ob du deinen Nachbarn, einen Arbeitskollegen oder deine Mutter um Rat fragst, dir eine ärztliche Zweitmeinung einholst oder In wessen Händen liegt deine Gesundheit?, fragt Gastautorin Silke Jäger das Internet durchsuchst, stehst du am Ende immer mit ziemlich »begrenzten Daten« da. Was aber, wenn wir Zugriff auf Daten von Tausenden Datenspendern mit vergleichbaren Rückenschmerzen hätten, die uns Aufschluss über ihre Diagnosen, Therapien und ihren Lebensstil gäben? Dann könnten Algorithmen Ein Algorithmus ist ein Begriff aus der Informatik für ein programmiertes Lösungsschema. Dahinter verbirgt sich eine Folge von Anweisungen, mit denen ein bestimmtes Problem gelöst werden soll – vergleichbar mit einem Kuchenrezept, bei dem nacheinander bestimmte Dinge getan werden müssen, damit der Kuchen gelingt. Es gibt sehr komplexe Algorithmen, die wir täglich nutzen, etwa den PageRank-Algorithmus von Google oder Algorithmen von Navigationsgeräten. von KIs alle Fälle heraussuchen, die mit dir aufgrund deines Geschlechts, Alters, Gewichts, deiner Nebenerkrankungen und anderen Faktoren vergleichbar sind. Die wiederum würden dir helfen, abzuwägen, ob in deiner Situation eine Operation der beste Weg ist oder Physiotherapie plus Schmerzmittel wahrscheinlich zu einem besseren Ergebnis führen.
Richtig genutzt können Langzeitdaten noch mehr, als deine Entscheidungen zu verbessern, wenn die Beschwerden schon da sind. Wie? Indem sie dabei helfen, gesundheitliche Probleme gar nicht erst aufkommen zu lassen. So kann eine KI anhand eines Fotos deiner Netzhaut schon heute erkennen, Diese Nature-Studie zeigt: KI kann das Risiko, an Herz-Kreislauf-Krankheiten zu erkranken, anhand von Retina-Scans vorhersagen (englisch, 2018) ob du ein erhöhtes Risiko für einen Herzinfarkt oder einen Schlaganfall hast. In den USA haben Wissenschaftler Laborwerte und Notizen von Ärzten und Pflegekräften an eine KI gefüttert, um möglichst gut vorherzusagen, ob bestimmte Patienten länger als üblich im Krankenhaus verbleiben werden. Forscher von Google haben im Januar 2018 bekannt gegeben (englisch) , dass sie mit über 46 Milliarden Datenpunkten, inklusive klinischer Notizen wie etwa ärztlichen Anordnungen und Pflegedokumentationen, eine KI trainiert haben, die sehr präzise vorhersagen kann, wie sich die Gesundheit von Patienten entwickeln wird, zum Beispiel wie hoch die Sterblichkeit nach einem Eingriff ist.
Genau so könnten wir auch Komplikationen deiner möglichen Bandscheiben-Operation individuell besser vorhersagen – wenn wir genügend hochwertige Daten von Patienten mit Bandscheiben-OPs hätten. Und die Wissenschaftler wiederum nutzen könnten, um eine KI damit lernen zu lassen.
Nicht (ganz) so schnell
Klar ist auch, dass die Daten von Verstorbenen – verglichen mit denen von Lebenden – ein paar Einschränkungen mitbringen.
Zeitverlust: Aktuell lässt die Datenqualität leider noch zu wünschen übrig. Häufig fehlen Informationen, handgeschriebene Notizen zu digitalisieren ist aufwendig und fehleranfällig. Viele spannende Ergebnisse wie Therapieerfolge oder die Entwicklung der Lebensqualität nach einer Bandscheiben-Operation werden noch nicht systematisch erfasst. Sprich, wenn wir jetzt beginnen, die Datensammlung zu verbessern, und warten müssen, bis die Patienten verstorben sind, können wir die Daten möglicherweise erst in einigen Jahrzehnten nutzen. Rückfragen nicht möglich: »Wie genau hat sich die Beweglichkeit nach der OP verbessert oder verschlechtert?«, einen Verstorbenen können wir nicht um Rückmeldung bitten und müssen stattdessen spekulieren. Keine Echtzeitmessungen: Häufig ist es interessant, bei neuen Therapien Daten »live« zu sammeln, um so direkt Anpassungen vornehmen zu können. Gerade bei der Behandlung von Epidemien ist das eine wichtige Komponente, die mit Daten von Verstorbenen wegen der Zeitverzögerung ausgeschlossen ist. Fragliche Übertragbarkeit: Nicht alle Erkenntnisse der Daten von Verstorbenen werden sich auf die Lebenden übertragen lassen. So waren unsere Großeltern (noch) anderen Keimen und Giftstoffen ausgesetzt als wir heutzutage; sie hatten andere Berufe und eine andere Gesundheitsversorgung. Unser Lebensalltag und die Bevölkerungsstruktur verändern sich durch Urbanisierung und Migration ständig und teilweise rasant, sodass ältere Datensätze möglicherweise in vielerlei Hinsicht nicht »mithalten können«. Sind sie repräsentativ? Sollte die posthume Datenspende freiwillig erfolgen, steht zusätzlich die Frage im Raum, ob sich die Spender in bestimmten – vielleicht grundlegenden – Aspekten von der Gesamtbevölkerung unterscheiden und damit ihre Ergebnisse nicht ohne Weiteres übertragbar sind. Wir könnten zwar versuchen, dies über demografische Metadaten zu kontrollieren, stehen aber auch dabei vor der Herausforderung, die Relevanz einzelner Metadaten zu bestimmen.
Soweit die Einschränkungen der Nutzbarkeit. Hinzu kommt, dass wir mit der posthumen Datenspende längst nicht alle Diskriminierungsrisiken eliminieren. Zahlreiche Krankheiten haben eine genetische Komponente, sodass wir von den Symptomen, Diagnosen und der DNA der verstorbenen Spender auch Rückschlüsse auf die Gesundheit von Familienmitgliedern ziehen können.
»Man irrt, wenn man glaubt, dass Schenken eine leichte Sache sei.« – Seneca, römischer Philosoph, ca. 1–65 n. Chr.
Dazu kommen logistische Herausforderungen. Die zu Lebzeiten erhobenen und gespeicherten Daten müssen nach dem Tod in ein zentrales System überführt werden, sodass sie überhaupt miteinander verglichen werden können. Neben der Überführung müssen wichtige Fragen zu Zugängen und Sicherheit geklärt werden.
Immerhin wäre laut Hier findest du die vollständigen Ergebnisse der von Vodafone in Auftrag gegebenen IPSOS-Umfrage (englisch, 2018, PDF) aktueller Umfrageergebnisse des Marktforschungsunternehmens IPSOS 1/3 der Deutschen bereit, schon zu Lebzeiten ihre Daten zur Verfügung zu stellen, wenn sie dadurch bessere Diagnosen erhielten. Vielleicht ist der Umweg über die posthume Datenspende »am Ende« also gar nicht notwendig. Und wir müssen »nur« dafür sorgen, dass die zu Lebzeiten gesammelten Gesundheitsdaten nicht gegen uns oder unsere Angehörigen verwendet werden.
Quelle: Adrian Szymanski copyright
Die Medizin befindet sich an einem besonderen Moment der Geschichte und die kommenden Jahre werden zeigen, inwieweit ihre Vertreter digitale Chancen und analoges Wissen sinnvoll miteinander verknüpfen können. Sie werden zeigen, ob wir in der Lage sind, digitale Infrastrukturen zu entwickeln, die es uns ermöglichen, mit KI (in Echtzeit) Erkenntnisse zu gewinnen, von denen wir noch vor wenigen Jahren nicht zu träumen gewagt hätten – inklusive einer personifizierten Medizin, die auf deiner Vorgeschichte und deinen persönlichen Daten basiert. Dafür brauchen wir allerdings Datenspenden zu Lebzeiten. | {
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Este viernes a la mañana, se produjo una explosión en un seccionador eléctrico que dejó sin suministro a una buena parte de la ciudad.
Fue a las 9 y media de la mañana en un seccionador de suministro energético ubicado en Av. San Martín y Savio, en Ramallo pueblo. Se escuchó un fuerte estruendo y segundos después un humo que propiciaba lo peor. Toda la zona se quedó sin luz y los vecinos salieron a la calle.
Una cuadrilla de Coospral llegó minutos después al lugar. Al hacer la revisión correspondiente descubrieron que la razón del desperfecto era un pájaro que había quedado electrocutado. Se trata de un hornero que quedó “rostizado”.
Mediante un sistema de reconección automática, el proveedor del servicio restableció la luz casi de inmediato. Al contacto de aves o de ramas, este sistema permite repararlo rápidamente. | {
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Starbreeze Buys Rights To Payday Franchise From 505 Games, Ends Microtransactions
Starbreeze Studios the developers behind the popular Payday series have announced a deal with former publisher 505 games that would see Starbreeze acquire the full rights of the Payday franchise in exchange for $30 Million USD of stock.
The next game in the franchise Payday 3 is currently under development as the terms of this deal will see 505 & Starbreeze split revenue from the console versions of Payday 2: Crimwave Edition until their [505’s] marketing / promotion costs have been recouped and Payday 3 released. Revenue generated from the Steam release of Payday 2 will be in the hands of Starbreeze retroactively as of May 1st.
For fans wondering about the horrendous micro transactions that received absolutely piles upon piles of criticism, they’re being removed from all versions of the game. Introduced last October, Payday 2 would present players with locked “safes” that contained skins & stat bonuses but could only be opened with a $2.50 USD drill item. Despite other games using a similar model for cosmetics – most notably Counter Strike: GO – the addition of stat boosters on skins caused an uproar within the community., especially since the developers previously said they would NEVER EVER INTRODUCE MICROTRANSACTIONS.
Now, those nasty microtransactions are gone and Starbreeze has pledged to add new content to Payday 2 for at least the next 18 months.
Check out the “E3 Teaser” released by Starbreeze for Payday 2 below: | {
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A fantastic name for a humor site of any kind Comedy club name | {
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If you like my comic " The Vapors" like it, share it, and reblog it if you wantsssss to ^.^ | {
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Passengers boarding a crowded train at Waverley station tonight. Picture: Dani Garavelli
Festival-goers trying to get home found themselves packed into trains "like sardines".
ScotRail advised passengers "to make their own travel arrangements" because of overcrowding between Waverley and Haymarket, with limited replacement buses available.
One ScotRail source said: "Absolute carnage in Waverley tonight - I have never seen it as bad.
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"I can't keep up with the disruption."
The source said multiple trains were cancelled because of a lack of drivers.
"Hundreds of passengers not able to get on services.
"Police in attendance at almost every train for crowd control."
Scotland on Sunday journalist Dani Garavelli, who was travelling to Glasgow, said: "It's a shambles, and dangerous I reckon.
"I'm on a train now but totally overcrowded.
"Standing like sardines and melting in the heat.
"The Festival happens every year. How hard is it to cater for?
Ms Garavelli said she was awaiting the 11:15pm train but it failed to turn up.
She said: "The platform got more and more overcrowded.
"There were no announcements.
"The train didn't come.
"Then someone heard it wasn't coming, so hundreds rushed up the stairs to try to make the 11:30pm,but there was no way I was going to get on.
"Then a guard shouted the train on platform 14 is going to Glasgow and everyone left ran for that. I'm on that now."
Angry passengers took to social media to vent their frustration.
BBC Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark sent a series of increasingly anguished tweets to ScotRail:
"What is the problem @ScotRail? Shocking service problems between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
"Please get us some air now @ScotRail or people are going to be ill.
"This is utterly appalling. No information, no apparent care @ScotRail. No water, no air.
"Ok @ScotRail now officially appalling customer service.
"This is getting really nary at Haymarket @ScotRail. Please exert some control."
Another passenger, Gill Wilson tweeted: "Total bedlam at Edinburgh Waverley. The lack of information and platform changes is leading to chaos and overcrowding. It's dangerous and irresponsible."
Lynda Sirel tweeted: "What is going on in Waverley? No one seems to know, trains are cancelled left and right, with hundreds waiting to get to Glasgow."
A ScotRail spokesperson said the problems had been caused by a train fault at Linlithgow and cancellations because of "crew issues".
He said: "It is a very busy times as the last weekend of the Edinburgh Festival and the Scotland v France rugby international at Murrayfield.
"We’re sorry to our customers who have experienced disruption and busy services today.
"We do all that we can to meet demand.
"Every available train we have is out on the network to get our customers where they need to be. | {
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Giant Wall Scrabble®
The writing is on the wall. We've taken classic Scrabble® to truly gigantic proportions, and increased the fun factor exponentially. Crafted from wood, with colors and graphics based on the original 1949 edition, this wall-mounted version has everything its tabletop predecessors have, including a fabric bag for the letter tiles. Strong magnets keep the letters in their squares, and a built-in chalkboard lets you keep track of the score.
Show Details +
Dramatically oversized wall-mounted Scrabble game
Solid wood frame and trim, letter tiles and tile racks
Vintage graphics drawn from the original 1949 edition
Includes 4 magnetic tile racks with chalkboard backs
Tile racks detach from the board during game play; can be used to store each player's tiles on the board, with player names facing out
Chalk and eraser included
Hanging hardware included
Show Dimensions + | {
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When there's no victim or crime under the UCR guidelines, police have the option of file a report known as a "police information report," but Davis said that is only necessary ifadditional information is gathered by officers beyond the dispatch reports that needs to be memorialized, such as a witness interview or evidence of a weapon. In this case, police who got to the scene didn't learn anything more than what the callers had provided. | {
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Police: Wireless network hacker targeted Seattle-area businesses
Law officers have moved to seize a Seattle man's car they claim was used in a "wardriving" spree that saw Seattle-area wireless networks hacked and harvested for information.
In filings with the U.S. District Court at Seattle, investigators contend the 1988 Mercedes sedan was a rolling base of operations for hackers intent on forcing their way into wireless networks to obtain personal information.
Federal prosecutors describe the seizure requested last week as a small piece of a years-long investigation into a string of network intrusions and commercial burglaries in which two other Seattle men were accused of stealing $750,000 in computer equipment and other items.
Writing the court, Seattle Police Detective Chris Hansen said the car's owner is suspected of using sophisticated electronic equipment to break through networks using a 12-year-old security algorithm -- Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP protection -- since superseded by more modern defenses.
A search of the car conducted after the owner's arrest in October uncovered network tools, antennas and other items used to break into wireless networks, the detective said in court documents.
'Wardriving,' 'piggybacking' and an arrest
Hansen – assigned to the Seattle department's fraud unit and serving on an interagency taskforce hosted by the Secret Service – noted that an unspecified number of small and medium-sized businesses around the Puget Sound had suffered network intrusions.
"Based on the investigation to date, I believe that these network intrusion incidents are the work of a loosely associated group of criminals in the Seattle area," the detective continued, noting that the suspects are thought to have been working together since May 2006.
The car's owner was seen in the vicinity of several network intrusions, the detective told the court.
The 35-year-old Capitol Hill man, the detective claimed, was using the black car in so-called "wardriving."
Essentially, those engaged in "wardriving" use laptops or other devices to map wireless networks. The term is apparently derived from the 1983 Matthew Broderick film "WarGames," in which Broderick's character uses his computer in "wardialing" hundreds of phone numbers in an effort to find a modem.
Hansen noted that the "wardriving" suspects would, after locating a network, then "piggyback" on the networks to obtain financial information.
"Once a suspect has gained unauthorized access to a wireless network, computers in the vehicle can be used to run programs such as port scanning software and password recovery software designed to breach security on machines within the network," the detective told the court.
With access achieved, thieves then pull identifying information and financial data off the network for later use.
The car's owner was arrested in October at a Capitol Hill wine bar after attempting to use a gift card stolen during a string of commercial burglaries, the detective told the court.
Two charged in burglary string
During much of 2010, King County prosecutors contend, a pair of burglars targeted commercial businesses in Bellevue, Redmond and elsewhere on the Eastside.
In an odd twist, the men charged in nine of the break-ins – Seattle residents Brad Lowe, 36, and Joshuah Witt, 34 -- are alleged to have sought out servers and internal documents believed to contain identifying information.
Writing King County Superior Court in January after burglary charges were filed against Lowe and Witt, Deputy Prosecutor Mafe Rajul alleged the men had stolen $750,000 worth of equipment during a nine-month period.
"The defendants are prolific and sophisticated burglars who target large businesses to steal computer servers containing large databases of people's personal information," Rajul told the court.
Rajul added that, though the men have been charged in nine burglaries, they are suspected in many more.
Describing the largest single burglary of which the men are accused, Redmond Detective Brian Coats alleged the men broke into the Union Hill Road offices of Concur Technologies twice during the weekend of Nov. 27.
Servers worth $300,000 were taken from the site, the detective told the court. More troubling, Coats continued, the thieves appeared to have targeted electronic data files rather than physical property.
Eight servers were stolen from the payroll-management company's server room, including one containing the company's email archive.
"Those servers contained six years worth of employee and customer email exchanges," Coats told the court. "The suspects could have the ability to access personal information of the company's employees and customers as well as proprietary information concerning the operation of the business."
Video surveillance showed the men walk directly to the company's server room on Nov. 27, the detective continued. Multiple loads of items were taken by handcart to a waiting van, which left the area four hours after the burglary began.
