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Yeah, it would be great for our Earth to have more than one moon or a ring system...
Whell atleast we have our good old moon in our skies... | {
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There's so little joy to go around right now. But every once in a while, a noble creature steps up, sacrifices itself for the greater good, and gives us all something to believe in.
And that is... great. But even more frequently, an ignominious cluster of self-tanning cells inserts himself into our national narrative and then we all just have to sit and deal with it. That part, well, it tends to suck. Until tonight. Because tonight, Donald Trump got up in front of the whole damn world and gave his State of the Union address. And during at least the first half of that address, his tie was all fucked up.
It was so great.
SAUL LOEB Getty Images
The Tie Bar Metallic Tie Bar $15.00 thetiebar.com Shop Now
Remember: This is a man who chooses to be Sunny-D orange in the off season. He wants to be perfect, even if the rest of us question what "perfect" means in his context. So even if he's still lookin' like a tangerine, that level of asymmetry is killing him. He will never forget tonight. And I'm laughing so hard I'm fucking up my own tie.
I want to write about this in depth. I want to go back to school and turn this into a thesis. But that's not gonna happen, probably. So what is going to happen is me just delighting in giving you all of this "Donnie's Tie Is Fucked Up" content.
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is Trump's tie askew?
or is it...a sQAnon? — Jason Linkins (@dceiver) February 6, 2019
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Trump’s tie is draped across him like a Miss America sash — Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) February 6, 2019
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There's nothing that could piss Trump off more than his tie looking stupid at the State of the Union. — Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 6, 2019
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I know I'll have more important policy points on #SOTU to make in a second but:
TRUMP'S ASKEW TIE IS OUR NATION RIGHT NOW. — Sally Kohn (@sallykohn) February 6, 2019
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Like the country, Trump’s tie is veering way left. #SOTU — Bryan Behar (@bryanbehar) February 6, 2019
Jonathan Evans Jonathan Evans is the style director of Esquire, covering all things fashion, grooming, accessories, and, of course, sneakers.
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CONAKRY (Reuters) - Staff with the World Health Organisation battling an Ebola outbreak in West Africa see evidence the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimates the scale of the outbreak, the U.N. agency said on its website on Thursday.
The death toll from the world’s worst outbreak of Ebola stood on Wednesday at 1,069 from 1,975 confirmed, probable and suspected cases, the agency said. The majority were in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, while four people have died in Nigeria.
The agency’s apparent acknowledgement the situation is worse than previously thought could spur governments and aid organisations to take stronger measures against the virus.
“Staff at the outbreak sites see evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak,” the organisation said on its website.
“WHO is coordinating a massive scaling up of the international response, marshalling support from individual countries, disease control agencies, agencies within the United Nations system, and others.”
International agencies are looking into emergency food drops and truck convoys to reach hungry people in Liberia and Sierra Leone cordoned off from the outside world to halt the spread of the virus, a top World Bank official said.
In the latest sign of action by West African governments, Guinea has declared a public health emergency and is sending health workers to all affected border points, an official said.
An estimated 377 people have died in Guinea since the outbreak began in March in remote parts of a border region near Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Guinea says its outbreak is under control with the numbers of new cases falling, but the measures are needed to prevent new infections from neighbouring countries.
“Trucks full of health materials and carrying health personnel are going to all the border points with Liberia and Sierra Leone,” Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité, president of Guinea’s Ebola commission, said late on Wednesday.
As many as 3,000 people are waiting at 17 border points for a green light to enter the country, he said.
Slideshow ( 3 images )
“Any who are sick will be immediately isolated. People will be followed up on. We can’t take the risk of letting everyone through without checks.”
Sierra Leone has declared Ebola a national emergency as has Liberia, which is hoping that two of its doctors diagnosed with Ebola can start treatment with some of the limited supply of experimental drug ZMapp.
Canada’s Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp is also exploring making more of its experimental Ebola treatment, Chief Executive Officer Mark Murray said.
Nigeria also has declared a national emergency, although it has so far escaped the levels of infection seen in the three other countries.
JUST ONE VEHICLE
Health experts say government responses to the disease need to be calibrated to prevent its spread, while avoiding measures that could induce panic or damage economies unnecessarily.
That task is harder because health services have been stretched to the breaking point and mistrust of health workers among some rural communities is high. In addition, 170 healthcare workers have been infected and 81 have died.
A Liberian government document seen by Reuters shows the strain on its health ministry as it confronts the emergency.
An Ebola call centre in Monrovia is struggling to keep up with the volume and needs more staff, telephone lines and a deputy supervisor, the Ministry of Health document said.
“The case investigation team only has one vehicle so they can’t get out and then there’s the issue of no space at the ETU (Ebola Treatment Unit) to bring patients,” it said.
Slideshow ( 3 images )
Ebola is one of the world’s most deadly diseases and kills the majority of those infected. Its symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting.
The U.S. State Department ordered family members at its embassy in Freetown to depart Sierra Leone because of limitations on regular medical care as a result of the outbreak.
U.S. President Barack Obama has discussed the outbreak with the presidents of Liberia and Sierra Leone, the White House said.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Ebola also holds economic ramifications for some West African states as disruption to commerce, transport and borders lasts at least another month, said Matt Robinson, a vice president at Moody’s ratings agency.
Among the signs of the regional economic impact, Ivory Coast will not allow any ships from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia to enter its port at Abidjan, according to a port statement.
Fewer passengers are arriving at Ivory Coast’s main airport from Freetown, Conakry and Monrovia because of the virus leading to a shortfall of about 4,000 passengers a month, Abdoulaye Coulibaly, chairman of Air Cote d’Ivoire, told Reuters.
Ivory Coast and its eastern neighbour, Ghana, have recorded no cases of Ebola. Ghana’s government said it would step up its funding for preventative health and impose a moratorium on international conferences for three months as a precaution.
Beyond the immediate impact, Africa faces a problem of perception over Ebola, even though many countries are remote geographically, economically and culturally from those suffering the outbreak.
In one example, Korean Air Lines Co Ltd said it will suspend flights to and from Nairobi, Kenya, from Aug. 20 to prevent the spread of the virus.
Kenya Airways Inc said it will continue its flights to Monrovia and Freetown. Kenyan Transport Minister Michael Kamau told a news conference the Korean Air decision may have been based on a WHO statement that Kenya should be classed as high risk of Ebola because of those direct flights.
“The statement by WHO yesterday was regrettable. It was retracted,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from WHO. | {
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The night practice session for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the American Le Mans Series has been delayed due to a multi-car crash at the hairpin on the Sebring International Raceway. At approximately 8:40pm EST, the incident took place just past the one hour mark.
Three of the cars reported to have stopped on track were Loic Duval in the #3 Audi R18, the #55 JWA Porsche 911 RSR, and the #12 Rebellion Racing Lola Coupe Toyota with Nick Heidfeld at the wheel.
Per the IMSA notes, the Porsche spun in the hairpin and Heidfeld stopped at the exit when the Audi then hit the back of the Lola Coupe. Right after, the #1 Audi of Marcel Fassler came onto the scene and rear-ended Duval. The next Audi to appear was Allan McNish but he was able to pull to the side and avoid further contact. Other competitors who came upon scene were also able to return to the pits unscathed.
At the time of the incident, Duval was the fastest with a time of 1:48.752. Due to the speeds of the Audi R18s, the incident happened quickly, and per the photographers at the scene, the yellow flag was waving to alert incoming traffic.
Once the damaged cars were in pit lane, the green flag signaled the return of on-track action. Unfortunately it did not take long before the next incident, which extended the night practice by 20 minutes after Maxime Jousse hit the wall drivers right in Turn 11 at 8:56pm. The #28 Gulf Racing Middle East Lola Coupe Nissan had front end damage. | {
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MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Wednesday it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to what President Rodrigo Duterte called “outrageous” attacks by U.N. officials and violations of due process by the ICC.
FILE PHOTO: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte points to photographers during an awarding ceremony for outstanding government workers, at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Ezra Acayan/File Photo
The decision marks a stunning about-face by Duterte, who has repeatedly dared the ICC to indict him and said he was willing to “rot in jail” or go on trial to defend a war on drugs that has killed thousands of his own people.
The mercurial former mayor had initially welcomed last month’s announcement by the ICC of its preliminary examination into a complaint filed by a Philippine lawyer accusing Duterte and top officials of crimes against humanity.
But in a 15-page statement, dated March 13, Duterte said he was withdrawing from the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, because of “baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks” by U.N. officials, and ICC actions that he said failed to follow due process and presumption of innocence.
“There appears to be a concerted effort on the part of the U.N. special rapporteurs to paint me as a ruthless and heartless violator of human rights who allegedly caused thousands of extrajudicial killings,” Duterte said.
The ICC’s examination was premature, he added, and “effectively created the impression that I am to be charged ... for serious crimes falling under its jurisdiction.”
He made no mention of the withdrawal in a speech on Wednesday.
Duterte’s chief critics said the move was a U-turn that showed the tough-talking leader was now in panic mode.
“This is an embarrassing attempt to create legal cover, and a self-serving effort to avoid accountability and place himself above Philippine and international law,” said Sam Zarifi, Secretary General of the International Commission of Jurists.
The London-based rights group Amnesty International called the withdrawal “misguided” and “cowardly”.
Human Rights Watch called it “a barefaced attempt to shield him and high-ranking officials”, noting that withdrawal took a year and the ICC could still prosecute international crimes committed while the Philippines was a member.
An ICC spokesman referred most questions to the court’s prosecutors, who could not immediately be reached.
INTERNATIONAL ALARM
Duterte’s bloody campaign has caused international alarm and fierce criticism from some U.N. representatives, including High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, who on Friday said Duterte should submit himself for a psychiatric examination.
Duterte’s defiance is among the traits that make him wildly popular in the Philippines, where his crackdown has broad support. He has refused to accept some police may be systematically executing suspected dealers, as activists say.
Police deny allegations of murder and cover-ups and say they killed about 4,100 drug dealers in shootouts, but have nothing to do with an estimated 2,300 largely unsolved drug-related homicides.
Last month, he indicated he would cooperate with the ICC examination and even said he would prefer a firing squad to prison.
But he soon changed his tune, telling security forces not to cooperate in any international investigation, and that “not in a million years” would the ICC have jurisdiction.
Jude Sabio, the lawyer who filed the ICC complaint last year, said Duterte’s move was predictable, futile and designed to appeal to his support base.
“Looks like they are really afraid. Why? They feel that this will proceed to an investigation,” Sabio told Reuters, adding the withdrawal “will have no binding legal effect”.
The ICC can only intervene when a member state is unable or unwilling to carry out investigations and prosecute suspected perpetrators. The Philippines says that is far from the case.
The ICC’s examination seeks to establish whether crimes have taken place, and such a process typically takes years.
Duterte’s spokesman, Harry Roque, said the ICC was “siding with the enemies of the president”, while Duterte’s legal counsel Salvador Panelo said the accession to the Rome Statute in 2011 was never announced in the Philippines official gazette, thus did not apply.
Panelo insisted Duterte was not afraid, but objected to the ICC becoming “a political tool to harass a particular country, like ours”.
Duterte’s critics argued otherwise. Senator Risa Hontiveros said Duterte was desperate and “may have unwittingly displayed his fear of being proven guilty”.
Senator Antonio Trillanes said Duterte was withdrawing “because he knows that there is no way out for him in the ICC”. | {
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This page is a diary about the 20 foot diameter wind turbine we built over the winter of 2006, and the 75' tower we built to put it on. A couple of years ago we built a good 17' diameter wind turbine which has served us well. Between that machine and my PV Solar I really didn't need the power from a 20' machine. Mostly we built this for fun - and... I felt I needed a better tower. The tower under my 17' machine is pretty light duty for the machine on it and I don't expect it'll last long. It should do well with a smaller machine on it though.
As with most of the projects on this site, there is quite a bit of detail to follow but I did not include everything. You can probably get a fuller picture of the whole process by looking over smaller machines we've made, they are very similar in their construction. These pages are not plans! I cannot even say at this time if it's a decent machine or not - we did our best for what it's worth. It takes a lot of testing and time to determine if a wind turbine project is good - or now. It was lots of fun though and at the time of writing this it's been doing a nice job for a couple of weeks.
The machine is a dual rotor machine, much like the others we build. The design is very inspired by Hugh Piggott's ideas and much of the stuff we learned by attending his workshops. Lots of good ideas also come from the many folks on our discussion forum. We post almost every step of a project like this on our discussion forum and often times good ideas come up - it's been very helpful. Also a lot of good ideas came from friends and neighbors who come by to watch/help. I should think more than a few disasters have been avoided by having several minds going over each step along the way.
Pictured above is the wheel hub/spindle we used. It's got 6 holes on a 5.5" diameter. It's a trailer hub for a 6000 pound axle. As usual, whenever I finish a project like this I look back and wish I'd made things stronger. I could've easily fit a much larger hub/bearing assembly in this machine and to do it over again I would. That said - this hub is twice as strong as the one I used for the 17' machine and that one's been fine so far so I don't expect problems any time soon.
The machine has two magnet rotors. They're 22" in diameter and 1/2" thick. I had them water jet cut with 'spokes' in the middle. I think that looks neat and may aid in cooling the stator. Pictured above George is tapping out the 6 holes for the 'jacking screws' which we'll need to use for assembling/disassembling the alternator once the magnets are on.
I also had the template for placing the magnets water jet cut. It cost about $35 to have this cut out of 1/8" thick Aluminum with the CNC water jet cutter - money well spent when you consider the time involved in making this from wood and consider the fact that you'd never get it perfect.
Sorry for the blurry picture, its the only one I have. In it we have a few magnets stuck down. This machine has 20 magnets per rotor. They are the same magnets we used for the older 17' machine (it had 16 per rotor), they are 1.5" wide, 3" long, and 3/4" thick. The cost of the magnets on this machine was about half the cost of the machine overall. It's interesting to think about blade diameter and alternator cost. Whenever we double blade diameter, we generate 4x the power and half the speed. So we need approximately 8x the alternator overall with a 20' blade as we do with a 10' blade it seems. The 10' machines we make have 24 cubic inches of magnetic material in them. This one has 135 cubic inches of magnetic material in it. The 10' machines have about 6 pounds of copper in them - this has close to 30. The 10' machines weigh about 70 pounds without their blades. This 20' machine came in right at 400.
The two rotors have all the magnets glued down with cyanocrylate glue and they have a nice safe place to hang. These magnets are extremely powerful and the completed disks are very dangerous. I have no doubt they'd crush every bone in your hand if they came together on it - they need to be treated with extreme caution.
We put a center island in the middle of the magnet rotors made from plywood, and dammed up the outer diameter with electrical tape. We mixed West system epoxy with chopped fiberglass strands and poured it about 3/8" thick. The epoxy does a much better job of adhering and not breaking/warping in the magnet rotors than does the polyester we used to use. The polyester sometimes shrinks badly too - and the epoxy doesn't seem to.
There's a magnet rotor all finished up.
Pictured above we've bolted the back magnet rotor to the front of the wheel hub. The studs are 12" long, cut from 5/8 - 11 allthread.
Here we're starting to assemble the alternator head. I had a few parts for this machine cutout in town with a CNC water jet machine. It costs more but you get perfect parts. The stator on this wind turbine is 28" in diameter - the stator bracket has 5 'fingers' and it's 28" in diameter. It's cut from 3/8" thick steel. In the picture, the wheel spindle is pointing down, clamped in a 3 jaw chuck and we're preparing to weld it to the stator bracket.
The spindle is welded into the stator bracket and suspended in the back by a steel ring with a hole that fits around it. All that is held together with a 6" long piece of 6" sched 40 steel pipe.
There is the same assemble turned over with 1 bearing on the spindle. We left it like this for quite a while and test assembled the alternator on here - because it sits nicely on a workbench. Once the rest of the chassis gets welded together the machine gets too large and heavy to handle. I'm doing this page a bit out of order though and we'll stick with the rest of the steel assembly for now.
Here we've got both magnet rotors assembed on the hub and on the spindle. We had to use jacking screws to very carefully/slowly lower the top rotor on. The force trying to pull these together is incredible. We set it up with an airgap (Distance between the magnet rotors) of about .85". The next step is to figure out the coils. We'll come up with an appropriate shape/size of coil, and then wind a test coil and poke it between the magnet rotors. We'll spin the alternator at a known speed and by looking at the voltage of the test coil, the wire gage we wound it with, the number of windings in it and the rpm, we can determine exactly how many windings we need to get the alternator to start charging at the right speed. In this case, being a 20' diameter machine - our target is about 48 Volts at 65 rpm. We'll get into that on the next page. | {
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NEW DELHI: China’s decision to place Wuhan, the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, under a lockdown in late January helped slow down the spread of the infection by nearly 80%, showed scientists in a new modelling study.
An international team of scientists studied the impact of travel restrictions on the national and international spread of the epidemic, since January 23, when China had first put Wuhan under a lockdown. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal - Science.
According to the study, by the time travel curbs were imposed on Wuhan, large number of people exposed to the virus had already been on the move internationally without being detected. Most Chinese cities had received many infected travellers. So, the curbs managed to delay the spread in mainland China by 3-5 days.
Initially, Shanghai (28.1%), Beijing (14%), and Shenzhen (12.8%) were the top five ranked cities as origins of international case importations.
But the scenario changed as case importations to other countries fell by around 77% when international airlines halted flights to and from China. Import of cases to other countries began to decline until mid-February, when the risk of importation of cases began rising from Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and US, with Japan accounting for 13.9% with highest risk of importation and the US 5.7%.
The epidemic slowly grew in proportion and has now spread to over 110 countries, with death toll of over 1,000 outside mainland China. As on Wednesday, Italy remains the most affected country after mainland China with 10,000 infected cases, followed by Iran and South Korea.
Researchers have highlighted that since the outbreak has spread globally, going forward travel restrictions will have a modest impact on the spread. "The greatest benefit to mitigating the epidemic will come from behavioural changes and public health interventions - early detection, isolation and regular hand washing," said Matteo Chinazzi, lead author of the study.
According to the team, continued 90% travel restrictions to and from mainland China would only modestly affect the epidemic trajectory, unless combined with at least 50% reduction of transmission in the community.
The team had used a global disease transmission model known as Global Epidemic and Mobility Model (GLEAM) to simulate the impact of travel restrictions on the spread of COVID-19, more commonly referred to as novel coronavirus. The new strain of coronavirus has now spread to over 110 countries, with 119,541 people affected world over and global death toll at 4,292.
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In the end, the Blue Jays and Brett Lawrie decided it would be best if the third baseman serves his four-game suspension.
The club confirmed that path yesterday, leaving Lawrie on the bench for the next four games for his helmet-throwing tirade Tuesday with home plate umpire Bill Miller.
“I feel like this is just one of those things where it’s just four games and you just suck it up, and I think I’ll just use this time to get my body back to square one and just prepare for four games later,” said Lawrie, who sought out Miller and apologized before Wednesday’s game.
“I said, ‘My apologies’ and let’s go out there and have a good one tonight ... my intention was not to hit him and I think he does realize that now.”
Once he was aware that league officials understood Lawrie had no intention of hitting Miller, he felt any reduction of the suspension was unlikely.
“We talked it over with Brett and John Farrell and it was Brett’s choice, Brett’s decision to end the appeal,” said Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos.
“Upon further review, with more information, being able to objectively look at everything, without having any guarantees that the suspension was going to be reduced at any point in time, and then knowing with days off, this continues to be a distraction and a topic, we just felt like Brett made his peace, apologized to Bill Miller certainly, addressed everything.”
Part of the decision to end the appeal, according to Anthopoulos, extended from the fact that Joe Torre in the MLB office provided a reasonable review of the incident, which saw Lawrie slam his helmet at Miller’s feet before the helmet bounced and struck the umpire on the right hip.
“Joe Torre came out and said he was well aware Brett didn’t intentionally throw the helmet, so everybody was on the same page,” Anthopoulos said.
“Just collectively it seemed like the right thing to do for the organization, to just go ahead and stop the appeal of the suspension starting tonight and have it put behind us and just move forward and have the focus and the attention on the ball club.”
“This doesn’t need to continue to be a story, there’s no need for that,” Anthopoulos added.
“I think everything’s been addressed. Put everything to bed. Without any assurances that the suspension would be reduced, why have it be a topic for another week or so, or even more than that? It didn’t seem to make any sense. Brett felt that way and we certainly agreed with him. … He took responsibility and was accountable for his actions. Let’s have the focus be back on the field.”
Anthopoulos made a corresponding roster move — summoning utility infielder Yan Gomes from class Triple-A Las Vegas and demoting the struggling Adam Lind — Thursday in part to cover the lineup with Lawrie out for the next four games.
Gomes, hitting .359 with five homers and 22 RBI in 33 games for Vegas, has played third, first, and catcher, for the 51s.
“There’s no question the factor of Brett Lawrie factors into that because Yan can play some third,” Anthopoulos said.
“He’ll be in the lineup (Thursday) at third base. He’ll be a backup at first base as well.”
Anthopoulos said it was too early to determine what the Jays options at first base may be — shifting someone else to first, or acquiring a first baseman in a trade — with Lind in the minors.
“Right now, obviously David Cooper was up twice last year,” Anthopoulos said.
“His first stint he didn’t do as well, but I thought in September he swung the bat very well. He’s certainly a guy that’s a candidate to come up here as well.”
As for Lind, Anthopoulos felt the struggling first baseman’s swing was “fine.”
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“Less than a year ago today Adam was performing incredibly well,” said Anthopoulos, referring to Lind’s .800 plus OBP, which at the time ranked among American League leaders for first basemen.
“We’re hopeful we can get him back to that point. We haven’t been able to do that up here.”
Lind will now work with Triple-A hitting coach Chad Motolla, who has worked wonders for Travis Snider and Adeiny Hechevarria already this season.
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Victoria Justice is gorgeous, famous, and a total sweetheart—any guy would kill to be her date. But she left them all in the dust, bringing her mom, Selene, to Sunday’s Diane von Furstenberg show. “Isn’t she the cutest?” the 22-year-old joked before the show. “But seriously, sometimes, you just want your mom.” Understood. Fortunately, we managed to pull the actress away for a few minutes to talk about Netflix, paparazzi, and the complications of having a guy best friend.
Yahoo Style: You must get a lot of fashion show invites. Why DVF?
Victoria Justice: She’s one of the originals! It’s exciting to be at such an iconic show, and even better, I really do wear her clothes. Everything I’ve got on right now is DvF, of course, but even when I’m not at her fashion show, I’m often wearing her things.
Your mom was just showing me a picture she took of you with Bill Cunningham. How did that happen?
I still don’t know. I am still so excited about that, you don’t even know. I’ve admired his photography, of course, but then I saw the documentary about him on [Netflix], and it made me such a fan girl. I was actually very nervous to introduce myself to him, but he was the nicest man.
He doesn’t often let people take his picture, you know…
Really? I guess if it’s his job to take the pictures, I can see how he might prefer the other side of things. You should have seen me, though. I was actually nervous to meet him. I think I was shaking a little bit.
You came into this building right after Kylie Jenner. What was that like?
A lot of cameras, right?
So many. Would you ever want to be that famous?
Famous like [a Kardashian]? You know, we’re on such different tracks… I’m definitely so grateful and excited when people say they like my work or my style, and I appreciate fans’ attention and their energy so much. But I think to be that famous, it would get really tired having paparazzi in your face all the time. I don’t know [Kylie], but she seems to handle it really well. It’s not easy.
Story continues
Your new movie, Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List, is about to come out. Do you have a “no kiss list”?
I don’t think I do! Not an official one…nope. Sorry. But it’s a really special movie, and it’s about a complicated friendship with a guy…But that hasn’t been such a big story in my own life.
You’re lucky. It’s hard when you know someone so well, but for various reasons, you can’t be in love with them.
Wait, you’ve had that happen? Are you still friends with the guy?
Hey! This is supposed to be your interview.
I know, but it’s so interesting… you know, I thought of a no-kiss situation. Lipstick. When someone wears tons, the no-kiss list includes—
Everybody?
Everybody! Unless you like making a total mess.
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It once lured the likes of Winston Churchill, Princess Grace of Monaco and Ava Gardner, but times have changed in Portofino – and so has the comportment of visitors.
Faced with the invasion of hordes of day-trippers whose behaviour often leaves a lot to be desired, the chic resort town on the Italian Riviera has introduced a raft of new regulations in an attempt to restore decorum.
Wandering around the harbour barefoot or without a shirt is now prohibited, as is snacking on the front doorsteps of the port’s pastel-coloured houses.
Lounging around in the town’s parks and piazzas is banned, as well as playing loud music after midnight.
Breaking the rules will mean a fine of up to €300 (£265). | {
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Lau Wong-fat, the former head of the powerful rural body Heung Yee Kuk, has died at the age of 80.
He passed away at home in the early hours of Sunday, surrounded by his family, his son Kenneth Lau said.
Lau Wong-fat. File Photo: InmediaHK.
Lau was born in 1936 in Hong Kong. He became the chairman of the Kuk in 1980. He was a lawmaker for the Heung Yee Kuk functional constituency, a member of the Executive Council, and the chairman of the Tuen Mun District Council, among other public positions.
The Heung Yee Kuk was founded in 1926 to represent the interests of indigenous villagers. It was made a statutory body in 1959 to advise the government on rural matters.
The pro-Beijing heavyweight, who has been nicknamed “Uncle Fat,” is often referred to as the “King of New Territories” for his influence in the area.
A member of the Basic Law drafting committee, Lau was successful in his fight to include an article in the de facto constitution of Hong Kong to protect the “lawful traditional rights and interests” of the indigenous people of the New Territories.
Small houses in Kwu Tung. File Photo: GovHK.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year every year, he often represented the Heung Yee Kuk to draw lots for Hong Kong at the Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin.
Lau was a founding member of the Liberal Party in 1993 but withdrew from it in 2008. He joined the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong in 2012. He was also a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference between 1993 and 2013.
The former lawmaker was criticised for making few contributions to the Legislative Council in the 24 years he served as a member of the body, since he has never tabled any motions on his own nor raised any amendments.
Heung Yee Kuk chief Lau Wong-fat was mocked on social media following the June voting blunder.
Lau was investigated by a LegCo committee in 2010 for not declaring the purchase of three properties worth a total of HK$21 million. He did not receive any punishment, though the committee confirmed the transactions.
In 2011, he was challenged by Junius Ho for the chairmanship of the Tuen Mun Rural Committee and lost his seat of 41 years. He also lost his seat at the Tuen Mun District Council, which is automatically given to the chairman of the Committee. But he was appointed a district councillor by the government in 2012 and recovered his Council chairmanship.
In June 2015, Lau was famously late for a LegCo vote on the government’s political reform package, resulting in the bill’s rejection by a far larger margin than expected. Pro-Beijing lawmakers, who later said they wanted to wait for Lau, walked out of the chamber in a failed bid to delay the vote. Although the bill’s rejection was anticipated, the dramatic episode caused huge embarrassment for the pro-Beijing camp.
Lau Wong-fat (left) – father – and Lau Ip-keung (right) – son – former and current Heung Yee Kuk chairmen. File Photo: Apple Daily.
Lau has rarely appeared in public since last year, as he was reportedly hospitalised and underwent surgery.
Lau’s son Kenneth Lau succeeded him as the head of Heung Yee Kuk in 2015, and became the lawmaker for the sector last September. | {
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Of U.S. political culture’s many hypocrisies, few are more jarring than Americans’ ambivalence about democracy itself. Truth be told, despite its reputation as “the leader of the free world” and its history as the “arsenal of democracy,” America is a land where democracy is celebrated only in its most abstract and idealized form. Most everyone agrees that government of the people, by the people, for the people sounds pretty great. But when the reality of that principle is revealed — when all the happy talk of the greater good and the public will is replaced by the prosaic, undignified tedium of actual self-governance — millions of Americans, on both the left and the right, find themselves so disillusioned that they either reject politics entirely or, worse still, embrace an ideology so rigid and utopian as to serve as a kind of secular faith.
Once you’ve noticed it, Americans’ discomfort with the grit and grime of real-world democracy can at times feel omnipresent. Take Frank Capra’s beloved 1939 film, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” in which Jimmy Stewart’s naive but idealistic Jefferson Smith is able to overcome the corruption and rancor of the U.S. Senate not through negotiation and compromise but because of his indomitable will, evidenced by his decision to filibuster to the point of exhaustion. Or to look at this pathology from the opposite end of the telescope, note how Netflix’s popular “House of Cards” series acknowledges the myriad trades and settlements of democratic governance but, through Frank Underwood, a protagonist who is both a master politician and a ruthless sociopath, presents this mode of behavior as fundamentally immoral and corrupt. The good guy keeps on fighting; the bad guy cuts a deal.
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Or how about we leave the realm of popular entertainment (which admittedly is structured to celebrate the triumph of the individual above all else) and turn instead to actual American politics, where a lead actor since at least 2011 has been that group of dedicated and uncompromising right-wing ideologues known as the Tea Party. Indeed, if a recent Slate analysis of the Tea Party worldview from conservative pundit Reihan Salam is correct, it’s the Tea Party — more than what remains of Occupy Wall Street, or the Davos crowd — that most stridently represents those citizens who reject actual, real-world American democracy. Salam jokingly refers to the U.S. of the Tea Party’s dreams as “Teatopia," but the reference to Utopia, Thomas More’s consciously fantastical dream-island, is more apt than he may want to believe.
Before getting into the tenets of Teatopia and why I think they’re so essentially anti-democratic, I want to be clear about what I’m not saying concerning democracy in America today. Most crucially, I do not mean that anyone who considers the U.S. government woefully in need of reform is against real-world democracy. A perception of D.C. as thoroughly corrupt is one of the American electorate’s few genuinely cross-partisan beliefs for good reason. In addition, I do not intend to imply that anyone who finds U.S. political culture too toxic to bear is anti-democratic at heart. It’s arguable, in fact, that the relentless conflict and spin that characterizes so much political media, with its constant willingness to deny the other side’s basic legitimacy, is more contrary to democratic values than the self-protecting apathy of an exasperated citizen.
What I’d argue, rather, is that the Tea Party’s philosophy of government (again, as understood by Salam) has embedded within it an aversion to basic democratic principles that goes far beyond a typical contempt for Washington, politicians and pundits. When Salam writes that Teatopia is founded on a commitment to a “robust federalism” intended to let “different states … offer different visions of the good life” and allow citizens to “vote with their feet” by moving to whichever state best reflects their values, he’s not describing a common aversion to corruption or a distaste for political theater. He’s describing a childish and essentially anti-political belief that a return to an Articles of Confederation-style U.S. order — in which each state is more of a sovereign unto itself than a member of a larger American whole — will produce 50 mini-nations where everyone basically agrees.
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Democracy, it should go without saying, is not a system designed to tackle the problem of what to do when everyone is on the same page. You don’t need to venerate and inculcate the principles of compromise, pluralism and cooperation in a land where nobody questions what to do or even how to do it. An America in which “states and local governments” can, as Salam puts it, “let their freak flags fly,” and where the ultimate goal is to maintain what Salam calls America’s “normative diversity” (which he says “has less to do with ethnicity and race and more to do with the virtues that we as communities want to cultivate in our children, and that we want to see reflected in our collective institutions”) doesn’t even need a forum for debate. If the basic, irresolvable questions of identity that each generation must answer for itself — What do we value? Whom do we respect? What do we want from each other? What do we demand of ourselves? — are no longer contested, then, really, what’s the point? Just appoint a CEO of State for life, a charismatic technocrat to make sure the trains are running on time, and be done with it.
If we take into account the recent Pew report on polarization, which found a full 50 percent of “consistently conservative” respondents saying it was important to them to live in “a place where most people share my political views” vs. only 35 percent of “consistently liberal” and 22 percent of “mixed” respondents saying the same, Salam’s “Teatopia” makes perfect sense. If you’re made uncomfortable by the very idea of sharing sidewalk with someone on the other side, why wouldn’t you pine for a future in which you’re so tucked away among your kind that you come to forget people who think differently even exist? If you think the major problem with American democracy today is a federal government that forces people from East Texas and people from the Upper West Side to come to some workable agreement, why wouldn’t you believe, as Salam says Tea Partyers do, that a loose confederation of 50 isolated states would produce “an Era of Good Feelings” in which nobody bickers because everyone agrees? It all makes plenty of sense.
Yet even if it’s reasonable, at least on its own terms, the animating spirit of Teatopia is also, at its core, childish. It reflects a psychological makeup that privileges certainty, loathes ambiguity, celebrates purity and is awash with a mild but persistent sense of vulnerability and fear. Teatopia is a place where one never has to wonder about the veracity of her basic assumptions about what Salam calls “the good life.” It’s a place where no one ever has to grapple with the uncomfortable reality of other human beings living full, rewarding lives while concurrently making major decisions one thinks are self-evidently incorrect. It’s a place where one need never acknowledge that there are people who dream vastly different dreams and, what’s more, believe they have just as much right as anyone to make those dreams come true. It’s a place where everything is OK, a return to a state of innocence in which the inherent loneliness of one’s own subjectivity is muted by constant external ideological reinforcement.
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Like all utopias, it sounds nice. If they made a movie about Teatopia, I bet many Americans would be more than happy to fork over the $13 to see it. What it doesn’t sound like, though, is a recipe for effective, democratic government. But if you're someone who only likes democracy when it's idealized and abstract — someone who rejects the idea that the people of the United States constitute a single nation and must reconcile with one another accordingly — I suppose you might survey the gridlock and dysfunction of D.C. today and conclude things could be worse. | {
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bollywood
Updated: Jun 15, 2016 18:07 IST
Just when Anurag Kashyap and Co is getting ready to release Shahid Kapoor’s Udta Punjab in theatres this Friday, here’s another shocker the filmmakers will have to contend with. According to a report in Spotboye.com, a major portion of the film has been leaked online.
Read: Don’t be a grandmother: HC sets Udta Punjab free with just one cut
Read: Udta Punjab row in Punjab-Haryana HC: Screening held for lawyers, petitioners
On Wednesday afternoon, it emerged that the Abhishek Chaubey directorial -- which has been in news for the makers’ run-in with the censor board -- was available on torrent sites for illegal download. However, soon the download links were “removed due to a copyright complaint”, the websites read.
Watch: Shahid Kapoor in Udta Punjab title song
As per multiple online platforms which had snapshots from the leaked copy, one could say it was a copy of the film submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) as it also featured some scenes which the censor board had objected to.
There were also reports that the leaked copy had a run-time of two hours 20 minutes.
Scheduled to hit the screens on June 17, Udta Punjab has been allowed to release with one cut and A certificate. (With inputs from IANS)
Follow @htshowbiz for more. | {
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UNKNOWN:
EXT
Video Roll Title: Experiment with a new diving system: 106ft
Experience with a new diving system
Experiments: With a new diving system
dive, diving, diver, mask, boat
Background: Man tests new SCUBA diving equipment in a lake | {
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The 36-year-old New York musician tweeted that she’s ‘decided to retire’ from the business after a decade-long career
This article is more than 1 year old
This article is more than 1 year old
Rap star Nicki Minaj has announced she’s leaving the music business because she wants to make family life her priority.
The 36-year-old Trinidadian-born rapper, who grew up in New York and is known for her outlandish outfits, bizarre alter egos and fast flow, made the announcement in a tweet on Thursday morning.
Mrs. Petty (@NICKIMINAJ) I’ve decided to retire & have my family. I know you guys are happy now. To my fans, keep reppin me, do it til da death of me, ❌ in the box- cuz ain’t nobody checkin me. ✅ Love you for LIFE 😘♥️🦄
It’s not clear if Minaj is done with her career or merely taking a temporary rest.
Over the course of her decade-long career, Minaj has been nominated for 10 Grammys, earned a Guinness World Record in 2017 for most Billboard Hot 100 entries by a solo female artist and hauled in five MTV Video Music Awards.
Earlier this year Minaj was certified by the Recording Industry Association of America as the first female rapper to officially sell 100m albums and singles.
After signing a music deal in 2009, Minaj released her first studio album, Pink Friday, a year later, peaking at No 1. Her second album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded also hit No 1.
Several subsequent albums sold well and she also branched out into appearing in movies, including Ice Age: Continental Drift, and on television, where she was judge on American Idol.
The New York Times once called Minaj “a sparkling rapper with a gift for comic accents and unexpected turns of phrase. She’s a walking exaggeration, outsize in sound, personality and look. And she’s a rapid evolver, discarding old modes as easily as adopting new ones”.
Nicki Minaj: sublime, ridiculous and very, very long Read more
But if Minaj is indeed hanging up her wigs and costumes, she’ll be remembered for her strange adoption of British cockney rhyming slang by way of Queens, New York.
“When I started rapping, people were trying to make me like the typical New York rapper, but I’m not that. No disrespect to New York rappers, but I don’t want people to hear me and know exactly where I’m from,” she explained to Billboard.
Her technique combined both rapping and singing as she incorporated her British alter ego, Roman Zolanski, and Japanese character, Harajuku Barbie, into her act.
Before she incorporated craziness in her performances, she once explained, she was just “doing me.”
“I was just doing regular-sounding rap that anyone could hear and identify with. But once I started doing all that weird shit – I’m not mad at it because it got everyone’s attention.” | {
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A deep sadness settled over a small Alberta village on Tuesday as word spread that five local residents, including a family of four, had been killed in a highway crash.
All five people killed in the head-on collision were from Amisk, a village of about 200 people in east-central Alberta.
Among the dead was a well-known local family, identified by relatives as Tim Carson, 52, his wife, Michelle, 44, their daughter, Niki, 12, and their son Shawn, aged nine.
"It's been a rough day," Beth Carson, a relative, told CBC News. "We've just had a whole family wiped out."
Amisk Mayor Bill Rock said the victims in both vehicles knew each other, and lived only two blocks apart.
After five residents died in a highway collision Monday, Amisk Mayor Bill Rock says the community of around 200 people will recover one day at a time. 0:43
The driver of the SUV, who remains unidentified, was single and has lived in the village since he moved there as a boy 12 to 14 years ago, he said.
Further details about the man's identity will not be released until an autopsy has been completed, RCMP said.
Rock said the Carson family was already dealing with the death of their 15-year-old daughter less than a year ago.
'Shocking and surreal'
The village council has already started to discuss how best to remember the victims, he said.
"They are very well known in the community — most of them lived in the community all their lives," he said. "It's so shocking and surreal that it's very difficult to determine what we're going to do yet.
"It's going to affect our town significantly. It's going to be difficult."
The collision between an SUV and a car happened on Highway 13 at Range Road 92, southeast of Hardisty, at about 7 p.m. Monday. Hardisty is about 200 km southeast of Edmonton.
The westbound SUV carrying a lone occupant crossed the centre line and collided head-on with an eastbound car carrying four occupants, police said.
Tim Carson was driving the car. His wife and children were the passengers.
There were no witnesses to the crash, but police said the SUV caught fire and went into the ditch. Firefighters put out the blaze.
All five were pronounced dead at the scene, RCMP said.
The village of Amisk is 220 kilometres southeast of Edmonton. (Trevor Wilson)
The first responders who rushed to the accident scene were all local volunteers, and would have known the victims, the mayor said.
RCMP victim services attended the scene and continue to help volunteers and RCMP officers, police said.
