text
stringlengths 627
100k
|
|---|
Prosecutors have indicted 214 people on felony rioting charges in connection to protests that broke out in downtown Washington, DC, on Inauguration Day.
Police originally arrested 230 people after demonstrators smashed storefronts and bus stops, launched rocks at police and set fire to a limousine on January 20.
Six police officers were injured as chaos erupted in parts of the capital, just blocks away from where Donald Trump was being sworn in as president.
A grand jury in DC charged five individuals on Tuesday, adding to the 209 defendants who were indicted earlier this month.
Those who have been indicted face up to ten years in prison and a fine up to $25,000.
A grand jury in Washington, DC, charged five individuals on Tuesday in connection to protests that broke out on Inauguration day. Another 209 defendants were indicted on rioting charges earlier this month
Police originally arrested 230 people and charged them with felony rioting after protesters smashed storefronts and bus stops, launched rocks at police and set fire to a limousine on January 20
The US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia also announced on Tuesday that it was dropping three more cases.
The office did not say why the cases were dismissed but prosecutors have said they're working with police to review evidence related to the Inauguration Day arrests.
Some of the dismissed cases have involved journalists arrested while chronicling the actions of a group of self-described anarchists.
The indictment accuses the 209 charged of using a tactic called ‘Black Bloc’ to conceal their identities by wearing black clothing and face coverings, according to CNN.
The rioters destroyed a government vehicle, assaulted a limousine driver, smashed storefront windows and committed ‘violent and destructive acts’, according to the indictment.
Just before the Inauguration Day parade started, clashes broke out between more than 400 stone-throwing protesters and riot police in McPherson Square - just blocks from the parade in honor of newly sworn-in president.
The protest broke out just blocks from where President Donald Trump was being inaugurated (pictured above)
The US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia also announced on Tuesday that it was dropping three more cases, but did not give reason as to why the cases were being dropped
As Trump's motorcade wound its way up Pennsylvania Avenue in the parade to the White House, protesters also descended on Franklin Square Park where they graffitied a stretch limo before setting the vehicle ablaze right outside the Washington Post building.
Court paperwork from January suggests the group of rioters did more than $100,000 in damage.
Those who have been charged had their phones seized by DC Police, who have been holding on to the devices since the arrests.
Some individuals have been targeted as part of a social media investigation into their Facebook activity by police.
A search warrant would allow Facebook to give away information including 'messages, photos, videos, timeline posts, and location information', according to Facebook's guidelines.
A subpoena would include the person's 'name, length of service, credit card information, email address(es), and a recent login/logout IP address(es)'.
IP data points could show where the suspects were the day of the protests. |
Obsidian lead designer Nathaniel Chapman has stated in an interview with Eurogamer that the developers are currently working on a patch to improve the PC version of Dungeon Siege 3‘s keyboard and mouse controls. I’ve yet to play the PC version of DS3, but I was witness to Alec’s agitated bellowing about the PC controls (among other things), so I’m going to go ahead an assume that this is a good thing.
Chapman had this to say about the PC controls:
Actually this is one thing I would have liked to have spent more time on… Basically, I think as long as PC gamers have a good way to control the combat they will enjoy it. One review – I can’t remember which – said if you play with a game pad the combat is great, so right now we’re working on improving the PC controls through an update. I think if there are PC gamers who are having a negative reaction it’s less about what the combat is, it’s more how the combat controls.
Chapman was also, however, willing to talk about smaller changes that he would have made if he could.
I think our loot system has a lot of strengths but one of the weaknesses is that it’s not very clearly communicated what each of the stats does… I think having a more fleshed-out tutorial system for the stats and what they do and how they function would be a nice thing. Having more unique armour variants too. It’s always good sequel or DLC material.
And talk about bugs a little bit. This was his response to whether gamers have the right to expect bug-free games at launch.
So, I think there are two things. One is the rose-coloured glasses effect. I think older games were just as buggy [as newer ones], but we’re more tuned-in at looking for the bugs. I personally remember old PC games and even old Nintendo games that had tons of bugs. I think the big difference is that the core technology of games has gotten more complex and it’s very difficult to get out all the little bugs. Usually in an old 2D Nintendo game a bug is no more than a few lines of code to fix, whereas in a 3D game it could be something in the animation system stomping memory in the renderer. There are so many more layers that it’s very hard to catch all the bugs. On the flipside, I think more what gamers should expect when they go out and buy a game is that they get an experience that’s worth their money. But it’s very hard to say what that is.
You can read the full interview, “Reinventing Dungeon Siege”, here. You’ll be leaving RPS, of course. Don’t forget your coat! It’s cold out there. |
After making its presence felt in the U.S. with its affordable, unlocked handsets, Florida based mobile phone company BLU is entering the Indian market. BLU has started off its Indian adventure with the launch of two new Windows Phone handsets in the country, a press release issued by the company earlier today said. The two models the company unveiled today are the BLU Win JR LTE and BLU Win HD LTE. Both these handsets will be sold through Amazon.in, as well as through Microsoft retail points across India, the release stated. BLU has also set up a new office in the northern Indian city of Gurgaon for its nationwide operations. These phones were however already available on various stores in India since the past few months.
“We are extremely excited about building our brand in India. We believe that the Indian consumer is very savvy and knows what he wants. We are committed to developing aspirational products in a price range that will make them attainable” said Samuel Ohev-Zion, CEO of BLU Products. “BLU aims to be a major player in the Indian mobile market,” he added.
Let us delve in to the technical specifications of the phones now, shall we? We will start off with the BLU Win JR LTE
BLU Win JR LTE
The BLU Win JR is an affordable Windows phone powered device that has been priced at Rs.5,999. It is powered by the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset that runs at 1.2 Ghz. A compact device aimed ay entry level users, the BLU Win JR features a 4.5-inch FWVGA (845 X 480) display. It has 8GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM. The phone also supports memory expansion using microSD cards of up to 64GB. Like other phones in its price range, the BLU Win JR LTE is also a dual SIM handset that supports 4G LTE networks. The phone supports plenty of connectivity options, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and boasts a 2000 mAh battery. TheBLU Win JR runs Windows Phone 8.1 out-of-the-box but will be upgraded to Windows 10 soon, the company confirmed. BLU has also chosen to tread the path chosen Nokia and Microsoft and offers the the phone in plenty of color options. TheBLU Win JR gets a 5 megapixel main camera with LED flash and a VGA front camera for selfies and video calling. The phone is currently available for purchase from Amazon.in for the aforementioned price of Rs.5,999 which puts it in direct competition with several affordable Windows Phone devices from Microsoft themselves.
Next up, we talk about the…
BLU Win HD LTE
The BLU Win HD LTE, as you might have guessed by now, is the more premium of the two handsets announced today by BLU. This phone however is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset as the BLU Win JR but has a better display and a more premium design. The BLU Win HD gets what the company says a “metal finishing, state of the art soft touch feel, and precision cross-hatched patterns on the side keys”. It also boasts of a 2.5mm thin bezel. Other changes include the fact that the display size has been increased to 5-inches on this device. The camera also sees an upgrade with the BLU Win HD getting an 8 megapixel main camera and a 2 megapixel front camera for all the selfie addicts out there. The BLU Win HD LTE gets 8GB of internal storage – upgradeable to 64GB using microSD cards. like its more affordable sibling, the BLU Win HD also manages with just 1GB of RAM, which could be enough considering the fact that the phone runs the resource friendly Windows Phone 8.1 out-of-the-box. That said, BLU has confirmed that the BLU Win HD, too, would be receiving an official upgrade to Windows 10. The BLU Win HD has been priced at Rs.7,999 and is available on Amazon.in.
BLU has also added that, starting in November, they also plan to roll out an array of Android powered phones in the country. It would be interesting to see if they would launch the BLU Pure XL in India which is nothing but a re-branded Gionee Elife E8 that we talked about a few days ago.
[Images Via BLU] |
U.S. fears Mexico is losing war on drugs and organised crime, WikiLeaks cables reveal
The U.S. has lost hope in Mexico's ability to tackle drug cartels and organised crime, according to classified cables released by WikiLeaks.
Mexico's four-year assault on the cartels lacks a clear strategy and its military is not modern enough to take on the huge task, the messages claim.
They call into question many of the efforts publicly touted by Mexico and the U.S. about their war on organised crime.
The Mexican army is considered outdated, slow and risk averse and the $1.4billion U.S. Merida Initiative - a U.S.-Mexican co-operation plan - ill-conceived and ineffective in tackling drug trafficking.
Failing: Federal police on in a drugs bust in Mexico City
In one cable, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asks about how the stress is affecting President Felipe Calderon's 'personality and management style'.
Another by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual notes that Calderon has admitted to having a tough year and has appeared 'down' in meetings.
'Calderon has aggressively attacked Mexico's drug-trafficking organizations but has struggled with an unwieldy and uncoordinated inter-agency and spiraling rates of violence that have made him vulnerable to criticism that his anti-crime strategy has failed,' a memo from January 29 says.
One dated Oct. 5, 2009, from then-Undersecretary for the Interior Geronimo Gutierrez Fernandez, who oversaw domestic security, expressed a 'real concern with 'losing' certain regions.'
'It is damaging Mexico's international reputation, hurting foreign investment, and leading to a sense of government impotence, Gutierrez said.
'If we do not produce a tangible success that is recognisable to the Mexican people, it will be difficult to sustain the confrontation into the next administration,' the memo says.
The classified and secret memos stand in stark contrast to the public presentation by both countries of the war on organized crime.
Calderon has insisted that the spike in violence that has killed more than 28,000 people since 2006 is a sign that the drug cartels are on the ropes and that the government controls all areas of the country.
Up in smoke: A Mexican soldier stands by as piles of cocaine are burnt
U.S. officials stage public ceremonies for the handover of helicopters and other Merida Initiative equipment and talk about Mexico's reform from a closed to an oral trial system a key tool in fighting the drug war.
Privately the U.S. notes: 'Prosecution rates for organized crime-related offenses are dismal; Two per cent of those detained are brought to trial. Only two per cent of those arrested in Ciudad Juarez have even been charged with a crime.'
Calderon's office refused to comment today.
The October 5 cable the U.S. says it would be happy to provide Mexico with more training and technology, particularly in intelligence gathering, but that it will take 'the development of strong trust through proper vetting.'
The cable also says 'it would be excellent to get to the point where there is no longer impunity for (Joaquin) Chapo Guzman,' Mexico's most-wanted drug lord.
One bright spot are the Mexican Marines, which led what U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual called in one memo 'a major victory for President Calderon' - the offensive a year ago that killed drug lord Arturo Beltran Leyva, head of cartel that bears his last name.
Since then, the marines, 'with extensive U.S. training' have also taken down drug lords Sergio Villarreal Barragan, who was fighting for control of the Beltran Leyva gang after its leaders death, and Antonio Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, or 'Tony Tormenta,' a top leader of the Gulf cartel.
But Pascual also notes that the U.S., who had information locating Beltran Leyva, originally took it to the army, which refused to move quickly.
The January 29 cable notes friction between the army and the marines.
An October 28, 2009 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City describes a proposal by Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Guillermo Galvan Galvan to control the violence with a type of state of emergency suspending, some constitutional rights in several cities, including Ciudad Juarez, a city across the border from El Paso considered one of the most violent in the world.
The cable noted that the Mexican government had not taken such action since World War II.
But then-Interior Minister Fernando Gomez Mont batted down the idea, and in the cable, then-Charge d'Affaires John Feeley said that U.S. government analysis showed the benefits were 'uncertain at best, and the political costs appear high.'
An October 5 cable describes a dinner that the Mexican Attorney General's Office hosted for a delegation from the U.S. Department of Justice, quoting Gutierrez as saying the Merida Initiative was too hastily crafted to be effective.
'In retrospect he and other GOM (Government of Mexico) officials realize that not enough strategic thought went into Merida in the early phase,' the memo said.
'There was too much emphasis in the initial planning on equipment, which they now know is slow to arrive and even slower to be of direct utility in the fight against the DTOs (drug-trafficking organizations.)'
Both the U.S. and Mexico have said recently that Merida money in the future would be directed toward creating more effective institutions.
The January 29 memo notes that military surges in Ciudad Juarez have not worked.
Gutierrez and National Security System Coordinator Jorge Tello Peon said Calderon has to stop the violence in Ciudad Juarez, according to the cable.
'Politically ... Calderon has staked so much of his reputation there, with a major show of force that, to date, has not panned out,' the cable said Gutierrez and Peon told U.S. officials at the dinner. |
LOS ANGELES -- Doc Rivers said he and the players on the Los Angeles Clippers agreed with NBA commissioner Adam Silver's decision to ban team owner Donald Sterling for life in response to racist comments the league says Sterling made in a recorded conversation.
"I thought Adam Silver today was fantastic. He made a decision that really was the right one that had to be made," Rivers said Tuesday before the Clippers played the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 of their first-round series. "I don't think this is something we rejoice in or anything like that. I told the players about the decision and I think they were just happy there was a resolution and it's over or at least the start of it. I was just really proud of them and I've been proud of the players in the NBA overall, I've been proud of the ownership throughout the league and I think we're all in a better place because of this."
Rivers said the team was practicing when Silver made his decision and he informed the team of the ruling during their film session on Tuesday.
"I kind of said it and told them what Adam had said and honestly there was nothing in the room at that time when I said it," Rivers said. "There was complete silence. I said what I thought I needed to tell them and then we went right back to film."
There had been some discussion about Rivers' future with the team but after Silver's ruling, which includes forcing Sterling to sell the team upon the approval of three-fourths of the league owners, Rivers said he may not have much of a decision to make.
"I haven't thought about it," Rivers said. "I hadn't thought about leaving or staying. This should not be about me or what I'm doing or what I'm going to do. I love coaching. I've enjoyed these guys. I don't have an answer because I've given it zero thought. Obviously Adam's decision, if there was going to be one, makes mine easier."
Rivers viewed Silver's decision as the first step of the healing process for the Clippers after TMZ first published audio tapes of Sterling making racist comments to his girlfriend, V. Stiviano, Friday night.
"We can move forward," Rivers said. "We have to. You always have to move forward. You learn over and over that when something like this happens with the burden or racism, it always falls on the person that has been offended to respond and I've always thought that that's interesting. I felt the pressure on my players. Everyone was waiting for them to give a response. I kept thinking that they didn't do anything yet they have to respond, so Adam responded and I thought that was the sigh of relief that we needed.
"Is it over? No, it's not over, but it's the start of the healing process that we need and the start of our organization to try to get through this. I know we have a game, but I do think this has been more important and I think our players have done the best they can possibly do in this situation."
"Is it over? No, it's not over, but it's the start of the healing process that we need," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said of Donald Sterling's lifetime ban. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Rivers acknowledged that Clippers players considered boycotting the game if Sterling was given a slap on the wrist by the league. It was one of the reasons he canceled practice on Monday to allow his players to regroup and relax with their families after Sunday's blowout loss.
"They were waiting for a decision and that clearly could have happened," Rivers said. "That was one of the reasons I didn't have practice yesterday in a clear practice situation. When you get blown out like we got blown out you probably should have a practice. I just didn't think it would make any sense to do it. I thought they needed to go home and be with their families and breathe a little bit. Knowing that Adam was going to have a press conference today, I just felt like we knew there was going to be some kind of resolution. I was almost happy his announcement was during our practice. During the announcement, none of the players were watching it, they were practicing and preparing for a game. Afterwards is when they found out. I think that all turned out good."
When Rivers was asked how he felt still working for Sterling, Rivers said, "I don't know if I am. That's the point of this. That's why Adam did what he did."
Rivers was then asked if he could work for Sterling if he kept the team and he said, "I don't think he will."
"I think Adam has made that clear, unless there's something different than a lifetime ban," Rivers said. "A lifetime ban is a lifetime ban so I think that's already been decided and yes, I do think that's the right decision. The next step is where do we go. If you think about it, I'm coaching a team and I actually don't know who to call if I need something, so the quicker that this is done, the better for everyone. Having said that, it's going to take time and we all have to be patient."
The Clippers continued to wear black socks on Tuesday but did not do anything else as they did Sunday, when they wore their warmups inside out. Most fans wore black and a new intro video stressing "We Are One" was played before the game. Rev. Jesse Jackson was on the court pregame. He greeted Clippers captains Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan and also chatted with Rivers. He watched the game courtside next to Paul's brother, CJ.
"I do believe this will be a safe haven for us and our crowd will be amazing tonight. I think that will help them," Rivers said. "The fourteen guys that we dress, they did nothing wrong and they need support and I think that will happen."
"I told them how much I admired them and how they handled this and just to let them know this was some closure but there's still work to do. I thought they set a very good example around the league on how they conducted themselves." |
The last time I hiked through the deep Blodgett Canyon, it was nearly 90 degrees and the sun was brutal. This time, winter was starting to creep into this ancient glacially-carved drainage. Blodgett Canyon is home to towering granite cliffs, gigantic moraine boulders, and 2 dramatic waterfalls. The falls are relatively close to one another and they are location around 5miles up the trail. The trail itself follows Blodgett Creek with its cascades and beaver ponds. The first waterfall is called Chasm Falls, and imagine this, it is a chasm. Flying the DJI Phantom 4 drone over this deep cut through the solid rock captures a scene that few (if any) have ever seen. The second falls is named Cascade Falls, and they (drumroll please) cascade a vast series of steps that covers roughly 250 yards of the streambed.
Total distance: 10.43 mi
Max elevation: 5266 ft
Total climbing: 3307 ft
Total Time: 04:53:50 |
CLOSE Attorney Merrida Coxwell said the $250,000 bond was excessive for his client, a respected attorney who has no criminal history
Buy Photo Attorney Mark Mayfield listens to his attorney John Reeves during his initial apperance in court in Madison Thursday. (Photo: Rick Guy/The Clarion-Ledger)Buy Photo
Authorities say the vice chairman of the Mississippi Tea Party and two other men conspired with Clayton Kelly to photograph U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's bedridden wife in her nursing home and create a political video against Cochran.
Mark Mayfield of Ridgeland, an attorney and state and local tea party leader, was arrested Thursday along with Richard Sager, a Laurel elementary school P.E. teacher and high school soccer coach. Police said they also charged John Beachman Mary of Hattiesburg, but he was not taken into custody because of "extensive medical conditions." All face felony conspiracy charges. Sager also was charged with felony tampering with evidence, and Mary faces two conspiracy counts.
The arrest of Mayfield, well-known in political, business and legal circles, caused shock in Mississippi, in a criminal case and election that already had Mississippi in the national spotlight.
Mayfield's attorneys — Merrida Coxwell and Mayfield's brother-in-law, former state Rep. John Reeves — quickly posted cash for Mayfield's release on a $250,000 bond but called it excessive. They and Kelly's attorney said the case appears to be politically driven.
"There's a lot of bigger powers moving, and that's why this case wasn't handled the way it should be," said Kelly's attorney Kevin Camp, who argued Kelly should face, at worst, a misdemeanor. Instead, felony charges of conspiracy and photo voyeurism were added to the count of exploitation of a vulnerable adult he already faced. He faces a total of 20 years in prison.
"It's all about politics," Camp said.
Cochran's opponent in a bitter GOP primary race, tea party-backed state Sen. Chris McDaniel of Ellisville, continued to deny any involvement with Kelly or the video and to accuse Cochran of gaming the incident for political points.
Authorities said they have no evidence at this point linking the alleged conspiracy to a campaign. But Cochran's camp has continued to question when and how McDaniel and his staff knew of it, and point to inconsistent answers McDaniel and others on the campaign have given since Kelly's arrest Friday night.
McDaniel in a statement Tuesday called on Cochran to take down a new ad. It says a "Chris McDaniel supporter has been charged with a felony for photographing his wife in a nursing home. Had enough? … Rise up against dirty politics."
McDaniel said, "It is shameful for a sitting U.S. senator to engage in such desperate slander and lies."
Mayfield has been an ardent supporter of McDaniel, as have the Mississippi Tea Party and the Central Mississippi Tea Party, both of which list Mayfield on their boards of directors. Tea party officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
A photo posted recently on the McDaniel campaign's Facebook page shows Mayfield and other volunteers, saying, "Here's part of a crew that reached over 500 homes walking in Madison today. Great work team!"
Kelly, 28, of Pearl is a McDaniel supporter and an aspiring political blogger with the site "Constitutional Clayton." His friends and family say he wanted to make a name for himself and the blog, and was egged on by others over the Internet to do a hit piece on Cochran. He was trying to claim Cochran has a mistress — which Cochran has denied — while his wife languishes in a nursing home.
Kelly's wife said someone on the Internet gave him info on how to find Rose Cochran at St. Catherine's Village, and he photographed her on Easter Sunday.
John Mary (Photo: Madison Police Department)
An investigator testified Thursday that it was Kelly's third attempt to get a photograph of the incapacitated Rose Cochran.
Camp said Thursday that Kelly did not know the others arrested and had never seen them until in the holding room and courtroom.
Camp has argued that the felony exploitation law doesn't fit Kelly's alleged actions, in part because he said it would require monetary gain of more than $250 for Kelly. He also tried to kick holes in the photographing charge, which has most often been used to prosecute peeping Toms. It says it's a crime for anyone "with lewd, licentious or indecent intent" to photograph someone in a place where they would tend to be in a state of undress and have reasonable expectation of privacy.
Camp sparred with Madison Investigator Vickie Currie when she took the stand at Kelly's hearing Thursday. He said there's no evidence Kelly profited by $250 or more.
But Currie countered, "I believe (Rose Cochran's) image is priceless."
Camp said Kelly's intentions were "not lewd or licentious."
Currie countered, "I believe it was indecent."
Currie also testified Rose Cochran, who is unaware of her surroundings, was unconscious and in "bed clothes," when Kelly photographed her. She said the photos appeared to be taken at bedside, very close to Rose Cochran inside her room. Camp has claimed Kelly took them from outside her room.
Judge Dale Danks denied Camp's motion to dismiss or downgrade the charges against Kelly and his motion to reduce his bond. It remains $200,000 after the new charges. Kelly's wife, Tara, left the courthouse in tears with other family. They had hoped Kelly's bond would be reduced. Kelly mouthed "I love you" to Tara as he was led from the courtroom.
Tara and other family and friends say Kelly is a good person — a loving father to his autistic daughter — but got too wrapped up in politics and made a mistake.
Camp argued that Kelly had fulfilled his parole and always showed up when required on past drug charges. He said Kelly's "journalism" use of the photo may not be illegal.
Danks also denied lowering the bond of the others. Sager's remains at $500,000 total for his counts of conspiracy and tampering. Sager told the judge he doesn't have an attorney but plans to get one.
Richard Sager (Photo: Madison Police Department)
Danks bound Kelly and Mayfield's cases over to a grand jury after Mayfield waived a preliminary hearing and bonded out.
Coxwell argued Mayfield is a respected lawyer and pillar of the community, "of the entire state," and would not pose a flight risk under lower bond.
"This is not the first time I've been in this city where charges were filed against somebody that turned out not to be true," Coxwell said.
McDaniel on Thursday said, "As we have said since day one, the violation of the privacy of Mrs. Cochran is out of bounds for politics and reprehensible. Any individuals who were involved with this crime should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Contact Geoff Pender at (601) 961-7266 or [email protected]. Contact Jimmie Gates at (601) 961-7212 or [email protected]. Follow @GeoffPender or @jgatesnews on Twitter.
Read or Share this story: http://on.thec-l.com/1nvsKeg |
BEFORE THE ADVENT of opinion polls, by-elections were the most reliable means of gauging the mood of the electorate.
For decades before the 1916 Rising, Irish nationalists represented by the Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) sought Irish home rule – a subordinate parliament and government in Dublin.
But the emergence of Sinn Féin, which championed an independent Irish republic, transformed the political landscape. In 1917 Sinn Féin won four by-elections on the bounce in North Roscommon, South Longford, East Clare and South Kilkenny.
No victory was more emphatic than East Clare and no winning candidate more central to the future history of Ireland.
A political novice
The victor was a political novice with little experience of public speaking outside the classroom. The senior surviving Volunteer from 1916, he was largely unknown before the East Clare by-election.
But after it he was catapulted to national prominence, became president of Sinn Féin and represented East Clare for the next four decades. That soldier turned politician was Éamon de Valera.
The East Clare by-election on July 10 was precipitated by the death on the Western Front of the sitting MP: Major Willie Redmond, brother of the leader of the IPP.
Patrick Lynch KC, a barrister, contested the seat for the IPP under the banner: “Clare for a Clareman – Lynch is the Man”. His supporters, who were strongest in Ennis, contended that an Irish republic was a political fantasy. For several reasons, few expected anything other than a Sinn Féin victory.
One of the most rebellious counties in Ireland
First, Clare was one of the most rebellious counties in Ireland and during the by-election the county inspector of the Royal Irish Constabulary had to obtain a draft of 150 soldiers. Eight months after the by-election Clare became the first county to be placed under military rule since the 1916 Rising.
Second, no election had been contested in East Clare since 1895 and the IPP’s constituency machine was decrepit and almost bankrupt. By contrast, the Sinn Féin campaign was highly organised and backboned by the revamped Irish Volunteers who were unafraid to defy the authorities and acted as a private police force.
De Valera, who had only been released from prison on 16 June, campaigned in his Volunteer uniform and told the electors that, “every vote you give now is as good as the crack of a rifle in proclaiming your desire for freedom”.
Third, buoyed up by its earlier electoral successes Sinn Féin attracted not just the support of the young but that of the Clare Champion (the county newspaper) and, more significantly, the endorsement of Bishop Michael Fogarty of Killaloe and the majority of younger clergy. The Catholic card was played astutely and reassuringly by de Valera.
Although everyone expected a victory for de Valera, no one expected so stunning a winning margin. When the result of the election was announced on July 11 de Valera had secured 5,010 votes to Lynch’s 2,035.
A game changer
The rural vote had turned against the IPP. The Freeman’s Journal, the newspaper of the IPP, lamented that, “East Clare has declared for revolution by an overwhelming majority”. Lynch was not the man after all.
The East Clare by-election was a milestone for Sinn Féin because it secured a striking popular mandate which helped the organisation to continue its rapid growth ahead of the 1918 general election.
For de Valera his victory was a pivotal episode in his progression from militant to political republican. More than any other factor, the scale of his success propelled him to the presidency of Sinn Féin in October 1917 and launched his long political career. For a man who in the early months of 1917 wished to have no truck with politics this was quite a turn of events.
Dr Daithí Ó Corráin lectures in the School of History & Geography, Dublin City University. His research interests include the aftermath of the 1916 Rising, the Irish Revolution, the Irish and National Volunteers and twentieth-century ecclesiastical history. He is co-editor of a landmark 30-volume series on the local experience of the Irish Revolution published by Four Courts Press.
The 100th anniversary of the election of Éamon de Valera will be commemorated by Fianna Fáil Leader, Micheál Martin, the Clare Fianna Fáil organisation, and his family, today Sunday 23 July in Ennis. The will take place at the Glór Theatre at 12pm. Following the activities in the theatre, a full dress-parade, led by a brass band, will march, led by Micheál Martin and former Clare TD, Síle de Valera, from the Glór Theatre to the O’Connell Monument – the site of some of Éamon de Valera’s most famous speeches. |
Huawei's new flagship smartphone for 2016 is here, and its big claim to fame is a pair of Leica-certified cameras. The 5.2-inch Huawei P9 has a traditional 12-megapixel camera, but right next to it is another, monochrome 12-megapixel module. Working together, the two sensors can improve contrast in photos by 50 percent and triple the light information taken in by the phone. This is because the monochrome sensor doesn't have the RGB light filtering that its color sibling requires, and so is able to soak up more photons. I spent some time with the P9 ahead of its announcement in London today, and what I saw leaves me encouraged. This phone is slim, well built, performs well, and the dual-camera system isn't trying to push any unnecessary gimmicks.
The design feels cohesive, elegant, and yes, premium
The P9 falls right in line with this year's high standard for flagship Android phones. It has an aluminum unibody case, a 3,000mAh battery, a USB-C port, and an octa-core Kirin 955 processor of Huawei's own making. The fit and finish on this device are immediately impressive, and the phone's design feels cohesive, elegant, and yes, even premium. In spite of the two camera modules and sizable battery, the Huawei P9 is only 6.95mm thick (without any extra camera bumps). In Europe, the P9 will have space for a microSD card, which in China and other Asian markets will be swapped for a second SIM slot. There are a couple of other specification splits between Europe and China: the rose gold P9 won't be available in Europe and neither will the 64GB version of the handset. All P9s come with 3GB of RAM, but European models will have to limit themselves to 32GB of built-in storage.
A 5.5-inch Huawei P9 Plus is also being announced today, coming with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage by standard, with China also getting a bumped-up 128GB variant. The Plus model expands the battery to 3,400mAh and switches the display technology to Super AMOLED from the regular P9's IPS, although both share a 1080p resolution. The Plus also adds an IR blaster and a pressure-sensitive screen, which the company is calling Press Touch technology (Huawei used similar tech in limited edition versions of last year's Mate S). The P9 Plus will be available in May, in both Europe and Asia, while the smaller P9 will be on sale on both continents by the end of this month. Huawei refuses to either confirm or deny any launch plans for the P9 in the United States, though the company is already on the record as having said that it plans to launch a flagship smartphone in the US this year.
I tried my best to understand the exact details of Leica and Huawei's partnership on the camera system of the P9. Huawei's announcement says only that the two cameras have "Leica certification." When asked what that actually meant, the Chinese company said that it was developed through "a co-engineering process." When asked what that meant, the company said that they worked together. Given Leica's willingness to cynically rebrand (and then overprice) Panasonic cameras, I have to be dubious about the value of this partnership until either company discloses some substantive benefits from it. Either that, or the camera will have to just prove itself better than all the rest. It does promise to deliver the best black and white photos with its dedicated monochrome sensor, and it has laser autofocus, though neither camera module comes with optical image stabilization. I'll withhold judgment until I can put it through its paces properly, but for now, check out the photos of the P9 below. It really is quite lovely, dubious branding or not.
The Huawei P9 is priced at £449 in the UK with 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM, while the Huawei P9 Plus will cost £549 with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM from mid-May. |
The UFC made its sixth stop in Australia with UFC Fight Night 55, which took place Friday at Sydney’s Allphones Arena. The event, which streamed on UFC Fight Pass, saw a record number of finishes as every fight on the card ended in a stoppage.
In the main event, middleweight contender Luke Rockhold (13-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) continued to make his case for a title shot when he submitted “The Ultimate Fighter 3” winner Michael Bisping (25-7 MMA, 15-7 UFC) in the second round.
The co-main event saw Al Iaquinta (10-3-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) knock out “TUF 9” winner Ross Pearson (16-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) while Robert Whittaker (13-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) and Soa Palelei (22-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) picked up wins to round out the four-fight main card.
After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next. And with another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Joe Silva’s and Sean Shelby’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker.
* * * *
Soa Palelei
Should fight: Winner of Todd Duffee vs. Anthony Hamilton at UFC 181
Why they should fight: After an uninspiring effort in his previous outing, Palelei rebounded with a ground-and-pound finish of injury replacement Walt Harris for his 12th victory in his past 13 fights.
“The Hulk” had his grappling game exposed by Jared Rosholt earlier this year when he lost a one-sided decision to the talented wrestler. Unless the 36-year-old can somehow shore up that hole in his game, he’s not going to break into the next tier of the heavyweight division.
That said, Palelei is always capable of pulling off a knockout. And if he can put together a winning streak against other middling fighters in his weight class, such as the winner of Duffee (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Hamilton (13-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who meet at UFC 181 on Dec. 6, he could earn another chance to face a top heavyweight.
Robert Whittaker
Should fight: Winner of Nate Marquardt vs. Brad Tavares at UFC 182
Why they should fight: Whittaker’s decision to move up to middleweight was clearly the right one. In his divisional debut, the “TUF: Smashes” winner became the first to knock out Clint Hester when he finished the fight with a second-round flurry.
The Australian rebounded from recent back-to-back losses, and after numerous tough cuts to welterweight, he said a change was needed. Not often will fighters at the UFC level move up in weight, but Whittaker looked better than ever after doing so.
Hester is hardly a small middleweight, and Whittaker didn’t appear physically outmatched prior to his knockout victory. He was quick, slick and confident, which is going to cause problems for some members of the 185-pound weight class.
While Hester had a nice winning streak before he crossed paths with Whittaker, he’s yet to defeat any competition that will prove he can be a long-lasting member of the UFC roster. If Whittaker wants to continue to rise through the ranks, he needs to defeat a bigger name.
Two well-known middleweights in Marquardt (33-13-2 MMA, 11-6 UFC) and Tavares (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) are set to square off at UFC 182 on Jan. 3, and a potential victory over the winner would add a lot of credibility to Whittaker’s resume.
Al Iaquinta
Should fight: Gleison Tibau
Why they should fight: Since he first appeared on “TUF 15,” Iaquinta has shown the type of talent that could result in a special career.
He’s had setbacks and glimpses of brilliance since then, but against Pearson, the 27-year-old showed the full extent of his abilities when he stopped his British counterpart by second-round knockout.
Iaquinta saw mostly indifference when he told MMAjunkie he had a striking advantage over “The Real Deal.” He backed up those words with a counter-striking clinic that concluded with the referee pulling him off his opponent.