The burglars returned the following morning and retrieved additional servers, according to charging documents. Several cabinets and drawers were also pried open, and the company CEO's computer was stolen. Also taken were a variety of cellular phones, gift cards and an electric toothbrush, among other items.
Investigators reviewing security camera footage from Concur recognized the burglars from the earlier break-ins as well as the wireless network intrusions, Coats told the court.
Police searching Witt's Queen Anne apartment recovered 36 laptop computers – including one taken from the city of Seattle – dozens of computer hard drives, a server and other items, Coats said. Also found were several keys to commercial buildings hit during the burglary string.
Writing the court, a King County detective investigating a pair of burglaries at businesses on Woodinville-Redmond Road described the break-ins as one facet of a wide-ranging fraud that also included the attacks on wireless networks.
"Once in possession of information from these networks, they have used the data for financial gain," the detective told the court. "This has included using identity information from victims to commit fraud, redirect money to fake payroll accounts and use bank account and credit card account information to purchase consumer electronics and car parts."
Police: Antenna, 'hacking tools' seized
In October, Bellevue police learned that gift cards reported stolen during a burglary had been used at a Capitol Hill wine bar.
Later in the month, Seattle police arrested the owner of the Mercedes at the wine bar after he attempted to use one of the stolen cards there, Hansen told the court. Confronted by officers, he allegedly said he'd purchased the cards on Craigslist.
Pressed by investigators, the man admitted to knowing about the burglaries but refused to share the information, the detective told the court.
"I know, but I can't tell you about it," he said, according to police statements.
Officers also seized his car – a black 1988 Mercedes with darkened windows and a laptop stand – which was searched after a warrant was obtained. The warrant remains under seal with the U.S. District Court.
Searching the car, officers found a laptop computer drawing power from the car. Hansen noted a laptop stand had been installed in the car to allow a person to operate the computer while driving.
Investigators also found tools used to create networks, a long-range antenna and other items described as "hacking tools." Car parts purchased with stolen financial information were also found inside the vehicle or installed on the car, the detective continued.
"The vehicle itself is both evidence of the crimes under investigation, and constitutes proceeds of the same," the detective told the court.
On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge authorized the Secret Service to seize the car and hold it. Federal prosecutors have asked that the car be forfeited to the government as proceeds of criminal activity.
The car's owner has not yet been publicly charged with a crime related to the investigation. Seattlepi.com does not usually name suspects until they've been charged.
Witt and Lowe have each been charged with multiple counts of second-degree burglary. Attorneys for each man declined to comment on the allegations.
Check the Seattle 911 crime blog for more Seattle crime news. Visit seattlepi.com's home page for more Seattle news.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or [email protected]. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk. | {
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I.
I want to briefly elaborate on the radical environmentalist position in regards to the climate crisis. There are different forms of environmentalism. The bright greens tend to suggest that new technologies will help us solve our predicament. As examples you can think of self-driving electric cars, lab-grown meat, solar panels and other technologies. On the opposite side of the spectrum exist the dark greens, who suggest that environmental destruction is to some degree intrinsic to the human condition. Dark greens tend to support economic degrowth, population reduction and technological simplification.
There’s an overlap between “anarcho-primitivism” and dark green environmentalism, but they’re not the same thing. Some dark green positions are critical of civilization and suggest we should push for its collapse, others suggest that we should simply pursue radical simplification of our lives.
I consider myself to fall firmly within the dark green tradition of environmentalism, although I don’t really embrace the term anarcho-primitivism, because I don’t wish to pretend that we can somehow return to an idyllic state before the emergence of civilization, without imposing dramatic suffering on people in the process.
II.
I could spend a lot of time explaining why I am not a bright green, but I’ll give you some simple things to consider. Between 2010 and 2018, people’s desire for SUV’s increased demand for oil by three million barrels per day. How much did the rise of electric vehicles reduce demand for oil during that time period? By 100,000 barrels per day. I think this illustrates a problem you’ll encounter everywhere: New technologies that help reduce our demands on nature, simply enable a minority of the population to consume more.
When it comes to renewable electricity, we tend to encounter the same problem. Solar panels and wind turbines might deliver green electricity, but they don’t replace fossil fuels, they merely tend to supplement the grid. Estimates tend to suggest that it takes four units of renewable energy, to displace one unit of fossil fuels.
There’s also no clear evidence that renewable energy can genuinely fully replace fossil fuels. The first units of solar energy are very useful: They satisfy demand in the afternoon during summer, when electricity demand tend to be highest. On the other hand, as you start adding more solar energy to the grid, you end up needing to figure out a way to store the electricity. That’s what’s expensive. What we’ve seen in practice in Germany is that once the low-hanging fruit has been consumed, construction of new solar capacity drops dramatically.
Instead, almost every major industrial economy is looking towards biomass to satisfy energy demand. I don’t expect this will work, because we used biomass for most of human history, the industrial revolution was made possible by the fact that we found good sources of energy besides biomass. The world has limited photosynthetic capacity, so using biomass to satisfy our energy demand will end up coming at the cost of our old growth forests home to our biodiversity reservoirs, as well as our ability to feed people.
III.
So, to me it is clear that our material consumption will have to decline dramatically. Climate change is caused by the world’s wealthiest people. If the world’s wealthiest 20% wanted to genuinely address the climate crisis, the best option we would have is to pursue political change, to implement government policies that require our nations to dramatically decrease our material consumption. We would stop heating our homes during winter unless absolutely necessary, we would tax the private automobile out of existence, we would dismantle our airports and meat and cheese would be reduced to a luxury for the holiday season.
I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I try to live my life as if that were possible. I’ve been positively surprised before. A few years ago I decided that I was going to stop flying for the rest of my life. This was still a very niche thing at the time. I assumed it would be me, a few depressed climatologists and a couple of other weirdos on the Internet, who would together decide to dissociate from this orgy of greed. Then a Swedish teenager came along who became famous because she genuinely took the climate crisis seriously, the rest is history.
You might think that with this bleak perspective on the climate crisis that us dark greens endorse, we ultimately don’t expect that civilization will be sustained. For me this is correct. I think it’s physically possible to live happy lives with a fraction of our current material consumption. I don’t think it’s politically and socially possible however, most people will refuse to give up the luxury they have grown used to. I expect that we’re going to face enormous economic problems in the decades ahead, with mass starvation in third world nations, eventually followed by mass starvation in first world nations. I’m not looking forward to that outcome, I’m not gleeful about it.
My expectation is that the changes we triggered to our climate will eventually be so catastrophic that our civilization will be wiped out in the process. I expect that we already triggered that process, so now our priority should be to limit the further emissions of greenhouse gasses, to ensure that as many lifeforms as possible can survive through the cataclysm. If the multi-meter sea level rise that James Hansen predicts will occur during this century, the associated decrease in global temperatures will ensure that many places will survive that would otherwise perish in the extreme heat. We have to make sure that our own emissions drop dramatically, to give nature the time it needs to unleash these negative feedback loops that help stabilize global temperatures during this enormous transition that we have triggered.
In simple terms, this is what I consider our responsibility: Help nature defend itself, by giving nature the proper time it needs to respond to the damage that we have caused. We don’t have to solve this problem on our own, we are simply a small part of nature, defending itself. The trees in the forest defend nature by sucking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releasing stored water during drought, the ice sheets defend nature by releasing cold water into the oceans, bacteria and viruses defend nature by euthanizing the billions of animals imprisoned by us in factory farms, feral parrots and raccoons defend nature by stealing our harvest.
And you and me, my dear friends, we defend nature, with the tools that nature gave us. We vote against the fossil fuel industry, we use our bodies to blockade the machinery, we use our wallets to bankrupt the factory farms, we use our words to reveal the atrocities that underlie this way of life. The jellyfish swim into the pipes that suck up water to cool down the coal and nuclear plants, we lay down on the railroads that deliver coal to the turbines. We all work together, because we are nature defending itself.
IV.
I don’t believe in the need to do whatever it takes to somehow sustain our industrial civilization. People at companies like Shell are quite open about the fact that they see no way to limit the global temperature increase to two degree Celsius, instead they expect we’ll somehow start sucking CO2 out of the air around 2100. With an attitude like that, you merely ensure that our problem will get even worse than it has to be.
They take that perspective, because they can’t imagine a life worth living without our industrial luxury. If you work as a corporate board member at a company like Shell, you’re used to weekly business trips around the world, a countryside manor, a private yacht. Taking the 2 degree target seriously would mean having to give up that luxury. Some millionaires who lost their fortune to Ponzi schemes commit suicide, because they can’t imagine being content with the standard of living that you and me take for granted.
Similarly, I have no illusions that I would be a happy man in the post-industrial landscape of the 22nd century. I was born into this era, I fit into this era. I enjoy reading, I take a broad range of psychedelics from around the world, I have a diet that would fit a medieval king. However, I don’t believe in sacrificing the whole world, just to sustain a way of life that us wealthiest 20% of the world’s population take for granted. There are people who live happy lives as hunter-gatherers, or as self-subsistence farmers. What right do we have to turn their homelands into inhospitable deserts, to annihilate them, to sustain our own unprecedented wealth for a few more decades? I’m an unusual product of exorbitant material wealth, I have come to accept that this is not something that will be sustained indefinitely into the future.
There are some philosphers like David Pearce and many transhumanist types, who can’t make peace with nature. They look around them and see insects torn apart by spiders, or wild deer with maggots crawling out of their legs. That’s horrifying to them, so they imagine that nature is essentially evil. They don’t call it evil, because that would undermine their credibility, they call it cruel in its indifference. What they fail to understand is that they’re projecting their own mental state on people and organisms who are used to an entirely different state of being.
If you’ve spent your whole life as an ivory tower academic and end up suffering an accident in the forest and find yourself infested with maggots in your legs, that’s an experience of intense suffering. If you’re a deer in the forest, always wandering through the forest with the prospect of death around a corner, dying with maggots crawling out of your legs still sucks, but it’s not a form of unimaginable suffering. Your baseline hedonic state as a deer in the forest is much lower. In addition, you are incapable of abstractly contemplating what is happening to you, which is where most of the suffering originates from.
In a similar manner, if you’re an ivory tower academic, burying your child is a traumatic experience from which you might never recover. If you’re an 11th century mentally healthy Icelandic woman, you might find yourself killing your own newborn child, without suffering any severe trauma in the process. Why is that? You grew up in a different cultural context, so you can make peace with situations that are unimaginable to us.
What’s intense suffering, is when we suddenly experience events that are vastly outside of the range of experiences our mind considers probable. A duckling is swallowed by a heron? It sucks for the mother duck, but she’s the descendant of numerous mother ducks who had ducklings swallowed by herons and did not succumb to intense crippling depression in the process. You come home one day from your office job and find your newborn baby is eaten by coyotes? That’s a form of intense suffering, because it’s vastly outside of the range of experiences that you are equipped to deal with. As middle class people in industrialized nations, we’re simply poorly equipped to deal with forms of suffering that wild animals are well equipped to deal with.
So, my position as a radical environmentalist is that I want to take the effort needed to preserve a planet habitable for human beings and wild animals, even though the kind of conditions they would live in are not the kind of conditions I am personally equipped to deal with. You and me are communicating in an extremely unusual period of fleeting material abundance during this planet’s multi-billion year lifespan. You and me grew up with extremely nutritious diets enabled by material abundance, which gave us the cognitive capacity to even consider these kind of problems we are discussing here in the first place. You’re exceptional and the people you know are exceptional, but we should acknowledge that we’re also a fleeting phenomenon.
V.
Perhaps most importantly, we should acknowledge that although we’re not well-equipped to deal with the kind of life a mother duck might live, we’re not that well equipped to deal with the kind of life our industrial civilization enables either. If you look at the statistics, you’ll find that depression and various other forms of mental illness have grown dramatically over the past fifty years. Suicide rates for teenagers in the United States are higher than they have ever been. Life expectancy in wealthy nations is declining, because people are dying of drug overdoses, committing suicide or eating themselves to death.
We have unimaginable material wealth, but we’re not happy people. The main reason for that is because our world changed much faster than we were mentally prepared for. Genetically you’re no longer the same person who chased after deer in the savannah a hundred thousand years ago. However, you’re also not the person who is perfectly content studying endless factoids in preparation for an exam that will earn you the college degree that makes sure you won’t have to ask people if they would like fries with their hamburger.
This is the problem you’re dealing with. You’re a mixture of people. Your body and your brain were just slowly genetically adapting to a life as subsistence farmers, when an explosion of material abundance happened. Now your body and brain are forced to adapt to entirely new circumstances, your body is forced to learn how to cope with enormous amounts of calories, your brain is forced to adapt to a world where naked women are visible through the push of a button, or to spending the whole day sitting at a desk under artificial lighting. None of this makes genuine sense to you, although you are more intelligent and have more knowledge available than most people who lived before your time, you spend the entirety of your life in an endless state of crisis and confusion.
All the evidence I can think of, suggests that this modern way of life is not working for most people. The mental health services are not equipped to deal with the vast numbers of people in need of help. There are entire American states with more painkiller prescriptions than people. Technology gave us all the options we need to tweak our bodies and our brains, so we respond by endlessly pressing the pleasure button, like a rat in a cage.
On the other hand, the animals are happy. At least, they seem happy when we leave them alone. The wild elephants today are a society suffering a collective trauma, because humans have killed so many of them, but the animals can live happy fulfilling lives when we don’t destroy their societies. Indigenous people too tend to live happy lives, when they are free to continue their low-complexity lifestyles. It’s a common observation that suicide and drug abuse tend to skyrocket when indigenous people undergo Westernization.
My suggestion is that we need to help people and animals who are capable of living happy lives, to continue living happy lives. American society is profoundly dysfunctional, but it was profoundly dysfunctional from the start, when Columbus arrived on Hispaniola and began chopping off the hands and noses of people who had welcomed him with gifts. Our way of life began by exploiting and exterminating people who lived happy lives within the constraints imposed by nature. Our way of life ends now, as we annihilate ourselves through our inability to live within the constraints of nature.
VI.
I want to make it clear that I’m not endorsing self-hatred, or self-destruction. I think everyone should strife after a happy life, to be happy yourself is one of the fundamental prerequisites to making other people happy, but we should simultaneously acknowledge the simple fact that it’s a huge challenge for many of us to live happy lives. Instead, I want to offer an explanation for the peculiar phenomenon that most people seem profoundly unhappy despite our material abundance. The proper way to respond to this unusual situation is to acknowledge that as human beings, we’re not innately properly prepared for the absurd situation we find ourselves in. It’s not just your body that has no idea how to cope with a world of happy meals and automobiles: It’s your brain.
Your brain is not prepared to cope with this absurdity we live in on its own. It’s human nature, to adjust our brains to its absurd circumstances. That’s why we drink coffee, that’s why we smoke cigarettes, that’s why we drink alcohol, it’s even why we poison our bodies with huge amounts of sugar. We’re continually self-medicating, to cope with a world that does not make sense to our brain.
My suggestion is to accept that you’re not well prepared for this world. Nature in its benevolence, has endowed us with the means to learn how to cope with a world we fundamentally do not fit in. With psychedelic mushrooms, you can readjust your perspective, you review the events that characterize your life from a more constructive angle. With mescaline cactuses, you develop a more positive, confident and constructive perspective on yourself. With cannabis, you can find yourself able to entertain a wider range of ideas and enjoy a wider range of experiences.
There are numerous ways to cope with the absurdity we exist in, what matters is finding constructive ways of dealing with the absurdity instead of self-destructive ones. There is no shame in this, what ultimately matters more than anything else is how you impact the world you live in. A flight to the other side of the world, or cruelty towards your peers, has a much more destructive impact on our world than a mushroom or a cactus.
Ultimately, as absurd as our situation is, it is our responsibility to make the best of it. I hope that you will join me in pursuing a happy life, in allegiance and devotion to the natural world that gave birth to us. | {
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US President Donald Trump has approved military strikes in Syria in retaliation for the alleged chemical attack by the Assad government in Douma, near Damascus, last week. The UK and France joined the operation.
"A short time ago, I ordered the United States Armed Forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad," Trump said in a televised address from the White House. He added that a combined military operation by the US, the UK and France is already underway in Syria.
READ MORE: Explosions heard in east Damascus after Trump announces Syria strikes – witnesses
The US-led intervention in Syria comes just hours before the UN’s Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) experts were scheduled to visit the Damascus suburb of Douma on Saturday to determine whether chemical weapons had been used there last week.
Tonight, @POTUS Donald J. Trump addressed the nation to announce a combined operation- with the #UnitedKingdom and #France- of precision strikes against sites associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of the #Assad regime in #Syria. pic.twitter.com/m0H3Pk8Dh1 — Department of State (@StateDept) April 14, 2018
Shortly after Trump's announcement, a statement from UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she had authorized British forces to conduct "coordinated and targeted strikes to degrade the Syrian regime's chemical weapons capability."
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that he ordered French forces to carry out a military action against Syria in coalition with the US and the UK. “The facts and the responsibility of the Syrian regime are beyond doubt,” he said in a statement issued by his office, accusing Damascus of crossing “a red line” set by France in May of last year.
Macron said that France’s response was “limited” and solely aimed at “the capabilities of the Syrian regime for the production and use of chemical weapons.”