"As a police officer, motor vehicle collisions are very, very difficult," said RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Ronald Bumbry. "One fatality is too many. In this case, we have five."
Road and weather conditions do not appear to have been factors, a release said.
'Our heartfelt condolences'
The Carson children attended a small school in Hughenden, nine kilometres southeast of Amisk. The school has an enrolment of 143 students.
"It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of two of our students as a result of an accident on the evening of Feb. 27, 2017," Bob Allen, superintendent of Buffalo Trail Public Schools, said in a statement.
"The school community is close knit and this tragedy has had a significant impact on many of the students and staff," Allen said.
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families of those involved in this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with them and the school community as they grieve."
The crash scene on Highway 13 at Range Road 92, southeast of Hardisty, marks the place where five people died in a head-on collision on Monday. (Trevor Wilson/CBC)
A crisis response team is providing support and counselling to students and staff who need it, the statement said.
Longtime Amisk resident Don Anholt said the people who died were well known in the village.
"We only have about 200 people in town and all of the victims lived right in the town of Amisk," Anholt said.
"It's not outsiders, it was all locals in a small community."
"Everybody's just kind of finding out, and nobody knows what to think or what to say, and (everybody wants) answers about what happened," Anholt said.
Traffic on Highway 13 was rerouted after the crash but the highway has since reopened. | {
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Danielle Lei has business acumen that exceeds her peers.
On Sunday, the 14-year-old Girl Scout set up cookie sales in front of San Francisco pot dispensary The Green Cross for the second year in a row. Lei told SFGate.com that she sold 208 boxes in two hours, and plans to return to The Green Cross to sell more cookies on Valentine's Day.
There has been no opposition to Lei's creative sales strategies from The Girl Scouts of Northern California. Dana Allen, the organization's marketing and communications director, told Mashable in 2014 that "the mom decided this was a place she was comfortable with her daughter being at."
"We're not telling people where they can and can't go if it's a legitimate business," Allen said.
But neither the organization nor the general public at large may know that "Girl Scout Cookies" is also the name for a hybrid marijuana strain that is popular in the Bay Area's urban community.
It's probably best to stick to Thin Mints and Samoas when ordering from Lei, who will return to The Green Cross from 12-2 p.m. on Feb. 14. | {
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Starting Tuesday, look out for an unusual warning atop your Gmail inbox, Google home page or Chrome browser. It will not mince words: “Warning: We believe state-sponsored attackers may be attempting to compromise your account or computer.”
Google said it planned to issue the warning anytime it picks up malicious–possibly state-sponsored–activity on a user’s account or computer. How does Google know whether an attack is state-sponsored? It won’t say.
“We can’t go into the details without giving away information that would be helpful to these bad actors, but our detailed analysis—as well as victim reports—strongly suggest the involvement of states or groups that are state-sponsored,” Eric Grosse, Google’s vice president of security engineering, wrote in a blog post.
The announcement is timed just one week after security researchers discovered Flame, a massive, data-mining virus, had been spying on computers in the Middle East— predominantly in Iran– for at least the last four years.
Researchers say they believe the Flame virus is sponsored by the same entity that commissioned Stuxnet, a virus co-sponsored by the United States and Israel, that destroyed thousands of Iranian centrifuges in 2010. | {
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Amazon Fire TV users! Here at Mozilla, we believe you should have the ability to watch what you want or view the web how you want. Firefox for Fire TV, our browser for discovering and watching web video on TV, is here on Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV stick. You can launch popular video websites, like YouTube or Vimeo, load any website address and search the web for videos to play full screen on your TV, all from the comfort of your couch.
So many cat videos to watch. So many visits to Wikipedia to settle the debate you’re having with your brother about how to pronounce gif. So much great stuff on the web that you want to get to fast. So we just added Turbo Mode.
Browse fast and free from trackers
Turbo Mode lets you block third party trackers so you can browse faster and with more privacy. It’s the same Tracking Protection that you know and love from Firefox and Firefox Focus. We know you want to browse fast, so Turbo Mode is turned on by default.
Here’s how to turn it on or off:
1. Open the Firefox app on your Fire TV.
2. Tap the menu button on your remote so that the browse lane pops out from the left.
3. In the browse lane, click the switch next to Turbo Mode to toggle it on.
You can find Firefox for Fire TV in the U.S. Amazon Appstore for free, you’ll need a 2nd generation or newer Fire TV device to get browsing.
This post is also available in: Deutsch (German) | {
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Karl Pilkington, star of An Idiot Abroad and collaborator on The Ricky Gervais Show, is also almost eerily in tune with the TV series Black Mirror. A YouTube video maker dug up Ricky Gervais Show clips where Pilkington closely outlines much of Black Mirror’s season 4 finale, “Black Museum” — years before the episode aired. It’s an uncanny coincidence, but also a good reminder that stories are more than just clever ideas.
“Black Museum” is a three-part mini-anthology, and Pilkington nails the central premise of two arcs. The animated clips above aired on HBO’s The Ricky Gervais Show in 2011 and 2012, but the audio was recorded even earlier. (Obviously, there are light Black Mirror spoilers ahead.)
In one conversation, Pilkington imagines a machine that would let doctors diagnose his pain by feeling it. That’s exactly what a doctor in “Black Museum” tries, via experimental brain implant. In the other clip, Pilkington pitches a movie about a man who’s hit by a car. A doctor tells his widow that although the man is dead, they can transplant half his brain into her head, so she’ll be able to hear his thoughts. Switch the genders and tweak the technobabble, and you’ve got a blow-by-blow recap of the middle story — or at least, its first half.
It’s remarkable how easily Pilkington’s monologues mesh with clips from Black Mirror, and deliciously ironic to hear co-hosts Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant make fun of his supposedly ridiculous ideas. But Pilkington probably shouldn’t go to Netflix asking for royalties.
“Black Museum” draws on big, familiar sci-fi tropes
Far more than most Black Mirror episodes, “Black Museum” is based on big, familiar science fiction tropes. You can find people voyeuristically experiencing agony in Robert Silverberg’s short story “The Pain Peddlers,” or the film Strange Days. Vulture has even more comparison points, including an episode of Jimmy Neutron. Black Mirror’s creators were adapting a short story called “Pain Addict” by magician Penn Jillette, who says he got the idea all the way back in 1981. You can also find plenty of fiction about keeping two minds in one body, from Silverberg’s novel To Live Again to the Steve Martin / Lily Tomlin comedy All Of Me.
Pilkington’s ideas hit closer than any of these stories, but they’re still just jumping-off points for “Black Museum,” which takes them to much darker places than he ever did. Black Mirror doesn’t just imagine the existence of new technology, the way Pilkington does. The show tries to predict its unintended consequences, which is a very different endeavor — and ultimately, what makes “Black Museum” compelling television.
Strange parallels between science fiction stories are nothing new. In 1979, authors Charles Sheffield and Arthur C. Clarke almost simultaneously published novels about the same imaginary technology. Sometimes authors actually claim they’ve been ripped off: Harlan Ellison was credited in Terminator after accusing director James Cameron of plagiarism, and Grant Morrison has said The Matrix was lifted from his comic The Invisibles. But more often, it’s just the result of people sharing a cultural petri dish. So while it’s entertaining to imagine Black Mirror cribbing from The Ricky Gervais Show, or Pilkington having nigh-psychic powers, it’s not an unbelievable coincidence. | {
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Smoked weed for 1st time in 3 months got higher than all my friends
453 shares | {
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September 28, 2020
Test and engineering specialist FEV has announced the opening of what it says is the… | {
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Netflix has ordered its first African original series, a move its star says is “going to change the game for every artist on this continent.”
According to Variety, Queen Sono will premiere globally in 2019, a drama about a secret agent fighting crime while dealing with crises in her personal life.
It will star Pearl Thusi (The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Quantico), who said in a video tweet that she “cannot wait for…every woman on this continent, and actually on this planet, to meet Queen Sono. [The show/deal is] going to change the game for every artist on this continent,” she added.
Thusi appears in ABC thriller 'Quantico' (Getty)
Netflix’s vice president of international originals, Erik Barmack, told South Africa’s IOL that: “taking talent like this and telling stories to the rest of the world puts Pearl in the same category as other strong female characters like Claire Underwood in House of Cards and Jessica Jones.”
He said that more original content from Africa will likely be on the way.
“Over time our roots will get deeper in Africa and South Africa, and we’re moving pretty quickly to that now, and plan to invest more in local content,” Barmack continued. | {
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Mexico’s incoming government said no deal has been reached with the U.S. on the treatment of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico, pushing back on reports that such an agreement has been made — even as a busy port of entry was closed Sunday.
Jesus Ramirez, spokesman for Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, commented Sunday via text message, a day after reports that Mexico will allow Washington to use Mexico as, essentially, an ante-room for thousands of Central American asylum seekers.
Earlier, President Donald Trump said Mexico would be “very smart” to stop groups of Central American migrants before they reached the southern U.S. border, and again laid the blame for U.S. immigration problems on Democrats, without offering evidence.
Under the apparent deal first reported by the Washington Post, the Central American migrants would be required to wait in Mexico until their claims move through U.S. courts before crossing the border. The newspaper reported that the U.S. and Mexico’s new government have the framework of a deal with some details still have to be hashed out.
If it moves ahead, the agreement would break long-standing rules and install new barriers for Central American migrants attempting to reach the U.S., the newspaper reported, citing Mexican officials and senior members of Lopez Obrador’s transition team.
It would mark a victory for the hard-line immigration advisers within Trump’s administration. It may cause headaches, though, for the incoming left-wing government in Mexico City, days away from officially taking the country’s reins on Dec. 1 after winning election in July.
The plan, to be known as “Remain in Mexico,” would require asylum applicants at the border to stay in Mexico while their cases are processed, potentially ending a system Trump calls “catch and release” that has until now generally allowed those seeking refuge to wait on safer U.S. soil, according to the Post.
A press conference is scheduled for Mexico City at 8 a.m. local time, Ramirez said. Although the event is expected to focus on results of referendums being held across Mexico this weekend, the migrant issue is likely to be discussed as well.
Trump said on Twitter late Saturday that migrants at the border wouldn’t be allowed into the U.S. until their claims were heard in court, a process is usually lengthy. He again threatened to close the country’s southern border “if it becomes necessary.” Trump didn’t comment on the specifics of an agreement with Mexico.
Olga Sanchez Cordero, Mexico’s incoming interior minister, told the Post that “for now, we have agreed to this policy of ‘Remain in Mexico,”‘ adding that “the medium- and long-term solution is that people don’t migrate.”
She later appeared to backtrack, telling the Associated Press that “there is no agreement of any sort between the incoming Mexican government and the U.S. government.” Top officials from AMLO’s administration planned to meet as early as Sunday to discuss the U.S. proposal, the New York Times reported.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement that “President Trump has developed a strong relationship with the incoming Obrador administration, and we look forward to working with them on a wide range of issues.”
The possible deal shows that the Trump administration has, is about to, overcome Mexico’s historic reticence to deepen cooperation with the U.S. on an issue widely seen there as America’s problem.
Should such a plan go ahead, it may deter people from attempting to migrate to the U.S. from Central America via Mexico. Trump deployed U.S. military forces to California, Arizona and Texas in recent weeks, and threatened to close border crossings after thousands of migrants traveling as part of a so-called caravan forced their way onto Mexican soil last month.
Democrats and human rights activists are likely to be concerned about the “Remain in Mexico” strategy, and in the past have expressed concern it may put migrants at risk and make it more difficult for them to apply for asylum. The new measures could also trigger fresh legal challenges.
Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland said Sunday that asylum-seekers should “be allowed to come in.”
“That’s the law,” Cummings said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We have a system that has worked for a long time.”
The mayor of Tijuana, Mexico, on Friday declared a humanitarian crisis, and has asked the United Nations for aid to deal with about 5,000 Central American migrants who’ve arrived in the city, which lies just south of California.
On Sunday, northbound and southbound crossings by vehicles and pedestrians were suspended at the San Ysidro port of entry between Tijuana and San Diego, one of the busiest border crossings in the world, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. The agency said it’s “aware of multiple planned demonstrations on both sides of the border.”
The CBP conducted a large-scale “operational readiness” exercise at the San Ysidro port on Thursday, the agency said in a Twitter message on Friday, adding, “we are prepared for any contingency.” The attached video showed heavily armed agents dressed in riot gear.
Immigration, including recent issues tied to asylum seekers from Central America, was a flashpoint in this month’s U.S. midterm elections and will probably continue to play a key role in the new Congress and in shaping the debate ahead of the 2020 presidential vote.
Democrats have rejected Trump’s blame for immigration issues. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar said on ABC’s “This Week” that Trump should have been working with Central American countries a long time ago to ease the caravan, that the president “has gut-punched us” on attempts to enact immigration reform.
The caravan and the topic of asylum seekers has become a source of frustration for Trump, and were a major part of his messaging in a series of pre-election rallies.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in California halted the Trump administration’s latest attempt to seal the U.S. southern border by barring migrants from seeking asylum inside the country. The judge prevented the government from restricting asylum applications to those made at official ports of entry, although the Justice Department will likely appeal the order.
Before the midterm elections, Trump ordered the military to reinforce the southern border and repeatedly warned voters about a so-called “caravan” of migrants making its way from Central America to the U.S. His critics called the deployment a political stunt.
Sen. Angus King said Sunday he thinks the Armed Services Committee, on which he sits, would want to examine the rules of engagement for the deployment — as well as its duration and cost, which the Washington Post reported could exceed $200 million.
“If indeed there was an invasion, which there isn’t, clearly we can defend ourselves,” King, a Maine independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “But using troops in a border situation with asylum seekers is, I think, not appropriate.” | {
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Kontanthjælpsydelser (kvt.) 2. kvt. 2019
I juni var der 123.000 modtagere af kontanthjælpsydelser i alt. Det er et fald på 600 modtagere, svarende til 0,5 pct., i forhold til måneden før. Siden starten af 2016 har antallet af kontanthjælpsmodtagere været jævnt faldende med gennemsnitlige månedlige fald på omkring 1.200 modtagere. De tal, som omtales i artiklen, er korrigeret for normale sæsonudsving.
Fald i kontanthjælps- og uddannelseshjælpsmodtagere
Fra maj til juni faldt antallet af kontanthjælpsmodtagere og uddannelseshjælpsmodtagere begge med 200 til hhv. 70.400 og 35.100, mens antallet af integrationsydelsesmodtagere uændret var 14.100. I løbet af det seneste år er antallet af integrationsydelsesmodtagere faldet med 22,6 pct. svarende til 4.100 personer.
Uændret antal jobparate ydelsesmodtagere
Antallet af jobparate ydelsesmodtagere var i juni 27.100, hvilket er uændret fra maj til juni. I løbet af det seneste år er antallet af jobparate ydelsesmodtagere faldet med 6.100, svarende til et fald på 18,3 pct. Jobparate er her opgjort inklusive de åbenlyst uddannelsesparate. Begge grupper er vurderet til at kunne påtage sig et arbejde eller begynde på en uddannelse med det samme og er samtidig de ydelsesmodtagere, som indgår i den registerbaserede bruttoledighed.
Fald for begge køn og for samtlige aldersgrupper
Fra maj til juni faldt antallet af kvinder på kontanthjælpsydelser med 0,6 pct., mens antallet af mænd faldt med 0,4 pct. I løbet af det seneste år er antallet for begge køn faldet med 6.000 personer. Fra maj til juni faldt antallet af 16-24-årige på kontanthjælpsydelser med 0,3 pct., mens antallet af 25-39-årige og 40-64-årige faldt med hhv. 0,5 og 0,6 pct.
Kontanthjælpsydelser efter ydelse, visitation, køn og alder, sæsonkorrigeret 2018 2019 Ændring Juni
April
Maj
Juni
Maj 2019
- juni 2019 Juni 2018
- juni 2019 1.000 personer pct. Kontanthjælpsydelser i alt 135,0 124,7 123,6 123,0 -0,5 -8,9 Ydelsestype Kontanthjælp 75,8 71,0 70,6 70,4 -0,3 -7,2 Uddannelseshjælp 36,4 35,5 35,3 35,1 -0,6 -3,6 Integrationsydelse mv. 18,2 14,4 14,1 14,1 -0,4 -22,6 Løntilskud 0,3 0,4 0,4 0,4 8,1 34,9 Forrevalidering 0,6 0,4 0,4 0,4 -3,2 -27,9 Revalideringsydelse 4,3 3,7 3,6 3,6 -1,1 -16,0 Visitationskategori Jobparat1 33,2 27,6 27,1 27,1 -0,1 -18,3 Aktivitetsparat2 101,8 97,1 96,5 95,9 -0,6 -5,9 Køn Mænd 68,6 63,4 62,8 62,6 -0,4 -8,8 Kvinder 66,4 61,3 60,8 60,4 -0,6 -9,1 Alder 16-24 år 27,7 26,1 25,8 25,7 -0,3 -6,9 25-39 år 50,8 46,5 46,1 45,9 -0,5 -9,6 40-64 år 56,6 52,1 51,7 51,4 -0,6 -9,3 | {
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SETTING: In Eden, Wyoming, the rules are simple: don't mess with the status quo. From the mayor down to the creepy guy on the corner no one likes to talk to, Eden is populated with criminals, both reformed and otherwise. The city is a haven for criminals, but not for crime. If you rock the boat, you'll get tossed overboard with extreme prejudice. The town goes to great pains to keep its existence not just a well-kept secret, but entirely off the radar of the government, most particularly the FBI. Lots of criminals, but little crime—what kind of crime comic is that?! A lack of crime doesn't imply a lack of conflict, and when you know that one way of problem-solving gets near-immediate results...well. Not even Heaven lasts forever, right?
TONE: How do you like your crime? Tarantino style, with lots of quips and bursts of violence? Do you prefer something more Scorcese, where the tension builds to an unbearable level before exploding? Or something more down to Earth, like Thelma & Louise? POSTAL is more Thelma & Louise than Pulp Fiction, with its small-town politics and down-home crime. POSTAL depicts a community of criminals seeking to escape their past, and as a result, there's a hard dose of inevitability in the tale. Storytelling logic tells us that nothing lasts forever, and whether Eden, Wyoming is destined for a fall or the characters we've grown attached to are looking straight down the barrel of oblivion, an apocalypse of one sort or another is coming. You can feel it on the page, thanks to the pettiness and short tempers of the characters. Trouble is coming.
VIOLENCE: Depicting violence in comics is a tough conundrum. You don't want to endorse it, but you don't want to water it down, either. You don't want to scare your readers off, but it's important to show the effects of an act of violence. POSTAL strikes a balance, one that works in concert with the high concept of the series. In a town where the citizens are all criminals on the run, they take care to avoid any attention from outside forces. So, the violence is kept mainly in the past tense, a thing that happened once that lets us better understand the people who either fell victim or perpetrated the act. But when things in the modern day get serious, the violence lurches to the foreground, destabilizing everything around it.
THE HERO STANDS ALONE: Mark is a part of the town, but he stands apart from it, too. He's the son of the town's mayor, the woman who runs the town with an iron fist, and his absentee father is spoken of only in hushed, terrified tones. Rather than being treated as royalty, Mark is left alone, avoided, and treated with kid gloves. This puts him in a fascinating position for a hero—or maybe just a focal character—in a crime story. He moves among the people, but is separate from them. He has their trust, but not their love. He has a job that makes him invisible in a town full of people seeking the same. He is uniquely capable of examining and making waves in the town. So, what does he do? Anything he wants.
From POSTAL #1:
POSTAL #7 is on sale today. POSTAL #8 goes on sale 10/28. | {
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BBC broadcaster quits history charity in protest at 'racist and misogynist' Boris Johnson
Emilio Casalicchio
A prominent history buff has resigned from a classics charity in protest at the involvement of Boris Johnson - as she branded the Tory bigwig a "dog-whistling racist and misogynist".
Author and broadcaster Natalie Haynes quit as a patron of Classics for All after the former foreign secretary said women who wear burqas look like "bank robbers" and "letter boxes".
His comments sparked outrage among Tory MPs and major Muslim groups and left him facing an official Conservative probe.
It emerged this week that Classics for All had removed its listing of Mr Johnson as a patron from its website and bosses said they were reviewing his involvement.
Ms Haynes - who features regularly on the BBC and studied classics at Cambridge - wrote an explosive letter to the charity chief executive seen by BuzzFeed News.
She said: "I'm sorry to have to be writing this, but I don't feel able to stay on as a patron of a charity which offers Boris Johnson the slightest veneer of respectability.
"I appreciate that the Board members wish to discuss it, and I've no doubt August is a difficult time to bring everyone together
"That's one of the many disadvantages of having a dog-whistling racist and misogynist as a patron: you never know when they'll next spew their hate-mongering remarks."
The ‘Natalie Haynes Stands up for the Classics’ radio show host added: "I would like to withdraw as a patron until after the Board meets in October discuss the issue…
"I hope very much that they will choose to shun a person who chooses to advance his own cause at any price with no regard for those who are caught in the crossfire.”
And she blasted: "I'm obviously glad that the charity doesn't endorse his remarks, but I'm afraid I don't think that's enough.
“I don't believe the charity should have as its patron someone who makes these responses necessary.”
Classics for All promotes the teachings of Greek, Latin and classical civilisation in state schools.
In a statement the charity said earlier this week: “The team at Classics for All is committed to increasing access to classics and works with many Muslim pupils.
“We do not endorse or support Boris Johnson’s statement or comments.”
The charity declined to comment while trustees take a "considered review". | {
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How to Play
For each game, MidWord! will randomly pick a secret word from the English dictionary.
Your challenge is to guess what the secret word is. For each guess, you'll be told whether it comes before or after the secret word in the dictionary. | {
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Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev following their meeting in Moscow, Russia April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukh
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the missile strike on Syria carried out by the United States was a aggressive act against a sovereign state and violated international law.
The statement was released after a phone call between Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. | {
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. industrial production increased for a fourth straight month in September, boosted by gains in manufacturing and mining output, but momentum slowed sharply in the third quarter.
An employee works on the sealer line in the paint department during a tour of an automobile plant in Marysville, Ohio October 11, 2012. REUTERS/Paul Vernon/File Photo
Other data on Tuesday showed job openings hit a record high in August, far outpacing a rise in hiring, suggesting that companies were increasingly being starved of workers. There are concerns that the worker shortage, especially in manufacturing and construction industries, could hinder economic growth.
“Companies need more workers than the economy has to give and this is going to lead to a slowdown in economic growth somewhere down the road,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG in New York.
The Federal Reserve said industrial production rose 0.3 percent last month after increasing 0.4 percent in August. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast industrial output rising 0.2 percent in September.
Industrial production grew at a 3.3 percent annualized rate in the third quarter, decelerating from the 5.3 percent pace logged in the second quarter. The Fed reported a minimal impact to production from Hurricane Florence, which drenched South and North Carolina in mid-September.
Manufacturing output increased 0.2 percent in September, the smallest gain in four months, after rising 0.3 percent in August. A 1.7 percent increase in motor vehicle production helped to lift manufacturing output last month.
Motor vehicle production surged 4.3 percent in August. There were also strong increases in the production of primary metals, machinery and wood products last month.
The dollar was little changed against a basket of currencies, while U.S. Treasury yields rose slightly. Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher, boosted by upbeat earnings from blue-chip companies.
Manufacturing, which accounts for about 12 percent of the economy, is being supported by a strong domestic economy. Momentum is, however, slowing against the backdrop of a strong dollar and cooling global growth, which is restraining exports.
The dollar has this year gained about 6.2 percent against the currencies of the United States’ main trade partners.
While there are so far few signs the Trump administration’s “America First” policies, which have left the United States embroiled in a bitter trade war with China, are undercutting production, manufacturers having been increasingly complaining about disruptions to the supply chain.
MANUFACTURING SEEN WEAKENING
“The appreciation of the dollar and slowdown in global growth will weigh on the sector more heavily in the months ahead, so growth in manufacturing output still looks set to weaken from here,” said Michael Pearce, a senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics in New York.
Manufacturing output increased at a 2.8 percent rate in the third quarter after growing at a 2.3 percent pace in the April-June period. Mining production increased 0.5 percent in September, adding to the 0.4 percent rise in August.
Oil and gas well drilling, however, fell for a third straight month in September. Mining output grew at an 11.4 percent rate in the third quarter after notching a 16.5 percent pace in the second quarter. The sector has rebounded about 24 percent from its trough in 2016.
Utilities output was unchanged in September after soaring 1.1 percent in the prior month. A surge in natural gas output was offset by a decline in the production of electricity.
Capacity utilization for the industrial sector, a measure of how fully firms are using their resources, was unchanged at 78.1 percent. It increased to 78.0 percent in the third quarter, the highest level since the first quarter of 2015, from 77.8 percent in the April-June period.
The industrial production data strengthened expectations of strong economic growth in the third quarter. Growth forecasts for the July-September period are above a 3.0 percent annualized rate. The economy grew at a 4.2 percent rate in the second quarter. While strong growth is expected this year, the shortage of skilled workers is clouding the outlook.
In a separate report on Tuesday, the Labor Department said there were 7.14 million job openings in August. That was the highest level since the series started in 2000 and compared to 7.08 million vacancies in July.
The increase in vacancies was concentrated in the finance, business and professional services, and healthcare sectors.
The job openings rate also rose to an all-time high of 4.6 percent from 4.5 percent in July. Hiring increased to a record high 5.78 million in August from 5.71 million in the prior month. That lifted the hiring rate to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent in July.
“We have never had an economy turn down because it ran out of labor, but in the next couple of years, this will be the biggest risk to the economy’s continued expansion,” said MUFG’s Rupkey. “The manufacturing industry needs 488,000 workers right now to help them produce goods for America.” | {
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Over the weekend, Rupert Murdoch tweeted this to his followers: “Why Is Jewish owned press so consistently anti-Israel in every crisis?” Needless to say, the eyebrow raising statement led to much controversy and criticism, causing Murdoch to subsequently issue an apology over the social media platform.
And little wonder. According to The Daily Beast’s Peter Beinart, the tweet was simply “dumb and offensive.” He explains why:
Factually, the allegation is absurd. If you define “anti-Israel” as hostility not merely to one particular Israeli policy or leader, but to Israel itself, then there’s zero evidence that, say, The New York Times has been ‘anti-Israel’ even in its coverage of the current Gaza War, let alone ‘every crisis’ Israel has ever been involved in. But Murdoch’s tweet is more than just dumb. It’s also offensive, both to journalists and Jews. It’s offensive to journalists, because it implies that institutions of the “press” should reflect the ideological biases of their owners. Reading Murdoch’s tweet, it would be logical to conclude that he believes that any newspaper he owns should reflect his right-wing views, even in its news coverage. …Murdoch’s tweet is offensive to Jews, because he’s suggesting that when it comes to Israel, media owners who are Jews should let their Jewishness guide their journalism.
But Murdoch’s tweet also brings up some larger issues and questions about the News Corp. chairman. Among them is this one posited by his biographer, Michael Wolff: “What does Murdoch really think about the Jews?”
Wolff writes in The Guardian:
Gary Ginsberg, his long-time aide – part chief-of-staff; part PR consigliere – was often hurt and confounded by Murdoch’s jibes, insensitivities, and humor (there was the Christmas every executive desk got a crèche by order of the boss). Once, with me, Murdoch got into a riff about Jewish groups and money: how they were good at tricking him out of his dough. And yet, as soon as he focused his business attentions on the US and New York in the mid-seventies, he started to hire Jews as his closest advisers. His support for Israel has been absolute. Arguably, it is his support for Israel, and for neoconism in general (for many years, he owned and funded the losses of the Weekly Standard), that helped solidify rightwing support for Israel. (I was once at an Anti-Defamation League dinner where Rupert Murdoch presented Silvio Berlusconi an aware for meritorious conduct with respect to the Jews.) I think that Murdoch, a man not so much paranoid as he is realistic about his enemies, is parsing what he sees as “‘good Jews” from “bad Jews”. Jews are just another subset of the people who are for him or against him, who he either has to manage or isolate. Along with his open dislike of Muslims – once, he explained to me his theory about how Muslims often married close cousins, therefore depressing their general IQ – and his geopolitical views about world domination, supporting Israel, I believe, is a way to win the support of what he perceives as the good Jews. (That is, if you support him, you are a good Jew.) Read more
Perhaps this should be a concern for the media industry as a whole seeing as Murdoch is reportedly looking to expand his already vast empire by acquiring two of the pre-eminent dailies in the United States: the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times.
— Posted by Tracy Bloom. | {
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Investigation involving company where son of U.S. Vice President Biden worked halted because of fear of Washington – ex-PGO chief Shokin
Former Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Shokin has said he was forced under pressure to terminate the investigation of the Burisma company, whose board member, Hunter Biden, at that time, was the son of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, according to Fox News.
Shokhin, according to Fox News, at the beginning of this year, told U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani that the investigation was terminated "because of fear of the United States."
According to Fox News, Shokin tried to continue the investigation, but in June or July 2015, U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt told him that the investigation should be handled "in white gloves," which, Mr. Shokin understand as meaning to do nothing."
Shokin said he was told that Vice President Biden ordered that U.S. assistance to Ukraine be delayed.
Giuliani's notes, Fox News said, were transmitted to Congress by the U.S. State Department's Inspector General on Wednesday.
Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have initiated impeachment hearings against Trump.
The reason was Trump's conversation (on July 25, 2019) with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump asked Zelensky to step up an investigation into the activities of Hunter Biden in Ukraine. Joe Biden is Trump's most likely opponent in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Democrat lawmakers consider such actions a serious violation. They say Trump's attempts to use his position to achieve political goals and discredit his political opponent are grounds for impeachment. Trump has said Biden and the Democratic Party as a whole are involved in corruption in Ukraine.
Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley have sent Attorney General William Barr a letter urging them to investigate possible ties between the Democratic Party and Ukraine in the context of the 2016 presidential election, the Washington, D.C.-based The Hill ezine has reported.
"The Justice Department has yet to inform Congress and the public whether it has begun an investigation into links and coordination between the Ukrainian government and individuals associated with the campaign of Hillary Clinton or the Democratic National Committee," the letter said. | {
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Over the years, I have consumed what I believe to be an average amount of porn for a 44-year-old hetero guy. I have never paid for it, and I am now facing a troubled conscience for that fact. I could obviously just subscribe to some site or other now, but that would benefit only one company and/or set of performers. Is there a Dan Savage-approved charity relating to the adult film industry to which I could donate?
Seeks Penance And Needs Knowledge
“Porn performers almost never get royalties for their scenes when they work for big studios,” says Conner Habib, a writer, activist, and porn performer. “If you buy into the trickle-down theory of things, then more money for the studio should mean more money for the performers. If you don’t buy into that—and not everyone does—there are other options.”
To get your money directly to the performers whose work you’re currently enjoying/stealing, SPANK, you can patronize smaller studios run by performers, book time with independent webcam models, and purchase porn created by performers on sites like Clips4Sale.com.
To atone for your years of freeloading, SPANK, you can and should make large donations to two organizations.
“The Adult Performer Advocacy Committee (APAC) is the largest performer-based organization in the world, and its membership is made up entirely of performers,” says Habib. “Full disclosure: I’m the vice president, but no donation money goes to me or any board member. It all goes to the organization, which works to improve the working conditions, quality of life, and safety of performers, as well as to fight anti-porn laws and stigma.”
Habib also recommended donating money to the Sex Workers Outreach Project.
“This isn’t a porn-specific organization,” says Habib, “but it works to protect and fight for the rights of all sex workers. Since many performers are doing other forms of sex work, donations go a long way to help porn performers.”
Habib will be hosting an online lecture/seminar about the upside of porn on Sunday, June 5. His talk is titled “Pornworld: Why Pornography Is A Healthy Part Of Our Culture,” and you can find out more about it by searching “pornworld” at Eventbrite.com. You can—and you should—follow Habib on Twitter: @ConnerHabib.
I didn’t talk to my nearly-70-year-old dad for most of my 20s. Now that I’m back trying to maintain relationships with my parents, I am struggling. My dad is the king of the over-share. He makes creepy comments about women who are about 30 to 40 years younger than him—including women who were kids when he met them but are now grown-ups. Not something I want to hear. I don’t think he is abusing anyone, just being creepy, but I desperately want him to stop with the inappropriate comments. He makes about one creepy comment per phone conversation. If he were a person at work, I would be able to stand up for myself and say, “That is not appropriate.” But when he says creepy stuff, Dan, I’m a deer in the headlights. I go silent, it’s awkward, and I keep hoping he’ll understand how weird he’s being. I would say something, but bringing up things that anger me causes him to act overly sorry, and that routine is annoying, too. I asked my mom (they divorced a long time ago), and she had no suggestions. She was just like, yeah, he’s like that. Any suggestions on what to say?
Seeking Help Regarding Unpleasant Guy
“Dad! It creeps me out when you make comments about women you wanna fuck. I realize you’re a sexual person, and I honor that, and blah de blah blah blah. But these are thoughts you share with friends, Dad, not with your adult children. There’s no need to go into your oh-so-sorry routine, Dad, we just need to change the subject.”
My husband and I have been married for 16 years. We have been polyamorous for the last five years. We are a bit mismatched sexually in many ways. Polyamory was our solution. For much of this time, my husband had a girlfriend. Before I go on, let me say that I adore my husband in all ways except sex. We are raising a child together and are a good fit otherwise. I no longer have any desire to have sex with my husband. Lots of men and women write in to complain about their partner’s low libido. This is not the case. My libido is fine. I just don’t want to have sex with my husband. Whenever we would have sex in the past, I would get anxious and try to avoid it. We each have our issues. He feels insecure and has trouble maintaining erections. I always felt desexualized—not by him, but when I was younger. Being a poly woman dating in my 40s has been incredibly empowering and sexy. But my husband’s experiences have been different. He is frustrated because it is hard for him to meet women, and his frustration is made worse by the fact that I don’t want sex with him either. When he had a girlfriend, our sex life wasn’t as much of an issue. What should I do? He’s unhappy. I’m frustrated. Neither of us wants to divorce. Should I force myself?
Lady In Baltimore Isn’t Desiring Obligatory Sex
It is a truth universally acknowledged—in the poly universe anyway—that a married poly woman will have an easier time finding sex partners than a married poly man. Some men in open/poly relationships present themselves as dishonest cheaters rather than honest nonmonogamists because women would rather fuck a married man who’s cheating on his wife than a married man who isn’t cheating on his wife.
Go figure.
Anyway, LIBIDOS, the answer to your question—should you force yourself to fuck your husband?—depends on your answer to this question: How badly do you want to avoid divorce? Because if your husband can’t or won’t pretend to be cheating, LIBIDOS, and if women won’t fuck him because he’s in an open marriage, your refusal to fuck him could wind up incentivizing divorce.
So to save your marriage, LIBIDOS, you might wanna fuck your husband once in a while. Forcing yourself to fuck someone is tiresome and dispiriting, I realize, but you can always close your eyes and think about someone you’d rather be fucking—a time-tested stratagem employed successfully by millions of people in loving, stable, and sexually enervating/dead marriages.
And since you’re off the hook when your husband has a girlfriend, LIBIDOS, you might wanna do everything you can to help him find a new one—a stratagem employed by tens of thousands of women in poly relationships. You don’t want your husband stewing alone at home while you’re out fucking your boyfriend(s), LIBIDOS, because that ups the odds of your resentful/unfucked husband asking you to close up your relationship again or asking you for a divorce. So help him craft messages to women he contacts online, go to play parties and poly mixers with him, and vouch for him to women he’s interested in.
But between girlfriends, LIBIDOS, you’ll probably wanna fuck him once in a while. Lube for you, Viagra for him, pot for you both.
Jillian Keenan, author of Sex With Shakespeare, on the Savage Lovecast.
[email protected]
@fakedansavage on Twitter | {
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Shooting live sports action in the field isn’t as easy as it looks on TV and on XGames videos. But a few simple pointers will have you skating, riding and climbing with the best of them. And, with a bit of luck, your camera will live to tell the tale.
Story by Anthony Gordon
As far as jobs go, mine isn’t a bad one. Here I find myself and my colleagues in yet another exotic location, running around with our gear and our vision trying like anything to make some videos good enough to do justice to the feats of insane daring that are playing out in front of us on motorbikes.
We’re on the set of Crusty Demons of Dirt, and we’re having a whale of a time with a load of seriously cool toys – GoPros, Contour HDs, DRIFTs and a vast array of all things HD and mini. Add to this a generous handful of XD Cam broadcast beasts, a raft of Sony EX1’s and we’re starting to look quite the circus.
And that’s just the camera department. Back of house, surrounded by thousands of metres of coax cable, wires and flashing lights the post team work away, all managed by Final Cut 7.
Our days are a blur. Shoot the show, cut it, distribute it, send out media feeds and move on. Next up is shooting behind the scenes of the US Open and the Davis Cup in Australia for Lleyton Hewitt, before packing our bags again for our next gig – filming our Wild Racers series. Following the most extreme athletes on the planet in the Adventure Racing World Series.
What do all of these events have in common? Aside from their diverse variety of action and sport, they all require the same skill set to shoot, and an attention to detail that isn’t immediately obvious when watching the finished product on TV.
In todays world of extremely accessible and cost effective video equipment, there is one thing that remains as difficult to get hold of as it ever has. A good story.
But in the interests of getting the best possible chance of making the story sing on screen like it does in your head, it’s important to get the tools right. What follows are my top tips for achieving excellence in action sport shooting.
PRE PRODUCTION
1. Structure – plan the beginning, middle and end of the piece you are looking to create. This will give you a structure that you can start to build around.
2. Permission – get it. Even the most obscure locations are governed by someone, so enquire and get the right clearances. For the majority of sports content there are also rights holders
that won’t allow you to film or use the content unless pre-approved or paid for.
3. Clearance – draw up clearance forms for the people you are planning to film <before> you shoot. Even the best of mates can come knocking with a hand looking for cash if the project becomes successful.
4. Coverage – plan your required shot angles before you begin. Think about the kind of coverage you want the final product to feature. Will any of this require gear that’s not already in your kit? Break down shot-lists into Action and what we call ‘B roll’. ‘B roll’ is the content that goes between the main action shots. Things like cut-away close ups, scenery and time-lapses etc, that can go between the major action footage of the edit to make sure it is not just one long action sequence.
Tip: you can purchase royalty-free B roll from places like www.pond5.com very cost-effectively.
5. Gear – write down the list of gear required to film for the duration you are looking at. Remember that you could be away from storage for a long time, and plan to have excess data space. It’s also easy to overlook the all-important power requirements. You can never have too many batteries!
6. Transport and Communications – plan your transport during the shoot, and plan how you’re going to communicate with a second unit if you have one. Sporting arenas are a flow with different channels and frequencies, so make sure your radios and/or mobile phones can be heard above the noise.
7. Sound – source and plan your audio. Sound problems can ruin the final product, just as great audio will set you aside from your competition. Music needs to be licence free, there are a number of excellent sources for this (such as www.opuzz.com) that have very cost effective libraries.
Atmospheric sound, or ‘atmos’ is also crucial to a good mix – crowd noise, engines, tackles etc. Even just the hum of a fridge. Have a good think and test of your mic set-up. Poor sounding interviews drastically lower the production value of the finished product.