Pearson was a step up in competition from anyone Iaquinta had previously fought, but the New Yorker was clearly ready for it. Now it’s only natural to continue to climb the ranks.
Tibau (30-10 MMA, 15-8 UFC) would be a formidable test for Iaquinta. He’s fought a lightweight record 22 times under the UFC banner and has a history of separating the pretenders from the contenders.
Iaquinta has everything going for him right now, though. He’s young, comes from a tremendous gym at Team Serra-Longo, has unshakable self-belief and is on a roll with wins in five of his past six fights. If he can keep that momentum rolling through Tibau, he could garner a spot in top 15 of the division.
Luke Rockhold
Should fight: Ronaldo Souza
Why they should fight: Despite a setback against Vitor Belfort in his UFC debut, Rockhold has fought back to prominence and is on the verge of becoming the top contender in the middleweight division after earning his third consecutive UFC victory.
Another fighter who’s made waves in the 185-pound weight class is Souza (20-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC). “Jacare” is undefeated since coming over from the now-defunct Strikeforce organization and appears to be on a collision course with Rockhold.
Even though Rockhold already holds a September 2011 win over Souza, both fighters have evolved tremendously since then and have proven to be two of the top talents in the UFC middleweight division.
The first meeting decided who would be Strikeforce champion. Should the rematch go down roughly three years later, it’s likely that the outcome would determine the No. 1 contender to the UFC 184 title bout between Chris Weidman and Belfort.
For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 55, check out the UFC Events section of the site. |
Ten years ago today, in the name of protecting national security and guarding against terrorism, President George W. Bush signed into law some of the most sweeping changes to search and surveillance law in modern American history. Unfortunately known as the USA PATRIOT Act, many of its provisions incorporate decidedly unpatriotic principles barred by the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution. Provisions of the PATRIOT Act have been used to target innocent Americans and are widely used in investigations that have nothing to do with national security.
Much of the PATRIOT Act was a wish list of changes to surveillance law that Congress had previously rejected because of civil liberties concerns. When reintroduced as the PATRIOT Act after September 11th, those changes -- and others -- passed with only limited congressional debate.
Just what sort of powers does the PATRIOT Act grant law enforcement when it comes to surveillance and sidestepping due process? Here are three provisions of the PATRIOT Act that were sold to the American public as necessary anti-terrorism measures, but are now used in ways that infringe on ordinary citizens’ rights:
1. SECTION 215 – “ANY TANGIBLE THING”
Under this provision, the FBI can obtain secret court orders for business records and other “tangible things” so long as the FBI says that the records are sought "for an authorized investigation . . . to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities." The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court must issue the order if the FBI so certifies, even when there are no facts to back it up. These “things” can include basically anything—driver’s license records, hotel records, car-rental records, apartment-leasing records, credit card records, books, documents, Internet history, and more. Adding insult to injury, Section 215 orders come with a "gag " prohibiting the recipient from telling anyone, ever, that they received one.
As the New York Times reported, the government may now be using Section 215 orders to obtain “private information about people who have no link to a terrorism or espionage case.” The Justice Department has refused to disclose how they are interpreting the provision, but we do have some indication of how they are using Section 215. While not going into detail, Senator Mark Udall indicated the FBI believes it to allows them “unfettered” access to innocent Americans’ private data, like “a cellphone company’s phone records” in bulk form. The government’s use of these secret orders is sharply increasing -- from 21 orders in 2009 to 96 orders in 2010, an increase of over 400% -- and according to a brand new report from the Washington Post, 80% of those requests are for Internet records.
Today, EFF sued the Justice Department to turn over records related to the government’s secret interpretation and use of Section 215, regarding which Senator Ron Wyden, like Senator Udall, has offered ominous warnings: "When the American people find out about how their government has secretly interpreted the Patriot Act,” said Wyden on the Senate floor in May, “they are going to be stunned and they are going to be angry.”
2. NATIONAL SECURITY LETTERS
Among the most used -- and outright frightening -- provisions in the PATRIOT Act are those that enhanced so-called National Security Letters (NSLs). The FBI can issue NSLs itself, without a court order, and demand a variety of records, from phone records to bank account information to Internet activity. As with 215 orders, recipients are gagged from revealing the orders to anyone.
While NSLs existed prior to 2001, they were infrequently used. The PATRIOT Act lowered the standard making it easier for the FBI to use NSLs to obtain the records of innocent people with no direct link to terrorists or spies, and their use skyrocketed. According to the ACLU’s report on PATRIOT Act abuses, there were 8,500 NSLs issued in 2000 but approximately 192,000 issued between 2003-2006. All of these NSL’s led to one terror conviction, and in that case, the NSL wasn’t even needed.
Not surprisingly, EFF FOIA requests have found abuse of their NSL authority: “mistakes” that led to getting information on the wrong people, ISPs handing over extra or wrong information, and dozens of “exigent letters” that “circumvented the law and violated FBI guidelines and policies.” EFF has successfully challenged the NSL gag orders in multiple cases as unconstitutional under the First Amendment, but the overall scheme still survives to this day.
3. SNEAK AND PEEK WARRANTS
Section 213 of the PATRIOT Act normalized “sneak-and-peek” warrants. These allow law enforcement to raid a suspect’s house without notifying the recipient of the seizure for months. These orders usually don't authorize the government to actually seize any property — but that won't stop them from poking around your computers. Again, sneak-and-peek warrants could be used for any investigation, even if the crime was only a misdemeanor.
From 2006-2009, sneak-and-peek warrants were used a total of 1,755 times. Only fifteen of those cases—a microscopic 0.8%—involved terrorism. The rest were used in cases involving drugs or fraud.
These uses and abuses of the PATRIOT Act against ordinary Americans are only the tip of the iceberg. EFF has repeatedly documented how federal law enforcement agencies have abused our nation’s broken secrecy system to hide specific instances of illegal and unconstitutional conduct related to the PATRIOT Act. EFF’s Freedom of Information Act requests have painted a picture of “an [FBI] engaged in excessive illegal intelligence gathering.”
After ten years, it’s crystal clear that the “emergency” measure sold as a necessary step in the fight against terrorism is being used routinely to violate the privacy of regular people in non-terrorism cases, threatening the Constitutional rights of every one of us. And after ten years, EFF is even more dedicated to fighting against PATRIOT overreach, both in Congress and the courts. Help us in that fight by becoming an EFF member, so that we can work together in making the next ten years better for civil liberties than the last. |
You’d think investors would be happy. Twitter just released its first quarterly earnings report as a public company, with revenue and earnings coming in significantly ahead of analyst estimates.
And yet, as of 6:02pm Eastern time, Twitter’s stock had fallen 18 percent in after-hours trading. What happened? Well, the company also said that it now has 241 million monthly actively users — up 30 percent year-over-year, as the release says, but only up about 4 percent from last quarter. In other words, it looks like user growth continues to slow.
In addition, Timeline Views, which are another indication of user engagement, actually fell 7 percent to 148 billion.
The concerns make sense, but at the same time, the discussion feels like a big reversal. As others have pointed out, a couple of years ago, the big concern around consumer social networks (well, mainly Facebook and Twitter) was whether they could actually make money from their rapidly growing user bases. By the time Twitter’s S-1 was revealed to the public last fall, there were questions about whether it had a growth problem, and now it seems those concerns are having a real effect on stock price.
(Note: I’ll be updating this post until about 6pm Eastern just to make sure the numbers are still accurate, but they don’t appear to be changing hugely.)
Update: CEO Dick Costolo offered some thoughts on user growth during the earnings conference call. |
LAST STORM OF 2018 WE SWEAR NO HUBRIS HERE 2018-03-20 How deep is the snow on Jill's bucket? The snow on Jill's bucket is 2.57 inches deep. CELEBRATING 8 GLORIOUS YEARS OF INACCURATE TECHNOLOGY This page will refresh automatically every three minutes. DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE! DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE in its horrific SOLID FORM! FALLING! FROM! THE! SKY! Only DASA (the Delaware Aeronautics and Snow Administration) has the technology to measure this phenomenon accurately...
You can't view this movie. Bummer.
Snowfall by Hour
Hour Inches Total [Earlier] 0.91 0.91 9pm 1.66 2.57 10pm 3.17 5.74 11pm 0.00 5.74 12am 0.00 5.74 1am 0.00 5.74 2am 0.00 5.74 3am -0.15 5.59 4am 0.00 5.59 5am -0.15 5.44 6am 0.00 5.44 7am 0.00 5.44 8am 0.00 5.44 9am 0.00 5.44 10am -0.30 5.14 11am -0.45 4.69 12pm -1.21 3.48 1pm -0.91 2.57 2pm -1.36 1.21 3pm 15.87 17.08 4pm -12.09 4.99 5pm 0.15 5.14 6pm 0.15 5.29 7pm -3.78 1.51 8pm -0.15 1.36
Colophon
@boutell of P'unk Avenue coded this. Have a peek at the source code (no, I don't usually write PHP anymore). HTML5 video is generated with ffmpeg. (IE users: use IE9 or better.)
Jill's equipment: "EVERYTHING I NEED IN THE UNIVERSE is a Logitech C270 cheapo webcam, a new sexy piece of software called Willing Webcam v.5.53, and this cheapie refurbed lappy I bought of off Woot.com for $299. And this paddle game."
The snowflake in the graph is a photomicrograph of an actual snowflake taken by Wilson Bentley circa 1902.
Earlier Experiments of Note |
cis-Encoded antisense RNAs (asRNAs) are widespread along bacterial transcriptomes. However, the role of most of these RNAs remains unknown, and there is an ongoing discussion as to what extent these transcripts are the result of transcriptional noise. We show, by comparative transcriptomics of 20 bacterial species and one chloroplast, that the number of asRNAs is exponentially dependent on the genomic AT content and that expression of asRNA at low levels exerts little impact in terms of energy consumption. A transcription model simulating mRNA and asRNA production indicates that the asRNA regulatory effect is only observed above certain expression thresholds, substantially higher than physiological transcript levels. These predictions were verified experimentally by overexpressing nine different asRNAs in Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Our results suggest that most of the antisense transcripts found in bacteria are the consequence of transcriptional noise, arising at spurious promoters throughout the genome.
Keywords
There is an ongoing discussion in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes as to what extent this plethora of sRNAs provides a crucial layer of transcriptional and translational regulation, or if a large part of them are the result of transcriptional noise, arising from spurious promoters ( 17 , 18 ). Bacterial promoters are characterized by low information content, and their major landmark is the Pribnow motif that has the consensus sequence “5′-TANAAT-3′” ( 19 ). Other features include (i) the −35 box, although this has been shown not to be essential (especially in Firmicutes) and can be replaced by other elements ( 20 ), and (ii) low melting energies, which ultimately depend on the AT composition of the promoter region. Such low information content implies that promoters could easily arise by random mutations in bacterial genomes, especially given the presumptive bias toward G/C nucleotides mutating to A/T ( 21 ). If sRNAs are the product of transcriptional noise due to spurious 5′-TANAAT-3′ boxes, we predict that the number of sRNAs in bacteria will strongly correlate to the AT content of their genomes in an exponential manner (fig. S2A). Because of the stochastic nature of transcription and the short half-life of RNAs in bacteria, low levels of random production of asRNA from these spurious Pribnow boxes would not affect the levels of the sense mRNA (fig. S1B).
The catalog of bacteria-encoded RNAs has recently undergone a vast expansion. The canonical mRNAs and known noncoding RNAs [ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), transfer RNA (tRNAs), transfer mRNA (tmRNA), and others] are now accompanied by a handful of new transcript categories. Small, non–protein-coding RNAs or sRNAs are one of these new categories. The numbers of initially reported sRNAs ranged from dozens to hundreds in different species ( 1 , 2 ). These include cis-encoded sRNAs, which overlap functionally defined genes, either in sense or antisense (thus named asRNAs), and trans-encoded sRNAs, which are separated from their target genes. These sRNAs span a wide range of lengths: from dozens of to a few thousand base pairs ( 2 ). However, recent improvements in techniques for analysis of transcription have revealed that noncoding transcription in prokaryotes is pervasive through the genome ( 3 – 5 ). Still, only few sRNAs have been functionally characterized ( 6 – 8 ), most of which correspond to the category of trans-encoded sRNAs. Examples of these are the ones associated with bacterial virulence ( 9 – 11 ). The most common mechanism of action of sRNAs is via complementary base pairing with coding sequences (fig. S1A). RNA duplex formation between sRNA and mRNA can change mRNA stability, inducing degradation or stabilization of the duplex. This duplex may as well induce or repress mRNA translation by affecting the ribosome binding site ( 2 , 12 ). Another asRNA regulatory mechanism is transcriptional interference, occurring if two RNA polymerases transcribing in convergent directions collide ( 13 ). Other types of RNA having a regulatory role by “nonstandard” mechanisms should not be disregarded. For instance, if there was a Dicer-like mechanism in bacteria as it occurs in eukaryotes ( 14 ), low abundant RNAs could exert a strong influence on complementary, more abundant, mRNAs. In this respect, we have the CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas system in bacteria, where crRNAs (CRISPR RNAs), even if not abundant, target the enzyme against foreign DNA ( 15 ) and/or RNA sequences ( 16 ).
RESULTS
To investigate these hypotheses, we annotated sRNAs de novo in the genomes of Buchnera aphidicola, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, and Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies capri (tables S1 to S3 and fig. S3) in a similar way as we did with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (22). We also considered the sRNAs annotated using deep sequencing data in 17 other bacterial genomes and a chloroplast genome (table S4). These 21 genomes span an AT content ranging from 28 to 80%, and their genome sizes range from 416 kb (B. aphidicola Cc) to 9.02 Mb (Streptomyces avermitilis). Investigating the number of canonical Pribnow boxes in these genomes, we found an exponential dependency of the number of boxes on the AT content, qualitatively similar to our theoretical expectations (fig. S2A). Moreover, comparison of the number of these boxes upstream of open reading frames (ORFs) and sRNAs showed that the proportion of sRNAs with Pribnow boxes is similar to or higher than the proportion of ORFs having them (fig. S2B). This supports the hypothesis that an increase in AT content also results in an increase in spurious Pribnow boxes.
We found that the number of sRNAs normalized by genome size versus the AT content in the studied bacterial species has a clear exponential dependency (Fig. 1A), similar to that of the number of TANAAT motifs randomly expected given a certain AT% (fig. S2A). The exponential trend observed for the sRNAs is conserved, omitting the species whose sRNAs were de novo annotated (R2 = 0.814), indicating that it is not an artifact of the method used to identify them (see fig. S3 and Materials and Methods). In contrast to the observed sRNA trend, the number of coding genes normalized by genome size shows no dependency on AT content, and this trend is invariant with respect to genome size (Fig. 1B). We tested whether the AT dependency held true for both asRNAs and trans-encoded sRNAs. asRNAs follow an exponential dependency on the AT content (fig. S4A), whereas trans-encoded sRNAs behave similarly to coding genes and are uncorrelated to the AT content of the intergenic regions (even when considering a minimal size larger than that of an average asRNA; fig. S4B). These results support the transcriptional noise hypothesis, and that random mutations in coding genes could result in spurious antisense 5′-TANAAT-3′ boxes, in a manner related to the genome AT content, which could drive the expression of asRNAs.
Fig. 1 Different genomic features show distinct dependency on the genomic AT content. The number of features was divided by the genome size for normalization and represented versus the genomic AT content. The following genomes are represented: Atu, Agrobacterium tumefaciens; Bcc, Buchnera aphidicola (str Cc); Bsu, Bacillus subtilis; Cgl, Corynebacterium glutamicum; Chl, chloroplast (Arabidopsis thaliana); Cje, Campylobacter jejuni; Eco, Escherichia coli; Hpy, Helicobacter pylori; Mge, Mycoplasma genitalium; Mhy, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae; Mmy, Mycoplasma mycoides; Mpn, Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Mtu, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Pau, Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Sav, Streptomyces avermitilis; Sco, Streptomyces coelicolor; Sme, Sinorhizobium meliloti; Sth, Salmonella typhimurium; Sve, Streptomyces venezuelae; Syn, Synechocystis spp., Vch, Vibrio cholerae. (A) Number of total sRNAs in different bacteria. Total sRNAs have an exponential dependency on the AT content (R2 = 0.88) and do not correlate with genome size. (B) Genome compaction (that is, number of ORFs normalized by genome size) versus AT content. Genome compaction in the different bacterial genomes analyzed shows no dependency on the AT content. Instead, the number of ORFs in bacterial genomes correlates with the genome size (R = 0.99).
Regarding expression levels, it has been shown that essential ORFs show higher mRNA levels, suggesting that elements with essential roles are more transcribed (23). Therefore, we compared transcript levels of ORFs and asRNAs in eight of the bacteria in our study. In all cases, average asRNA levels were lower than average mRNA levels (fig. S5A). This could indicate that at least a majority of the asRNAs could be nonessential. Indeed, a recent study on the essentiality of the M. pneumoniae genome revealed that only 5% of all sRNAs are essential (23). We also compared the expression of each asRNA to its overlapping mRNA. asRNA-mRNA expression ratios are presented in fig. S5B. These ratios are below 1 in most of the cases (fig. S5B). For three of the species in our study (M. pneumoniae, M. mycoides, and Bacillus subtilis), we compared asRNA levels at exponential and stationary growth phases (fig. S5C). Most of the asRNAs remain unchanged, excluding the effect of the growth phase at where the bacteria were analyzed. Additionally, asRNA and trans-encoded sRNA levels were compared in five species (B. aphidicola, Mycoplasma genitalium, M. pneumoniae, M. mycoides, and M. hyopneumoniae), and we found that asRNA expression is significantly lower than trans-encoded sRNA levels in all cases (Welch’s two-sample t test, P < 0.05).
We estimated the energy consumed by the cells in transcribing these asRNAs in M. pneumoniae, considering the number of noncoding RNAs, their length, and their transcription rate, compared to those of mRNAs, tRNAs, and rRNAs (see Materials and Methods). M. pneumoniae spends ~5000 adenosine triphosphate (ATP) units per cell per second in transcribing mRNAs, tRNAs, and rRNAs (24). This amount is proportional to the transcription rate of these molecules, their length, and their copy number in the cell. Taking into account these parameters for sRNAs, we estimate that M. pneumoniae spends 2.94% of the energy of RNA transcription in synthesizing sRNAs, equivalent to ~147 ATP units per cell per second. This number represents 0.24% of the total ATP generated per cell per second (24). Thus, according to our calculations, the energetic impact of spurious transcription is not high even in bacteria with a large number of asRNAs.
asRNAs have been proposed to play a role in transcription regulation complementing the role of transcription factors (25). Should this be the case, we would expect a negative dependency with the number of transcription factors in the different bacteria analyzed here. The number of transcription factors, as reported in the P2TF database (26), shows a linear trend with genome size as previously described (27) (fig. S6A). However, this trend does not exist for asRNAs (fig. S6B). To determine if there is a negative dependency between transcription factors and asRNAs, we considered groups of genomes with approximately similar AT content and different numbers of transcription factors. We found no negative relationship between the number of transcription factors and the number of asRNAs per genome having similar AT content (>60%) (fig. S6C). For bacteria with high AT content, there is a positive correlation, contrary to what we would expect (R = 0.94). This can be explained by the fact that for this group, larger genomes present both more transcription factors and more asRNAs. Indeed, for bacteria with similar AT content, the number of asRNAs correlates with the number of genes, indicative of genome size (fig. S6D).
As we indicated in fig. S1B, asRNAs expressed at low levels could barely encounter its sense mRNA, given the stochastic nature of transcription. Therefore, no effect on mRNA half-life or translation would be expected. To see if this is the case, we constructed a mathematical model of transcription and translation of a gene in the bacterium M. pneumoniae. We modeled three possible effects of the asRNA: (i) the binding of the asRNA to the mRNA induces degradation of the duplex, (ii) the binding of the asRNA to the mRNA induces degradation of the mRNA, and (iii) the binding of the asRNA to the mRNA is stable but prevents translation (fig. S1A). In all cases, binding of the mRNA to the ribosome prevents degradation of the mRNA. Parameters for this model were determined from experimental data (see Materials and Methods). Other possible effects, such as transcriptional interference, were not considered as the low transcription rates in M. pneumoniae deem the collision of transcribing polymerases to be very unlikely. We scanned the parameter space of the mRNA and the asRNA transcription rates, from typical wild-type levels to ~100-fold overexpression (Fig. 2 and fig. S7). We found that for the three cases modeled, the region with low concentrations of both asRNA and mRNA shows no changes with respect to the control simulations. This can be explained by the fact that in this region, RNA copy numbers are below 1 per cell, and thus the chance of an mRNA and an asRNA to occur simultaneously at the same cell is negligible (fig. S1B). Remarkably, most of the RNAs in different bacteria are present at concentrations that yield no asRNA effect (28), although some exceptions have been described, showing that some asRNAs can have a regulatory role (29–31) (Fig. 2A). This mathematical model can be a valuable resource to identify putative functional asRNAs in a given organism according to their expression levels. By determining the concentrations of all asRNAs in M. pneumoniae, we can determine a list of potential functional asRNA candidates. In this bacterium, asRNAs are insufficiently expressed to trigger an effect in their overlapping mRNAs, according to our simulations. It has to be noted, though, that the values of decay rates used in these simulations represent the average values determined for M. pneumoniae. Individual transcripts with decay rates that differ significantly from the average should be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. With the adequate parameters, the model could be extended to other bacteria, given that the action mechanism of asRNAs is known beforehand.
Fig. 2 Simulation of the effect of the asRNAs, assuming that the asRNA-mRNA pairing causes duplex degradation. Parameters for the simulations are detailed in the Supplementary Materials. Each point of the heat maps represents the average change in the protein concentration for 100 simulations of 1000 min each, for specific parameters of asRNA and mRNA transcription rates. The remaining parameters remain constant for all the simulations. The axes represent the mRNA and asRNA concentration in the control experiments for the corresponding transcription rates scanned. (A) Changes in the mRNA concentration after 1000 min of simulation. Blue circles represent experimental data from the overexpression of asRNAs in M. pneumoniae, whereas green circles represent data from studies in Gram-negative bacteria (29–31). The green ellipse delimits the region of the concentrations of most transcripts in E. coli (28). (B) Changes in the protein concentration after 1000 min of simulation. Blue circles represent experimental data from the overexpression of asRNAs in M. pneumoniae.
To verify these results, we overexpressed nine asRNAs in the bacterium M. pneumoniae (up to sixfold; Fig. 2 and table S5). These asRNAs were selected such that they overlap different regions of their corresponding mRNA partners (5′ end, 3′ end, or center), to test different possible action mechanisms. Additionally, asRNAs with different expression levels were chosen. Shotgun proteomics of the clones revealed no significant changes in the protein levels of the overlapping genes (Fig. 3A and table S6). Also, RNA-seq (RNA sequencing) revealed no significant changes in the mRNA levels (Fig. 3B and table S7). Thus, our simulations and our experimental data do not support the hypothesis that asRNAs have a general regulatory role in bacteria replacing the function of transcription factors. Only in those exceptions in which both asRNA and mRNA are expressed over a certain threshold can a regulatory behavior be expected.
Fig. 3 Effect of the overexpression of asRNAs in their overlapping genes, measured by RNA-seq and shotgun proteomics. (A) Protein levels of the genes overlapping each asRNA under control conditions and in the strains transformed with the antisense constructs. Error bars represent the SD of the samples. Two of the proteins, MPN056 and MPN305, were not detected in any of the strains of M. pneumoniae. (B) mRNA levels of the genes overlapping each asRNA under control (wild-type) conditions and in the strains overexpressing the antisense transcripts. Error bars represent the SD of the samples.
Our findings support the idea that most of the asRNAs are a consequence of transcriptional noise, rather than of tightly regulated events. The distribution of asRNAs in bacteria with distinct AT content and the lack of capability of replacing transcription factors support this idea. Probably, the bias toward AT mutations in bacteria (21) generates spurious promoter sequences that are able to trigger transcription. However, spurious expression of asRNAs is not incompatible, with some being functional, as described elsewhere (1, 2, 6–8, 12). Indeed, asRNAs claimed to be functional are expressed at much higher rates than the average (28–31). Despite the observed general trend, we should not ignore that, in some bacteria, there are proteins [such as RNA chaperone Hfq (32)] that help to stabilize asRNAs or the duplexes they form with mRNAs. In such cases, even low expressed asRNAs may exert a regulatory function. Nevertheless, this protein is not conserved throughout the bacteria in our study, and although it is conserved in some species, it is not essential. Therefore, we cannot expect such a mechanism to be general but rather an adaptation for specific cases. This suggests that asRNAs may accumulate in bacterial genomes because of transcriptional noise and a lack of negative selection, probably due to the low energy needed for their transcription and the absence of deleterious effects. Some of these asRNAs may afterward gain a function. Additionally, pervasive noncoding transcription may as well have unspecific functional roles, such as buffering the RNA polymerase levels inside the bacterial cell. Our results are likely to be valid throughout the bacterial kingdom, and according to a recent study (33), they may also apply to eukaryotes. |
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- Personal and political divisions over ballistic missile defence were on clear display Tuesday, as a group of parliamentarians gathered on Parliament Hill to discuss the threat posed by North Korea.
Members of the House of Commons' defence committee agreed during a rare summer meeting to a series of emergency briefings in the coming weeks on the government's plan should North Korea attack.
The meeting came as the U.S. Treasury Department upped the ante on North Korea by sanctioning several Chinese and Russian entities for supporting the rogue state's nuclear and missile programs.
There was no immediate word of Canada following with its own sanctions.
Instead, much of the discussion in the hallways before and after the committee meeting centred on whether Canada should join the U.S. continental missile-defence shield, after famously opting out of the system in 2005.
The Trudeau government has sidestepped questions about Canada's intentions, saying only that ballistic missiles are one threat being discussed as Canada and the U.S. look to upgrade North America's defences.
But one Liberal MP said Tuesday that Canada should reconsider its decision not to join the U.S. missile shield, even as the Conservatives danced around the issue and the NDP reaffirmed its historic opposition.
Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen said a lot has changed since then-prime minister Paul Martin decided Canada would not join ballistic missile defence in 2005.
"Personally, I think that we do need to start to look at what Canada's role will be in that," he told reporters after the committee meeting.
"We should be having an ongoing discussion about what our role should be in that. And I think 10 years plus after the fact is a timely opportunity to have that discussion again."
'Cheaper to develop new weapons'
Gerretsen would not comment on the government's official position, or whether his view was shared by many other members of his party.
But fellow Liberal MP Stephen Fuhr, chairman of the defence committee, noted that Canada has limited resources when it comes to defence -- a reference to the fact the U.S. has spent about $100 billion on its missile shield.
Fuhr also played down the threat posed by North Korea, citing military officials and defence experts who told the committee last year that there was no direct threat to Canada from another country.
"Even if we wind back the media in the last 30 days, I don't think Canada was ever mentioned in the rhetoric that was flying back and forth between North Korea and the United States," he said.
Meanwhile, Conservative MPs refused to say Tuesday where their party sits now.
The Liberals were in office when Canada declined to join the defence system in 2005, but Stephen Harper made no move to reverse course during the Tories' 10 years in power.
That was despite Conservatives having pressed for Canada to join while they were in opposition to Martin's government.
Conservative defence critic James Bezan suggested his party would take a position once the defence committee is briefed on North Korea, even as he referenced the fiery debate from 12 years ago.
"You've got to remember the history behind that discussion, the wounds that were created because of the decision by Paul Martin back in 2005. And things didn't change until this summer," Bezan added.
"So from this point forward, everyone is looking at how we can best work with the United States. How we can work through NORAD in dealing with this new threat."
The only party with a clear position appeared to be the New Democrats, with NDP foreign affairs critic Helene Laverdiere calling on the Liberals to reaffirm their opposition to ballistic missile defence.
"It's cheaper to develop new weapons than to develop that kind of defensive system," she said.
"And that kind of defensive system only leads countries like North Korea but also countries like China and Russia, who may feel concerned, to upgrade their systems and it leads to escalation."
Laverdiere called for Canada to take more of a leadership role in finding a diplomatic solution and to support efforts at the UN for full nuclear disarmament around the world. |
He and another researcher, Mohammad Siahpush, a professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, developed an index to measure social and economic conditions in every county, using census data on education, income, poverty, housing and other factors. Counties were then classified into 10 groups of equal population size.
In 1980-82, Dr. Singh said, people in the most affluent group could expect to live 2.8 years longer than people in the most deprived group (75.8 versus 73 years). By 1998-2000, the difference in life expectancy had increased to 4.5 years (79.2 versus 74.7 years), and it continues to grow, he said.
After 20 years, the lowest socioeconomic group lagged further behind the most affluent, Dr. Singh said, noting that “life expectancy was higher for the most affluent in 1980 than for the most deprived group in 2000.”
“If you look at the extremes in 2000,” Dr. Singh said, “men in the most deprived counties had 10 years’ shorter life expectancy than women in the most affluent counties (71.5 years versus 81.3 years).” The difference between poor black men and affluent white women was more than 14 years (66.9 years vs. 81.1 years).
The Democratic candidates for president, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, have championed legislation to reduce such disparities, as have some Republicans, like Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi.
Peter R. Orszag, director of the Congressional Budget Office, said: “We have heard a lot about growing income inequality. There has been much less attention paid to growing inequality in life expectancy, which is really quite dramatic.”
Life expectancy is the average number of years of life remaining for people who have attained a given age.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
While researchers do not agree on an explanation for the widening gap, they have suggested many reasons, including these:
¶Doctors can detect and treat many forms of cancer and heart disease because of advances in medical science and technology. People who are affluent and better educated are more likely to take advantage of these discoveries.
¶Smoking has declined more rapidly among people with greater education and income.
¶Lower-income people are more likely to live in unsafe neighborhoods, to engage in risky or unhealthy behavior and to eat unhealthy food.
Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters.
¶Lower-income people are less likely to have health insurance, so they are less likely to receive checkups, screenings, diagnostic tests, prescription drugs and other types of care.
Even among people who have insurance, many studies have documented racial disparities.
In a recent report, the Department of Veterans Affairs found that black patients “tend to receive less aggressive medical care than whites” at its hospitals and clinics, in part because doctors provide them with less information and see them as “less appropriate candidates” for some types of surgery.
Some health economists contend that the disparities between rich and poor inevitably widen as doctors make gains in treating the major causes of death.
Nancy Krieger, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, rejected that idea. Professor Krieger investigated changes in the rate of premature mortality (dying before the age of 65) and infant death from 1960 to 2002. She found that inequities shrank from 1966 to 1980, but then widened.
“The recent trend of growing disparities in health status is not inevitable,” she said. “From 1966 to 1980, socioeconomic disparities declined in tandem with a decline in mortality rates.”
The creation of Medicaid and Medicare, community health centers, the “war on poverty” and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 all probably contributed to the earlier narrowing of health disparities, Professor Krieger said.
Robert E. Moffit, director of the Center for Health Policy Studies at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said one reason for the growing disparities might be “a very significant gap in health literacy” — what people know about diet, exercise and healthy lifestyles. Middle-class and upper-income people have greater access to the huge amounts of health information on the Internet, Mr. Moffit said.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
Thomas P. Miller, a health economist at the American Enterprise Institute, agreed.
“People with more education tend to have a longer time horizon,” Mr. Miller said. “They are more likely to look at the long-term consequences of their health behavior. They are more assertive in seeking out treatments and more likely to adhere to treatment advice from physicians.”
A recent study by Ellen R. Meara, a health economist at Harvard Medical School, found that in the 1980s and 1990s, “virtually all gains in life expectancy occurred among highly educated groups.”
Trends in smoking explain a large part of the widening gap, she said in an article this month in the journal Health Affairs.
Under federal law, officials must publish an annual report tracking health disparities. In the fifth annual report, issued this month, the Bush administration said, “Over all, disparities in quality and access for minority groups and poor populations have not been reduced” since the first report, in 2003.
The rate of new AIDS cases is still 10 times as high among blacks as among whites, it said, and the proportion of black children hospitalized for asthma is almost four times the rate for white children.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month that heart attack survivors with higher levels of education and income were much more likely to receive cardiac rehabilitation care, which lowers the risk of future heart problems. Likewise, it said, the odds of receiving tests for colon cancer increase with a person’s education and income. |
MANILA - Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Thursday blamed online "trolls" for supposedly exaggerating his controversial remark about single parents.
"Mga trolls lang nagpapalaki nyan. Hayaan mo na sila," he said in a text message to ABS-CBN News.
Sotto drew criticism on Wednesday after using the colloquial Tagalog phrase "na-ano lang" to describe Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo's status as a solo parent.
"In the street language, when you have children and you are single, ang tawag doon ay 'na-ano lang,'" he told Taguiwalo.
In an interview with reporters, Sotto wondered why his comments drew heavy criticism, adding that two of his daughters were also single parents.
"I have two daughters who are separated, who are single and have children. So I don't think there should be any big fuss about it," he added.
Sotto apologized to everyone who took offense with his "joke", saying some people simply did not understand it.
"Perhaps...these are just people who are not my fans so to speak (laughs). Baka mga talagang pakontra lang sa akin yan, kahit anong makita sa akin pangontra na."