Read more
According to Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford, the US did not notify Russian forces in Syria ahead of the strikes. "We did not do any coordination with the Russians on the strikes, nor did we pre-notify them." The Pentagon said the strikes were a "one time shot" to send a strong message to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The combined decision by the US and its allies to strike Syria comes just after Russian defense ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov presented evidence claiming that last Saturday's alleged chemical attack in Douma was orchestrated. The general also noted that London was “directly involved in the provocation.”
The UK defense ministry stated that the strike was executed by four Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s, that launched Storm Shadow missiles at what the UK military claims was a former missile base, some 15 miles west of Homs. The ministry claimed that the Syrian government keeps a stockpile of chemical weapons precursors at the site, thus violating the Chemical Weapons Convention, of which it is a party.
Trump had a special message for Russia and Iran, who he said were “most responsible for supporting, equipping and financing” the Syrian government.
“What kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murderer of innocent men, women and children? The nations of the world can be judged by the friends they keep. No nation can succeed, in the long run, by promoting rogue states, brutal tyrants, and murderous dictators,” Trump said.
He also blamed “Russia’s failure” to keep the 2013 promise that Syria would get rid of its chemical weapons, which was negotiated in good faith with the US. Syria’s compliance with the promise was certified by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in 2014. The only remaining chemical weapons caches in Syria were in territories held by the Western-backed militants, such as Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam), who controlled Douma until their surrender on Monday.
Weeks ago, Russia warned that the militants in the east Ghouta enclave might stage a chemical weapons attack to win over Western public opinion. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the reports of Saturday’s chemical attack “fake news,” while the Russian military investigating the area found no traces of chlorine or nerve agents, any eyewitnesses who could confirm their use or anyone who might have been affected.
An OPCW investigative mission was supposed to arrive in Douma on Saturday. It is unclear what will happen to the probe, in light of the US, UK and French bombing.
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Uncovering and explaining how our digital world is changing — and changing us.
This story is part of a group of stories called
The New York Times is buying The Wirecutter, a five-year-old online consumer guide.
The Times will pay more than $30 million, including retention bonuses and other payouts, for the startup, according to people familiar with the transaction.
Brian Lam, a former editor at Gawker Media’s Gizmodo, founded The Wirecutter in 2011, and has self-funded the company’s growth.
The Wirecutter provides recommendations for electronics and other gadgets that are both obsessively researched and simply presented. The Wirecutter also owns The Sweethome, which takes the same approach for home appliances and other gear.
Both sites make their money via affiliate links, which generate revenue when consumers click on them and make purchases via e-commerce sites like Amazon.
Digital publishers have become increasingly interested in that approach, as digital advertising revenue becomes more difficult to find. The Times itself saw digital ad dollars drop 7 percent last quarter, citing “declines in traditional web display” ads.
I’ve asked both Lam and the Times for comment.
UPDATE: Here comment from The Wirecutter, via Twitter, with a link to the Times’ press release:
Hey, we’re still us. But we’re a part of The New York Times now: https://t.co/6982DzXav2 — The Wirecutter (@wirecutter) October 24, 2016
I spoke with Lam about how he built his business, and whether he wanted to sell it, on Recode Media in June: | {
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Yesterday, I bought my almost-5-year-old twin girls their first “big-kid” bikes, complete with chromoly steel frames, 16-inch wheels, coaster brakes, riser bars and knobby tires. Also: pastel pink-and-lavender paint jobs, festooned with hearts and flowers.
I wish I could say that the paint jobs on the bikes were an inescapable product of the hyper-gendered marketing of kids’ toys—which is a real and powerful thing, by the way—and that I had no other options. But the truth is that I could have gotten comparable bikes in green, orange, blue, or any number of gender-fluid colors. At one point, I had half-heartedly directed them to a candy-apple red beach cruiser with flames on the fenders, which I would have ridden with pride at their age (or, like, now), knowing all the while what their response would be. “That’s a boy’s bike,” they sang out in condescending unison, following up with an exchange of the familiar “Daddy is so silly” look.
So they joyfully rode their new pastel bikes around the park for a while, until it was time to go to their first ballet class. Ballet: because every other suggestion for an organized extracurricular activity has inspired responses ranging from tepid to horrified. (Side note: I haven’t pushed them very hard toward organized activities because I firmly believe young children should have plenty of time for unstructured, creative, imaginative play. Also, I am lazy and disorganized.) If you ask my children why they love ballet, they will tell you, “Because it’s beautiful.”
Every time I find myself watching my girls make choices that are stereotypically “girly,” I flash back to a scene just a few years before they were born. I was in graduate school, involved in a lively discussion about the rhetoric of architecture. The details of the conversation are unimportant, but it ended with me appealing to my fellow progressive eggheads, “We all know gender is socially constructed anyway, right?”
I think, at that moment, I actually believed what I had just said. Not just that the notions and valuations of “masculine” and “feminine” were tools of patriarchal oppression; but that all gender differences aside from the obvious physical ones were constructs created and perpetuated, consciously or otherwise, to reinforce social structures.
My belief that gender was socially constructed certainly had more to do with my politics than any review of the science on the matter; but as a childless grad student (and later, adjunct Rhet/Comp professor) married to a brainy, ambitious physician, I found no significant challenges to this element of my worldview.
And then my wife became pregnant with twin girls.
The heaps of gifted and hand-me-down pink frilly clothes and accessories grew far faster than we were able to sort and store them. Bins labeled according to season and size were stuffed, closed, and eventually buried as silky, ruffly, and lacey items with slogans like, “Daddy’s Girl,” “Princess,” and (this was just weird) “Jesus’ Li’l Snugglebunny” continued to pile up. By the time they were born, the room that was supposed to have been their nursery looked like a Komen For The Cure race had thrown up on it.
The profusion of pink paraphernalia only strengthened my resolve to undermine society’s gender messages. I would make parenting into a subversive act by encouraging my girls to be rough-and-tumble, grass-stained, fort-building, frog-chasing, risk-taking, dungaree-wearing, princess-shunning adventurers! But, for the time being, they could wear pink frilly stuff. They were too young to be poisoned by gender norms at that point; and besides, the pink clothes were free.
My wife went back to work when the girls were 4 months old, and I took over the bulk of the daily child care. I began sifting through the clothes to find browns, greens, and reds when I dressed them in the morning, despite my own involuntary “Oh my God, that’s adorable” response to seeing them in pastels. Frills were kept to a minimum, and anything in the clothes piles with the word “Princess” on it ended up in the giveaway box. I wouldn’t let anything—even my own melting heart—distract me from my mission.
There is a stage that usually starts between ages 1 and 2, wherein children begin to develop sartorial sentience. We could call this the “Hell No I’m Not Wearing That” stage.
At 18 months, my daughters started caring about what they wore. A lot. And what they wanted was pink and purple, to the exclusion of every other color. The occasional yellow or red was acceptable, but the suggestion of a blue dress was met with distress, and brown was anathema. For a while, I could get them to wear jeans or shorts with T-shirts; and then they realized that if they screamed enough, I would relent and put them in dresses. Spending time with toddlers is an exercise in choosing battles, and this was one I was willing to concede.
During this time, the girls were also developing preferences in what they played with. Early on, we had been conscientious about providing them with gender-neutral toys like blocks, balls, and puzzles. But as they learned more words, they began to gravitate toward narrative-driven, imaginative play, and became less interested in running and throwing. These predilections corresponded to the kind of research about gender differences in children that I would have dismissed as flawed or irrelevant in my social-constructivist days. In fact, I didn’t need to read any studies to see how misguided I had been—I only needed to watch, at self-segregated parties and preschool, boys the same age as my girls as they wrestled, threw mulch, weaponized inanimate objects, and obsessed over machinery while the girls colored, talked about clothes, and pretended to be families of kitty-cats or ponies.
As soon as my daughters got to the point where they could communicate their desires and feelings, that’s when I could see that there is something more than patriarchy behind the idea that there are “typical” gender differences. I knew that my wife and I had not been rewarding the girls for acting “feminine” and discouraging them from taking interest in “masculine” pursuits. They just liked what they liked, which happened to correspond to what a lot of other little girls liked. Likewise, many of our progressive-minded friends and relatives had little kids who were also developing very gendered interests. The young son of a gentle, peacenik, sports-agnostic couple is a rabid football fan who revels in the violent theater of the gridiron. The daughter of two moms who dressed her in brown until she started caring now wears princess costumes pretty much every day. Of course, not every kid fits neatly into one gender profile or the other; but at least among preschoolers, the differences are very pronounced. And while it’s certainly true that even preschoolers pick up on social cues about gender norms, it’s hard not to believe that there’s something more than peer pressure drawing them to distinctly different areas of interest and activity.
So, I have come around—belatedly—to what everyone else seems to have known forever: that girls and boys have, in general, some different interests, tastes, and aptitudes. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that I’m now going to become a Pageant Dad and discourage my girls from their burgeoning interests in astronomy and paleontology. But my dunderheaded journey from social constructivist to believer that social and biological elements interact to create what we know as gender traits has been valuable. I can see the danger of gender determinism. It’s tempting to get lazy and automatically push girls toward ballet (ahem) and boys toward football, without letting them know that there are other options, and the same goes for academic pursuits. If I hadn’t tried and failed to subvert gender stereotypes in my early parenting, my girls would probably still have the same color bikes and go to the same ballet class; but I might not be teaching them to pound nails and build electrical circuits as well. | {
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On Friday, June 26, 2015, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision ruling that gay marriage is legal in all states. In this sweeping decision, the Court has determined that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. The LGBT communities throughout Texas are claiming a victory in this decision that recognizes equal rights to marriage for all couples.
The issues presented to the Court were twofold. First, the Court was to determine whether a state was permitted to enact legislation prohibiting same-sex marriages. The second issue was whether a state could refuse to issue a divorce to a same-sex couple legally married in another state. In ruling that gay marriage is legal in all states, the Court effectively addressed both issues. States now must both permit same-sex marriages and they must issue a divorce to a same-sex couple that has been legally married.
The impact of this decision will most certainly affect local agencies. Clerks in the metroplex have begun to prepare for the likely increase in requests for the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Similarly, family law courts are preparing for an increase in filing for petitions for divorce by same-sex couples. This is certainly true in Texas where Courts have been reluctant to issue a divorce to a same-sex couple even if they had been legally married in another state.
The decision issued by the Supreme Court has opened the door for gay and lesbian couples to exercise the same rights previously granted only to a marriage between a man and woman. The right to marry for same-sex couples however is only the first step that many such couples will face in being granted an equal right to marry. Same-sex couples that elect to marry will now have to address issues including IRS filings, claims for personal injury, child custody determinations, and jointly filing for bankruptcy. These matters will likely take time to resolve through the courts with many same-sex couples working with attorneys to continue to work though the rights of gay and lesbian couples.
Faun Rowland is an attorney that has been practicing in the area of family law for fifteen years. In addition, she has been an adjunct professor of law at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas for approximately seven years. | {
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It’s the time of year that stargazers have been waiting for: the Perseid meteor shower. On the night of August 11th and the morning of August 12th, hundreds of tiny meteors will dart through Earth’s night sky, putting on a spectacular light show for late-night viewers. And those who stay up for the shower this year may be rewarded with a particularly special cosmic performance. Experts suspect there will be even more shooting stars than average in this year’s shower.
Experts suspect there will be even more shooting stars than average
The Perseid meteor shower got its name from the constellation Perseus — the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate from. But in reality, each meteor in the shower is debris from a comet called Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the Sun. Whenever the comet swings close by the star, the space rock gets super heated and ejects a bunch of dust particles. These tiny chunks then form a stream of particles that stretches along the comet’s orbital path. Earth passes through this debris field once a year, causing many of the particles to burn up in our planet’s atmosphere.
The particles streak through the sky at super high speeds, too. They burn through the atmosphere at 132,000 miles per hour and reach temperatures as high 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. But don’t be alarmed: the shower poses absolutely no threat to Earth. The comet pieces burn up about 50 miles above the Earth’s surface, according to NASA.
"Under perfect conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors per hour."
Most years, those watching the Perseid shower can expect to see about 60 to 80 comets per hour — but this year, there could be more than twice as much. Typically Earth just grazes by Swift-Tuttle’s debris field, but our planet will be even closer to the particle stream this year thanks to some help from our neighbor Jupiter. The gas giant occasionally gets close to the comet stream, and its immense gravity pushes the debris nearer to Earth. Experts think this effect will be on full display this year. "Under perfect conditions, rates could soar to 200 meteors per hour," Bill Cooke with NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office, said in a statement.
If you want to catch the Perseid meteor shower, the best time to start watching is after midnight local time. If you aren’t able to watch on the 11th, the shower may still be visible on the night of August 12th and the morning of the 13th. And remember, to see lights in the sky, you’ll want to get away from lights on Earth. City goers and those in cloudy areas may have a difficult time catching the shower, but fortunately, NASA has you covered. The space agency will broadcast the shower live on its Ustream channel on both evenings of the shower.
Stephen Hawking's Starshot, explained | {
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Adi 996 days ago
I hope India doesn''t have to import oil at all. Hail Tesla and electric cars, one day oil dependency will reduce to 0%. | {
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"Dem eyes tho!" Seriously this piece is beautiful. You can't not look Sombra in her eyes. I am really attracted to Sombra's colour scheme. The purples, hot pinks and neon blues. I like how you have been more subtle with the colours but it still looks amazing. Love it. | {
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KITCHENER— A federal Crown attorney was accused Thursday of misleading a judge in order to cover up for a dirty cop and trap thorn-in-the-side Toronto defence lawyer Leora Shemesh into committing perjury.
Shemesh is charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly telling various lawyers that she had seen a “nanny cam” video of a Peel Regional Police drug officer stealing money from a safe in her client’s home, and then allegedly committing perjury by lying about it under oath.
The officer, Const. Ian Dann, initially denied stealing any money but later claimed he had taken some cash to convert Shemesh’s client into a confidential informant.
Her lawyer, Marie Henein, is arguing in pretrial motions that Shemesh’s constitutional rights against self-incrimination were violated when she was forced into the witness box under subpoena.
She is asking Superior Court Justice Gerald Taylor to stay the charges before the trial begins in September.
On Thursday, Henein, for a second day, grilled Lois McKenzie, a Brampton-based Crown working for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. McKenzie conducted the cross-examination of Shemesh that led to the perjury charge after persuading Justice Bruce Durno her testimony was needed to clear the air about the nanny cam video.
Read more:
Prosecutor testifying at perjury trial denies trying to conceal police corruption allegations
Prominent Toronto lawyer set to go on trial on perjury charge
Opinion | Drug dealer claims he’s truthful and a Hamilton cop is the liar
Henein is alleging prosecutors orchestrated a coverup to protect Dann while trying to “catch” out the troublesome defence lawyer, who, in an earlier case involving Dann, had already exposed the police as courtroom liars.
“I’m going to suggest to you Ms. McKenzie that you deliberately misled the court into thinking that Ms. Shemesh may have simply made all of this up, this allegation of theft,” Henein said to McKenzie.
“I did not do that,” replied the prosecutor.
“You never tell the court, ‘she’s right he did take money’ ... she’s not pulling this out of thin air, it is true, he took money,’” Henein said. Nor did McKenzie tell Durno that Dann changed his story about the cash.
McKenzie agreed she did not but repeatedly insisted prosecutors were concerned that disclosing any information would violate confidential informant privilege, despite the fact the public prosecution service had already concluded Dann’s confidential informant claim was bogus.
“I get your point that I haven’t told him (Durno) the two versions of what we have but it wasn’t my intention to mislead, my focus was on the fact that here was a video that could support or undermine the officer’s position,” McKenzie said.
“When you’re making that submission you know there’s no video,” Henein said following up. She noted that prior to testifying, Shemesh’s lawyer told Durno she had never seen a nanny cam video of the theft nor had she told anyone that she had.
After McKenzie testified that Dann’s “admission” about taking the money was “separate and apart” from the nanny cam videotape, Justice Taylor turned to her seeming perplexed.
Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...
“I just want to make sure I got this. What is on the video is totally separate from the admission that Constable Dann took the money?” he asked, adding, “Is that what you said?”
After McKenzie attempted to clarify, Taylor nodded and instructed Henein to “carry on.”
The pretrial arguments resume Friday. | {
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L'association s'appuie sur une jurisprudence selon laquelle les distributeurs ont une "obligation d'information sur les caractéristiques" des objets qu'ils vendent.
Elle souhaite que les consommateurs soient avertis du "caractère sensible" des données utilisées par les objets connectés. L'UFC-Que Choisir a annoncé, mardi 9 janvier, avoir assigné en justice la Fnac et Amazon, qu'elle accuse de "pratiques commerciales trompeuses" concernant la vente de ces produits reliés à internet.
L'association s'appuie sur une jurisprudence selon laquelle les distributeurs ont une "obligation d'information sur les caractéristiques" des objets qu'ils vendent. Elle dénonce également une "mise en avant des garanties payantes, au détriment des garanties légales gratuites".
"Agissements illicites"
"Après avoir observé que les fiches produits souffraient, tant d'une information lacunaire sur les caractéristiques essentielles des objets connectés, que d'une présentation des garanties légales inintelligible", l'association de défense des consommateurs explique avoir, dans un premier temps, mis en demeure dix sites de commerce en ligne, en juillet.
"Face à l'absence de réactions de ces sites ou d'avancées significatives", l'association a décidé de saisir le tribunal de grande instance de Paris pour "les deux plateformes les plus importantes" : la Fnac et Amazon. Elle souhaite ainsi mettre fin à des "agissements illicites".