8. Format – The first and most important consideration is where your final product will end up screening. I’ve heard it said many times that “if it’s only going online then there’s no need to shoot HD” but this can be leave you in trouble. These days everything can be viewed in HD if the viewer is given the option – so always go for the highest quality level that you are able to obtain from all your cameras. There’s not much point in having some footage in HD and the rest in SD, as your final product will only benefit from the majority rules formula.
9. Bags – all the best equipment is useless unless it can be easily accessed and distributed in the field. The major failure of action sports shooters is forgetting the luggage allowances of aircraft and what can (and cannot!) be taken on board. At best, you’ll be shelling out serious cash at the check-in counter. At worst, you’ll have your kit destroyed on arrival. It happens! A good idea is to make sure you have a list of local suppliers in every location you shoot.
Now that you have all the pre-production elements in hand and you have worked out your crew, here is a look at a typical kit that we would take out for our HD shoots. Alongside this, we’ll also take a look at what could be modified for shooting on a budget.
Remember: if you have to make one thing a priority it is sound! Images can be fixed and changed. Sound can’t.
KEY TIPS FOR SHARP SHOOTING:
1. Don’t zoom in the shot. Pic a focal range and let the action happen through the shot – we never use zoom lenses.
2. Film the action first, then try and re-shoot parts close up and from a POV. This will allow you to add multiple feels to the one sequence and heighten your production value
3. Get permissions to film from unusual spots – other crews won’t be there and you just might get a unique angle or view of the action.
4. Try cut glare from your camera by using a towel over your head and camera – this is a really cheap and effective technique that allows you to get accurate exposure and focus.
5. Don’t worry if you miss a shot. Get ready again and work towards the next one – action happens quickly and you will always have another chance if you have planned your approach
6. Try not to shoot directly into the sun, it will damage the camera sensor.
PRO BUDGET GoPro Hero 3 GoPro Silver Edition DRIFT GHOST HD DRIFT HD or ION Camera Canon c100 Canon XA20 Canon 1D C Canon 7D Canon 5D MK III Canon 6D Canon L Series Lenses (14 through to 400mm, Closest to F1.2 as possible as you will benefit from sharper sporting images.You’re better with one great lens than3 average ones) Sigma Lens Equivalent (Best Optics Available) DJI Phantom Quad Copter with Gimble Stabilisation (Good option for a Gimble Stabiliser are the small Glidecam & The Pod (http://thepod.ca/) DJI Phantom Standard without Gimble Tripod With Fluid Video Head Any tripod – nothing is worse that a shakyimage! ZACUTO Camera Viewfinders Towel over the camera to cut out glare Memory Cards (up to 100mbs) Memory cards with a minimum of Class 10 (or you will have recoding issues.) Audio: Anything from Røde (being an Australian company) they make very cost-effective mics for use on camera (though built in microphones in most of the budget cameras are excellent if there is no wind or background noise).
GEAR MINIMUMS
1. Portable Hard Drives with a minimum of 500gb.
2. Storage and write speed of 7200rpm – this will also allow you to log and edit your footage without lag or loosing frames. There are a great deal of cheaper options, but like with most things in life, with hard drives you do get what you pay for. We use 100% LACIE RUGGED drives in the field.
POST PRODUCTION AND DELIVERY:
1. Plan the expected duration of the edit. Usual broadcasters take 22-24 min (half hour) programs and 44min (one hour) programs. For online, we tend to keep projects within 3min as most viewers will not watch longer.
2. Make sure you have enough storage space on your hard drives, plus an additional 25% for the edit computers CPU to work from, with all the media.
3. Where possible, have two monitors attached to your edit suite. It makes it far quicker to work through all your content
4. Lay your audio down first so you can piece together all the dialogue into a satisfying story, and then add the action and B Roll footage
5. Don’t try and complete the whole edit done in one go. Break down the story elements into small 2 min pieces and get it right gradually
6. At this stage plan how you want to add any graphical elements such as score boards, progress bars and name titles. These all add a crucial element to the final product and can also drastically improve the overall production value
7. Once you have a watchable rough-cut edited, show people and listen to their comments. Take them all on board but don’t change your content for one opinion alone. We have a rule in the studio that we normally only revise a segment if we get the same feedback from 3 people
8. Look at your delivery methods. Once you have your final edit you will need to export it and deliver it in a vast array of formats whether it is for online, TV, mobile etc. We utilise a wonderful (free!) piece of software called MPEG Streamclip (http://www.squared5.com/).
DIALOGUE SCRIPTING:
Here is where you will need to look at what questions and topics you will cover with your athletes, fans and other associated people like managers, referees and spectators, all of whom can play a vita story telling role. Here are some pointers to consider:
1. Use open questions (those that won’t elicit a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer)
2. Get the subject to include the question in the answer so you have a reference and is much easier for your editor. If they don’t do that the first time, ask them to repeat the answer, this time including the question
3. Be patient, athletes in the heat of the moment are not always articulate, attentive or helpful!
4. Try and get access to the subjects early so you can send them a list of questions prior to your arrival.
5. Try and get the subject to look straight into the camera (or close to it). This will naturally aim their voice that way which will mean capturing better audio if you’re running and on board mic as well as making the eye line more central.
Remember: Nothing is worse than 100% Action footage or a non-stop talking head. Make sure there is a mix to keep the edit flowing.
Put all of this together and you’ll have yourself a cracking little action video. Simple. The main item that we focus on within all our productions is having fun – if the crew and subjects are happy it really comes across in the film! Once the event is over, all the fans and athletes have to remember it by is what you have created, so put the time in and make it count!
Feel free to shoot me any questions and I’ll do my very best to get back to you.
Keep it in Focus.
Anthony Gordon
You can ask Anthony questions via the V&F Facebook page or email Anthony here.
Reference Links:
Wild Racers: https://vimeo.com/52677807
Next Wave: http://nothinbutshorts.com.au/#project=next-wave
Blood Sweat & Gears: http://nothinbutshorts.com.au/#project=blood-sweat-gears
World Rally (WRC): https://vimeo.com/30115858
MotoGP: https://vimeo.com/30296503 | {
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Let's get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...
The Most Attractive NFL Teams - WeAreFanatics
In the City of Brotherly Love, Chase Daniel – the backup quarterback for the Eagles – rings in at the top spot. The team’s division rivals, the New York Giants, also boast some attractive players of their own. Second-year stud Landon Collins cracks the top five, while Rashad Jennings and his physical running style, in addition to his striking good looks, is ranked third on the Giants’ list.
Would the Eagles draft Dalvin Cook (or any running back) in the first round? - PhillyVoice
Dalvin Cook is really good: In the 2015 NFL Draft, the Seminoles lost QB Jameis Winston, RB Karlos Williams, C Cameron Erving, OG Tre' Jackson, OT Bobby Hart, WR Rashad Greene, and TE Nick O'Leary. Cook was the focus of opposing defenses, and he still ran for a ridiculous 7.4 yards per carry. In 2016, Cook continued to pile up big numbers.
An Interesting Question - Iggles Blitz
Here is an interesting Eagles thought experiment. Think about the 2016 Eagles. Imagine you could swap out Julio Jones for Nelson Agholor. Or you could swap out Richard Sherman for Leodis McKelvin. Okay, now throw a glass of water in your face and come back to reality. The question is which player would make the 2016 Eagles better. The team went 7-9 as is. With which player would they have a better record?
Previewing the Eagles' offseason: Wide receivers - Inquirer
One complication is if the Eagles add wide receiver help, Green-Beckham would get pushed down the depth chart, and he’s not a special-teams contributor. It’s tough to have a non-starting wide receiver who doesn’t play special teams, although the Eagles went through 2016 that way. He counts less than $1 million against the salary cap, and there is no guaranteed money.
Making Jump To Elite Level Key For Ertz - PE.com
“Just building that chemistry with Carson, (that’s) first and foremost, being on the same page each and every play against each and every defense. There were times early on when we weren’t necessarily on the same page and it showed in the chemistry that we had and the catches and targets that we had earlier in the year. And then (I’d like to improve on) just consistently blocking. This was the first time I ran 80 or 90 percent of the plays (85.4 percent in the 14 games he played), so just getting comfortable with that, and yards after the catch is always something that hasn’t really come naturally to me in the past, but I’ve watched a lot of film to try to improve that aspect of my game. I think I took a step in the right direction the last couple of weeks.”
Morning Sesh: Three Things The Eagles Should Do This Offseason - PhillyFootballTalk
Without further adieu, here are my three (what’d you think I was going to do five also?) outside-the-box moves the Eagles should make this offseason. 1) Trade up for Leonard Fournette. Outside of Myles Garrett, Fournette is the surest thing in this draft. He’d immediately take a ton of pressure off Carson Wentz, he’s a better running back than Ezekiel Elliott (Suck it Dallas), and he’s falling further than he should in every mock draft – making trading up for him somewhat more reasonable. 2) Get Doug Pederson public speaking lessons. I’m dead f***ing serious. 3) Don’t end up on Hard Knocks.
Four Temple players invited to this year's NFL combine - CSN Philly
Reddick (6-1, 225) is the top prospect among the bunch. While he played defensive end at Temple, Reddick is switching to linebacker as a pro and has already impressed. He was in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl and really impressed. The Camden, N.J. native, who played at Haddon Heights, was originally a walk-on at Temple. Now, he could be a first-round pick.
Carson Wentz Is Who He Always Was - QB Mecca
Wentz’s athleticism gives him a high floor in terms of keeping himself clean in a panic and being able to bail the pocket to make plays. Some quarterbacks would crumble in these two situations, but Wentz has enough poise and athleticism to give these types of plays a fighting chance. It’s not a special trait, seeing as most good quarterbacks can do this consistently, but it does lend to Wentz having a high floor as a functional quarterback. Wentz’s best throws are pretty, too. They do not show up often enough (for the myriad of reasons discussed earlier), but when they happen, they are undeniably impressive. Wentz’s arm strength allows him to make throws down the field that threaten defenses and force them to respect the deep ball, giving Wentz easier throws underneath.
T.O. controversy underscores need for Hall of Fame transparency - PFT
I started down the T.O. Hall of Fame time out rabbit hole a week ago due primarily to concerns regarding a lack of transparency in the selection process. After a week of arguments, counterarguments, and a few condescending comments from voters who resent being questioned or criticized by people who don’t know the inner working of the process, I’m back to where I started. Those who criticize the process indeed don’t know the inner workings of the process because the process is kept completely secret. And the T.O. case proves that the time has arrived for transparency.
Only five players make trip to Israel - Yahoo Sports
Only five NFL players arrived on a sponsored trip to Israel after six players decided to skip the goodwill tour due to human rights concerns. The five players arriving Tuesday were Arizona Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell, Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Dan Williams, New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks, according to The Times of Israel.
Report: Nick Foles’ option not expected to be picked up by Chiefs - Arrowhead Pride
The Kansas City Chiefs have an option on Nick Foles for the 2017 season and it appears they are likely to pass on that option. That’s what many of us have been expecting. This information comes from Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.
Terrelle Pryor loves the Browns and wants to stay in Cleveland - SB Nation
Terrelle Pryor says he loves being with the Browns, and he wants to stay in Cleveland. That should help the Browns work out a long-term deal with Pryor, Cleveland’s top receiver last season. "I know this is an important month,'' Pryor said via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. "But I do love being with the Browns and like I said before, this thing isn't about joining a different team because a different team's good.” Hue Jackson has earned Pryor’s loyalty, and Jackson is a primary reason Pryor wants to remain with the Browns.
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[F4M] My First [Improv]! Thinking About You Thinking About Me [ramplefap] [Daddy] [Fingering] [Cunnilingus][Southern accent]
It’s my first improv — be gentle? It got more rambly the closer I got; fingers move faster than my brain. Enjoy! | {
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Alps crash 'a picture of horror'
Show Caption Hide Caption White House on crash: No link to terrorism found USA TODAY's Hadley Malcolm speaks with Kim Hjelmgaard regarding the latest details from the press conference of the Lufthansa plane crash.
SAINT-LOUIS, France -- The pilots of a doomed German jetliner sent no distress call as the Airbus A320 went into a sharp, eight-minute descent Tuesday before crashing into the rugged French Alps, killing all 150 people aboard and leaving a scene of utter destruction.
"The site is a picture of horror,'' German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after viewing the crash scene from the air.
All on board the Germanwings Airbus A320 were presumed dead, French officials said. The victims included two infants, two opera singers and 16 German high school students and their teachers returning from an exchange trip to Spain. It was the deadliest crash in France in decades.
The mystery over the cause was deepened by the lack of a distress call and the loss of radio contact with air traffic control as it rapidly descended from a 38,000-feet cruising altitude, France's aviation authority said. One of the plane's two black box recorders was recovered at the crash site.
The White House issued a statement saying that no link to terrorism had been found.
Al Diehl, a former crash investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, said the plane's high speed at low altitude, as evidenced by the wide scattering of small pieces of wreckage, suggested "extreme distress."
"When you get down the below the levels of the mountains and you're still going over 400 knots, either you're totally incapacitated or you have a horrific onboard emergency, or mechanically the aircraft is just not functioning," Diehl said. "You'd never fly an aircraft at 400 mph-plus anywhere close to those extreme terrain features."
The crash so distressed Germanwings crews that many did not show up for work, forcing mass flight cancellations, the RT news organization reported.
"One must not forget: many of our Germanwings crews have known crew members who were on board the crashed plane," Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said in a written statement.
Lufthansa owns Germanwings, which was forced to cancel 30 flights across Europe, the Bild and RT news organizations reported.
First responders were let down from helicopter cables into the crash zone before the search was ended for the day by darkness.
"We saw an aircraft that had literally been ripped apart. The bodies are in a state of destruction. There is not one intact piece of wing or fuselage," Bruce Robin, prosecutor for the city of Marseille, told Reuters news service after flying over the area.
"It's a tragedy on our soil," French President Francois Hollande said. "I want to express all my solidarity to the families of the victims of this air accident. This is a bereavement, a tragedy."
In Washington, President Obama called the crash "particularly heartbreaking because it apparently includes the loss of so many children.'' He said he spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to express condolences and planned to speak with Spain's president.
"Our thoughts and our prayers are with our friends in Europe, especially the people of Germany and Spain, following a terrible airplane crash in France,'' Obama said.
"Our teams are in close contact, and we're working to confirm how many Americans may have been on board,'' Obama said. "Germany and Spain are among our strongest allies in the world, and our message to them is that as their steadfast friend and ally, America stands with them at this moment of sorrow."
French authorities called off the search after dark. About 10 gendarmes will spend the night at the crash site to guard it, and search operations will resume at daybreak, Lt. Col. Jean-Marc Meninchini of the regional police rescue service, said. Recovery operations are expected to last a week, he said.
Sixteen schoolchildren and two teachers from the Joseph-König school in Haltern am See, near Düsseldorf, perished in the crash. They were returning from an exchange program in Spain.
"This is pretty much the worst thing you can imagine," Haltern Mayor Bodo Klimpel said.
Germanwings Flight 9525 departed Barcelona for a two-hour flight to Duesseldorf at 10:01 a.m. local time — more than 20 minutes late. Air-traffic controllers lost contact with the Airbus A320 at 10:53 a.m., airline CEO Thomas Winkelmann said.
Air-traffic controllers issued a distress signal after losing contact with the plane and recognizing the steep descent. The pilots never issued such a signal.
In Barcelona, the origin of the flight, and in Düsseldorf, crisis teams were aiding traumatized family members and airline staff. Family members are to be bused to the area.
Winkelmann said 144 passengers — including two babies — and six crew were aboard. .
Winkelmann said a sudden descent lasted about eight minutes and that air-traffic controllers lost contact with the jet at about 6,000 feet. He added that the pilot had more than 10 years of experience and that the plane was inspected fully last summer and checked over on Monday. Safety experts from France, Germany and Spain were en route to the crash site, he added.
Winkelmann said 67 Germans were on board -- there was no immediate confirmation on other nationalities.
Germanwings is a relatively low-cost subsidiary of Lufthansa popular with German tourists. It has expanded service to Spain in recent years. Twelve flights go between Barcelona and Düsseldorf every week.
The airline canceled most of Tuesday's remaining flights from Düsseldorf and some other airports as well, German broadcaster Ard reported.
"All employees of Germanwings and Lufthansa are deeply saddened," Winkelmann said. "Their thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew."
Lufthansa said it was operating under the theory that the crash was an accident.
The White House issued a statement saying Obama had been briefed by Lisa Monaco, his assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism, and that no link to terrorism had been found at this time, the statement said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families and loved ones," the statement said. The U.S. State Department issued similar condolences, adding that the U.S. "stands ready to offer assistance and support" to the nations investigating the crash.
Hollande said the plane was carrying nationals from Spain, Germany and Turkey. He said that he wasn't aware of any French citizens aboard the plane. A manifest had not been released.
Merkel said many passengers were from Germany and that she would go to the region Wednesday.
Flight tracking systems indicated the plane's altitude was 38,000 feet at 10:30 a.m. when it began declining at a rate of more than 3,000 feet per minute. Eight minutes later it was down to 11,400 feet. At that point the Flightaware tracking system could provide no further statistics.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the crash occurred near Digne-les-Bains, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region — about 65 miles north of Nice. Debris from the crash has been located at an elevation of about 6,000 feet.
Capt. Benoit Zeisser of the Digne-le-Bains police told the French network iTele there were some clouds but the cloud ceiling was not low. Police tweeted a warning to people not to get close to the scene of the crash.
Sébastien Giroud, who lives in the hamlet of Prads-Haute Bléone, told TV station France Info that he saw the plane flying at an unusually low altitude and feared for the worse.
"I saw the plane flying very low for two or three seconds," he said. "When I saw it I understood that it wouldn't go too far."
Another resident said he saw the plane 800 meters from the ground, and described it as white aircraft with orange on the tail.
"I saw that the prow was lower than the tale, but I could not say it was nose-diving," Jean-Marie told Le Parisien. "I saw it during five seconds before it disappeared behind the mountains."
Valls said he had sent Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to the scene of the crash, the first of a commercial jet on French soil since a Concorde jet crash outside Paris in July 2000 killed 113 people.
Airbus said it was sending a "go-team of technical advisers" to aid international authorities in the investigation. Lufthansa spokeswoman Kim Jucknat said the airline also has launched an investigation.
"My deepest sympathy goes to the families and friends of our passengers and crew," Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr said in a statement. " This is a dark day for Lufthansa."
Bacon reported from McLean, Va.; Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara and Kim Hjelmgaard in London; Bart Jansen in Washington, D.C.; William M. Welch in Los Angeles; Associated Press | {
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RIALTO, Calif. (KABC) -- Video taken in Rialto shows a neighborhood rocked by a series of explosions after a fireworks warehouse catches fire.A number of nearby homes and businesses were evacuated as a precaution as fireworks could be seen shooting in all directions.Firefighters were eventually able to extinguish the flames.No injuries were reported. | {
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There's a reason the women in your life keep telling you to watch Outlander: It really is that good. Sure, it's a time traveling, historical fantasy show packed with romance, which doesn't sound like "your thing." But it's also a dark and gruesome look at one Great Britain's most vicious wars—not just for the throne, but for the soul of a people. And trust me: The time traveling, fantasy, romance stuff is pretty great too. Here are the reasons why Outlander needs to be the show you binge watch ASAP. (Tiny House Hunters will just have to wait.)
Outlander will bring your inner history nerd to life.
In the first episode, we meet Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe) as she reconnects with her husband on vacation in Scotland after they both served in the British forces in World War II (she as a nurse, he as a soldier). During a visit to a Stonehenge-like rock formation, she's suddenly shot back in time to 1743, right smack in the the middle of a battle between the British redcoats and Scottish Clan MacKenzie fighters, one of whom just happens to be the particularly handsome and single Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). The history woven into the story is so fascinating that after one episode you'll be up all night Googling "Scottish-British Wars 1700s." Keep watching, and soon you'll be Amazon Prime-ing 500-hundred page history books about the Jacobite uprisings to your door. Impress the obnoxious war buffs in your life with your new, in-depth knowledge of Bonnie Prince Charlie!
The time-traveling twist brings the suspense to intense levels.
Think time travel is a lame trope not worth your precious viewing time? Think again. Not only does Claire know the fate of the Highlanders, but she's endowed with a wealth of information that works both in her favor—and against it. Watching her use her modern-day knowledge as a survival tool is one of the most exhilarating parts of the show, and will leave your finger nails whittled down into tiny stubs.
Starz
It has all the WTF plot twists of an episode of Game of Thrones, but is way less confusing.
Every Outlander episode will leave your face looking exactly like Munch's The Scream, but your brain will actually be able to comprehend what's going on. Imagine how good it will feel when you only have to follow one character's journey, as opposed to 829,495,020 Lannisters and a trio of unruly dragons.
Like battles, blood, and alpha-bros? Well, Outlander has a ton of 'em.
There's a reason the Game of Thrones comparison sticks. Outlander is not for the faint of heart, as it's packed with aggro, vengeful dudes—and women—who live and die by the sword. And the gun. And a whip or two. You get the (bloody) picture.
Claire is cooler than Don Draper.
Claire's constantly juggling her two identities,while navigating a new world as an imposter (sound familiar?) with genuine feelings for both her life in Scotland and her Highlander love interest. She's confidant, complex, and competent, and uses her savvy and smarts to save herself, Jamie, and—fingers crossed, no spoilers please—the Scottish people. And she's too busy kicking British ass to meditate, thank you very much.
The writing is smart, and the characters are complex, multi-dimensional humans.
It'd be easy to make a show about a bunch of stereotypical Scots without much to them besides kilts and booze. And yes — they do wear kilts and love their booze. But the characters who inhabit the Outlander world are nuanced, layered, and fully developed. One week you root for them, the next you despise them, but they'll always keep you hooked.
And then there's the sex.
Do you like butts? That was a trick question, because who doesn't like butts. The good news is that the people behind Outlander love butts more than the rest of us, and they've have put a ton of them in the show. Outlander's infamous sex scenes are so sensual and hot you'll rewind back to them when the episode's done and watch them over, and over, and over again. (Pro-tip: if you do this with your lover, it totally counts as foreplay.)
Starz
Outlander's main villain is the stuff of nightmares.
British Captain Jack Randall—played brilliantly by Tobias Menzies—is sadistic, cruel, ruthless, and, in a delightfully morbid twist, the direct ancestor of Claire's husband. Randall is one of the darkest characters on TV, and his obsession with Jamie simmers until it explodes in one of the hardest-to-watch and amazingly acted episodes of TV's "golden age."
You can binge on the books after you binge on the show.
Outlander originated as a eight-book series by Diana Gabaldon, a former science professor who quit her day job when her side project turned into a bestselling book series. Since its debut, Outlander has sold over 25 million copies and been translated into 34 languages. Become that jerk who lords knowledge about what's going to happen on the show over the fans who don't read the books.
You'll be one step closer to earning your Woke Bae badge.
Your DVR and Netflix queue are packed with shows about complex, conflicted (white) dudes living crazy lives. Why not add a strong, complex, sexually-empowered female protagonist into the mix?
The entire first season is available to watch for free on Starz's website.
Cancel your pick up game, call in sick to work, order some Seamless, and create a permanent imprint of your body on your couch. You won't regret it. Plus, you have plenty of time to watch the first season before Season Two premieres this Saturday.
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Square-Enix's annual report for 2014 has arrived. The document shows that things may be looking up for the RPG powerhouse.
[caption id="attachment_24731" align="aligncenter" width="618"] 1 = 1,000,000 Yen. — ¥1,000,000. = $8308.58[/caption]
What we can tell from the chart above is that Square-Enix made a moderate recovery from the losses of 2013, but still has considerable work ahead if they wish to exceed their performance from 2010.
In a letter to their shareholders. Square-Enix largely attributes these gains to ongoing reforms in their development policy and organization system. They also boast that sales figures for Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD, Thief, and Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition were better than projected. The Company stated that other contributing factors to its recent recovery are its titles for smart devices and browser-based-games, which have become a hit in Korea and China.
MMO performance has also produced modest but steady income for Square-Enix, and its three largest MMOs, including Final Fantasy XI and XIV are maintaining a subscription rate of close to 1-million users. Indeed, the document seems to indicate that all segments of Square-Enix are showing growth and promise, including its arcades and merchandising efforts.
Recently appointed Square-Enix President and Director, Yousuke Matsuda, points to the following three-point strategy as a catalyst for this growth.
Revisiting long-term, large-scale development. Focusing on smart devices as game consoles. Developing product portfolios tailored to local requirements.
In the document, he continues to explain each point in detail, while also highlighting current challenges for the company. Matsuda states that, "There are serious structural flaws in the disc sales model that defines the current HD game business." As a means to combat this, it appears that Square-Enix will continue to implement and experiment with variable pricing models, such as free-to-play.
[caption id="attachment_24732" align="aligncenter" width="474"] "Cloud" to the rescue?[/caption]
Matsuda looks to the cloud as a source of great potential and says the company is actively developing their cloud infrastructure. Obviously, the company's recently created cloud gaming business, Shinra Technologies, is going to be a big part of SE's future development, but how exactly is not yet clear. Square-Enix says to expect more news concerning their cloud investments around March 2015.
If you are unsure what the third strategic point means exactly — the document goes on to state that the company will be drawing away from world wide releases and will focus more on cheaper titles that are tailored to specific regions. To fans of Square Enix's AAA world wide releases, this may be cause for alarm.
What do you readers think about all this. Does Matsuda's strategy seem like a good plan to you? Does a focus on mobile devices alarm or excite you? Are promises of cloud-based services going to translate to more freedom for gamers, or as shackles that tie us and our wallets to a company that holds our save-files and games for ransom? Please let us know in the comments section below. | {
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“The Handmaid's Tale” actress Madeline Brewer plays an internet porn performer locked out of her account in the latest Blumhouse horror.
If horror is a reflection of the deepest societal fears of its time, “Cam” has dug into one of the 21st century’s most Kafka-esque problems — getting locked out of your account.
Produced by Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Entertainment and heading to Netflix, “Cam” stars Madeline Brewer (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) as a cam girl whose internet persona is hacked by an eerie doppelgänger. As the newly released trailer shows, she performs nightly on her web cam for anonymous voyeurs, pushing the envelope further in order to climb the rankings. After taking it so far as to slit her own throat on camera, she is locked out of her account and discovers a woman with her exact face dancing on the other side of the screen for her fans.
“Cam” received rave reviews as it made the rounds of the top genre festivals this year, including Austin’s Fantastic Fest and Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival. In his B+ review out of Fantasia Festival, IndieWire’s David Ehrlich described “Cam” as a “Lynchian horror movie” and an “eerie mind-fuck about our online personas.”
As Alice/Lola, Brewer has shed the white bonnet and red robes of her star-making Hulu series, but the unhinged sweetness that makes Brewer’s Janine one of the series’ best characters is still there. With “Cam,” Brewer is poised to make a break from television to film, proving she is more than a character actress and more than capable of taking the lead.
“Cam” also stars Patch Darragh, whom Netflix viewers may recognize from the short-lived “Everything Sucks!,” as well as “Big Love” star Melora Walters. It is the feature directorial debut of Daniel Goldhaber, from a script by former cam girl Isa Mazzei. Goldhaber, Mazzei and producer Isabelle Link-Levy share story credit.
“Cam” arrives on Netflix on November 16. Check out the intoxicating trailer below.
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Mother finds NOSE RING in her 4-year-old daughter's McDonald's breakfast burrito
A mother is demanding answers from McDonald's after finding a nose ring in her four-year-old daughter's breakfast burrito.
Frances Rosario, from Lawrenceville, Georgia, said she and her daughter visited one of the fast food chain's restaurants on Wednesday morning and ordered two of the burritos with coupons.
But when they returned home and tucked into their breakfast, she noticed something wasn't quite right with her daughter's meal.
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Unsavory: A mother said she found a silver nosering in her daughter's McDonald's breakfast burrito, pictured
'I turned it and I see this piece of jewelry sticking out,' Rosario said . 'I'm like, "What the heck is this?"'
She found a large silver nose ring - just a few bites away from being eaten by her daughter, Nevaeh.
'My concern was that if something happened and she had swallowed it,' Rosario added to CBS Atlanta . ' That's unsanitary, that's not something you would serve your customers.'
To make matters worse, she said that when she called the McDonald's restaurant, on Clayton Street in Lawrenceville, to complain, she was told: 'It happens.'
Shock: Frances Rosario said she was concerned what could have happened if her daughter Nevaeh ate it
And when she called the restaurant again in an attempt for answers, the response was no better.
'The supervisor gets on the phone and says, "I don't know what to tell you",' she recounted.
'And I said, "Well, is there a district manager I can get in contact with?" And she turns around and says, "It's none of your business".'
Calls to the McDonald's headquarters in Illinois have also not been returned - and Rosario said the unsavory experience has put her off the restaurant.
'For now, I'm going to stay back from McDonald's for a little while,' she said.
Scene: She bought two breakfast burritos from this MacDonald's in Lawrenceville, Georgia - and said the restaurant has not responded to her repeated requests for answers
In guidelines for employees, McDonald's states that only 'minimal use' of jewelry is allowed, yet the rules appear to be more concerned with aesthetics than hygiene.
'Visible body piercing must be removed with the exception of one small earring in each ear and a small stud nose piecing,' it explains.
'Large loop earrings or gauges can be dangerous and are not allowed. All jewelry must be in good taste and professional. The manager may request removal of jewelry they feel looks unprofessional.'
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenOvernight Defense: Appeals court revives House lawsuit against military funding for border wall | Dems push for limits on transferring military gear to police | Lawmakers ask for IG probe into Pentagon's use of COVID-19 funds On The Money: Half of states deplete funds for Trump's 0 unemployment expansion | EU appealing ruling in Apple tax case | House Democrats include more aid for airlines in coronavirus package Warren, Khanna request IG investigation into Pentagon's use of coronavirus funds MORE (D-Mass.) says Democrats in 2018 and 2020 should campaign on a national single-payer healthcare plan.
“President Obama tried to move us forward with health-care coverage by using a conservative model that came from one of the conservative think tanks that had been advanced by a Republican governor in Massachusetts,” Warren told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
“Now it’s time for the next step. And the next step is single payer," she added.
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Democrats are fighting to defend ObamaCare as Senate Republicans near a possible vote on a plan to repeal the healthcare law.
At least four Republicans have said they may vote against a motion to proceed on the GOP's bill.
Warren said Democrats should do more than just defend ObamaCare, pressing her party to push more progressive healthcare solutions.
She said Democrats would do better in elections if they campaigned on a progressive platform.
“The progressive agenda is America’s agenda,” Warren said. “It’s not like we’re trying to sell stuff that people don’t want. … It’s not that at all. It’s that we haven’t gotten up there and been as clear about our values as we should be, or as clear and concrete about how we’re going to get there.” | {
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Today's leading-edge technology is headed straight for tomorrow's junk pile, but that doesn't make it any less awesome. Everyone loves the latest and greatest. Sometimes, though, something truly revolutionary cuts through the clutter and fundamentally changes the game. And with that in mind, Wired is looking back over 12 decades to highlight the 12 most innovative people, places and things of their day. From the first transatlantic radio transmissions to cellphones, from vacuum tubes to microprocessors, we'll run down the most important advancements in technology, science, sports and more. We'll tackle a different decade each week, starting with the turn of the century – the last century. Our first installment takes you back to 1900-1910, when a German-born physicist named Albert Einstein started changing our perspective of space and time, attorney general Charles Bonaparte established what would become the FBI and the invention of the forward pass saved football from extinction. We don't expect you to agree with all of our picks, or even some of them. That's fine. Tell us what you think we've missed and we'll publish your list later. 1905: The Theory of Relativity (Science) E = mc2. The most famous equation in physics history. It states that matter and energy are interconvertible – that is, one is essentially just another form of the other – and their equivalence is tied to a fundamental constant of the universe: the speed of light. Appearing for the first time in November of 1905, this renowned equation was just the latest in a series of cosmos-shattering discoveries from a plucky 26-year-old scientist named Albert Einstein. In a single year, this geek demigod published four papers that upended a thousand years of human thinking on space, time, light, and the subatomic world. After E = mc2, Einstein’s most well-known contribution to screwing with people’s minds is his theory of Special Relativity. The theory enshrines the speed of light as a universal constant while making all other measurements relative to the motion of their observers. So two scientists zipping by one another in hyperfast spaceships will disagree on nearly everything: the amount of time that passes, the mass of each scientist, and even the length of their ships. Einstein also published work on Brownian motion, observing that a tiny crumb floating in a hot liquid like tea is jiggled around chaotically. The crumb is being pushed by energetic and invisible particles, thereby establishing evidence for the existence of atoms, which were still theoretical constructs in 1905. He also discovered the photoelectric effect, which is the basis of solar power and won Einstein the Nobel Prize years later. Taken all together, this miraculous year vaulted Einstein to international recognition and certified his place forever in the geek hall of fame. Einstein in 1905, age 26. Photo: Universal History Archive/Getty Images.
1906: Toaster Heating Element (Business) It was the breakfast staple that was also a harbinger of a massive industrial shift. Toast, or more precisely the electric toaster, was the first appliance to take electricity from the confines of light into gizmos that made our lives easier. Illinois inventor Albert L. Marsh was the fellow who made it possible with some metallurgical magic patented in 1906 he called “chromel.” Four parts nickel and one part chromium, it was the first durable heating element engineered into something that took advantage of the quickly expanding electricity grid. Toasters led to vacuum cleaners, electric washers, stoves, garage door openers, and the symbol of all that is groovy and modern, the blender. All those appliance companies that came after, the door-to-door vacuum salesmen that spread out across the U.S., even banks with their new account freebies, owe a debt to Marsh. He didn’t invent toast, but he brought it and our homes into modernity. Photo: The Cyber Toaster Museum
1905: Football's Forward Pass (Sports) In the early 1900s, football was little more than game of brute force, played by big men with minimal gear. Helmets, a recent invention, were not required. Bare-headed players dove headlong in a tight-knit formation known as the "flying wedge," trying to break up the opposing line to reach the guy with the ball — often knocking themselves out in the process. It was mayhem, and no surprise that the game came under fire as entirely too dangerous after 15 high school players and three collegiate players were killed in 1905. Some colleges, including Harvard, Columbia, Northwestern, Stanford and UC-Berkeley, quit playing. Then the president stepped in. President Theodore Roosevelt, a football fan and Harvard alum who had attended the second game ever played between Harvard and Yale, stepped in to push hard for reform. The result was a number of rule changes, including one that transformed the sport: the forward pass. For the first time ever, players could throw the ball downfield. That opened up the game and shifted the emphasis from mass and weight to speed and skill. More than a century later, the forward pass is football's primary offensive tool. So the next time a Peyton Manning touchdown pass brings you to your feet, take a moment to thank Teddy Roosevelt for making it possible. Photo: Courtesy Saint Louis University Libraries Special Collections
1903: The Tank (War) The tank has been so central to armored warfare for so long it’s easy to forget that at the dawn of the 20th century it was literally science fiction. But in 1903, H.G. Wells published The Land Ironclads, a spooky short story that effectively doubled as a weapons blueprint. Wells’ fictional war correspondent struggles to understand the mysterious, unfamiliar black behemoth that tears through lines of soldiers stuck in trenches. Wells’ Ironclad, “a large and clumsy black insect,” was a monster weapon, 80-100 feet across, that had “come into such a position as to enfilade the trench” -- in other words, the Ironclad flanks the stunned, trapped soldiers, and doesn’t stop until it yields “two or three crouching knots of men and the tumbled-looking dead.” Trench warfare was in its infancy when Wells wrote The Land Ironclads. But he anticipated a basic problem: how to overwhelm an opponent that digs in and responds to your maneuvers by unleashing an awful barrage. The answer was a mashup of armor and artillery that rolls inexorably forward, with men shielded within. That same year, the French army began exploring the idea of a motorized cannon, lumbering forward on treads instead of wheels, the better for durability. The so-called Levavasseur Project died a bureaucratic death in 1908, but by then prototypes for what would become the tank had constituencies in the British, Austrian and German militaries -- a prelude for its use in both world wars. It never looked back. The advent of mechanized warfare led all western land armies in the 20th century to reorient themselves around the tank and other armored personnel carriers. The U.S. Army even brought the Abrams tank to Iraq -- where it learned that separating personnel from an unfamiliar populace was self-defeating and insurgents could build homemade bombs that could disable or even destroy them. That wrote a chapter, and possibly a conclusion, to the Ironclad story that not even Wells could have anticipated. Photo: Wikipedia
1907: The Vacuum Tube (Enterprise) Today, we build computers with transistors — tiny semiconductor devices that hold 1s and 0s. But we used to build them with vacuum tubes — big, beefy glass cylinders that hold 1s and 0s. Like so many computing devices, the vacuum tube has a long list of fathers, from Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla to John Ambrose Fleming to Robert von Lieben. But the big breakthrough came in 1906, when Lee De Forest invented the vacuum tube triode. As we discuss later in this gallery, the triode was originally used to amplify audio signals, leading to widespread radio use. But it also laid the seeds of the computer. Thomas Edison's original light bulb was a vacuum tube — a tube with, well, no air in it. But De Forest put not one, not two, but three electrodes inside his tube. The three terminal setup could serve as an electrical switch. When you changed the voltage traveling to one terminal, you could reduce the current following between the other two terminals. In this way, you could turn it "on" and "off." That's your 1 and your 0. The same basic concept underpins the transistor. But the transistor didn't arrive until 1947. The first computers were built with vacuum tubes, including the British Colossus machine used to break German codes during World War II and its commercial successor in America, the ENIAC. Built to calculate artillery trajectories for the United States Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory, the ENIAC spanned over 18,000 vacuum tubes. You can trace all 18,000 back to Lee De Forest. De Forest was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Today, this tiny town is best known for housing a massive Google data center – which only seems appropriate. Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
1901: Gas-Powered Mercedes (Cars) The first decade of the 20th century kicked off the era of the "horseless carriage." In 1901, the first gasoline-powered Mercedes rolled off the line, complete with a massive 6.0-liter, four-cylinder engine outputting 35 horsepower. Not only was it one of the more powerful vehicles of its day, but it was one of the lightest and most technically advanced, with camshaft actuated intake valves and a level of handling prowess that was unheard of. The Mercedes 35 was lower, sleeker and had a longer wheelbase, making it a surprisingly competent racer that dominated some of the first hillclimbs held throughout Europe. But what most gearheads don't know is that the best-selling vehicle in 1900 was electric. The battery-powered Columbia not only sold more vehicles in the U.S. during that first decade, but the all-electric Red Devil set the overall land speed record for a four-wheeled vehicle a year before. But when the Ford Model T debuted in 1908, the Columbia and dozens of other electric vehicle manufacturers were put out of business as the T and its ultra-low price took America by storm. Photo: Courtesy Mercedes-Benz
1902: Nintendo Goes Global (Games) In 1633, the Japanese government banned playing cards when it cut off relations with the Western world. Japanese gamblers quickly developed a homegrown card game called “hanafuda” that skirted the ban, by using paintings of flowers instead of spades and diamonds. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as one producer of these popular “flower cards.” In 1902, with the ban lifted and Japan open for global trade again, it became the first Japanese company to produce Western-style playing cards. These hit it big and the company soon expanded into other types of games, then electronic toys, and finally the videogames of today. But it was in 1902 when Nintendo first adopted the global outlook that would eventually make it a worldwide household name. Photo: Wikipedia
1902: A Trip to the Moon (Movies) French director Georges Méliès took us on A Trip to the Moon in 1902, and we've had our eyes on the skies ever since. His short film -- widely regarded as the first science fiction movie ever made -- showed a spaceship poking into the moon's eye, an image that remains stuck in our imaginations to this day. A skilled illusionist, Méliès transferred his magic skills to the screen, becoming a pioneer in special effects and fantasy filmmaking. His silent sci-fi film A Trip to the Moon, which was inspired by stories like Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon and H.G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon, played a prominent part in Martin Scorsese's 2011 film Hugo. Photo: Wikipedia
1907: Bakelite (Design) Bakelite, the world's first hard, synthetic plastic, is so named not because you bake it (though you do), but because of creator Leo Baekeland, a Belgian immigrant who made a fortune selling a patent for photographic paper to Eastman Kodak. With Bakelite, Baekeland had a hit that made many iconic products possible, formed the basis for new industry, and kicked off the 20th century's plastics revolution. Invented in 1907 and patented in 1909, Bakelite was unlike anything yet devised — previous plastic was either flexible and synthetic, or shellacs made from natural polymers, like the secretions of the lac beetle. Baekeland was using a six-foot-tall pressure cooker to impregnate wood with a mixture of formaldehyde and carbolic acid, but found a thermosetting polymeric resin byproduct was more promising, offering strength and resilience, as well as electrical insulation. From the success of his invention, Baekeland served as president of some of the most important chemistry organizations around, including the National Research Council and the American Chemical Society. Its patent has long since expired, but with the nearly unpronounceable chemical name polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, the term Bakelite lives on. Photo: Wikipedia
1910: The Radio (Gadgets) The beginning of the 20th century was an exciting time for gadgets and technology in general. The gramophone (flat) record was gaining acceptance amongst phonograph owners, which led to the recording industry. And the compact vacuum cleaner roared to life on filthy carpets everywhere. But the gadget invention from that decade that had the largest impact on the century was the radio. The first radio transmissions actually took place in 1905 and were referred to as wireless telegraphy, since they consisted of wireless Morse code transmissions. It was just telegraph without the wires. Based on the work of Guglielmo Marconi, Nikola Tesla and others, these spark-gap machines were mainly used for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore naval communication. But in 1906, inventor Lee de Forest created a triode that transformed those taps and clicks into the broadcast communication system we know today. De Forest’s electronic amplifying vacuum tube worked by using two electrodes to create a stream of electrons (a DC current), and a third to modulate that current, either amplifying, rectifying, or otherwise adjusting the signal being sent across the system. The signal was then sent to a transducer (speaker) that turned the signal into sound. Forest, who also coined the name "radio," used his invention to send the first over-the-air public broadcast on January 12, 1910. That broadcast of the Italian opera Tosca revolutionized human communication. As the device that enabled the immediate dissemination of information around the world -- and also gave us music programming and episodic entertainment -- the radio stands above any other consumer gadget from that decade. Photo: Universal History Archive/Getty Images
1908: Founding of the FBI (Security) Then-Attorney General Charles Bonaparte, serving for President Theodore Roosevelt, in 1908 founded a service of agents on a national level, in what later would become the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bureau began with 10 Secret Service Agents and several Department of Justice investigators. It was named the Bureau of Investigation, and in 1935 became the FBI. Bonaparte, who had been appointed Navy secretary in 1905, has a blood line tied to Emperor Napoleon I. Charles Bonaparte's grandfather, Jerome Bonaparte, was the youngest brother of the emperor. Charles Bonaparte died in 1921 at age 70. Photo: Wikipedia | {
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In an appearance the same day in Iowa, Perry did not quite reciprocate the kindness, continuing to hammer Romney on immigration issues.