"That's why ang premise ko, in the street language. 'Yun ang biruan sa kalsada eh. Kung minasama nila, eh di I'm sorry, I apologize. They didn't understand the joke," he said.
"Madali naman 'yun kung hindi natin mamasamain. Pero kung minasama nila, humihingi ako ng paumanhin," Sotto added.
In his text message to ABS-CBN News, he also noted that the "na-ano lang" is merely a popular catch phrase.
"People have been using that statement everywhere to give a comic description if (the) husband is not present," he said.
Several netizens, one of Taguiwalo's children and the Gabriela women's party-list earlier scored Sotto for sexism and misogyny.
-- With a report from Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News |
Preface
I’m a big fan of Prometheus and Grafana. As a former SRE at Google I’ve learned to appreciate good monitoring, and this combination has been a winner for me over the past year. I’m using them for monitoring my personal servers (both black-box and white-box monitoring), for the Euskal Encounter external and internal event infra, for work I do professionally for clients, and more. Prometheus makes it very easy to write custom exporters to monitor your own data, and there’s a good chance you’ll find an exporter that already works for you out of the box. For example, we use sql_exporter to make a pretty dashboard of attendee metrics for the Encounter events.
Event dashboard for Euskal Encounter (fake staging data)
Since it’s so easy to throw node_exporter onto any random machine and have a Prometheus instance scrape it for basic system-level metrics (CPU, memory, network, disk, filesystem usage, etc), I figured, why not also monitor my laptop? I have a Clevo “gaming” laptop that serves as my primary workstation, mostly pretending to be a desktop at home but also traveling with me to big events like the Chaos Communication Congress. Since I already have a VPN between it and one of my servers where I run Prometheus, I can just emerge prometheus-node_exporter , bring up the service, and point my Prometheus instance at it. This automatically configures alerts for it, which means my phone will make a loud noise whenever I open way too many Chrome tabs and run out of my 32GB of RAM. Perfect.
Trouble on the horizon
Barely an hour after setting this up, though, my phone did get a page: my newly-added target was inaccessible. Alas, I could SSH into the laptop fine, so it was definitely up, but node_exporter had crashed.
fatal error: unexpected signal during runtime execution [signal SIGSEGV: segmentation violation code=0x1 addr=0xc41ffc7fff pc=0x41439e] goroutine 2395 [running]: runtime.throw(0xae6fb8, 0x2a) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/panic.go:605 +0x95 fp=0xc4203e8be8 sp=0xc4203e8bc8 pc=0x42c815 runtime.sigpanic() /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/signal_unix.go:351 +0x2b8 fp=0xc4203e8c38 sp=0xc4203e8be8 pc=0x443318 runtime.heapBitsSetType(0xc4204b6fc0, 0x30, 0x30, 0xc420304058) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/mbitmap.go:1224 +0x26e fp=0xc4203e8c90 sp=0xc4203e8c38 pc=0x41439e runtime.mallocgc(0x30, 0xc420304058, 0x1, 0x1) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/malloc.go:741 +0x546 fp=0xc4203e8d38 sp=0xc4203e8c90 pc=0x411876 runtime.newobject(0xa717e0, 0xc42032f430) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/malloc.go:840 +0x38 fp=0xc4203e8d68 sp=0xc4203e8d38 pc=0x411d68 github.com/prometheus/node_exporter/vendor/github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus.NewConstMetric(0xc42018e460, 0x2, 0x3ff0000000000000, 0xc42032f430, 0x1, 0x1, 0x10, 0x9f9dc0, 0x8a0601, 0xc42032f430) /var/tmp/portage/net-analyzer/prometheus-node_exporter-0.15.0/work/prometheus-node_exporter-0.15.0/src/github.com/prometheus/node_exporter/vendor/github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/value.go:165 +0xd0 fp=0xc4203e8dd0 sp=0xc4203e8d68 pc=0x77a980
node_exporter , like many Prometheus components, is written in Go. Go is a relatively safe language: while it allows you to shoot yourself in the foot if you so wish, and it doesn’t have nearly as strong safety guarantees as, say, Rust does, it is still not too easy to accidentally cause a segfault in Go. More so, node_exporter is a relatively simple Go app with mostly pure-Go dependencies. Therefore, this was an interesting crash to get. Especially since the crash was inside mallocgc , which should never crash under normal circumstances.
Things got more interesting after I restarted it a few times:
2017/11/07 06:32:49 http: panic serving 172.20.0.1:38504: runtime error: growslice: cap out of range goroutine 41 [running]: net/http.(*conn).serve.func1(0xc4201cdd60) /usr/lib64/go/src/net/http/server.go:1697 +0xd0 panic(0xa24f20, 0xb41190) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/panic.go:491 +0x283 fmt.(*buffer).WriteString(...) /usr/lib64/go/src/fmt/print.go:82 fmt.(*fmt).padString(0xc42053a040, 0xc4204e6800, 0xc4204e6850) /usr/lib64/go/src/fmt/format.go:110 +0x110 fmt.(*fmt).fmt_s(0xc42053a040, 0xc4204e6800, 0xc4204e6850) /usr/lib64/go/src/fmt/format.go:328 +0x61 fmt.(*pp).fmtString(0xc42053a000, 0xc4204e6800, 0xc4204e6850, 0xc400000073) /usr/lib64/go/src/fmt/print.go:433 +0x197 fmt.(*pp).printArg(0xc42053a000, 0x9f4700, 0xc42041c290, 0x73) /usr/lib64/go/src/fmt/print.go:664 +0x7b5 fmt.(*pp).doPrintf(0xc42053a000, 0xae7c2d, 0x2c, 0xc420475670, 0x2, 0x2) /usr/lib64/go/src/fmt/print.go:996 +0x15a fmt.Sprintf(0xae7c2d, 0x2c, 0xc420475670, 0x2, 0x2, 0x10, 0x9f4700) /usr/lib64/go/src/fmt/print.go:196 +0x66 fmt.Errorf(0xae7c2d, 0x2c, 0xc420475670, 0x2, 0x2, 0xc420410301, 0xc420410300) /usr/lib64/go/src/fmt/print.go:205 +0x5a
Well that’s interesting. A crash in Sprintf this time. What?
runtime: pointer 0xc4203e2fb0 to unallocated span idx=0x1f1 span.base()=0xc4203dc000 span.limit=0xc4203e6000 span.state=3 runtime: found in object at *(0xc420382a80+0x80) object=0xc420382a80 k=0x62101c1 s.base()=0xc420382000 s.limit=0xc420383f80 s.spanclass=42 s.elemsize=384 s.state=_MSpanInUse <snip> fatal error: found bad pointer in Go heap (incorrect use of unsafe or cgo?) runtime stack: runtime.throw(0xaee4fe, 0x3e) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/panic.go:605 +0x95 fp=0x7f0f19ffab90 sp=0x7f0f19ffab70 pc=0x42c815 runtime.heapBitsForObject(0xc4203e2fb0, 0xc420382a80, 0x80, 0xc41ffd8a33, 0xc400000000, 0x7f0f400ac560, 0xc420031260, 0x11) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/mbitmap.go:425 +0x489 fp=0x7f0f19ffabe8 sp=0x7f0f19ffab90 pc=0x4137c9 runtime.scanobject(0xc420382a80, 0xc420031260) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/mgcmark.go:1187 +0x25d fp=0x7f0f19ffac90 sp=0x7f0f19ffabe8 pc=0x41ebed runtime.gcDrain(0xc420031260, 0x5) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/mgcmark.go:943 +0x1ea fp=0x7f0f19fface0 sp=0x7f0f19ffac90 pc=0x41e42a runtime.gcBgMarkWorker.func2() /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/mgc.go:1773 +0x80 fp=0x7f0f19ffad20 sp=0x7f0f19fface0 pc=0x4580b0 runtime.systemstack(0xc420436ab8) /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/asm_amd64.s:344 +0x79 fp=0x7f0f19ffad28 sp=0x7f0f19ffad20 pc=0x45a469 runtime.mstart() /usr/lib64/go/src/runtime/proc.go:1125 fp=0x7f0f19ffad30 sp=0x7f0f19ffad28 pc=0x430fe0
And now the garbage collector stumbled upon a problem. Yet a different crash.
At this point, there are two natural conclusions: either I have a severe hardware issue, or there is a wild memory corruption bug in the binary. I initially considered the former unlikely, as this machine has a very heavily mixed workload and no signs of instability that can be traced back to hardware (I have my fair share of crashing software, but it’s never random). Since Go binaries like node_exporter are statically linked and do not depend on any other libraries, I can download the official release binary and try that, which would eliminate most of the rest of my system as a variable. Yet, when I did so, I still got a crash.
unexpected fault address 0x0 fatal error: fault [signal SIGSEGV: segmentation violation code=0x80 addr=0x0 pc=0x76b998] goroutine 13 [running]: runtime.throw(0xabfb11, 0x5) /usr/local/go/src/runtime/panic.go:605 +0x95 fp=0xc420060c40 sp=0xc420060c20 pc=0x42c725 runtime.sigpanic() /usr/local/go/src/runtime/signal_unix.go:374 +0x227 fp=0xc420060c90 sp=0xc420060c40 pc=0x443197 github.com/prometheus/node_exporter/vendor/github.com/prometheus/client_model/go.(*LabelPair).GetName(...) /go/src/github.com/prometheus/node_exporter/vendor/github.com/prometheus/client_model/go/metrics.pb.go:85 github.com/prometheus/node_exporter/vendor/github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus.(*Desc).String(0xc4203ae010, 0xaea9d0, 0xc42045c000) /go/src/github.com/prometheus/node_exporter/vendor/github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/desc.go:179 +0xc8 fp=0xc420060dc8 sp=0xc420060c90 pc=0x76b998
Yet another completely different crash. At this point there was a decent chance that there was truly an upstream problem with node_exporter or one of its dependencies, so I filed an issue on GitHub. Perhaps the developers had seen this before? It’s worth bringing this kind of issue to their attention and seeing if they have any ideas.
A not-so-brief bare metal detour
Unsurprisingly, upstream’s first guess was that it was a hardware issue. This isn’t unreasonable: after all, I’m only hitting the problem on one specific machine. All my other machines are happily running node_exporter . While I had no other evidence of hardware-linked instability on this host, I also had no other explanation as to what was so particular about this machine that would make node_exporter crash. A Memtest86+ run never hurt anyone, so I gave it a go.
And then this happened:
This is what I get for using consumer hardware
Whoops! Bad RAM. Well, to be more specific, one bit of bad RAM. After letting the test run for a full pass, all I got was that single bad bit, plus a few false positives in test 7 (which moves blocks around and so can amplify a single error).
Further testing showed that Memtest86+ test #5 in SMP mode would quickly detect the error, but usually not on the first pass. The error was always the same bit at the same address. This suggests that the problem is a weak or leaky RAM cell. In particular, one which gets worse with temperature. This is quite logical: a higher temperature increases leakage in the RAM cells and thus makes it more likely that a somewhat marginal cell will actually cause a bit flip.
To put this into perspective, this is one bad bit out of 274,877,906,944. That’s actually a very good error rate! Hard disks and Flash memory have much higher error rates - it’s just that those devices have bad blocks marked at the factory that are transparently swapped out without the user knowing, and can transparently mark newly discovered weak blocks as bad and relocate them to a spare area. RAM has no such luxury, so a bad bit sticks forever.
Alas, this is vanishingly unlikely to be the cause of my node_exporter woes. That app uses very little RAM, and so the chances of it hitting the bad bit (repeatedly, at that) are extremely low. This kind of problem would be largely unnoticeable, perhaps causing a pixel error in some graphics, a single letter to flip in some text, an instruction to be corrupted that probably won’t ever be run, and perhaps the rare segfault when something actually important does land on the bad bit. Nonetheless, it does cause long-term reliability issues, and this is why servers and other devices intended to be reliable must use ECC RAM, which can correct this kind of error.
I don’t have the luxury of ECC RAM on this laptop. What I do have, though, is the ability to mark the bad block of RAM as bad and tell the OS not to use it. There is a little-known feature of GRUB 2 which allows you to do just that, by changing the memory map that is passed to the booted kernel. It’s not worth buying new RAM just for a single bad bit (especially since DDR3 is already obsolete, and there’s a good chance new RAM would have weak cells anyway), so this is a good option.
However, there’s one more thing I can do. Since the problem gets worse with temperature, what happens if I heat up the RAM?
🔥🔥🔥memtest86+🔥🔥🔥 A cozy 100°C
Using a heat gun set at a fairly low temperature (130°C) I warmed up two modules at a time (the other two modules are under the rear cover, as my laptop has four SODIMM slots total). Playing around with module order, I found three additional weak bits only detectable at elevated temperature, and they were spread around three of my RAM sticks.
I also found that the location of the errors stayed roughly consistent even as I swapped modules around: the top bits of the address remained the same. This is because the RAM is interleaved: data is spread over all four sticks, instead of each stick being assigned a contiguous quarter of the available address space. This is convenient, because I can just mask a region of RAM large enough to cover all possible addresses for each error bit, and not have to worry that I might swap sticks in the future and mess up the masking. I found that masking a contiguous 128KiB area should cover all possible permutations of addresses for each given bad bit, but, for good measure, I rounded up to 1MiB. This gave me three 1MiB aligned blocks to mask out (one of them covers two of the bad bits, for a total of four bad bits I wanted masked):
0x36a700000 – 0x36a7fffff
– 0x460e00000 – 0x460efffff
– 0x4ea000000 – 0x4ea0fffff
This can be specified using the address/mask syntax required by GRUB as follows, in /etc/default/grub :
GRUB_BADRAM="0x36a700000,0xfffffffffff00000,0x460e00000,0xfffffffffff00000,0x4ea000000,0xfffffffffff00000"
One quick grub-mkconfig later, I am down 3MiB of RAM and four dodgy bits with it. It’s not ECC RAM, but this should increase the effective reliability of my consumer-grade RAM, since now I know the rest of the memory is fine up to at least 100°C.
Needless to say, node_exporter still crashed, but we knew this wasn’t the real problem, didn’t we.
Digging deeper
The annoying thing about this kind of bug is that it clearly is caused by some kind of memory corruption that breaks code that runs later. This makes it very hard to debug, because we can’t predict what will be corrupted (it varies), and we can’t catch the bad code in the act of doing so.
First I tried some basic bisecting of available node_exporter releases and enabling/disabling different collectors, but that went nowhere. I also tried running an instance under strace . This seemed to stop the crashes, which strongly points to a race-condition kind of problem. strace will usually wind up serializing execution of apps to some extent, by intercepting all system calls run by all threads. I would later find that the strace instance crashed too, but it took much longer to do so. Since this seemed to be related to concurrency, I tried setting GOMAXPROCS=1 , which tells Go to only use a single OS-level thread to run Go code. This also stopped the crashes, again pointing strongly to a concurrency issue.
By now I had gathered quite a considerable number of crash logs, and I was starting to notice some patterns. While there was a lot of variation in the parts that were crashing and how, ultimately the error messages could be categorized into different types and the same kind of error showed up more than once. So I started Googling these errors, and this is how I stumbled upon Go issue #20427. This was an issue in seemingly an unrelated part of Go, but one that had caused similar segfaults and random issues. The issue was closed with no diagnosis after it couldn’t be reproduced with Go 1.9. Nobody knew what the root cause was, just that it had stopped happening.
So I grabbed this sample code from the issue, which claimed to reproduce the problem, and ran it on my machine. Lo and behold, it crashed within seconds. Bingo. This is a lot better than waiting hours for node_exporter to crash.
That doesn’t get me any closer to debugging the issue from the Go side, but it gives me a much faster way to test for it. So let’s try another angle.
Bisecting machines
I know the problem happens on my laptop, but doesn’t happen on any other of my machines. I tried the reproducer on every other machine I have easy access to, and couldn’t get it to crash on any of them. This tells me there’s something special about my laptop. Since Go statically links binaries, the rest of userspace doesn’t matter. This leaves two relevant parts: the hardware, and the kernel.
I don’t have any easy way to test with various hardware other than the machines I own, but I can play with kernels. So let’s try that. First order of business: will it crash in a VM?
To test for this, I built a minimal initramfs that will allow me to very quickly launch the reproducer in a QEMU VM without having to actually install a distro or boot a full Linux system. My initramfs was built with Linux’s scripts/gen_initramfs_list.sh and contained the following files:
dir /dev 755 0 0 nod /dev/console 0600 0 0 c 5 1 nod /dev/null 0666 0 0 c 1 3 dir /bin 755 0 0 file /bin/busybox busybox 755 0 0 slink /bin/sh busybox 755 0 0 slink /bin/true busybox 755 0 0 file /init init.sh 755 0 0 file /reproducer reproducer 755 0 0
/init is the entry point of a Linux initramfs, and in my case was a simple shellscript to start the test and measure time:
#!/bin/sh export PATH=/bin start=$(busybox date +%s) echo "Starting test now..." /reproducer ret=$? end=$(busybox date +%s) echo "Test exited with status $ret after $((end-start)) seconds"
/bin/busybox is a statically linked version of BusyBox, often used in minimal systems like this to provide all basic Linux shell utilities (including a shell itself).
The initramfs can be built like this (from a Linux kernel source tree), where list.txt is the file list above:
scripts/gen_initramfs_list.sh -o initramfs.gz list.txt
And QEMU can boot the kernel and initramfs directly:
qemu-system-x86_64 -kernel /boot/vmlinuz-4.13.9-gentoo -initrd initramfs.gz -append 'console=ttyS0' -smp 8 -nographic -serial mon:stdio -cpu host -enable-kvm
This resulted in no output at all to the console… and then I realized I hadn’t even compiled 8250 serial port support into my laptop’s kernel. D’oh. I mean, it doesn’t have a physical serial port, right? Anyway, a quick detour to rebuild the kernel with serial support (and crossing my fingers that didn’t change anything important), I tried again and it successfully booted and ran the reproducer.
Did it crash? Yup. Good, this means the problem is reproducible on a VM on the same machine. I tried the same QEMU command on my home server, with its own kernel, and… nothing. Then I copied the kernel from my laptop and booted that and… it crashed. The kernel is what matters. It’s not a hardware issue.
Juggling kernels
At this point, I knew I was going to be compiling lots of kernels to try to narrow this down. So I decided to move to the most powerful machine I had lying around: a somewhat old 12-core, 24-thread Xeon (now defunct, sadly). I copied the known-bad kernel source to that machine, built it, and tested it.
It didn’t crash.
What?
Some head-scratching later, I made sure the original bad kernel binary crashed (it did). Are we back to hardware? Does it matter which machine I build the kernel on? So I tried building the kernel on my home server, and that one promptly triggered the crash. Building the same kernel on two machines yields crashes, a third machine doesn’t. What’s the difference?
Well, these are all Gentoo boxes, and all Gentoo Hardened at that. But my laptop and my home server are both ~amd64 (unstable), while my Xeon server is amd64 (stable). That means GCC is different. My laptop and home server were both on gcc (Gentoo Hardened 6.4.0 p1.0) 6.4.0 , while my Xeon was on gcc (Gentoo Hardened 5.4.0-r3 p1.3, pie-0.6.5) 5.4.0 .
But my home server’s kernel, which was nearly the same version as my laptop (though not exactly), built with the same GCC, did not reproduce the crashes. So now we have to conclude that both the compiler used to build the kernel and the kernel itself (or its config?) matter.
To narrow things down further, I compiled the exact kernel tree from my laptop on my home server (linux-4.13.9-gentoo), and confirmed that it indeed crashed. Then I copied over the .config from my home server and compiled that, and found that it didn’t. This means we’re looking at a kernel config difference and a compiler difference:
linux-4.13.9-gentoo + gcc 5.4.0-r3 p1.3 + laptop .config - no crash
linux-4.13.9-gentoo + gcc 6.4.0 p1.0 + laptop .config - crash
linux-4.13.9-gentoo + gcc 6.4.0 p1.0 + server .config - no crash
Two .config s, one good, and one bad. Time to diff them. Of course, the two configs were vastly different (since I tend to tailor my kernel config to only include the drivers I need on any particular machine), so I had to repeatedly rebuild the kernel while narrowing down the differences.
I decided to start with the “known bad” .config and start removing things. Since the reproducer takes a variable amount of time to crash, it’s easier to test for “still crashes” (just wait for it to crash) than for “doesn’t crash” (how long do I have to wait to convince myself that it doesn’t?). Over the course of 22 kernel builds, I managed to simplify the config so much that the kernel had no networking support, no filesystems, no block device core, and didn’t even support PCI (still works fine on a VM though!). My kernel builds now took less than 60 seconds and the kernel was about 1/4th the size of my regular one.
Then I moved on to the “known good” .config and removed all the unnecessary junk while making sure it still didn’t crash the reproducer (which was trickier and slower than the previous test). I had a few false branches, where I changed something that made the reproducer start crashing (but I didn’t know what), yet I misidentified them as “no crash”, so when I got a crash I had to walk back up the previous kernels I’d built and make sure I knew exactly where the crash was introduced. I ended up doing 7 kernel builds.
Eventually, I narrowed it down to a small handful of different .config options. A few of them stood out, in particular CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING . After carefully testing them I concluded that, indeed, that option was the culprit. Turning it off produced kernels that crash the reproducer testcase, while turning it on produced kernels that didn’t. This option, when turned on, allows GCC to better determine which inline functions really must be inlined, instead of forcing it to inline them unconditionally. This also explains the GCC connection: inlining behavior is likely to change between GCC versions.
/* * Force always-inline if the user requests it so via the .config, * or if gcc is too old. * GCC does not warn about unused static inline functions for * -Wunused-function. This turns out to avoid the need for complex #ifdef * directives. Suppress the warning in clang as well by using "unused" * function attribute, which is redundant but not harmful for gcc. */ #if !defined(CONFIG_ARCH_SUPPORTS_OPTIMIZED_INLINING) || \ !defined(CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING) || (__GNUC__ < 4) #define inline inline __attribute__((always_inline,unused)) notrace #define __inline__ __inline__ __attribute__((always_inline,unused)) notrace #define __inline __inline __attribute__((always_inline,unused)) notrace #else /* A lot of inline functions can cause havoc with function tracing */ #define inline inline __attribute__((unused)) notrace #define __inline__ __inline__ __attribute__((unused)) notrace #define __inline __inline __attribute__((unused)) notrace #endif
So what next? We know that CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING makes the difference, but that potentially changes the behavior of every single inline function across the whole kernel. How to pinpoint the problem?
I had an idea.
Hash-based differential compilation
The basic premise is to compile part of the kernel with the option turned on, and part of the kernel with the option turned off. By testing the resulting kernel and checking whether the problem appears or not, we can deduce which subset of the kernel compilation units contains the problem code.
Instead of trying to enumerate all object files and doing some kind of binary search, I decided to go with a hash-based approach. I wrote this wrapper script for GCC:
#!/bin/bash args=("$@") doit= while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do case "$1" in -c) doit=1 ;; -o) shift objfile="$1" ;; esac shift done extra= if [ ! -z "$doit" ]; then sha="$(echo -n "$objfile" | sha1sum - | cut -d" " -f1)" echo "${sha:0:8} $objfile" >> objs.txt if [ $((0x${sha:0:8} & (0x80000000 >> $BIT))) = 0 ]; then echo "[n]" "$objfile" 1>&2 else extra=-DCONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING echo "[y]" "$objfile" 1>&2 fi fi exec gcc $extra "${args[@]}"
This hashes the object file name with SHA-1, then checks a given bit of the hash out of the first 32 bits (identified by the $BIT environment variable). If the bit is 0, it builds without CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING . If it is 1, it builds with CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING . I found that the kernel had around 685 object files at this point (my minimization effort had paid off), which requires about 10 bits for a unique identification. This hash-based approach also has one neat property: I can choose to only worry about crashing outcomes (where the bit is 0), since it is much harder to prove that a given kernel build does not crash (as the crashes are probabilistic and can take quite a while sometimes).
I built 32 kernels, one for each bit of the SHA-1 prefix, which only took 29 minutes. Then I started testing them, and every time I got a crash, I narrowed down a regular expression of possible SHA-1 hashes to only those with zero bits at those specific positions. At 8 crashes (and thus zero bits), I was down to 4 object files, and a couple were looking promising. Once I hit the 10th crash, there was a single match.
$ grep '^[0246][012389ab][0189][014589cd][028a][012389ab][014589cd]' objs_0.txt 6b9cab4f arch/x86/entry/vdso/vclock_gettime.o
vDSO code. Of course.
vDSO shenanigans
The kernel’s vDSO is not actually kernel code. vDSO is a small shared library that the kernel places in the address space of every process, and which allows apps to perform certain special system calls without ever leaving user mode. This increases performance significantly, while still allowing the kernel to change the implementation details of those system calls as needed.
In other words, vDSO is GCC-compiled code, built with the kernel, that ends up being linked with every userspace app. It’s userspace code. This explains why the kernel and its compiler mattered: it wasn’t about the kernel itself, but about a shared library provided by the kernel! And Go uses the vDSO for performance. Go also happens to have a (rather insane, in my opinion) policy of reinventing its own standard library, so it does not use any of the standard Linux glibc code to call vDSO, but rather rolls its own calls (and syscalls too).
So what does flipping CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING do to the vDSO? Let’s look at the assembly.
With CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING=n :
arch/x86/entry/vdso/vclock_gettime.o.no_inline_opt: file format elf64-x86-64 Disassembly of section .text: 0000000000000000 <vread_tsc>: 0: 55 push %rbp 1: 48 89 e5 mov %rsp,%rbp 4: 90 nop 5: 90 nop 6: 90 nop 7: 0f 31 rdtsc 9: 48 c1 e2 20 shl $0x20,%rdx d: 48 09 d0 or %rdx,%rax 10: 48 8b 15 00 00 00 00 mov 0x0(%rip),%rdx # 17 <vread_tsc+0x17> 17: 48 39 c2 cmp %rax,%rdx 1a: 77 02 ja 1e <vread_tsc+0x1e> 1c: 5d pop %rbp 1d: c3 retq 1e: 48 89 d0 mov %rdx,%rax 21: 5d pop %rbp 22: c3 retq 23: 0f 1f 00 nopl (%rax) 26: 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 nopw %cs:0x0(%rax,%rax,1) 2d: 00 00 00 0000000000000030 <__vdso_clock_gettime>: 30: 55 push %rbp 31: 48 89 e5 mov %rsp,%rbp 34: 48 81 ec 20 10 00 00 sub $0x1020,%rsp 3b: 48 83 0c 24 00 orq $0x0,(%rsp) 40: 48 81 c4 20 10 00 00 add $0x1020,%rsp 47: 4c 8d 0d 00 00 00 00 lea 0x0(%rip),%r9 # 4e <__vdso_clock_gettime+0x1e> 4e: 83 ff 01 cmp $0x1,%edi 51: 74 66 je b9 <__vdso_clock_gettime+0x89> 53: 0f 8e dc 00 00 00 jle 135 <__vdso_clock_gettime+0x105> 59: 83 ff 05 cmp $0x5,%edi 5c: 74 34 je 92 <__vdso_clock_gettime+0x62> 5e: 83 ff 06 cmp $0x6,%edi 61: 0f 85 c2 00 00 00 jne 129 <__vdso_clock_gettime+0xf9> [...]
With CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING=y :
arch/x86/entry/vdso/vclock_gettime.o.inline_opt: file format elf64-x86-64 Disassembly of section .text: 0000000000000000 <__vdso_clock_gettime>: 0: 55 push %rbp 1: 4c 8d 0d 00 00 00 00 lea 0x0(%rip),%r9 # 8 <__vdso_clock_gettime+0x8> 8: 83 ff 01 cmp $0x1,%edi b: 48 89 e5 mov %rsp,%rbp e: 74 66 je 76 <__vdso_clock_gettime+0x76> 10: 0f 8e dc 00 00 00 jle f2 <__vdso_clock_gettime+0xf2> 16: 83 ff 05 cmp $0x5,%edi 19: 74 34 je 4f <__vdso_clock_gettime+0x4f> 1b: 83 ff 06 cmp $0x6,%edi 1e: 0f 85 c2 00 00 00 jne e6 <__vdso_clock_gettime+0xe6> [...]
Interestingly, CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING=y , which is supposed to allow GCC to inline less, actually resulted in it inlining more: vread_tsc is inlined in that version, while not in the CONFIG_OPTIMIZE_INLINING=n version. But vread_tsc isn’t marked inline at all, so GCC is perfectly within its right to behave like this, as counterintuitive as it may be.
But who cares if a function is inlined? Where’s the actual problem? Well, looking closer at the non-inline version…
30: 55 push %rbp 31: 48 89 e5 mov %rsp,%rbp 34: 48 81 ec 20 10 00 00 sub $0x1020,%rsp 3b: 48 83 0c 24 00 orq $0x0,(%rsp) 40: 48 81 c4 20 10 00 00 add $0x1020,%rsp
Why is GCC allocating over 4KiB of stack? That’s not a stack allocation, that’s a stack probe, or more specifically, the result of the -fstack-check GCC feature.
Gentoo Linux enables -fstack-check by default on its hardened profile. This is a mitigation for the Stack Clash vulnerability. While -fstack-check is an old GCC feature and not intended for this, it turns out it effectively mitigates the issue (I’m told proper Stack Clash protection will be in GCC 8). As a side-effect, it causes some fairly silly behavior, where every non-leaf function (that is, a function that makes function calls) ends up probing the stack 4 KiB ahead of the stack pointer. In other words, code compiled with -fstack-check potentially needs at least 4 KiB of stack space, unless it is a leaf function (or a function where every call was inlined).
Go loves small stacks.
TEXT runtime·walltime(SB),NOSPLIT,$16 // Be careful. We're calling a function with gcc calling convention here. // We're guaranteed 128 bytes on entry, and we've taken 16, and the // call uses another 8. // That leaves 104 for the gettime code to use. Hope that's enough!
Turns out 104 bytes aren’t enough for everybody. Certainly not for my kernel.
It’s worth pointing out that the vDSO specification makes no mention of maximum stack usage guarantees, so this is squarely Go’s fault for making invalid assumptions.
Conclusion
This perfectly explains the symptoms. The stack probe is an orq , which is a logical OR with 0. This is a no-op, but effectively probes the target address (if it is unmapped, it will segfault). But we weren’t seeing segfaults in vDSO code, so how was this breaking Go? Well, OR with 0 isn’t really a no-op. Since orq is not an atomic instruction, what really happens is the CPU reads the memory address and then writes it back. This creates a race condition. If other threads are running in parallel on other CPUs, orq might effectively wind up undoing a memory write that occurs simultaneously. Since the write was out of the stack bounds, it was likely intruding on other threads’ stacks or random data, and, when the stars line up, undoing a memory write. This is also why GOMAXPROCS=1 works around the issue, since that prevents two threads from effectively running Go code at the same time. |
This story appeared in the radically leftist New York Times, of all places.
It says:
A small number of very premature babies are surviving earlier outside the womb than doctors once thought possible, a new study has documented, raising questions about how aggressively they should be treated and posing implications for the debate about abortion. […]The study, one of the largest and most systematic examinations of care for very premature infants, found that hospitals with sophisticated neonatal units varied widely in their approach to 22-week-olds, ranging from a few that offer no active medical treatment to a handful that assertively treat most cases with measures like ventilation, intubation and surfactant to improve the functioning of babies’ lungs. […]The study, involving nearly 5,000 babies born between 22 and 27 weeks gestation, found that 22-week-old babies did not survive without medical intervention. In the 78 cases where active treatment was given, 18 survived, and by the time they were young toddlers, seven of those did not have moderate or severe impairments. Six had serious problems such as blindness, deafness or severe cerebral palsy. Of the 755 born at 23 weeks, treatment was given to 542. About a third of those survived, and about half of the survivors had no significant problems.
You can double-check the details of the study.
Meanwhile, in Congress, the Republicans are getting ready to reintroduce a bill that bans abortions after 20 weeks.
Excerpt:
Republicans in the House of Representatives will hold a vote on or around the anniversary of the murder conviction of late-term abortionist Kermit Gosnell on a marquee bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy because unborn children feel intense pain in abortions. This is the second time Republicans have planned a vote on the major pro-life bill — and this vote is expected to take place next week, possibly Wednesday, the anniversary of Gosnell’s conviction. […]As pro-life sources have informed LifeNews, other new provisions of the bill that strengthen in include a born-alive infant protection requirement that requires a second doctor be present and prepared to provide care to the child if he or she is born alive and that the child must receive the same level of care as would any other premature infant. The baby must then be transported and admitted to a hospital. The woman is also empowered with a right to sue if the law is not followed, and is provided with an informed consent form that notifies her of the age of her baby and the requirements under the law. Abortionists are explicitly required to follow state mandatory reporting laws and state parental involvement laws. Finally, abortionists are required to report any late abortions done under the exceptions to the Center for Disease Control and such data will be compiled into an annual public report to ensure accountability.