"Le protocole de communication utilisé, l'identité du constructeur et la capacité d'interopérabilité de l'objet sont autant d'informations que Fnac Direct et Amazon Sarl se doivent de communiquer aux consommateurs avant l'acte d'achat", souligne l'association. | {
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1 of 2 View Caption
| Courtesy Gary Johnson is the 2012 Libertarian Party nominee for president who is again running for his party's nomination from Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune Evan McMullin, a conservative independent presidential candidate, appears at the Hinckley In | {
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Many thanks to @LondonShortwave, on Twitter, who made a video showing how to use a GarageBand plugin to filter noise out of shortwave audio in real time. He describes this on his YouTube channel:
“I recently discovered a Mac AudioUnit plugin called Soniqware SG-1 that allows real-time noise filtering based on a brief noise sample (sometimes referred to as the “noise profile” or the “noise fingerprint”). This video shows it being applied to shortwave radio signals, which I believe is a first, as I have been unable to find anyone else who has already done it. In a number of cases, it turns laborious DXing into armchair listening. The antenna used in these experiments is a Wellbrook ALA1530SP-1 and is positioned indoors. More information is contained in the first few seconds of the video.”
Click here to watch the video on YouTube.
Note that GarageBand is an application only available on the Mac OS X platform. Fortunately, it comes free with every new Apple computer purchase. You can find the Soniqware SG-1 spectral noise gate plugin by clicking here.
Be sure to follow @LondonShortwave on Twitter: http://twitter.com/LondonShortwave
Related | {
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Image caption The Scotland Bill contains new Holyrood income-tax raising powers
The Westminster government would not introduce devolved income tax powers if they were unacceptable to the Scottish government.
That was the pledge of Scottish Secretary Michael Moore who was quizzed by Holyrood's Scotland Bill Committee.
He was asked by MSPs how much Scotland would lose in terms of its block grant in return for the ability to set income tax rates.
Mr Moore rejected a figure of £691m put to him by SNP MSP Joan McAlpine.
The Liberal Democrat MP told the committee: "The financial years in which [the reductions] will apply are in the future, by which time we are confident we will have recovered from the deepest recession we have seen since the war and be in very different circumstances than we were before.
"I don't accept you'll be worse off.
"We are looking at a process that sets up the income-tax powers to be used from the year 2016, and the final adjustment on the block grant won't happen until 2020, so there is quite a long way to go on that."
Mr Moore told MSPs it would be "quite strange" for Westminster to bring forward proposals which were "unacceptable" to the Scottish government, and said the legislation would not be "foisted on the parliament at a time when this is inappropriate or in a way that is inappropriate".
He added: "As a Scottish politician representing 72,000 people, I have absolutely no wish to get into a situation where that is the case."
This lack of basic detail about the income-tax measures - the central financial aspect of the Scotland Bill - is extraordinary John Swinney, Finance Secretary
Responding to Mr Moore's comments, Finance Secretary John Swinney said the Scottish secretary could not expect Holyrood to "sign a blank cheque".
He said: "The Scottish government's analysis suggests that the deflationary impact of the Scotland Bill proposals would have cut the Scottish budget by nearly £8bn from 1999 to 2010/11 while the Scotland Office's own figures suggested a reduction of £691m.
"Either way, the secretary of state conceded that he does not know what the impact of his own bill on Scotland's budget would be going forward, and that MSPs would not have this information when the bill comes back to Holyrood.
"This lack of basic detail about the income-tax measures - the central financial aspect of the Scotland Bill - is extraordinary and is in stark contrast to the volume of information the Scottish government has provided about the benefits of devolving corporation tax, which as things stand is not even in the Scotland Bill."
Mr Swinney said he would be calling for an agreement that the commencement of the income-tax provisions would require the specific agreement of Holyrood. | {
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Labour MP Paul Goggins has died in hospital just over a week after he collapsed while out jogging with his son.
The 60-year-old politician, who had represented Wythenshawe and Sale East since 1997, passed away last night.
He was admitted to Salford Royal hospital with a suspected brain haemorrhage after collapsing while out running on December 30.
Paul Goggins obituary
Live blog: Tributes pour in for Paul Goggins MP
His wife Wyn and three grown up children, Matthew, Theresa and Dominic, have been at his bedside since.
The family said in a statement: "Last night Paul Goggins, our dear dad and husband, died in hospital in Salford with us by his side. We are completely heartbroken.
"He had been very ill since collapsing last week. The way in which he has been cared for at Salford Royal has been such a comfort to us and we can't thank the staff enough for this.
"We have been overwhelmed by the support and good wishes we have received from so many people - a real sign of love and a reflection of the sort of person Paul/Dad was.
"We would also like to thank the media for continuing to respect our privacy at such a difficult time."
Mr Goggins, 60, was elected to the House of Commons in 1997 and quickly became widely liked and admired by both colleagues and constituents for his dedicated work.
Fellow MPs said his passing would be a huge loss to both Manchester and the Labour party.
Leigh MP Andy Burnham, a close friend of Mr Goggins, said: "Paul was a true friend and guide to me and I am devastated by his loss. He personified everything that is good about politics and his values and sheer decency shone through in everything he did.
"Paul was utterly devoted to his constituents and the causes he championed. He was everything a good MP should be and someone in politics for the right reasons.
"The disadvantaged and dispossessed have lost a true champion in Paul Goggins and Parliament is the poorer for his passing."
Paul Goggins obituary
Live blog: Tributes pour in for Paul Goggins MP | {
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Commute, 6 a.m. | Poet’s Pick
If the “F” comes now,
I could get there, right on time.
But I’m still in bed. | {
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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said Thursday that Todd Gurley's left knee hasn't just bothered the star running back recently.
Gurley's knee also was an issue after a season-opening victory over the Oakland Raiders, when Gurley rushed for 108 yards and caught three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.
"It was a similar situation," McVay said.
Gurley said Thursday that he, "Felt like s---" after the Monday night game in Week 1.
"It was bad," Gurley said. "I was contemplating on giving the Rams back their money and everything. It was bad. It was real bad."
Before the season, the Rams awarded Gurley, the defending NFL Offensive Player of the Year, a four-year extension worth $60 million, with $45 million guaranteed, to make him the highest-paid running back in NFL history.
Despite the pain, Gurley felt in the aftermath of the opener, he said that his knee felt better two days later.
That hasn't been the case with his latest knee issue, which includes inflammation and soreness that has lingered since a Week 15 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gurley was inactive last Sunday in a road win over the Arizona Cardinals, and his status is again in question for the regular-season finale against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at home. A victory over the 49ers would secure the Rams a first-round bye in the playoffs.
"Some days you wake up feeling pain," Gurley said. "Some days you wake up feeling much better."
Gurley was sidelined for a series in the third quarter before he returned to the field in a 30-23 loss to the Eagles. He said there was no single play that caused the discomfort in his knee.
"Came back on the sidelines and just you can tell when something doesn't feel right, you know your body," said Gurley, who has rushed for 1,251 yards this season. "Obviously, kind of went back in the game and played. Did what I could do and then just kind of dealt with the consequences the next day."
Gurley sat out of practice last week but participated in a pregame workout ahead of last Sunday's game in Arizona. After the workout, Gurley and the Rams' medical staff determined it was in his best interest to sit out.
"I could've played," said Gurley, who has scored a league-best 21 touchdowns. "But who knows how long I would've been able to play."
In his absence, the Rams started veteran C.J. Anderson, whom they had signed only five days earlier. Anderson rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown.
Gurley has not practiced this week, and it's uncertain if he will test his knee before pregame warmups Sunday.
"It's just one of those day-by-day things," Gurley said. "I'm just going to have to see when Sunday gets here." | {
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Since the recent trailer releases for the season five of Game of Thrones, I’ve been asked how I feel about the show taking creative liberties from the books. The footage seems to suggest a stronger deviation than there has been in the past, but this is hardly new. Just ask Ros and Talisa Stark.
A Feast for Crows gets a lot of hate. That’s not that surprising. Tyrion, Daenerys, Stannis, Bran (okay, not a big loss), Hodor (much bigger loss), Theon/Reek, Strong Belwas, and Benjen Stark are all absent while Jon Snow only gets a small cameo in Ser Piggy’s first POV chapter. Perhaps more importantly, there isn’t really a climax that makes up for all the missing major characters.
Which is a shame because AFFC is a fascinating read filled with character development and clues for what lies ahead. Personally, I prefer it to A Dance with Dragons, which also suffers from a slow moving plot and lack of climax, but contains all the characters that get featured on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. I wouldn’t call it the best in the series by any means, but I think it’s the one that benefits the most from a second read.
As a complete work, it’s basically unfilmable as far as Game of Thrones is concerned, along the same lines as Dune Messiah (or the whole Dune series for that matter). You can’t have a season where the action highlights are summed up by Brienne’s brief skirmishes, Samwell banging Gilly, and Myrcella losing her ear. Combining it with the early parts of A Dance with Dragons doesn’t really change this all that much.
Deviations must be made. The masses want action. You can’t have major characters wandering around, doing nothing, or simply not there at all for large chunks of time (I’ve covered this in previous articles as well). That’s not how TV works.
Game of Thrones has to forge its own path. It can’t do justice to the Northern Conspiracy or the Dornish/Tyrell/Greyjoy/Illyrio/Citadel Master Plans. We can’t speculate on who poisoned the locusts (without Strong Belwas, there’s no one to eat them anyway). If we’re lucky, we’ll get more Ser Pounce. For that, I am grateful.
As an author, my loyalties will always lie with the written word over the spoken word. It’s important to not only acknowledge these two as separate mediums, but to also not hold the latter accountable for deciding to do things a bit differently. There are tens of millions of fans of Game of Thrones. There are not tens of millions of fans who can tell you all the regions of Westeros (which isn’t that difficult).
I roll my eyes when magazines like Entertainment Weekly talk about the battle for the throne and only mention Tyrion, Jon, Arya, and Daenerys as if this is really what it’s all been about. They’re doing that for the masses. Fine, even if it comes as a slight to a certain one true king.
What’s important is to not let the deviations interfere with your enjoyment of the show. This is a high budget production with hundreds of talented people working both behind the camera and in front of it. Including George R.R. Martin himself.
It’s true that not all deviations are created equal. The show should be faulted for ones that don’t work. We should not however, fault the show for making changes solely on the grounds that it’s different from the books. That isn’t fair.
There is the problem of the finale, which will almost certainly come before A Dream of Spring or an eighth book, which I think is likely to happen. I can’t really say that’s not going to be a problem because I don’t know. This is pretty unprecedented as far as screen adaptations go. I imagine this is something that GRRM has thought about once or twice.
That’s a problem for another year. Until then, I’m going to enjoy Game of Thrones and do my best to keep my inner ASOIAF geek at bay. If I had a gold dragon for every time something was changed in the upcoming season, I’d be richer than the Iron Bank of Braavos. To say that time and time again would grow more annoying than Joer Mormont’s raven demanding corn and it would also be ignoring the fact that deviation is fundamentally in the best interest of the realm (Earth).
I will be doing recaps of the upcoming season. To ensure you never miss one, I encourage to subscribe by putting your e-mail address in the “Free Candy” form on the right. Also, I’d like to thank all of you who helped make A Trip Down Reality Lane a bestseller in metaphysical fiction and thank you for reading! | {
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A long time ago, in what seems to be a previous life at this point, I wrote a small blog post about modeling and creating an explicit return value from a dialog form in a Windows application. Fast forward a lifetime and I’m finding that this knowledge and experience is resurfacing itself in my daily work with. Whether it’s Backbone and Marionette or Node.js and RabbitMQ, I’ve used this pattern that I first learned in WinForms and my applications have benefited greatly from it.
A Poorly Constructed Workflow
It seems to be common in the JavaScript world to have very poorly defined and constructed workflow in applications. We take one object and build some functionality. Then when the next part of the app needs to fire up, we call it directly from the first object. Then when the next part of the app is requested, we call that object from the second one. And we continue on down this path ad-infinitum, creating a mess of tightly coupled concerns, tightly coupled concepts, tightly coupled objects, and a fragile system that is dependent entirely on the implementation details to understand the higher level process.
Consider this example: a human resources application allows you to add a new employee and select a manager for the employee. After entering a name and email address, the form to select the manager should be shown. When save is clicked, the employee should be created. A crude, but all too common implementation of this workflow might look something like this:
Can you quickly and easily describe the workflow in this example? If you can, you probably paid attention to the description above. Look at the code again, and follow the workflow through the code.
Personally, I have to spend a fair amount of time looking at the implementation details of both views in order to see what’s going on. I have to piece together the bits of the workflow from multiple places to form a more coherent, high level overview in my head. It’s not easy for me to see what’s going on. Every time I look at one part of the code, I have to mentally dig through implementation details that cloud the vision of the high level workflow. This is time consuming and prone to mistakes.
Too Many Concerns
This code has a number of different concerns mixed in to very few objects, and those concerns are split apart in some rather un-natural ways. To understand the complete concern, code from different parts of the app have to be mentally put back together. But, what are the concerns that are presented in this code?
The first set of concerns are found in the high level workflow:
Enter employee info
Select manager
Create employee
The second set of concerns are what should be the implementation detail:
Show the EmployeeInfoForm
Allow the user to enter a name and email address
When “next” is clicked, gather the name and email address of the employee
Then show the SelectManagerForm with a list of possible managers to select from
When “save” is clicked, grab the selected manager
Then take all of the employee information and create a new employee record on the server
This list doesn’t even cover all of the edge cases or common scenarios. What happens when the user hits cancel on the first screen? Or on the second? What about invalid email address validation? Adding these steps to the list of implementation details has things getting out of hand very quickly.
By implementing both the high level workflow and the implementation detail in the views – the details and implementation – the ability to see the high level workflow at a glance has been destroyed. This will cause problems as details will be forgotten when changing the system. Code will be broken. Features will be missing. Adding more to the process – like the validation or cancel buttons that are already missing – will make it more complicated, still.
This situation has to change.
Modeling An Explicit Workflow In Code
Instead of tightly coupling the workflow to the implementations, the high level workflow should be extracted. The governing process for this part of the application should be made explicit in the code, in a way that makes it easy to see the over-all flow.
Think of a workflow diagram as an example. The diagram doesn’t show all of the details. It shows the high level steps. Each step may be composed of additional detail, but the diagram shows it simplified in to single boxes.
Code should be modeled in the sam manner. The workflow should be high level, showing the basic steps. Detail of each step should be modeled in to other objects that are called by the workflow. This makes it easier to change the workflow and to change any specific implementation detail without having to rework the higher level process.
Consider this code, for example:
Here, the high level workflow is easier to see. After the employee info is entered, the manager selection comes up next. When that completes, the employee info is saved. It all looks very clean and simple. More importantly, the additional features like validation and cancel buttons can be added to the code. The validation may be a detail that happens in the individual form, but the cancel button is likely to be a part of the high level workflow.
From here, at the workflow level, moving to the details can be accomplished with a couple of Backbone views and a model for the details:
(I’ve omitted some of the details of the views and model, but I think the idea is there)
The Benefits
There are a number of benefits to writing code in this manner:
It’s easy to see the high level workflow
You don’t have to worry about all of the implementation details for each of the views or the model when dealing with the workflow
You can change any of the individual views without affecting the rest of the workflow
Adding new features or process to the workflow is easier
(and more!)
Of all the benefits listed and the ones that I am not thinking of at the moment, the most important one may be the ability to see the high level workflow. 6 months from now – or if you’re like me, 6 hours from now – you won’t remember that you have to trace through 5 different Views and three different custom objects and models, to piece together the workflow. But if you have a workflow modeled explicitly, you’re more likely to pick up the code and understand the process quickly.
The Drawbacks
Everything has a price, right?
You will end up with a few more objects and a few more methods to keep track of. There’s a mild overhead associated with this in the world of browser based JavaScript, but that’s likely to be so small that you won’t notice – especially with the rapid rate of optimization in JavaScript engines.
The real cost, though, is learning new implementation patterns to get this working. That takes time. Sure, looking at an example like this is easy. But it’s a simple example and a simple implementation. When you get down to actually trying to write this style of code for yourself, it will be more complicated. There’s no simple answer for this problem, either. You have to learn through it in order to improve your application design.
It’s Worth It
In the end and in spite of potential drawbacks and learning curves, explicitly modeling workflow in your application is important.
It really doesn’t matter what language your writing in, either. I’ve shown these examples in JavaScript and Backbone because that’s where I’m seeing a lot of need for this, recently. But I’ve applied these same rules to C#/.NET, Ruby and other languages for years.
As with any good architecture and philosophy, the principles are the same across languages and other boundaries. It’s only the implementation details that change.
(This article was originally published on LosTechies, and has been revised and edited here) | {
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LONDON (Reuters) - British police said they carried out a controlled explosion on a suspect package near London’s Angel underground station on Wednesday before allowing the station to reopen.
Earlier, London’s transport authority said the station was closed while authorities responded to a security alert outside.
Britain is on its second-highest level of security alert after several attacks in the country in recent months. | {
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Fifty Members of Congress Press EPA and USDA to Reject New GE Crops
August 01, 2014
GE Crops Would Lead to Dramatic Increase in Use of Toxic, War-era Herbicide 2,4-D
Fifty Members of Congress led by Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01) wrote today to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing “grave concerns” over Dow Chemical's Enlist Duo™ herbicide and new varieties of genetically engineered (GE) corn and soy the herbicide mixture would be used with.