Like Perry, Romney continued to criticize the president's announcement of a troop withdrawal from Iraq by year's end. Noting that negotiations had been underway to keep a cadre of U.S. forces in Iraq, Romney said that Obama "failed to deliver" a deal to do so. "Why did it fall apart?" he asked, suggesting that Obama was either "out-negotiated" or made a "political recalculation."
Romney also offered a warm defense of Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican who is widely regarded as a potential vice presidential candidate, but whose story of his family's flight from Cuban dictator Fidel Castro came under question this week. The Washington Post reported that Rubio's parents arrived in Florida before Castro's rise to power.
"I have the highest respect for Marco Rubio. I think his family's history of having come to this country speaks for itself," said Romney, adding: "I think the world of Marco Rubio, support him entirely and think that the effort to try to smear him was unfortunate and bogus."
Romney's appearance here came just before Nevada Republican leaders voted to hold their presidential caucuses Feb. 4, ending a scheduling squabble with Republican officials in this state and a political dilemma for Romney, who had been under pressure to join a boycott of Nevada, a state whose caucuses he easily won in 2008, out of solidarity with New Hampshire.
Nevada Republicans' original proposal to hold their caucuses Jan. 14 infuriated Granite State politicos, who thought it would dim the luster of their historic first-in-the-nation primary, likely to be held Jan. 10. Romney, who served as governor of neighboring Massachusetts and owns a vacation home here, needs a strong showing in New Hampshire. "I sure hope this gets resolved," he said here, shortly before the intra-party fight was.
At his campaign headquarters here, Romney provided pizza for volunteers and made a few phone calls to voters himself and proved a game improviser when he had to go off script.
"Hi! Oh, this is the wrong number?" he could be overheard on one call. "Well, do you know who Mitt Romney is? It's me! I'm on the phone!"
Image credit: Brian Snyder/Reuters | {
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By Chad Hughes
Over the past few years, a pernicious mischaracterization of Detroit has spread like wildfire around the internet and major news outlets (including multiple articles from The New York Times The Economist, The New Republic, The New Yorker, and Forbes). Time and time again, we are told that Detroit is physically huge and that its massive size is one of the core problems that the city must manage. The reality, however, is that Detroit is a perfectly normal-sized American city (if not a little on the small side). Furthermore, because of suburbanization, economic segregation, and the way that American municipalities pay for local services, Detroit would be in a far better position if it were as abnormally large as many journalists claim.
As a staunch urbanist (read: density snob), I often downplay places like Houston (600 square miles of land area) and Phoenix (517 square miles). They are among the top five most populous American cities, but only because they comprise such enormous land areas. However, because the American political and cultural landscape of the 20th century (and, unfortunately, of the early 21st century) largely encouraged suburban sprawl, there are enormous benefits to being, well, enormous. Those cities that were able to respond to the dispersal of their populations by expanding their geographic size are in a far better position than cities whose boundaries remained unchanged. The reason is simple: Fewer of a region’s taxable resources fall outside the reach of the tax regime of a central city, if that city is a geographic behemoth.
Houston, for example, has done a remarkable job of expanding its physical boundaries to maintain access to the taxable resources of its sprawling region. The city has grown from less than 70 square miles of land area in 1929, to the 500 square mile monster that it is today. Detroit has not annexed a single inch of land since 1926, and as a result has become dangerously isolated as its regional population has dispersed. While the Detroit Metropolitan Statistical Area population has grown by 80 percent since 1930, Detroit’s population has declined by 57 percent. Over the same period, the Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area population has grown by over 1200 percent and the city’s population has grown by 650 percent.
Still Growing: Houston’s Twentieth-Century Geographic Sprawl Has Helped the City Retain a Greater Portion of Its Region’s Tax Base
Source: Adapted from InnerloopHouston.com, Note: Above figures include land and water area
The more Detroit (the city) and Detroit (the metropolitan region) overlap, the better off the city would be. (Unless otherwise noted, by Detroit metropolitan region I mean the three county [Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne] area that comprise the city of Detroit and most of its suburbs. This region covers 1900 square miles and has a population of 3.8 million people.) This is not to say that sprawl is valuable for a city. But for a city’s borders to expand with its metropolitan population is far better than watching hopelessly as all of its taxable resources continue to flee. Currently, the Detroit metropolitan region’s 3.8 million people are spread across 130 municipalities that cover 1900 square miles of land. A 139 square mile city of Detroit with 3.8 million people would certainly be preferable to a 1900 square mile city of Detroit with 3.8 million people. Unfortunately, that kind of migration from suburb to city is not realistic.
Unlike Houston, Detroit’s Political Boundaries Have Not Expanded Since 1926, Even as the Regional Population (and Tax Base) has Dispersed
Source: DetroitTransitinfo.org
Similarly, it is no longer politically feasible for Detroit to annex its wealthier suburbs. As such, there needs to be a way to increase the contributions of the middle class and wealthy suburbanites living beyond the city’s borders. Michigan should impose a dedicated regional tax (income, sales, or property) with revenues being funneled to the central city.
Detroit’s utter lack of revenue sources has led it into a death spiral of higher taxes and costs, lower revenues, and poorer services that culminated in bankruptcy. Unfortunately, Michigan’s response to this bankruptcy has been to utilize “emergency managers” to undemocratically enforce austerity in the short-term without providing a long-term plan for relief. Detroit does not need an emergency manager. Detroit does not need a bailout. Detroit does not need austerity. Detroit does not need charity. Ultimately, the city needs revenue. Until the region provides a stable revenue source, the city will continue to limp from crisis to crisis even as the rest of the region recovers.
Sizing Up Detroit
Most recently, we find the “Detroit is huge” mischaracterization in Ben Austen’s excellent New York Times Magazine piece about the hype and reality of the city’s always-just-over-the-horizon comeback.A map accompanying the article is labeled “A Sprawling City: Detroit’s downtown is compact, but the city is enormous, encompassing 139 square miles” (emphasis supplied).
As it turns out, 139 square miles is not at all enormous in the context of American cities. In fact, Detroit is a bit of a runt among its peers. Of the 20 most populous US cities, Detroit ranks only 18 in land area—just barely edging out Philadelphia (134 square miles), but comfortably beating San Francisco (47 square miles).
The most amusing “example” of Detroit’s vastness is that Boston, Manhattan, and San Francisco (or some other combination of small cities/parts of cities) can fit within its borders. This factoid is trotted out over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again.
Source: MarkMaynard.com
These kinds of maps and comparisons are always fun to look at, and are certainly interesting to think about – but one lesson we should definitely not take away from this image is that Detroit is an uncharacteristically large American city. Unfortunately, the reverse is true. San Francisco, Boston, and Manhattan (and the Bronx, Minneapolis, and Miami—other places that are used to show how massive Detroit is) are uncharacteristically small and dense for American urban places.
This matters because size is frequently referenced as one of the city’s chief challenges. Such references typically precede discussions about “right sizing”—the city’s (never realized) plans to force residents to move to denser neighborhoods so services can be provided in a more cost-effective manner.
These conversations obscure the real issues at play. While it has been difficult for the city to provide services to all its residents, and it has surely been frustrating to deliver services to largely abandoned neighborhoods (of which there are many), to suggest that Detroit’s enormity is a key driver of the current crisis is misguided. For context, Austin, Texas (320 square miles) is more than twice the physical size of Detroit and yet is only 30 percent more populous. Providing basic services is not a problem for Austin. Denver, Colorado is a little larger than Detroit (153 square miles) and has nearly 40,000 fewer residents. Providing basic services is not a problem for Denver.
Detroit’s inability to provide basic services (functioning street lights, police, garbage collection, affordable water) to its citizens across its 139 square miles has less to do with the size of the city, and more to do with the lack of resources that results from the isolation of a remarkable concentration of metropolitan poverty. Detroit’s real problem is not that the city is sprawling, it is that the region is both sprawling and segregated by race and income.
Segregation, Suburbanization, and Detroit’s Ongoing Crisis
Throughout American metropolises, the rich, middle class, and poor are often segregated in different municipalities. Yet cities still rely on local revenues to fund many crucial local services. The result is that geography is often destiny for Americans. Those in poor cities have access to poor services, those in middle-income towns have access to decent services, and those in wealthy towns have access to excellent services. The Detroit metropolitan region, for example, contains 130 municipalities that are heavily segregated by income. Regrettably, even as Michigan’s overall tax burden has fallen (as a percentage of income and relative to other states), Michigan municipalities’ reliance on local sources of revenue has grown.
The Real Sprawl Problem: Metropolitan Detroit’s 3.8 Million People are Spread Across 130 Municipalities Covering 1900 Square Miles
Source: UrbanPlanet.org
A city simply cannot function as an isolated concentration of regional poverty. Yet this has been Detroit’s fate for decades. Even worse, Detroit continues to hemorrhage residents (most appear to be heading for the suburbs). Those left behind are, on average, poorer than those that leave. As a result, city services descend into a spiral of degradation and debt, even as tax rates increase. Detroit’s $18 billion dollar debt crisis is not merely the result of gross mismanagement, but the necessary result of a desperate municipality trying to provide its vulnerable citizens even the most basic services.
For example, the water department holds nearly a third of Detroit’s $18 billion debt. To help alleviate this, the city recently shut off water services for thousands of Detroit residents that have fallen behind on their water bills. Many have been unable to pay to have service resumed. The Detroit water department, supported by the city’s unelected and virtually all-powerful emergency manager, says that this draconian move is necessary in order to force delinquent residents to pay. But Detroit’s impoverished residents face some of thehighest water costs in the country. These costs have risen because the water department has had to spread costs across fewer and poorer residents, and turn to debt to fund basic maintenance of the system due to the city’s lack of tax revenue.
Resources Beyond Reach: Basic Population, Income, and Geographic Data on Detroit and The Surrounding Region
Source: Census Bureau American Community Survey
Many of our most vulnerable residents live in isolated communities like Detroit, but the way we fund basic services largely shields the rest of us from having to help them. Oakland County, Macomb County, and the areas of Wayne County outside of Detroit are quite wealthy, relative to the city (see above). Yet these residents are largely shielded from having to contribute their tax dollars to the struggling city (and other pockets of isolated poverty throughout the region). If we ever want to alleviate the crises of Detroit and similar communities, then we must increase the redistribution of wealth from suburbs to central cities.
Michigan to its Cities: Drop Dead
The unfortunate political reality is that greater contributions and cooperation are unlikely. Rather than pulling together to provide relief for Michigan’s most disadvantaged cities, the state decided to usurp local authority without providing any meaningful resources in return. In 2012, Michigan’s Republican-controlled legislature and executive worked together to pass “The Local Financial Stability and Choice Act,” a set of emergency laws that allow the governor to elevate “emergency managers” over local authorities. Such managers have virtually complete control over struggling cities and are tasked with enforcing austerity. As a result, struggling municipalities (Pontiac, Benton Harbor, Ecorse, Detroit, Inkster, Allen Park, Flint, and Hamtramck) sit helpless as already miserly services are cut further.
Yes, these cities were facing unsustainable debt, but not because of profligate governments. Without stable sources of funding, these cities had no choice but to turn to debt. Unfortunately, Michigan has cut its set asides for municipalities by about a third, a loss of more than $300 million for the state’s struggling cities. Such cuts will likely remain in place even as the state’s coffers recover from the recession. When faced with a potential $1 billion surplus, the state announced its desire to return most of this money through broad-based income tax cuts rather than to provide relief to its struggling municipal governments.
Source: Detroit 2013-2014 Budget
It will not be easy to make the case to suburbanites that they should take on a higher tax burden to support a city that, from the outside, appears mismanaged. But a case can and should be made that metro Detroit’s suburban residents have a moral obligation to the central city. Austerity and bankruptcy alone will not stabilize the city’s finances, much less bring about an economic recovery. The city’s remaining residents are simply too poor to afford basic services and therefore must turn to debt or simply do without. Before suburbanization, wealthy and middle-class residents subsidized impoverished Detroiters’ access to basic services like public safety, the fire department, water infrastructure, education, and transportation. Today, the political boundaries of the suburbs allow our wealthy and middle class residents to abdicate their responsibility to the region’s isolated poor.
If Detroit were truly enormous, and its boundaries extended to cover its metropolitan population, then the city could escape its death spiral and vastly improve its services while lowering its tax rates. While regional unification may not be in the cards, the least our affluent and middle class suburbs could do is pay a little more in terms of income or sales tax (or to share some of their property taxes) to help provide a streetlight or two. Better yet if we all lived closer together. In that case, we would have to pay for far fewer streetlights. | {
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President Donald Trump has declared that the judge who blocked his travel ban will be responsible if America is attacked.
Mr Trump said Judge James Robart had placed America in "peril", by allowing citizens of seven Muslim majority countries that had been barred from entering the US to come "pouring in" to the country.
Meanwhile the Trump administration says it will use “every legal means” to reinstate Mr Trump’s executive order on refugees and immigration, but will comply with the judge’s order as the legal battle continues. | {
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Alice in Wonderland
By: David Ramsay Steele
A Review of The Passion of Ayn Rand by Barbara Branden. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1986, 455 pages. 1. The Ayn Rand Phenomenon alk into any decent bookshop in any part of the English-speaking world, and you are liable to find a shelf or two entirely taken up with the works of Ayn Rand. Week in, week out; year in, year out. If you're a bookseller, this is a sight better than Erich von Daniken or Leo Buscaglia. Some of Rand's books are novels, some are on aesthetics, some on political philosophy, some on epistemology and metaphysics. These are books which, in the words of the old sixties ads for Catch-22, "will change your life". They make converts. Typically, the future Randist begins with that bulky mega-seller, The Fountainhead. Reading the Fountainhead is an overpowering emotional experience. It is a spellbinding story with a certain amount of preaching sprinkled in. The reader may find the ideas, and even more, the hints of ideas, alluring. The novice moves on to Atlas Shrugged, even bulkier (1,084 pages) but still phenomenally popular. The story is less spellbinding, indeed, less than spellbinding, and there is much, much more preaching sprinkled in, but by this time the reader has acquired a taste for Rand's distinctive form of rhetoric, and is ready to graduate to her nonfiction works, For the New Intellectual, The Romantic Manifesto, The Virtue of Selfishness, even Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. Here the budding Randist finds, declaimed in strident, bad-tempered prose, a new gospel, a system of ideas, a creed applicable to all aspects of life. Among the articles of this creed are: that there is no God; that laissez-faire capitalism is the best possible economic system; that limited government is the only correct political order; that the United States of America is the best society in human history and virtually always entirely in the right in its conflicts with other powers; that cigarette-smoking is both harmless and morally virtuous; that Hume and Kant are loathsome villains, whilst Aristotle, Aquinas, and Ayn Rand are the great heroes of philosophy; that Rachmaninoff is a hero of music, while J.S. Bach and Richard Wagner are among the villains, with their " malevolent sense of life"; that Dostoievsky and Hugo are great novelists; that, in more recent times, Ian Fleming and Mickey Spillane are also outstanding writers - and of course, Ayn Rand; that a photograph can never be a work of art; that liking horror stories always indicates a mystical outlook and therefore mental sickness. And, most famously, that altruism or self-sacrifice is the great vice and source of all vices, whilst egoism or selfishness is the great virtue and source of all virtues. There are many readers of Rand who graduate in this way, just by reading the books, without authoritative guidance, and they will perhaps tell you that the above is a caricature, that there is no creed, that some of these items are just Rand's personal opinions, with which they (the readers) happen to disagree. But in the old days there was an organised Randian church. It was called the Nathaniel Branden Institute. It lasted from 1958 until 1968, when it terminated due to the messy and spiteful falling out of Rand and Nathaniel, the rock upon which she had hoped to found her church. When the Nathaniel Branden Institute (NBI) was in operation, there could never be any doubt in the minds of its apostles, adherents, apostates, or excommunicates that Randism or Objectivism was indeed a creed. If you didn't smoke, you had better have a damned good reason - a certificate signed by several Objectivist physicians might be safest. If you were married to a theist, you had better get a divorce. If you were depraved enough to enjoy Bach, better change your musical tastes pronto. Like many cults, the Randist network of NBI (which existed only in North America) used group pressure, scorn, and contempt to humiliate and degrade those individuals who betrayed wretchedness by signs of deviance - in this case, by liking Tolstoy, feeling a duty to help one's relatives, growing a moustache, entertaining the thought that there might be a God, feeling tolerant towards homosexuality, or being concerned about the disappearance of living species due to industrial pollution. Ayn Rand is, on many counts, a remarkable figure. The mere sales of her books constitute an outstanding achievement, but I cannot think of any historical parallels for someone who used a popular art form to successfully promote an all-encompassing doctrine, especially one that was so eccentric a mix of disparate elements, and one that was so out of fashion when she began to propound it. We have to imagine something like Ferdinand Lasalle writing Jack London's novels, but even this does not come near the prodigious strangeness and strange prodigiousness of Rand's accomplishments. She has had a significant impact upon the world, but there are unmistakable signs that the impact is only beginning. She has had a traceable influence upon the Reagan administration, which might have pleased her (she died in 1982) even though she fiercely opposed Reagan, because - and if you don't know already, shut your eyes and see if you can guess - he was anti-abortion, a clear demonstration that he was evil and sick, even though he might be posing as an anti-communist. It is often claimed that Rand gave birth to the modern libertarian movement. This is an exaggeration, but it is true that the overwhelming majority of leading lights in the early libertarian movement of the 1960s had earlier gone through a Randist phase, and even today the peculiar quirks of Randist jargon ("facts of reality", "whim-worshipper", "Robin Hood ethics", "blank out") pop up occasionally. 2. A Riveting Tale The tale told by Barbara Branden is absolutely riveting. It is considered high praise to say of a book that, having once begun it, you can't put it down, but for me the more significant accolade is that having .finished it you can't put it down, and that is certainly true of this amazing and fascinating story. It recounts Rand's life, partly on the basis of personal recollection and partly on the basis of detailed research. The portrait of Rand is outrageously vivid, yet patchy. There was something abnormally potent and enthralling about Rand, and although those who never met her can hardly reconstruct exactly what it was, Branden's book is impressive testimony to its existence and approximate contours. Yet there are puzzling gaps and murky areas. The organism which was later to denote itself as "Ayn Rand" was born in St Petersburg during the abortive Russian Revolution of 1905, and given the name Alice Rosenbaum. The daughter of a self-made chemist, she emerged as a distant, precocious child. By the age of 10 she was already making snap judgements about everything and everybody in the world, turning these judgements into unshakeable dogmas, demanding as the price of non-belligerence that people accept these dogmas, and seething with violent indignation against anyone who denied, or for that matter, failed to personify, these dogmas. In one of the taped interviews which Rand gave Branden decades later, Rand says: "By fifteen, my sex theory was fully formed." (34) As the context makes clear, the 15-year-old's theory of sex incorporated views she had held passionately since at least the age of 10. Alice and her family suffered hardships during the civil war following the Bolshevik putsch. Bolshevik repression served only to encourage in her breast precisely those counter-revolutionary feelings the persecution was designed to extirpate. By chance, Alice avoided the liquidation which the heroine of her first novel, We The Living, could not escape, and in 1926 she contrived to visit relatives in Chicago. Like droves of others before and since, Alice had to lie to get into the US, pretending her visit was intended to be temporary. Despite this, immigration controls were not prominent among the state interventions later denounced by Rand. On the boat over, Alice changed her name to Ayn (rhymes with MINE!). In one of Branden's many infuriating omissions, she explains that "Ayn" was taken from the name of a Finnish writer whom Alice had not read, but says nothing more about this writer, or whether Rand subsequently read her - or him. It goes without saying that the Finnish Ayn was a ferociously evil, mentally sick, whim-worshipping mystic, like everyone else, but readers need to be told how this discovery was made, and any little details associated with it. Some years later, Ayn Rosenbaum selected the name "Rand" from her Remington-Rand typewriter. As Rand remarked, criminals and writers usually keep their initials when they change their names. From Chicago, Rand moved to Hollywood in search of fame as a screen writer. Awkward, pathetic, and still far from fluent in English, she seems to have aroused feelings of warm altruism and Christian charity in many people, who went to great lengths to help her. In Russia she had admired De Mille's pictures, so she went to the De Mille studio, to be given the usual polite brush-off. In the street she spotted De Mille in the flesh, and stood gawping at him, provoking his curiosity. De Mille got her a job, and the De Milles took the little Russian waif under their protective wings. Working as an extra on "King of Kings", she instantly fell in love with, and later married, another extra, Frank O'Connor, who was to spend most of his life boozing and living off her books, the epitome of the "mooching bum" she was always cursing in her apoplectic writings. With De Mille's help again, she got a job summarising and adapting screenplay proposals. During the thirties she became aware of the strong bolshevik sympathies of Western intellectuals, and worked on her first novel and her play, Penthouse Legend (better known as Night of January 16th) which introduced the gimmick, since imitated several times, of having more than one ending, with the choice made by the audience or, as in this case, by a jury selected from the audience. Both novel and play were modest successes, and Rand became known as that then freakish creature, a writer and intellectual who was a strong anti-communist and in no way sympathetic to socialism. In the late thirties and early forties she worked on her second novel, The Fountainhead, and worked for the Wilkie campaign against the re-election of Roosevelt. She met many of the leading figures of American conservatism, which in those pre-Buckley days still contained strong elements of classical liberalism. She was later to fall out with all these conservative acquaintances. With the sale of the movie rights to The Fountainhead for fifty thousand dollars, Rand moved from obscurity to fame and from poverty to comfort. In 1947 she appeared as a 'friendly witness' before the House Un-American Activities Committee, investigating Communist infiltration of Hollywood. Branden makes some gestures towards defending Rand for this discreditable activity. As The Fountainhead was beginning its delayed success, and while working on Atlas Shrugged, Rand heard from two young admirers, who were to change their names to Nathaniel and Barbara Branden. (It has been contended that the name "Branden" is derived from "ben-Rand", but Branden doesn't confirm this.) They both became worshippers of Rand, and introduced her to other acolytes. In 1958, NBI was formed to indoctrinate enquirers and followers into the complete system of Ayn Rand: her opinions on art, politics, and metaphysics were presented to the "students of Objectivism" as sacred truths. But even before the formation of NBI, Nathaniel had first married Barbara on Rand's recommendation, then commenced a once-a-week sexual arrangement with Rand, 20 years his senior, with the full knowledge and consent of his and Rand's spouses. This "rational" affair continued for a decade, as NBI expanded, Rand's fame grew, and Rand and Nathaniel lectured together to the unsuspecting flock. The great break between Rand and Nathaniel came after an interregnum in the affair, following which Nathaniel refused to recommence it because of his involvement with another woman, an involvement which he had kept from Rand's knowledge. Rand's discovery of how she had been deceived led to the expulsion and anathematising of Nathaniel, the break-up of NBI, and the demand that all true followers of Objectivism should join Rand in pouring scorn, hatred, and lies upon the Brandens. Apparently, Rand's theory was that since Nathaniel had behaved so immorally, he had forfeited any right to decent treatment, so any kind of stories could be fabricated about him - including the charge that he had misappropriated the funds of NBI. The question was even raised at an Objectivist discussion of whether it would be moral to have Nathaniel assassinated. (Bear in mind that these "rational" people were kept in the dark about what Nathaniel was supposed to have done, and were expected to follow Rand blindly in attacking Nathaniel.) Much, one supposes, to Rand's vast annoyance, her denunciations of Nathaniel and intrigues against him did not halt his extraordinary success as a pop psychologist. His fame as both writer and therapist has grown remarkably. His Psychology of Self Esteem (21 impressions since 1969) deals at length with problems of insufficient self-esteem, but says nothing about the problem of excessive self-esteem. The soap opera continues. Some of it you can catch up on by reading The Passion of Ayn Rand. The orthodox Randists, led by Leonard Peikoff, have put it about that anyone who utters a word in praise of the book is to be shunned, boycotted, and cut off root and branch. Outside the ranks of the Elect, voices have been raised that Branden's omissions and misleading emphases call for correction, and we can expect numerous further memoirs and polemical commentaries. I very much doubt that any of them will be half as well-written or gripping as this one. 3. A Selective Picture I am not one of those blessed by past personal contact with any of the original Randist apostles. I cannot pronounce on the numerous allegations and counter-allegations which Branden's book has stirred up. But it is clear from a modest amount of background knowledge, plus a careful examination of The Passion of Ayn Rand, that it is a piece of special pleading. The author is, I am sure, telling the truth and nothing but the truth, as she remembers it, but she is not telling the whole truth. She places facts in that light which best suits her purposes. On my first reading, I concluded that Rand had treated Branden very badly, and Branden had responded with continuing adoration, despite some criticisms. On my second reading, I concluded that the author was all the time working very hard to give me exactly that impression - which by no means implies that it is untrue, but does put it in a different perspective. The attitude Branden has towards Rand is one that individuals generally hold only towards their parents: a burning anger, a rage for self-justification, contained by a rigid insistence that the parent is good and worthy. In Branden's case, this seems to be bound up with her urgent need to deny the patent fact that Rand had a blighting effect upon her (Branden's) life, as Rand did on the lives of most of those she knew. This book contains many statements describing Rand as an extraordinary intellect - "the brilliance and intricacy of her mind" (173), "her astonishing intellectual powers ... vast intelligence" (303) - yet it contains no evidence for these statements. It is asserted that Rand's conversation was tremendously high-powered and persuasive, but no attempt is made, by this veteran of hundreds of these conversations, to reproduce any of the searing insights or masterly analyses. I conclude, on the evidence of Rand's writings, that this is because there were none: undoubtedly Rand possessed an uncommon personal magnetism, especially for docile souls who craved for someone to tell them what was what, but she was no great thinker in any field. (There are two or three isolated witticisms. Asked who, in her proposed kind of society, would "look after the janitors', Rand replied: "... the janitors."). Branden does mention Rand's "series of angry ruptures with people who had been her friends" (153) but somewhat plays this down. Rand fell out nastily with almost everyone, a propensity which some Randists have inherited. There is no mention here, for instance, of Rand's breaks with Rose Wilder Lane or Edith Efron. Branden's angry worship of Rand is revealed in her constant desire to catch Rand out in mistakes, and yet defend Rand strenuously against the unpleasant inferences which might be drawn from these mistakes, though such inferences are often all too obviously warranted. Branden's apology for Rand's behaviour over the alterations to We The Living (114-15) is noteworthy. The first edition of We The Living reflects Rand's political ideas shortly after her arrival in the US, including her Nietzchean contempt for the fate of the common herd. Some time later, Rand brought her views more into conformity with Anglo-Saxon liberalism. She removed from later editions the passages praising ruthless elitism, but stated in her foreword: "I have not added or eliminated to or from (sic) the content of the novel ... all the changes are merely editorial line-changes." Branden tries to defend this by a soft-focus exegesis of the shrill anti-common man message of the first edition. This not only glosses over Rand's lack of candour about the changes; it leaves unexamined the broader question, Rand's reticence about her own change of views and therefore about the sources of that change of views. For any non-Randist with an interest in fiction there is also something quaint about the assumption, undoubtedly made by Rand and shared by Branden, that a speech by a "good" character must coincide with the author's own opinions. Rand had a very poorly developed sense of humour, which she defended by being almost opposed on principle to humour. She had great scorn for the notion that one should be able to laugh at oneself. By taking up this position, she deprived herself of many long hours of rich amusement. Rand and all her circle were people who took themselves too seriously. Her laissez-faire liberal views aside, she is typical of a certain kind of left-wing intellectual who tries to subject her whole life, including her sexual relationships, to "rationality". Rand's affair with Nathaniel was supposed to be rational. According to Rand, the person one loves represents one's highest values. Since Rand was the noblest person Nathaniel knew, as well as being the most rational person in human history, it was right and proper for them to go to bed once a week. When it came out that Nathaniel no longer wanted an intimate physical involvement with his intellectual mentor, because she was too old and he had found someone else, Rand's sexual jealousy was rationalised in the verdict that Nathaniel was morally depraved. This sort of thing would be merely comical, if it were not that the personal misery was magnified by everyone's determination to be, as they thought, rational. Human sexual impulses are largely the outcome of past competition among genes. Human feelings and responses are those which have tended in the past to cause some genes to reproduce themselves more rapidly than others. Our endowment of sexual emotions did not come about in order to enhance the happiness of individuals or the well-being of society, but in order (as it were) to enhance the copyability of little bits of DNA. If you try to make something rational out of that, you make a fool of yourself. Behaviour may be legitimately described as "rational" or "irrational" insofar as the means chosen are well or badly suited to achieve the ends sought. It makes no sense to speak of ultimate ends (like whether or not you wish to stay alive or to avoid suffering) as rational or irrational. 4. The Randist Legacy Branden tries to defend Rand's humourlessness by relating it to her singularly logical mind. She was inclined to sloppy thinking. She took herself too seriously, partly because she was humoured by the likes of the Brandens, who tolerated her cantankerousness on the mistaken grounds that she was a great thinker - though even great thinkers should not be humoured when they take themselves too seriously. This did a disservice to Rand, as such humouring generally does, because it enabled her to live increasingly within her own world of fantasy, unchallenged by effective criticism. Perhaps she was too set by her twenties for any criticism to be effective. Be that as it may, gullible followers are never scarce. Branden's desire to place Rand's tantrums in a favourable light often leads her to make dubious judgements. Branden remarks upon "how rare it had been in her life that a hand was held out to her in simple human kindness." (169) On the evidence of Branden's own book, this is far from the case in her 1957 autobiographical note to Atlas Shrugged ("About the Author"), Rand asserts: "I had a difficult struggle .... No one helped me..." It appears from Branden's account that Rand was a constant beneficiary of charity and kindness until she started making big money from The Fountainhead. When she arrived in Chicago, she was looked after by the relatives who had made it possible for her to get out of Russia. She declared then that when she became rich, she would buy her aunt a Rolls-Royce. When she did become rich, she didn't even reply to these relatives' letters. On arrival in Los Angeles, Rand stayed at the Studio Club, a philanthropically-subsidised home for young women seeking their fortunes in Hollywood. She was often behind with her rent, but was not evicted. After We the Living was published, Rand gratefully sent an autographed copy to the Studio Club's director. The Studio Club subsequently had to close for lack of funds. At every turn, people went out of their ways to help Rand by recommending her writings and finding her jobs and contracts. She habitually repaid kindness with indifference or with venom. The most unsuccessful part of Branden's book is the final chapter, a listing of numerous people of prominence in many fields who have been influenced by Rand. Many of these people are prominent and avowed libertarians. Surely Branden should have mentioned the fact that Rand despised and detested libertarianism? (She does mention Rand's hostility specifically to the Libertarian Party, attributing this to the fact that some LP members were anarchists.) Rand always denounced the libertarian movement, its philosophy, its methods, its goals, and its personalities. Among other things, she castigated it for "plagiarism" of her ideas, an instance of her colossal presumptuousness, since a political movement is free to be influenced by any published writer, libertarians have always been frank or over-generous about what they owed to Rand, and Rand herself took the ideas from others. Although Rand's influence is indeed enormous and still growing, Branden overstates it. This is part and parcel of the ostinato "rooting for Rand" theme in Branden's book. It only spoils the absorbing account of an intrinsically fascinating figure to keep insisting implausibly that she is a world-shaking genius. The method of listing people prepared to say "Rand changed my life" is not convincing. The majority of confirmed meat-caters in the US had some early contact with McDonald's, but this doesn't mean we can confidently attribute the prevalence of meat-eating to the influence of McDonald's. People with an appetite for certain kinds of ideas will gravitate to the purveyors of those ideas. Alan Greenspan does not appear to owe any of his economic ideas to Rand - economic theory was apparently the one area where she did not personally hand down the total truth. Murray Rothbard was a libertarian before he met Rand, and would have been a prodigious free market propagandist aside from his brief association with Rand. The fact that Billie Jean King was inspired by reading Atlas Shrugged is not of great consequence for anyone else. Some of the most effective proponents of libertarian ideas, like Ludwig von Mises and Milton Friedman, do not show evidence of the slightest Randist influence. (Mises met and admired Rand, but there is no taint of Randism in his writings.) As for the relationship between Randism and Reaganite conservatism, it should be obvious which is the flea and which is the dog. The major effect of Rand upon libertarians has been to favour the doctrine of natural rights, though most libertarian writers who do accept natural rights (Rothbard, Nozick, David Friedman, for example) adhere to forms of the doctrine which aren't particularly close to Rand's, and to date this preoccupation with natural rights has not borne any fruit in the shape of a coherent explanation or defence of the doctrine (that is any advance upon Spencer). I doubt that Randism will ever have any appreciable direct impact on philosophy or politics, though it may perhaps have some small impact on literature, by helping to rehabilitate the supreme importance of a good story. The Randist influence on the libertarian movement has slumped in the past 10 years, a thoroughly healthy development, but also an inevitable one, as young people first captivated by Rand find the dogmas beginning to chafe. Randism will never have any influence on National Review/American Spectator conservatism, enmired as that is in its own equally threadbare, but more popular and more intelligently-argued dogmas, associated with religion, traditionalism, and state-worship. Randism's influence within the libertarian movement will continue to dwindle away: Rand is becoming to libertarianism something like Fourier to socialism. The only home for born-again Randists will be in the narrow church of Peikoff and Schwartz, The Ayn Rand Institute and The Intellectual Activist. While pouring abuse on libertarianism (mainly because it permits a wide range of philosophical and strategic views, encompassing approval of God, anarchy, sexual and chemical deviation, and the natural rights of dispossessed Palestinians) the Objectivist cult offers a warm embrace only to those who swallow the Randist creed in every detail. After all, how could a rational person co-operate politically with anyone who didn't like Rachmaninoff. Given the vast readership of Rand's writings, and the dazzling appeal of a creed which offers a solution to all intellectual, personal, and social problems by learning to mouth a few catch-phrases, I expect that the cult will achieve a very large membership during the next few years, comparable to Scientology or La Rouchism - with about the same intellectual level, the same deleterious effects on the minds and lives of the cult members, and the same, absolutely negligible amount of influence on political thought. Part 2 © Libertarian Alliance 2003 | {
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Het zijn nu juist deze twee partijen die in de Tweede Kamer eisen dat het kabinet het besluit van de gemeenteraad en het college in Amsterdam vernietigt omdat kraken verboden is en de illegale vreemdelingen terug moeten naar het land van herkomst. "De republiek Amsterdam bestaat niet. Het is een Nederlandse gemeente, waar de Nederlandse wet geldt", zei VVD-Kamerlid Koerhuis.
Minister Ollongren (D66) van Binnenlandse Zaken zegt dat ze niets kan met de motie van VVD en CDA. Volgens haar heeft Amsterdam de eigenaren van de panden alleen maar verzocht de ontruiming uit te stellen en is het geen besluit dat voor vernietiging zou kunnen worden voorgedragen.
De minister gaat er bovendien van uit dat de krakers op 1 juni weg zijn. Woningcorporatie Ymere heeft, net als in andere situaties, aangifte gedaan dat de panden zijn gekraakt. Wat de minister betreft, is het vervolg een zaak van de burgemeester, de hoofdofficier van justitie en de korpschef. Ollongren vindt dat de nationale overheid zich niet te veel moet mengen in de autonomie van de lokale overheid.
'Antikraakwetgeving evalueren'
Minister Grapperhaus (CDA) van Justitie en Veiligheid deed zijn partijgenoot Madeleine van Toorenburg de toezegging dat hij nog eens gaat kijken naar de antikraakwetgeving die sinds 2010 van kracht is. Hij wil de uitvoering van de wet evalueren met het College van procureurs-generaal.