This bill doesn’t go all the way to banning all abortions – far from it. But pro-life groups are pleased, because they want to save some lives even if they can’t save all:
Top pro-life advocates are strongly supporting the final version of the bill up for a vote next week, according to the Weekly Standard. Two major pro-life groups have already signed off on the revised bill. “We will have even stronger support than we did in the last Congress,” said Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey, a leading pro-life advocate in the House. “It will be good to have a truly unified pro-life conference.” National Right to Life Committee president Carol Tobias worked closely with Republican leadership staff members and met Thursday with McCarthy. “I felt very comfortable working with leadership staff,” said Tobias. “We were working as allies.” “We are thankful to our pro-life allies on the Hill, including House GOP leadership and the Congressional Pro-Life Women’s Caucus, who have tirelessly worked to bring this bill to a vote,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List. “This process has yielded a strong bill which we expect to pass next week with enthusiastic bipartisan support.” Sponsoring Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona says the bill has the potential to save thousands of babies from abortion.
That bill is, of course, opposed by Democrats.
UPDATE: Here’s a news story about a woman who killed a 20-week-old baby who was born alive and left to die. |
Image copyright YouTube/Rai 1 Image caption The town first turned its piazza into a huge version of the board game last summer
A small Italian town is transforming its main square into a giant Risk board for a two-day tournament, it's reported.
The piazza in Sant'Eufemia a Maiella, located deep within Italy's central Majella National Park, will be covered with a 650-sq-m (7,000-sq-ft) board as part of the event later this month, the local Il Centro website reports. It's billed as the biggest game of Risk in the world by the event's organisers. Artist Liberio Furlini spent 15 days painting the huge political map of the world used in the game. Super-sized playing pieces designed to fit with the gigantic board will be used by those taking part.
Risk is a strategy game where players try to occupy each territory on the board, thereby eliminating their competitors. The rules are being slightly simplified to allow more people to compete, but the tournament's winner will need to brush up on all the finer details, as they'll be offered a place at the national Risk championship.
"We have already seen 80 people sign up to take part from all over Italy," Mayor Francesco Crivelli tells Metro News 24. And while the mayor is partial to a game himself, he might not fancy his chances at the tournament. "Usually I like to play using the green pieces, but I lose, I always lose," he tells the channel.
Image copyright YouTube/Metro News 24 Image caption Risk, or Risiko in Italian, has become popular around the world since it was first released in the 1950s
Next story: 'Safe selfie' campaign launched in Russia
Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter. |
This feature first appeared in this month's edition of ProCycling magazine. Related Articles Report Card: Movistar Team
Valverde and Quintana recon critical Tour de France stages
Quintana wins overall at Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
Parra calls for Colombian alliance to defeat Nibali
Quintana will not race again before Tour de France
Contador well supported on Saxo-Tinkoff Tour de France squad
During the final segment of Bradley Wiggins faultless build-up for the 2012 Tour de France - at the Criterium du Dauphiné - Team Sky only once came up against a rider who not only refused to turn over and be beaten, but who also succeeded.
On the race’s most mountainous stage Nairo Quintana (Movistar) charged away on the Col de Joux Plane, the single hardest climb of that year’s Dauphiné. Yet for all Team Sky laid down a relentless pace behind designed to wipe out any rival attacks - which, barring a late downhill move by Cadel Evans, largely managed to do - Quintana reached the finish ahead of both the Australian and the Sky-led main pack.
Up until that point, Sky had won almost everything they wanted to in the Dauphiné, which they completed with the overall victory and three riders in the top four. But if Quintana constituted a minor fly in the ointment for Sky last June given he was so far behind overall, in the Vuelta al País Vasco this April, his stage victory ahead of Sergio Henao and Richie Porte had a far more devastating effect on the British. Against almost all expectations, he won outright.
Quintana’s team-mates in Movistar feel that the 23-year-old Colombian has a huge margin of progression. Juan Jose Cobo, the only rider to beat Sky’s combined ‘A’ team of Wiggins+Froome in a three-week stage race, back in the 2011 Vuelta points out that “Last year Nairo was with Alejandro [Valverde] right up until the last climbs in his debut Grand Tour “- with one particular high point being when Quintana took sixth on the race’s toughest ascent, the Cuitu Negru, after working for his team leader. “That means he’s got it in him to win in major Tours.”
This year, Quintana is being groomed for the Tour de France, a race where one top name in Sky’s management admitted to ProCycling that he considered the Colombian so dangerous “we won’t be giving him any room for manouvre at all.”
They could be right to do that, given Quintana is not just a gifted climber. As Cobo points out, “in his first month with us [2012] he was already capable of winning a stage race, the Vuelta a Murcia. What surprised us wasn’t so much that he could take the mountainous stage” - as he did, taking the lead with it - “but that he was so unstressed about the time trial that followed. We knew that he was a climber all right, but not that he could do so well in the time trialling.” Sky, too, were to find this out at the Vuelta al País Vasco, where Porte and Henao looked set to win outright until Quintana claimed the final victory thanks to winning the last, technically very difficult, race against the clock.
Growing up in Colombia
If Quintana’s all round abilities are what make him so dangerous as a three week stage race contender, his first eye-catching result in Europe came in the Subida a Urkiola in 2009, a sadly defunct summit finish race that acted as a revenge match for the Clasica San Sebastian, held 24 hours earlier. On Urkiola, probably the steepest climb of the Basque Country, and riding for a tiny South American squad, Boyaca es Para Vivirla (Boyaca is a place to go and see), aged 19, Quintana placed seventh.
“It was the biggest race the team got to do that year,” Quintana recalls, “I was pretty young and I’d only just turned pro. that summer. To be honest, I never imagined it, but that was where I started taking my first steps. That result opened me a lot of doors.”
It is one of the best-known cycling cliches that riders who have come from a very poor background tend to be hungrier for success in cycling. In Quintana’s case, given that he began working almost as soon as he could walk, helping his father - who is disabled - work as a wholesale fruit merchant in rural Colombia shifting cartloads of vegetables, the cliche happens to be true. But he doesn’t see his upbringing as having been excessively hard.
“Yes, we did work from a very young age. One of my earliest memories is sitting in a bus surrounded by other farm workers and sacks of fruit and vegetables. But it wasn’t all bad, it’s like anything, once you start doing it, you get used to it. We had some good times”
On two wheels as well as four, there were other experiences there in his hometown of Combita, northeast of Bogota, that helped forge his endurance level as a pro. For example there was how he had to ride down one mountain and up another mountain pass, a mere 16 kilometres long, every time he went to school - an education which, like so many young Colombians, he combined with his ‘day-job’ of working to help the family, making for very long hours for a teenager.
“Combita itself is at around 1,700 metres above sea level, but my parents house was a lot further up the mountain, at 3,000 metres. So to go to school, in another town called Arcabuco, I had to go up that climb, which was around eight percent average gradient and 16 kilometres long, every day. And then it was 16 kilometres downhill again. I did that every day for three years, from 15 to 18. And when I was 17, too, that was what got me interested in riding a bike anyway.”
There was no tradition, he says, in his family, of racing or riding. “It had never occured to me.” But given the climb he had to tackle on his ‘school run’ was so hard, groups of normal amateur riders would use it, and one day he decided to tag along with some riders on a training run to see how well he could match against them.
“They started accelerating and accelerating and they couldn’t drop me,” he recalls with just a hint of pride in his quietly spoken voice. “So I got home, I told my dad, and he was very pleased. He bought me a racing bike and then we went on to village races.”
He went straight from junior to a Continental level with the Boyaca squad, who snapped him up after he took third in the Colombian version of the Tour de L’Avenir, in 2008. That meant Quintana has been used to punching above his weight from a very young age, given he never raced as an amateur, but was already familiar with U-23 events. “As a junior there weren’t many races at my level. I would get fourth or fifth in uphill time trials, once second but I was racing against guys three or four years older than me.”
His next move, into Colombia es Pasión in 2010, came when Boyaca lost sponsorship deal and stopped racing in Europe. “Colomba es Pasión already wanted to sign me in 2009, but Boyaca was my local team. When Boyaca dropped down a category to amateur, though, I could sign with Colombia es Pasión.”
The Tour de L'Avenir
In 2011, having won the Tour de L’Avenir of the European variety the previous year - another important landmark - Quintana then won the mountains prize in the Volta a Catalunya.
“That showed me I was doing ok, without making huge progress. “It also saved his career. Quintana crashed out badly of the Vuelta a Colombia, badly injuring his wrists during a pile-up in the race - “and it still hurts” - and was two months off without racing. But Movistar had had their eye on Quintana since the Tour de L’Avenir - and even more so after Catalunya, and “doing a really good time trial in Castille y Leon on a bike that wasn’t my measure and didn’t even belong to me.” So in 2012, despite having had half the 2011 season off, he signed with the Spanish. The Colombian who started out by riding up 16 kilometre climbs just so he could get an education was finally en route.
“I was in good shape from the first month with Movistar, winning from the Vuelta a Murcia onwards, where I beat some big names like Samuel Sanchez and Roberto Gesink,” he recalls. Quintana has, since then, been the first top Colombian to excel in time trials since Victor Hugo Peña and Santiago Botero, who won the World Championships Time Trial and a Tour de France time trial back in the early noughties. “I did well in Murcia, but I’d already represented Colombia at the World’s in timetrials at U-23 level,” he said, “maybe I’m not a top name, but if you look at the climbers, I’m always up there in the time trials as well.”
Murcia was one breakthrough, but the biggest was without doubt managing to beat Team Sky in the Joux Plane in the Criterium du Dauphine. They were, as Quintana recollects, “way superior to everybody else at the time and they were scarily fast in every stage before that. All we could do was sit on their wheels.”
“But I felt good on the Joux Plane day, I attacked to see what I could get, but the most I could do was 20 or 30 seconds. They were always close behind, Sky were so strong. But nobody else dared attack.”
Confidence for the Tour de France
“Winning there gave me a big dose of confidence, I felt much more sure of myself on the French mountains now,” he says, “straight away after the Dauphine I went onto the Route du Sud and won the most important mountain stage there, too, with big differences between the main favourites.” - of over a minute, in fact, between himself and his vastly more experienced closest pursuer, Herbert Dupont (Ag2R), and with nearly four minutes between himself and the equally veteran third placed Anthony Charteau (Europcar).
Ironically enough, one reason why he managed to stay away on the descent off the Joux Plane into Morzine - one of the most difficult in the Alps - was because he had been given the wrong bike. (This error also blows a hole in Sky’s theories of marginal gains being paramount to success, quite apart from losing the British team the stage, but that’s another story.)
“The team’s biomechanic messed up and he gave me a bike that was too large, he insisted that was the right one,” Quintana recalls. “But because the frame was a little bit longer, that bike gave me a little bit more confidence on the descents, as happened that day.”
“It was only this year, after a lot of nagging, that I got the team to give me a bike that was one smaller, the right, size.” He now descends “normally, it’s ok,”, without the same degree of confidence, he says “but I’ve got a lot better on the climbs with a new bike. I can ride it harder, and you can feel the bike responds quicker when I move ” He laughs at the idea that Movistar should give him a different bike for the descents, but perhaps it is worth considering.
Even with the wrong bike, he was a huge factor in Movistar team-mate Alejandro Valverde’s success in the Vuelta, where Valverde took second overall and could have won the race outright had he not miscalculated when Contador attacked at Fuente Dé.
“I came to the Vuelta directly from Colombia, where the temperature was nearly twenty degrees cooler - 10 degrees in the middle of the day or so. So when I got to Pamplona on the first day with 37 degrees, my body couldn’t really handle it.”
“But thank goodness, when the second week of mountain climbing started, my body had got used to the hotter weather and I was ready to go. It was a very tough Vuelta indeed.”
Goals at the Tour de France
Looking ahead to the Tour, his initial objective will be to “help Alejandro again, he’s at a very good level” - and with the mountainous route that the Vuelta has this year and given Valverde is now 33, it is almost now or never for the Spaniard.
“But if there are any opportunities for me, I’ll take them.”
Quintana, together with Sergio Henao and Rigoberto Uran (Sky) as well as Carlos Alberto Betancur (AG2R) is supposed to be at the head of a new generation of Colombian riders. But although too young to recall the Colombian greats in the Tour in the 1980s - although his gravelly voice, weatherbeaten skin and almost un-nervingly serious way of talking make him seem much older than in his twenties - Quintana nonetheless has clear memories of some of the more recent generation of Colombian riders and say that “in fact, we’ve always been around. This isn’t a ‘return’ to thirty years ago for us. We’ve always been there.”
He names Maurizio Ardila - “one of [Denis] Menchov’s greatest domestiques” - Santiago Botero and Maurizio Soler - “who did great things in the Tour de France mountain stages and was always really consistent” - as the top names from his country in recent years. “And then there was time triallist Victor Hugo Peña, aka El Tiburon [The Shark], who was Colombia’s first Tour de France leader in 2003, and who was the senior figure in Quintana’s two years in the Colombia es Pasión [Colombia is Passion] team, in 2010 and 2011.
He agrees with Betancur, though, that the arrival of the biological passport has enabled “not just one or two, but a large number” of Colombian riders to break through to the surface, and the benefits of living at altitude to become more noticeable again.
“I think that in my case, for example, I live at 1,800 metres above sea level, we were born and we grew up there, and I believe that makes a difference. But to be honest I haven’t thought about how different we are or not: here in Europe there are lots of good riders.”
Quintana has already proved he is more than a match for riders of the level of Richie Porte (Sky), even when he was in top form after winning Paris-Nice. How much higher can he go? Valverde, for one, says that Quintana has “an enormous future, even if he’s very young” and insists “that he can have a role as a team leader when I’m not there, as he showed in the Volta a Catalunya.”
For the Tour, Valverde’s idea is that Quintana will be making his debut “and learning about it little by little.” Could he outshine the Movistar leader? This July we will find out. But Quintana has already proved he has stepped up a huge level this spring. And with no pressure on him as a team leader, he could go even further than anyone has expected - particularly with the right bike. |
The 53-year-old McMaster was one of those who spent the past decade or so re-orienting the Army away from traditional war-fighting. But he is widely considered one of the service’s top strategic thinkers and his supporters insist he is the best person to figure out how to respond. “He learns and he thinks about what could be and what should be,” says Sullivan, the retired Army chief of staff.
McMaster’s pioneering tactics in confronting the Iraq insurgency after the 2003 invasion were rewarded with a key role under General David Petraeus in rewriting the Army’s field manual on counterinsurgency operations. It was not an easy undertaking. The U.S. military had not focused on counterinsurgency operations in the decades since the war in Vietnam. As a colonel and brigade commander in 2005 in Iraq’s western Al Anbar province, McMaster helped pioneer a strategy that came to be known as “clear, hold, build”—in which swarms of U.S. forces backed by airstrikes secured a city or town and built up the local security forces until they were deemed ready to maintain security while local government institutions could mature.
But getting the Army as an institution to focus on training and buying the necessary equipment to fight bands of terrorists and guerrillas hidden in population centers—instead of big tank formations like the Iraqi Republican Guard it clobbered in the 1991 Persian Gulf War—proved extremely challenging.
The steady erosion of public support for the conflict—and growing angst in Congress about the seeming lack of an end game—didn’t help.
What is taking place in Ukraine, however, is seen as a game-changer. McMaster and the study team he has put together believe their work could have huge impact on what the Army buys, how it trains and how its units are structured for years to come—maybe even as much as the Yom Kippur War did.
***
The Army has a long history of trying to learn from wars it didn’t fight—and fold the battlefield lessons into its own arsenal.
A decade before the carnage of the American Civil War, George McClellan, who later became the commander of the Union Army, was an official observer of the European armies engaged in the Crimean War, which Russia lost to an alliance of France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire and Sardinia. That conflict is widely considered the first modern war, in which mass-produced rifles, explosive shells, mines and armored landing craft were first used. John Pershing, who commanded allied forces in World War I had also previously observed the Russo-Japanese War.
But the current thinking of McMaster and his top aides on what the Ukraine war might mean for the U.S. is eerily parallel to the experience of the early 1970s. That is when the U.S. military had been distracted by another guerrilla war, in Vietnam, while Russia’s military grew bolder and more sophisticated, posing a new threat to NATO, the Western military alliance.
It’s not the actual 1973 war that the Army believes parallels the modern-day conflict in Ukraine but rather the Army’s approach afterward in digesting its lessons—and folding them into its own war plans. The study of that earlier war “serves as a useful model for analyzing the conflict in Ukraine,” says Colonel Kelly Ivanoff, a field artillery officer and top aide to McMaster, who adds that the detailed undertaking to study the 1973 war was to “profoundly influence the development of the U.S. Army for the next 15 years.”
The Russia New Generation Warfare study will “examine the Ukraine theater for implications to Army future force development, with emphasis on how Russian forces and their proxies employed disruptive technologies,” he added.
The effort, which is just getting underway, is focused on 20 separate “warfighting challenges”—including maintaining communications in the face of cyberattacks; developing a greater degree of battlefield intelligence; redesigning Army combat formations and tactics; and identifying new air defenses, weapons and ways to employ helicopters.
Indeed, where the Yom Kippur War analogy reaches its limits, say close observers, is the way in which Russia has also employed other, nonmilitary power—first during the Russian military annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 and then in its ongoing proxy war in eastern Ukraine.
“They looked at what we were doing in the early ’90s and some of what we were saying we wanted to do and went one better,” said Sullivan, who served as Army chief of staff from 1991 to 1995 and now runs the Association of the U.S. Army, an advocacy group. “They started adding the special operating forces, which included diplomats, people who were subverting [the Ukrainian government] from the inside. It’s a hybrid.”
Now, he said, the Army is trying to apply “what we learned about the way they are using their little green men—people who are subverting the governments.”
That is not to say that the Russian Army and its proxies are 10 feet tall. The Ukrainian Army is credited with deterring an all-out Russian invasion. And the briefing that has been shared at the highest levels of the Army and with a number of foreign allies points out that the Russian military shrank dramatically in size between 1985 and 2015. And its biggest weakness is widely considered its conscript army, which has limited training and suffers from poor morale.
General Starry, who led the Yom Kippur War after-action review, concluded that the quality of the soldiers ultimately can carry the day—not numbers. “It is strikingly evident,” he wrote later, “that battles are yet won by the courage of Soldiers, the character of leaders, and the combat experience of well-trained units.”
But combined with Moscow’s efforts to upgrade its nuclear forces, what has been on display in eastern Ukraine and more recently in its military foray into Syria is expected, at least by the generals, to change the U.S. Army for a long time to come. |
Findings on Using Azilect (Rasagiline) as an Add-On Therapy A Phase 3 Japanese trial has found that adding Azilect (rasagiline) to levodopa is safe, and over the course of a year improved motor function in those with Parkinson’s disease with off periods. The Journal of Neural Transmission published the results …
Acorda Therapeutics Announces FDA Approval of INBRIJA™ (levodopa inhalation powder) (December 21, 2018) Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved INBRIJA™ for intermittent treatment of OFF episodes in people with Parkinson’s disease who are treated with carbidopa/levodopa. INBRIJA is expected to be commer …
Join The Parkinson Alliance at Rock Steady Boxing of South Brunswick’s Family Appreciation Day on Monday, December 10, 2018, in Kingston, NJ Rock Steady Boxing of South Brunswick will have a Family Appreciation Day on Monday, December 10, 2018, at 11:45 am to 2 pm, at the Retro Fitness of Kingston, in Kingston, NJ. The Parkinson Alliance will be there; please join us! Participate with a fam …
The Parkinson Alliance is a Charity Partner of the 29th Annual Bucks County Roadrunners Thanksgiving Day Five-Miler & One-Mile Fun Run on Thursday, November 22, 2018 The 29th Annual Customers Bank Bucks County Roadrunners (BCRR) Thanksgiving Day Five-Miler & One-Mile Fun Run in Langhorne, PA, will be held on Thursday, November 22, 2018. The Parkinson Alliance is proud to be a Charity Partner of this race, along …
Dance for Parkinson’s – Open House (November 11, 2018) Dance for Parkinson’s is for people with Parkinson’s Disease and their caregivers. Each class has live music and creates a warm sanctuary for movement exploration, and a social atmosphere to support artistic venture. The Parkinson A …
Axovant Announced Administration of AXO-Lenti-PD, A Novel Gene Therapy for Patient’s with Parkinson’s Disease, to First Patient in Clinical Study October 25, 2018 — Axovant announced that the first patient in a clinical study was administered dosing of AXO-Lenti-PD, which is an investigational gene therapy to treat Parkinson’s disease, that enables the expression of a set of three critical enzym …
“Milestone Moment” as LRRK2 inhibitor enters human testing October 25, 2018 — At the Michael J. Fox Foundation’s annual scientific conference, data was presented from a Phase I LRRK2 trial. The gene that makes the LRRK2 protein is the most common genetic cause of Parkinson’s. Described as a “Milestone Momen …
NYC Area: Free LSVT-LOUD Educational Seminar on December 1 October 25, 2018 — Those with PD, their families, friends, caregivers and healthcare professionals are invited to learn about LSVT-BIG, an evidence-based and effective program for those with PD seeking to improve movement, balance, walking and more. …
NYC Area: Free LSVT-LOUD Educational Seminar on November 30 October 25, 2018 — Those with PD, their families, friends, caregivers and healthcare professionals are invited to learn about LSVT-LOUD, an evidence-based and effective program for those with PD. Enjoy a FREE one-hour lecture, following which individ … |
Tom Hardy is a busy man: He’s currently headlining TV period drama Taboo (which he co-created with his father and his Locke director Steven Knight); he’s about to star in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming World War II epic Dunkirk; and he’s also contending with rumors about a sequel to 2015’s stellar Mad Max: Fury Road as well as a possible desire to take the reins of the James Bond franchise. It’s a lot for any actor to shoulder, and as Hardy recently revealed, it’s been made more difficult by the physical toll that some of his prior roles have taken on his body.
Related: Tom Hardy Costars in ‘London Road,’ a Serial Killer Movie That May Have Been the Fall’s Most Unusual Movie
Speaking to Marlow Stern for The Daily Beast, Hardy, 39, discussed the cost of significantly bulking up for his work as a notorious real-life criminal in Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2008 gem Bronson, and as the burly villain Bane in Nolan’s 2012 trilogy-capper The Dark Knight Rises:
“I think you pay the price with any drastic physical changes. It was alright when I was younger, to put myself under that kind of duress, but I think as you get into your 40s you have to be more mindful of the rapid training, packing on a lot of weight and getting physical, and then not having enough time to keep training because you’re busy filming, so your body is swimming in two different directions at the same time. And then after the film I’m tired, and you maybe have to change your shape again and go back to your normal size for the next film. To go from one extreme to another has a cost. I haven’t damaged my body, but I’m certainly a bit achier than I used to be! I kind of miss it.”
Related: Double Duty: Tom Hardy and Other Actors Who’ve Played Identical Twins
Back in 2011, Hardy said that he planned to put on about 30 pounds to play the Batman villain. Still, he makes it clear that, even with all the added pounds put on to play Bane, he’s still not in the same body-transformation league as his Dark Knight Rises co-star, who’s famous for having radically shed (The Machinist) and gained (American Hustle) weight for roles:
“Compared to Christian Bale, I’ve been by no means extreme in my body changes, but for what little I’ve done, yeah, I certainly have joints that click that probably shouldn’t click, you know what I mean? And carrying my children is a little bit harder than it used to be — but don’t tell them!”
Related: Tom Hiddleston and These 6 Actors Want to Be James Bond
View photos Tom Hardy in ‘Bronson’ (Photo: Everett) More
To read more of the actor’s thoughts on his physically taxing prior roles, his feelings about potentially stepping into 007’s shoes, and his plans to star as Al Capone in an upcoming drama from director Josh Trank (Fantastic Four), click over to the full Daily Beast article. Hardy’s Taboo is currently airing on FX, and Dunkirk storms theaters nationwide on July 21.
‘Dunkirk’: Watch a trailer: |
The three-week-long Islamic State siege of the Syrian town of Kobani is rapidly intensifying. On Monday, fighters were said to have raised the black ISIS flag over at least one building in the eastern part of the city as vicious street-to-street battles unfolded. Reporting from southern Turkey, journalist Harald Doornbas noted that a second flag had gone up just southeast of the city.
The good news is the Syrian Kurds have (so far) kept ISIS from breaching the center of the city. The bad news is everything else. Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab, is just six miles from the Turkish border, over which more than 100,000 civilians fled when the Islamic State attack began in late September.
The advance of the Islamic State fighters into a strategically important Syrian city is a development that U.S.-led airstrikes were supposed to preclude. But as many are suggesting, the coalition efforts to stem the Islamic State onslaught have been ineffective. This is, at least in part, because ISIS has changed its tactics.
"In Syria and Iraq, they took down many of their trademark black flags, and camouflaged armed pickup trucks," The Wall Street Journal wrote of ISIS. "They also took cover among civilians." The group is also said to have decentralized some of its command structure, adjusted its movements to nighttime, and eschewed the frequent use of cellphone and radio communications. |
WASHINGTON -- Men continue to take a bigger hit in their paychecks than women because of lingering effects of the Great Recession, according to a study by the Conference Board.
Average wages for women remain lower than those for their male counterparts, by nearly 20%. But men's wages have been much slower to rebound from the effects of the recession, which had its most severe impact on male-dominated industries, such as construction, the study found.
Although the recession technically ended in 2009, men’s wage growth had rebounded to half the average rate of the previous decade by last year. Meanwhile, the growth in wages for women had almost fully recovered, the study said.
The findings came as the Obama administration has sparred with the campaign of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in recent weeks about which gender has suffered more in the down economy. |
The Bernie Sanders campaign is in crisis! Or so the narrative goes. A small number of Sanders supporters lodged death threats against Nevada Democratic Chairwoman Roberta Lange. That’s abhorrent and, as recent days’ wall-to-wall reporting makes clear, not good for the Sanders campaign. Sanders condemnation of the threats, however, hasn’t stymied the deluge of stories and commentaries suggesting that he is set to run the party into electoral oblivion, that his supporters are a dangerous mob, and that, as the Nevada Democratic Party put it, the campaign is not only “inciting” violence but has a “penchant for…actual violence.”
Conflating an entire protest movement with the actions of a few is a longstanding delegitimization strategy, and protesters always look more agitated than whoever they are protesting: the establishment, after all, exercises its power from a position of power. In the current primary, the establishment has deployed this strategy ever since the first bad person who happens to support Sanders found out about Twitter.
Advertisement:
After the Nevada incident, Jezebel’s Anna Merlan had a smart journalistic idea: pick up the phone and call the threat makers. She connected with three people. One was apologetic and felt like a jerk. Another couple, who meanly predicted that Lange would lose her job but were not accused of making threats, was not apologetic. The third person, who sent a particularly creepy text about knowing where Lange lived and who her family was, seemed like he had significant psychological problems.
The actual fracas at the Nevada convention, a fight over arcane rules and the seating of delegates that involved both sides attempting to out-game the other, highlights the frustration and anger that pervade the Sanders camp. The response to it, mournful eulogies to Sanders’ squandered promise written by people who never liked him anyway, evinces its counterpoint: the Democratic Party’s panic rising alongside its concern over Donald Trump’s swing-state poll numbers.
Generally, the tone of media coverage conveys a sense that Sanders is in some sort of meltdown. The dire words, however, are actually just bouncing out to you from an echo chamber: In reality, Sanders has been closing the gap in California and is still nipping at Clinton’s heels in national polls. He will almost certainly not win. But for an insurgent candidate who has won far more than anyone ever imagined, charging through its final month, he’s doing just fine.
A Washington Post headline blaring that “liberal allies” were “turning on Bernie Sanders after Nevada donnybrook” was a case in point for misleading reporting. James Hohmann wrote that the incident “has been a wake-up call for many liberal commentators, who have viewed Bernie positively because of his success at pulling Hillary to the left. But a new mindset has begun to take hold: If Trump becomes president, Sanders will deserve a big share of the blame.”
The “new idea” that Sanders will be blamed for a Trump victory is not, in fact, new. Rather, it’s so predictable that I already predicted it: the Democratic establishment will always try to blame the left for its problems (see McGovern, Nader and, voila, Sanders).
And those liberal allies who have suddenly gone sour? Cited figures include Dana Houle, a Clinton supporter who had criticized Sanders’ visit to the Vatican because of the role played by people who lack “communion with and allegiance to the Catholic Church” (how progressive!). And Mother Jones’ Kevin Drum who, despite writing for a magazine named for a left-wing labor radical, is in reality a longstanding Sanders critic who has charged that his social democratic spending plans are “not even remotely in the realm of reality.”
Advertisement:
Sanders opponents in the punditocracy greatly outnumber sympathizers, and the Nevada contretemps provides the latest opportunity for them to smear supporters as unhinged bros and to browbeat Sanders into becoming a loyal Clinton lieutenant—all before Californians have cast their ballots.
Unsettling poll numbers show a strong Trump challenge in Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and Democrats worry he may successfully pursue a Rust Belt strategy aimed at downwardly mobile white men. And so allies of Clinton, who just barely trails Trump in this unpopularity contest, are fixing their sites on Sanders.
More specifically, the Nevada fracas has been seized upon as a dire prelude to convention disorder in Philadelphia: Sanders, the charge goes, is dishonestly selling voters on an impossible victory and delegitimizing the process.
There will be protests at the Democratic National Convention regardless of what Sanders says. Leftist activists have long staged protests outside both major parties’ political convention. Sixteen years ago, an LAPD officer’s club cracked my rib at one of them. Whether there are major disruptions inside the convention, however, appears to be largely within DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s control. Making two outspoken Clinton stalwarts, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank, chairs of the platform and rules committees, is not a signal of inclusion. It’s courting disaster.
Advertisement:
Conspiracy theories about the election being stolen have credence among Sanders supporters. Sanders fans must accept that democratic socialism is on the rise but this year wasn’t its moment: Clinton simply won more people over this time. Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will. But it’s also true, generally speaking, that conspiracy theories flourish where power is perceived to be illegitimate and nontransparent. The Sanders camp won’t be disabused of the notion that the process has been stacked against him. It has been. Clinton’s aura of inevitability sometimes worked to Sanders’ advantage, allowing early victories to become major news items in part because they were so surprising. Yet overall the superdelegate-abetted Clinton coronation worked strongly against him: Democratic voters are extremely concerned about electability and most believed that Clinton, despite polling to the contrary, was the person best poised to beat Republicans.
The coming months will pose difficult challenges without easy answers. Sanders must help lead his movement through a heartbreaking loss, keeping it alive and independent while fighting efforts to frame him as a sore loser. This week’s onslaught, the ugliest of the primary, are just a taste of what’s to come if he maintains any sort of critical distance from Clinton during the general election. That said, there’s no indication or evidence that the media’s concern for Sanders’ future is in any way shared by his followers.
Sanders has a lot of responsibility. But not in the way the establishment thinks. Sanders can’t make anyone vote for Clinton. She is the one who has to win them over. If pivoting toward the general election means the DNC insulting Sanders supporters and the Clinton campaign constantly telegraphing to reporters that they plan to take Sanders fans for granted, then she will have a harder time doing so. |
After a video emerged appearing to show Hillary Clinton struggling to stand upright before stumbling into a car at a 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York City Sunday, the presidential candidate was forced to go public with the pneumonia diagnosis she received two days before.
But the near-fainting spell was in fact due to dehydration, exacerbated by her condition. Her husband Bill Clinton said Monday that it wasn’t the first time. “Rarely, but on more than one occasion, over the last many, many years, the same sort of thing’s happened to her where she just got severely dehydrated,” he said.
Politico reports, citing unnamed sources, that Clinton is chronically dehydrated, and that her reluctance to regularly drink water has become a “source of tension” between the candidate and her staff. “She won’t drink water, and you try telling Hillary Clinton she has to drink water,” a source in close contact with the Democratic candidate said. Politico described a hectic rehydration mission which included lots of bottles of water as well as Gatorade.
In 2013, CBS reported that some 75% of Americans may be functioning in a chronic state of dehydration, many mistaking the symptoms for other illnesses. Whether she’s among them or not, the Democratic nominee might be better off taking a big gulp next time a staff member approaches with a glass of water. Here’s everything you need to know about dehydration:
The Brief Newsletter Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. View Sample Sign Up Now
Why do we get dehydrated?
Dehydration occurs when your body loses more fluid than you take in, upsetting its balance of salts and sugar, which affects the way it functions. Water makes up between 60-70% of average adult— and it’s important to keep levels stable. Water is essential for life and our body uses it in many different ways, from lubricating joints and regulating our temperature to enabling waste removal via sweating, bowel movements and urination.
If not treated immediately, chronic – or ongoing – dehydration can lead to serious medical complications; it can affect your kidney function, increase the risk of kidney stones and lead to muscle damage and constipation. This level of dehydration requires hospital treatment where a sufferer will be attached to a drip to restore fluids. Of patients treated for kidney stones, 50% are likely to have a recurrence within ten years.
How do we get dehydrated?
Usually, by not drinking enough fluid – usually water – to replace what you lose. Factors that can contribute to dehydration include the climate, physical exercise (particularly in the heat) and diet. Chronic diarrhoea, vomiting, frequent urination and profuse sweating, for example from a fever, can also lead you to become dehydrated.
How can you tell you’re dehydrated?
Early warning signs include tiredness, a dry mouth, having dark coloured, strong-smelling urine, feeling thirsty and lightheaded and needing to urinate less than usual. If you begin to suffer from extreme thirst, lethargy, sunken eyes, no tears when you cry, little or no urination, a rapid heartbeat and breathing, and dizziness when you stand that lasts for more than a few seconds, you should get medical treatment straight away as these are signs of chronic dehydration.