“In the absence of leadership from the agencies tasked to protect our health, our food, and our environment, it is up to Congress to put pressure on the Obama Administration to do what's right. On the cusp of the 5-week August recess, 50 Members of Congress sent a clear message to USDA and EPA: reject the next wave of pesticide promoting crops before it is too late,” said Colin O'Neil, director of government affairs at Center for Food Safety.
“If either USDA or EPA had any surprises in store over the August recess, they’d better think again,” added O’Neil.
See the letter from Members of Congress here.
“We request that USDA and EPA fully review the facts, law, and science in this case. …the risks of approving 2,4-D crops are simply too great and benefits too few to jeopardize public health, the environment and the long-term sustainability of our food supply. We therefore request EPA not to register Enlist Duo for use on 2,4-D crops and USDA maintain the regulated status for 2,4-D resistant crops,” write the Members of Congress.
USDA and EPA are currently reviewing applications from Dow Chemical for new varieties of GE corn and soybeans and seeking registration to use Enlist Duo™--a mixture of 2,4-D and glyphosate--on the crops. USDA has granted preliminary approval for the crops, while EPA is reviewing the application for more extensive use of 2,4-D.
“We currently stand at an agricultural crossroads. The first generation of 'Roundup Ready' GE crops increased herbicide use by 527 million pounds between 1996 and 2011, triggering an epidemic of glyphosate-resistant 'superweeds' which now infest over 61 million acres across 36 states. 2,4-D crops are among the 'next-generation' of GE crops engineered to withstand applications of older, more toxic herbicides. While they are often touted as a solution to herbicide-resistant weeds, even the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recognizes in its draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that deregulating 2,4-D crops will spur the further evolution of 2,4-D resistant weeds and cause a three to seven fold increase in 2,4-D use,” write Members of Congress.
Exposure to 2,4-D has been linked to multiple adverse health effects including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, decreased sperm count, liver disease and Parkinson’s disease. Further, exposure has also been shown to negatively impact the hormonal, reproductive, neurological and immune systems. In addition, EPA has reported that 2,4-D is the seventh largest source of dioxins in the United States. Dioxins are extremely toxic chemicals, and their bioaccumulation in the food chain may potentially lead to dangerous levels of exposure.
The 50 signers of the letter are:
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03), Robert A. Brady (D-PA-01), Matt Cartwright (D-PA-17), Judy Chu (D-CA-27), David Cicilline (D-RI-01), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY-09), Gerald Connolly (D-VA-11), John Conyers Jr. (D-MI-13), Peter DeFazio (D-OR-04), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Keith Ellison (D-MN-05), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA-18), Sam Farr (D-CA-20), Alan Grayson (D-FL-09), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-03), Mike Honda (D-CA-17), Jared Huffman,(D-CA-02), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH-02), James Langevin (D-RI-02), Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47), Nita Lowey (D-NY-17), Stephen Lynch (D-MA-08), Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), James McGovern (D-MA-02), Michael Michaud (D-ME-02), Gwen Moore (D-WI-04), James Moran (D-VA-08), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10), Grace Napolitano (D-CA-32), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-01), Bill Pascrell Jr. (D-NJ-09), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), Jared Polis (D-CO-02), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), Charles Rangel, (D-MY-13), Bobby Rush (D-IL-01), Tim Ryan (D-OH-13), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Adam Schiff (D-CA-28), Louise Slaughter (D-NY-25), Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH-01), Jackie Speier (D-CA-14), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Paul Tonko (D-NY-20), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23), Maxine Waters (D-CA-43). | {
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RENTON, Wash. -- Linebacker Bruce Irvin was asked Thursday about the possibility that he's playing his final games as a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
"It could be," Irvin said. "I’m hoping it’s not. But it could be. I’m just trying to make the best of it. I’ve had a great four years here. I’ve been put in a great situation, being able to come in and didn’t have to start and have a lot of pressure on me my first year. I was able to [transition] into a ‘backer and feel this thing out. It’s been a blessing. I’ve enjoyed it, and I will always appreciate Pete [Carroll] and John [Schneider]. But like you said, it could be the last three games. But we’ll handle it when we get to it."
Irvin has been a three-year starter after getting eased in as a rookie back in 2012. The Seahawks spent the 15th overall pick on him, but now Irvin is a pending free agent.
The team had a chance to exercise a fifth-year option on him last offseason, but chose not to do so. The options now are to sign him to an extension or see him join another team.
Irvin has 5.5 sacks on the season, but has played a versatile role as a linebacker in the Seahawks' base defense and a defensive end in their sub packages. He's one of the best athletes on the roster.
"Just a constant development has been one thing that’s stood out about him," said defensive coordinator Kris Richard. "The improvement each and every single week. He’s been able to come out there and not only play linebacker for us, but put his hand in the ground when we need him in pass-rush situations and get after the quarterback."
Asked about Irvin's ability to block out the contract questions and focus on playing, Richard said, "That’s one of our rules of the room, is to stay focused on what you can control. You can’t control the future, you can’t control what anyone’s going to do about your contract or anything of that nature. All you can do is go out there and play the best football you possibly can."
There is no obvious replacement for Irvin on the roster, but given the talented squad the Seahawks have assembled, they'll once again be forced to make difficult decisions this offseason. Irvin, however, made it clear that he'd like to come back.
"Being away from these boys, it’s different," he said. "We play for each other. The contract and stuff is cool, but at the end of the day we’re out here playing for each other, for our families. You just want to make the best out of it while you can." | {
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Germany-based derivatives exchange operated by Deutsche Boerse, Eurex has been planning to launch futures contracts that will be tied to digital assets, as per the reports by the news outlet The Block on Feb. 21.
The block cites the people familiar with the matter, who added that Eurex has had met market-making companies to discuss the products and plans to launch futures contracts tied cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Ripple (XRP), having already had meetings
Reportedly, Deutsche Boerse has been considering the possibility of digital currency futures since December 2017. A spokesperson for the exchange platform stated:
“we are thinking about futures, with which private investors and institutional investors can protect existing investments in Bitcoin or set for falling prices of the cyber currency.”
In September 2018, Deutsche Boerse launched a “DLT, Crypto Assets and New Market Structures” unit, in order to explore the disruptive potential the technology could have for financial market infrastructure. In addition, the exchange researched new products to enhance its existing offerings.
Just last month, Deutsche Boerse revealed the deets about its blockchain-based securities lending platform, stating that its “making significant progress”. With the launch scheduled for the first half of 2019, the platform has reportedly confirmed six banks to join the securities lending platform, and have initiated “their connectivity processes.”
Read more: Twitter Users Could Send Bitcoins Via Lightning Network, Through Tippin Extension | {
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Robert Redford is not Zach Galifianakis.
The Internet learned this week that the “nodding meme guy” many believed to be the 49-year-old “Hangover” star is actually Redford’s character from the 1972 movie “Jeremiah Johnson.”
COLIN HANKS WISHES DAD TOM HANKS A HAPPY BIRTHDAY -- WITH PHOTO OF MICHAEL KEATON
The meme depicts a heavily bearded Redford nod in approval as the camera zooms in on his face. It has circulated online since 2012, according to Know Your Meme, a website that catalogs memes.
Many social media users posted their astonishment following the revelation, which was published in a story from Splinter News on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, those more familiar with cinema and the 82-year-old actor wondered how the Oscar winner could be confused with Galifianakis.
One user wrote that “Jeremiah Johnson” is one of Redford’s “finest films” and noted how the incident sparked “an interesting look at the knowledge gap between consumers of classic #film & general internet users.”
Redford has starred in films such as “The Great Gatsby,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” and “The Natural.” He received an Oscar nomination for his role in 1974’s “The Sting.”
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He’s also directed many movies, including “A River Runs Through It” and “Quiz Show.” He won an Oscar for directing the 1980 film “Ordinary People.”
Redford founded the Sundance Film Festival in 1978. It is the largest independent film festival in the U.S. | {
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Heat
Michael Mann’s 1995 cops-and-robbers crime epic Heat is memorable for a number of reasons, one of which is Al Pacino’s, let’s say, extremely animated performance as obsessive police detective Lt. Vincent Hanna. Let’s take a look:
Considering that Red Bull wasn’t introduced in the U.S. until 1997, there’s only one thing that can make a guy freak out like that, and it’s not Mountain Dew. But, for some reason, Pacino has always remained elusive when discussing his character’s motivations in the film, and whether or not good old Vincent was making some unauthorized trips to the evidence room from time to time. Until last night, anyway, when Pacino explained that the character is supposed to be strung out on cocaine throughout the film at a special Academy screening of Heat in L.A.
“I don’t think I’ve ever said it out loud,” Pacino said, explaining with words what his actions had already clearly stated. “But I’ve always wanted to say it, just so you know where some of the behavior comes from.” Next thing you know, he’ll be telling us that Tony Montana was a coke head, too.
[via Variety] | {
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A Municipal Garage Pretending to be a Parent of a Teenager | {
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After launching on iOS, all the way back in February, London fintech startup Curve has finally brought its wares to Android.
The mobile wallet lets you sync your debit and credit cards into a single app and to the accompanying Curve card powered by MasterCard. You then simply select which card you want the Curve card to act as a conduit for any payments you make offline or online, meaning you only need to carry a single physical card with you.
Other Curve app features include the ability to see and tag all of your transactions in one place in real-time (regardless of which card they originate from), search through and export your spend history across all of your cards, lock or unlock your Curve card at any time, and access significantly lower foreign exchange when spending abroad.
Perhaps most notable, however, is that, along with finally becoming available on Android, Curve has quietly put in place a feature it’s calling ‘Labs’ that will see the app begin to connect to other fintech or digital financial services — thus providing the makings of the fintech convergence strategy Curve’s roadmap has always been built on.
Here’s how I explained it when Curve launched on iOS:
The company’s founders are betting on the premise that whenever there’s disruption — in this case, following technological and regulatory changes, a plethora of new fintech companies are unbundling various parts of the banking sector — this inevitably leads to fragmentation. What then eventually follows is convergence.
I’m going to guess that Curve Labs will see the Curve app optionally connect to fintech services like TransferWise for sending money abroad (TranferWise founder Taavet Hinrikus is an investor in Curve, after all), Nutmeg for investing, or various card-linked cash-back or loyalty programs. Watch this space.
Meanwhile, the Curve iOS app is getting an update next week, adding ‘Email Receipts’. The idea is that when you pay with Curve, you can receive a breakdown of your transaction to your email inbox, and can add a receipt image to that email from within the Curve app. That way it’s easy to get expenditure to your company’s finance person or your accountant/book keeper.
I also understand that Curve is closing in on a Series A round of around $8 million, though it’s not quite a done deal yet. As ever, you heard it here first. | {
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TEMPE, Ariz. – In the immediate aftermath of the Arizona Cardinals' loss in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, one specific need for 2016 was addressed.
The Cardinals needed to improve their pass rush. In a hurry.
Carl Nassib notched 15.5 sacks in his final season at Penn State. Abby Drey/Getty Images
The process to get more pressure on the quarterback began this week when Arizona’s front office and scouting personnel descended upon Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl.
With the combine less than a month away, here are five defensive prospects to keep an eye on during Saturday’s Senior Bowl:
Deiondre' Hall, CB, Northern Iowa: He’s basically what Cardinals coach Bruce Arians described in his end of year news conference: a defensive back with length and speed. Hall, who is 6-foot-2 had six interceptions at UNI last season while being named the Missouri Valley Conference defensive player of the year, played a safety-cornerback combination.
Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State: At 6-foot-7, Nassib is tall and long, and that can translate in the NFL. He led the NCAA with 15.5 sacks so he knows how to get to the quarterback. He also led all linebackers and defensive linemen in disrupted drop backs, according to ESPN Stats & Information. What he doesn’t know in technique, he’ll learn quickly in the NFL.
Bronson Kaufusi, DE, BYU: A former college basketball player, Kaufusi has the length at 6-7 to be disruptive off the edge. The Cardinals have experience with developing former basketball players (Read: Darren Fells) and their patience has paid off. If Arizona needs Kaufusi to drop into coverage regularly, he may not be a good fit but he steadily improved while at BYU.
Kyler Fackrell, OLB, BYU: He’ll enter the NFL at 25 years old, which could be a blessing and a curse, depending on how the Cardinals want to look at it. He has the maturity -- mentally, emotionally and physically -- but his body could be at a point where it’s not as fresh as it was a couple years ago. He missed 2014 with an ACL injury and as Arizona has learned with Tyrann Mathieu, recurring knee injuries could be a concern. Fackrell, an Arizona native, would need to fine tune a few technique issues but at 6-5, he could develop quickly.
Joe Schobert, OLB, Wisconsin: The one noticeable trait Schobert is lacking is size. He’s 6-2, 236 pounds but he’s in the 25 nationally in disrupted drop backs, according to ESPN Stats & Information, which is an ideal complement to his 9.5 sacks. As the Cardinals learned last season with Markus Golden, to be an effective pass-rusher doesn’t necessarily require size. | {
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Hela 3 000 niondeklassare har sökt sommarjobb genom Uppsala kommun, och har man bara gjort sin ansökan i tid ska man vara garanterad ett jobb i tre veckor i sommar.
– Det viktigaste är att hitta en meningsfull sysselsättning till ungdomarna, de ska inte måla om staket som redan målats av tio andra. Sommarjobben ska avspegla olika jobb inom kommunen och våra verksamheter får själva komma med förslag på olika arbetsroller som passar, säger Mohamad Hassan (L).
När kommunen matchar de sökande mot sommarjobben kommer man medvetet motverka traditionella könsmönster, genom att till exempel styra in fler killar på förskolor.
Bra spridning på tjejer och killar
– Vi måste jobba med jämställdhet på alla nivåer, och vi måste börja med det tidigt. Det ska vara lika normalt för en kille som för en tjej att jobba inom förskolan, det ska inte finnas någon stämpel på yrkesrollen. Samma gäller för yrken som uppfattas som traditionellt manliga, som exempelvis röjning och målning. Där kommer vi att vilja få in fler tjejer. Vi ska se till att ha en bra spridning av både tjejer och killar, att alla får prova på olika yrken.
En av årets nya arbetsplatser är Gottsundabadet. Därutöver kommer niondeklassarna få jobba inom allt från förskolan till vård och omsorg, park och natur till administrativa jobb.
Kommer någon att få sommarjobba som politiker?
– Jag har haft praoelever tidigare men inte någon sommarjobbare. Men det kanske vi får titta på framöver, det vore trevligt! | {
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White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday President Trump wanted to “make it very clear” that his own long-held views helped him get elected president when he seemed to downplay chief strategist Stephen Bannon's role.
“[Trump] wants to make sure he's very clear that he won this election because of the policies that he's been laying out for decades and the commitment that he’s had to the American worker to growing our economy and keeping our country safe,” Spicer told host Dana Perino on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor.”
Spicer said the president “values Steve’s commitment” to executing the administration’s agenda, but said the line had been “blurred” regarding where the credit would go.
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“And I think the line has been blurred up a little bit. He wanted to make it very clear. At the same time, express confidence in the team that's here and the talent that he has assembled,” Spicer added.
Trump told New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin Tuesday that he beat his other primary challengers before Bannon came along.
The president fueled reports that Bannon is on rocky footing within the White House and of bad blood between top Trump aides.
“I like Steve, but you have to remember he was not involved in my campaign until very late,” Trump told Goodwin. “I had already beaten all the senators and all the governors, and I didn’t know Steve. I’m my own strategist, and it wasn’t like I was going to change strategies because I was facing crooked Hillary.” | {
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I finished up watching the Netflix series Maniac the other week. It’s a weird show — my fiancée described it as “Stranger Things + Wet Hot American Summer + Eternal Sunshine,” which I thought was weirdly accurate.
That odd, messy combination works as often as it doesn’t, but it’s great even just watching the show try to keep it all together. The thing that I feel like they could have learned with some reflection is how much stronger the show is when it makes sense.
There are rules to Eternal Sunshine’s mind trips; in Maniac, there are none whatsoever during similar sequences, and that weakens a lot of the interplay between different groups of characters. The early episodes also seem to enjoy being unnecessarily opaque, but the show feels so much richer later on, when the characters’ journeys matter more than the nonsensical world around them.
Check out 10 trailers from this week below.
The Punisher
Here’s the first full trailer for The Punisher’s second season, which seems to be promising lots of... emo murder, I guess? I am somewhat confused as to how this isn’t one of the Marvel series that got canceled, but maybe this trailer isn’t the best representation of why the show stands out. The new season debuts January 18th.
Captain Marvel
Marvel released a not-quite trailer for Captain Marvel this week that’s actually kind of better than a lot of the real trailers at depicting of the movie’s tone and humor. Like a bunch of this is just jokes — it’s great! The film comes out March 8th.
Russian Doll
This is a really smart concept. Russian Doll takes Groundhog Day, but turns it into a dark comedy series, where the lead character just can’t stop dying and reliving the same day. She’s also way more of a screw up than Bill Murray’s character ever was, leading to a much bleaker take. The show premieres February 1st.
Horror Noire
The streaming service Shudder has a really cool-looking documentary coming up on the history of black actors and filmmakers in the horror genre, from their absence in the early days of film through modern-day phenomenons like Get Out. The film speaks with Jordan Peele, Tony Todd, Paula Jai Parker, and more about how they shaped the genre, and how it’s reflected back on culture. The film comes out February 7th.