Volgens Van Toorenburg wordt de wet niet goed gehandhaafd en worden krakers in de praktijk niet vervolgd na een aangifte. "De handhaving van de wet is een lachertje", zei ze in het debat.
Deadline 1 juni
Van de rechter mogen de uitgeprocedeerde krakers tot 1 juni blijven zitten. Woningcorporatie Ymere heeft volgens hem niet hard kunnen maken dat onmiddellijke ontruiming nodig is omdat anders de nieuwbouw van 144 woningen vertraging oploopt. Ook was de rechter niet overtuigd dat de openbare orde ernstig verstoord was door de kraakactie. | {
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---===[ Qubes Security Bulletin #47 ]===--- 2019-02-19 Insecure default DisposableVM networking configuration Summary ======== In Qubes OS, one can attempt to limit the network access of a qube by either completely disconnecting it from any NetVM or by setting its firewall rules to disallow access. A malicious qube can circumvent these limits by launching a DisposableVM [1], which, in the default configuration, would have unrestricted network access. Moreover, even when a non-default DisposableVM is configured to have no network access (or limited access), other DisposableVMs started from _that_ DisposableVM can have full network access (unless explicitly configured otherwise). While limiting network access in this manner should not be considered to be an effective leak-prevention mechanism [1], we still consider this type of potentially ineffective network isolation to be a problem. Details ======== In Qubes 4.0, each DisposableVM is based on a DVM Template [2] with the `template_for_dispvm` property set to "True". The DisposableVM inherits all of its settings from the DVM Template, including the `netvm` property and firewall rules. Neither the network settings nor any other settings of the calling qube are considered. This design is intentional, as it allows much more flexibility over the previous model. For example, one could create different DVM Templates for different purposes, such as opening links (internet access), viewing documents (offline), printing (drivers installed), etc. Each DVM Template has appropriate network settings for its purpose. The important part of this design is the `default_dispvm` qube property. The value of this property is the DVM Template that will be used when starting new DisposableVMs from that qube. In the default configuration, Qubes OS has one default DVM Template, which has unrestricted network access. The default DVM Template is the default value of the global `default_dispvm` property, which is accessible via "Global settings" in the Qube Manager or via the `qubes-prefs` tool. This global property serves as the default value for the `default_dispvm` property for every qube. If the user creates a non-default DVM Template with limited network access, the user must also set the `default_dispvm` value (either globally or on a per-qube basis) in order for any new DisposableVM to be based on this non-default DVM Template. In the Whonix configuration shipped with Qubes, this issue is avoided by creating a separate DVM Template that uses the Whonix Gateway (`sys-whonix`) as its NetVM. The `default_dispvm` property of this DVM Template is set to itself. This DVM Template is the value of the `default_dispvm` property for every Whonix Workstation. This problem is partially mitigated when restoring a backup from Qubes 3.2. For each qube that has the `dispvm_netvm` property set to "none", a separate DVM Template named `disp-no-netvm` is created. This DVM Template has no direct network access. However, this DVM Template itself has the default value for its own `default_dispvm` property, so DisposableVMs started from it or from DisposableVMs based on it would have full network access. Vulnerable systems ================== This issue affects only Qubes 4.0. In Qubes 3.2, the network settings of DisposableVM are inherited from the calling qube's settings (more specifically, from its `dispvm_netvm` property, which defaults to the `netvm` property's value). The Whonix configuration shipped with Qubes 4.0 is not affected by this issue. If you have installed Whonix using a method other than the recommended `qubesctl` command [4], you should review the settings of your Whonix qubes. Specifically: - whonix-ws-14-dvm should have `netvm` set to sys-whonix - whonix-ws-14-dvm should have `default_dispvm` set to whonix-ws-14-dvm - anon-whonix and any other Whonix Workstations should have `default_dispvm` set to whonix-ws-14-dvm See the Whonix documentation [4] for details. Systems in which the default DVM Template is disconnected from the network (by settings its `netvm` property to "none") are not affected by this issue. Resolution ========== To mitigate this problem, we are implementing two changes: 1. When a DisposableVM is started, automatically set its `default_dispvm` to the DVM Template on which it is based. This means that, when a DisposableVM is started from another DisposableVM, they will both be based on the same DVM Template. Hence, they will have all the same settings, including the same network settings. This change will not affect DVM Templates for which user has manually modified the `default_dispvm` property. 2. Add a warning message in the Qube Settings GUI when the NetVM of a qube in the "Basic" tab is set to a different value than the NetVM of the default DVM Template set in the "Advanced" tab. Note that these changes concern only NetVM settings, not firewall settings. If you want your DisposableVMs to have the same firewall settings as the calling qube, you must adjust the firewall settings of appropriate DVM Template yourself. In the next version of Qubes, we will ship two DVM Templates by default: one with network access and one without. This was already previously discussed in issue #1121 [5]. Patching ========= The specific packages that resolve the problems discussed in this bulletin are as follows: For Qubes OS 4.0: - qubes-core-dom0 version 4.0.39 - qubes-manager version 4.0.28 The packages are to be installed in dom0 via the Qubes VM Manager or via the qubes-dom0-update command as follows: For updates from the stable repository (not immediately available): $ sudo qubes-dom0-update For updates from the security-testing repository: $ sudo qubes-dom0-update --enablerepo=qubes-dom0-security-testing These packages will migrate from the security-testing repository to the current (stable) repository over the next two weeks after being tested by the community. Credits ======== The issue was reported by Vít 'v6ak' Šesták. References =========== [1] https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/disposablevm/ [2] https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/data-leaks/ [3] https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/glossary/#dvm-template [4] https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Qubes/Install [5] https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/1121 -- The Qubes Security Team https://www.qubes-os.org/security/ | {
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[arch-mirrors] [loli.forsale] Arch Linux Mirror Question
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512 >Hi, > >I have received complaints about the domain name (loli.forsale) used by your mirror. Apparently not everybody shares your humour and some people find the domain to be offensive. Consequently this reflects badly on our image. > >Please switch the mirror to an alternative domain. > >I have removed listings of the domain in question. I will add your mirror again once it uses an acceptable domain name. > >Thanks for your understanding, >Florian Dear Florian Pritz, Thank you for bringing to my attention the plight of the young maiden by the username of lemma to remove the domain from the official public list of mirrors Arch Linux maintains as to not offend her friends, who I assume contribute a lot for the Arch Linux project. I am sure a lot of time was invested during the investigation for formal complaints, and a lot of work needed to be done to ensure the professional image of Arch in the F.L.O.S.S. community could be maintained. The last thing we want is to offend anyone, let alone longtime user who's read our mailing list and IRC logs be scared of what a server or distro is named for, instead of what the code instructs a machine to do. So I respect the decision to inform me before any action was taken to remedy the situation in a prompt manner. Because of this respect, I have a question I would like answered if you could be so kind to ponder for me: What does it take to remove all forms of free speech, before it doesn't matter to anyone at all? Please, do ponder that. Take your time. Don't worry about me, and the ISP I'm building in Portugal to maintain Free Software projects, and users with the same kind of principle. Heed no attention to the time I dedicated to not only host the servers at the ISP, but the expenses on my behalf to maintain them even against some of the most demanding of jobs, like working for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Please don't worry about _me_, and the valuable time it took me find a representative to formally reply on my behalf as professionally as possible (I have autism, my response would have been incoherent if not for the professional help). Worry about the users that will be eventually be banned because their thoughts offended someone they do not know. For them alone will judge how a distro is seen. My only hope, if possible, would be if lemma could contact me instead, and asked why the domain exists in the first place, instead of demand that it be removed from a list of alternative mirrors she could have gotten the same software from. Plenty of other mirrors could be _offensive_ to anyone else, but mines had to be the one to offend someone the most. So with that hope in mind, I ask one favor, even if my domain should get barred from arch forever: Could you keep a list of alternative domains not deemed safe for work, but still mirrors for Arch? Imagine if others were to host Arch, let's say on an OpenNic domain, or an onion address, would those get deemed Not Safe Work too? Maybe I'll register CIAloves2.divideandconqu.er to make it more palatable. Have a pleasurable understanding, Alucard -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: Keybase OpenPGP v2.0.73 Comment: https://keybase.io/crypto wsFcBAABCgAGBQJZdooHAAoJEF9fGNptB7BN3RoP/iUimqdxrdsASLC/rEeitOOB GOTZUifbGaQmohwoZDAp0s0hRomKT+s5jdAvC6D0Py61EsIGxl7o3ga0GwsPZ4u6 73SbBn3TkX5kak6sDMfqBfTgV4xDH+tCNlOnbIgGlf71oxneKYiTNo4peb9GZa7d ENEs8ILvZJfoLv0d9H0loSSRYG0jS/YD6PsIwP/fX7mla78jwkJkpSN3JXcTHgea Fyfa+kAWrbKtCxQ0uA6hpSvuHe4ScpCicuxEVMmQAsCINIBPaaExXecITe1LzIhJ NJTNszVputGvRiEhUsqTpoBrm8Vpvrd64A4Jj5/hP1tXbBS7kZ2J18l3lubHKRfh YLyYsIqPFwurqHGa4ErtR1HVws0heH0y2HMYzeJ4U/hQs3R5Mp30+TSrsNNPG+eV NtvL0Nv4tPG6C11duC8y1T7Ziqhw/H+YqBPbIYmhlDlVVRl2rBPZhQ09PtdbxQ5b ufAORCDx/40EwgtJfjabdLoetb26YXGcp6Q6FrJ9q9gBsqqYdVJNBYq0Sre87LtX Q/liNy6+DAfV7k98HwPAYWz5tFFRiC0yo3ZC4BKJnW0QCeb8r16NiGWhBDqrOfQr zfVQQ695kOLDxfQ2y9cGkyLtSvXpMZWXZdczzDSlkJzEwBZBZbE9tWPYq3xCPnOM tmJpxmYH9ApxFLwRl46+ =91jH -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: alucard_at_safe.moe.asc Type: application/octet-stream Size: 5613 bytes Desc: not available URL: <https://lists.archlinux.org/pipermail/arch-mirrors/attachments/20170724/c31bdbad/attachment.obj> | {
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Scenarios for Change
The Paris Climate Agreement was a historic step toward seriously combating climate change. As of December 2016, a year after the agreement was drafted, a total of 194 countries had signed it and 127 of those had ratified it. It’s a big deal, considering it’s the first-ever agreement on climate change that was accepted by a significant number of nations, including the United States.
In its simplest form, the goal of the Paris Agreement is for each signatory to work to limit global warming to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures. As part of the agreement, participating countries were required to commit to a pledge, also known as an intended nationally determined contribution (INDC). These INDCs vary depending on the specific country, but the majority emphasize the use of non-carbon-emitting, renewable sources of energy.
So can the goals of the Paris Agreement be met? Scientists from the University of Maryland (UMD) set to find out. “We’ve developed an empirical model of global climate that we use to forecast future temperature out to the year 2100,” UMD research professor in atmospheric and oceanic science Timothy Canty told Phys.org. “This is a model that ingests massive amounts of observational data.”
The details of the researchers’ findings are published as a book entitled “Paris Climate Agreement: Beacon of Hope,” and in it, they argue that the 2-degree Celsius warming limit can be achieved, but only under certain circumstances.
Living Up To The Promise
Climate research models use scenarios known as representative concentration pathways (RCP) to describe the various possible levels of greenhouse gases in the future atmosphere. One of the more optimistic scenarios, RCP 4.5, assumes that human greenhouse gas emissions will soon level off and decline within a few decades.
“Our research shows that if the Paris Climate Agreement is met, it will put us on the RCP 4.5 pathway, but this can only happen if two important things occur,” explained book co-author Walter Tribett. “One, all conditional and unconditional INDCs must be met. Two, the mitigation of greenhouse gases needed to meet the Paris goal must be propagated out to 2060.”
The thing is, the INDCs currently extend only to 2030. The authors believe that all of the individual nations should recognize the importance of renewable energy sources and extend their INDCs. “To achieve RCP 4.5, half of the world’s global energy must come from renewable sources by year 2060,” said co-author Brian Bennett.
The authors realize that this mass transition to renewables is an ambitious undertaking, but it’s one that both developed and developing countries should move toward. “This will require large-scale transfer of technology and capital from the developed to the developing world,” co-author Ross Salawitch noted. “And at the same time this is happening, the developed world must reduce its own dependence on fossil fuels — not a little bit, but massively — by 2060.” | {
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Journalism students from local universities have been rejected from TVB News’ summer internship programme. Staff from Baptist University, Shue Yan University and Chinese University confirmed with HK01 that their journalism students had not been accepted as interns.
TVB Newsroom. File photo: Wikicommons.
Shue Yan University Head of Department of Journalism and Communication Leung Tin-wai told Apple Daily that their students did not even get an interview.
TVB said that the arrangement to split the eight intern places equally between Hong Kong and mainland university students is the usual practice. The company did not confirm the rejection of local journalism students to Apple Daily but said that the interview process for the internship had been partially completed.
Last year, TVB News took on four local students for its internship programme, but at least two of them were not journalism students, HK01 reported.
A ‘very sad thing’
Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) Chairperson Sham Yee-lan told Apple Daily that news media had independent decision-making power, but should not forget Hong Kong students.
HKJA vice Chairperson Shirley Yam also said that local news media should allocate intern places for local journalism students. “Do mainland students know Hong Kong better than Hong Kong students?” she asked. She also said that “it would be a very sad thing” if local journalism students could not practise journalism in Hong Kong.
The news sparked much debate online, with one netizen saying, “when TVB stops taking local students, the number of students applying to journalism will fall, or even plummet.” | {
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The creator of "This Is Us" takes his TV formula to the big screen with Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde, with horrific results.
“Life Itself” thinks you’re stupid. Or, if not stupid, unable to understand how a movie should work. It’s a movie made for people who can’t be trusted to understand any storytelling unless it’s not just spoon-fed but ladled on, piled high, and explained via montage and voiceover. It’s the kind of movie that includes commercials for itself by using its own title within the dialogue multiple times. Ostensibly, it’s about unreliable narration; if you don’t know what that is, “Life Itself” will explain it via monologue 10 minutes after delivering a ham-fisted demo of it in action. However, the movie uses unreliable narration as a way to pass off poor storytelling as a feature, not a bug.
But mostly, “Life Itself” is about death, with Fogelman co-opting the formula that made his television series “This Is Us” such a four-quadrant hit: twisty, twisted stories that rest on (1) Who is going to die next; and (2) how much are you going to cry over it? Death, or even the threat of death (in Fogelman’s world, perhaps better to refer to it as the promise of death) is his big trick, and it’s the only way “Life Itself” is propelled forward.
An unholy combination of “Rashomon” and “Babel,” it strings together seemingly disparate plotlines into one massive, messy tableau of (sorry, has to be done) life itself, a life that zings toward the warm embrace of death. Told in five chapters of mystifyingly uneven length, “Life Itself” opens with Will (Oscar Isaac), a man who feels too much and loves too hard and is presented in multiple timelines, from sprightly college student to expectant father to ruined, Bob Dylan lyric-spouting drunkard. Present-day Will has lost something dear to him, and as the story unfolds, with Fogelman treating choppy timelines as narrative creativity, it becomes clear that he has suffered greatly. He’ll suffer more soon. Will has lost his wife Abby (Olivia Wilde), and subsequent chapters will explore how that happened and what it’s done to scores of other people beyond him. (Spoiler: There are no risks of spoilers in a plot this convoluted.)
Short shrift is given to Will and Abby’s tragic spawn, Dylan (Olivia Cooke), in a truncated chapter that is meant to continue the heartbreak on a massive scale, but mostly stands out for featuring a scene in which Dylan punches a girl in the face and then shoves a PB&J down her throat. The film’s third and fourth chapters introduce a loving Spanish family and their broken-hearted employer (Antonio Banderas). All of this leads to heartbreak, betrayal, and an entire sequence designed to make fun of a minor character who didn’t look both ways before crossing the street, and it’s all interconnected to everything that came before.
Twists can be seen a mile away, but there’s narration to guide everything and handy flashbacks that make the whole endeavor feel like its own “previously seen on” network-drama catch-up. It all builds to a final chapter that’s nothing more than an epilogue expected to make the grueling two hours that came before it somehow seem worth it, but this optimistic 15-second coda doesn’t have a chance. While it’s designed to reward us after destruction, pain, at least two horrifically bloody bus accidents, and one oddly tossed-off subplot about about sexual abuse, this is a film so obsessed with death that it hasn’t bothered to give us any reason to care for the living.
Grade: D
“Life Itself” had its world premiere at TIFF. Amazon Studios will release it in theaters September 21.
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. | {
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Yellow shirt depicting a skull character resting by a tree (the leaves of which are actually the remnants of a bomb explosion). I assume the juxtaposition of death and war symbols, affixed on top of the tree suggests the futility of war in the midst of natural beauty.
I totally dig it, and want like 100 more of these. | {
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ATLUS’ Mother Company Index Corporation Files for Bankruptcy (But it’s Not as Bad as it Sounds) (UPDATED)
Giuseppe Nelva June 27, 2013 4:42 AM EST
Today brings partially sad news for JRPG lovers. During a meeting of the board of directors Index Corporation, that fully owns the prominent Japanese developer Atlus announced that it filed for Civil Rehabilitation (Minji Saisei), one of the Japanese equivalents of a Bankruptcy procedure. The petition was accepted by the Tokyo District court.
The official website of the company is down at the moment, but we can still access the cached version of the announcement document here.
Reading the document we learn that the company has liabilities amounting to 24.5 billion yen (about 25 million dollars). While Index saw stable profit from its digital game business, acquisitions of domestic and overseas companies weren’t as profitable. In addition to that the Incubator Bank of Japan, on which many small businesses relied, went bankrupt, this affected many companies participating in Index’s network.
Many loans granted to those smaller companies became non-collectable, and this worsened the conditions of the main company, creating a tight funding situation that involved uneasiness in supplier companies and financial institutions, leading to the bankruptcy filing announced today.
Luckily the situation is not as bad as it sounds, and this shouldn’t mean the cancellation of upcoming titles or the closure of the ATLUS (or ATLUS USA) brand.
Japan has two main bankruptcy procedures, Civil Rehabilitation (Minji Saisei) and Corporate Reorganisation (Kaisha Kosei). The second is kind of similar to the American Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (the bad one), while the first is similar to Chapter 11.
What it means is that Civil Rehabilitation (which is what Index Corporation filed for) is a Debtor in Possession proceeding where the debtor retains the full right to operate the business and/or to dispose of its assets while the debt is repaid, as opposed to the Corporate Reorganisation in which the company loses the right to independently operate.
The official document does specify that in the future the company will continue its business under the supervision of the director and the commissioners court, in order to improve its financial situation and rebuild the company’s coffers, also thanks to the strong earnings from the digital market.
The income from the mobile business and social games is expected to grow further and to provide support to the whole company, that will continue to restructure and rebuild its business in collaboration with financial institutions and business partners. Index is also looking to find investors or buyers for the business as soon as possible to improve the situation before there’s a chance of a deterioration of the financial situation.
In conclusion, while Index corporation did file for bankruptcy, the Civil Rehabilitation process should not influence ATLUS or its video game business majorly, as operation is allowed to continue as usual while investors are found. Considering that the core video game area of the company is solid and profitable, that shouldn’t be an enormous problem as this kind of business is normally quite attractive for investors and buyers.
We might see a further shift of resources towards mobile and social games (but this is just my personal speculation based on what the document says), but our beloved JRPGs should remain mostly unaffected for the time being.
UPDATE: Atlus took it to Twitter to reassure fans on the fact that releases scheduled for the immediate future will proceed as scheduled. | {
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Just last week, we noted that the story of Brynn Williams, a six-year old public school student who was supposedly banned from delivering her Christmas presentation in class because of its Christian content, was totally false.
This particular case was ginned up by a California-based group called Advocates for Faith & Freedom which has now decided, even though the entire case is bogus, to continue trying to make an issue out of it:
Legal group Advocates for Faith and Freedom is defending two California students who were censored by school officials when they shared their Christian faith. The families of Isaiah Martinez and Brynn Williams asked for legal assistance after teachers prevented them from sharing the true meaning of Christmas … Williams, a Temecula Valley first grader, brought a Star of Bethlehem from her family’s Christmas tree as a show-and-tell assignment, OneNewsNow reported. The little girl was told by the teacher to sit down before she could share her story. The legal group has scheduled meetings with each school district and is demanding that the students be allowed to pass out items with the Christmas story and to finish a presentation about Jesus without interruption. “The pendulum has swung so far in the wrong direction that often school officials, teachers feel entitled to be able to express hostility toward Christian students in the faith,” says Robert Tyler, general counsel at Advocates. The Constitution does not permit that, says Tyler, and instead requires a “neutrality toward all religions.” Advocates is also demanding that each school district adopt a model policy that will protect the religious liberties of all students. The model policy would then be utilized nationwide.
The fundamental issue upon which AFF based its case has been revealed to be utterly false, but the organization is pressing forward nonetheless … and this is exactly why we always says that Religious Right myths never, ever die. | {
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The videos that fall into this category won't be able to run ads and those who post them won't be able to make money off of the content. Comments will also be disabled. Additionally, these videos won't be included in any recommended lists or be able to play when embedded in other websites and a warning screen will appear before they play. The restrictions are meant to curtail engagement and minimize the videos' reach.
Along with this "limited state" for extremist videos, Google has also introduced a Redirect Method that sends users searching for certain keywords to videos that counter extremist content. And the company has been using machine learning video detection to track down and remove content that violates YouTube's policies.
Those that post videos affected by the policy will receive a note from the company and they'll be able to appeal the decision if they feel the restrictions are unwarranted. | {
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Milano’s Parco Sempione is a hive of activity on a warm, autumnal afternoon; the gentle hum of a lawn mower, mothers pursuing their young children, dogs on leads and a steady flow of tourists here to explore the Arco della Pace (Arc of Peace) and Castello Sforzesco.
Most are oblivious, or perhaps even indifferent, to another monument which lies in the north-western corner of the park, partially concealed by the reds and browns of the arboretum. This is Arena Civica; Milano’s other iconic stadium.
Both Milan clubs have played at Arena Civica, but it is Inter who have a binding affinity to this spectacular relic. It was their fortress between 1930 and 1947; it played host to their early triumphs and now represents something of a spiritual home to the Nerazzurri.
The Arena has a fascinating and rich history that extends far beyond the birth of calcio. It was built at the request of Napoleon Bonaparte – the then recently crowned King of Italy in 1805 – who declared that the city needed a modern venue to celebrate and showcase its wealth. Whilst the Arena was inspired by the Circo Massimo (Circus Maximus) in Rome, it’s no coincidence that Napoleon chose a city that was devoid of such a structure to implement his own grand vision. The fort that previously occupied the site was razed and the Arena was built according to the design of Neoclassical architect Luigi Canonica.
Originally named Arena del Foro Bonaparte, it was inaugurated in 1807. It played host to an array of entertainers and performances – including the recreation of naval battles in miniature (the Arena floor could be intentionally flooded), chariot racing, Buffalo Bill’s famous Wild West Show (1894, 1906) and the finale of the first Giro D’Italia cycle race in 1909.
The Arena is located around five kilometres to the east of San Siro, close to the city centre. The façade of the Arena is, perhaps, slightly unremarkable in the context of more extravagant architectural offerings elsewhere in the city. But it is on the inside that a real sense of history pervades. Access can be gained via the western entrance, with just the briefest of nods to the security guard. From there you can cross the terracotta running track and take up a position on the pitch in order to admire the splendour of the deep stone terraces, the high pillared clubhouse and the ornate porticoes of the western entrance.
Inter had originally staged home matches at Ripa di porta Ticinese in the Navigli district – and then later at Via Goldoni. However, flood-prone playing surfaces and limited capacity at these venues meant Inter had frequently switched matches to the Arena over the years. This remained the case for the first two decades of Inter’s history, encompassing both their 1919/20 and 1929/30 Scudetti triumphs. In 1930/31, Inter took up permanent residence at the Arena following the tragic collapse of a grandstand at Via Goldoni.
The Napoleonic structure provided an excellent fit for the club, which traditionally represented the bourgeoisie of Milano. Whilst at the Arena, Inter won further Scudetti in 1937/38 and 1939/40, intersected by a Coppa Italia victory in 1938/39. Inter legend Guiseppe Meazza scored more than half of his 282 Nerazzurri goals at the Arena.
Ultimately, the combination of Inter’s growing popularity and damage sustained during wartime air raids meant that the love affair with the Arena could continue no longer. The Municipality of Milano had recently purchased Stadio San Siro from Milan, and were in the process of modernising and extending that venue, providing a natural successor to the Arena. Inter continued to train at the Arena into the 1950s (then under the guidance of Mister Meazza) and played the occasional game there too. Inter’s final match took in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – a forerunner to the UEFA cup – took place at the Arena, where they beat Lyon 7-0 in December 1958. Such was their attachment to the place, Helenio Herrera’s Grande Inter side returned there for their team photograph in 1962/63.
It’s not just Interisti who are entitled to feel sentimental about this illustrious venue. Herbert Kilpin’s nascent AC Milan played here in one of the first formal football matches ever to be staged in the city. Milan beat Mediolanum on 25 May 1900, disposing of Juventus two days later to win the Medaglia del Re (Medal of the King). Milan used the Arena as a training pitch and sporadically for Campionato matches through to 1914. Latterly, Milan switched their 1957 European Cup first Round match with Glasgow Rangers to the Arena, owing to the presence of a thick blanket of fog shrouding the San Siro. Notably, the Arena also hosted the first ever match of the Italian national side, running out 6-2 winners against France in 1910.
Today the Arena has been renamed in honour of sports journalist Gianni Brera, but continues to be used as originally intended; variously hosting football (Brera Calcio), rugby, athletics and concerts. The Torre Branca observation tower located adjacent to the Arena offers views over the city – and the rare opportunity to see both Inter’s past and present homes in a single panorama.
This hidden gem is unquestionably worthy of exploration – and there appears to be a remarkably relaxed attitude to visitor access to the Arena. The opportunity to stand in the footsteps of Milano’s footballing pioneers, to walk on the very same turf where great triumphs unfolded, and to draw in a deep breath of calcio heritage is surely not to be missed.
Words by Tom Griffiths: @CalcioEngland
Image credit: Tom Griffiths | {
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カゴメは、40代～50代のおっさんが『ウルトラマン』シリーズの好敵手・バルタン星人と戦うWEB動画『中高年のスルフォラファン』を、6月1日よりスルフォラファンキャンペーンサイトにて公開した。
本動画は、ブロッコリーやブロッコリースプラウトに含まれ、肝機能改善に効果が認められている"スルフォラファン"啓発のために制作されたもので、これまで肝臓を酷使してきた40代～50代を元気づけるという内容。第一話「いくつになっても負けられない」と題された3分越えの動画では、『ウルトラマン』シリーズで人気のバルタン星人がオフィス街に突如出現。人々が逃げまどう中、見た目はおっさんのヒーロー"スルフォラファン"がバルタン星人に果敢に立ち向かっていく。
変身して巨大化しても、見た目は普通のおっさんと変わらないスルフォラファン。最初は勢い良く戦っていたが、徐々にスタミナが切れてきて、バルタン星人のハサミから放たれた光線でスルフォラファンは完全にダウンしてしまう。会社では後輩から頼られず、年下上司からキツイ言葉を浴びせら、屋台で同僚と酒を飲みながら酔って眠ってしまう……そんな回想がスルフォラファンの頭をよぎる。このままやられてしまうのかと思った矢先、同僚の「俺たち、まだ終わりじゃねぇだろ」という言葉に覚醒し、「このまま終われるかよ」とジャケットを脱いで、バルタン星人に挑んでいく姿が描かれている。
(C)円谷プロ | {
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WASHINGTON—John Boehner, the former speaker of the House, once stood second in line for the presidency and staunchly against legalized marijuana. Now you can find the longtime Republican standing before a wallsize photo of the Capitol, making an online infomercial pitch for the cannabis industry.
“This is one of the most exciting opportunities you’ll ever be part of,” Boehner says in an endlessly streaming video for the National Institute for Cannabis Investors. “Frankly, we can help you make a potential fortune.”
Boehner’s pro-weed epiphany coincides with the prospect of a payday as high as $20 million (U.S.) from the industry he once so vigorously opposed. He sits on the board of Acreage Holdings, a marijuana investment firm whose sale to a cannabis industry giant hinges on Boehner’s ability to persuade Congress and the federal government to legalize, or at least legitimize, marijuana.
The chain-smoking, merlot-sipping, former 12-term congressman from Ohio says he had never lit a joint in his life when he and former Massachusetts Gov. William F. Weld, now a Republican candidate for president, joined Acreage’s board last year. This year, Acreage announced plans to sell itself to Canopy Growth, a Canadian company that is the biggest cannabis holding in the world. The deal, worth around $3 billion, based on current stock prices for both Acreage and Canopy, would create an $18-billion behemoth, industry analysts say.
Buried deep in a financial filing from Nov. 14, 2018, is Acreage’s disclosure that the two men each hold 625,000 shares in the company, which if sold after the company’s sale to Canopy would net them a fortune.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., a founder of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, said he saw Boehner at a dinner on Capitol Hill the day he joined Acreage.
“I said, ‘John, where were you when we needed you?’ And he said, ‘I’ve evolved,’” Blumenauer recalled in an interview, imitating Boehner’s smoky baritone. (Boehner had made a similar statement on Twitter earlier that day.)
“He’s nothing if not entrepreneurial,” Blumenauer said. “The more the merrier.”
But there is a catch. The takeover will not happen without substantial changes in marijuana policy, leaving it up to Boehner and his team of lobbyists to work their magic in Washington.
Boehner declined to be interviewed for this article. Terry Holt, a spokesman for the National Cannabis Roundtable, which Boehner founded in February, declined to speculate on Boehner’s potential income from the sector. Boehner “sees an investment opportunity in cannabis,” Holt said. Citing statistics suggesting most Americans favour “some kind of marijuana reform,” he added, “Who wouldn’t want to be involved?”
A slew of former lawmakers agree. Among those who have signed on in recent months to represent the weed industry are former Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota, a longtime Democratic leader in the Senate; former Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.; former Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y.; and former Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla.
Boehner, who resigned in 2015 under pressure from conservative Republican hard-liners, had some adjusting to do after he left the speakership, and, as recently as 2017, brooded about his purpose in life. Boehner told Politico at the time that a long-time family friend had approached him and said: “You’ve always had a purpose — your business, your family, politics. What’s your purpose now?” Boehner responded that the question gnawed at him every day.
But Boehner’s post-retirement fortunes, at least, were not in doubt. Upon leaving Congress, he was offered an array of jobs in the influence industry, and chose several.
In 2016, he joined Squire Patton Boggs, successor to the marquee Washington law and lobbying firm, as a “strategic adviser.” About the same time, Boehner, who once handed out campaign checks from the tobacco industry to lawmakers on the House floor, joined the board of the tobacco giant Reynolds American, makers of his favourite Camel brand.
Reynolds directors with his profile earn roughly $400,000 a year, and Boehner holds other board seats, too, Holt said. Combined with a pension derived from his $223,000 annual congressional salary, Boehner likely earns a seven-figure retirement income, even without the potential Acreage windfall.
Boehner and Weld joined Acreage’s board in April 2018, and together issued a statement: “We both believe the time has come for serious consideration of a shift in federal marijuana policy.”
For evidence, “We need to look no further than our nation’s 20 million veterans, 20% of whom, according to a 2017 American Legion survey, reportedly use cannabis to self-treat PTSD, chronic pain and other ailments,” they said, denouncing “the refusal of the VA to offer it as an alternative” to opioids.
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Chanda Macias, the National Cannabis Roundtable’s first vice-chairwoman and the owner and general manager of the National Holistic Health Center medical marijuana dispensary in Washington, said that she had seen more than 10,000 patients who suffer from a lack of research, education and access to medical marijuana.
“This is not about Boehner,” Macias added, “this is about saving lives.”
On March 15, Boehner and Kevin Murphy, Acreage Holdings’ chief executive, spoke at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, their business attire contrasting with the crowd’s T-shirts and sleeve tattoos.
“I’d rather not take Advil PM every night,” Boehner said. “If only there was something else that could help me sleep.” He drew jeers from some members of the audience who objected to Boehner’s cashing in on the cannabis boom after opposing legalization for so long.
When he was House speaker, Boehner earned the equivalent of an “F” rating from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which in 2011 excoriated him for his opposition to the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act. The proposed bill, which died in committee, would have legalized marijuana for adult use and removed it from the Food and Drug Administration’s list of Schedule I controlled substances.
In a 2011 blog post, the organization highlighted Boehner’s frosty response to “Todd,” an Ohio constituent who wrote Boehner asking him to co-sponsor the bill. “I am unalterably opposed to the legalization of marijuana or any other FDA Schedule I drug,” Boehner wrote. “I remain concerned that legalization will result in increased abuse of all varieties of drugs, including alcohol.”
Eight years later, Paul Armentano, the organization’s deputy director, has accused Boehner of “financial opportunism.”
“He was in a much more influential position to bring about these legislative changes when he was a leading member of Congress than now, when he is largely a corporate shill,” Armentano said.
In his infomercial for the National Institute for Cannabis Investors, Boehner makes a pitch for the coming “green gold rush” and promises that “the prohibition on cannabis is almost over.” He adds, “I can’t wait to see you on the inside.”
The institute, based in Baltimore, offers a Diamond Level membership (“The Best Deal!”) with special reports, including “The #1 Cannabis Startup to Target Today,” “The Cannabis King Maker” and “The Millionaire-Making Mergers & Acquisitions Set to Happen This Year,” pitching the deal as “a $1,681 value, yours for just $79.” | {
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EAST HARLEM – Disturbing video posted on Facebook over the weekend shows a group of teens snickering as they torture a delivery man.
The assault happened at the Wagner Houses, according to the description and comments on the initial Facebook post.
Video shows the delivery man, clutching several bags of food, walk out of the lobby just before a teen blindsides him, knocking him to the ground.
The assault appeared to have been planned, as the person filming yells “World Star” before the shove, referring to the website infamous for knockout videos and other disturbing content.
“What’s up with you bro?” the teen says to the delivery man, as the others yell “Push him, push him!”
Saying nothing, the man tries to walk away, but the teen grabs his bags of food, ripping them out of his hands as the delivery man pleads with him.
The bags tear and the soy sauce and food spills out onto the stairs. As the teen continues to taunt him, the delivery man decides to fight back, striking the boy several times in the head.
The video ends when a man walks out of the building and yells, “Yo, cut that s*** out.”
The commanding officer of the 25th Precinct, Deputy Inspector Thomas Harnisch, confirmed he is aware of the incident but said the police weren’t called and no complaint filed. | {
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CONFIRMING: KLOL's Jim Pruett died late Friday afternoon. He was 72. Praying for Joy and the boys as they make arrangements. Obit coming. — Lanny Griffith (@LannyG) September 3, 2016
HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Jim Pruett, one-half of the "Stevens & Pruett", has died, according to Pruett's familyLanny Griffith, who reported traffic on KLOL, posted that Pruett, died on Friday afternoon at the age of 72.Pruett was a legend at the famous rock station KLOL which launched in 1970.Here is the statement from the Jim Pruett Family.Stevens, Pruett's partner at KLOL, passed away in 2011 at 76. | {
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CHICAGO (CBS) — It seems like street lights would make a neighborhood safer, but when they’re old and rusty, they can be a danger.
A light pole at the foot of an alley just one block from Bridge Elementary School in the Dunning neighborhood fell just before 1 a.m. Tuesday, and the whole thing was caught on security footage.
Residents say the timing was pure luck.
“That could be really dangerous just for people who are walking around, and just like kids who are going from school, and like me from the bus from school, too,” said Edyta Klimek.
Students walk right under the pole daily.
The Illinois Department of Transportation told CBS 2 that crews were out yesterday within hours clearing the pole from the sidewalk and making the wires safe.
When a CBS 2 crew arrived Wednesday morning, the poll was still there, visibly rusty and deteriorated.
Some residents say this was no surprise.
“They fall down all the time around here,” said Maureen Larkner.
On Wednesday the Chicago Department of Transportation told CBS 2 they responded to more than 3,300 complaints about damaged light poles last year alone.
A year ago CBS 2 reported that from 2015 to 2017 the city received 10,000 complaints involving fallen or leaning light poles.
“I wish they could find more money to do it,” Larkner said. “With all the speed cameras they’re putting in over here I wish they’d put it into the light poles.”
Ald. Nick Sposato of the 38th Ward says he thinks the city is responsive.
“I do, certainly for me. On the Northwest Side in my ward we don’t have a whole heck of a lot of them, but usually anything with electrical they are Johnny-on-the-spot,” Sposato said.
After CBS 2 called CDOT Wednesday, they showed up within a couple of hours.
A new light pole has since been installed.
But the real concern isn’t how fast CDOT shows up after a light pole fails. It’s how to prevent the deterioration in the first place. One city worker said that protective covers placed over the bolts actually trap moisture and accelerate rusting. That’s not an issue with the new aluminum poles. | {
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Product Name: The Affiliate Manager Course | Affiliate Program Management Made Easy
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Description:
Date:
October 5, 2019
When you first started marketing your products, you probably spent a lot of time figuring out different marketing strategies like driving traffic from search engines, pay-per-clicks, article marketing, banner advertising and anything else you could find to get traffic to your website.
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– I’m sure you know that there are many affiliate programs and systems to choose from. However some of the most popular on the market include ClickBank, JVZoo, 1ShoppingCart, and WP Affiliate Platform.
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I want you to get set up as quickly as possible so you can start making money with your affiliate program, so along with the Affiliate Program Management Training Guide you will also receive these 4 step by step guides to show you exactly how Clickbank, JV Zoo, 1 Shopping Cart, and WP Affiliate Platform work and how to get started and be successful with each affiliate management system…
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For quick-reference, I’ve added 5 very important checklists that will help you through the important aspects of affiliate program management – setting up and running your successful affiliate program. Here’s what you’ll find in the checklists…
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When I learnt how to manage an affiliate program from scratch I honestly spent almost a hundred hours searching for the right resources and tools to make the entire thing work. And along the way I also wasted hundreds of dollars on material, some of which really was rubbish advice!
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2019. All rights reserved.