As hydration regulates the body’s process of temperature control, being too hot or too cold can also be a sign of dehydration.
Who is most at risk?
Everyone is prone to dehydration, but some are at higher risk than others. Infants and children are particularly prone to becoming dehydrated as their bodies are made up of 65-75% water.
Elderly people are also at risk, as you lose your sense of thirst dramatically as you age, meaning older people often forget to drink enough water. Clinton, who is 68, could fall into this category. According to recent research by the BBC, one in five older people living in care homes does not drink enough fluid and those with dementia were six times more likely to be dehydrated.
People living with medical conditions, including diabetes, cystic fibrosis and kidney disease, as well as alcoholics, are also more prone to dehydration.
What’s the best way to avoid it?
Drink plenty of water! The Institute of Medicine recommends that women from the age of 19 to 70 drink 2.7 liters – or 11 cups – of beverages per day, and men of the same age are recommended to have 3.7 liters. This includes standard tap water as well as tea, coffee and juice – more or less all drinks which contain water. The U.S.’ Centers for Disease Control advises citizens to choose water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages, recommending teachers to educate students about the danger of consuming too much caffeine, including energy drinks.
Write to Kate Samuelson at [email protected]. |
Gorakhpur's main state-run hospital withheld every bit of information from parents of infants who died due to shortage of oxygen earlier this month, an India Today investigation has found.
There was a total lack of transparency, no accountability and miscommunication at the city's BRD Medical College and Hospital where 34 infants died one after another on the intervening night of August 10-11, the investigation has discovered.
Overall, a total of 64 babies, many of them encephalitis patients, died at the hospital in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's hometown from August 7 to the noon of August 11.
Most deaths - 34 - were reported in a matter of hours between August 10 and 11. "It's a heinous crime if deaths happen because of oxygen shortage," Adityanath had remarked in the aftermath of the tragedy. "It will be a service to humanity, if we present the right facts."
India Today's undercover investigation has unearthed shocking facts.
The probe found how parents were kept in the dark as the infants died at the BRD hospital on the killer night.
NURSES GAVE PARENTS MANUAL AIR BAGS TO PUMP OXYGEN
The parents had little clue about the imminent disaster when nurses unhooked the ventilators and handed manual air bags to the parents to pump oxygen into their children.
India Today's investigative team reached out to Balwant Gupta, the man in-charge of oxygen supplies at BRD on the fateful night on August 10 and 11.
Gupta said, "We had 52 oxygen cylinders. When piped air supplies dropped at 7.30 pm, some other staff replaced them with back-up cylinders. "When I took over (the shift), the entire stock was exhausted by 11.30 pm."
Gupta informed all the staff on duty that the hospital would run out of all oxygen cylinders in a couple of hours. They were told to prepare self-inflating bags for emergency.
But no one shared information about the crisis with the parents. "I don't know what would have happened, if I had disclosed this to the patients (attendants/parents)," he admitted.
Anxious parents, Gupta said, pumped air from the hand-operated device for the next two hours till a new lot of oxygen cylinders arrived.
"The vehicle carrying the oxygen cylinders was running late. It came in at 1.22 am (August 11) and the supply of oxygen resumed at 1.30 am," he recounted.
'INADEQUATE OXYGEN SUPPLY CAUSED DEATHS'
When our reported asked what caused the deaths, Gupta replied, "Inadequate oxygen supply. What else? Supplies should have been adequate. They weren't and that's why patients suffered."
A government inquiry has indicted the then BRD principal Rajeev Mishra, chief anaesthetist Satish Kumar and chief pharmacist Gajanan Jaiswal for the crisis.
Liquid-oxygen vendor Pushpa Sales has also been held responsible for disrupting deliveries over payment issues since August 4.
Top hospital doctors not only sat over oxygen shortage for almost a week, they didn't even respond to SOS calls for hours when the situation demanded, the investigation found.
"The Superintendent-in-Chief called back only in the morning, asking what happened. He said he would come in at 9 am and would hold a meeting with the people concerned," Gupta disclosed.
When our reporter asked Gupta when did he call the superintendent-in-chief, he said, "I called him in the night itself. The call went unanswered. He called back at 7 am."
According to V.K. Chaurasia, spokesman of the BRD Medical College and Hospital, duty staff hustled parents away from the wards when children began to die that night.
"All the parents were moved out so that they didn't come to know their children had died," he confessed. "Parents were moved out. When Dr Kafeel (Khan) arrived, some other doctors were called in to discuss the next course of action. Only then did they start releasing the bodies of (the dead) babies."
But that's not all.
VARIOUS PROTOCOLS ALSO VIOLATED
India Today's investigation found out gross violation of various protocols - from tendering to the procurement of oxygen supplies.
Documents accessed by India Today show the hospital outsourced cylinders from a plant as far as 350 km away - from Imperial Gases Limited in Allahabad.
What is worse, the investigation found that the company could instead have delivered industrial oxygen to the Gorakhpur hospital.
"The deal was signed by the principal himself. He instructed me to carry out his orders. I did inform him (about industrial supplies). But he ignored," insisted Gajanan, the hospital's head pharmacist, who is now under investigation.
Dr A.K. Srivastava, the then chief medical superintendent, directed India Today's team to the exact location of the unit that supplied oxygen cylinders to BRD.
"It (Imperial Gases) has a depot in Faizabad, from where it was delivering supplies to many hospitals", he said.
At Faizabad, the plant's manager confirmed that the unit only produced factory oxygen and not medical.
"See, we cannot produce medical oxygen here. We are not licensed to produce medical oxygen. It involves a lot of formalities", said S.K. Verma, Manager of Imperial Gases' factory in Faizabad. "We keep no stock of it either. We only store industrial (oxygen) for supplies," he added.
ALSO READ |
Gorakhpur deaths: Adityanth govt orders FIR against BRD Hospital employees
Gorakhpur tragedy: Inquiry report blames oxygen supplying firm, 2 doctors
Gorakhpur tragedy effect: Delhi hospitals asked to ensure proper supply of medicines, equipment
WATCH VIDEO: Operation Gorakhpur: Truth behind deaths of infants in BRD hospital |
It is often in the excuses and in the apologies that one finds the real offense. Looking back on the domestic political “surge” which the populist right has been celebrating since last month, I found myself most dispirited by the manner in which the more sophisticated conservatives attempted to conjure the nasty bits away. Here, for example, was Ross Douthat, the voice of moderate conservatism on the New York Times op-ed page. He was replying to a number of critics who had pointed out that Glenn Beck, in his rallies and broadcasts, had been channeling the forgotten voice of the John Birch Society, megaphone of Strangelovian paranoia from the 1950s and 1960s. His soothing message: These parallels are real. But there’s a crucial difference. The Birchers only had a crackpot message; they never had a mainstream one. The Tea Party marries fringe concerns (repeal the 17th Amendment!) to a timely, responsible-seeming message about spending and deficits.
The more one looks at this, the more wrong it becomes (as does that giveaway phrase “responsible-seeming”). The John Birch Society possessed such a mainstream message—the existence of a Communist world system with tentacles in the United States—that it had a potent influence over whole sections of the Republican Party. It managed this even after its leader and founder, Robert Welch, had denounced President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a “dedicated, conscious agent” of that same Communist apparatus. Right up to the defeat of Barry Goldwater in 1964, and despite the efforts of such conservatives as William F. Buckley Jr. to dislodge them, the Birchers were a feature of conservative politics well beyond the crackpot fringe. Now, here is the difference. Glenn Beck has not even been encouraging his audiences to reread Robert Welch. No, he has been inciting them to read the work of W. Cleon Skousen, a man more insane and nasty than Welch and a figure so extreme that ultimately even the Birch-supporting leadership of the Mormon Church had to distance itself from him. It’s from Skousen’s demented screed The Five Thousand Year Leap (to a new edition of which Beck wrote a foreword, and which he shoved to the position of No. 1 on Amazon) that he takes all his fantasies about a divinely written Constitution, a conspiratorial secret government, and a future apocalypse. To give you a further idea of the man: Skousen’s posthumously published book on the “end times” and the coming day of rapture was charmingly called The Cleansing of America. A book of his with a less repulsive title, The Making of America, turned out to justify slavery and to refer to slave children as “pickaninnies.” And, writing at a time when the Mormon Church was under attack for denying full membership to black people, Skousen defended it from what he described as this “Communist” assault. So, Beck’s “9/12 Project” is canalizing old racist and clerical toxic-waste material that a healthy society had mostly flushed out of its system more than a generation ago, and injecting it right back in again. Things that had hidden under stones are being dug up and re-released. And why? So as to teach us anew about the dangers of “spending and deficits”? It’s enough to make a cat laugh. No, a whole new audience has been created, including many impressionable young people, for ideas that are viciously anti-democratic and ahistorical. The full effect of this will be felt farther down the road, where we will need it even less. I remember encountering this same mentality a few years ago, when it was more laughable than dangerous. I didn’t like Bill Clinton: thought he had sold access to the Lincoln Bedroom and lied under oath about sexual harassment and possibly even bombed Sudan on a “wag the dog” basis. But when I sometimes agreed to go on the radio stations of the paranoid right, it was only to be told that this was all irrelevant. Didn’t I understand that Clinton and his wife had murdered Vince Foster and were, even as I spoke, preparing to take advantage of the Y2K millennium crisis—remember that?—in order to seize power for life and become the Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu of our day? These people were not interested in the president’s actual transgressions. They were looking to populate their fantasy world with new and more lurid characters.
There is an old Republican saying that “a government strong enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take away everything you have.” This statement contains an essential truth that liberals have no right to overlook. But it is negated, not amplified, if it comes festooned with racism and superstition. In the recent past, government-sponsored policies of social engineering have led to surprising success in reducing the welfare rolls and the crime figures. This came partly from the adoption by many Democrats of policies that had once been called Republican. But not a word about that from Beck and his followers, because it isn’t exciting and doesn’t present any opportunity for rabble-rousing. Far sexier to say that health care—actually another product of bipartisanship—is a step toward Nineteen Eighty-Four. Ten percent unemployment, on the other hand, is rather a disgrace to a midterm Democratic administration. But does anybody believe that unemployment would have gone down if the hated bailout had not occurred and GM had been permitted to go bankrupt? Why not avoid the question altogether and mutter about a secret plan to proclaim a socialist (or Nazi, or Jew-controlled: take your pick) dictatorship? Again, there is a real debate about the pace and rhythm of global warming, and about the degree to which it has been caused (or can be slowed) by human activity. But at the first Tea Party rally I attended, at the Washington Monument earlier this year, the crowd—bristling with placards about the Second Amendment’s being the correction—was treated to an arm-waving speech by a caricature English peer named Lord Monckton, who led them in the edifying call-and-response: “All together. Global warming is?” “Bullshit.” “Obama cannot hear you. Global warming is?” “bullshit.” “That’s bettah.” I don’t remember ever seeing grown-ups behave less seriously, at least in an election season. |
0 Seafair icon victim of Seattle home invasion
SEATTLE - Seattle police are investigating a home invasion robbery at the home of a local Seafair icon.
Police say an 84-year-old man was held at gunpoint by two men wearing ski masks, who they say kicked the older man when he was thrown to the ground in a scuffle.
Neighbors say the $488,000 home is owned by Sven Ellstrom, the owner of Ellstrom Manufacturing.
He’s also known locally for racing his hydroplanes at the annual Seafair.
Police say the men broke into the back of the home around 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday night.
Police say the men made off with a Rolex watch, a diamond ring and the purse of a 51-year-old woman with whom Ellstrom was sleeping at the time of the home invasion.
Some of the items found laying in the middle of the street about a block away.
Neighbors told KIRO 7 that this is not the first time Ellstrom’s home has been broken into.
Seattle police confirmed that Ellstrom was tied up and robbed at gunpoint in February of 2013.
A neighbor told KIRO 7 his own home was broken into last year a week earlier than Ellstrom's, but he says the robbers left everything alone when they realized it was not Ellstrom’s home.
"Hopefully it'll stop from this point, because it's scary. It's scary,” he said of the situation.
The neighbor says he’s also concerned about people coming and going from the house.
"A lot of unwanted activity. Cars pulling up. Females going in and out all times of the night. Cabs and limos," he described it.
He says he hopes this is the end of robbers at Ellstrom’s home.
"He could lose his life if this happens again. I'm afraid they might kill him next time. I don't know,” he said.
Anyone with information about the home invasion or who may know the identities or whereabouts of the intruders is asked to call 911 or the Seattle police robbery unit at 206-684-5535. Anonymous tips are welcome.
Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook. |
Director of NIST: Disclosure of WTC7 data "might jeopardize public safety"
http://cryptome.org/nist070709.pdf
FINDING REGARDING PUBLIC SAFETY INFORMATION
Pursuant to Section 7(d) of the National Construction Safety Team Act, I hereby find that the disclosure of the information described below, received by the National Institute of Standards and Technology ("NIST"), in connection with its investigation of the technical causes of the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers and World Trade Center Building 7 on September 11,2001, might jeopardize public safety. Therefore, NIST shall not release the following information:
1. All input and results files of the ANSYS 16-story collapse initiation model with detailed connection models that were used to analyze the structural response to thermal loads, break element source code, ANSYS script files for the break elements, custom executable ANSYS file, and all Excel spreadsheets and other supporting calculations used to develop floor connection failure modes and capacities.
2. All input files with connection material properties and all results files of the LS-DYNA 47-story global collapse model that were used to simulate sequential structural failures leading to collapse, and all Excel spreadsheets and other supporting calculations used to develop floor connection failure modes and capacities.
~
Patrick Gallagher Director National Institute of Standards and Technology
Dated: JUL 09 2009 |
A police bungle meant officers weren’t sent to tackle a gang of naked youngsters rampaging through Cowdenbeath last weekend.
Scared members of the public who watched the events unfold in the town’s public park called the police, to no avail.
Instead the gang continued themayhem unabated, setting fire to a wheelie bin and sneering at firefighters sent out to tackle the blaze.
The incident has seen ChiefSuperintendent Alan Spiers admit that “regrettably” the calls received at the police control room had not been logged correctly and local officers were notdispatched.”
Local MSP Alex Rowley questioned the effectiveness of having a police control centre miles away across the Forth.
Fife’s Glenrothes-based controlcentre closed last month and now calls are dealt with by staff in Bilston Glen.
“We were told that there would be no detrimental impact from the closureof the Fife control centre with theoperations being moved to a centre on the outskirts of Edinburgh in a move to save money.”
The Cowdenbeath MSP has written to Chief Superintendent Garry McEwan, asking him to investigate how the police responded to the incident.
“The level of behaviour in the park that local residents have to deal with is completely unacceptable and I amtaking this up with the local station in Cowdenbeath.
“But the failure of the control centre to respond is an extra worry.
“Some residents tell me they were told ‘the police don’t put out fires’ whichis just not the response they werelooking for when reporting anti-social behaviour, vandalism and fire-raising.”
Local community inspector Hannah Morrison stressed local officersdid appreciate anti-social issues inJohnston Park and Leuchatsbeath Drive, bordering the park, and were working to resolve them.
Additional patrols have been carried out by community officers and wardens over the last few weekends.
These will continue on Friday andSaturday nights for the foreseeable future to deter youngsters, she added.
Regular visits will also be made to local licensed premises to identify the issue of proxy sales of alcohol to young people. |
They call them "boomerangs." They're primarily 20- or 30-somethings who grew up in Traverse City, then ran away to seek their fortunes elsewhere as soon as they could. After all, unless they owned or worked in a hospitality business, there was just no place for them in a resort town.
Now, those boomerangs are coming back.
Many of these marketing, Web design or information technology people missed northern Michigan — and, because the technology allows it, they can live wherever they want.
These entrepreneurs are finding each other now in Traverse City. Go to a coffee shop in downtown called Brew, and scores are hunched over laptops, designing websites, coding, running social media, even composing music for clients nationwide. They also connect through social media "tweetups" or "geek breakfasts" or in new "co-working" spaces, where they network, socialize and barter their services.
Erin Monigold, 29, is among them. She launched Social Vision Marketing in Traverse City in 2010 after having been laid off from a larger marketing firm.
"It was really when social media was starting to take off a lot," Monigold said, "and it seemed like a lot of small businesses in the area really needed some help to try to do it right, needed help to try to get the word out about their business."
Monigold also saw the potential to use social media to create more of a sense of community among the hundreds of scattered freelancers and small-business owners in Traverse City. She launched the Traverse City Tweetup, which attracts hundreds of freelancers in the area to monthly meetings, and the Traverse City Geek Breakfast, where tech professionals gather monthly to exchange ideas and services.
Part of it, Monigold said, is generational — a need for younger people to define their own careers, because nothing seems as certain as it was for their parents, many of whom worked for the same company for 30 years or more.
Michael Kent grew up in Traverse City, then left for a job in the service industry in Chicago and Ann Arbor. He quickly grew tired of it and returned to Traverse City with his wife, Brooke Allen, to follow their real passion.
They launched Allen-Kent Photography, which also designs websites.
"I've been excited about the fact that maybe there isn't a huge tech community here like downstate or Grand Rapids or Chicago, but I see one coming, and we can be part of that," Kent said. "We have this little nexus through the tech community where, maybe it's not like Silicon Valley, but we've got all these tiny little tech firms that are just our friends."
Kristin Fehrman, director of marketing at Ozmott LLC, which develops apps for iPhones and Android phones, ran as fast as she could to Silicon Valley after leaving Traverse City. She returned this year because she wanted to take charge of her own career and do it from a place she loves.
It is a trend that appears to be specific to Traverse City, said Rob Fowler president and CEO of the Small Business Association of Michigan.
"I think, more and more, people choose the lifestyle and either start a business or become that free agent where they may have three or four different clients," Fowler said. "They can do it from anywhere in the world, and they choose to do it from Traverse City."
These people also do not want to become part of the hospitality industry that defines Traverse City. They come here specifically to fill niches for growing second-stage companies.
"I think what we're seeing is that's really creating a demand for a CFO for a day, a CIO for the day," Fowler said. "Not a week, but one day a week, until we need them two days a week and until we grow into it."
And, Fowler said, they're coming en masse to Traverse City, although his group does not yet have any survey figures for it.
Apart from the lifestyle of the region, another reason it's happening in this particular place is Michigan native Michael Moore, the documentary filmmaker who has helped make Traverse City hip through his work fixing up downtown and launching film and comedy festivals.
"Regardless of what you think of his politics, Michael Moore made a really good statement about this area. He said this area is going to die if people do not start taking the younger generation into account," said Kevin Reeves, a musical composer who went away to Nashville for a time, then came back to Traverse City, where he grew up, in 2009. Reeves said he came back to a very different city from the one he left just a few years before.
Chad Rickman, who does Web development for Traverse City-based Hagerty Insurance as well as freelance work, credited Moore with helping create the cultural climate needed to get younger entrepreneurs to come back.
It's that kind of energy that Bradley Matson, 28, hopes to tap into as he opens his CoWharf Coworking space, which had its grand opening last week in downtown Traverse City.
"We don't see Traverse City becoming the next Silicon Valley. That's unrealistic," said Matson, who invested about $20,000 into the co-working space. "But we do see Traverse City as being a hub for an event, like Austin South by Southwest," a reference to the annual film and technology event in Texas.
"That's feasible here for summers when people come here anyway," he said. "Get the geeks a little more color. Why not?"
Matson is helping plan a "Startup Weekend" next year just before the Traverse City Film Festival at the end of July.
Matson is a "boomerang" himself, having moved to Arizona for a while to pursue a career, then coming back to Traverse City with his wife, Kirsten, to open CoWharf while still telecommuting to his old job.
They needed about 12 people to get the co-working space off the ground. They have 30 signed up so far, primarily graphic designers, programmers, photographers and writers.
Tres Brooke, 41, an emergency management consultant who telecommutes to his East Lansing-based company, Cema, is giving CoWharf a try. It's better, he said, than working in isolation at his home.
"We communicate with each other more than ever now; we're accessible from anywhere, anytime; and yet we're all starting to work at home and work in isolation increasingly," Brooke said. "And I'm starting to go a little stir crazy.
"I crave interacting with other people and sharing ideas. I'm a very expressive and intuitive person, so I have to be around other people. Otherwise, I'll just kind of go nuts after a while." |
Is there a more syrupy genre than the commencement speech? Having had the opportunity to deliver one in person, I can report that once you accept the honor and present yourself, becapped and begowned, in front of the newly minted grads, you are already poised and primed to lie. Anything else would be a stretch: You would have to be a meanie to tell these plump youngsters anything resembling the truth, which is always too thorny and complicated and dark to deliver while Mom and Dad are beaming from the back rows, awaiting the celebratory graduation lunch.
And so this week, as school comes to an end, I want to deliver a different kind of address, not to those leaving college with pomp and circumstance at their backs but to those bedraggled souls staying behind. You young scholars are Rapunzeled atop the Ivory Tower for some years to come and so could benefit from a dispatch that has little of the swishy beauty of the commencement speech but is more accurate and direct. Here it is, short and unadorned: Things on the quad are pretty grim.
I’ll spare you the outrage over trigger warnings and micro-aggressions and the other forms of butchery the barbarians inside the universities’ gates perpetrate daily against free inquiry, free speech, and other expressions of liberty. Instead, I wish to speak to and about that most at-risk population currently on campus: young Jews.
You hardly need me, friends, to tell you that anti-Semitism on American campuses is spiking; half of you, according to a recent report, personally experienced or witnessed it firsthand. What you may need is a solid bit of advice about what to do—what to do when fellow students send mock eviction notices to your dorm; what to do when a professor opines that “justice and freedom for the Palestinians is incompatible with the existence of the state of Israel”; what to do when even the most genial of your peers fail to understand why you would ever consider supporting Zionism when it, by seemingly universal consensus, is little more than a colonialist, racist, oppressive ideology that is better eradicated than understood.
I can answer this question, not only because I’ve spent the lion’s share of the past two decades on college campuses—first as a graduate student, then as a professor—but also because I’ve been terribly, horribly, utterly wrong about it before, earning me, I hope, the sort of wisdom that comes only from repentance. In 2004, working as a journalist for another Jewish publication and struggling with my doctoral dissertation at Columbia University, I was invited to watch a documentary film that alleged widespread and systemic anti-Israeli bias among some of the university’s professors of Middle Eastern studies, a bias that sometimes festered into outright intimidation. Being a lifelong member of the Israeli left and a collegial sort of chap, I hesitated little before choosing sides. The Jewish students who made and appeared in the film seemed to me shrill and dogmatic, while the professors they were accusing, sharply dressed purveyors of intoxicating ideas, struck me as what I myself wanted to one day become. I wrote against the Jewish students with all the spume only the young and absolutely convinced can produce. Names were called. Emotions ran high.
Now that I’ve gained some experience and perspective—helped, I should gratefully say, by some of those with whom I sparred a decade ago and who are now my dear friends—I’m happy to look back and report that my mistake was based on two assumptions. The first was that Israel’s critics on campus, however vocal, were primarily interested in polite exchanges of well-reasoned positions; the second, following closely, dictated that the best way to proceed when confronted with criticism was to be a good academic and present the facts in an orderly and cogent way.
Sadly, dear not-yet-graduates, neither of these assumptions turned out to be correct. While you may stumble upon a scrum of folks interested in having what you’ll recognize as an honest debate—and when you do, kindly buy them a cup of coffee and cherish the pleasures of genuine intellectual discussion, which is among the world’s rarest and sweetest treats—the majority of anti-Israel sentiments you’ll experience are impervious to reason and oblivious of facts. This being college, it’s unlikely that the hysterics you encounter will admit their hate; rather, they’ll wrap it in useful theories, telling you that any support of Israel violates the tenets of post-colonialist, post-modernist, late-capitalist, neo-Marxist dogma. Having whipped out these intellectual bona fides the way cops in bad action films ludicrously hold up their badges as they move in for some dramatic bust, the anti-Israel crowd will then descend from Mount Jargon and offer up an attempt at human connection: Look, they’ll tell you, we’re not anti-Semitic, we’re just anti-Zionist. As if opposing the Jewish right to have a sovereign national homeland, while actively advocating for another nation to enjoy the very same right, isn’t just another form of irrational hatred. As if arguing that Jews and Jews alone had no right to self-determination was somehow more complicated than rank bigotry. As if objecting to Israel’s policies somehow made it OK to deny it the right to exist.
When confronted with this hateful drivel, then, don’t bother trying to come up with some clever retort. Instead, do what anyone should when accosted by a hate group: attack, attack, attack.
Others smarter and more experienced than me have been saying the same thing for a long time now, but, sadly, few of you, still-students, and even fewer adults in the larger organizational Jewish world are paying attention. Too often, we respond to hate the way a hapless nerd might respond to the bully about to stuff him into a locker, with some sad mixture of pride in our intellectual superiority and desperate attempt to be liked no matter what. Memories of your own days in high school, dear students, are still fresh, and so you know that charm and brains don’t matter much to bullies. The only way to stop bullies is to fight them.
On campus, this means three things. First, stop apologizing. Right now. You may be critical of certain aspects of Israel’s policy; if you’re not, you should march right into your university’s bursar’s office and demand a refund, as you’ve clearly failed to exercise your capacity for critical thinking in any meaningful way. But despite of these complexities, or maybe precisely because of them, you have much to be proud of: proud of being Jewish, proud of Israel, and proud of understanding the nuanced yet indispensable connection between the two. Start out by finding people who are just as proud, and cultivate a community predicated on faith, joy, candor, and all the other things that make life rich and nurturing.
Once you do that, you’ll discover that the old adage is true: Haters are indeed going to hate. Do not try to debate them or appease them or engage them in any sort of feel-good exercise. Instead, drag their bigotry into the light and make them pay for it. Force those who fail to condemn the atrocities of Hamas, those who believe that the Jews are somehow to blame for the rage of the maniacs who repeatedly rise to murder them, and those who defile history and morality by comparing Israel to Apartheid-era South Africa or to Nazi Germany to explain their hateful positions, and then explain why anyone so disdainful of reason and so devoid of empathy, decency, and common sense should have a place in any American institution of higher learning. Be like the shark in that Woody Allen joke, always moving, always ready to bare its teeth.
When you do, remember the final and most important piece of advice: No matter how relentless the adversity you face on campus, there’s a whole wide world out there that truly, blissfully, cares very little about the ideological battles you fight every day. These people are your natural allies. If you want them to take your side, don’t scare them with bluster or turn them off with self-righteousness. Instead, find funny and creative ways to make them see the absurdity of being denied the right to celebrate your identity by the same people consumed with celebrating every other expression of identity or the outrage of being subjected to hate speech in an environment allegedly devoted to the calm and unfettered exchange of ideas. Counter the bigots’ display of intolerance and fear with a better one of humor and hope, and let well-balanced people on campus decide which side is more appealing. As activists from Siberia to the Maldives have shown us, there’s no better way to combat hate and oppression.
Which, dear still-here-students, is very good news. The haters may be vile and they may be many, but they’re not the majority, not on campus and certainly not in the outside world. You haven’t yet had a chance to attend your 20th college reunion, but trust me when I tell you that the bullies, in the long run, never come out on top. They are always crushed by people like you, people who are proud of who they are, who strike back when put down, who believe in liberty and in justice, who would rather build than destroy, and who know that there’s no greater joy and privilege out there, before or after graduation, than fighting for what’s so clearly right.
***
Like this article? Sign up for our Daily Digest to get Tablet Magazine’s new content in your inbox each morning.
Liel Leibovitz is a senior writer for Tablet Magazine and a host of the Unorthodox podcast. |
In a ceremony held in the Washington headquarters of the World Bank on Monday, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority will sign an agreement green-lighting the construction of Red Sea-Dead Sea pipeline, Yedioth Ahronoth journalist reported.
The Red Sea–Dead Sea Conduit also known as the Two Seas Canal will carry some 100 million metric cubes of water to the north annually, thus hopefully slowing down the process Dead Sea's desiccation. As part of the cooperation, a joint water purification plant will be formed and Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians will share the water.
Related stories:
Israeli Energy Minister Silvan Shalom – who is also the minister for regional cooperation and infrastructure minister – will represent Israel in the signing ceremony, and will be joined by both Jordanian and Palestinian water ministers. "This is a historical agreement," Shalom said, adding it was a "dream come true."
The pipeline's projected route
According to the agreement, some 200 million metric cubes of water will be pumped from the Read Sea annually, some 80 million of which will be desalinated in a special facility to be built in Aqaba, Jordan; 30-50 million cubic meters will be allocated to Israel for usage in the Arava and Eilat.
The Jordanians will receive 30 million cubes for their own southern region and an additional 50 million cubes of grey-water from the Kinneret for the north.
Dead Sea (Photo: Tomriko)
As part of the agreement's negotiations, the Palestinians requested a foothold in the northern part of the dead see, in the Ein Pushka area, but Israel refused. In stead, the Palestinian Authority will receive some 30 million cubes from the Kinneret – either desalinated water or grey-water at production cost – which will increase water supplies for West Bank residents.
The entirety of the pipeline will be laid in Jordan, thus circumnavigating issues raised by environmental organizations in Israel. Baring unexpected delays, the construction of the pipeline and purification facility will be completed within four to five years.
The full story was published in Monday's Yedioth Ahronoth
Nahum Barnea is a senior Yedioth Ahronoth correspondant
Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter |
In the distant horizon, a giant wave is building. There are some who recognized the swell and raised the alarm. There are others who deny the possibility of such a wave. Most remain blissfully unaware. The wave is building and when it reaches our shores, it will hit with the force of a tsunami.
The wave is propelled by government spending and crested with unfunded pension obligations. The Pew Center on the States wrote in The Trillion Dollar Gap (February 2010), “A $1 trillion gap exists between the $3.35 trillion in pension, health care and other retirement benefits states have promised their current and retired workers as of fiscal year 2008 and the $2.35 trillion they have on hand to pay for them.”
Like any tsunami, the wave began long ago and very far out to sea. Thirty years ago the vast majority of union workers were in the private sector. Public employees in unions reached parity with private sector members by 2009. This was aided in part by campaign contributions from the unions to elect Democratic Party candidates and generous pay packages and retirement plans passed by those same politicians in return.
By 2010, the general public received a series of shocks. The first shock was the jobless recovery of the Great Recession that cost 8 million jobs. Most of the job losses occurred in the private sector yet the majority of the $800 billion Stimulus Bill went to “save and create” public sector employment. The second shock was learning that civil servants earned twice that of private workers. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Federal workers received average pay and benefits of $123,049 while private workers made $61,051 in total compensation. The third shock was revelation of incredible retirement plans doled out by politicians since 1999. In 2002, California passed SB 183 that allowed police and safety workers to retire after 30 years on the job with 3% of salary for each year of service, or 90% of their last year’s pay. During the Great Recession, fireman began retiring with $150,000 pensions at age 52 despite a life expectancy approaching 80. In Orange County CA, lifeguards, deemed safety workers, retired with $147,000 annual pensions. The Orange County sheriff, recently convicted of witness tampering, will receive $215,000 annually while in jail. Bob Citron, the Treasurer of Orange County who pushed the county into bankruptcy in the 1990s, receives a pension of $150,000 per year. A tsunami of anger and resentment is building.
As the wave approaches, economists issue thick reports with ominous names like “The Gathering Storm” (Reason Foundation) advising us that the pension obligations we have created are unsustainable. They report cities and states cannot economically allow workers to retire at 52 when they have a life expectancy of 26 years of retirement. They simply cannot pay for these pensions with existing revenue. Services will go down and taxes will go up to pay for these generous pension obligations. Orange County’s CEO, Thomas G. Mauk, predicted that pension requirements in 2014 will take 84% of the county’s law enforcement payroll. It is already 50% today. To exacerbate the problem, The Great Recession forced most states into budget deficits as their revenues decline. For FY2010, every state except Montana and North Dakota has projected a budget deficit. (RedState 3/21/2010).
California once again leads the nation with a $26 billion budget deficit plus an unfunded pension obligation of $500 billion. Its current financial structure is clearly unsustainable. It has an operational structure that in ungovernable with often duplicative agencies, some collecting less in tax revenue than the agencies spend on collection. Wikipedia lists 500 existing public agencies for the State of California. California can no longer afford such a luxury. It must deconstruct these bloated inefficient government agencies, and rid itself of their chairman, staff, offices, cars, pensions and the overhead that such excess represents. A $26 billion dollar deficit is not something that can be corrected with a wage freeze or job furloughs. Bold leadership can lead California to deconstruct its 500 agencies down to 100 functional organizations. California is a classic example of what must change in the coming Great Deconstruction.
One Orange County city has already taken bold steps to correct its $10 million deficit. It may be a model for other cities and states across the country. Internally, it has decided it will not replace any city worker that dies, retires, moves or quits. The city will simply out source the employment to an outside service company and eliminate healthcare requirements and unsustainable pensions. Building inspectors will be out sourced as will city plan checkers, librarians and meter maids. Only essential services like top executives and cops will remain on the city payroll. The city staff will eventually decrease from 220 to approximately 35 personnel. This is the essence of deconstruction.
At the state and local level, the Great Deconstruction has already begun albeit delayed by an infusion of federal stimulus dollars and grants in 2009 and 2010. The federal government must deconstruct as well. It must happen, if only because the revenue is no longer there to sustain all of these often well-intentioned programs. The federal government will not be immune from fiscal reality.