Velvet Buzzsaw
Netflix has the next film from Nightcrawler director Dan Gilroy, which sees him teaming up with Jake Gyllenhaal again for a movie about snobby art people who suddenly find themselves haunted by evil paintings. The film looks to be every bit as critical of voyeurism and capitalism as Nightcrawler was, just with a lot more straightforward horror. It comes out February 1st.
Weird City
YouTube Originals don’t exactly have a great reputation, but this one is an anthology series with a fun premise and a long list of amazing names on board, including Laverne Cox, Yvette Nicole Brown, Awkwafina, Steven Yeun, Michael Cera, Levar Burton, Rosario Dawson, and Mark Hamill. Plus, Jordan Peele is involved somehow? The show debuts February 13th.
IO
Netflix has a new sci-fi film coming up with a bare bones survival premise that looks like it could be just simple and straightforward enough to work. The film stars Margaret Qualley and Anthony Mackie as two stragglers left behind on a dying Earth, trying to catch the last shuttle off the planet. It comes out January 18th.
Ask Dr. Ruth
Hulu has a documentary coming up on the life and work of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, famous for her unusually honest and open sex education radio and TV shows in the 1980s. Westheimer turned 90 last year, and it looks like the filmmaking team was around to catch up with her and look back. There’s no release date just yet, but the film is set to premiere at Sundance.
Lorena
Amazon has a four-part documentary series coming up that looks back at the Lorena Bobbitt case — with an eye not strictly toward what happened, but toward how the media covered it and failed to respect Bobbitt amid allegations of assault and abuse. It comes out February 15th.
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
This feels like an easy cash in on a recent viral story, but maybe it doesn’t matter — the Fyre Festival disaster was hilarious, and this documentary seems to legitimately get behind the scenes of the mess, which should make for a fun watch. It comes out January 18th. | {
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Two years ago, Ahmad Khan Rahami's father told New Jersey police that his son was a terrorist, who then reported it to federal agents, according to a report.
In a sporadic and violent family atmosphere, the father made the statement about his son when Rahami was arrested after a domestic dispute and accused of stabbing his brother.
The information was passed to the Joint Terrorism Task Force led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Newark. Officers opened what is known as an assessment, the most basic of F.B.I. investigations, and interviewed the father, who then recanted.
Early Tuesday morning, the father, Mohammad Rahami, told the press, “I called the F.B.I. two years ago,” he said. A reporter asked, “Do you think your son is a terrorist?”
“No,” Mohammad Rahami said. “And the F.B.I., they know that.” | {
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El mediocampista de Atlético Mineiro, Rafael Carioca, tendría los minutos contados en la Liga de Brasil, y es que todo parece indicar que estaría únicamente a una firma para arribar con los Tigres.
Y es que el mismo entrenador interino del plantel brasileño, Diogo Giacomini, aceptó que el futbolista de 28 años se encontraba en negociaciones, aunque no reveló el club con el que lo hacía, los fuertes rumores señalan que sería con los de la UANL.
"En el caso específico de Rafael Carioca, él está realmente involucrado en una negociación. No sabemos aún si estará el miércoles", dijo el técnico para medios brasileños. | {
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（ＣＮＮ） 米ロサンゼルスの消防当局は１８日、同市中心部で建設中の高層ビルの５３階から男性作業員が転落して道路を走行中の車両の後部部分に激突し、即死したと述べた。
地元のＣＮＮ系列局ＫＴＬＡによると、事故は１７日に起きたもので、死亡した作業員は仕事に就いて２日目だったという。
作業員が激突した車を運転していた女性は病院に搬送された。負傷の程度は伝えられていない。
事故は、高層ビル「ウィルシャー・グランドセンター」の建設現場で発生したもので、施工元の企業は死亡した男性は事故発生時、仕事絡みの作業には従事していなかったと説明している。
同ビルは７３階建てで、来年完工の予定。 | {
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Event Blogging: What It Is and How to Make Money
You might have noticed that event blogging is a very popular activity amongst bloggers; that’s because of its ability to generate income without having to invest large amounts of time—that precious commodity—money, effort and maintenance.
It never hurts to be familiar with all of the different ways there are to make extra money online, so that’s why today I’m taking up the subject of Event Blogging, and we’re going to explore what it is, how you can make money out of it, and what’s the best way to get started. Let’s dig in!
A Look into Event Blogging
Event blogging, also known as event niche blogging, is simply a blog that’s based on a specific event, holiday, festival, or any sort of national, cultural, international, religious, seasonal or popular event. These blogs target and capitalize on a specific event or activity because a high amount of traffic is generated. The earnings you make will undoubtedly depend on the popularity of the event you choose and, of course, on the quality of your content.
The content that’s featured on these blogs is meant to cover the essentials of the event, so it answers questions such as:
What is this event about?
Why it is observed?
When and where does it take place?
Who’s interested in it?
How to enjoy it?
The objective is to offer readers detailed information about the event and answer important questions with the use of different resources like information, images, quotes, videos, and anything that the readers can engage with.
Some of these questions create opportunities for bloggers to serve as spokespeople for hundreds and thousands of products that are or can be related to each event. Through advertising and selling alone you can make a large amount of money.
One of the main characteristics of event blogs is that they don’t represent a long-term commitment. If you’ve ever ran a blog, then you already know it’s a long-term engagement because you have to be constantly producing new content to keep your readers engaged. When it comes to event blogging, you only have to produce content for the duration of said event.
For example, if you choose a special day such as Valentine’s Day your blog will be active for a day or a week, but if the event takes longer, like a soccer tournament, your blog will be active for far longer, from 30 to 40 days.
One thing to keep in mind about event blogging is that it’s a highly competitive business. Many others have caught up on the potential of such a practice and people with SEO training take advantage of their skills to rank higher than others.
But the truth is that no one has a monopoly on anything on the Internet! There aren’t any champions that hold a claim on anything when it comes to event blogging; so if you put the effort and you provide high-quality material, your blog will be the better choice. If you’re not ready for some competition, then you’ve gone into battle already defeated.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Event Blogging
One of the biggest advantages about event blogging is that you can earn in a few days what you make in a month or even a year. It’s difficult to say how much money you can make on any given event because it will depend on many factors, but the average earnings range from $1000 to $10.000 and more. So the investment is much less than the potential profit you can produce.
Event blogging is a great option for those who, for one reason or another, can or want to work online only for a certain period of time. It provides the opportunity for them to make a year’s worth of income in a month or less, so they’re free to spend the rest of their time either traveling or focusing on other projects.
As for disadvantages, there aren’t many negative things to say about event blogging, but there are a few things that can be considered draw backs, such as the fact that you need a server to handle all of the traffic that will be coming your way. You can have a great blog, and amazing high-quality content, but that won’t do you much good if your site is down.
This means you’ll need to invest in a high-quality server to handle the traffic. For event blogs, the best choice is a dedicated server; according to Techopedia1, a dedicated server is “a type of remote server entirely dedicated to an individual, organization or applications. It is deployed, hosted, and managed by a hosting, cloud or manager service provider, (MSP). This type of server is exclusive and it’s not shared with other customers, services, or applications.”
The average price per month ranges from $100 to $1500 or more. This varies depending on the resources you’ll need and on how much reliability you want. A few of the things you need to consider before shopping for servers are: how much CPU, RAM, drive space, and bandwidth you need and if you need a managed or unmanaged server.
When it comes to reliability, be careful with the cheaper options and shared hosting because they can be much more unreliable than you think; in order to charge less, providers have to unavoidably cut corners here and there which can lead to a bit of trouble. In the case of shared hosting, the problem is that you share the service with other sites. Remember that you get what you pay for, so the success of your event blog will depend on the overall quality of your tools.
One of the things you can do to save a few bucks without making a huge compromise is choosing a hosting service that provides service on demand. This means that as your traffic increases, the server package will adapt to the dynamic of your site and it will handle the traffic as it comes.
Also, you’ll need to remain vigilant during the course of the event so you can be there to take care of any hiccups that might come up; such as server glitches, script, plugins or theme issues, etc. If you don’t stay on top of your site, anything that happens can mean you lose all of the effort and money you’ve invested.
How to Start Event Blogging
Finding An Event and How To Choose
You won’t have any problem finding an event that produces a lot of traffic and searches; you only need to pick one and create a blog. You can either choose based on your passions and interests or on the traffic potential. If you choose based on your own interests, you’ll have a great source of inspiration, which makes for amazing content and this is all of the bait you’ll need to reel in visitors.
If you choose based on popularity, make sure that the event generates a great amount of searches. If you’re only just taking your first steps into event blogging you might also want to choose an event that doesn’t generate high competition so the challenge is something you can handle.
Purchasing A Domain
After choosing the event you’ll be targeting, you’ll need to shop for a domain name. Recommended website for domain registration: Global Hosting Service
The domain name should definitely include a keyword referent to your event because this will increase the click-through rate. Click-through rate, according to Investopedia2, is “the percentage of individuals viewing a web page who click on a specific advertisement. It measures how successful an ad has been in capturing users’ interest.” So the domain name is not something you can afford to neglect.
Start Working On Your Blog In Advance
By working on your blog 2 to 6 months in advance, you’ll have time to create quality content and you can start working on your ranking. The more experience you have, the less time you’ll need to work in advance. Experienced bloggers who already have their own arsenal or ranking tactics can start working on their blogs 10 to 15 days in advance.
If that’s not the case, it will be very difficult to attract traffic to your event blog in such little time. Make a plan based on your abilities and what you can accomplish and follow it to the letter so you can have a successful event blog.
Choose A Platform For Your Blog
As for platforms, there are a couple of choices out there which you already know: Blogger and WordPress. Blogger is free and it’s very easy to set up and customize however you see fit in a small amount of time. It makes for a very good choice especially if your budget is on the limited side. Also, Blogger is known for its reliability and security, so you won’t have to worry about hosting downs. Whatever you don’t spend on the platform, you can invest in other things, but if you do have a good budget, you can go with WordPress.
Invest On Good Quality Hosting or Servers
We already talked about the importance of investing on a dedicated server for your event blog, so it’s time to discuss a few quality companies. That way you don’t have to resort to cheap, unreliable servers, and you’ll have the guarantee that your blog will stay up and running amidst all of the traffic.
A couple of good hosting choices are Global Hosting Service and Bluehost3:
Global Hosting Service: This hosting company offers its users several packages on a wide array of hosting services, 24/7 support and customer service, security, user-friendly platform, and more. I recommend you browse and consider each option. Dedicated server prices range from $60 to $200 a month, while shared hosting prices range from $5 to $80 a year, depending on the package.
BlueHost: They also offer several packages on different hosting services, as well as speed, security, user-friendly platform, and more. Take your time to consider their packages. Dedicated server prices range from $75 to $125, while shared hosting prices range from $4 to $25 a month, depending on the package.
Write Quality Content
High-quality content is essential to the success of your even blog. The first thing you’ll need to do is identify the main keyword related to your event and always target it with your content. Once you’ve done this, you can create lengthy, interesting, high-quality articles for your event blog and make use of as many resources as you can, images, videos, quotes, books, ideas, etc., to attract users to your blog.
When it comes to images, remember the saying: “A picture is worth more than a thousand words” and don’t make the mistake of choosing your images from Google Image searches because those are already ranked and you won’t get the traffic. Look for royalty free images on Canva, Shutterstock, and other sites.
Another thing you’ll need to decide is the length of your articles. If you want to go with articles of 1000 words or more, you can aim for 15 articles, but if your articles are shorter–500 or 800 words–, you’ll need to write 30 to 40 articles for your event blog.
Start posting your content 30 to 40 days before the event so you can rank on Google. Make sure that all of your content is reliable, well researched and overall informative and educational so that your visitors spend more time on your blog. The more useful you are, the better!
Keyword Research
Keywords are not something you should pick at random because your traffic depends on them. Do your research and find keywords relevant to your event that show a good amount of searches. There are several tools you can use to find keywords, such as Semrush, Keyword Planner or KWfinder. Remember that short tail keywords are high-competition, so you’ll have to collect long tail keywords as well by using the tools I mentioned above.
Monetize Your Blog
The way to make money from event blogging is through the monetization of your blog. There are several ways to do this, but I recommend not using them all at once. You don’t want to saturate your visitors.
One way to monetize your blog is to look for deals and products you can advertise that are relevant to the event you’re targeting. There are many companies that offer a wide away of products and deals for each specific event or special occasion. So do your research and choose good companies to affiliate with so you can monetize your blog by sharing affiliate links and advertising for them.
You can also use Google AdSense4 to monetize your blog. This is a free program that “allows publishers in the Google Network of content sites to serve automatic text, image, video, or interactive media advertisements, targeted to site content and audience.”
Place the ads on the header right, on the sidebar, before the title of your post, throughout the article, and at the end of the post. The trick is to not overdo it, but you should have a healthy amount of advertisement.
Create Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are simply links to other sites and they’re important because they will help you rank your event blog on search engines. The point is to choose other blogs, sites and forums that are relevant to the event you’re targeting and that are well ranked, and commenting on high-ranking blogs can also increase your traffic. The backlink process should start once you’ve published about 6 posts. To do this you can use SEO Profiler, which is a free tool that helps you create backlinks but you’ll still have to do the research to find other blogs, sites, forums, etc. Remember not to use the same keyword in all of your backlinks. If you do this, you won’t rank.
Final Words
There’s nothing really complicated about event blogging. All you need to do is prepare yourself correctly and apply yourself to the task so you can profit from all of the major events in today’s world.
References:
1.- Techopedia: https://www.google.co.ve/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjSqd-12YTYAhXEkeAKHXXlCVoQFggmMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.techopedia.com%2Fdefinition%2F4868%2Fdedicated-server&usg=AOvVaw0k8St6gWhFxf58iTQmaZct
2.- Investopedia: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/clickthroughrates.asp
3.- Bluehost: https://www.bluehost.com/products
4.- Google AdSense Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AdSense
A to Z Guide on Event Niche Blogging: http://nichekws.com/event-niche-blogging-guide/#tab-con-2 | {
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We’ve already seen what happens when a script-writing artificial intelligence Is tasked with writing a short film script solo (it’s pretty hilarious, but not exactly watchable). But what about if human writers work together with an AI to make a horror film?
That’s what the team behind Impossible Things is trying to figure out, so they’re crowdfunding just under $23,000 to get the horror film made. But it’s the script that’s arguably the most interesting thing. The team behind the project is essentially using AI, big data and pattern recognition to figure out which elements should be there, but have the human writers focus on the larger plot elements and how to tie to all together cohesively.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
Disturbed by the death of her young daughter, a career-driven Mother and her out-of-work husband leave the city and move to an idyllic and secluded country home. Trading in a hectic career, Madeline - the wife, stays at home to renovate the house and care for her remaining two children: a twin daughter and baby boy; while Matt - the husband, finds any work he can.
When Mother and daughter begin to hear voices and see visions of a deranged woman and child ghost, remarkably similar to the deceased sibling, reality becomes skewed. After doubting her own sense of Self, Madeline succumbs to the house's nostalgia for the past. She dresses like the woman she sees, redecorates the house to fit former times, and adopts shocking new aversions towards her remaining daughter. As her insanity grows, we wonder if history will repeat itself and she will be left with just a son.
It’s a fascinating concept, and though the low-budget trailer leaves a bit to be desired, it’ll be interesting to see how this idea could influence film development in the future (be it a good thing or a bad thing).
Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think:
(Via Kickstarter) | {
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What to Know Police shut down a stretch of Bethlehem Pike Tuesday after the bodies of an elderly couple were discovered by a mail carrier, sources said.
The woman, believe to be in her 80s, was found outside the home. She was partially clothed, sources said. The husband was found in bushes.
Sources described the scene as bloody, but did not say how the couple died.
Update: Officials have released the victims' identities. New details here.
Police with guns drawn surrounded homes and businesses on Tuesday along a busy Whitemarsh Township thoroughfare after the bodies of an elderly husband and wife were found on a property.
Sources said a mail carrier discovered the bodies at 540 Bethlehem Pike near Mathers Lane around 11 a.m.
A woman, who sources say was in her 80s, was found face down on the ground in a side yard while her husband was found dead near the bushes of the property. Police say the woman was partially undressed.
Sources described the crime scene as bloody though police have not revealed how the couple died.
"Something went terribly wrong. That's shocking," Ian Cyrus, who works near the property, told NBC10.
Police used cars and trees as cover as they waited for the county SWAT team to arrive. All available officers were also dispatched to the scene.
A nearby day care was locked down until around 1:15 p.m. The Colonial School District also was keeping students indoors as the police investigation continued.
"It was a little nerve-racking but fortunately the kids are OK," Demian Mason, a parent of one of the children, told NBC10.
As a result of the police response, several nearby roads were closed. The Pennsylvania Turnpike, which runs perpendicular to the scene, remained open.
Police determined there was no active threat and lifted lockdowns in the area though traffic remained cut off, altering evening commutes and school bus routes as investigators stayed at the scene.
Police have not released the victims' identities. Neighbors described them as long-time members of the community who were quiet, friendly and always returned a smile and wave.