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北海道での事例ですが、当然北海道だけに留まる話ではありません。詳細は以下から。
海外からも現代の人身売買制度と強く批判される日本の外国人技能実習制度。発展途上国の外国人に技能を学んでもらうという建前だけの奴隷制であることは繰り返しBUZZAP!では指摘してきましたが、その正しさが証明された形となります。
北海道労働局は、道内で外国人技能実習生を受け入れていた事業者の約9割に労働基準法などの違反があったと発表しました。反があったのは2017年12月初旬までに監督指導に入った106の事業所のうち、食品製造業などの91業所（85.8％）となっています。
「長時間労働が疑われる事業者を中心に監督指導に入ったため、違反率が上がった可能性がある」とのことですが、例え違反率が50％であったとしても既に制度として完全に崩壊し、違法操業の温床となっていると判断せざるを得ないことは前提として押さえておかなければなりません。
今回発覚した違反件数133件の内訳は以下の通り。安全対策の不備に残業代未払いからサービス残業、労働条件の隠蔽まで、ブラック企業そのものであることは一目瞭然です。
「安全措置対策がとられていない機械を使用させた」…35件
「労使協定を超えた時間外労働」…22件
「時間外労働に対する割り増し賃金の未払い」…20件
「労働条件を母国語で明示しない」…14件
違反事業者に対しては各労基署が指導し、安全教育などを実施させているとしていますが、違反が全て解消するまで外国人実習生の受入を禁止するなどの厳格な措置が必要です。
もちろん、最善策は現代日本の奴隷制である外国人技能実習制度の即時撤廃ですが、いつまで日本はこうした19世紀的な制度を維持し続けるつもりなのでしょうか？
外国人実習生：受け入れ事業者の9割違反 長時間労働など ／北海道 - 毎日新聞
・関連記事
法務省「外国人技能実習生の失踪急増は原因不明、遺憾」現代の奴隷制度の問題点を全く理解せず | BUZZAP！（バザップ！）
コンビニ各社が現代の奴隷制度である「外国人技能実習制度」に申請する方針と判明 | BUZZAP！（バザップ！）
まさに現代日本の奴隷制度、外国人技能実習生に122時間残業で初の過労死認定 | BUZZAP！（バザップ！）
完全に奴隷扱い、外国人技能実習生受入機関の国別比較採点表「国別の介護技能実習生のポテンシャル」が絶句ものの酷さ | BUZZAP！（バザップ！）
「待遇は最低賃金で残業、休日出勤は喜んで仕事します！」、外国人実習生制度がもはや現代の人身売買に | BUZZAP！（バザップ！）
新たな「奴隷制」になるのか？自民党が新たに外国人労働者受け入れ拡大の方針 | BUZZAP！（バザップ！） | {
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Харьковская городская территориальная избирательная комиссия (ТИК) зарегистрировала 11 кандидатов на должность харьковского городского головы.
Занять пост мэра хотят: политики, бизнесмены, миллионеры и даже медики.
Мы решили собрать некоторые данных о кандидатах, а также рассказать нашим читателям то, что знаем о них сами.
Часть информации исключительно оценочное суждение редакции и на факт не претендует.
Игорь Балута «Партия волонтеров Украины»
Политик, предприниматель. Окончил Харьковский медицинский институт, специальность «педиатрия», квалификация — врач-педиатр.
Экс-губернатор Харьковщины. Зарекомендовал себя как опытный руководитель. Общителен. Чрезмерно эмоционален. Дружен с главой МВД в Харьковской области Анатолием Дмитриевым. Не богат.
Александр Давтян – «Блок Петра Порошенка «Солидарность»
Небезызвестный бизнесмен. Владелец нескольких отелей и СМИ в Харькове. Несколько лет назад в интервью одному из харьковских изданий заявил, что противник мэрской должности.
«Никогда в жизни! Я считаю, что Добкин вполне достойный мэр, особенно если сравнивать с предыдущими».
Кандидатуру Давтяна поддержали глава Администрации Президента Борис Ложкин и губернатор Харьковской области Игорь Райнин. Приспосабливается под любую власть.
Юрий Сапронов – самовыдвиженец
Бизнесмен. Владелец убыточного гольф-клуба. Миллионер. Как заверяет сам, зарабатывает не в Украине. Экс-зам Добкина. Подозревался в укрывательстве Януковича после его бегства. Данный факт сам Сапронов категорически отрицает.
Игорь Швайка – партия «Свобода»
Экс-кандидат на пост городского головы. Экс-министр аграрной политики. Ярый «свободовец». Подозревается во взяточничестве. Арестован. Выпущен под залог в 1,2 миллиона.
Анна Меркулова – "Сила людей"
С отличием закончила экономический факультет.
Выпускница ХНУ им. В.Н. Каразина. Отличница. Экономист. Более 10 лет работает в рекламном бизнесе. Руководитель. На выборы идет с лозунгом: «Социальная гармония – это красиво, а красота спасет Харьков!» В официальных беседах наследует манеру общения в стиле «совок».
Тарас Ситенко – "Самопоміч"
Медик. Научный деятель. Специальность - ортопедия и травматология. Обладатель красного диплома. Руководитель Харьковского областного представительства «Объединение «Самопоміч». Врач и бизнесмен. В 16 лет успешно занялся мелкой торговлей сахаром. Сейчас занимаемся «всем подряд».
Геннадий Кернес – "Відродження"
Скандальный мэр. Баллотируется на второй срок. Постепенно с января текущего года переписывал весь свой бизнес на свою гражданскую жену Оксану Гайсинскую. Обвиняется в пытках и похищении. Подсудимый.
Юрий Кроль – самовыдвиженец
Экс-руководитель Московского района. В прошломвыдвиженец от социал-демократов. Страстный любитель бильярда.
Анатолий Родзинский – "Народный контроль"
Инженер-математик и «международный экономист», правовед. Несколько раз становился жертвой побоев неизвестными.
Эдуард Ходос – самовыдвиженец
Педагог. Глава еврейской реформистской общины Харьковщины. Любитель антиквариата. Приверженец теории всемирного заговора масонов и еврейского фашизма.
Дарт Вейдер - "Блок Дарта Вейдера"
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‘Teen Mom’ Trouble! Jade Cline & Baby Daddy Sean Sued For Unpaid Rent The new co-star left the home after a nasty fight on the show.
Although Jade Cline moved out of the home she shared with troubled baby daddy Sean Austin on a recent episode of Teen Mom 2, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal Jade and Sean have been sued for unpaid rent.
FS Houses – Property Management 317 LLC filed a Notice of Claim for Possession against Jade and Sean on September 30, 2019.
A clerk for Center Township Court in Indiana told Radar the Plaintiff sued for $2,089.60. The rent on the home was $995 per month.
An eviction hearing has been set for October 22, 2019.
The home listed in the case is the house they have filmed in on recent episodes of Teen Mom 2.
As viewers know, Jade accused Sean of abusing drugs. She left their home with their daughter Kloie and moved into a new house.
On a recent episode, Jade accused Sean of harboring himself in the home with her gun. She called police to escort her to the home so she could obtain her belongings, as she feared he would act erratically.
When her family and friends removed furniture from the home, officers said, “You got 5 minutes. We’re not standing here all day while you move” and advised her to contact the Civil Sheriff.
Jade fired back, “This is my house. I could get my things. It’s my furniture.”
Sean then screamed, “You don’t have to have all the furniture, Jade. Do you have all the things that I bought?”
When police told Jade and her family to leave, she responded to police, “This is my house… He’s been abusing me. They’re protecting a drug addict!”
On the most recent episode, Jade refused to allowed Sean to see their daughter because of his behavior.
Sean turned to Instagram Live to slam her.
Scroll through RadarOnline.com’s gallery for more on Jade’s legal troubles. | {
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Kun puusta tehdään dieselöljyä, kuluu puuta paljon polttoainelitran tekemiseen. Ilmakehään vapautuvan hiilidioksidin määräkin on yli kaksinkertainen verrattuna fossiilisen dieselin valmistukseen ja käyttöön, kirjoittaa Ilkka Savolainen.
Kun puusta tehdään dieselöljyä, kuluu puuta paljon polttoainelitran tekemiseen. Ilmakehään vapautuvan hiilidioksidin määräkin on yli kaksinkertainen verrattuna fossiilisen dieselin valmistukseen ja käyttöön, kirjoittaa Ilkka Savolainen.
Lukuaika noin 2 min
Suomi on teollistunut ja vaurastunut suureksi osaksi metsätaloutta hyödyntämällä. Metsän käyttö tuo rahaa ja motivaatiota metsän pitkäjänteiselle hoidolle. Runsaista hakkuista huolimatta metsien puuvaranto ja hiilivarasto kasvavat, mikä sitoo ilmasta hiilidioksidia ja hillitsee ilmastonmuutosta. | {
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With the Halloween season in full swing, the talk of cemeteries came up at Tuesday's Lansdale Town Hall Meeting.
Specifically, where Lansdale Borough stands in its discussions with Lansdale Cemetery Inc. to take ownership of Lansdale Cemetery at Whites Road and South Broad Street.
The question was broached by resident and borough council Ward One Republican candidate Jean Fritz.
"It's in the process now," said borough Manager Timi Kirchner at the town hall. "We are working with the cemetery group for the borough to take over the cemetery."
Kirchner said it a good working relationship is necessary for a smooth transition.
"The borough is working with ... a group that tried to replace itself, but just hasn't been successful in doing that," she said. "It makes sense for us to work closely with an organization that is slowly, but surely, going away."
Owners Lansdale Cemetery Inc. approached Lansdale Borough and asked them to consider taking over ownership of the cemetery and mausoleum.
On June 20, 2012, council approved an assessment on the integrity of the cemetery and mausoleum, as due diligence in a potential acquisition.
Kirchner said ownership needs to happen now, so to avoid disrepair and costs associated with its renovation.
"Under the law, cemeteries in any municipality that fall into disrepair automatically become the responsibility of the municipality," she said. "We've done the research."
Fritz said the cemetery looks "fine," and appreciated the update.
"You'll be hearing more about it in near future," Kirchner said.
Lansdale Cemetery Inc. President Phil Miller said last year that the cemetery board has been responsible for the maintenance and operation of the cemetery since 1965.
In October 2009, the five-member board "begged" for money for repairing and replacing sections of sidewalk that had become hazardous.
"Inflation in the last 36 years has caused the resources that we have to not go as far as they did 46 years ago," Miller said last year. "Our investments in the trust fund, as with all investments in the last two, three years, have taken a real hit or at least income therefrom has been reduced substantially."
Miller said then that many who were interested in the cemetery 46 years ago have either passed on or they are two generations beyond folks who had an interest in the cemetery as a result of having relatives buried there.
As a cemetery board, those wishing to be interred pay the board for a plot. The money goes into the bank and the board pays to mow the lawn and maintain trees.
Miller said the board has struggled to fill vacant slots.
It is not unusual for municipalities to get into the cemetery business. Souderton Borough was known locally for taking over ownership and maintenance of Hillside Cemetery. | {
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First time making a quality meme - Someone steals it, posts it on another sub, and gets way more karma than I do
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A Netherlands man claims he spotted a blue UFO flying through the sky, and the footage he was able to record clearly proves it.
Dick Smits was at his home in Maassluis, just south of The Hague, videotaping a boat on a canal through his window. Suddenly, Smits noticed something in the sky, so he turned the attention of the camera to what appeared to be a blue flying object.
When looking at the unknown object, it first appears to be what we call a flying saucer. Watching more closely, however, it does seem possible that object could be some sort of manmade aircraft. Some are speculating that the object could very well be a US stealth aircraft or the highly publicized unmanned X-47B drone.
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Smits says he has no idea what the object is and couldn’t provide an explanation of how it eventually disappeared from the sky.
“It is in chameleon mode,” pointed out one user on the Huffington Post report. “It is probably a f-22 stealth fighter.”
“Because if it WAS aliens, they would likely be compiling information so they can engineer a bioweapon to release into the atmosphere and exterminate us,” wrote another user. “But it's not; I don't believe aliens have ever been here, but, if they should ever arrive, we're toast.”
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So, needless to say, nobody knows for sure what this mysterious object is, and despite all the theories, we’ll probably never know the truth.
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„Senki nem szurkol a vírusnak. Természetes nemzeti egység van. Csakhogy a koronavírus nem indul választáson. Az ellenzék meg igen. Őket kell ledarálni. A tegnapi nap nem szólt másról.” A Válasz Online leginkább ténycikkekben utazik. Publicisztikát akkor írunk, ha nem hallgathatunk. Például most.
Bravúr.
„A mai napon bebizonyosodott: nem a kormánynak van ellenzéke, hanem a hazának ellensége. A gyűlölet felülírta a józan észt és az emberséget. Szégyen!” – értelmiségi, polgári, fideszes családanya Facebook-bejegyzése a tegnapi parlamenti szavazás után.
„Köszönjük az 52 bátor embernek, akik a hatalom járványszerű terjedésétől mentettek meg minket!” – értelmiségi, ellenzéki aktivista nő Facebook-bejegyzése a tegnapi parlamenti szavazás után.
Szóval igen, sikerült. Totális Fidesz-győzelmet hozott a tegnapi nap. Sajnos nem a járvány elleni harcban. Abban nem is hozhatott. Hiszen annak, ami tegnap a Parlament falai között történt – a felhatalmazási törvény körüli hajcihőnek – a világon semmi köze nem volt a járvány elleni harchoz. Annak kizárólag az ellenzék elleni harchoz volt köze.
A győzelem márpedig azért bravúros, mert mint a fenti idézetekből látszik, kormánypárti és ellenzéki oldalon egyaránt sikerült azt a velejéig hamis látszatot kelteni, hogy itt ellentét van, hogy az ellenzék megakadályozott valamit. Hogy a kormány megvédené a hazát, míg az ellenzéknek a hatalom elleni harc a fontos, meg hogy ideologizáljon, meg jogvédősködjön, amikor nem annak van itt az ideje.
Volt már persze olyan helyzet is. Nem is régen. Öt éve. Akkor, a migránsválság idején valóban létezett a Willkommenskultur, európai szinten mantráztak befogadásról, a határnyitás fontosságáról, Kunhalmi Ágnes álproblémának nevezte az ügyet… A leegyszerűsítő, hergelő és gyakran hazug propagandát a kormány ráépítette arra is, nyert is vele rengeteg szavazatot, de ott valóban volt két jól elkülöníthető álláspont, és Orbán Viktor bele tudott állni az egyikbe – ráadásul abba, amely legmélyebb rétegében igaz is volt. Hogy ugyanis a nyakra-főre befogadás nem megoldása, hanem elmélyítése a válságnak.
Most viszont, amikor a koronavírus okoz válságot, veszélyhelyzetet, nincsenek ellentétes álláspontok. Az ellenzék minden egyes tagja is ugyanazt akarja, amit a kormány, amit minden magyar ember. Meg minden nem magyar ember Európában és világszerte. Hogy küzdjük le ezt a járványt. Hogy minél kevesebb áldozatot szedjen a betegség.
Senki nem szurkol a vírusnak. Az alaphelyzet tehát ez: természetes nemzeti egység van. Csakhogy a koronavírus nem indul választáson. Az ellenzék meg igen. Őket kell ledarálni.
Hátha rájuk lehet fogni, hogy mégiscsak a vírusnak drukkolnak ezek! Akkor végük. Mondogatni is kezdte ezt a szöveget az egykor oly’ emberarcúnak látszó Gulyás Gergely, vasárnap már az előbbivel sosem vádolható Kovács Zoltán is, de a mantrázás önmagában nem elég, valami helyzetet is teremteni kellett. Valamit, amiben az ellenzék is aktívan részt vesz.
E helyzet megteremtése márpedig most igazán nem volt egyszerű, tekintve, hogy a Fidesz kétharmaddal kormányoz, azaz csaknem bármilyen törvényt el tud fogadni az ellenzék nélkül is. A veszélyhelyzet meghosszabbítását is el tudja. Igaz, azt éppen nem kell hosszabbítani: a veszélyhelyzet kinyilvánítása megtörtént március 11-én, s az bizony egészen a járvány végéig tart. Ebben az időszakban a kormány azonnal hatályos rendeleteket alkothat, a törvényeket is felülírhatja ezekkel, tehát gyorsan tud intézkedni. Csupán annyi van, hogy ezek az így hozott intézkedések (de nem maga a veszélyhelyzet) hatályukat vesztik 15 nap után. Ami jogilag nem jelent gondot: a kormány újra kihirdetheti akár szó szerint ugyanazokat a rendeleteket is, hiszen a veszélyhelyzet nem múlt el továbbra sem.
Logikusabb persze ilyen helyzetben hosszabb időre rendkívüli felhatalmazást adni a kormánynak, hogy ne kelljen 15 naponta ilyesmivel pepecselnie, de ahhoz, mint láttuk, nem kell az ellenzék. Elég fideszes van a parlamentben a hosszabbítás, akár a korlátlan idejű hosszabbítás megszavazásához. A naptárakat nem fertőzi a koronavírus, tehát egészen pontosan lehetett tudni, mikor veszítik hatályukat a rendkívüli rendelkezések. Azaz: ha a kormány időben beterjesztette volna a hosszabbítást, megszavazták volna és kész, tehát tegnap nem kellett volna rendkívüli, sürgősségi napirendre vétel.
De hiszen épp ez volt a cél: hogy kelljen. Az ellenzéknek egy-két ilyen ügyrendi jogocskája maradt csupán: a gyorsított eljáráshoz négyötöd kell.
Sikerült tehát megtalálni a kis rést, amely átvezet a szokatlan helyzetbe, amikor az ellenzék valamiről dönthet.
Félő volt persze, hogy ha ésszerű javaslatot terjeszt be a kormány, akkor az ellenzék megszavazza a gyorsított eljárást, sőt, a végén még az előterjesztést is. Ha például a kormány 90 napra kérte volna az Országgyűlés kiiktatását és a rendeleti kormányzást, azzal, hogy utána újabb szavazással az meghosszabbítható, belementek volna. De akkor hogy lehetett volna az ellentét látszatát kelteni? Hogy lehetett volna a szabotőr ellenzék képét hatásosan felfesteni?
Fidesz A mai parlamenti szavazáson ismét kiderült: az ellenzékre még ilyen kivételes veszélyhelyzetben, a magyar emberek biztonságának megvédése érdekében sem lehet számítani.
Hogy lehessen, az előterjesztésbe bele kellett írni olyan, demokráciában már az ókori görögök által is elutasított, civilizációsan elfogadhatatlan kitételeket, amilyen a határozatlan időre átruházott hatalom. Ilyesmi napirendre vételéhez nyilvánvalóan semmilyen ellenzéki nem adhatja a szavazatát – ahogy nem adhatná fideszes sem, amint arra a pártnak egyébként még a legutóbbi önkormányzati kampányban is dolgozó Zárug Péter Farkas politológus is felhívta a figyelmet. Vagy épp a balos elhajlással aligha vádolható jogtudós, Király Miklós – annak a konzervatív politikai enciklopédiának a szerkesztője, amelybe a korlátlan felhatalmazást most minden eszközzel védő államtitkár, Orbán Balázs is írt.
A három hónapos felhatalmazás tehát ezért nem kellett Orbán Viktornak. Mert azt megszavazta volna az ellenzék is. Ezért csak az idők végezetéig tartó kellett neki – vagy legalábbis addig, ameddig ő úgy nem dönt, hogy most már lemond róla. (Eddig egy ilyen tapasztalatunk van: a tömeges bevándorlás okozta válsághelyzetet úgy hosszabítgatta meg a kormány félévente – legutóbb március 5-én – , hogy annak semmilyen, a törvényben meghatározott feltétele nem állt már fenn.) Vajon Orbán Viktor megszavazna-e időkorlát nélküli teljhatalmat Gyurcsány Ferencnek bármilyen helyzetben? Ugye, hogy nem. Az időkorlát nélküli felhatalmazás pontosan ugyanazért nem jár neki sem. Senkinek sem.
Az ellenérv, hogy ugyanis nem tudni, a parlament képes lesz-e összeülni három hónap múlva, hogy hosszabbítson, ezért kell a korlátlan idejű felhatalmazás: egyszerűen nevetséges. Nem más csinál belőle viccet, mint maga a felhatalmazási törvényjavaslat. Az mutatja meg ugyanis, milyen egyszerű néhány szóban, egyetlen paragrafusszakaszban rendezni ilyen kérdéseket. Idézem: „Az Alkotmánybíróság teljes ülése, valamint a tanács ülése a veszélyhelyzet megszűnéséig az elnök döntése alapján elektronikus kommunikációs eszköz igénybevételével is megtartható.” (5. § (2))
Nos, ha az Alkotmánybíróság ülését meg lehet tartani elektronikus kommunikációs eszköz igénybevételével, akkor meg lehet a parlamentét is.
Az az érv sem áll meg, hogy mivel a kormány csak a járvány elleni védekezésre használhatja a teljhatalmat, ezért nem lesz gond. Nem bizalom vagy bizalmatlanság, nem az érzelmek számítanak itt sem. Hanem a tapasztalat.
Két hete sincs érvényben a veszélyhelyzet, de fideszes polgármesterek Komlón vagy Szekszárdon máris arra használták rendkívüli jogosítványaikat, hogy kiiktassák a testületet, egyszemélyben hozzanak költségvetést, vegyenek újságot stb.
Ezek a visszaélések nem ködös félelmek, nem a kormánygyűlölet vad képzelgései – hanem tények, megtörtént események az elmúlt napokból.
A „szájzárpasszussal” hasonló a helyzet: sorolhatnánk, hogyan bánt a hatalom a nyilvánossággal, s annak fényében hogy fest a javaslat, amely szerint: „Aki különleges jogrend idején nagy nyilvánosság előtt olyan valótlan tényt vagy való tényt oly módon elferdítve állít vagy híresztel, amely alkalmas arra, hogy a védekezés eredményességét akadályozza vagy meghiúsítsa, bűntett miatt egy évtől öt évig terjedő szabadságvesztéssel büntetendő.” De nem soroljuk.
Elég annyi, hogy ha ez már hatályos lett volna az elmúlt hetekben, Gulyás Gergely alappal rémülhetne meg az éveken át viselendő nehéz vas gondolatától. Amikor a főminiszter egy hónapja arról beszélt, hogy van elég szájmaszk és napi 25 ezret gyártanak belőle börtönökben, az például hány év lenne? Miután tegnap a miniszterelnök mondta el, hogy hetente gyártanak ennyit, azt pedig tapasztaljuk, hogy nincs elég. Vagy amikor ugyancsak Gulyás Gergely arról beszélt, hogy a fiatalok nyugodtan össze-vissza fertőzhetik egymást, nem lesz bajuk – az halmazatilag már öt év börtön? Vagy amikor Demszky Gábor kijelenti, hogy úgy tudja, hétfőtől kijárási tilalom? Szóval ha ezt komolyan vennénk, bizony nem csak a kormánymédiában liberálisnak csúfolt, gonosz újságírók lennének veszélyben. És nem is csak miniszterek, ex-főpolgármesterek. Bárki, aki megoszt valamit a Facebookon, amiről kiderül, hogy nem teljesen úgy igaz. Azaz jó eséllyel a kedves olvasó is.
Van ennek így értelme? Persze, hogy nincs. A szájzárklauzula és az akár örök időkre szóló, lepapírozott teljhatalom törvényjavaslatba írása
valójában csak arra szolgált, hogy az ellenzék nyomjon egy nemet valamilyen koronavírushoz kapcsolódó szavazáson, aztán rögtön utána elindulhasson a kampány: „Az ellenzék ma megakadályozta a veszélyhelyzet meghosszabbítását. Szomorú, hogy ilyenkor sem lehet rájuk számítani.”
Nézzenek oda, nem épp ez volt Fidesz hivatalos posztja a tegnapi szavazás után rögtön? De.
hirdetés
Miközben, ismételjük el: a veszélyhelyzetet nem kellett meghosszabbítani, az ma is fennáll és 26-án sem „jár le”. Az a járvány végéig van. Intézkedések sem kerülnek veszélybe: a kormánynak továbbra is jogában áll rendeletet alkotni. Jövő héten pedig a kétharmados Fidesz egyedül is megszavazhatja a törvényt, benne a határozatlan idejű felhatalmazással.
Amellyel egyébként nem az ellenzéktől fog elvenni bármit a kormánypárt. Hanem kizárólag önmagától. A gyakorlatban ez a felhatalmazás ugyanis csak a fideszes képviselőket érinti. Nekik nem lesz döntési joguk a továbbiakban – az ellenzéknek eddig sem volt. Na, bumm – gondolhatnánk, hiszen eddig is szavazógépként működött a Fidesz-frakció, a miniszterelnök akarata érvényesült mindig, most tehát csak annyi változik majd, hogy ugyanúgy Orbán Viktor dönt, csak épp gyorsabban tud, ami veszélyhelyzetben üdvös. A valóság ezzel szemben az, hogy még egy ilyen egypárti demokráciában sem teljesen felesleges az Országgyűlés. Az iskolaügy példája mutatja: ha helyi képviselők nem lettek volna, akik bőrükön érzik a szülők aggodalmát, még napokig kitarthatott volna a „mindenki köteles suliba menni” álláspont.
Orbán Viktor talán nem bízik abban, hogy két hónap múlva is meglesz mögötte saját frakciójának támogatása? Csak így lenne értelmes személy szerint magához vonnia a már régóta, eddig a parlamenten keresztül gyakorolt teljhatalmat, ám lehet, hogy ilyen szempontok nincsenek is. Csupán a belpolitikaiak vannak. Megint. Még mindig. És még mindig sikeresen. Most is sikerült ellenséget kreálni ott, ahol nincs – de most ott, ahol tényleg nincs. Aztán sikerült jól legyőzni is, s a vírus okozta teljesen jogos félelemre játszva a saját tábort összekovácsolni a hatalmi cél mögé. Ők már követelik is az örök időkre történő hatalomátruházást, a „hazaáruló” ellenzék lefejezését, újságírók börtönbe küldését.
Tényleg bravúr. Csak épp a legelkeserítőbb bravúr, amit valaha láttunk.
Mert most épp van valódi, közös ellenségünk.
Kicsi bár, de annál veszélyesebb.
Megvolt a lehetőség, hogy együtt, a pártpolitikai kavarást egy időre félretéve csak a vírus ellen küzdjön most mindenki.
Hogy nem így lett, azért kizárólagosan a kormányt terheli a felelősség.
Nyitókép: Orbán Viktor miniszterelnök napirend előtt felszólal az Országgyűlés plenáris ülésén 2020. március 23-án. Jobbra a koronavírus-járvány miatt egészségügyi maszkot viselő Harrach Péter, a KDNP frakcióvezetője. Fotó: MTI/Kovács Tamás
Ez az írás nem készülhetett volna el olvasóink támogatása nélkül. Ha fontosnak tartja munkánkat, kérjük, legyen „előfizetőnk” akár már havi 1700 forintért, és csatlakozzon hozzánk a Facebookon!
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Disney Heroes: Battle Mode Update 1.8
Don’t be late to the Disney Heroes: Battle Mode 1.8 Update. This release gets curiouser and curiouser, so read on…
First off, we’re introducing three classic characters from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland to our team roster: Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the Queen of Hearts. We also have our second Hero Refresh, this time focusing on Hiro Hamada from Disney’s Big Hero 6!
Secondly, we’ve been working hard on collecting feedback (both yours and ours) for a big round of quality-of-life improvements, and we’re finally ready to share those here. Our goal with this release is to add some excitement to existing modes while continuing to make the game easier to play as it grows. There’s a lot to cover, so get ready for a long patch notes!
Lastly, we have an update for the Invasion and Mods features based on feedback from players on server 1. That will be covered in a separate post here.
Overview
NEW characters Alice, the Queen of Hearts, and the Mad Hatter from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland!
Hero refresh featuring Hiro Hamada from Disney’s Big Hero 6!
Quality of life improvements We have a TON of useful and fun updates to both game modes and game features; details for each below! Modes: Heist, War, Arena, and Coliseum Features: Chat, Video Ads, Saved Lineups and Badge Autocrafting
Invasion/Mods update (Server 1 only) Read more here
Alice
Alice is a back-line Support hero. Alice will be available in the Diamond Crate on Server 1-12.
Skills
Alice eats a cookie, healing her and making her become “Enormous”.
Alice cries, slowing all enemies’ attack speed.While “Enormous”, her giant tear drops instead fall on enemies, dealing damage.
Alice stomps her foot in frustration, increasing all allies’ attack speed.While “Enormous”, Alice instead stomps on enemies, knocking them back and dealing damage to each enemy hit.
The Mad Hatter
Alice’s Max HP increases while she is “Enormous”.
The Mad Hatter is a mid-line Control character. The Mad Hatter will be available in the VIP Crate on Server 1-12.
Skills
The Mad Hatter smashes his pocket watch, slowing all enemies’ attack and movement speed.
The Mad Hatter throws tea cups and saucers at three enemies, dealing damage to each enemy hit and reducing their Armor.
The Mad Hatter uses especially sweet tea to charm three enemies in a row.
Queen of Hearts
The Mad Hatter becomes immune to all debuffs.
Queen of Hearts is a front-line Tank character. Queen of Hearts will be available in the Elite Campaign on Server 1-12.
Skills
The Queen of Hearts orders her Playing Cards to shuffle her enemies, swapping the two enemies farthest apart from each other and stunning them.
Once per wave, when the Queen of Hearts falls below a percentage of her Max HP, she gains armor and attack speed for the rest of the wave.
The Queen of Hearts will instantly KO an enemy with her basic attack if they are below an amount of HP.
Hero Refresh
The Queen of Hearts gains extra HP.
It’s time for our second Hero Refresh! The subject of this Hero Refresh is Hiro Hamada! The supporting heroes are Violet, Chief Bogo, and EVE.
Hiro Hamada
Hiro and his trusty Megabot excel at distracting and evading enemies, but we think he needs a push to realize his potential as a controller. To do this, we are making his Megabot hit a little harder and Hiro keep enemies disabled more often. The following changes will help keep enemies away from Hiro and focused on Megabot so he can be free to disrupt them as much as possible.
Base Stats
+30% Max HP
+25% Basic Damage
+50% Skill Power
Attack range changed from Mid to Back
Skills
+30% Megabot HP
+30% Megabot damage
Stun duration increased from 3 seconds to 5 seconds.
Hiro summons his toy robot, Megabot, to fight for him. Megabot stuns nearby enemies when it lands. It has an amount of HP and deals damage with each subsequent attack. Hiro can only have one active Megabot at a time.
+50% damage
Slow increased to 40% from 30%
Cooldown lowered from 6 to 5 seconds
Hiro’s toy robot, Megabot, can now do a spin attack that deals damage to all enemies near it and slows their movement and attack speed.
+20% damage
Stun duration increased to 6 seconds from 5 seconds
Hiro now also gains Skill Power for the rest of the wave whenever he or Megabot stuns an enemy.
Hiro summons a microbot pillar that deals damage to the furthest enemy and stuns them.
Dodge chance increased to 30% from 25%.
Hiro now also gains energy whenever he or Megabot dodges an attack.
Hiro’s Memory Disks
Hiro and his toy robot, Megabot, have a chance to dodge attacks.
"Robot Mods" from Baymax
Increased starting energy per star level
Increased attack speed while a shield is on Megabot per star level
Increased starting shield HP for Megabot per memory disk level
"Gadgets and Gizmos" from Darkwing Duck
Increased “Microbot Stun” stun duration per star level
Increased skill power per memory disk level
Supporting Heroes
Violet
Violet’s unmatched shields and “Wrecking Ball” memory disk give Hiro’s Megabot the chance to stun the enemy team and survive long enough to do some serious damage.
Base Stats
+10% Max HP
+15% Basic Damage
+20% Skill power
"Wrecking Ball" Memory Disk from Ralph
Increased skill power per memory disk level
Enemies are stunned for an increased duration when Violet’s shields expire per star level
Chief Bogo
Between his tough shield and beefy stats, Chief Bogo can be very difficult to get past. Giving him a greater ability to disable enemies makes him the perfect counterpart to Hiro and his Megabot.
Base Stats
+15% Max HP
+25% Basic Damage
+20% Skill power
“Criminal Charge” (green skill) stun duration increased from 5 to 7 seconds
“Blinding Justice” (blue skill) cooldown decreased from 18 to 12 seconds
"Chief Inspector" Memory Disk (Calhoun)
Increased basic damage per memory disk level
Increased “Criminal Charge” (green skill) damage per star level
Increased knockback distance per star level
EVE
Hiro and his Megabot stun and slow enemies constantly making EVE’s ability to spread disables to nearby enemies the perfect compliment to their debuffs. With EVE’s “Gift from the Heart” memory disk from Calhoun, enemies should have serious trouble getting off their skills.
Base Stats
+10% Max HP
+20% Basic Damage
+25% Skill power
"Gift from the Heart" Memory Disk from Calhoun
Increased skill power per memory disk level
Increased extra stun duration of “Ion Shock” per star level
New Costumes
Check out the new costumes for Stitch, Rex, and Merida!
Threads for these costumes will become available to collect over time, primarily through Contests.
New Hero Locations and Content Adjustments
Heroes will not appear in shops until they refresh.
Server 1 Update
Team Level Cap increased from 105 to 110
Heroes can now be promoted to Orange +4 rank
Chapter 16: “Unfinished Business” is now available Elite Campaign features: The Queen of Hearts, Scar, Vanellope
New Heroes
Alice will only be available in the Diamond Crate
The Mad Hatter will be exclusive to the VIP Crate for a limited time
The Queen of Hearts will be available in the Chapter 16 Elite Campaign
Existing Heroes
Sally will be available in the Guild Crate (in addition to the Coliseum Shop)
Gaston will be available in the Arena Shop
Scar will be available in the Chapter 16 Elite Campaign
Server 2-8 Update
New Heroes
Alice will only be available in the Diamond Crate
The Mad Hatter will be exclusive to the VIP Crate for a limited time
The Queen of Hearts will be available in the Chapter 15 Elite Campaign
Existing Heroes
Sally will be available in the Guild Crate (in addition to the Elite Campaign)
Gaston will be available in the Arena Shop
Scar will be available in the Chapter 7, 11 & 15 Elite Campaigns
Server 9-12 Update
New Heroes
Alice will only be available in the Diamond Crate
The Mad Hatter will be exclusive to the VIP Crate for a limited time
The Queen of Hearts will be available in the Chapter 14 Elite Campaign
Existing Heroes
Sally will be available in the Guild Crate (in addition to the Elite Campaign)
Gaston will be available in the Arena Shop
Aladdin will be available in the Chapter 13 & 14 Elite Campaigns
Server 13 Update
Max Guild Level increased to 3!
New Heroes
Jack Skellington will only be available in the Diamond Crate
Sally will be exclusive to the VIP Crate for a limited time
Shank will be available in the Chapter 12 Elite Campaign
Existing Heroes
Maui will be available in the Guild Crate (in addition to the Elite Campaign)
Maleficent will be available in the Arena Shop
Scar will be available in the Coliseum Shop
Jack-Jack will be available in the Chapter 5 Elite Campaign
Calhoun will be available in the Chapter 5, 6 & 10 Elite Campaigns
Server 14 Update
Max Guild Level increased to 3!
New Heroes
The Genie will be exclusive to the VIP Crate for a limited time
Aladdin will be available in the City Watch Shop
Existing Heroes
Merida will be available in the Guild Crate (in addition to the Coliseum Shop)
Maui will be available in the Arena Shop
Mike Wazowski will be available in the Chapter 3, 4 & 5 Elite Campaigns
Captain Jack Sparrow will be available in the Chapter 6 & 7 Elite Campaigns
Server 15 Update
Team Level Cap increased from 80 to 85
Heroes can now be promoted to Purple +4 rank
Chapter 11: “Power Line” is now available Elite Campaign features: Jack Skellington, The Genie, Mike Wazowski
Max Guild Level increased to 3!
New Heroes
Sally will be exclusive to the VIP Crate for a limited time
Jack Skellington will be available in the Chapter 11 Elite Campaign
Existing Heroes
Fix-It Felix, Jr. will be available in the Guild Crate (in addition to the Elite Campaign)
Miguel Rivera will be available in the City Watch Shop
Mike Wazowski will be available in the Chapter 6, 9 & 11 Elite Campaigns
The Genie will be available in the Chapter 11 Elite Campaign
Server 16 Update
New Heroes
Kevin Flynn will be exclusive to the VIP Crate for a limited time
Quorra will be available in the Chapter 8 & 9 Elite Campaigns
Existing Heroes
Jessie will be available in the Guild Crate (in addition to the Arena Shop)
Merida will be available in the City Watch Shop
Mike Wazowski will be available in the Chapter 6 & 7 Elite Campaigns
Server 17 Update
New Heroes
The Genie will be exclusive to the VIP Crate for a limited time
Aladdin will be available in the Chapter 7 & 8 Elite Campaigns
Existing Heroes
EVE will be available in the Guild Crate (in addition to the Heist Shop)
Stitch will be available in the City Watch Shop
Quorra will be available in the Arena Shop
Mike Wazowski will be available in the Chapter 7 & 8 Elite Campaigns
Jack Sparrow will be available in the Chapter 8 & 9 Elite Campaigns
New Server
Looking to get into the top ranks on a brand new server? Server 18: Chief’s Stone is our newest server! This server will start with lower Team Level caps and promotion tiers as well as fewer available heroes in order to refresh the competitive lineup. Keep an eye on the patch notes as this new server gains new chapters and heroes over time!
Team Level Cap of 60
Heroes can be promoted to Purple +0 rank
The Campaign is open through Chapter 7
Max Guild Level is 2
Saved Lineups
Tap the new “people” icon in any hero chooser to save or load lineups!
You can save up to 20 lineups and edit them at any time
Bonus: tap the red “X” button in any chooser to instantly clear your current lineup
Heist QoL Improvements
Better rewards!
The number of tokens you earn per valuable saved now increases with difficulty Earn 20/25/25/30/30 tokens per valuable at Easy/Medium/Hard/Very Hard/Super Hard
Earn additional Heist tokens each time the team shrinks the white “clue circle” Earn 5/5/10/10/15 tokens per circle completed at Easy/Medium/Hard/Very Hard/Super Hard This reward is also designed to encourage players to get in Heists early and stay in them until the end
Quicker combat!
All Heist battles now run 50% faster! Note that timers also tick down faster
We’ve also added a “Surrender” button so you can instantly leave battles you know you’re going to lose
More variety!
At Hard difficulty and higher, “Accomplices” now appear on the map These red POIs appear outside the white circle once the clue progress bar has been filled once Investigating an Accomplice POI triggers a battle that awards 12 clues upon victory Accomplices are meant to introduce a little risk-reward: send your heroes further from the heart of the action to earn extra clues
At Very Hard difficulty and higher, the Thief gets “Second Wind” This passive skill allows the Thief to regenerate HP once per fight when her HP drops low enough
Super Hard difficulty
Super Hard introduces “Bodyguards”
Bodyguards are special “ward” POIs that appear on the map
Each active bodyguard provides a buff to the Thief’s team when fighting her (both in Hideout and Thief chase battles)
when fighting her (both in Hideout and Thief chase battles) Defeat Bodyguard POI to remove the Thief’s buffs
But watch out, Bodyguards will respawn after a period of time
Other improvements
Ambushes now reward 4 clues, up from 3 This, along with Accomplices, should lead to quicker Heists
The Thief now begins the Heist 15 seconds after the players, preventing that annoying initial valuable steal before you can place your heroes
The Heist owner now receives a confirmation upon starting their Heist, to prevent accidental starts
War QoL Improvements
The War Daily Quest can now be claimed by all guild members Previously, members had to Sabotage or battle in order to get the quest Now, if all lineups have been Sabotaged or Defeated, members who have not yet triggered the quest can claim it for free
Extra attack privileges are now controlled via Settings The Guild leader can adjust settings to determine which guild ranks can use extra attacks
Legendary Promotion Reward Guilds now receive three war boxes when reaching legendary, just like other promotions Rewards and rankings are now viewable for all Leagues
Tap the “All Leagues” button (was “Top Guilds”) on War main screen Scroll to see all promotion and end-of-season rewards Tap ranks to see rankings for any League
You can now edit your defenses when not in a room
War perks are now more clearly displayed in Guild Perks
A new “War Chat” perk has been added Unlock the perk to gain access to a new guild chat channel Officers and higher ranks can pin messages to this channel
If a guild is auto queued for war, but makes no sabotage or attacks during a war, they will be removed from the queue for the next war. This is to prevent inactive guilds from being in the queue all season long.