In this sense, the election in November will be a referendum on the very sustainability of our system of government. One party will continue to borrow and spend in order to maintain the 500 agencies in California and the abundance of federal programs. They have not said how long they will be able to borrow money to sustain their system. The other party will try to simply turn off the spigot - now. Either way, one day the money will run out and the inevitable deconstruction will occur.
***************************************************
The Great Deconstruction is a series written exclusively for New Geography. Future articles will address the impact of The Great Deconstruction at the national, state, county and local levels.
Robert J. Cristiano PhD is the Real Estate Professional in Residence at Chapman University in Orange County, CA and Director of Special Projects at the Hoag Center for Real Estate & Finance. He has been a successful real estate developer in Newport Beach California for twenty-nine years.
Other works in The Great Deconstruction series for New Geography
An Awakening: The Beginning of the Great Deconstruction – June 12, 2010
The Great Deconstruction :An American History Post 2010 – June 1, 2010
The Great Deconstruction – First in a New Series - April 11, 2010
Deconstruction: The Fate of America? – March 2010 |
Spread the love
Justice Department officials said it is not their job to notify prisoners that they might be incarcerated for something that they now concede is not a crime.
Elizabethtown, NC – There are over 60 people sitting in jail in North Carolina right now despite the fact that they have been declared innocent in court, according to a recent USA Today investigation. Some of the prisoners are totally unaware of the legal status of their case and don’t even know that they have been declared innocent, so many of them are not even fighting for their freedom.
The investigation found dozens of cases where men have been sent to jail for nonviolent gun possession offenses, yet it was not illegal for them to have a gun. All of the cases in question result from a legal misunderstanding that has allowed police and prosecutors to throw people in jail for exersizing their right to bear arms.
It is a federal crime for felons to possess firearms, and while all of the men arrested under these laws did have criminal records, they were not technically felons. This detail was specifically codified after the cases in question were decided, so as far as the court is concerned, the prisoners were still guilty of a crime.
USA today reports:
Justice Department officials said it is not their job to notify prisoners that they might be incarcerated for something that they now concede is not a crime. And although they have agreed in court filings that the men are innocent, they said they must still comply with federal laws that put strict limits on when and how people can challenge their convictions in court.
The courts are now afraid to overturn the rulings because then they would be setting a precedent for other inmates to challenge their own imprisonment.
“We can’t be outcome driven. We’ve got to make sure we follow the law, and people should want us to do that. [We are] looking diligently for ways, within the confines of the law, to recommend relief for defendants who are legally innocent,” Anne Tompkins, the U.S. attorney in Charlotte told reporters.
However, many legal experts are saying that the government has a responsibility to overturn these rulings and inform the prisoners about the status of their cases.
“If someone is innocent, I would think that would change the government’s reaction, and it’s sad that it hasn’t. I have trouble figuring out how you rationalize this. These are innocent people. That has to matter at some point,” Debra Graves, an assistant federal public defender in Raleigh said.
Sadly the rusty cogs of the bureaucracy turn at such a rate that “justice” is a but a pipe dream for most. The system would rather keep innocent people locked away than admit a mistake.
John Vibes is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war. In addition to his writing and activist work he organizes a number of large events including the Free Your Mind Conference, which features top caliber speakers and whistle-blowers from all over the world. You can contact him and stay connected to his work at his Facebook page. You can find his 65 chapter Book entitled “Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance” at bookpatch.com. |
After getting an Amiga 1200 summer 2016, almost a year later I’ve finally got it set up close to how I want it. What I primarily did on the Amiga back in the days was create music on it and the only thing I didn’t sell when making the big mistake of selling my towered A1200 in 2005 was my Amiga MIDI interface. I used to connect a MIDI controller Keyboard to it. As software I use a tracker program which came free on a coverdisk of CU Amiga Magazine back In 1996 called ‘Soundtracker pro 2’ by Marco Nelissen. Little did I know this software was going to shape my creative life.
Still having an Amiga 500 back then, I had an Action reply cartridge and I used to rip music from demos, games and intros via that trusty red square freeze button and my collection began. ‘Soundtracker Pro 2’ was practically my main music player, I used to sit and watch the tracker go up as the numbers danced to the music. I started dabbling with sampling, I would sample sounds and instruments and start replacing samples in mod music, and save them as remixed mods. As with most people at that time, there was no internet nor any other distraction other than TV which was never my thing. It was just me with Soundtracker pro 2 loaded onto my Amiga and lots of floppy disks, ah simple times!
After about a year of messing with mods, samples and remixes. In 1997 I had a go at writing/composing my own music module. 1997 was the year I got an Amiga 1200, which with it’s doubled memory and cpu power and IDE hard drive support, (Of course eventually leading me to get a hard drive even if it was only 200mb), give me some more space to breathe when creating music. This went on until 2004.
The only disadvantage to Soundtracker Pro 2 is the file format, it saves as MOD but this is not a standard protracker MOD and loading it into any other tracker program would come up with a mess or reacquaint us with our old friend ‘Guru Meditation’. I tried dabbling with Protracker, Noisetracker and Octamed v5 but the interface just didnt agree with me, it was not like Soundtracker Pro 2 and despite having the Source Code? For the STP file format, I don’t know how to code in order to create a converter from STP MOD to regular MOD format.
Not so long ago I bought a Yamaha Reface DX, an amazing synthesizer that is a remake of the vintage Yamaha DX7, which was popular amongst musicians and bands in the 1980s. This powerful little synth has MIDI and can of course be connected to the Amiga. My first ever recent music project began when I was messing around playing Turrican 3 on my Commodore 64, the music to the second level grabbed me and got stuck in my mind. So I got hold of the SID file and I could play it back on my Amiga using playSID, a simple SID playing program available on Aminet.
The .MOD and .SID formats are completely different in how they work, as are the SID and Paula Chips. I do believe Paula also has some Wavetable Synthesis and FM Synthesis capabilities. Which is why I sometimes felt that Amiga and Commodore 64 music sometimes reminds me of one another. However as far as I know there is no chance of conversion from one format to the other. So the only option is to recreate a MOD by ear.
Using my Reface DX, I created a custom sound for the Turrican 3 music by messing around with envelopes, operators and effects. With my Technosound Turbo Sampling Cartridge, I began to sample some of these sounds and also some built in presets such as bass sounds, pads, musical instrument sounds and effects and saved them into a folder.
Now is the time to start creating the music. I now started to use the Reface DX as a MIDI controller and after hours of playing snippets of melody into the tracker, programming drum rhythms and sequences along with bass, identifying notes and chords by playing the original SID file at a lower tempo and then playing them into the tracker program, it was all coming together.
I used effects such as a sample start position shift, which starts playing the sample at different points, this is useful for emulating a sort of cut off, filter slide type effect with the correct sample (i’m unsure of the exact term for this effect).
Another I used was portamento which is the shift in pitch from one note to another. I also used a modulation effect at certain points to shape the way the sound flows. All number commands that i’ve known from back in the days when I used to watch the ‘dancing numbers’ while listening to mods from my collection.
My aim isn’t to improve on the SID tune but to show my appreciation for it by recreating it on the Amiga. The music has been stuck in my mind for weeks and It was the perfect time to do a project like this and give it an outlet, use the passion which was within.
Update: The track can be downloaded as an MP3 (320kbps) from Remix64: http://www.remix64.com/track/madija/turrican-3-shooter/
Here is the video from my channel on how i’m creating this music from scratch on Soundtracker Pro 2. |
Jay Petschek and Steven Major's hedge fund Corsair Capital pitched Alere (ALR) in their Q4 letter. They feel that the market still has a negative view toward the company despite numerous changes happening.
The company is involved with medical diagnostics and has a huge market share in 'point-of-care rapid tests used in hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices.'
Over the last ten years, the company went on an acquisition binge and basically failed to integrate them properly. A proxy contest in 2013 led to changes and the company hired Namal Nawana from Johnson & Johnson as COO to change the culture and reduce costs.
Corsair thinks ALR is worth between $70-80 per share if it trades with a multiple in-line with other competitors. ALR trades around $37 today.
They also note, "Furthermore, if the market doesn't come around and value this business properly, we wouldn't be surprised if, after restructuring the company, (the CEO) looks to sell the company as he did with IMA back in 2001."
Embedded below is Corsair Capital's Q4 letter with their pitch on Alere (ALR):
If you missed it, we've posted up Corsair's past letters as well. |
Novel [Ru(L)(Tpms)]Cl and [Ru(L)(TpmsPh)]Cl complexes (L = p-cymene, benzene, or hexamethylbenzene, Tpms = tris(pyrazolyl)methanesulfonate, TpmsPh = tris(3-phenylpyrazolyl)methanesulfonate) have been prepared by reaction of [Ru(L)(μ-Cl) 2 ] 2 with Li[Tpms] and Li[TpmsPh], respectively. [Ru(p-cymene)(Tpms)]BF 4 has been synthesized through a metathetic reaction of [Ru(p-cymene)(Tpms)]Cl with AgBF 4 . [RuCl(cod)(Tpms)] (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) and [RuCl(cod)(TpmsPh)] are also reported, being obtained by reaction of [RuCl 2 (cod)(MeCN) 2 ] with Li[Tpms] and Li[TpmsPh], respectively. The structures of the complexes and the coordination modes of the ligands have been established by IR, NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (for [RuL(Tpms)]X (L = p-cymene or HMB, X = Cl; L = p-cymene, X = BF 4 )) studies. Electrochemical studies showed that each complex undergoes a single-electron RuII → RuIII oxidation at a potential measured by cyclic voltammetry, allowing to compare the electron-donor characters of the tris(pyrazolyl)methanesulfonate and arene ligands, and to estimate, for the first time, the values of the Lever E L ligand parameter for TmpsPh, HMB, and cod. |
Watch the latest video at <a href=”//video.foxnews.com”>video.foxnews.com</a>
Meet Toni Richardson
Toni Richardson is a Functional Skills Educational Technician at a high school within the Augusta School Department in Augusta, Maine. She works with students who have special needs due to cognitive and emotional disabilities and helps them learn important skills for functioning in life.
Toni is a devout Christian who considers her faith to be foundational to her life. She is active in ministry, serving others through her church’s nursing home ministry and also the monthly dinners given by her church for members of the community who are less fortunate.
She says, “Because my faith is an integral part of who I am, my religious beliefs influence how I see the world and sometimes affect the words and phrases I use as a part of casual conversations with friends and colleagues. I pray often for the people I care about and sincerely believe in the power of prayer.”
Interrogated by School Official and Banned from Saying “I Will Pray for You”
In September 2016, however, Toni was interrogated by a school official about the religious content of her conversations. The official asked Toni if she had told anyone at the school she was a Christian, that she would pray for them, or if she had made any “faith-based statement[s].” According to the official, such statements would even include phrases like “That’s a blessing.”
The school official told Toni that she was violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and that she couldn’t tell people they would be in her prayers—which was something Toni had recently done one day at work in a private conversation with a coworker.
In that conversation, Toni had sought to encourage her coworker by telling him that she would pray for him. The conversation occurred after students had left class and while Toni and the coworker were alone. At the time, Toni’s coworker—who attended her church—thanked her for her kind gesture.
Regardless, soon after being interrogated, Toni was sent an official, written “coaching memorandum.” The memo stated that it was “imperative” that Toni stop “us[ing] phrases that integrate public and private belief systems when in the public schools.”
The memo asserted that the phrases “I will pray for you” and “you were in my prayers” were “not acceptable – even if that other person attends the same church as you.” The memo also invoked the “separation of church and state” and threatened that if Toni had any other conversations that school officials decided were “unprofessional,” Toni would face further disciplinary action and could even be fired.
“I was shocked that my employer punished me for privately telling a coworker, ‘I will pray for you,’” Toni stated in a press release. “I am afraid that I will lose my job if someone hears me privately discussing my faith with a coworker.”
First Liberty Institute Legal Action
Toni retained the assistance of First Liberty Institute, and on May 16, 2017, First Liberty and the elite Maine law firm Eaton Peabody filed a complaint on Toni’s behalf with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The complaint argued that the school’s actions showed hostility toward Toni’s expression of faith and constituted “unlawful viewpoint discrimination” banned by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It also stated that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, school districts like the Augusta School Department are required to accommodate the religious beliefs of its employees.
“No one should be threatened with losing their job for privately telling a coworker, ‘I will pray for you,’” Jeremy Dys, Deputy General Counsel at First Liberty Institute, stated. “School employees are not required to hide their faith from each other while on campus.”
School District Acknowledges Its Employees’ First Amendment Rights
In November 2017, less than six months after First Liberty and Eaton Peabody filed Toni’s EEOC complaint, the school district sent Toni an updated coaching memorandum. The school district withdrew any threats of disciplinary action against Toni and acknowledged the First Amendment rights of all school employees, including Toni, “to express religious beliefs or use faith-based language at school.” Further, the updated coaching memorandum said comments such as “God Bless You” or “I am praying for you” are permissible when made to co-workers outside of the hearing of students.
“I love my job helping special needs students succeed, and I am glad that I don’t have to sacrifice my First Amendment rights in order to be here,” Toni Richardson says. “I hope my colleagues, and school employees across the country, will remember that the First Amendment still protects our private conversations at work.” |
If you work ridiculous hours and have no time to actually have a life then you are doing it all wrong!
Time is more important than money! There I’ve said it.
The whole idea is that you work to live and not live to work but somewhere down the line a lot of us get this concept all mixed up. It’s like one of those catch 22 situations where you initially take a job to enable you to earn more money and thus lead a better life, but it becomes a never ending pursuit of more money and a promise that one day you will cut back the hours. So you end up basing your life around work and the whole plan has flipped 180!
It’s not right is it? Okay you may need the money to support a family or you may work in a profession that requires long hours with little time off, but there are always ways to increase your earnings without compromising your life. The first step is to actually realise that a change needs to be made.
So I am going to show you 5 reasons why time is more important than money.
1. We only have a limited time on this planet so make it count
There are various theories that with the advances in science and medicine many of us will live past the age of 200, and possibly a lot longer than that. Age reversal, stem cell technology and the curing of various diseases are just some of the ways this will be possible, but so far all of this is still in the development stage.
We can’t expect to solely rely on the idea that we will always be here. Most of us see death as a taboo subject and we naively believe that we will be around forever, but we should be living our lives as if there is a time limit.
That timer is counting down and we have no idea when it reaches zero, so why are we wasting most of our time doing the things we don’t want?
2. When you look back on your life, you never wish for a bigger bank balance
Think of your life like a book that is being written and will be published when your time is up. I’m fairly sure that you can’t fill up a book with your bank balance so what else is there?
Each chapter of this book should be focused on a different aspect of your life and to enable this to happen, your life should be as varied and eventful as possible. Spending countless hours every week for years on end working yourself into the ground will not make a very good book, not unless you are making a difference with your job and/or money.
When people look back on their lives they never wish they could have spent more time in the office so take note of this now and do something about it.
3. There is no point having money if you have no time to spend it
There are many people out there who just love to hoard money away in the hope that one day they will eventually have enough to retire. These hoarders actually have a scarcity mind-set and are afraid of losing their hard earned cash. The truth is, no amount of money will ever be enough for them and they see their increasing bank balance as a barometer of their success.
It would be unfair to call these people ‘tight’ as a refusal to spend money can also be attributed to a lack of hobbies or social life. It’s certainly easier to spend 70 hours a week in the office if you feel like you have nothing fun to do outside of work.
The solution to this is quite obvious. The more we have going on in our private lives, the less time we will allow work to take from us.
4. Those who have time want money, and those who have money want time
You know the funny thing is that most people want what they can’t have and this is usually true across both ends of the time/money spectrum. Those who are unemployed or have low incomes will strive for more hours or a better paid job while those who are on six figure salaries often moan that they have no time to spend with their friends and family.
Neither of these is desirable and both will ultimately cause unhappiness in your life so the trick is to find a happy medium which leads me to my next point.
5. A healthier balance leads to a healthier life
It’s almost like a cruel paradox. You can have all this free time but no actual money to do anything worthwhile or you can have all this money but no free time to do the things you want. The trick is to find a balance and earn enough money without sacrificing all of your free time.
Easier said than done I admit but if you find yourself out of sync with your work and amount of free time then you should try to find ways of addressing this imbalance in your life.
Remember we only work x hours a week because that is the amount that society arbitrarily places upon us all. This amount isn’t set in stone and it is up to us to decide what we do with our lives.
If you are in a position where you have little choice but to work a lot of overtime or you don’t have the resources to free up a lot of your life, just take the opportunity to have some ‘you’ time. Keep your weekends free or have one or two evenings a week where you have the chance to do whatever you want.
Take that class, have that night out, practice that hobby, have a weekend away, spend time with your friends/family/partner. Whatever it is that you daydream about at work, make some time during the week to focus on that and I promise you that you will be far happier and less stressed.
So let me know, is time more important than money or is it the other way around? |
Journalist Infiltrates ANTIFA, Undercover Video Exposes Everything
“You’re going to take the knife—and we’ve got 2 AK’s coming,” said one Antifa member. “The idea is plain clothes and hard tactics. I don’t think they’ll know what hit them, because they’re not prepared for what we’re planning.”
Many Americans have grown increasingly concerned over the virtual media blackout on Antifa’s domestic terrorist activities. Only through the alt-media has the mainstream been forced to cover them, and even then, it’s only a lip service—but in this ground-breaking new video, the word “Antifa” may now be set to become a common household name.
Steven Crowder was the last that many would expect to infiltrate the rogue “anti-fascist” organization. The quirky comedian is known for his controversial political commentary, on the podcast which he hosts, “Louder With Crowder,” so when he recently released this undercover video of Antifa, many were surprised.
“Why did it take two late night hosts—Comedians—to find this out?” Crowder asked a media official, after showing him indisputable evidence of Antifa’s wrong-doings. “You know I wish you the best of luck,” the man says—and then just like that, he walks away.
This video documents nearly everything, as Crowder went undercover in a massive two week operation, infiltrating a local Antifa cell. He exposes their tactics, how they coordinate, their communication methods, and most importantly, how the media is completely turning a blind eye to what they’re doing.
“Protests, violence, riots, calling everyone a Nazi—this is the M.O. of Antifa. We’ve all seen it, but the media, politicians, and academia all defend, deflect, or completely deny,” he says. “What we saw were some brave people risking their lives!” said one CNN interviewee, in reference to the far-left riots. “The Antifa movement is interested in preserving the fabric of America!” said another.
“Why is that?” asks Crowder, wondering why the media seems to be completely united in their crusade against the alt-right. “How deep does their organization go? What’s their end game?” he asks. For several months, he meticulously infiltrated Antifa, which according to him has begun upping their vetting process.
“In order to get in with the Antifa crowd, we had to infiltrate their private groups. After news broke that they were officially classified as a domestic terrorist organization, they pulled everything in much closer to the chest. They started vetting people, becoming paranoid about spies, demanded we meet with them in person, installing their cryptic messaging app onto our phone,” Crowder says.
It’s important that we understand Antifa’s tactics, but we must first understand that they’re in a PR battle. What they claim on the media, and what they actually do in person, are two completely different things. On the surface, the organization claims that they’re fighting fascism, supporting our freedoms, and trying to eradicate hate in this country…but the undercover videos tell a different story.
“Did you bring your gun?” a woman asked at an Antifa meeting. “I have…a regular rifle and an assault weapon, and a sawed-off style shot gun,” the man responded. The leader replied by saying that she had a handgun, and “two AK’s coming.”
It turns out that police have been tracking this “pan-sexual, transgender queer” for a while, and were grateful for the footage—but the media on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it.
“You just saw correctly—even being shown the footage in the presence of police officers to confirm authenticity, they walked away,” he said in reference to Matt McDonald of Fox 13 News. Another media host, Dan Harris from ABC’s Nightline, turned down the footage.
“We were delivering a story to local and national news on a silver platter, which included infiltration, violence, and exposing the roots of a national domestic terrorist organization—and NO ONE even wanted to even give it a GLIMPSE? Not one person? It didn’t even get mentioned!” Crowder says.
He ends the video with some sobering remarks, pointing out that the left has been normalizing violence against conservatives for too long. “If they call Ben Shapiro or me a Nazi, what does that make you? If they justify violence against someone with an iPhone camera, what can they do to you?” |
Howdy Shadowverse players! Man! It’s been a while since I have had sometime to sitdown and write an article on my own website. Generally I am writing between shadowverse.gamepress.gg and shadowverse.nge.io so I don’t have a large amount of time but I wanted to take the time to come back home and write an article on a deck that I have been playing a ton! Please understand that this article is primarily written for players who may not be entirely familiar with Shadowverse.
What is Vengeance Blood?
Vengeance blood is a midrange deck that is built around the premise of using bloodcrafts main mechanic Vengeance. While you are at 10 HP or lower, vengeance is active, allowing you to use increase the power of some of your cards.
Dark General: Gains Storm while in vengeance
Diabolic drain: Cost is reduced to 1 instead of 5
Belphegor: You do not take additional damage for playing this card while you are in vengeance
Emerelda, Demonic officer: Gains storm while in vengeance
Dark Air Jammer: Pulls 2 followers instead of one while in vengeance
My opponent won’t put me into vengeance! How do I get myself into vengeance?
Excellent question! This deck is literally equipped to handle that very situation. Good players will usually do their best not to force you into vengeance because they know the power of the deck they are facing. Below you will find a little guide as to what to do depending on the life total your opponent leaves you at.
12 HP Razory Claw Blood Wolf Spiderweb Imp Blood Pact
11 HP Ambling Wraith Snarling Chain
Belphegor…
Belphegor will always put you in vengeance regardless of your life total. However, you have to be careful about how you play belphegor because if played in correctly, you could actually end up killing yourself. There are games where you will not even want to be in vengeance after a certain time of the game has passed but i will cover that in the match up portion in the next article.
But Aya! I don’t understand why jormengand is in this deck! Can you explain???
Absolutely! Jormungand at first kind of became a pet card because of how underplayed it was. However after doing a lot of testing with the card, i have learned some very important things about it.
It is a must kill card. Your opponent isn’t gonna be leaving a 5/5 on the board for any reason. If they do kill it, they give your additional reach with your lethals If you look at how i constructed this deck, you will see that many cards in it deal damage to yourself. When Jor is killed, even a blood pact can help you lethal your opponent! Its entrance animation is freaking cool as hell! (This is a real reason! Don’t judge me….)
Then the next obvious question is “Why wouldn’t you play any of the other 6 drops in your deck?” I will address this below.
Carabosse, Wicked Fairy Very powerful card but has one major draw back. I don’t want to be locked in at 6 play points for the remainder of the game. In this deck, you generally want to play this card on turn 7 because you want to be able to play your Emerelda’s to help finish out the game. Unfortunately though, in the current meta as it stands, playing Carabosse on 7 ends up being a significant loss in tempo and this deck is always trying to push forward as quickly possible.
Imp Lancer Imp Lancer is certainly a fine option for the jor slot if someone opted not to play it. There is literally nothing wrong with this substitution.
Fenrir An excellent drop in the 6 slot but it is a little too slow for what you are trying to do. You generally want to be pushing as much as you can to your opponents face and this card doesn’t really help with that too much.
Mulligans
You mulligans are very important with this deck. I will try to cover as much of the mulligans as i can for the more common match ups.
Ambling Wraith
Blood Wolf
Spiderweb Imp Keep: You are playing against Forest / Sword / Blood as these tend to be aggro decks and you want to be conservative with your life total as much as possible. Don’t Keep: Against Rune. This card is a very easy Kaleidoscopic Glow target.
Disagreeable Demon Keep: You have a 2 drop in hand in match ups that are not the below or you are playing against Dragon / Haven / Rune
Belphegor Keep: Against Rune / Dragon / Haven / Blood (though debatable) Don’t Keep: Against Aggro decks.
Snarling Chains Keep: Going Second and if you did not get any other 2 drops.
Do you have tips for playing the deck?
It takes quite a bit of games to understand how you are supposed to play out your match ups. Stay tuned for the match up article that will be coming out shortly after this one!
Don’t focus on playing Jormungand! A lot of the time, you will feel the temptation to play jor when a better play is available. Play it when you can, not when you want to!
Make sure to pay very close attention to how much potential damage you can do in a turn. If you are not familiar with playing a deck such as this, it can be easy to miss lethal by not paying attention to a Razory claw in your hand or even remembering that jormungand’s effect has triggered.
In the beginning, play this like an aggro deck. Much like an aggro deck, you do want to play to your curve so mulliganing for it is paramount if you are going first more specifically.
Be weary of your life total and how much your opponent can do to you in a turn. This is rather generic advice but it is even more important for this deck than any other decks because of the sheer amount of damage you do to yourself. Don’t put yourself in your opponents lethal range!
Final thoughts
This deck is a ton of fun and I hope you get as much enjoyment out of playing it as I do! In the next article, i will cover this decks match ups and try to go into detail as to how this deck can be played in those! Feel free to hit up my discord and chat about shadowverse here! https://discord.gg/bdVuV7T Until next time!
(For the people who don’t get the reference in the title…) |
Mark Kaser/University of Durham/PA
An orangutan has shown an ability to emulate human speech for the first time — a feat that gets us closer to understanding how human speech first evolved from the communications of ancestral great apes.
‘Rocky’ the ginger ape has astonished experts by producing sounds similar to words in a “conversational context”.
“This opens up the potential for us to learn more about the vocal capacities of early hominids that lived before the split between the orangutan and human lineages to see how the vocal system evolved towards full-blown speech in humans,” says lead researcher Adriano Lameria, from the University of Durham, UK.
Advertisement
His team conducted a game in which the ape mimicked the pitch and tone of human sounds and made vowel-like calls.
Comparing his sounds against a large database of recordings of wild and captive orangutans showed they were markedly different.
Rocky was able to learn new sounds and control the action of his voice in the way humans do when they conduct a conversation, the scientists concluded.
“Instead of learning new sounds, it has been presumed that sounds made by great apes are driven by arousal over which they have no control,” says Lameria. “But our research proves that orangutans have the potential capacity to control the action of their voices.”
“This indicates that the voice control shown by humans could derive from an evolutionary ancestor with similar voice control capacities as those found in orangutans and in all great apes more generally,” he says.
Eight-year-old Rocky was studied at Indianapolis Zoo in the US, where he still lives, between April and May 2012.
In the “do-as-I-do” game he attempted to copy random sounds made by the experimenter which included variations in tone and pitch.
His calls were compared with sounds collected from more than 12,000 hours of observations of more than 120 orangutans from 15 wild and captive populations.
A previous study led by Lameira when he was based at the University of Amsterdam found that a female orangutan called Tilda was able to make sounds that had the same rhythm and pace as human speech.
Journal reference: Scientific Reports, DOI: 10.1038/srep30315
Read more: Talking gibbonish: Deciphering the banter of the apes; Kiki or bouba? In search of language’s missing link |
Follow MTO on Social Media
America Recovers Its Greatness Inauguration 2021 23 months to go.
Subscribe to MTO via Email
Support Mexico Trucker Online Mexico Trucker Online Token of Appreciation Cup of Coffee -$2.00 Cup of Coffee & Donut - $4.00 Hot Dog & Soda $5.00 Suitcase of Bud - $15.00 Help with Server Fees - $25.00 Other Amount: Your Email Address:
Search Mexico Trucker Online
Upcoming Events There are no upcoming events.
Most Popular Articles
Archived Articles Archived Articles Select Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 April 2017 February 2017 July 2016 May 2016 March 2016 November 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 October 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 September 2010 August 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 November 2006 October 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006
Gallery of Real Mexican Trucks
Mexico Trucker Online Categories Mexico Trucker Online Categories Select Category American Politics (41) Border News (103) Border Patrol Crimes (5) Borderland Files (13) Cross Border Program (262) Editorial Comment (11) Events (1) Fear Factor (14) FMCSA (135) For your information (29) Guest Bloggers (14) Hate Crimes (14) Hate Watch (7) Headlines (46) Homeland Stupidity (6) Human Rights (9) ICE & CBP (27) Immigration Blog (14) Immigration Reform (4) Issues (7) Legal Actions (69) Media & Talk Radio (39) Mexican Information Sources (13) Mexican Pilot Program Revealed (2) Mexican Politics (51) Mexican Trucks & Trucking (97) Mexico Business (8) Mexico Historical (4) Mexico Living (15) Mexico Today (78) NAFTA (221) NAFTA 2.0 (1) Nafta Op (24) Narco Wars (103) News & Views (533) Opinions (55) Public Corruption (25) Ramos & Compean (4) Smugglers Brew (62) The Border (3) Trucking Opinions (13) U.S. Trucking News (82)
Top Document Downloads on MTO Regulations on Weight & Diminsions 17270 downloads 0.00 KB Download Law Establishing Mexican Commercial Drivers Classes (ES) 15584 downloads 0.00 KB Download Law Establishing Mexican Commercial Drivers Classes (ES) 12343 downloads 0.00 KB Download NAFTA ARBITRATION DECISION ON MEXICAN TRUCKS 10223 downloads 0.00 KB Download NAFTA ARBITRATION DECISION ON MEXICAN TRUCKS 10026 downloads 0.00 KB Download Teamsters/Public Citizen v. USDOT/FMCSA 9140 downloads 0.00 KB Download Teamsters/Public Citizen v. USDOT/FMCSA 8790 downloads 0.00 KB Download Complete Study of Mexican Commercial Laws and Regulations (ES) 7716 downloads 0.00 KB Download Lawsuit against Dennis Mekenye and DEMCO Express - 4:12-cv-00872-Y 7642 downloads 459.17 KB Download UN AMMO v DEMCO EXPRESS LAWSUIT Complete Study of Mexican Commercial Laws and Regulations (ES) 7347 downloads 0.00 KB Download
Blog Stats 1,004,922 hits |
Edward Lee Thorndike (August 31, 1874 – August 9, 1949) was an American psychologist who spent nearly his entire career at Teachers College, Columbia University. His work on comparative psychology and the learning process led to the theory of connectionism and helped lay the scientific foundation for educational psychology. He also worked on solving industrial problems, such as employee exams and testing. He was a member of the board of the Psychological Corporation and served as president of the American Psychological Association in 1912.[1][2] A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Thorndike as the ninth-most cited psychologist of the 20th century.[3] Edward Thorndike had a powerful impact on reinforcement theory and behavior analysis, providing the basic framework for empirical laws in behavior psychology with his law of effect. Through his contributions to the behavioral psychology field came his major impacts on education, where the law of effect has great influence in the classroom.
Early life [ edit ]
Thorndike, born in Williamsburg, Massachusetts,[4] was the son of Edward R and Abbie B Thorndike, a Methodist minister in Lowell, Massachusetts.[5] Thorndike graduated from The Roxbury Latin School (1891), in West Roxbury, Massachusetts and from Wesleyan University (B.S. 1895).[4] He earned an M.A. at Harvard University in 1897.[4] His two brothers (Lynn and Ashley) also became important scholars. The younger, Lynn, was a medievalist specializing in the history of science and magic, while the older, Ashley, was an English professor and noted authority on Shakespeare.
While at Harvard, he was interested in how animals learn (ethology), and worked with William James. Afterwards, he became interested in the animal 'man', to the study of which he then devoted his life.[6] Edward's thesis is sometimes thought of as the essential document of modern comparative psychology. Upon graduation, Thorndike returned to his initial interest, educational psychology. In 1898 he completed his PhD at Columbia University under the supervision of James McKeen Cattell, one of the founding fathers of psychometrics.
In 1899, after a year of unhappy initial employment at the College for Women of Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, he became an instructor in psychology at Teachers College at Columbia University, where he remained for the rest of his career, studying human learning, education, and mental testing. In 1937 Thorndike became the second President of the Psychometric Society, following in the footsteps of Louis Leon Thurstone who had established the society and its journal Psychometrika the previous year.