"Soft spoken, older couple," Michael Skalecki said. "Seemed pleasant." | {
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MUZAFFARPUR: Kickstarting NDA's poll campaign in Bihar Prime Minister Narendra Modi today focussed his attack on former BJP ally and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar , accusing him of "back-stabbing" the people of the state and alleging that there is some problem with his "DNA".Modi also targeted Kumar for allying with RJD, saying he was trying to drag the state back to the 'jungle raj', and asked the voters to reject such people as they "cannot be trusted" again and elect NDA with a two-third majority for changing Bihar's fate.He said Bihar will be given a special package "bigger" than Rs 50,000 crore which he had promised earlier and that will be announced after the end of Monsoon session of Parliament as his "lips are sealed till then".Addressing a public meeting here, he said Kumar practices "political untouchability" as he recalled how the JD(U) leader had refused to entertain him after inviting him over dinner and had snapped ties with BJP because of his dislike towards him two years back.Modi took a dig at Lalu for his comments about "drinking poison", which was made in an apparent reference to his accepting Kumar's leadership. He said while he had chosen to do so for his "vested interest", why was he forcing the people of Bihar to "drink poison" along with him."During the last elections, Kumar had said that if he was unable to provide electricity to entire Bihar, he would not come to ask for votes again in 2015...But have you got the electricity? It has not come. But he has come to ask for votes. He betrayed your trust. Forget me, he even back-stabbed you. Such people cannot be trusted again," he said.Seeking to play a dalit card, he said Kumar had practised "political untouchability" not only towards him but also a "mahadalit" former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, an erstwhile leader of JD(U), who has since joined NDA.He said even George Fernandes, former associate of Nitish Kumar, and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, were not treated well by him even though they had worked shoulder-to-shoulder with him."There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy, you give respect even to your political rivals," he said. | {
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While the Earth didn’t end on December 21, 2012, the year’s end was marked by a new awareness of the urgency of the climate crisis. Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the preciousness and fragility of life on Earth. That and other cultural shifts are setting the stage for significant change in the year ahead.
Nine key trends tell the story:
1. Climate Crisis: Alarm Translates Into Action
The climate crisis is the top story of 2012, with record-breaking heat, severe drought that led to the declaration of more than half of U.S. counties as disaster zones, wildfires that burned more than 9 million acres, and superstorm Sandy, with costs reaching into the billions. Four out of five Americans now believe that the climate problem is serious, according to an AP-Gfk poll.
The Obama administration has done little to address this problem—in part because of congressional resistance—but did set higher fuel emissions standards for automobiles, an important step in curtailing greenhouse gases.
The real action, though, is at the grassroots. Bill McKibben and 350.org launched a national movement in the fall of 2012 to press colleges and universities to divest their holdings in big energy companies. Texas and Nebraska landowners, Canadian tribes, and environmentalists everywhere are taking action to block the construction of a tar sands pipeline to ocean ports. Thousands turned out at hearings in Washington state to oppose the transport of millions of tons of Powder Basin coal through the region for export to China. And resistance to natural gas fracking is spreading throughout the Northeast.
Meanwhile, coal plants across the U.S. are closing, and a West Virginia coal company is giving up mountaintop removal as a result of pressure from environmental groups and falling demand in the wake of low prices for natural gas.
With widespread alarm at the extreme weather events, conditions are now ripe for a strong popular movement to take on the fossil fuel industry and its threat to human civilization.
2. U.S. Politics Get More Colorful
2012 saw the number of babies born to families of color exceed the number for white families. But the clout of non-whites is growing for other reasons. African Americans, Asians, and Latinos, along with women of all races, overcame discriminatory voter suppression tactics to hand President Obama the majority he needed to win a second term. The growing clout of communities of color has consequences, putting immigration reform firmly on the national agenda.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party’s radical platform has alienated large majorities of women and people of color, and more than half of Americans call Republican policies “extreme.”
The failure of policies unfriendly to women, people of color, and many others in the 99 percent has the Republican Party in disarray. There is now space for a progressive and inclusive agenda to emerge aimed at raising everyone up (including white men, but not privileging them).
3. Tolerance for Gun Violence Runs Thin
The school shooting in Newtown, Conn., may be the event that finally turns public opinion firmly against tolerance of gun violence. The Sandy Hook tragedy came on top of mass shootings in an Aurora, Col., movie theater, in a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisc., in a shopping mall in Clackamas, Ore., and elsewhere, for a total of 151 killed and injured, according to Mother Jones. This continues a trend of more than 2,000 children and teens killed by guns each year, according to a 2012 study by the Children’s Defense Fund.
The good news is that a majority of Americans now supports bans on assault weapons, and, in spite of spikes in gun sales, the number of American households that own guns is actually down from the last few decades. Research shows that having a gun in the house increases the risk of homicide and suicide in that household.
4. U.S. Global Military Posture in Question
Pursuing the most globally aggressive military posture on the planet is causing a level of blowback little discussed in mainstream media. U.S. drone attacks are killing and terrorizing civilians in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It remains unclear how the United States will extract itself from Afghanistan and wrap up the longest war in U.S. history. And American men and women in the armed services are now killing themselves at a higher rate than they are dying from any other cause, including combat. The year ended with the apparent suicide of Job W. Price, a Navy Seal.
The long-term costs to service members and their families coupled with the financial costs of carrying out wars, responding to the inevitable blowback, preparing for hypothetical wars, maintaining hundreds of foreign military bases, and paying top dollar to military contractors may be doing to the U.S. what Al Qaeda couldn’t do. Other empires fell after exhausting their people’s morale and treasure through protracted warfare. The United States is in danger of falling into a similar trap, while neglecting to invest in sources of real security, like the well-being and productive employment of citizens, and the abundance and resilience of the natural systems that supply food, water, livelihoods, and a stable climate.
In 2013, look for a reassessment of our policies of international violence. We will see efforts to rebuild our national self-worth, not based on our capacity to project death and mayhem, but on our contributions to health and well-being, climate stability, and life-enhancing technology.
5. The 99 Percent Got Inventive (and Got Some Respect)
By early 2012, as the Occupy camps were disbanded, many thought the Occupy Movement had died out. But this fall, Strike Debt arose and the Rolling Jubilee raised thousands of dollars to dissolve millions of dollars of medical debt of individuals. Both actions raised questions about why we allow the banking system to transfer so much wealth from the 99 percent to the 1 percent.
Then, when Superstorm Sandy hit, a movement that had become expert at leaderless mobilization rose up to help those harmed by the storm. Occupy volunteers hiked up stairwells to supply elderly tenants of high-rise housing projects with food and water. Distribution centers were set up throughout neighborhoods that had been flooded and lost power. Police, who had once arrested occupiers, were themselves aided by Occupy Sandy volunteers when their neighborhoods were flooded. Even the big disaster relief agencies began referring volunteers and those in need to Occupy Sandy.
The Occupy movement is inventing new forms of action and grassroots power, reinventing social movements, and building the solidarity and ethics of a new society. Watch for more powerful and creative interventions ahead in 2013.
6. Low-wage Workers Stood Up
This was a year of new labor militancy, with Walmart workers picketing for basic rights, Hot and Crusty bakery workers winning a union contract, and the original Republic Windows and Doors workers founding a worker-owned enterprise in Chicago. Still, there remains powerful pushback against labor rights. A so-called right to work bill passed in Michigan—one of many similar bills promoted by the corporate lobby group, ALEC. And the new “free trade” deal, the TransPacific Partnership, looks likely to prevail and to further benefit large transnational corporations at the expense of workers.
Look for labor organizing to continue taking creative and original forms in 2013, mobilizing unorganized workers, confronting low-wage poverty, drawing in formerly middle-class workers who are now confronting the reality of surviving in a low-wage economy, and challenging the power of the 1 percent.
7. Election 2012 Spending Spurs Backlash
What does it mean to hold an election costing nearly $6 billion? Thanks to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, 2012 was the year we learned just how many annoying advertisements billions of dollars can buy. The fundraising arms race boosted the power of those in the 1%, since their contributions became more essential than ever to both parties’ victory strategies.
Eleven states have now passed resolutions recommending a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United ruling. More than 300 town councils have done likewise, and President Obama has endorsed the movement. The election of Elizabeth Warren to the U.S. Senate showed you can take on Wall Street and win. Look for more efforts to confront the power of corporations in 2013.
8. Love Won
In an otherwise bitter political sphere, love showed up. The image of Michelle and Barack Obama embracing became the most tweeted and Facebook “liked” image of all time. Our hearts broke when we learned of the loss of the children and the brave teachers and staff who gave their own lives to protect their students in Newtown, Conn. The president encouraged a response to the Sandy Hook shootings built on the love of our children rather than on vengeance, on the complexity of the issue rather than on simplistic solutions. He led the national mourning with his tears.
An archetypically feminine approach (to respond to a crisis with “tend and befriend” responses that look out for the best interests of all) could come to balance out the “fight or flight” responses that frequently dominate political discourse. Having record numbers of women elected to Congress in 2012 can’t hurt.
9. More Love: An Outbreak of Marriage
Here’s another place love stepped in. In an election that saw the defeat of candidates promoting an anti-gay/anti-women platform, gay marriage initiatives passed in Maine, Maryland, and Washington. The Seattle City Hall opened at midnight on the first day such marriages were legal to accommodate the flood of weddings; judges and city staff volunteered their time, and well-wishers, both straight and gay, lined the entrance to throw petals and rice, and to cheer on the newlyweds. The festivities were an eruption of unexpected joy on a cold December day.
2012 was the year when the word “love” made a comeback. This valuing of each and every life could undercut partisan bickering, a culture of violence, and political attacks, and set the tone for a new radically inclusive agenda for change.
2013’s Big Story?
The year 2013 may offer our last chance to take on the climate crisis. If we fail to take action that is up to the challenge, we may be like the passengers of the Titanic, arguing over entertainment choices while the real threat looms. With climate disasters mounting, 2013 must be the year we commit ourselves to action at the scale needed to—literally—save our world. | {
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Stuart checks out Mike Patton's wide ranging projects from Faith No More to Fantômas with the help of John Doran, editor of The Quietus. | {
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It’s strange how a game can differ extensively in tone depending on what region of the world it was produced in and with what people. Even though some values should be universal, there are large gaps of nuance between what one but not the other would find insensitive. Don’t worry; this Anarchy Reigns review won’t be a discussion of ethics, though the crass appeal of this raunchy romp could certainly be used as an example of bad taste within ever-so thrilling sensationalism. Deep down, we all are victims of this titillating cheekiness.
Still, lets pause a moment at the cinematic presentation of the game’s campaign mode. By showing both sides of the coin, both good and bad, the game offers a full view of a developing story where a mercenary is out for a target with friends in high places. Still, that is hardly the only thing it shows. Most angles try and capture sexualized imagery as closely as possible, accompanied by a cast of paper-thin stereotypes that were only allowed to exist in a past life. There is no opposite message to this poor portrayal, which leaves a distasteful mark on the story, though it does strangely enough hold some evocative blips that at least offer a saving grace. Anarchy Reigns doesn’t hold back any blows, whether it’s in its storyline or its brawler gameplay.
Going past this blemish, it must be noted that Platinum Games makes a tremendous effort to cut pristine scenes between fighting chapters. It might not be tasteful, but it at least holds the attention beyond that imagery with expert designs. Levels themselves are presented in multiple sections dividing the bigger overall locales of decrepit towns, deserts and a shiny cityscape. It doesn’t always go past a monochrome environment, but at least it’s sharp in detail enough to enjoy as a background.
Anarchy Reigns' story in a nutshell. It's so fitting, it's one of 2 only screenshots on the box.
In each of these locales, players can find half a dozen missions that need to be unlocked by pressing the pulp out of the local riffraff to get sufficient points. Most missions offer the same type of fights between mobs or iconic characters, though there is a slight variety that slips in from time. One mission is spent playing soccer, while another is spent racing a few laps. It isn’t nearly enough to get past the monotony of fighting, but action in itself is more than enough to entertain.
This “action” portion consists fundamentally of simple fighting mechanisms. One button is a light attack, the other one is a heavy attack, it’s possible to dodge and so on. To elevate this element, a power gauge is added that players can use to dish out stronger attacks. Defense only has limited staying power and can be broken. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, though it is accessible. However, it is easily exploitable on several levels. For instance, certain animations can be timed for endless damage, while grapples can be chained together with little control for the opponent. The whole system in the campaign against the pattern-heavy artificial intelligence lacks meat. It is still glorious in all its extravagant action, with flurries of blows, sparks flying and blood gushing over the screen. Still, it’s hardly deep at its core.
To further help dig out the fighting system, auxiliary means are added, such as slight bonuses to the lock-on system and the use of items. In particular, the latter offers a few surprises, as players can find weapons such as rocket launchers and use these to wipe out massive enemies. Powerful mutants that shred through health bars like tissues can be felled with just a few of these blows. More surprisingly, the swiftness of changing the game into a competent third person shooter leaves a taste for more. Sadly, there is none, but sniping off a mutant’s face is still one of the more gratifying things to do in this game. The pace starts to step away from mediocrity with this trait alone.
We’re not done. Anarchy Reigns has one more powerful blow to deal with its Rampage system; a gauge that gradually fills up and lets players become unstoppable killing machines for a limited time. Once engaged, a fiery, almost Super Saiyan glow surrounds the character, which becomes invulnerable and receives an endless power gauge. This just invites a shallow pummel fest with a quirky timed event feature when two rampaging fighters connect, but we are more entertained now than when we started.
The campaign doesn’t go on long enough to completely satisfy the appetite for destruction, when all these elements need to be explored to their fullest. Perhaps this is for the best, as a drive to proceed is sometimes lost in the linear progression of beating up thugs and soldering on.
Luckily, there’s multiplayer and this is where the getting gets endlessly good! Oh, what sweet bliss this section of the game is and what redeeming qualities it holds for all. First off, battling humans takes the simple fighting style to a new level that actually enhances these tic-tac-toe elements. Everyone has the same tools to fight with and those aren’t plentiful, so weighing out the proper attack at the right time is the decision between life and death at the tip of a blade. More so, most of the handful of game modes allow players to slightly customize their myriad of playable characters with an additional trait that will determine their prowess in the upcoming bout. Timing also becomes more important to pierce through defenses, as opponents will rarely just rush to kill. The only downside is that in some more hostile game modes, all the bluster of extravagance can fill up a screen with just that tad too much to still stay visible. It’s a minor flaw, but it’s there.
The epitome of multiplayer fun comes from a football arena where players can also punch each other out. It’s the first tribute to the PSOne game Dead Ball Zone in a long while. That game offered similar deadly combat with a sports game. It’s also such a fitting homage when players rush the carrier, while their teammates try to clear a path with the same fighting styles as the other game modes. When properly applied, these matches can be thoroughly gripping, certainly when a sudden death is needed to decide the victor. This mode alone should get its own game, but as an added feature, it certainly shines as well.
Yes, Anarchy Reigns is decent but not stellar in the few hours spent on a campaign. However, when seen as an elaborate warm-up to join the extensive online competition, this singleplayer section with cinematic qualities doesn’t appear half as bad. It effectively nudges players forward to meet their match in one of many exhilarating matches against their peers. Hell, with a rating system, even the campaign is good for a onceover, but the online community is where this game really shows what is has to offer.
Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed. (@Daavpuke) | {
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By TEMPLE LI
Who are superdelegates? Are they like super sleuths, super mario, super human or superman? Actually, they are unpledged delegates from each state to the Democrat national convention and are generally comprised of members from the party establishment. They were created in 1982 for the purpose, according to NBC News, to prevent a populous candidate from achieving the nomination. According to NBC News in April, 2016:
“Superdelegates are unpledged delegates to the Democratic convention, meaning that they aren’t beholden to the results from the primaries and the caucuses (the way pledged delegates are). They are, for the most part, current and former Democratic politicians. They make up 15 percent of all delegates (714 out of 4,765) — down from 20 percent in 2008. And they are free to support the presidential candidate of their choice at the convention.”
NBC News reported that the count as of 4/11/2016 showed Hillary Clinton leading Bernie Sanders by 460 to 38 in superdelegates.
No wonder Bernie and his supporters were pissed. The fix could be demonstrated by the results of the New Hampshire primary where Bernie had 60.4% of the poll votes vs. Hillary’s 38%. Yet all 6 super delegates from New Hampshire gave their votes to Hillary at the convention.
Bernie Sanders is the oldest candidate running for the 2020 presidency. He is a life-long politician who has served as an independent in Congress in the House of Representatives and currently, as junior senator from Vermont and he caucuses with the Democrats. He is a self-proclaimed democrat socialist and progressive and has become the guru or cult leader for the progressive left and their policies.
History is again repeating itself with Sanders as the Democrat progressive candidate running for the second time for the presidency and this time, the establishment candidate is Joe Biden, the “third time is the charm” candidate and, like Hillary, another member of the Obama team, serving as his vice president.
Deja vu. Not if Sanders and his supporters can help it. They and others were instrumental in changing the superdelegate process for 2020. In fact, these delegates are now being referred to as “automatic” delegates to improve public perception. The superdelegates/automatics cannot vote in the first round of the convention’s nomination proceedings unless the outcome is apparent. That means without the superdelegates, a candidate would need to win 1,885 of the 3,768 pledged delegates votes. If it goes into round two, three, or four, superdelegates will be voting, changing the votes needed to 2,267 out of 4,532 delegates. However, the field is somewhat leveled in the second and succeeding rounds since the pledged delegates are freed to vote for someone other than the candidate to whom their vote had been pledged in the first round.