Arena/Coliseum QoL Improvements
Arena and Coliseum
Arena and Coliseum rewards are now based on your highest rank for the day Highest rank of the day means the highest rank you’ve achieved in the 24 hours since last receiving rewards This is intended to make it easier to achieve a higher rank and prevent last-minute jockeying just before rewards are sent
Memory Disks for defending heroes are now snapshotted when defense are set This allows you to use different Disks when defending in these modes than when attacking To change your Disk, reset your defenses
Arena only
You can now only change your Arena defenses once per day This is intended to discourage sandbagging
Coliseum only
You can now win a small amount of Coliseum Tokens for defeating 1 or 2 lineups when you lose a Coliseum battle
Reaching VIP7 now removes the cooldown between attacks This is intended to make it easier to get victories, since multiple attacks are often needed to figure out how to defeat all 3 of a defender’s lineups
Chat QoL Improvements
You can now post and view Spar results in chat
Tap the new chat button after a spar to post the results View the results and tap the stats button to see full combat stats from the spar
We’ve added an Announcements channel This channel can be used by PerBlue Customer Support (only) to post important announcement on live issues (e.g. server restarts, bugs, etc.)
Chat now supports line breaks Use “< br >” to add up to 5 line breaks to your messages This is intended to help guilds format their wall posts and other info-heavy messages. Please don’t use it to spam chat!
Heist invites from sessions that no longer exist are now auto removed from your chat channel list Yay! no more clutter
“Friends List Full” error improvement Currently if you try to accept a friends request and the sender’s friend list is full, the sender has no way to know Now, the sender will be sent a Mailbox message telling them that you want to accept their request
Parental Chat Lock Parents (or anyone else) who would like to disable chat completely from the game can now do so in Settings You can enter a 4-character PIN code that is required to unlock chat
Video Ad Updates
You can now watch a video ad to receive VIP rewards in the daily-sign in
You can only claim up to VIP6 level rewards via watching ads
You can also watch a video ad to refresh the Market, Black Market and Mega Mart each once per day
If you are VIP4+, you now can refresh these shops each free, once per day At VIP17, you now get two refreshes per day; at VIP19, three refreshes
Badge Auto Crafting at VIP7
When you reach VIP7, you can now “auto craft” badges
This means instead of manually crafting all of a badge’s ingredients once you collect them, you can tap the main badge’s craft button to open the auto craft window
This window will show you the total number of items and gold needed to craft the badge
Tap “Craft” and you’re done!
Other Improvements
When navigating to friendship campaign screen from hero details screen, the pair of friends that have been navigated to will always appear even if the “only show favorites” is on
Raised the hard cap on stamina from 1000 to 5000
Doubled token rewards for individual challenges
Added red dot logic for badges at next rank Only applies to heroes who have equipped all badges at current rank This means that shops will now show you badges your fully equipped heroes need for the next rank
Added indication of current hero rarity on the Badge List (the list of all badge sets by rank accessed from the a hero’s badge tab)
You can now see your own Player Age when you tap on your name in chat
Added a Daily Stamina Quest with rewards for spending 50 diamonds on stamina
Added left/right arrows on elite campaign chapter maps for easier navigation
Bug Fixes | {
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Dory in Finding Dory: All images courtesy of Walt Disney Company
For almost 10 years, Finding Nemo was Pixar’s most successful film. And yet, other movies kept getting sequels while our favorite fish story didn’t. At last, in 2010, writer/director Andrew Stanton got inspired. Five years later, on June 17, Finding Dory is coming to theaters.
I was among a group of journalists who went to Monterey, CA, home of the Monterey Bay Aquarium (the one from Star Trek IV) to talk to the people behind Finding Dory. We watched a slew of new footage and learned an ocean-full of interesting facts about where the sequel came from, how it was made, what was difficult about it, and more. Below, read everything you could possibly want to know about Finding Dory.
Andrew Stanton, writer and director of Finding Dory.
The director never thought it would happen.
“The last thing I ever thought I was going to do was a sequel to Finding Nemo,” said writer/director Andrew Stanton. “I thought it was a closed circuit. I thought that’s everything I wanted to say. But the brain works in mysterious ways. Around 2010 I was starting to think about Dory. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I didn’t believe she’d be able to get back if she got lost again. She didn’t have the ability to find her way home again now that she found this wonderful family. I knew she was a tragic figure when I created her and I couldn’t drop it. And that’s usually the kind of stuff, when it keeps coming back without me trying, you realize there’s something worth digging for.”
The film starts off sad.
We saw about 20 minutes of footage from the film, including the first 13 minutes. Stanton specifically asked press not to spoil the opening of the film, so we won’t—but it’s great, and immediately starts to paint Dory as the tragic figure he mentioned. Things quickly lock in with the narrative of Finding Nemo and move on from there. And when we say say sad, we don’t mean Up sad. Just that down feeling, that Pixar has learned to do so well
The beginning of the film wasn’t always the beginning.
The beginning of Finding Dory is wonderful and sad, but it wasn’t always what it you’ll see in theaters. Stanton told us they flirted with three different ways to start the movie, the first being simply a hard cut to the first time we meet Dory in Finding Nemo, followed by “One Year Later.” They decided to go a different route.
It takes place one year after Finding Nemo.
“It’s a nice round number,” explained Stanton.
Destiny, one of the new characters in Finding Dory.
Most of the movie takes place in an aquarium.
In addition to the sad beginning, we saw several scenes set in a place called the Marine Life Institute, otherwise known as MLI. It’s an aquarium, where Dory’s story mostly takes place, and there are some funny, visually clever scenes including the octopus Hank talking to Dory from a sink, Destiny, the whale shark meeting Bailey the beluga, and then an action scene in a touch pool.
Dory’s memory loss was difficult to deal with.
Writing any character is difficult but, when you’ve taken a sidekick who has short term memory loss and turned her into the main character, well, that’s even harder. Co-director Angus MacLane admitted dealing with that was maybe film’s biggest challenge. “The biggest challenge, dealing with her short term memory loss,” he said. “She forgets all the time, so you’re wondering ‘Does she remember what just happened?’ So [you have to] communicate that to the audience about where she’s at, how she feels, what she knows and what she remembers.”
Keeping Dory the star was another huge problem.
“She wasn’t built to be a main character,” said Stanton. “She was built to support someone else and a main character is a very different role....She’s so wired to tee up everyone else and put the spotlight on them, and we kept falling into that trap. So it was hard.” One example was the scene in the touch pool. In early iterations it starred Hank, the octopus (more on him in a bit) as almost like an Indiana Jones-character, moving Dory long through the pool. “This biggest problem with this scene is it’s not about Dory,” McLane said. “It starts with Hank, it finishes with Hank, Hank is really driving the scene...so the film changed to make sure every sequence was about Dory achieving her emotional goals.”
Marlin and Nemo play a smaller role.
In the footage Pixar showed journalists, there was little to no action with Marlin and Nemo. Don’t worry though. “Marlin and Nemo are still very much in the film,” said producer Lindsey Collins. “They’re there [at MLI]. They’re just not with her. But that was intentional because we wanted her to do this on her own.”
Marlin and Nemo, the stars of Finding Nemo, are back here in a supporting role.
A huge Marlin and Nemo subplot was cut from the movie.
So even though Marlin and Nemo are around, they have less to do in the final movie than they did in original versions.“We had a long, circuitous route with them, that ended up not helping [Dory’s] story at all,” said Stanton “As a side idea it was fantastic” but ultimately, it was cut. He hope to ends up on the DVD.
There are flashbacks in the movie...kind of.
Before Finding Nemo was released, Stanton toyed with revealing Marlon and Nemo’s past and family at the end of the movie. Eventually, that was scrapped in favor of setting it up at the beginning. Now, in Finding Dory, it’s the opposite.
“For a long time we put Dory’s backstory completely in the beginning,” Stanton said. “And that started to not work after awhile, because we told too much of it and we realized, ‘Oh, we have to put flashbacks in this movie.”’ However, they’re not technically flashbacks, because Dory is remembering them at the same time as the audience. When Stanton realized that, he was so excited. “Oh my gosh, it’s the complete inverse of the first movie,” he said. “It’s like they’re meant to be folded up in a little case together and they fit each other.”
Hank, voiced by Ed O’Neill, was a huge challenge.
Hank is kind of Dory’s own sidekick.
“Hank is intended to be the side kick, the Anti-Dory, who can do things she can’t,” McLane said. Basically, he’s the Dory to her Marlin. Much more on him in a bit.
Hank had some wide-ranging inspiration.
Besides just wanting an octopus character in the movie, the character of Hank was described to the animators to be “lovingly curmudgeonly,” like Pixar animator Bud Luckey, but with a movement like Kaa from The Jungle Book.
Character can come before story, and sometimes change it.
When the Stanton told the animators his vision for Hank they had no idea what the story was going to be for the character. They just knew what he looked like and how he has to move. It’s only in research that things develop. So, for example, Stanton found out that some octopuses can move around and camouflage themselves. “They’re the most ambulatory creature there is in the ocean,” he said. And that gave him a perfect vehicle to get a fish around a human place, like an aquarium.
Bones would make things so much easier.
Bones make animation kind of easy. An animator can predict movement with them. But an octopus doesn’t have bones, and that make makes animating one exceedingly difficult. It took over a year of animation work just to get the character’s movements to a believable place. Oh, and his skin changes color. Easy.
This scene took 13 months to animate.
Each shot takes an army.
Hank’s introduction is one of the most complicated shots in Finding Dory. In the end 146 total versions from 18 different artists, not including riggers, shaders and modelers, completed it of the course of 13 months. However, the good news is, once many of those problems were solved, things got easier.
A mountain of storyboards and footage
When breaking the story of Finding Dory, the team did about 103,000 storyboards over the course of three and a half years. They delivered a new reel of footage over four months over that time and that became the blueprint for the movie that’s animated. “The drawings are meant to be thrown out,” says story supervisor Max Brace. “No ideas are too precious, and it’s really about what is best for the story.”
Ellen DeGeneres pulled a fast one on Pixar
For years on her show, Ellen DeGeneres would joke about the fact Pixar was making all these sequels, but not one to Finding Nemo. So when Andrew Stanton called her to finally tell her the news, she got him good. “When I called her to go, ‘Okay, Uncle—we’re gonna finally make one,’ she said, ‘I’m just kidding.’”
Ellen’s talk show acted as a casting couch
When they were casting the movie, Andrew Stanton was always wondering how people would sound opposite Ellen. So off to YouTube he went, because, thankfully, Ellen has interviewed almost every celebrity ever on her daytime talk show. By watching those videos, he could test to see the chemistry she had with new cast members like Ed O’Neill and Ty Burrell.
An image of the characters in Finding Nemo. Only a few of them will be back for Finding Dory.
You’ll see Finding Nemo differently
Finding Dory has a small crossover with Finding Nemo, and the team completely reanimated the shot (or shots, we want to keep it vague) to bring it up to the higher animation standards of 2016. Now, this part of Nemo will look a little more detailed, and have a bit more camera movement.
Some of your favorite characters will be back, others won’t
As great as Dory, Nemo and Marlin are, Finding Nemo was made on its supporting characters: Gil, Crush, Squirt, Mr. Ray, etc. You see lots of them above. Well, many of those will be back, but not all of them. “There’s an attempt to get as many in there for the right reasons as we can,” said Stanton.
Finding Dory is the first movie to use lots of new software.
Pixar loves to push their animation with each film and, on Finding Dory, they did it with several new pieces of software. First is Renderman RIS. Up until now, every Pixar movie has used the original Renderman software, so that makes Dory the first film in about 30 years to be done on something different. The biggest upgrade between the two is more advanced path tracing, which simulates light randomly, and makes for much more realistic water and other effects. Dory also is using a program called Katana, which enhances the lighting, and Universal Scene Description, also known has USD.
USD is going to be open-source.
Computer animation uses all different kinds of formulas and algorithms depending on the software and place you use it. But Pixar, which developed the USD software along with Dory, is going to release it for free later this year in an attempt to universalize that language.
Each character is moved like a puppet.
Characters are animated with software that creates animation curves. What that means is each character has about 30 different controls for movement. You move a cursor up the curve or down the curve for a more subtle or violent movements. Animators refer to these as the “ingredients” in the “recipe” of the movement.
A piece of concept art focusing on underwater lighting.
Making these movies is educational.
While describing how he designed the look of the ocean, Steve Pilcher talked about how making a movie like this is even more rewarding. “We learn a lot working on these films,” said Pilcher. “You learn a lot about biology and everything else. How kelp attaches to a rock on the bottom of the floor. How much sand there is, how dark the rocks are, how does the color change from the surface way up high.” Basically, to make the movie right, the filmmakers became ocean experts.
Pixar isn’t going for photo realism.
Though they do an unthinkable amount of research and design every single thing down to the tiniest detail, there’s one thing Pixar doesn’t want to do. “We’re not trying to photo replicate everything,” Pilcher said. “We are trying to take all the information from reality and reinterpret it in a somewhat manageable, simplified way that stylizes it a bit. Give it character.”
Much of the MLI is based on Monterey’s aquarium.
Pixar’s design team researched lots of aquariums all over the world but the one in Monterey, CA the Monterey Bay Aquarium, was a biggest inspiration on the look of Finding Dory’s MLI. Rooms such as the quarantine are incredibly similar and everything from light switches, to scruffs, hooks and more was taken and used for the movie. No detail was too small.
Concept art of the Marine Life Institute, the film’s main setting.
They designed parts of MLI that you’ll never see.
Because the story on a Pixar movie can change so often, when designing and creating the aquarium in the movie, the production designers built the entire compound in the computer. Even things we’d never see. This way, if the story changed, they had the options of where to set scenes. One example is the parking lot. At one point, a full scene took place there but now its just in the background.
There are no establishing shots
This movie is all about Dory, a fish with short term memory loss. So the filmmakers wanted to make sure everything was seen through her perspective. That mean, unless Dory saw a huge space, we wouldn’t see it. You won’t get any establishing shots of the MLI, for example, because Dory never sees the full thing.
Don’t expect to see any humans
Finding Dory has humans in it but they have been “Dehumanized” in various ways. You’ll mostly see them in shadows and silhouettes because, more than Finding Nemo, this movie is about the fish, and we shouldn’t be focusing on the humans.
Angus MacLane, co-director of Finding Dory.
Finding Dory shot on 16 and 35mm film...virtually
To make the movie feel real, Finding Dory cinematographers Jeremy Lasky and Ian Megibben had to select cameras and lenses for the computer to mimic. They wanted everything to have a basis in reality. So parts of the movie where things are closer and intimate are shot in a simulated 16mm feel. When things are larger and more sprawling, it’s a simulated 35mm camera.
Something really bad happens near end of the movie.
Production designer Steve Pilcher showed a graph he made of the movie. This graph charted the emotional state of the movie so that he could evolve the color palette throughout. On it, there was a huge, huge drop near the end of the movie. Does someone die? We’ll find out in June.
You should have one specific feeling when Finding Dory ends.
“By the end of this film, we should feel that [Dory] is going to be okay by herself,” said MacLane. “That was the central driving idea we had.” “That’s the point of the story,” Stanton added.”She’s no longer the passenger, she’s the driver. She has to learn how to do that.”
Finding Dory once again completes the circle.
“It’s like worrying about a kid,” Stanton said of making this movie. “I was worrying about whether she was going to make it. And I suddenly needed that resolved. So now I really do think it’s a closed circuit. But who knows? I’ve eaten those words before. Nobody plans to make a sequel 13 years later. It’s a product of character love.”
Full disclosure: Disney paid for io9's travel and expenses during this junket. | {
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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany has carried out its first group deportation of Afghans whose asylum applications have been rejected, in line with an agreement reached with Kabul earlier this year.
A charter plane carrying about 50 Afghans left Frankfurt on Wednesday, a Reuters journalist at the scene said.
A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Refugees said authorities were expecting a plane with 50 returnees from Germany to arrive on Thursday in Kabul.
If the returnees need help to get back to their home provinces, the ministry will provide help, the spokesman said, adding around 10,000 Afghans had returned from Europe so far this year.
More than a million migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere have arrived in Germany since the beginning of 2015, prompting concerns about security and integration. The influx has boosted support for anti-immigrant groups such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
In 2016, Afghans were the second biggest group of asylum seekers in Germany after Syrians, according to data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
A spokeswoman for the German Interior Ministry said the deportations were taking place on the basis of an agreement made with the Afghan government in October.
The Afghans are flown to Kabul and then ultimately sent back to their home regions if they are regarded as reasonably safe.
The next plane has been chartered for the beginning of January, according to German media reports.
Germany has seen protests against the deportations in recent weeks and critics say much of Afghanistan is not safe and that returnees might face reprisals.
Last week, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) toughened their tone on migrants and Deputy Finance Minister Jens Spahn said the legal barriers to deportation must be lowered.
The Western-backed government in Afghanistan is battling a number of Islamist militant groups, including the Taliban.
Western military officials estimate that the Taliban control or contest nearly a third of the country. Civilian casualties have remained near record high levels, with thousands killed and injured in fighting every year. | {
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Thursday on MSNBC’s “Hardball,” House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said the next step toward impeaching President Donald Trump is forcing, through a court order, the testimony of former White House Counsel Don McGahn.
Nadler said, “The special prosecutor found that the president welcomed the Russian interference in our election on his behalf, that he welcomed it, and he benefitted from it, and that he then lied to the American people and covered it up, that he committed a number of acts of—between five and ten acts of criminal obstruction of justice and at least five of them, all three of the elements of the crimes are met, and he instructed other people to lie to the American people on his behalf. Our next step and those are the findings of the special prosecutor. We now have to lay out the evidence for the American people of all these crimes by the president and of the failure of the president to protect us against the ongoing Russian attack on elections. That’s our next step, and that’s what we’re going to do as our next step.
When Matthews pressed on when House Democrats would begin impeachment hearings Nadler said, “The American people have to hear directly, for example, from Don McGahn and he has to testify in front of Congress so that he can say what the president said to him, what illegal instructions the president said to him. We have to hear from other witnesses who testified to Mueller. But we need to hear, and the American people need to hear their testimony directly. This has been blocked, and we’re going court to unblock it.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | {
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Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen will not be checking into Netflix’s “Fuller House,” Variety has confirmed.
The twin sisters became known for playing Michelle Tanner, the youngest daughter in the original ABC sitcom centered on the recently widowed Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) and his family and friends who helped him raise his kids.
The duo will instead concentrate on their current careers, according to their rep. This includes overseeing fashion labels like the celeb favorites the Row and Elizabeth and James.
“Although Ashley and Mary-Kate will not be a part of ‘Fuller House,’ I know how much ‘Full House’ has meant to them, and they are still very much considered family,” said series executive producer Robert L. Boyett. “It has been exciting to see how they have built their professional careers, and I support their choice to focus on their fashion brands and various business endeavors. I appreciate their support and good wishes toward ‘Fuller House.'”
In April, fellow “Full House” alum John Stamos confirmed the news of follow-up series. Stamos, who stars in the new Fox comedy “Grandfathered,” will produce the Netflix series and reprise his role of rocker (Uncle) Jesse Katsopolis as a guest star.
The series is said to concentrate on Candace Cameron Bure’s character D.J. The eldest of the three daughters in the original series, D.J. now finds herself widowed and in need of help when it comes to raising her kids. Other returning cast members include Dave Coulier, Andrea Barber and Jodie Sweetin.
“Fuller House” is from Miller-Boyett Productions and Jeff Franklin Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television for Netflix. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller and Jeff Franklin are exec producing the series, which was created by Franklin.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the casting news. | {
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Tem um personagem do Voltaire que um dia descobre, encantado, que falou prosa toda a sua vida. Pertencemos, simultaneamente, a várias categorias das quais não nos damos conta. Inclusive a dos prosadores. Qualquer pessoa sensata que parar para pensar na origem e na expansão do Universo e no que nos espera quando nosso Sol se extinguir ou explodir terá a mesma reação do personagem do Voltaire - só que, em vez de se encantar, pensará: “Isso não vai acabar bem...”. Não podemos pedir dispensa do Universo e suas convulsões por uma questão de consciência, alegando ser contra a violência. Nem fazer como aquela moça do interior, que lia nos livros de física sobre as leis da termodinâmica e da gravidade e suspirava porque nenhuma daquelas coisas excitantes acontecia com ela. Acontecia, ela só não se dava conta.
Não tem sentido dizer “não entendo nada de economia”, como se a economia não tivesse nada a ver conosco, e ficássemos imunes às suas leis. Você está dentro da economia do seu país, queira ou não, entenda-a ou não. É um ser econômico até dormindo. A diferença entre a economia e o Universo é que até agora ninguém conseguiu alterar os processos cósmicos e as leis naturais, enquanto a economia de um país é uma questão de escolha. Você não pode viver socialisticamente num país capitalista, mas deve ter sempre em mente que existem alternativas, não importa o que dizem os economistas neoliberais. Estes prevalecem na falta de uma oposição consequente. Agora mesmo assistimos a uma tomada da economia nacional por uma ortodoxia neoliberal que é quase caricata na sua falta de pudor, incluindo cortes nos direitos de trabalhadores, cortes em programas sociais em nome de uma austeridade letal para os mais pobres, privatizações sem justificativa a não ser a do entreguismo puro, leilão de grandes áreas do patrimônio nacional para espoliadores estrangeiros, etc., etc.
Tudo isso é conosco, estamos metidos nessa violência como estamos metidos no Universo. Falta nos darmos conta de que outro Universo não é possível, mas outro mundo é.
Papo vovô. Nossa neta Lucinda, de 9 anos, estava brigando com os pais. Já tinha esgotado seu repertório de queixas, não tinha mais o que dizer para ganhar a discussão. Então, acabou com um grito: “Fica Temer!”.
Merecemos. E surge, no horizonte da pátria, o Fufuquinha, filho do Fufuca, que vai comandar a Câmara na ausência do Rodrigo Maia. Não vamos prejulgar o homem, que pode se sair bem. Mas você não acha que o que o Brasil decididamente não precisava, numa hora dessas, era um Fufuquinha? | {
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Japan's industrial output fell 38pc in February (year-on-year), mostly concentrated into the last four months. No major economy imploded at this speed in the 1930s. The country has been hit by a double shock. As an export power it has taken the brunt of Anglo-Saxon belt-tightening: as the world's top creditor it is cursed by a "safe-haven" currency that soars in moments of danger – largely because the Japanese bring home their wealth till the storm passes. Normally, Japan can cope. This time, the yen's rise has pushed the economy over a cliff. | {
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Ela é encantadora, brincalhona, sensual, alegre, bem dotada no seu corpo físico, tem uma beleza infinita que não dá para comparar. Sensualidade nas expressões, agrada-me só de a olhar. Olhar o teu olhar, o teu toque, o teu encosto em mim, ser o teu porto de abrigo.
Gostas de ter os pés bem assentes na terra, de ter uma vida simples, calma.
Não há muito que te tire do sério, mas quando tiram é melhor saírem da frente, é melhor não te contrariarem, é melhor ceder.
Podia escrever tanta coisa, deixar aqui escrito, documentado. Mas as palavras fogem-me quando penso em ti, é algo que me mexe, uma loucura dentro de mim, que me deixa sem saber o quê ou o porquê. Mas para quê entender, se o melhor era sentir-te. Gosto de te ver, de te olhar, de pensar em ti… o que é simples é verdadeiro, que transborda a essência de agradar por mera satisfação, sem outras intenções.
És o tipo de pessoa que quero para mim, solidária, bondosa, encantadora, carinhosa… o meu mundo precisa florescer, precisa que me acarinhes, afagues o meu coração, que perfumes de bom humor no meu dia a dia.
Tu só podes ter mel para me deixar assim com esta vontade de te… provar.
Este texto foi retirado do livro “Amores Clandestinos” | {
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LONDON (Reuters) - France warned Britain on Thursday it would end border controls and let thousands of migrants move on to Britain if voters backed leaving the European Union.
A migrant boy stands in front of an asylum shelter in Clausnitz, Germany, March 2, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke
It also said it would open its arms to British-based banks wanting to flee an non-EU Britain and stay in the bloc.
French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron echoed comments by Prime Minister David Cameron that a migrant camp known as the “Jungle” in the northern French coastal town of Calais could move to southern England in the event of a British EU exit.
Speaking ahead of a Anglo-French security summit in Amiens, Macron said a British exit would scupper a border deal that halts migrants in France but that Paris would be happy to accept bankers fleeing London.
“The day this relationship unravels, migrants will no longer be in Calais,” Macron told the Financial Times newspaper, adding that rules allowing British-based banks to operate across the EU would be lost.
“Collective energy would be spent on unwinding existing links, not re-creating new ones,” he said, a comment aimed at the view of British eurosceptics that a new deal could be made.
Macron’s comments, which support Cameron’s argument that an EU exit after the June 23 referendum could undermine security, led television news reports in Britain, where opinion polls indicate immigration is the biggest concern for voters.
Opponents of membership said the comment was part of a campaign to scare British voters into supporting membership.
A British exit from the EU would rock the EU - already shaken by differences over migration and by fragility within the euro zone - by ripping away its second-largest economy, one of its top two military powers and by far its richest financial centre.
BMW COURTS WORKERS
In a move that underscored big company concern over the impact of a possible British exit, Germany’s BMW wrote to British employees who make its luxury Rolls-Royce car about the risks of a Brexit, as leaving is known.
“As a wholly-owned BMW Group company, it is important for all Rolls-Royce Motor Cars employees to understand the view of our parent company,” BMW said in the letter.
“We believe it’s much better to be sat at the table when regulations are set and have a hand in their creation, rather than simply having to accept them.”
More than three-quarters of manufacturers and traders in Britain’s car industry believe that staying in the European Union is best for their business because of the risk of trade barriers and skill shortages if the country leaves, a poll showed on Thursday.
The British car industry body SMMT said 77 percent of its members said remaining in the EU was the best option when the country votes in a referendum on June 23, according to a survey conducted for the body by polling firm ComRes.
The prospect leave the EU also drove growth in Britain’s dominant services sector to a near three-year low last month, according to an economic survey.
Opponents of EU membership, including Cameron’s main Conservative party rival, London Mayor Boris Johnson, said the British people were being fed scare stories in an attempt to garner support for the EU.
“Let’s believe in ourselves again, rather than clutching the skirts of Brussels,” Johnson wrote in The Sun newspaper.
“Let us lift our eyes to the horizon and take a once in a lifetime opportunity. Ignore the scaremongers, we are bigger, better and greater than they pretend,” he said. | {
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Robert McCulloch, the prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County, who lambasted Gov. Jay Nixon (D-Mo.) for relieving the Ferguson Police Department of duty during ongoing protests after a violent night last Wednesday, has been in office since 1991 and has "faced controversy for decades," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted in an article reviewing his career. Early on he faced the responsibility of deciding whether to prosecute two undercover cops who shot and killed two men during an investigation. The Post-Dispatch reports:
The officers said the suspects, who had prior felony convictions for drug and assault offenses, tried to escape arrest and then drove toward the officers. A subsequent federal investigation showed that the men were unarmed and that their car had not moved forward when the officers fired 21 shots and killed the suspects, Earl Murray and Ronald Beasley. The probe, however, also concluded that because the officers feared for their safety, the shootings were justified. McCulloch didn't prosecute the officers. He specifically drew the ire of defense lawyers and protesters, who had been holding demonstrations and threatened to block Highway 40, when he said of Murray and Beasley, "These guys were bums."
McCulloch defended his comments, complaining the public and media were trying to "vilify" the cops, who shot and killed two alleged drug dealers and appeared to lie about the circumstances. Because they were drug dealers, McCulloch insinuated, they deserved to die.
That shooting happened in 1991 in St. Louis but it's a familiar pattern for some of the shootings authorities rule justified around the country to this day. As forensics and video technology improve, it becomes harder for fabricated stories to hold up to muster. Nevertheless, cops continue to be almost universally cleared of wrong-doing in fatal shootings.
Most infamously McCulloch wanted to prosecute Axl Rose for a riot at a Guns'n'Roses show in Riverport. The Post-Dispatch's whole article is worth a read here. McCulloch, a Democrat, is running unopposed in November. The county executive and other county officers are also up for re-election in November; it'll be interesting to see how many of them are re-elected, and how many else might be running unopposed in the heavily Democrat St. Louis County. | {
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The daily beast has been pushing fake news to the American public for years. For example they wrote that “covfefe” was not an arabic word despite the fact that http://translate.google.com translated it to its proper english translation upto June 1st, 2017. I’ve revealed that google executives have intentionally censored this word and this was used to claim the president was mentally unfit so as to justify removing him via the 25th amendment.
This weaponization of information is exactly the kind of thing I have sacrificed everything to prevent. I have seen it used to rig elections in the United States and abroad. The information that I’ve released is unimpeachable, which is why I am being attacked personally.
As a trained scientist I have a multifaceted view of the world based on evidence and fact. Therefore any claim that someone has fringe beliefs or theories should be checked against http://trends.google.com and see what the views of the rest of america are and what they search for. They may find that many beliefs that are slandered as fringe are actually mainstream beliefs of we-the-people.
I have sacrificed everything to bring the truth to the American population about an existential threat to national security. Attempts by bad actors with a history of pushing fraudulent conspiracy theories to the American public should reflect instead on the fact that they live in a free and open society that allows them to do this. | {
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A Brisbane barrister and friend of former Ipswich mayor Paul Pisasale has been charged with money laundering by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Sam Di Carlo, 61, was also charged in September last year with possessing ammunition without authority, unlawful possession of restricted drugs and two counts of perjury.
Brisbane barrister Sam Di Carlo leaves the Supreme Court in Brisbane last year. Credit:Darren England/AAP
On Friday evening, the CCC released a statement saying Mr Di Carlo had been hit with a fresh charge of money laundering and was due to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on June 21.
It will be alleged the offence took place in May last year and Fairfax Media understands it relates to the Mr Pisasale being stopped at a Melbourne Airport on May 13, 2017 carrying $50,000. | {
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De PvdA wil kinderen die een klein misdrijf begaan niet meer opsluiten. Volgens de collegepartij heeft het urenlang verhoren en gevangenzetten een traumatisch effect op kinderen.
'Als een twaalfjarige een pak koekjes steelt uit een winkel kan het urenlang opgesloten en verhoord worden', aldus fractieleider Soufyan Mbarki. 'Dat is veel te ingrijpend voor een kind van die leeftijd. Als kinderen getraumatiseerd raken na hun eerste aanraking met de politie is dat een slechte zaak. Kinderen moeten leren dat de politie er ook voor hen is.'
In Twente houdt de politie momenteel een proef met 'reprimandegesprekken' voor jonge wetovertreders. Als de Twentse proef slaagt, wil de PvdA wil deze gesprekken ook in Amsterdam invoeren. | {
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Monday on Fox Business Network’s “Varney & Company,” while discussing Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s Friday night comments describing half of Republican nominee Donald Trump’s supporters as “deplorables” driven by “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic” beliefs, former U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage said of Clinton “only one person comes out of this deplorably,” which is Clinton.
Farage said, “When David Cameron once was asked about UKIP voters, he said they are loonies, fruitcakes and closet racists mostly. Well, that was nice of the prime minister, wasn’t it, to talk about millions of British people. And what happened during the referendum was they said that leave voters are old, angry, ill-educated and motivated by racist thoughts. Now, the reason for doing that was to say to people in the middle, to say to undecided voters, look, for goodness sake, if you vote leave the E.U., you are joining up with this appalling group of people. And that’s exactly the same game that Hillary was trying to play just a few days ago. And when she used the word “deplorables,” well, I’ll tell you what I think—I think only one person comes out of this deplorably, and that’s Hillary Clinton. Part of that same kind of elite that I saw in London, but in this case based in Washington, who has absolutely no understanding of how ordinary people live their lives.”
He added, “Well, what we’ve seen I think over the Western world, you know, last 10, 20 years is this new sort of political aristocracy that have taken over and the Clinton family in America, you know, sum it up rather beautifully. And they are very out of touch with the views of ordinary people. And if they think by insulting the silent majority they’re doing themselves a favor by effectively demeaning people, by demonizing people, then they were in for a big shock in Brexit, and I suspect she’s in for a big shock in this American campaign as well.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN | {
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David Cameron has accidentally followed a high-class escort agency on Twitter.
The Prime Minister’s official account, @Number10gov, had been following the account of Carltons of London, an organization describing itself as an “Elite London Escort Agency”.
Number 10 told the BBC that the account had been followed due to an automated system running on @Number10gov since 2009. They noted that following an account was not equivalent to endorsing it.
Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines
Carltons, which advertises itself as catering to Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Kensington and Mayfair areas of London, claims to offer the "finest London escorts to gentlemen of distinction".
It’s been suggested that the Prime Minister’s Twitter account was perhaps attempting to follow the Carlton Club, a London gentlemen’s club (of the other kind) established for the use of members of the Conservative party in 1832.
Cameron accepted an honorary membership to the club in 2008 and Boris Johnson is also a member.
Technology site The Register, who broke the story, contacted Carltons of London for comment but were told by the escort’s receptionist that “I don't know anything about the Prime Minister or Twitter."
Cameron joined Twitter reluctantly after commenting that “too many tweets might make a twat”, although this hasn’t the @Number10gov account committing a number of minor gaffes.
In September the PM’s account favourite a tweet from a spoof account saying "David-Cameron please call off WilliamHague, hasn't Kenya suffered enough today?", and last month he appeared to suggest that Facebook had been responsible for posting beheading videos on the site.
A fellow Twitter user responded: “Do you understand how the internet works at all?” | {
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As soon as next Monday, WSDOT says crews will start filling in the Battery Street Tunnel during the day.
SEATTLE — Crews have begun filling the Battery Street Tunnel, marking another milestone in the demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle.
Contractors will start filling the tunnel during daytime hours as soon as next Monday, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
As workers truck in fill material and compact it, residents can expect vibrations on surface streets and nearby buildings between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The fill material is concrete rubble that was left over from the viaduct.
The Battery Street Tunnel will be filled in during two phases. First workers will fill in the tunnel about seven feet from its ceiling with viaduct rubble that will be trucked in from the south end or poured through grates above the tunnel. Then low-density cellular concrete will be pumped in from surface vents along Battery Street to finish the job. Mixing that concrete onsite will eliminate 4,000 loads of concrete on surface streets, according to WSDOT.
Demolition of the viaduct, which is expected to last about six months, is now over 30 percent complete, according to WSDOT.
However, waterfront business owners say the state agency told them the demolition is behind schedule by three weeks. The waterfront section of the viaduct was originally scheduled to be completed by June 1 and will now likely be finished in mid- to late June.
Crews are currently demolishing the double-decker portion between Madison Street and north of Spring Street, along with a section east of Victor Steinbruck Park. | {
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I wanted to take a moment to share some of the history of how and why I originally proposed what is now known as BIP75. In order to get the full context, let’s first go back a few decades, to the mid ‘90’s when the Internet was first starting to really take off. We were at a point in time that was pretty similar to where we are at in the blockchain ecosystem now. We all knew that we were building a world changing technology, and it was critical that early designs and decisions had to set us on the right path for the future. There was even fierce debate between engineers about the best way to scale the network. Sound familiar? ;)
SUED BY SCIENTOLOGY
Another similarity between then and now is the importance of doing the right thing for the ecosystem and our users. In August of 1995, I was running technology for an ISP called Digital Gateway Systems, based outside of Washington D.C. During a typical day at the office, I answered the phone fully expecting a normal customer call. It was not. The person on the other end of the line was Helena Kobrin, then legal counsel for the Religious Technology Center. For those of you who are not familiar, they are responsible for managing all the super secret documents of the Church of Scientology. Apparently, one of our users, Arne Lerma, had posted some materials on USENET for which the Church claimed they held a copyright. I informed Ms. Kobrin that I would be more than happy to take the materials down, if they sent me proof of the copyright. They refused. In that moment, I knew that we were at a critical point, and understood how important it was to set the right precedent in terms of preserving the rights of Internet users moving forward. The entire DGS team knew that the Church of Scientology was on a lawsuit rampage, and that this was going to get very costly, very fast. Rather than backing down to their demands we (myself, the engineering team, and the exec team) chose to forgo our salaries in order to fight back for the rights of our users, future users, and for the ecosystem as a whole. DGS was named in the lawsuit and we got served a few days later.
CONGRESS ATTEMPTS TO IDENTIFY ALL INTERNET USERS
Shortly after the case was over, I saw the need for a group that could represent and protect the industry and our users, and I co-founded what became the largest trade association for ISP’s, the ISP/C. Working as a core engineer by day, and as our Public Policy Director by night, I focused my efforts on ensuring that any new laws or regulations supported the open, permissionless nature of the Internet, as well as protected the rights of individuals on the Internet.
The first issue we tackled was spam legislation, which was becoming a rapidly growing problem that stood to adversely impact both ISPs and end users alike. As Congress was drafting one of the early anti-spam bills, the Netizens Protection Act of 1997, Representative Chris Smith’s office reached out to me to see if ISP/C would endorse the bill. After waiting for them to fax it over (yeah I know, crazy), I finally got the draft, and was shocked to find a line in the bill which would have made it ILLEGAL to send ANY email without attaching your real name to it. Online anonymity was a right that needed to be protected, and this legislation would set a dangerous precedent that the ISP/C could not endorse. More than just not endorsing the bill, it was important for us to get Chris Smith and his team to understand why this was such a critical issue, as soon as possible. I was able to get in touch with the legislative analyst for the bill, and had several in-depth conversations with him about the right to privacy, user protections, and the goals we were working towards at ISP/C. Eventually, we were able to get that language removed, and replaced with language that instead only required a valid return email address, for users sending out unsolicited commercial emails: a solution that, I think, everyone is probably thankful for, well, except the spammers. ;)
I wanted to share these stories to demonstrate a long and ongoing commitment to protecting the rights of individuals online, and also to show how strategic, collaborative engagement works to produce better outcomes.
WHY WE STARTED NETKI
When we started Netki in 2014, we wanted to find ways to make bitcoin (and all blockchains) easier for normal individuals to use. Our first step was to build out our Wallet Name Service. Wallet Name service, (based on DNSSEC and optionally the Namecoin blockchain) gave people the ability to share an easy to use name, such as “justin.bi.tt” in place of their complicated wallet address. When we designed this, we thought not just about ease of use, but also security and privacy, both of which we wanted to improve, compared to current processes.
First, we required the use of DNSSEC so that the address transfer was cryptographically signed (in a manner similar to bitcoin transactions), and that the sender’s wallet could validate that the chain of trust was complete, and therefore ensure that the address hadn’t been tampered with in transit. This was a major improvement over then current practices of sending wallet addresses over unencrypted email, or via social media.