On August 29, 1900, he wed Elizabeth Moulton. They had four children, among them Frances, who became a mathematician.[7]
During the early stages of his career, he purchased a wide tract of land on the Hudson and encouraged other researchers to settle around him. Soon a colony had formed there with him as its 'tribal' chief.[8]
Connectionism [ edit ]
Thorndike was a pioneer not only in behaviorism and in studying learning, but also in using animals in clinical experiments.[9] Thorndike was able to create a theory of learning based on his research with animals.[9] His doctoral dissertation, "Animal Intelligence: An Experimental Study of the Associative Processes in Animals", was the first in psychology where the subjects were nonhumans.[9] Thorndike was interested in whether animals could learn tasks through imitation or observation.[10] To test this, Thorndike created puzzle boxes. The puzzle boxes were approximately 20 inches long, 15 inches wide, and 12 inches tall.[11] Each box had a door that was pulled open by a weight attached to a string that ran over a pulley and was attached to the door.[11] The string attached to the door led to a lever or button inside the box.[11] When the animal pressed the bar or pulled the lever, the string attached to the door would cause the weight to lift and the door to open.[11] Thorndike’s puzzle boxes were arranged so that the animal would be required to perform a certain response (pulling a lever or pushing a button), while he measured the amount of time it took them to escape.[9] Once the animal had performed the desired response they were allowed to escape and were also given a reward, usually food.[9] Thorndike primarily used cats in his puzzle boxes. When the cats were put into the cages they would wander restlessly and meow, but they did not know how to escape.[12] Eventually, the cats would step on the switch on the floor by chance, and the door would open.[12] To see if the cats could learn through observation, he had them observe other animals escaping from the box.[12] He would then compare the times of those who got to observe others escaping with those who did not, and he found that there was no difference in their rate of learning.[9] Thorndike saw the same results with other animals, and he observed that there was no improvement even when he placed the animals’ paws on the correct levers, buttons, or bar.[10] These failures led him to fall back on a trial and error explanation of learning.[10] He found that after accidentally stepping on the switch once, they would press the switch faster in each succeeding trial inside the puzzle box.[10] By observing and recording the animals’ escapes and escape times, Thorndike was able to graph the times it took for the animals in each trial to escape, resulting in a learning curve.[12] The animals had difficulty escaping at first, but eventually "caught on" and escaped faster and faster with each successive puzzle box trial, until they eventually leveled off.[12] The quickened rate of escape results in the s-shape of the learning curve. The learning curve also suggested that different species learned in the same way but at different speeds.[10] From his research with puzzle boxes, Thorndike was able to create his own theory of learning. The puzzle box experiments were motivated in part by Thorndike's dislike for statements that animals made use of extraordinary faculties such as insight in their problem solving: "In the first place, most of the books do not give us a psychology, but rather a eulogy of animals. They have all been about animal intelligence, never about animal stupidity."[13]
Thorndike meant to distinguish clearly whether or not cats escaping from puzzle boxes were using insight. Thorndike's instruments in answering this question were learning curves revealed by plotting the time it took for an animal to escape the box each time it was in the box. He reasoned that if the animals were showing insight, then their time to escape would suddenly drop to a negligible period, which would also be shown in the learning curve as an abrupt drop; while animals using a more ordinary method of trial and error would show gradual curves. His finding was that cats consistently showed gradual learning.
Adult learning [ edit ]
Thorndike put his testing expertise to work for the United States Army during World War I. He created both the Alpha and Beta versions that led to today's ASVAB, a multiple choice test administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command that is used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States armed forces. For classification purposes, soldiers were administered Alpha tests. With the realization that some soldiers could not read well enough to complete the Alpha test, the Beta test (consisting of pictures and diagrams) was administered. Such contributions anchored the field of psychology and encouraged later development of educational psychology.
Thorndike believed that "Instruction should pursue specified, socially useful goals." Thorndike believed that the ability to learn did not decline until age 35, and only then at a rate of 1 percent per year, going against the thoughts of the time that "you can't teach old dogs new tricks." It was later shown[who?] that the speed of learning, not the power of learning declined with age. Thorndike also stated the law of effect, which says behaviors that are followed by good consequences are likely to be repeated in the future.
Thorndike identified the three main areas of intellectual development. The first being abstract intelligence. This is the ability to process and understand different concepts. The second is mechanical intelligence, which is the ability to handle physical objects. Lastly there is social intelligence. This is the ability to handle human interaction[14]
Learning is incremental.[9] Learning occurs automatically.[9] All animals learn the same way.[9] Law of effect- if an association is followed by a "satisfying state of affairs" it will be strengthened and if it is followed by an "annoying state of affairs " it will be weakened. Thorndike’s law of exercise has two parts; the law of use and the law of disuse. Law of use- the more often an association is used the stronger it becomes.[15] Law of disuse- the longer an association is unused the weaker it becomes.[15] Law of recency- the most recent response is most likely to reoccur.[15] Multiple response- problem solving through trial and error. An animal will try multiple responses if the first response does not lead to a specific state of affairs.[15] Set or attitude- animals are predisposed to act in a specific way.[15] Prepotency of elements- a subject can filter out irrelevant aspects of a problem and focus and respond only to significant elements of a problem.[15] Response by analogy- responses from a related or similar context may be used in a new context.[15] Identical elements theory of transfer- This theory states that the extent to which information learned in one situation will transfer to another situation is determined by the similarity between the two situations.[9] The more similar the situations are, the greater the amount of information that will transfer.[9] Similarly, if the situations have nothing in common, information learned in one situation will not be of any value in the other situation.[9] Associative shifting- it is possible to shift any response from occurring with one stimulus to occurring with another stimulus.[15] Associative shift maintains that a response is first made to situation A, then to AB, and then finally to B, thus shifting a response from one condition to another by associating it with that condition.[16] Law of readiness- a quality in responses and connections that results in readiness to act.[16] Thorndike acknowledges that responses may differ in their readiness.[16] He claims that eating has a higher degree of readiness than vomiting, that weariness detracts from the readiness to play and increases the readiness to sleep.[16] Also, Thorndike argues that a low or negative status in respect to readiness is called unreadiness.[16] Behavior and learning are influenced by the readiness or unreadiness of responses, as well as by their strength.[16] Identifiability- According to Thorndike, the identification or placement of a situation is a first response of the nervous system, which can recognize it.[16] Then connections may be made to one another or to another response, and these connections depend upon the original identification.[16] Therefore, a large amount of learning is made up of changes in the identifiability of situations.[16] Thorndike also believed that analysis might turn situations into compounds of features, such as the number of sides on a shape, to help the mind grasp and retain the situation, and increase their identifiability.[16] Availability- The ease of getting a specific response.[16] For example, it would be easier for a person to learn to touch their nose or mouth than it would be for them to draw a line 5 inches long with their eyes closed.[16]
Development of law of effect [ edit ]
Thorndike's research focused on instrumental learning, which means that learning is developed from the organism doing something. For example, he placed a cat inside a wooden box. The cat would use various methods while trying to get out, however nothing would work until it hit the lever. Afterwards, Thorndike tried placing the cat inside the wooden box again. This time, the cat was able to hit the lever quickly and succeeded in getting out from the box.
At first, Thorndike emphasized the importance of dissatisfaction stemming from failure as equal to the reward of satisfaction with success, though in his experiments and trials on humans he came to conclude that reward is a much more effective motivator than punishment. He also emphasized that the satisfaction must come immediately after the success, or the lesson would not sink in.[8]
Eugenic views [ edit ]
Thorndike was a proponent of eugenics. He argued that "selective breeding can alter man's capacity to learn, to keep sane, to cherish justice or to be happy. There is no more certain and economical a way to improve man's environment as to improve his nature."[17]
Criticism [ edit ]
Thorndike's law of effect and puzzle box methodology were subjected to detailed criticism by behaviorists and many other psychologists.[18] The criticisms over the law of effect mostly cover four aspects of the theory: the implied or retroactive working of the effect, the philosophical implication of the law, the identification of the effective conditions that cause learning, and the comprehensive usefulness of the law.[19]
Thorndike on education [ edit ]
Thorndike's Educational psychology began a trend toward behavioral psychology that sought to use empirical evidence and a scientific approach to problem solving. Thorndike was among some of the first psychologists to combine learning theory, psychometrics, and applied research for school-related subjects to form psychology of education. One of his influences on education is seen by his ideas on mass marketing of tests and textbooks at that time. Thorndike opposed the idea that learning should reflect nature, which was the main thought of developmental scientists at that time. He instead thought that schooling should improve upon nature. Unlike many other psychologist of his time, Thorndike took a statistical approach to education in his later years by collecting qualitative (quantitative?) information intended to help teachers and educators deal with practical educational problems.[20] Thorndike's theory was an association theory, as many were in that time. He believed that the association between stimulus and response was solidified by a reward or confirmation. He also thought that motivation was an important factor in learning.[21] The Law of Effect introduced the relation between reinforcers and punishers. Although Thorndike's description of the relation between reinforcers and punishers was incomplete, his work in this area would later become a catalyst in further research, such as that of B.F. Skinner.[22]
Thorndike's Law of Effect states that "responses that produce a desired effect are more likely to occur again whereas responses that produce an unpleasant effect are less likely to occur again".[23] The terms 'desired effect' and 'unpleasant effect' eventually became known as 'reinforcers' and 'punishers'.[24] Thorndike's contributions to the Behavioral Psychology Society are seen through his influences in the classroom, with a particular focus on praising and ignoring behaviors. Praise is used in the classroom to encourage and support the occurrence of a desired behavior. When used in the classroom, praise has been shown to increase correct responses and appropriate behavior.[25] Planned ignoring is used to decrease, weaken, or eliminate the occurrence of a target behavior.[25] Planned ignoring is accomplished by removing the reinforcer that is maintaining the behavior. For example, when the teacher does not pay attention to a "whining" behavior of a student, it allows the student to realize that whining will not succeed in gaining the attention of the teacher.[25]
Beliefs about the behavior of women [ edit ]
Unlike later behaviorists such as John Watson, who placed a very strong emphasis on the impact of environmental influences on behavior,[26] Thorndike believed that differences in the parental behavior of men and women were due to biological, rather than cultural, reasons.[27] While conceding that society could "complicate or deform" [28] what he believed were inborn differences, he believed that "if we [researchers] should keep the environment of boys and girls absolutely similar these instincts would produce sure and important differences between the mental and moral activities of boys and girls".[29] Indeed, Watson himself overtly critiqued the idea of maternal instincts in humans in a report of his observations of first-time mothers struggling to breastfeed. Watson argued that the very behaviors Thorndike referred to as resulting from a "nursing instinct" stemming from "unreasoning tendencies to pet, coddle, and 'do for' others,"[30] were performed with difficulty by new mothers and thus must have been learned, while "instinctive factors are practically nil".[31]
Thorndike's beliefs about inborn differences between the thoughts and behavior of men and women included misogynist, pseudo-scientific arguments about the role of women in society. For example, along with the "nursing instinct," Thorndike talked about the instinct of "submission to mastery," writing: "Women in general are thus by original nature submissive to men in general.".[32] That this statement was little more than his opinion, and lacked any substantiating scientific evidence, appeared to be overlooked as it validated prevailing cultural values concerning gender and neatly justified prejudice against women in academia (including entrance into doctoral programs, psychological laboratories, and scientific societies).[33]
Thorndike's word books [ edit ]
Thorndike composed three different word books to assist teachers with word and reading instruction. After publication of the first book in the series, The Teacher's Word Book (1921), two other books were written and published, each approximately a decade apart from its predecessor. The second book in the series, its full title being A Teacher's Word Book of the Twenty Thousand Words Found Most Frequently and Widely in General Reading for Children and Young People, was published in 1932, and the third and final book, The Teacher's Word Book of 30,000 Words, was published in 1944.
In the preface to the third book, Thorndike writes that the list contained therein "tells anyone who wishes to know whether to use a word in writing, speaking, or teaching how common the word is in standard English reading matter" (p. x), and he further advises that the list can best be employed by teachers if they allow it to guide the decisions they make choosing which words to emphasize during reading instruction. Some words require more emphasis than others, and, according to Thorndike, his list informs teachers of the most frequently occurring words that should be reinforced by instruction and thus become "a permanent part of [students’] stock of word knowledge" (p. xi). If a word is not on the list but appears in an educational text, its meaning only needs to be understood temporarily in the context in which it was found, and then summarily discarded from memory.
In Appendix A to the second book, Thorndike gives credit to his word counts and how frequencies were assigned to particular words. Selected sources extrapolated from Appendix A include:
Children’s Reading: Black Beauty, Little Women, Treasure Island, A Christmas Carol, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Youth’s Companion, school primers, first readers, second readers, and third readers
Standard Literature: The Bible, Shakespeare, Tennyson, Wordsworth, Cowper, Pope, and Milton
Common Facts and Trades: The United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, A New Book of Cookery, Practical Sewing and Dress Making, Garden and Farm Almanac, and mail-order catalogues
Thorndike also examined local newspapers and correspondence for common words to be included in the book.[citation needed]
Thorndike's influence [ edit ]
Thorndike contributed a great deal to psychology. His influence on animal psychologists, especially those who focused on behavior plasticity, greatly contributed to the future of that field.[34] In addition to helping pave the way towards behaviorism, his contribution to measurement influenced philosophy, the administration and practice of education, military administration, industrial personnel administration, civil service and many public and private social services.[11] Thorndike influenced many schools of psychology as Gestalt psychologists, psychologists studying the conditioned reflex, and behavioral psychologists all studied Thorndike’s research as a starting point.[11] Thorndike was a contemporary of John B. Watson and Ivan Pavlov. However, unlike Watson, Thorndike introduced the concept of reinforcement.[15] Thorndike was the first to apply psychological principles to the area of learning. His research led to many theories and laws of learning. His theory of learning, especially the law of effect, is most often considered to be his greatest achievement.[11] In 1929, Thorndike addressed his early theory of learning, and claimed that he had been wrong.[9] After further research, he was forced to denounce his law of exercise completely, because he found that practice alone did not strengthen an association, and that time alone did not weaken an association.[9] He also got rid of half of the law of effect, after finding that a satisfying state of affairs strengthens an association, but punishment is not effective in modifying behavior.[9] He placed a great emphasis on consequences of behavior as setting the foundation for what is and is not learned. His work represents the transition from the school of functionalism to behaviorism, and enabled psychology to focus on learning theory.[9] Thorndike’s work would eventually be a major influence to B.F. Skinner and Clark Hull. Skinner, like Thorndike, put animals in boxes and observed them to see what they were able to learn. The learning theories of Thorndike and Pavlov were later synthesized by Clark Hull.[11] His work on motivation and attitude formation directly affected studies on human nature as well as social order.[11] Thorndike’s research drove comparative psychology for fifty years, and influenced countless psychologists over that period of time, and even still today.
Accomplishments [ edit ]
In 1912, Thorndike was elected president for the American Psychological Association. In 1917 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association.[35] He was admitted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1917. He was one of the very first psychologists to be admitted to the association. Thorndike is well known for his experiments on animals supporting the law of effect.[36] In 1934, Thorndike was elected president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[37]
Selected works [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ] |
Now that we have passed the Galaxy S6 unveiling from Samsung, it is official that the Korea-based company opted to use in-house Exynos silicon to power its two newest flagship devices, instead of contracting out the job to San Diego-based Qualcomm for its Snapdragon 810 chipset.
What makes the situation important were the early reports that devices running the Snapdragon 810 were seeing overheating issues, with LG coming right out and denying the reports completely. However, whatever the case may be, Qualcomm lost its chance to power the newest Samsung devices, and now we are left with a new 64-bit octa-core Exynos processor inside both the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
From early benchmarks we are seeing, the Exynos-powered GS6 and GS6 Edge are dominating, easily beating out the One M9 and its Snapdragon. Although, HTC would likely chalk up any losses to those benchmarks being ran on “unfinished software.”
Samsung’s own JK Shin weighed in on the decision, reassuring the press that relations between Samsung and Qualcomm are still good. In fact, Shin claims the move was made to decrease Samsung’s dependency on other companies, and that if Qualcomm’s chips are good enough, Samsung would use them.
Speaking to the press, Shin stated, “Samsung previously used more Qualcomm mobile processors. But we are flexible. If Qualcomm chips are good enough, then we will use them. Samsung always uses the best-quality components and materials to differentiate our products from those by rivals.
From what we can tell so far, Samsung made the right call by using its own Exynos processor, especially when seeing countless videos of TouchWiz flying when compared to previous iterations. As far as average end users are concerned, the difference between Snapdragon 810 and Exynos chips will go unnoticed, so for now, we can assume Samsung only had consumers in mind when making this decision. |
The video will start in 8 Cancel
Get the biggest Chelsea FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Chelsea's title-winning stars have been handed limited edition watches as a thank-you from owner Roman Abramovich.
Each player received their Hublot watch this week with a note from Blues chairman Bruce Buck, who congratulated the squad on 'creating history' last season.
Willian and Nathaniel Chalobah took to Instagram to reveal their new timepieces which came courtesy of the club's official timekeeper.
A note from Buck accompanying the gifts for both players read:
"On behalf of Mr Abramovich and also on behalf of the board of directors of the club, congratulations on creating history during the 2016/17 season.
(Image: willianborges88/Instagram)
(Image: willianborges88/Instagram)
(Image: willianborges88/Instagram)
"It's been a campaign to remember. Keep the blue flag flying high."
While neither player showed off the actual watch on social media, they are likely to be similar to a £9,000 timepiece from Hublot that is limited to only 200 units.
Last summer Leicester gave their title-winning players £100,000 BMW cars as a special bonus.
Antonio Conte's men kick off their title defence when they host Burnley on the opening week of the season. Before that they face Arsenal in Beijing on July 22, with pre-season friendlies against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan following, before they again meet the Gunners in the Community Shield.
(Image: hublot)
(Image: hublot)
The Blues kicked off their summer transfer activity last week when they landed defender Antonio Rudiger from Roma.
(Image: hublot)
A striker is expected to follow after the club missed out on Romelu Lukaku, who joined Manchester United in a £75million move. |
Written By: Mathew ‘JJ’ Simoes
Get ready Wes Anderson fans. Today, we can confirm that (thanks to Trailer Track) the first trailer for Anderson’s Isle of Dogs will debut this week with The Lego Ninjago Movie and will also appear online not long after.
The film comes four years after Anderson’s critically acclaimed The Grand Budapest Hotel and will be set in Japan and follow the journey of a young boy in search of his dog.
The stop motion film will star Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Jeff Goldblum, F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton, Kunichi Nomura, Bob Balaban, Harvey Keitel, Yoko Ono, Greta Gerwig, Courtney B. Vance, Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, and Scarlett Johansson.
Isle of Dogs premieres in theatres on March 23, 2018.
Advertisements
Like this: Like Loading... |
In Paris, France, last year, governments agreed to confine global warming to well below 2 degree Celsius. What’s the driving force behind this?
‘As Martin Luther King put it, “the fierce urgency of now”. We probably have underestimated this urgency to some extent, even in the scientific community. Years ago, I introduced the concept of so-called tipping elements. This refers to critical components of the earth system like the Greenland ice sheet, the Amazon rainforest or the Indian summer monsoon that could at some point of continued perturbation be tipped from one state to another – we call this highly non-linear behaviour. Crossing critical thresholds would cause comparatively abrupt and perhaps irreversible environmental changes. And we know that beyond 2 degrees global warming the risk of tipping increases. Now there is new evidence based on historic reconstructions that shows climate sensitivity is probably higher than estimated in the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This could mean we can emit even less CO2 if we want to stay within the temperature range agreed to in the Paris Agreement.
‘If we keep doing what we’re doing so far, in a business-as-usual scenario, this could mean about 5 degrees warming by the end of the century. It’s not hard to imagine that this could mean the end of the world as we know it. The changes we’d face would be profound. So we seem to be at a highly critical moment in our time where we have to get almost everything right in order to avoid most severe consequences. This worries me, especially when I look at recent developments like in the United States with a President-elect Donald Trump, possibly planning to leave the Paris Agreement behind. He will probably also invest trillions in building roads and other infrastructure with concrete and steel, which will churn out billions and billions of tonnes of additional CO2. This is the tragedy of many civilisations, as can be seen in history. When societies got into trouble, far too often the response was not to change the system, change the paradigm, but more of the same.’
How do we go about changing the paradigm?
‘What we need is a roadmap towards decarbonisation, with decadal steps bringing down emissions to almost zero by 2050. Because that is the only chance we have to stay within the 2 degrees limit, even though it would probably not be enough to keep warming below 1.5 degrees. But if you want to go down that road by mid-century, that means that by 2020 emissions globally have to peak. That may sound like a tremendous effort, but it also means turning back to many solutions we already have. It means repairing the European Emission Trading System and boosting efficiency measures everywhere. People have kept on talking about the low-hanging fruits, but they never pluck them. Now is the time.
‘In the next decade, until 2030, there are two essential shifts that should happen from my point of view. A phase out of coal-fired power stations, completely and worldwide. That means stopping building new ones, but also shutting down some of the existing ones. And we should get over the combustion engine in automobiles, because it is about time to completely replace it with much smarter alternatives.
‘Then, in the decade after that, we also need to have a number of major breakthroughs, technology breakthroughs. Think of super-smart grids connected by super-conductivity cables. People are working on this already, as this could transport electricity over long distances without any losses. Think of cities not being built anymore with concrete or cement, which is highly climate-damaging. These might be cities built from wood again, which was dominant over thousands of years, next to stone and clay of course. Already, in a city like Berlin (Germany), there are five-storey apartment buildings mainly constructed from wood. Young entrepreneurs are working on very innovative ways to treat wood to make it more flexible and fireproof. Building in wood would help us… even (reduce) carbon (usage). While cement production is a huge source for CO2, wood can be used as a carbon sink, absorbing and storing CO2.
‘And that is the other, much brighter side of the coin. If we embrace this challenge and turn climate stabilisation and a sustainable future into the new narrative of modernity, not only would this be a fantastic project for humankind, creating new jobs, it would also shape a world of new life opportunities, new cultural development, and so on. We still have the choice, as we are standing at the crossroads. This could give our modern times a new meaning, enabling us to use all the available potential, whether it is intellectual, whether it is physical, whether it is resources. So it is a very interesting point in time, we either go for the bright side of a sustainable future, or we might go for the dark ages again.’
For climate research, where should the focus be as the EU prepares its next funding programme to follow on from Horizon 2020?
‘In order to get a real grip on the climate problem we need a strategic approach, something like an Apollo project, that focuses all available resources and potentials on a common goal. You would need some kind of a roadmap, mapping out… the low-hanging fruits, like energy efficiency, as well as technological innovations in strategic areas like new material for construction, also carbon-negative technologies. But there are many other areas as well with great potential, like agriculture. You could very simply avoid a lot of emissions from agriculture by no-tillage approaches where you do not plough the soil.
‘Commissioner Moedas (the EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation) has set up this new high-level panel for European decarbonisation pathways… and I am chairing it. And there, my intention is to work out precisely such a roadmap. Not a narrow-minded, technocratic document, but an open plan with a number of important milestones. And here is the important thing. Innovations don’t need to be only physical, chemical or whatever. There are many social innovations that also help us to go for a more sustainable world.’
What kinds of social innovations do you mean?
‘Let me give you an example: the carmaker BMW told me once about their electric car, the i3. I drive an i3 today as my private car, but I’m one of very few people who own one. What did the company do? They set up a collaboration with partners including the City of Berlin for a very popular Berlin vehicle-sharing scheme. You can find available cars on your smartphone, and they have created a fleet of these i3 cars which you now find everywhere on the streets of Berlin. The city will support this by reviewing their public parking-space policies.
'People have kept on talking about the low-hanging fruits, but they never pluck them. Now is the time.' Prof. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany
‘The biggest social innovation might be to set up some kind of transformation fund - like the sovereign wealth fund in Norway - where you strategically invest in new infrastructure, and where the funding could come, for example, from a carbon tax or trading scheme. Some countries already have carbon taxes, and if the revenues would go directly into a transformation fund earmarked for climate innovations, this would be a completely new way of dealing with the climate challenge. So from simple individual behaviour up to fiscal institutions, you can go through a whole series of possible innovations.’
You have been credited for coming up with the 2 degrees threshold that the world is working towards. Yet it is becoming clear that the climate could be more responsive than we thought, is this level low enough?
‘We have not completely understood the climate system yet, and particularly the non-linear behaviour associated with tipping points should be researched further. Many scientists tend to be a bit conservative, staying on the safe side, avoiding what could be misunderstood as alarmism, thereby sometimes underestimating the dynamics. Only recently, I published a paper together with colleagues in Nature Climate Change about critical thresholds when you turn up the heat globally. The question is, when do we reach these critical thresholds? There are still some uncertainties but, as it turns out, limiting warming to 2 degrees will not be enough to avoid all tipping points. The tropical coral reefs will probably completely die back, even if we limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. The Greenland ice sheet might also be at risk.
‘So 1.5 degrees clearly is the better target, but I think it could only be achieved by overshooting the available emissions budget temporarily and then later coming back to within the budget range - which means you have to work with substantial negative emissions, a very difficult concept. I think it could only be done if we turn global agriculture into a carbon sink and actually build all our future cities from carbon-negative materials. That is the only scale where we could achieve it, so the answer is, 1.5 would be much better in terms of climate impacts than 2 degrees. But 2 degrees already requires an industrial revolution at the planetary scale. In contrast, I think 1.5 degrees requires almost a miracle. But of course sometimes miracles do happen.’
You say miracles do happen, but you’ve also mentioned the drastic changes that need to take place such as getting rid of the internal combustion engine and revolutionising agriculture and the way we build cities. It seems like an enormous challenge.
‘Mind-boggling, yes. But the crazy thing about it is, these things can be done. People pursue nuclear fusion, which might be a benefit in the end, but it is a tremendous challenge with no end in sight so far. Yet it seems to be ok for the EU to pour money into that endeavour, and I accept that because it is an exciting intellectual enterprise, even though it will probably not save the world. However, we already have a perfectly working powerful fusion reactor – the sun. Solar energy comes without any cost, it is absolutely safe. We just have to harvest it. We do not have to bend the laws of physics to make use of the sun and to use wood as a carbon sink and so on. So, in a way, our society is in a strange state of schizophrenia. On the one hand we go for highly, highly utopian technologies and are willing to fund them. At the same time, we say that things that are already proven in principle are impossible to achieve, and this has to do with vested interests of course, and also with human inertia. People would rather go for the fairy tale that we will drive the whole economy by fusion energy by 2050, which is of course impossible, but at the same time they tell us that it is absolutely impossible to run a country like Morocco from solar energy.
‘I am from Germany, a country with lots of renewable energy production. But if you conduct an analysis of the sunshine potential of Germany, it is comparable to Alaska (US). So how much easier would it be for Italy and Greece and the United States of America, let alone Africa, to run their countries on sunshine? I think we need to get rid of all the myths that are, in a way, congesting our brain, and once we have done that, yes then the answer is I think it is achievable still.’
If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media. |
Shelton High senior has a date, but can't go to the prom
Shelton seniors Sonali Rodrigues and James Tate stand outside Shelton High School Tuesday, May 10, 2011. Tate asked Rodrigues to the prom by posting a message on the wall behind them. She said yes but he is now prohibited from attending the school's prom as punishment for trespassing to post the sign. less Shelton seniors Sonali Rodrigues and James Tate stand outside Shelton High School Tuesday, May 10, 2011. Tate asked Rodrigues to the prom by posting a message on the wall behind them. She said yes but he is ... more Photo: Autumn Driscoll Buy photo Photo: Autumn Driscoll Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Shelton High senior has a date, but can't go to the prom 1 / 8 Back to Gallery
SHELTON -- It began as a simple gesture. Shelton High School senior James Tate just wanted to make his good friend, Sonali Rodrigues, feel special.
So instead of the usual way of asking her to the senior prom, Tate and two friends went to the high school campus in the middle of the night and posted 12-inch tall, cardboard letters on the outside of the building -- at the main entrance.
The message that many saw when they arrived to school Friday, read: "Sonali Rodrigues, Will you go to prom with me? HMU Tate."
She said yes.
"It took a lot of effort," said Tate.
He posted the letters, one at a time, in a "safe and thoughtful way" to avoid trouble.
But, it appears, that didn't work out.
Because of what he did, Tate can't go to the prom.
Tuesday, after meeting with his headmaster, Tate and his two friends were each given one-day, in-house suspensions and banned from the prom. Tate was told the administration felt what they did was a safety risk.
But the teen said he took every precaution when he posted the message early Friday, sometime between 1 and 3 a.m.
"I had one friend hold the ladder while the other put double-sided tape on the letters," he said. Tate said he also wore a helmet.
He was told another reason for the suspensions was that they trespassed on school grounds.
"I didn't enter the school at all," he said. And while the front gates to the school were locked, Tate said he and his friends were able to get onto the grounds on a footpath.
Tate said that, according to school regulations, if you get suspended after April 1, you can't go to the prom.
"I tried to appeal -- tried to just get a detention instead," he said. "I even offered to do community service -- like cleaning up the litter outside the school."
But he said nothing worked.
"Now I have a date for the prom, but can't go," he said.
"This is ridiculous," said Rodrigues. "James is one of my best friends and we are both good kids who never got in trouble. I've never been to the principal's office except to get an award."
Rodrigues was also called to the headmaster's office Tuesday morning. "They just asked me some questions, like would I still go to the prom if James couldn't," she said.
She will go, with a girlfriend, whose boyfriend has also been suspended for an unrelated incident.
"This is really upsetting," she said. "It's our senior year and we are supposed to have happy memories, not something like this."
Shelton High School Headmaster Beth Smith did not return calls for comment Tuesday. Superintendent Freeman Burr declined comment, referring all questions to Smith.
Anne M. Amato can be reached at 203-330-6496 or at [email protected]. |
Image caption Nick Clegg acknowledges the applause at the Lib Dem spring conference
Nick Clegg is preparing to fight his final general election, many of his senior colleagues believe.
Several MPs have told me there is an unspoken assumption that he will stand down as Liberal Democrat leader in the next Parliament - whatever the result in May.
While Lib Dems are fighting for their political lives in constituencies, they are thinking hard about life after Clegg.
Their leader's career could end with defeat in his Sheffield Hallam seat, of course, or in resignation after a terrible election performance.
But even if he manages to prove the polls wrong - as he insists is possible - it would be very natural for him to stand down in 2017, one senior MP says.
It is widely thought he has not asked his wife Miriam to endure more than two general elections, another insists.
Explicit ambitions
Clegg's aides dismiss such talk - he intends to be the leader through the whole of the next Parliament they say.
That is not what plenty of his colleagues expect though, and several are positioning themselves to fight to replace him.
They eye left-leaning Tim Farron with suspicion.
Two campaigns to be the party's president, one successful, have given him much more contact with members - who will elect the new leader - than any of his rivals.
He gets a lot of press.
Image copyright PA Image caption Tim Farron has been putting in the leadership groundwork, colleagues say
MPs use almost identical terms to describe him criss-crossing the country eating rubbery chicken at meals with activists, who he showers with praise.
Some are dismissive - Farron is a good campaigner they say, but "not cerebral". Others use more forthright terms to dismiss his abilities.
The party's former leader Lord Ashdown told 5 Live: "Tim's a very able guy but at the moment judgement is not his strong suit."
His rivals, like the health minister Norman Lamb, are growing increasingly explicit about their ambitions.
If there is a contest, the energy secretary Ed Davey will want to stand, and he too has backers.
Those who are not talking about life after Clegg in public worry they too should give interviews for fear of not being regarded as a contender.
Who else? Jo Swinson, equalities minister, should also be a candidate one well-respected figure tells me, provided she is still an MP after the election.
Lib Dems suspect Treasury minister Danny Alexander of harbouring leadership ambitions, but he too faces a tough fight to hold his seat and many in the party regard him as having grown far too close to the Chancellor George Osborne.
A definitive list is hard to complete though because Lib Dems only need the support of 10% of the party's MPs to stand.
If the general election goes as badly as the polls suggest a would-be leader could comfortably fit the necessary supporters in a cosy phone box.
It could be a crowded contest. |
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss junior defensive lineman Breeland Speaks is electing to forgo his senior year of college and enter his name for the upcoming 2018 National Football League Draft, he announced Tuesday.
Statement from Breeland Speaks:
"After discussing it with my family, I have decided to forgo my senior season and enter the 2018 NFL Draft. There are so many people I want to thank including Chancellor Vitter, Mr. Bjork, Coach Luke, the coaching staff, my teammates and everyone at the university for an awesome four years. Most of all, I thank Rebel Nation for the incredible support they gave me from day one. I was proud to Lock The Vaught every Saturday in my home state, and now I look forward to representing Ole Miss at the next level."
Statement from Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke :
"I have seen Breeland grow as a person and a player over the last four years, and we're excited to see him take this next step in his career. I am particularly proud of the leadership he brought to our team amidst the challenges we faced. He is a true Rebel, and we look forward to watching him continue our program's rich NFL tradition."
After redshirting in 2014, Speaks played in every game the last three years with 19 starts, including the last seven at defensive end after moving from tackle. The Jackson native earned All-SEC second team honors from the Associated Press and Phil Steele this season.
Speaks' senior campaign saw him rank sixth in the SEC with 7.0 sacks. He led the team with eight QB hurries and finished second in tackles (67) and third in TFLs (8.0). Speaks totaled a career-high 13 stops against LSU, including seven solos.
Follow Ole Miss Football on Twitter (@OleMissFB), Facebook and Instagram in addition to www.OleMissSports.com. |
Venus Williams got the benefit of the doubt today, thanks to some new video.
No, this had nothing to do with a tennis match, but a deadly car crash last month.
In the video, you can see Williams' 2010 Toyota Sequoia entering the intersection, under a green light. In the upper part of the video, she pauses briefly in the middle of the intersection, before continuing.
That's when her car was struck by Hyundai driven by Linda Barson, whose 78-year-old husband, Jerome, later died of his injuries. Before they saw the new evidence, police said Williams was "at fault for violating the right of way."
Venus Williams breaks down at Wimbledon over deadly crash
But in light of the footage, the police department released a statement exonerating Williams, saying, "the vehicle driven by Venus Williams lawfully entered the intersection on a circular green traffic signal, and attempted to travel north through the intersection to Ballenisles Drive."
The police said a car entered the intersection in front of Williams and made a left turn, causing her to stop advancing through the intersection to avoid a collision. The crash occurred when Williams started to legally proceed.
Earlier this week, a visibly distraught Williams broke down when asked about it during a Wimbledon press conference.