There are 22 candidates currently declared as candidates for the Democrat nominee for president. The debates start in June and the field should begin to narrow down as the debates progress—but by how much? There is a huge divide in the Democrat party between moderate and progressive—the party establishment and the liberal socialists. Of the 22, there are only a couple of candidates that can be identified as moderates. When the finalists converge upon the Democrat national convention, the change in the superdelegate process may be the primary factor influencing the outcome–and the undoing of the Democrat party!
Temple Li is the news editor for Empire State News, where she frequently authors her own editorials (just because she feels like it). She graduated at the top of her class at a mediocre college, infuriating her professors with her conservative wit and sultry charm. Empire State News allows Ms. Li to make a living, and to have a platform to tell people what she thinks. What could be better than that?
COMMENTS DISABLED BY SITE.
YOU MAY, HOWEVER, COMMENT THROUGH FACEBOOK. | {
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WASHINGTON Signaling a sea change in the debate over Internet privacy, the government’s top consumer protection agency on Wednesday advocated a plan that would let consumers choose whether they want their Internet browsing and buying habits monitored.
Saying that online companies have failed to protect the privacy of Internet users, the Federal Trade Commission recommended a broad framework for commercial use of Web consumer data, including a simple and universal “do not track” mechanism that would essentially give consumers the type of control they gained over marketers with the national “do not call” registry.
Those measures, if widely used, could directly affect the billions of dollars in business done by online advertising companies and by technology giants like Google that collect highly focused information about consumers that can be used to deliver personalized advertising to them.
While the report is critical of many current industry practices, the commission will probably need the help of Congress to enact some of its recommendations. For now, the trade commission hopes to adopt an approach that it calls “privacy by design,” where companies are required to build protections into their everyday business practices. | {
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O‘ahu’s Kaka‘ako Condo Sale Prices Hit the Stratosphere
More ultra-luxury properties have been selling on O‘ahu this year. We take a look at why, and where the buyers are coming from.
By Rachel Ross Bradley
The units in Waiea can go for more than $10 million.
Photo: Courtesy of Howard Hughes Corp.
In recent years, it seemed O‘ahu was no longer a top choice for luxury second-homeowners in Hawai‘i, with buyers opting for Kūki‘o or Hualālai on the Big Island, Hanalei or Kukui‘ula on Kaua‘i, or Wailea and Kā‘anapali on Maui. However, the Honolulu Board of Realtors September statistics show that O‘ahu has seen a large increase in the number of ultra-high-end home sales recently, namely those greater than $10 million.
THE UNITS IN WAIEA CAN GO FOR MORE THAN $10 MILLION.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HOWARD HUGHES CORP.
In 2016, only three homes sold for more than $10 million. Two were estate properties and one was a condominium. In 2017, we saw that number spike to nine, largely due to the closing of sales at Waiea, Anaha and Park Lane, which all brought a high level of luxury not previously found in O‘ahu condos. Seven of those sales were condominiums and two were estates.
And now, three-quarters of the way through 2018, we’ve seen 12 sales greater than $10 million on O‘ahu. Surprisingly, 10 of those were single-family residences and only two were condos. Statewide, we saw 12 homes over $10 million sell so far this year on all the Neighbor Islands combined.
THE UNITS IN WAIEA CAN GO FOR MORE THAN $10 MILLION.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HOWARD HUGHES CORP.
Our island is attracting high-end buyers once again, likely due in part to the new high-end condominium options available, such as Park Lane, Kāhala by the Sea and Ward Village. We took a look at where they’re coming from, and the demographics are surprising: It’s not all Japan, as we expected. Of the 12 sales over $10 million this year, tax records show that five buyers were from California, three were from Japan, one was from Singapore and the remaining three were local buyers from Honolulu. | {
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Someone Just Stole $9,000 of Crypto from Me…
Four Easy Steps You Can Take to Avoid My Fate
Image courtesy of Pixabay
BlockChannel wants to remind you that information security is hard, and securely storing vast amounts of digital wealth is even harder. It’s important you’re familiar with the mistakes that even other smart people can make. Audit your personal security practices, and make sure you’re protected accordingly.
Obligatory Disclaimer: To modify a quote from Tim Ferris, “I am NOT a financial advisor, and none of this advice should be taken without speaking to a qualified professional first. Also, my results [are most likely] due to pure luck and zero skill.”
I got a little buzz on my phone today from Google letting me know my Gmail password had been reset. A few minutes later a “security update” was installed on my phone, and I could no longer receive calls or texts. I was the victim of a standard SIM card hijacking.
Due to some lazy crypto security mistakes on my part, someone was able to steal $9,000 worth of various cryptocurrencies from me. I’m writing to let you know you shouldn’t make the same mistakes. Here are four steps you can take to avoid my fate:
First, remove your phone number…from everything.
One of the reasons the entire scenario happened in the first place was most likely because my phone number was attached to my Gmail, my Twitter, Facebook, etc. etc. etc. And why not? We all love being connected, and we all love convenience.
Unfortunately, this convenience comes at a cost — hackers can easily use your number to take control of your phone through your accounts. Even though my cell carrier account had a pin on it, they were still able to get in and port my SIM card to their own phone. This gave them access to my text messaging, which is all they needed to reset the passwords to pretty much every account I have.
Second, don’t be the easiest target.
The reality is that it’s impossible to perfectly secure every account you have. Your goal should be to become a more difficult target. This is where I made my worst mistake. I got lazy and kept several private keys on my Google Drive, which the hacker had immediate access to. It was a piece of cake to log into those accounts, and clean everything out.
I recommend (and am currently in the process of) moving all my new private keys into encrypted documents that are stored on encrypted removable disks. And I’m doing this on several removable disks, and I’m storing them in multiple physical locations. I’m going so far as writing down some of my passwords on a piece of paper, and storing them in a lockbox. Any sort of “cloud service” IS NOT secure. Don’t trust any of them.
Third, store anything you’re not willing to lose offline.
I’ve been saying for years that I’m going to buy a hardware wallet. Well today, four hours after losing $9,000, I’m biting the bullet. I decided to order a Ledger Nano S, but I’ve been told TREZOR is another great option.
People may ask how much crypto you need to have before thinking about buying a hardware wallet. My answer after today? Whatever amount you’d rather not lose. For some people that may be $20. For others that may be $5,000. Either way, storing your crypto on a hardware wallet makes you a little less easier of a target. And that’s a step in the right direction.
Finally, listen to the experts.
I’ve known for quite some time that I should be more secure with my crypto. I’ve read it everywhere. I’m highly embarrassed that these mistakes cost me so much, but I hope that this situation helps you avoid the same thing.
If you’d like to read more about good crypto security practices, I’d recommend starting with Daniel Jeffries’ piece, “Eight Simple Rules for Protecting Your Cryptocurrency.” Don’t be a crypto fool like I was — listen to his advice and take steps to secure your hard earned crypto now. | {
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Photo credit: Chalerphom | Dreamstime.com
People used to be allowed to perform a citizens arrest under certain circumstances where you can show "probable cause" for making the arrest such as witnessing a crime. Now, a family in Port Alberti, British Columbia could be facing charges after two parents made a citizen's arrest of their own when a pedophile propositioned their daughter.
The legalities of the circumstance are not exactly clear since it seems the family set up the meeting with the pedophile who believed he was meeting their 13-year-old daughter. Canada has become known for their vigilante pedophile-hunters and the politically correct culture of the Canadian government has been scrutinized for not being harsh enough on pedophiles.
Related coverage: <a href="http://thegoldwater.com/news/23234-Need-Some-Last-Minute-Tax-Tips-We-ve-Got-You-Covered">Need Some Last-Minute Tax Tips? We've Got You Covered</a>
The parents of the 13-year-old girl say a 28-year-old man showed up at their home Thursday expecting to have sex with their teenage daughter. They then restrained the man with zip ties and filmed a Facebook Live video of the hogtied man calling him a "predator" and ranting about how police refused to show up for the "meeting". Now the parents could be facing assault charges.
"He came to my house to meet my 13-year-old f—–g daughter to f–k her. We f—–g tackled him and zap-strapped him and called the police," a female voice says in the video. "Because earlier today when I asked the police to come here for this meeting, they said no," she continued. "…Why wouldn't the police come and help me catch this predator that just came to my f——g house?"
Related coverage: <a href="http://thegoldwater.com/news/23226-Stop-By-This-North-Carolina-Restaurant-For-A-Tarantula-Burger">Stop By This North Carolina Restaurant For A "Tarantula Burger"</a>
Police confirmed the incident saying they responded to a disturbance where a man was tied up as "a result of vigilante actions." The man was unrestrained and taken to the hospital by police who declined to charge the man. Instead of arresting the pedophile, the police arrested the two parents who defended their actions saying they discovered the 28-year-old was sending their daughter "explicit messages".
"They wouldn't even look at my phone," the mother said. "I've been waiting for six weeks for the police to give me a name behind the Instagram account." The incident highlights the culture of Canada and it's willingness to make criminals into the victims.
<i>On Twitter:</i>
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Source: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Vigilante-parents-could-be-facing-charges-after-12836167.php | {
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The Bears list Brad Childress as a senior offensive assistant. But he’s so much more. He’s a -confidant, friend and father figure to coach Matt Nagy and a sounding board to his young offensive-assistants.
As the Bears’ only offensive coach to work alongside Nagy with the Chiefs — they spent five years together, sharing coordinator duties in 2016 — Childress is an expert on Nagy’s playbook.
As a former Vikings head coach — Childress ran the team from 2006 until midway through the 2010 season — he’s familiar with the division and the divvying up of administrative tasks. When Nagy wanted to know how to interact with visiting coaches at the organized-team-activity practice Wednesday, he called Childress on the way to work to learn how he used to handle such things.
“I’m never short of an opinion,” Childress said Wednesday. “And he wouldn’t ask if he didn’t want one.”
A college and pro coach since 1978, “Chilly” can draw on 41 years of experience — often with a quick-witted joke. He can sense when a team is tired and suggest Nagy truncate practice. He knows precisely howNagy likes his practice scripts drawn.
But, mostly, he’s a sounding board that talks back.
“He’s not scared to tell me when I’m doing something, maybe not wrong, but when I maybe should think about doing something else,” Nagy said. “He’ll give me advice. He’s not worried about who I am or what I do or what my title is.”
Childress compared his job to that of Tom Moore, the 80-year-old assistant whom the Buccaneers’ Bruce Arians just hired as a consultant. Arians said he hired Moore for his expertise, but also for his ear. Sometimes a boss just needs someone to listen when he vents.
Ask Childress to describe his role, and he references a piece of furniture not unlike the one from which he watched the Bears’ games last year.
“In some ways,” he said, “it’s like an old leather couch that you’re comfortable with.”
• • •
Childress grew up in Aurora delivering the Sun-Times — “You could always wrap it up and throw it,” he said — and the Tribune. During the blizzard of 1967, his father refused to help. His route, which was supposed to be done by 6:30 a.m., wasn’t completed until 10:30.
His dad raised him a Bears fan. He can close his eyes and see Gale Sayers run around the left end, seemingly right at him, as he sat in Wrigley Field’s upper deck down the third-base line. He can still seethe canvas stretcher that carried Sayers off the field after he hurt his right knee against the 49ers in 1968.
He went to Bobby Douglass’ football camp at Marmion Academy, the school from which he would graduate, and said he saw the quarterback knock someone out with a volleyball. Childress went to college atEastern Illinois and got his first coaching job at Illinois.
His 88-year-old father still lives in Aurora. His mother, 85, lives there part time. His in-laws, both in their 90s, live in the Chicago area.
So when Nagy took the Bears job, agreeing to join him was easy.
But most of all, Childress came back to town last year — and rejoined the Bears earlier this offseason in a more permanent role — because of Nagy.
“I love Matt as a person,” said Childress, who lives in Vernon Hills.“I wouldn’t do it with anybody else besides Matt.”
It was supposed to be a seasonal gig. He was the Bears’ senior offensive consultant last offseason, but only through training camp.When he left, he became the head coach of the Atlanta Legends of the upstart Alliance of American Football.
He quit, though, a month before the season started.
“I thought the AAF was gonna be a pretty good deal,” he said. “But I mis-thought that.”
Out of money, the AAF folded before it could complete its first season.
“I sensed something was amiss,” he said.
The turning point came when his wife noticed he was having “strange conversations” about logistics long before the season started. In 40years of coaching, he said, he learned to trust his instincts. So he did.
“I have a rather ample gut,” he said. “Trust your gut.”
Childress watched most of the Bears’ games from his couch last year.It removed the elation of wins and the sorrow of losses. He’d go out to dinner afterward.
But he talked to Nagy after every game, either when the coach was boarding the team flight or driving a car jammed with his four sons home from Soldier Field. The wins were fun for Nagy, but the losses lasted.
“You feel like you get your heart ripped out,” Childress said. “That’s what I told my wife: ‘I don’t miss that.’ ”
• • •
Childress knows what infamy feels like. In 2009, he convinced Brett Favre to un-retire for the second time in two years and join the Vikings.
Driving a black SUV, Childress picked up the Packers legend and his wife at a small airport in St. Paul, Minnesota, and drove them himself to the Vikings’ facility. A local news helicopter broadcast the trip live.
“I was a bad guy for picking a guy up at the airport,” he said. “I’m from the Midwest — you go to the airport and pick a guy up when he’s coming to town. I was demonized.”
A season later, he was fired.
He knows the pressure that comes with heightened expectations. But he doesn’t expect Nagy, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, to change.
“He’s being the regular Matt that I know,” Childress said. “I don’t think he’s stepped up to a lofty platform and looks down on anybody.He knows he is who he is. He’s not acting any different.
“It’s not like he’s in an ivory tower, like Bear Bryant goes and stands up in the platform or anything like that. He’s accessible to everybody.”
Childress said Nagy is still the “gracious teacher” that helped groom Chiefs rookie Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, from 7:15-8:15 every morning, before starter Alex Smith would enter the building. Nagy is still open to creative offensive ideas, not “setting a rock-hard system” like some coaches do.
Nagy’s quarterback is blossoming as a result. Childress said Mitch Trubisky is identifying blitzes and coverages in practice quicker than he was a year ago.
“He’s able to move and create,” Childress said. “Maybe aside from a guy like a Tom Brady, I think somewhere, generally, the pocket’s gonna break down. And it’s great to have a guy back there that can create.”
• • •
Entering his second year as an NFL coach, Bears offensive coordinatorMark Helfrich doesn’t hesitate to pick Childress’ brain.
“Whether it’s, ‘What’s the best way to communicate this?’ ” he said. “Or, ‘How did you do it in 1946, or whatever year it was?’ ”
Childress would appreciate the ribbing.
“I’m sure some of the scars he’s had, he covers over with the humor,” quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone said. “What an asset, to have a guy in the building who knows the system intimately.
“There’s no agenda with ‘Chilly.’ He wants to come in, and he wants to help everybody. Help us. He’s honest. Those are great qualities to lean on.”
Or, if you’re an old leather couch, to sink into comfortably. | {
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In January, Marvel Comics will be publishing new Conan The Barbarian comics books as well as reprinting classic Conan comics.
Which means that Dark Horse Comics has to clear the warehouses while they still have the license. After December, they can only be sold outside if the USA where Conan is in public domain…
Which can cost quite a bit in postage. So Dark Horse Comics is giving retailers liquidation deals on the following books… and also salting the Earth for Marvel's attempt to reprint them at full price.
Maybe you can talk to your retailer if you want to stock up and come to come kind of arrangement? And see how Amazon Marketplace responds in days to come…
CHRONICLES OF CONAN 03 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 10 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 11 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 12 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 13 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 15 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 16 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 19 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 21 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 25 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 26 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 27 TPB CHRONICLES OF CONAN 28 TPB CHRONICLES OF KULL VOL 1 CHRONICLES OF KULL VOL 2 CHRONICLES OF KULL VOL 3 CHRONICLES OF KULL VOL 4 CHRONICLES OF KULL VOL 5 CONAN AND DEMON OF KHITAI TPB CONAN DAUGHTER OF MIDORA TPB CONAN JEWELS OF GWAHLUR HC CONAN PHANTOMS BLACK COAST TPB CONAN RED SONJA HC CONAN SONGS OF THE DEAD TPB CONAN THE BARBARIAN HC VOL 14 CONAN THE BARBARIAN HC VOL 15 CONAN THE BARBARIAN HC VOL 16 CONAN THE BARBARIAN VOL 14 TPB CONAN THE BARBARIAN VOL 15 TPB CONAN THE BARBARIAN VOL 17 HC CONAN VOL 08 BLACK COLOSSUS TPB CONAN VOL 11 ROAD OF KINGS PT01 HC CONAN VOL 18 THE DAMNED HORDE HC CONAN: THE PHENOMENON TPB CONAN:THE BLOOD STAINED CROWN KING CONAN CHRONICLES VOL 08 KING CONAN CHRONICLES VOL 09 KING CONAN CHRONICLES VOL 3 KING CONAN CHRONICLES VOL 5 KING CONAN CHRONICLES VOL 6 KULL VOL 1 SHADOW KINGDOM KULL VOL 3 CAT & THE SKULL REH SAVAGE SWORD VOL 01 REH SAVAGE SWORD VOL 02 SAVAGE SWORD OF KULL VOL 1 SAVAGE SWORD OF KULL VOL 2 SOLOMON KANE 2 TPB SOLOMON KANE 3 TPB | {
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