HOW NETKI HAS ALWAYS BEEN PRIVACY FIRST
From a privacy perspective, we implemented BIP32 (HD Wallet) into our product before it even launched, allowing users to share their Wallet Name with as many people as they want, and still know that each person will only be able to tie the Wallet Name and the wallet address used for the transaction to their OWN transactions. The fact that the use of a unique wallet address for each transaction hasn’t already been made automated for end users has led to CoinLab to announce they have successfully ‘de-anonymized bitcoin’ https://coinlab.com/blog/post/exploring/ . We saw this risk coming and wanted to make it brain dead simple for end users to use HD wallets, and therefore improve on-chain privacy. We hope that most major wallets and exchanges will support this, or some other mechanism to protect their users’ privacy, by making HD address generation automatic in their users’ wallets, without making the users themselves have to do any extra work.
We also included support for the Payment Protocol, BIP70 so that the sender could know who they were sending to, before confirming a transaction. The user experience for this would be: type in an easy to remember Wallet Name, and get back the “little green lock” that people are used to when browsing the web, and the ‘identity’ (self signed, e.g. their email address; or 3rd party validated) of the party they are sending to. We saw this as a major step forward in terms of both improving the current user experience, making bitcoin feel more comfortable for the users we all, as a community are trying to get onto the network.
Sometime in mid-2015, we read an article proposing Store & Forward servers as a way to allow for offline message passing between bitcoin wallets. We loved the idea so much, that we decided to start building an open-source service that acted as a Store & Forward server, called Addressimo. During the development phase we uncovered a hole in the security model of the proposed idea. All messages stored on the service were almost completely open for anyone to view. In the event of a compromise, an attacker would most certainly have access to all of the messages being passed between wallets, and along with that, all of the wallet addresses included in the PaymentRequest messages.
So we started to think amongst ourselves and eventually spoke to the folks at Breadwallet about a solution to this problem. Eventually we decided that all messages should be end-to-end encrypted using shared, ephemeral keys such as the scheme employed by TLS. To that end we began to write and refine what would eventually become BIP75, an extension to the already existing BIP70 Payment Protocol. The primary focus of BIP75 was, and is, to enhance user privacy and security in an open-standards way for an open-standards network.
We liked the option, present in BIP70, that allowed the user sending funds to see and verify with their own eyes that the receiver was, in fact, who they purported to be. A natural extension of this, we concluded, was that it would be helpful if this existing facility in BIP70 could be included in an ‘Invoice Request” message, so that both parties to a transaction could share information, that would allow them (and ONLY those parties) to know something more about ‘who’ (this information can be something as basic as an email address) they are transacting with.
The culmination of months of ideation, design, and implementation work brought together many things that we at Netki believed were missing from current bitcoin applications that would be hugely helpful towards continued mainstream adoption, including improved ease of use, and increased security and privacy. The major features of BIP75 are:
Allows for end-to-end, fully encrypted two-way communication of payment information between the parties to a transaction (and ONLY those parties)
Makes Store & Forward services usable and secure for mobile wallet applications
Optional information sharing between users who choose to share (about ‘who’ they are), via an encrypted, private channel
Application-level protocol that does not in any way interfere with or change the core Bitcoin protocol
Permissioned wallet address release
Allows for an address book feature on wallet applications without static wallet addresses
Finally by using BIP75 we encourage the use of a unique address per transaction, which improves user privacy, by protecting against potential leakages that can be acquired using analytics tools, and other forms of ‘prying eyes’. In summary, we designed a protocol that makes it easy to share information with who you want, while at the same time making it harder for outside eyes to spy on what you are doing.
WHY A BIP?
Originally, we at Netki were unsure if BIP75 should actually be proposed as a BIP. When we starting digging in and looked at things, however, it became apparent that this was really the only proper route to take. First, the work we are doing here is an extension of the work that was already done on BIP70. If we are to use history as our guide, the core development community (at the time) that authored and contributed to BIP70, must have believed that the BIP process was appropriate for this kind of proposed extension. Next, we took a closer look at the details themselves. This kind of communication between wallets can clearly benefit from a standard, and the method for creating such a standard can clearly benefit from the peer review generated by an open, standards based process. In the bitcoin ecosystem, that place is in BIPs. We have already seen the benefits of engaging in this process, and improved the proposal multiple times based on the feedback we have received from other developers.
We also believe that we as a community will end up with a better mechanism for the handling and sharing of identity, if we work together in an open manner rather than allowing things to transpire behind closed doors without proper community input or oversight.
KYC
Currently, there are many bitcoin companies that must comply with existing AML/KYC reporting requirements (e.g. exchanges and custodial wallets in the U.S. that are classified as MSBs), and as a result, have to employ certain ‘Know Your Customer’ measures as part of their ‘risk-based approach’ to compliance. There are also many bitcoin applications that do not have to comply with these regulations (e.g. non-custodial wallets with no exchange feature), and therefore do not have stringent requirements surrounding the collection of identity information about their customers. The bitcoin ecosystem is a diverse and growing community of users that clearly finds utility in both kinds of applications. In terms of the regulated service providers, a problem with some of the approaches to these measures, today, is that they can work to isolate transactions within ‘walled gardens’, where a user on one service can’t send funds to a user on a different provider. We see the potential for these walled gardens to reduce user choice, and constrain the overall ‘openness’ of the ecosystem, by boxing users into certain institutions, if they want to exchange funds with certain parties. With BIP75, via the encrypted two-way data exchange, we saw the opportunity to allow transactions to take place in a truly open network while maintaining the ‘on-chain’ privacy of the transacting parties. With the existing challenges surrounding compliance with regulatory reporting requirements, we ultimately see the development of standardized means to meet these requirements in a way that fundamentally protects and improves user privacy as a critical step in the development of real world solutions that utilize and/or interact with Bitcoin and other blockchains. | {
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The Veleia Affair by Mike Elkin
Have researchers in Spain's Basque Country made the find of a lifetime, or committed a very expensive fraud?
After leading the Veleia project for 15 years, Eliseo Gil amazed the archaeological world with his discoveries, but now he must defend his "exceptional" finds in court. (Mike Elkin)
Up the stairs and against the back wall of Molly Malone's Irish pub in Vitoria, Eliseo Gil and I speak discreetly. Sporting a white beard and a tattered baseball cap, Gil may be trying to keep a low profile. He was the lead archaeologist investigating the Roman city of Iruña-Veleia in the Basque region of northern Spain when a series of spectacular finds were made, turning him into a celebrity of sorts. In June 2006, Gil was a daily fixture in the Spanish press. One headline ran, "A discovery of this magnitude comes along once every two generations."
At a series of press conferences here in his hometown, Gil announced the discovery of several pottery sherds and other artifacts dating to around the third century a.d. with some remarkable graffiti scratched into them. One sherd depicted the Calvary scene, making it one of the oldest images of Christ's crucifixion. Some animal bones were engraved with the name of Egyptian queen Nefertiti, while inscriptions written in hieroglyphics and Latin appeared on other sherds. Also found were the earliest messages written in the Basque language.
"The first exceptional artifact that I held in my hands I saw being taken right out of the ground, and it had a series of symbols that at first glance looked like hieroglyphics," Gil, who peppers his speech with Spanish idioms, tells me. "Imagine the impact I felt finding something like that in a Roman context!"
The discoveries could have transformed Veleia from a city on the periphery of the Roman Empire to a cultural crossroads that would revolutionize our understanding of almost the entire ancient Mediterranean region. Likewise, the ancient Basque texts would warrant both archaeological and cultural celebration. While the origins of this non-Indo-European tongue are murky, the Basque language is important to the ethnic identity of the region's 2.1 million inhabitants, many of whom consider themselves more Basque than Spanish. These Basque Rosetta Stones helped rally excitement around the so-called "exceptionals," as some of the more spectacular inscribed sherds are known.
During the summer of 2006, Gil, often flanked by historians and linguists from the Universidad del País Vasco (UPV) in Vitoria, touted the finds. Radiocarbon testing on bones from the same archaeological layer as the artifacts confirmed the date range. And an analysis of the patinas that coated the sherds conducted at France's Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), showed that the inscriptions were made before the pottery was buried. The experts' reputations and the appearance of hard, scientific data helped deflect skepticism.
Today, however, Gil is facing criminal charges in three courts for fraud and attacks on national heritage.
Six miles west of Vitoria, the city of Veleia was settled in the Bronze Age, around 1000 b.c. During the first two centuries a.d., it expanded into a Roman city covering 200 acres inside a long meander of the Zadorra River, located on the Roman road from Asturica Augusta (Astorga) to Burdigala (Bordeaux). Around the end of the third century, however, as Roman Hispania began to decline, the city shrank to about 30 acres, protected by a wall almost a mile long.
Gil and Idoia Filloy, his codirector and ex-wife, began working at Veleia in 1994 through their private archaeology firm Lurmen with permission from the Álava provincial government. In 2001, they embarked on a new plan to reevaluate and expand excavations that were carried out in the 1950s and 1970s, find the outer limits of the city, and conserve the structures that were already exposed. The 10-person crew, plus a number of short-term archaeologists (usually eight), and 40 summer volunteers, focused on two Roman manors, known as the Domus Pompeia Valentina and the Domus of the Rose Mosaic. The team also excavated areas inside the city wall, and dug nearly 300 test pits outside of it. Regional public train companies agreed to fund the new plan over 10 years with [euro]3.7 million (about $5.2 million today).
Several experts believe the lowercase letters used to spell the modern Irish name "Deidre" are a clear indication that this inscription was not made during Roman times. (Courtesy Álava Provincial Government)
Around 600 pieces of pottery, bone, brick, and glass carved with graffiti, the "exceptionals" were uncovered during the 2005 and 2006 field seasons. According to Gil's archaeological report, in the Domus Pompeia Valentina the crew found 270 pottery sherds inscribed with graffiti among the 9,000 sherds from a single archaeological layer in the semi-basement of one room. Another 75 graffiti were found in the Domus of the Rose Mosaic, and the remaining graffiti came from two areas inside the city's wall and several test pits outside of it.
Finding pottery sherd graffiti in Veleia is nothing new. Prior to 2005, excavations of the Domus Pompeia Valentina yielded around 360 graffiti, including one that gave the manor its name: POMPIIIAII VALIINTINAII, using the cursive II for E (a trait that appears frequently in the exceptionals). The majority of these graffiti were marks or names to suggest ownership of the pot. The exceptional inscriptions, however, include a dizzying array of themes in Latin, Egyptian, and Basque. One of Gil's theories was that a Roman soldier returned to Veleia with an eastern Mediterranean teacher who had his students use pottery sherds as writing materials.
It would have been an unusual syllabus indeed, covering ancient Egypt, the life and death of Christ, and Greco-Roman gods and rulers. One inscription reads OCTAVIO AVGVSTO, a few pieces of pottery feature the name "Deidre," others have what look like Egyptian hieroglyphics, and on three animal bones are etched, respectively, NIIFIIRTITI, NIIFIIRTARI, and RAMSIIS [or RAMSUS] SIITI FILIO.
During the initial euphoria over the discoveries, Gil was supported by experts in ancient history, including Juan Santos, his former professor at UPV, and Basque linguist and UPV professor Henrike Knörr. Gil also asked Joaquín Gorrochategui, a professor of Indo-European linguistics at UPV and an expert in ancient Basque, to inspect the artifacts. Gorrochategui and other linguists have theorized how early Basque sounded by working backward from modern regional dialects and connecting the dots with Basque texts from the Middle Ages and Latin inscriptions of Basque names from Roman Aquitania in southwestern France. But as Gorrochategui tells me at a Vitoria café, Veleia's Basque inscriptions seem too modern for the third century, and the Latin inscriptions stand out for their odd grammar.
Eleven days after Gil gave his first press conference on the artifacts, Gorrochategui says he delivered a letter expressing his doubts to the head of the Álava Archaeological Museum, Amelia Baldeón, who had a safe installed in her office to hold the artifacts. "She was shocked," Gorrochategui says. "I said that I had seen only a handful of pieces, so she showed me others and I saw ENIIAS, ANQVISIIS ET VENVS FILI. This can't be. For one thing, there's a comma, which is modern. And 'Eneas' should be written 'Aenae' and 'Venus' should be 'Veneris.' I had doubts about the Basque inscriptions, but it was harder to confirm because of the scant information we have of ancient Basque. But Latin is a different story. I decided that the Latin texts were better explained in Spanish, and the Basque inscriptions better explained in modern Basque. In the end, what explained everything was that they were fakes."
Translated into English, this inscription reads "Aeneas, son of Anquises and Venus." The use of a comma and the spellings of the names seem too modern to be Roman. (Courtesy Álava Provincial Government)
Gorrochategui says he spoke to Gil about his doubts, but Gil cited the archaeology and lab tests that supported the artifacts' authenticity. And other experts backed Gil at the time. "Everything was so strange," Gorrochategui says. "Was Eliseo tricked? Are the tests wrong, or am I wrong?"
Time passed and suspicions grew enough to cause the Veleia team, including Santos and Knörr, to publish a letter in May 2007 on the Veleia website: "The finds we are discussing... are from the Roman period, and appear next to thousands of finds from the same period, located in Roman stratification, under other layers from the Roman period which enclose them. In addition, we have applied highly specialized analytical techniques that demonstrate that the graffiti were already made when these artifacts became buried, we insist, during Roman times."
Santos and Knörr, however, would soon change their minds as more exceptionals were studied. When a new government took over Álava Province in May 2007, the head of the culture department convened a panel of experts to tackle what was locally known as "the affair." The commission, which held its first meeting in January 2008, included Gil, Baldeón, the heads of the culture department, and around 10 UPV professors in the fields of archaeology, linguistics, history, chemistry, and nuclear engineering (including Gorrochategui, Santos, and Knörr, before he died in April 2008). Later they would add experts from Madrid, Italy, and Britain.
During the fifth and final meeting of the commission on November 19, every report except Gil's found problems with the exceptionals. One sherd has the modern Italian word CVORII (cuore or heart) carved into it; some of the names inscribed appear more Spanish than Latin, such as "Baco" instead of Bacchus and "Esculapio" instead of Aesculapius. One of the most obvious problems is the letters RIP--for "Requiescat in Pace"--inscribed on the cross in the crucifixion scene, which contradicts the idea of Christ's resurrection. Also, one sherd bears the incomplete name IISCAR in a list of ancient philosophers including Socrates, Seneca, and Virgil. The commission experts believe it was the name of 17th-century French philosopher René Descartes.
While the commission admits that there are probably some genuine graffiti in the mix, the suspicious artifacts taint everything else. A few hours after the final meeting, the Álava government suspended Gil's permit and all activity on the site. The commission cost Spanish taxpayers the equivalent of almost $80,000. Gil, for one, didn't think it was money well spent.
"Well, on November 19 I didn't see any of their findings," Gil says. "They read summaries. How can I reply when previously there was no communication? There were some very interesting points of view, but there are also many daring assertions. They have their arguments, but while we argue our opinions do you think that we can accuse someone and go to trial? They gave the politicians some examples to make conclusions."
The abbreviation RIP, meaning "rest in peace," contradicts the Christian belief that Jesus was resurrected. (Courtesy Álava Provincial Government)
Nevertheless, several outside experts agree that certain graffiti present serious problems.
"One strange thing is that we have adjoining sherds with graffiti on one, but the inscription doesn't pass the break," says Dominic Perring, director of the Centre for Applied Archaeology at University College London and an advisor to the commission. "If you're selecting sherds to write on, those sherds are separated from the ones that are discarded. But the stratification doesn't show this separation. It looks like the graffiti was a post-discovery activity. Of course strange things happen, but it would be even stranger if they were genuine."
Another apparently bogus inscription is OCTAVIO AVGVSTO. It fits the sherd and deftly avoids the imperfections that the pottery developed during the centuries it spent underground. Jonathan Edmondson, professor of Roman history at York University, points out that the name itself is problematic.
"When he became Augustus, he was no longer an Octavius," Edmondson tells me. "When adopted by a family you lose the name of the previous one." Before [Julius] Caesar adopted the man who would become his successor, he was Gaius Octavius Thurinus, and afterward was Gaius Iulius Caesar. It was only after consolidating his power in 27 b.c. that he took the honorific title Augustus, making him Imperator Caesar Augustus.
As Edmondson scans other photographs of the exceptionals, he says, "And then there's dear old 'Deidre,' and that cannot be." The commission highlighted this inscription as well because not only is it a contemporary Irish name, but it's written with a capital "D" and the rest of the letters in lowercase, a modern device. "I don't see much ground for scoring any of them as genuine. There are too many suspicious pieces."
Aidan Dodson, an Egyptologist at the University of Bristol, likewise says the hieroglyphic symbols are not authentic. Concerning the inscriptions referring to Ramesses, Seti, Nefertiti, and Nefertari, he says, "These are clearly a joke. No one in classical antiquity would transcribe Egyptian names like this. All classical references to Egyptian kings use Greek forms that differ widely from modern transcriptions, on which these are clearly based. And both queens had been long forgotten by classical times. But I must say the whole idea is bizarre. Hieroglyphs had become restricted to temple walls by the end of the first century, and the Egyptian language as used then was written in the cursive Demotic script, not hieroglyphs. Indeed, by [the third century] there are likely to have been a limited number of people who read and wrote hieroglyphs fluently in Egypt itself, let alone running evening classes in the Iberian Peninsula. It all feels to me like a scam of some kind."
Dodson's opinion coincides with the commission's Egyptian expert, but not that of Gil's expert. In June 2006, Montserrat Rius from the universities of Barcelona and Tuebingen verified the hieroglyphics at a press conference. In late November 2006, however, history buff Salvador Cuesta, who runs an online community dedicated to Veleia, posted that he could not find Rius at either university. Soon the cyber-sleuths discovered that Rius and her husband help fund a Spanish excavation in Egypt. Aside from completing a course at a foundation linked to Barcelona's Egyptian museum, she had no academic expertise in Egyptology. "They ask for faith," Cuesta wrote of the Veleia archaeologists, "but they feed my heresy."
From the beginning, online historical communities such as Celtiberia and Terrae Antiqvae have hounded the Veleia case, exchanging ideas, information, and insults in tens of thousands of message board posts. A forum fixture is Alicia Canto, professor of classical archaeology and epigraphy at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
"It was the Internet that began to disseminate voices of skepticism, and we had only around five photographs to look at," she says. "From day one we issued caution."
This inscription mixes up the name of Caesar Augustus, who was only called Octavius before becoming emperor. (Mike Elkin)
The next online coup took place in November 2008. Cuesta, who works at a water analysis laboratory, wrote that one of the graphs in the Veleia patina report, which supposedly proved the inscriptions were made before the sherds were buried, was actually a manipulated copy of a sample graph advertised on the Internet by the German scientific instrumentation company FAST ComTec. The measure time, real time, and live time of the sample acquisition in the Veleia report, compiled by physicist Rubén Cerdán for Gil, are identical to those of the FAST ComTec graph, as is the date of acquisition: October 31, 1990.
Another forum participant snatched the baton and wrote to the German company, which replied: "I agree that the picture of that [graph] is copied from our datasheet...this [graph] is not a real measurement but just a clumsy copy." The same day that Cuesta posted his discovery, the Veleia webmaster replaced the tainted report with another one, minus the graph.
The Álava government accuses Gil and crew member óscar Escribano of attacks on national heritage. Escribano figures in the lawsuit because he once etched the word "Veleia" onto a pottery sherd as a joke. Álava also charges Gil and Cerdán with fraud. The public train companies that funded the excavation have filed separate lawsuits against Gil and Filloy on the grounds they committed fraud, and demand the return of almost $1 million in funding.
Another nagging problem is that there is little evidence that the exceptionals even came from the excavation site. So far, the original field notes, excavation photographs, and results from the laboratories have not been released. Félix López, the head of museums in Álava and member of the commission, says the Álava government asked Gil for this documentation but it is still waiting. He adds that, "We requested information from the CNRS and they said there was not even a request to conduct the [analytical patina] tests."
When I ask Gil about the graph, the CNRS, Cerdán, and evidence of fraud, he says, "That's a very serious accusation, and they'll have to prove that. Until now no one has shown me otherwise so I don't have any other option except to believe [Cerdán's] reports."
Gil also tells me that the team didn't take many photographs and didn't keep formal field journals--both are basic practices on archaeological sites--but they might have kept notes. Miguel Ángel Berjón and José Ángel ApellÁniz say otherwise. These two archaeologists quit Lurmen in January 2007 following conflicts with Gil. Berjón says that while working in the Domus of the Rose Mosaic he filled around 10 notebooks. "In the original field notes we wrote you won't see one mention of exceptional graffiti," ApellÁniz says. "I'm convinced that the original notes no longer exist," Berjón adds. They also claim that the exceptional inscriptions were discovered while the artifacts were being cleaned in the lab. They never saw them in the field.
Daniel Vallo, an archaeologist from Bilbao who worked on the Veleia test pits from July to October 2006, says that his crew found one sherd with the Latin alphabet carved into it.
"At first everyone believed [in the artifacts]," he says, "but it began to sound fishy when I found out some of the graffiti that was found while washing came from my work area. I was excavating with a trowel, bear in mind. I might miss one or two, but not 20. So I brought to the site one of those Chinese food tins to wash the sherds as we removed them and we didn't find anything."
Not fazed by the mounting evidence against him, Gil's defense will include "several sworn and signed testimonies from witnesses, among other things, concerning the finding of certain artifacts," Gil tells me. "I'm an archaeologist, I'm not the person who certifies the authenticity of artifacts. We need to verify absolutely everything, but I haven't seen anything to make me think they are fake...The only thing I can do is put my faith in the justice system. Consciously or unconsciously [the commission and the Álava government] have destroyed my career."
Some of the inscriptions seem to conveniently avoid damage that was done to the pottery after it was buried. (Courtesy Álava Provincial Government)
The first hearing took place on June 30, a few days before this article went to press. In court, Gil will likely try to pick apart the commission's conclusions, and he might score a few victories.
"People have put too much faith in the commission," says Canto. "Its reports are not completely reliable. Linguistics doesn't always explain epigraphy. There are always exceptions. You can rarely say that a certain word is impossible because, like now, people wrote badly. But of course, there are texts like Deidre and CVORII that are beyond salvation. And several of the commission experts at one point believed [the inscriptions] to be authentic. How can they claim to be experts when they swallowed this for so long?"
In addition, there has always been animosity between the Veleia team and some members of the UPV archaeological department. Several academics felt that such an important site (and its checkbook) should not be managed by a private company. At the end of 2010, the Álava government plans to present a new 10-year project for Veleia. Although nothing is official so far, López says, authorities hope to forge an agreement with UPV.
After three long years of scandal, archaeology is no longer trusted as a science in the Basque Country. Will the courts' investigations reverse the damage to the profession? And if the exceptionals are a hoax, the questions on everyone's mind will be "Who?" and "Why?"
But for Ken Feder, a Connecticut archaeologist and author of Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology, these questions distract us from focusing on the analysis of the artifacts, which is what really matters. "The people behind hoaxes," he says, "are usually well-respected and you always hear, 'It couldn't have been him, he would never do this.' Not knowing a motive is not an argument for authenticity. There will be a smoking gun. The rest we can leave to the psychologists."
Mike Elkin is a freelance journalist based in Madrid. | {
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WASHINGTON — The nationwide search for a "Jane Doe" suspected child pornographer, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ended with the arrest of an Okaloosa County, Fla., woman on federal charges for child pornography production.
Corine Danielle Motley, 25, was arrested by HSI Pensacola special agents and Northwest Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force members late Wednesday evening, hours after HSI issued a public appeal for assistance to identify "Jane Doe."
"The quick identification of the victim and suspect in this case demonstrates the power of the press, social media and the general public in helping solve these cases," said ICE Director John Morton. "Literally hours after we asked the public for their assistance in identifying Jane Doe, a tip came in that led to her identification and arrest. There is nothing more satisfying than knowing that, due to these efforts, a child is now safe and her tormentor now in custody."
HSI's Child Exploitation Investigations Unit's Victim Identification Program obtained a "Jane Doe" arrest warrant Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for the suspect and issued a news release with photos seeking the public's help to identify the suspect, after all other investigative leads had been exhausted.
According to the complaint, Motley is believed to have produced at least one long-form child pornography video featuring herself engaging in explicit sexual conduct with a 4 to 6-year-old victim.
HSI special agents received an investigative referral from the Danish National Police, after the video was downloaded by law enforcement officers in Denmark. The video was referred to HSI as Danish police believed that the video had most likely been produced in the United States. HSI submitted the material to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the national clearinghouse for child sexual exploitation material. The center determined that the victim had not yet been identified or rescued.
Investigators believe that the video was posted on the Internet for the first time Nov. 27.
The Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section supported the efforts of HSI during this investigation. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Northwest Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force also provided assistance. Participating members of the task force included: the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, the Walton County Sheriff's Office and the Pensacola Police Department.
This investigation is part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
HSI is a founding member and the U.S. representative of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida. | {
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A week after a series of attacks on Africans in Delhi, India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj was trolled for a tweet asking Indians to shake hand and say "India loves you" every time they met an "African citizen".
The tweet came a week after a Congolese man was beaten to death in Delhi, with two other attacks on people from Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa in the national capital and Hyderabad a few days later. The Indian government has promised action against the attackers after numerous African diplomats asked the government to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of their citizens, most of them students.
I appeal to fellow Indians. Next time you meet an African citizen, pl shake hand and say 'India loves you'.
Pl RT — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) June 2, 2016
The attack comes a few months after a mob assaulted a group of Tanzanians in Bengaluru in February. The state government had denied that the attack was racist.
Yesterday, Swaraj had said that the attacks were "criminal" rather than "racial" in nature. "These were not premeditated acts against a particular community, rather these were spontaneous attacks perpetrated by anti-social and criminal elements,” Swaraj said in a statement. In another tweet, she promised to start sensitisation program "to reiterate that such incidents against foreign nationals embarrass the country."
However, several Twitter users pointed out the problems in her latest tweet.
"African citizen"
I don't have an updated map like Sushma ji has. Please point me to the country called Africa. pic.twitter.com/GjtM0VW917 — Maharana Brumby (@brumbyOz) June 2, 2016
Dear Jonty Rhodes, India loves you — Ajith (@ajith27) June 2, 2016
"India loves you."
African citizen: "Can you locate Malawi in the map of Africa?"
"Umm... Look, let's just stop at India loves you." — Pushkar (@Pushkarr) June 2, 2016
India Loves You*.
*Conditions apply. — Krupakar Manukonda (@krupakar_m) June 2, 2016
Or shake fist, beat crap out of him (or strip her, depending) and say India loves you https://t.co/E6XPIN9ptQ — Prasanto K Roy (@prasanto) June 2, 2016
Barack Ji, India loves you pic.twitter.com/m1Cq4H4aLd — Ajith (@ajith27) June 2, 2016
Next time you receive an email from a Nigerian Prince, immediately reply 'India loves you' — Sidvee (@sidvee) June 2, 2016
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Centralen – spårområdet
Det finns ännu inget skarpt förslag, men Jernhusen undersöker en omfattande överdäckning av spårområdet vid Centralen, för att kunna bygga bostäder och kontor. Detaljplanearbetet ska se över hur platsen kan förtätas och hur centralstationen ska utvecklas. Detaljplanen förväntas kunna antas tidigast 2022. Stadens långsiktiga vision är att överdäcka spårområdet hela vägen upp till Hagastaden.
Centralen – vid Stockholm Waterfront
Tomtmark vid bredvid Stockholm Waterfront ska säljas efter årsskiftet. Idag är det en död plats med diverse tillfartsramper och vägar. Staden ser gärna att trafikplatsen överdäckas och att det kan byggas bostäder, hotell eller butiker på platsen. En markanvisningstävling startar i början av 2019. | {
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Summer isn’t officially here yet, but it’s already shaping up to be a good one, and while there are lots of beaches to escape to close to Brampton, none are quite as convenient as the city’s very own man-made beach at Professor’s Lake.
The 65-acre spring-fed lake right in the middle of the city offers paddle boats, canoeing, kayaking and standup paddle boarding, with rentals available starting at $6.
The beach, complete with a swimming area, water slide, and beach volleyball courts, is slated to open June 30, 2018, weather and water permitting. The water quality at Professor’s Lake is tested daily by the Region of Peel and test results from the previous day will result in the lake either opening open or closed until the quality becomes acceptable.
The city posts water quality results daily by 2 p.m. so anyone interested in enjoying the beach can check prior to going to the lake.
Aside from the beach, there’s also a patio overlooking the lake, a pathway for walking, biking and inline skating, as well as playgrounds and fishing spots around the lake’s perimeter.
This summer the city is offering a bunch of summer and other outdoor programming for children age 6 to 17 during July and August. To find out more, call the city at 905-791-7751.
Admission to the beach area is $4.10 for adults and $2.65 for children under 13. Prices drop for entry after 5 p.m. Check out the city’s website here for more information.
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Arranging the details of this interview and realizing that we’re unable to meet in the flesh, I suggest we conduct it over Skype. This, however, isn’t an option for the interviewee in question. Ruth Goodman is a renowned historian famous for her hands-on approach. From Tudor England to Britain during the Blitz, Goodman doesn’t just study the period in question; she lives it. However, one of the pitfalls of being such an expert in historical living, her publicist explains (half in jest, of course, but wholly serious in terms of what this means for us chatting), is Goodman’s not familiar enough with Skype. Instead I resort to calling her on her landline—which in itself for many people today probably seems as outdated as any Victorian means of communication!
This is the period that is the subject of Goodman’s new book, How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life. It’s the kind of book that does exactly what it claims on the cover—beginning with rising from bed in the morning, and ending with slipping back between the same sheets at the end of the day, Goodman takes her readers through a Victorian day, during which no minutiae is too mundane for her consideration, from personal grooming, all aspects of the working day, the intricacies of domestic labor, and what to do with those precious few minutes of snatched leisure time. This is a different version of history, and one which, until fairly recently, Goodman explains, not much was known about.
“The basics of ordinary life just get pushed to one side in general,” she says, “and that annoys me because that’s what history is, isn’t it? It’s most of us. I’m just not that impressed by the history of kings and queens and battles. I think they’re just the froth on top. I think the real drivers, the things that make it happen, are how we organize our lives, what we grow, what we buy, what we make, what we do with it, how we get rid of it. Those sorts of things are what changed the world.”
Her approach is a rallying cry for what she calls “the democratization of history.” She goes on to liken our interest in the major players of the past to the obsession with celebrity culture that haunts society today, admitting that it genuinely puzzles her: “I’ve always thought that I was personally really rather ordinary, and I look around me and assume that everyone else is rather ordinary, too, and it’s the things we have in common—like what we had for breakfast—that are interesting.”
Her approach is not just refreshing, it’s intriguing too, as in many ways it’s Goodman’s own ordinariness that both sets her apart from other historians and has made her the popular figure she is today. She’s well known in the U.K. due to the starring roles she’s had in the TV shows Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm, Wartime Farm, Tudor Monastery Farm, and Victorian Pharmacy, in which she and her co-presenters turn back the clock and live exactly as their predecessors did, for months at a time. Yet interestingly, she doesn’t come from an academic background, and nor is she a trained historian—not that this really means anything, since no one can fault the depth and breadth of her knowledge.
She credits her husband with first igniting her passion for the subject. He was a keen historical re-enactor, and had been since he played a drummer boy at a Battle of Waterloo as a 12-year-old. So once they were married, he enticed her along with him, and “although the activity was odd—I feel slightly queasy about the idea of re-enacting battles. It seems to me like a glorification of war—the people were really nice,” she admits, and she was quickly hooked. “Everything else—how do you cope; how did people do the business of living in the past—that fascinated me from the start.”
The popularity of her TV shows here in the U.K. would seem to suggest that she’s not the only one captivated by the everyday. Social history, she agrees, has become much more popular in recent years, embraced by academics and the general public alike, and with it her self-styled “empirical approach” has also gained in acceptability.
“Doing is a really good way of making one remember that you’re talking about people,” she explains. “I think it’s so easy if you’re just reading to think of the ‘us’ and ‘them,’ but when you’re doing, we all become ‘us.’”
But it’s not just perspective that her practical methodology provides, it’s also the fundamental basis of her investigations, too—a research tool in its own right. “If you have to really do a process, from start to finish, if there’s anything you don’t understand in the middle, you’re going to find out that you don’t understand it,” she says laughing. “It really pulls things up in your face.”
She provides plenty of examples in the book, my favorite of which has to be when she recounts having tried her hand at making a classic of the Victorian era: condoms out of sheep’s guts.
When she first caught the history bug, one of the earliest problems that she came up against was the glaring absence of available material on the topics she wanted to find out more about. “I just kept looking for books that didn’t exist. Nobody had written a history of washing up,” she says with a chuckle. This isn’t to say that literature hasn’t been a useful part of her research, but the most valuable material hails from an unlikely source—eBay—and comes in unlikely forms—the 19th-century versions of today’s junk mail and free papers.
“Libraries and museums tend to have collections that are based around something that is worthy, special, or noteworthy. They’ve collected with a purpose; it’s never random. Ebay is random. The only thing you can say about it is that the more of it that was published, the more of it is going to turn up there, so what you’re really getting is the cheapest, most popular literature that people actually had; the things that came free with six purchases of Pears’ soap or whatever. So that was a really fabulous way of amassing a huge collection of ordinary, everyday stuff that people were reading and thinking about. I found it a really useful research tool to set against more formal things, just because it focuses on the ordinary. I look at the way I use literature in the modern world, or other people in my life use literature in the modern world, and it is the cheap and cheerful that surrounds us most of the time.”
By far the most interesting thing about Goodman’s book is the way it opens our eyes to aspects of Victorian living I’d never even thought about. Jobs I’d never even envisaged, like punching the eye through a sewing needle and the precision needed for such a task; the night-soil men who emptied household cesspits, having to actually tramp through people’s kitchens with a huge bucket of freshly collected feces slung on a pole between their shoulders if there was no other access to the outdoor privy; 5-year-olds in full-time employment because “the extra few pence in the family budget [made] the difference between survival and starvation”; mothers encouraged to drug their infants with opiates; the Victorians’ obsession with laxatives; laundry that had to be soaked for two days before it was ready to be washed; and nursing mothers feeding sick relatives their breast milk since they couldn’t afford anything more nourishing. The list could go on.
Obviously, though, Goodman doesn’t indulge in the more dangerous elements of Victorian life (there’s no substitute for modern medicine she’s quick to point out) when she dons her corsets—and yes, during the filming of Victorian Farm, swiftly followed by Edwardian Farm thereafter, she wore full-on Victorian corsetry for 18 hours a day for what was in the end nigh on an 18-month period. This was “so intense,” as she describes it to me, that she even stopped diaphragm breathing, something which surprised her: “I didn’t expect that. And even though it was some years ago now, to this day I still have to remind myself to diaphragm breathe.”
Some things her body adapted to very quickly, especially sleep patterns, she notes: “As soon as you remove artificial light, just a couple of days and you’re back into dawn-to-dusk patterns.” This makes sense, but I’m surprised to discover that her taste buds changed, too. More modern, Mediterranean food just tasted “thin, like there was no substance to it,” and instead she craved the lard and gristle heavy food of the era in which she was living.
What was the biggest hardship of living in the past I ask? Running water, she replies without hesitation, followed closely by tea and coffee, though luckily the Victorians were keen tea drinkers, so she didn’t have to go without.
That said, she has let some of what she’s learned living as a Victorian seep into her 21st-century life. She makes all her own household cleaning products, for example, leaning heavily on vinegar and soap, and she doesn’t use washing powder in her washing machine, though that’s “more of a Tudor thing,” she admits. “I learned that it’s the beating and the water that does the cleaning, not the chemicals.” She also makes her own hairspray, something that Victorian women made for themselves, and she enjoys the control these homemade products give her, whether it’s choosing what to clean her home with or what to put in her hair. “I find it empowering, I make the decisions. I’m not reliant on somebody else somewhere in an advertising suite to tell me what I should use. I was always a bit like that. In fact, it might have been the reason I wanted to find out about it all in the first place.” | {
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Whenever the Vikings are willing to negotiate, Kyle Rudolph is ready to listen.
The tight end has been saying since late last year he wants to sign an extension that would kick in starting with the 2015 season. He said there have been no negotiations yet, but that’s understandable during a year in which the Vikings brought in a new coaching staff and the draft was held two weeks later than normal.
“Obviously, my financial situation is completely in their hands right now,” Rudolph said Thursday. “I’ve got one year left on my deal here and I’m extremely excited for the changes that have been made around here (under first-year coach Mike Zimmer).
“All I can worry about is going out and being successful. The contract will take care of itself. … I’d be more than happy to stay here for a long time.”
Rudolph, who signed a four-year, $3.9 million rookie contract in 2011, would become a free agent after next season if no extension deal can be reached by then.
He missed the final eight games last season because of a fractured left foot but is fully healthy and told the Pioneer Press in April that he considers himself the NFL’s best tight end.
Follow Chris Tomasson at twitter.com/christomasson. | {
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by
JC Schildbach, LMHC
Lowes decided to announce its rollout of Sherwin Williams’ line of “HGTV Home” paint by crafting an ad that plays on popular ideas about some of the most well-known artists in history (and pop culture), each jealously challenging the notion of who is “the most legendary name in paint.”
Well, okay, “Mr. Happy Little Trees” Bob Ross doesn’t come across as jealous.
But Leonardo da Vinci, Andy Warhol, and Michelangelo all do.
Vincent van Gogh just comes across as…well, you can watch it here:
Get it? It’s funny because you think he’s saying “what?” because he cut off his ear. But then you realize it’s actually funny because van Gogh is suffering from psychosis or whatever would make him talk to a pigeon.
Hilarious—right?
Of course, nobody diagnosed van Gogh with a particular mental illness during his lifetime, particularly not from a current understanding of mental illness. Perhaps the most popular theory of van Gogh’s troubles is that they stemmed from Bipolar Disorder. Whatever the case, eventually van Gogh died of complications from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, following numerous other episodes of emotional difficulties and self-harm.
I want to be clear that I don’t have any particular axe to grind with any of the businesses in question (even if I should for one reason or another). I shop at Lowes regularly. And even though Sherwin Williams has that terrible “Cover the Earth” logo, all of the paint we’ve used in our home has come from our neighborhood Sherwin Williams store, except for the paint in the upstairs bathroom, and the stain on the deck, which we got at Lowes. And I watch HGTV (and the DIY Network) enough that M wishes I would just get off the damn couch and make our house more beautiful (or at least just quit talking about all those projects and do them).
Still, it’s disappointing to see that the big punchline for the combined Lowes-Sherwin Williams-HGTV commercial involves mocking, specifically, somebody who suffered from mental illness, and, more generally, the idea of psychosis, particularly given that the commercial was rolled out at the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Month: NIMH’s “Mental Health Awareness by the Numbers”
I suppose I could also point out that all of the artists in the commercial are white males. But given how the myriad options for art “jokes” involving white male artists were handled, I don’t have a lot of faith that a woman artist, or a non-white artist, would have fared much better when reduced down to a humorous reference that might be commonly understood. | {
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The 2019-2020 NBA season is almost upon us. We have put together a list of who is the top 25 best players entering the 2019-20 season. Players who are not expected to play next season will not be accounted for.
*The rankings are an average of three analysts from the website*
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks James Harden, Houston Rockets LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers Kemba Walker, Boston Celtics Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs Luka Dončić Dallas Mavericks Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic
Who would you add to the list? Who do you think should be in the top 25 best players?
Photo: The Associated Press
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