"There are really no words to describe how devastating and -- I'm completely speechless," she said before bursting into tears.
The Barson family filed a wrongful death suit against the seven-time Grand Slam winner. It's unclear if this new evidence will change their minds. |
Ireland's largest pharmacy group, LloydsPharmacy has repaid the Health Service Executive €12m for dispensing fess that the company incorrectly charged, RTÉ News has learned.
The irregularities were revealed by RTÉ Investigates last year.
In a further development similar HSE investigations are also ongoing into five other pharmacy chains or branches.
With 94 branches nationwide, LloydsPharmacy is Ireland's leading pharmacy chain.
Last year the RTÉ Investigations Unit revealed irregularities in the level of dispensing fees being claimed by the pharmacy chain from the HSE.
The irregularities centred on phased dispensing fees charged by LloydsPharmacy on its weekly medication management system, MyMed, a modern equivalent of a pill box that segregates drugs into weekly packs for those on large amounts of medication.
There are very limited circumstances under which a pharmacy can claim additional charges for the phased dispensing of drugs but documentation provided to the RTÉ Investigations Unit by a whistleblower last year showed that LloydsPharmacy staff were actively encouraged to widely promote the MyMed system to its customers which generated substantial additional profits for the company.
Each store was provided with monthly targets for the number of customers who had to be converted to the MyMed system and further documentation showed that on repeated occasions LloydsPharmacy customers were provided with a month's supply of their medication in one go despite payment statements from the HSE showing that phased fees were submitted as if the drugs had been dispensed each week.
RTÉ learned that following a HSE investigation LloydsPharmacy has been found to have over-claimed in the region of €12m in dispensing fees.
The sum is believed to have been repaid in full.
While not naming the company, in a statement the HSE said a "satisfactory resolution" had been reached.
A spokesperson for LloydsPharmacy told RTÉ the matter had been "resolved" between the parties.
In a further development, RTÉ has discovered that similar HSE investigations are also ongoing into five other pharmacy chains or branches.
It is understood those investigations are at an advanced stage and could result in further money being paid back to the HSE. |
Outspoken billionaire Mark Cuban has a bone to pick with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Less than a year after scoring a huge victory against the regulator, he took to Twitter and YouTube this week to deride the agency, which he locked horns with in a testy, years-long legal battle in which he fought off insider trading charges.
What has Cuban so worked up this time? Apparently, the process for getting SEC guidance on what constitutes insider trading.
Cuban tweeted a clip from a YouTube video in which he follows telephone instructions for filing a ”no-action letter,” a formal request that the agency weigh in on whether a specific trade could be deemed a violation of securities law.
The full video, which includes more explanation from Cuban as to what he’s researching and why he’s researching it, is here:
Here are some highlights from Cuban’s rant against the process, which is based on procedures the SEC outlined 34 years ago, and apparently hasn’t updated much since:
This is not going to accomplish anything and this is certainly not going to help any normal individual who’s thinking about buying stocks in the market. It’s not going to help them understand insider trading and it’s not give them comfort that were doing all they can to not break the law. Which based off of my experience is not shocking … and if it seems like I’m going on and going off about the SEC, well, this was an easy change for them to step up and answer a question. Instead me and everybody else going through this gets a memo from 1980. Way to go, [SEC chief] Mary Jo White. Good Job!
Here’s the memo(pdf) that Cuban references.
Cuban makes a valid point: insider trading laws can be hard to parse. That’s why the SEC itself urges people to consult with a legal expert. Cuban, with a reported net worth of $2.5 billion, certainly can afford an army of lawyers. But what about everyone else? |
Mackenzie Duncan is a talented photographer who pretty much always has had a nomadic lifestyle! Currently living on the West Coast, he works with great brands that fit his day to day life. See how he’s able to make a living and enjoy life to the fullest!
What freedom vessel are you driving and does it have a name?
The story of my freedom vessel comes first with the story of another freedom vessel, one which I came to love and live in as if she were my own this past year. At the beginning of 2015 I reached out to my friend Drew in Toronto to see if he wanted to head to the East Coast on a cold water surf trip. He got back to me and invited me on a trip he already had planned down to Baja in his ’86 Westy, Delilah. Three weeks later I packed up my stuff, flew out west and met Drew just South of LA. I had no idea I was getting so much more than just a surf trip. We ended up spending three weeks in the Baja. Surfing, exploring, driving down roads we probably shouldn’t have, snapping photos, writing journals and generally having a grand time. Naturally I fell in love with Vanlife, and couldn’t believe Drew’s generosity and kindess when he offered to lend me Delilah while he went off tree planting in British Columbia. A month later and Drew dropped her at my parents house on Vancouver Island. I picked her up, and road tripped her down South in May. All the way down highway one- stopping in Washington and Oregon along the way. It was just over a week of surfing, hiking, soaking in natural hot springs, and sharing tea and oatmeal with strangers who were to become friends.
I eventually ended up in LA where I spent 4 months living both part-time and full-time in the van. Basically splitting my time between a friends spot in Venice, and vanlifing up in Malibu surfing or hiking and cooking up in the local mountain ranges for days on end.
Eventually I returned Delilah to Drew in September of this past year and spent the Fall without a van. I was on the mend from a fractured vertebrae (a whole ‘nother story Delilah was there for, involving the ocean and a pretty gnarly wave). I spent a lot of days sitting searching for my freedom vessel, and am please to announce I just bought my yet to be named-’82 Diesel Vanagon! I’m so excited, and will be busy the next few months building it out to a bio-diesel camper which I can take on adventures with Drew and Delilah and all our other van friends!
You left your hometown many years ago to pursue your dreams, how did that happen?
Well, I went to high school away from home and met a lot of people from all over who had a very different mentality than a lot of the folks I grew up with. They came from all sorts of backgrounds and places and it started to open up my eyes a bit to travel. Near the end of my Grade 12 year (I was a bit of an art nerd) my art teacher took us on a tour of a few schools in Vancouver to sort of see what the next steps could be. I knew I didn’t want to do another four years of school as I’d had a hard enough time getting through high school so I opted for a 12 month diploma studying design and film at Vancouver Film School. From there I moved to Montreal and did a bunch of graphic design work. During this time I got the travel bug, saved up a small sum of money and flew down to Central America to live on the beach for six months and learn to surf. This gave me a ton of time to think and figure out what I wanted to do next, which led me into photography.
When I returned I started assisting a handful of photographers between Montreal and Toronto before opening my first studio in Toronto. I then spent the next 8 years between Toronto, Montreal and NYC pursuing fashion photography, while also opening a furniture business with a childhood best friend- JM & Sons, before moving out to LA a year ago. It’s been quite a journey and it’s really taught me a lot. I wouldn’t change a thing. I am so happy to be back near the ocean and spending more time in nature, and have been focusing my photography towards more lifestyle than fashion so I can keep getting more opportunities to get even more of that moving forward!
Is it hard to find clients while on the road? How do you connect with new brands and new clients ?
Over the last 8-10 years of assisting, shooting, traveling and living between a handful of different cities I’ve met a whole bunch of amazing people that I’ve kept in touch with. We’ve all grown as creatives in our own ways and some have become successful Art Directors who I have ended up working with, or designers, or marketers. I’ve found that to be the most important thing- just keeping in touch with the people you respect and people who’s work you respect. The opportunity may seem to take a long time but eventually your creative paths will cross and you’ll get to the opportunity work together. Another way I connect with new brands and clients is sort of a mix of social media, word of mouth, self promotion etc. I’ve started to reach out to a bunch of brands that I respect and I’m always amazed at how open they are to work with new people if your work and their brand fit together.
How do you manage to protect your equipment and your datas?
Equipment is tricky to protect. I do my best to under dress my bags and often cover my cameras in black grip tape so they don’t look fancy and expensive. I also make sure everything is insured properly, just in case.
As for data, I carry multiple backups and spread them around to different places as well as storing all of my final images (RAW, TIFF and JPG) on Google Drive so they are accessible from anywhere and relatively safe.
Can you show us 3 of your favorite pictures you shot recently?
I was lucky enough to shoot this image out on the west coast of Vancouver Island at a place called Sombrio. I spend a few days out there with a good friend of mine, Phillipe. Phillipe lives in an E-350 in California these days but happened to be up in Vancouver for a job so I had the opportunity to show him around where I grew up, in the same truck I grew up driving, an ’82 Land Cruiser. I got to shoot him with a board I made at Shaper Studios Vancouver, so the images are a great collaboration between hard work, good friends, and a great brand. We had one of those classic down pour days that happen out here on the west coast of Canada. Early in the morning we went down to the beach and for an hour or so the rain stopped and the mist was lifting off the beach just long enough to capture some beautiful images. It really was a bit of a magical day really.
I snapped this shot on the second night of that trip down to Baja I referenced earlier in Drew’s van Delilah. We had kind of followed our intuition along these dirt roads and ended up next to this empty beach with no one around. We surfed for hours and eventually came back to the van exhausted and made some dinner. Drew was just sitting on the stoop of the van as we relaxed before bed. There are some great memories attached to that image.
This was the last shot of a campaign I shot for a denim brand in LA called Crawford Denim. We’d been shooting on the beach up in Malibu for most of the day and decided to do a few shots on the vintage bikes we had. It was great because we were able to catch the sun at that perfect spot because I was shooting from the Jeep with no top. We only had a short section of highway where the sun spilled over and to me it captures all of what California can be.
Can you share with us a great parking spot you often go to?
There is this one spot sort of near the North end of Malibu up Decker Canyon Road. I wish I could remember all the other little roads you turn off onto. I found it one night with my girlfriend and we’ve been back a handful of times in her van, or in Delilah when I still had her. Sometimes bringing friends but more often heading up there, just the two of us. It’s just sort of hidden behind this hill and you get this view of all the Santa Monica Mountain ranges and the sun sets right there above all the long grasses. It’s so peaceful and quiet and it’s only 40 minutes away from LA, without traffic of course. Conveniently enough at the bottom of the hill is a break called Zeros, which is one of my favourite breaks in Malibu.
What is the project you’re working on now?
I’ve got a few things but the next major thing is a Van Life Cookbook. I’ve teamed up with a great crew of people and we’re putting together a cookbook based around healthy, simple cooking with locally sourced produce, sort of based around the west coast for now. We plan to do some roadtrips, cooking on a two burner stove or over the camp fire and I think putting all that together with some really talented people which should be a lot of fun!
It’ll be coming out later this spring, hopefully in time for summer van lifers- so if you have any wonderful suggestions on farmers markets to check out or great camp spots that should be included please reach out as I’d love to hear from you. It’s meant to be a bit of a community effort celebrating this lifestyle we all choose to live.
Follow Mackenzie’s work and adventures here:
The Mackenzie Life
Mackenzie Duncan’s portfolio
Instagram account : @themackenzielife
Facebook page |
Ian Wright has been appointed co-host of BBC Radio 5 live's 606 programme for the 2013/14 season.
The former Arsenal striker will present the live football phone-in show with Kelly Cates on Sundays.
Wright - who previously worked as a pundit on Match of the Day - said he was pleased to be back on the BBC.
"There will be lots to talk about and a lot of divided opinion," he said. "For me, it's all about the fans and what the fans think. I like to hear all sorts of opinions, everyone is entitled to one."
Cates - daughter of Liverpool icon Kenny Dalglish - said of Wright: "As well as having been a brilliant footballer, he's a real fan of the game."
"You don't know what somebody's going to ask," she continued, "what point somebody's going to make, which way the conversation is going to go.
"When it does get heated and it does get passionate, that's really important because it shows people care."
Perou
David Davies/PA Archive
Meanwhile, Match of the Day 2 host Mark Chapman will also present new programme MOTD2 Extra, a debate show focusing on the weekend's games and hot topics. It will air on Sunday lunchtimes simultaneously on BBC One, Radio 5 live and the BBC Sport website.
Dan Walker will continue hosting Football Focus along with 5 live's Friday night preview show. Jason Mohammad will now present a new-look Final Score on Saturdays.
On Match of the Day, former Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli has signed up as a regular pundit, while Chris Waddle has joined 5 live.
Other regular MOTD pundits alongside Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer will include Gus Poyet, Robbie Fowler, Les Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Robbie Savage.
"This season, the BBC's commitment to football coverage is greater than ever," said Barbara Slater, director of BBC Sport.
"With new-look shows and new names to add to the already impressive presentation and punditry line-up, we're ready to bring all the excitement to our audiences.
"Our digital offering enables fans uninterrupted access to all the key action and events as they unfold, wherever they are, with access to news, scores, TV shows and live radio commentaries on the go." |
Issues of electricity regulation typically play out in drab government hearing rooms. That has not been the case this summer in Arizona, where a noisy argument — featuring TV attack ads and dueling websites — has broken out between regulated utilities and the rooftop solar industry.
An Internet web video attacks the California startup companies that sell rooftop solar systems as the “new Solyndras,” which are spending “hard-earned tax dollars to subsidize their wealthy customers.” Meantime, solar companies accuse Arizona Public Service, the state’s biggest utility, of wanting to “extinguish the independent rooftop solar market in Arizona to protect its monopoly.”
Similar battles about how rooftop solar should be regulated have flared in California, Colorado, Idaho, and Louisana. And the outcome of these power struggles could have a major impact on the future of solar in the U.S.
Opposition from regulated utilities could stop a solar boom before it gets started.
Today’s solar industry is puny — it supplies less than 1 percent of the electricity in the U.S. — but its advocates say that solar is, at long last, ready to move from the fringe of the energy economy to the mainstream. Photovoltaic panel prices are falling. Low-cost financing for installing rooftop solar is available. Federal and state government incentives remain generous.
Yet opposition from regulated utilities, which burn fossil fuels to produce most of their electricity, could stop a solar boom before it gets started.
Several utilities, including Arizona Public Service and Denver-based Xcel Energy, have asked their state regulators to reduce incentives or impose charges on customers who install rooftop solar; so far, at least, they aren’t making much headway. A bill in the California legislature, backed by the utility interests would add $120 a year in fees to rooftop solar customers.
A video posted by advocacy group Arizona Solar Facts attacks rooftop solar startups. YOUTUBE
But other utility companies are adopting a different strategy — they are joining forces with solar interests. NRG Energy, based in Princeton, N.J., has created a rooftop solar unit to sell systems to businesses and, eventually, homeowners. New Jersey’s PSE&G is making loans to solar customers, and Duke Energy and Edison International have invested in Clean Power Finance, a San Francisco-based firm that has raised half a billion dollars to finance solar projects.
“The industry is divided on how to deal with the opportunity — or threat,” says Nat Kreamer, Clean Power Finance’s CEO. “Some utilities are saying, how do I make money off distributed solar, as opposed to, how do I fight distributed solar.”
Distributed solar — which produces electricity outside the grid — “has become one of the more polarizing topics in the power industry, with some utilities joining the party, some doing just what is legislatively mandated, and others remaining reluctant and not being true believers,” according to a new report from Citi Research, called Rising Sun: Implications for U.S. Utilities. The report warns the utilities that “solar is here to stay, and very early in the growth cycle in the U.S.”
Until recently, utilities could ignore solar. Although the sun’s rays have been touted as a clean energy solution since Jimmy Carter first installed photovoltaic panels on the White House roof in 1979, solar remains barely a blip in the U.S. power market. In 2012, solar power provided a mere 0.11 percent of U.S. electricity generation, according to the Energy Information Administration, a government agency. By comparison, coal delivered 37 percent, natural gas 30 percent, nuclear 19 percent, and wind 3.5 percent. And that solar percentage includes utility-scale projects, like the big solar farms in California and Nevada that feed into the electricity grid, as well as distributed solar.
Distributed solar could disrupt the de facto monopoly long held by regulated utilities.
But the solar industry is growing fast, and much of the growth is distributed solar built “behind the meter” — that is, on commercial and residential rooftops, where electricity from solar panels eliminates the need for power that would otherwise be generated and sold by the utilities. Last year, nearly 90,000 businesses and homeowners installed rooftop solar projects totaling about 1.15 gigawatts, roughly the amount generated by a large coal plant. That represented a 46 percent growth over 2011, according to the Solar Electric Power Association. By the end of last year, the number of customer-sited photovoltaic systems in the U.S. topped 300,000, the association says.
Most industry experts expect that growth will accelerate as prices for solar continue to fall, to the point where rooftop solar will eventually cost less than the retail price of grid-delivered electricity. According to the Citi Research report, solar is already cheaper than electricity at the plug in several states, including Arizona, and in many countries, including Germany and Spain, where solar subsidies are generous. Last month, Jon Wellinghoff, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, told GreenTechMedia that “solar is growing so fast it is going to overtake everything…It could double every two years.”
No wonder the utilities are nervous. Just as personal computers threatened the manufacturers of industrial-sized mainframes, and the rapid adoption of cell phones shook up once-formidable landline operators, distributed solar could disrupt the de facto monopoly long held by regulated utilities.
“From the utility’s perspective, it’s a mortal threat,” says NRG Energy’s chief executive, David Crane. As an independent power producer, NRG competes with regulated utilities; it has been selling rooftop solar directly to commercial customers, including hotels, Arizona State University, and NFL stadiums in Washington, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. “Big corporations are realizing that they can openly display their commitment to sustainability with solar panels without having to pay any more for electricity,” Crane says.
Arizona Public Service says current rules allow solar customers to use the grid for free.
The regulated utilities say they welcome the growth of rooftop solar, as long as businesses and homeowners who install rooftop panels pay their fair share of the costs of maintaining the electricity grid, which they rely on when the sun isn’t shining. The utilities say solar customers currently benefit from subsidies and regulations, particularly the policy of “net metering,” which requires utilities to buy back excess electricity from rooftop solar systems, at retail prices in some locales.
Arizona Public Service, which has asked regulators to impose higher costs on solar customers, says current rules essentially allow those customers to use the grid for free. As a result, customers who can’t afford solar panels or don’t have a place to put them end up paying higher rates. That, in turn, will help drive more customers to solar, increase the burden on those who don’t have it, and, not incidentally, eat into the utility’s earnings. That’s not a sustainable model for the future, the utility argues.
A solar industry group is trying to help utilities and solar companies find common ground.
The Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), whose members include utilities and solar firms, is trying to help the industries find common ground so both can thrive. “People need to be equitably compensated for the services they are delivering — in both directions,” says Eran Mahrer, executive vice president of strategy and research at SEPA. “At the end of the day, that’s a negotiation.” But because utilities are regulated, and because regulators in some states, including Arizona, are elected, the argument has turned political. It has also led to some unorthodox alliances.
In Arizona, solar firms formed an advocacy group called TUSK (Tell Utilities Solar won’t be Killed) and hired as chairman Barry Goldwater Jr., a former Republican congressman and son of the 1964 presidential nominee. True to his heritage, Goldwater casts the issue as one of giving consumers “the freedom to make the best choice.” The utilities, he says, “don’t like competition. Competition tends to drive the price down and the quality up.” In Georgia, too, Tea Party conservatives have allied with environmentalists to form a Green Tea Coalition to oppose the local utility, again under the banner of free choice.
But other conservatives, including a group funded by the billionaire Koch brothers, are loudly opposing government support for solar. A Virginia-based advocacy group for senior citizens called the 60 Plus Association has built an Arizona website, and an accompanying web video attack on solar subsidies. The video seeks to link California-based rooftop firms SunRun and Solar City, which are operating in Arizona, to bankrupt manufacturer Solyndra, calling them “connected companies getting corporate welfare.” An APS spokesman told Yale Environment 360 that it was not responsible for the video or any campaign against rooftop solar. But APS has confirmed that its parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Corp., hired Sean Noble, an Arizona political consultant who also has worked for the 60 Plus Association. 60 Plus has received funding from Charles and David Koch, whose conglomerate, Koch Industries, includes fossil fuel holdings.
The fact that organizations funded by the Koch brothers are going after solar subsidies may be the best evidence of all that the industry’s future is bright.
Corrections, September 4, 2013: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of Nat Kreamer, the CEO of Clean Power Finance. It also incorrectly stated the amount of electricity generated by new U.S. rooftop solar projects last year; it was 1.15 gigawatts; not 1.1 megawatts. |
Trey Edward Shults, Krisha, 2015, HD video, color, sound, 83 minutes. Krisha (Krisha Fairchild).
1 KRISHA (Trey Edward Shults) This hilariously harrowing portrait of a family reunion ruined by an alcoholic relative and too many dogs is told with verve and lunacy and features a top-notch performance by Krisha Fairchild, the director’s own aunt. Other people’s hell can sometimes be so much fun.
2 TICKLED (David Farrier and Dylan Reeve) Hahahahaha! First you’ll chuckle watching this exceptional piece of investigative reporting, but then, once the shocking plot twists begin, you’ll choke on that laughter.
3 EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! (Richard Linklater) The best accidentally gay movie ever made by a known heterosexual director features the most talented and sexy ensemble cast of the last decade.
4 ROAR (Noel Marshall) I finally got to see Tippi Hedren’s real-life snuff movie starring her entire family that was made in 1981 but not released in the US until 2015. Watch, slack-jawed, as Tippi is scalped and her daughter Melanie Griffith mauled by the wild-animal extras who turn out to be the real stars of this nutcase action film.
5 WIENER-DOG (Todd Solondz) The funniest dog movie since Godard’s Goodbye to Language. Nasty, blunt, rude, and full of hideous surprises.
Noel Marshall, Roar, 1981, 35 mm, color, sound, 102 minutes. Hank (Noel Marshall) and Madelaine (Tippi Hedren).
6 ELLE (Paul Verhoeven) Do daughters of mass murderers like to get raped? In France they sometimes do, and only Isabelle Huppert could play this hetero-deviant, Claude-Chabrol-meets-Radley-Metzger character with feminist dignity. Isn’t she the best actress in the whole wide world?
7 JULIETA (Pedro Almodóvar) If Hitchcock had actually understood women, might he not have made this serious and absolutely stunning hellodrama about female longing and loneliness? Rossy de Palma is back, too. Yay!
8 LIKE CATTLE TOWARDS GLOW (Dennis Cooper and Zac Farley) Arty teenage death, Gallic rimming, and a maddening passion for punk penises make this Eric Rohmer–like porno a real French tickler for the fucked-up literary set.
9 VALLEY OF LOVE (Guillaume Nicloux) Yep, it’s her again. Isabelle Huppert and the fattest Gérard Depardieu you’ve ever seen team up as parents in Death Valley, searching for some kind of mystical message from their son who has just committed suicide. Even dead Pasolini would love this film.
10 A QUIET PASSION (Terence Davies) The grim curse of Emily Dickinson’s poetic talent has never been shown with such depressing clarity. If you can’t enjoy suffering along with her, you should be dead too.
John Waters has already left on an eighteen-city tour for his spoken-word show A John Waters Christmas.
This is a complimentary article. Subscribe to access the rest of the issue and our online archives. |
This post has been corrected.
All-male speaker lineups are so commonplace that there’s at least one Tumblr blog dedicated to mocking them (with a David Hasselhoff meme, no less). The endless stream of them can leave a thinking person overwhelmed and perhaps even convinced that they’re inevitable.
If you find yourself in this camp, help is on the way. Enter mathematician Greg Martin, who has presented an ingenious statistical probability analysis that even amateurs like me can(well, mostly) understand. Working with a “conservative” assumption that 24% of PhDs in mathematics have been granted to women over the last 25 years, he finds that it’s overwhelmingly improbable that a speakers’ lineup including one woman and 19 men could be random.
His explanation of the formula is a rollicking one involving marbles and a potentially suspicious roommate, and you which you can read here. The underrepresentation of women on speakers’ lists doesn’t “just happen,” despite many conference organizers’ claim that it does.
If you do the math, as Martin has, the argument that speakers are chosen without bias simply doesn’t hold up. In fact, when using the formula to analyze the speakers’ list for a mathematics conference—which featured just one woman and 19 men—he found that it would be eighteen times as likely for women to be overrepresented on the speakers’ list than to be so underrepresented.
The formula can just as easily be applied to other fields; all that’s needed is reliable data on the field’s gender distribution, which can usually be gathered by way of industry associations and/or government statistics (pdf).
I spoke with Martin about his analysis, its implications and whether it might finally convince conference organizers to stop making excuses for their underrepresentation of women.
What prompted you to calculate the statistical probability of all-male speakers’ lists?
While I’d love to claim it was my idea originally, that’s not the case—I came across a Conference Diversity Distribution Calculator by Aanand Prasad on the web. Prasad further credits inspiration for the idea to comments by Dave Wilkinson and Paul Battley.
As a side note, following Prasad’s links to those comments leads to two web pages—this one and this one—concerning tech conferences within the last three years that were criticized for inviting men almost exclusively; reading the rest of those comment threads reveals how truly dismissive and defensive people get when gender disparity is pointed out. Sadly, we still have a long way to go.
If I understand your conclusion correctly, the odds of having zero women speakers at a math conference are next to none.
If conference speakers were being chosen by a system that treated gender fairly (which is to say, gender was never a factor at all), then in any conference with over 10 speakers, say, it would be extremely rare to have no female speakers at all—less than 5% chance, depending on one’s assumption about the percentage of women in mathematics as a whole.
Turning that statement around, we conclude that any such conference without any female speakers must have come into being in a system that does not treat gender fairly.
So then why do so many STEM events still have so few women at the front of the room?
There are many possible reasons why a STEM event might have vanishingly few women among its speakers. Outright sexism and misogyny are rare these days (I hope!), but it still happens. Much more common, I believe, is that all of us carry implicit biases—internal prejudices, difficult to detect in any individual instance, against the idea that women can excel in science and math. These biases have been shown to literally alter our perception of women in STEM fields, so that we evaluate them as being less accomplished as men with identical CVs. This (unintentionally) unfair evaluation of women by conference organizers, together with the psychological tendency to first call to mind stereotypical representatives of categories (for example, male mathematicians), lead them to come up with speaker lists consisting disproportionately of male speakers.
Unless we consciously try to observe the gender composition at conferences, the same biases cause us not to even notice that there are far too few women to be the result of a fair process; and so the injustice is perpetuated.
In the technology sector, there’s an almost evangelical adherence to the religion of meritocracy, no matter how many studies come out proving that we all have unconscious biases—and therefore, so do the structures and processes we create (like job postings, university programs and calls for speakers). Is that true in the math world? What would you tell event organizers who argue that they’re not trying for a random selection of speakers, but are simply choosing the best (however that’s measured)?
The idea of meritocracy is very much a part of mathematical culture—both that meritocracy is the desired state of our discipline and (more implicitly) that it is also the state of our discipline in practice. Unfortunately, as the aforementioned research into implicit bias shows, in practice we are not really that good at fairly evaluating people’s success independent of cultural prejudices like gender (and ethnicity and age and affiliation…).
When addressing an event organizer (or anyone) who on meritocratic grounds opposes paying attention to gender, the crucial step is to draw explicit attention to their underlying assumption: they are assuming that the current system is purely meritocratic in practice, and that efforts to introduce gender into the decision-making is necessarily an addition of unfairness. Helping someone learn by presenting them with the truth, after all, will never work if they already have a conflicting falsity in their minds.
So I think it is important to assert explicitly that the current system, in practice, is flawed and systematically biased, and that efforts to introduce gender into the decision-making is actually a subtraction of unfairness—an effort to bring reality closer to the theoretical meritocracy we all desire.
One of the more compelling points you make in your analysis is that if speakers’ lists were truly selected without bias, we would be 18 times more likely to see an overrepresentation of women speakers than an underrepresentation. Have you ever seen a speakers’ list (at an event not geared specifically towards women, that is) that leaned heavily in favor of women?
That’s a great question, and I do not remember ever being in that situation—being at a conference where over one third, say, of the speakers have been women, much less over half (depending on how one interprets “leaned heavily”).
The January Joint Meetings of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America tend to have a decently large percentage of women speakers, between 25% and 30%. However, there are internal stratifications in place: the more prestigious a speaking position or session is, and the more it is associated with hardcore mathematical research, the smaller the percentage of women speakers.
There is also a significant correlation of the gender composition of a session’s speakers with the presence of one or more women on its organizing committee—these sessions have nearly twice as many female speakers on average.
It’s therefore important for us to realize that implicit bias doesn’t just affect sheer numbers of speakers, it also affects whether we select them for, say, keynote spots or supporting roles.
How do you hope people will use your statistical probability formula?
In my mind, using this sort of calculation has limited effectiveness as a proactive tool. Changing from the real-life situation to a probabilistic model is quite an imperfect process, and people can rightly criticize details of that change to the point where the underlying message is obscured. However, when people choose to resist the idea of gender inequity based on probabilistic statements (“having few women just happens by chance”), then they’re the ones holding out the petard to be hoisted by. I like the idea of using this probabilistic tool in response to such statements—”Ah, well, if you are going to suggest that probability is the right way to examine the situation, let’s see how that works out for you…!”
Correction: A previous version of this post stated that when Greg used his formula to analyze speakers at a math conference, women would be five times overrepresented. A previous version also stated that it is statistically impossible for a speaker lineup to contain 19 men and one women and be random. |
With a strong vision of who the initial audience is, we sought to design a brand, UI and UX that had some personality and uniqueness to it. We wanted it to be something that catches your eye the first time you use it. Something with consideration for the small details. Something that doesn’t come across as timid, but instead portrays enough confidence to reinvent the rules of an entire industry.
The initial audience of OpenBazaar is primarily made up of tech savvy individuals, Bitcoin addicts and independent creators (artists, designers, musicians, authors, homemade food & drink producers, gamers, entertainers, hand-crafters, ex-eBayers and so on).
Name
One of the most common mistakes I’ve seen in regards to the OpenBazaar branding is the misspelling of the name.
INCORRECT USAGE
Open Bazaar (no space please) Openbazaar (the b should be capitalized) OpenBizaar (umm)
CORRECT USAGE
OpenBazaar (one word with a capitalized O and capitalized B)
Logo & Identity
The OpenBazaar logo has recently gone through some light cosmetic changes. We love the tent, but it had a few issues that we wanted to clean up.
Old logo (do not use)
The flag didn’t render well on light backgrounds. The flaps of the opening weren’t proportioned correctly. The colors could be simplified.
So we gave it a slight overhaul to correct the problems
The updated OpenBazaar logo
I ask everyone to please use the new logo going forward. If you need a copy of the logo, I’ve uploaded it to Github.
Martijn enjoying his brand new OpenBazaar shirt with the refreshed logo :)
Colors
Color 1
HEX: #063753
RBG: 6,55,84
Color 2
HEX: #215175
RBG: 33,81,117
Color 3
HEX: #106DA3
RBG: 16,109,163
Color 4
HEX: #327EB8
RBG: 50,126,184
Characteristics
The branding of OpenBazaar possesses 3 main characteristics:
Confidence
OpenBazaar doesn’t second guess itself. It’s providing a new ability to each and every person in the world, entirely for free. With any major social movement or technical advancement, confidence plays a major role in its success, and OpenBazaar is no exception. OpenBazaar is here to make trade free for all, and it’s going to be clear and direct in its path to doing so. Intelligence
Doing things that are “good enough” isn’t what OpenBazaar stands for. Every piece of content, every element within the UI and every new feature that rolls out will be crafted with thought and care for the community of users. The tools we’ve had available over the last decade to conduct trade online are not “good enough”, they’re too expensive, too limiting, difficult to configure, and they’re not delightful to use. Mysterious
Playing off the name of the project and the reality of an open market, OpenBazaar embraces who it is and what it stands for by layering mysterious elements into the branding. The colors are a bit bolder, the listings are unfiltered and the UI interactions are more edgy, which is all by design to leave the audience constantly wondering what is around the corner.
To summarize, OpenBazaar isn’t the kid sitting in front of the classroom raising their hand begging to be called on to earn yet another gold star. It’s the kid in the back of the classroom that understands the architectural problems of the school system and makes it a life mission to build a better platform for everyone.
Thanks for reading
If you have any questions about the branding of OpenBazaar or how it will evolve in the future, feel free to post a comment below.
In the next OpenBazaar in Detail article, I’ll be diving deeper into “Pages”.
And, if you haven’t tried OpenBazaar yet, Download today!
Mike Wolf (@thee_wolf)
UX / Design Lead @ OpenBazaar |
Hey folks, the Short Time Wrestling Podcast is now available as a standalone app for your Apple iOS devices and Android platforms. That's right, go to www.mattalkonline.com/iosapp to download the FREE app for your iPhone or iPad and if you want to head over to the Google Play store and get the app for your Android devices, go to www.mattalkonline.com/androidapp.
On Episode 151 of the Short Time Wrestling Podcast, we catch up with two-time NCAA wrestling champion Johny Hendricks as he prepares for his upcoming fight at UFC 185 in Dallas against UFC veteran Matt Brown.
We're also running a special promotion in conjunction with Team Takedown. If you buy a shirt from www.johnyhendricks.com between now and fight night, you'll be entered into a drawing to win a pair of autographed Johny Hendricks fight gloves.
We get to the origination of the spelling of his nickname, which believe it or not, comes from World of Warcraft. We'll also talk about how he's been managing his weight and now working again with Kenny Monday. Hendricks looks back at fights with Robbie Lawler and Georges St. Pierre and how those two losses continue to drive him.
Hendricks talks about his days at Oklahoma State and how he had to embrace the bad guy image and how much easier it is now for him to simply be himself. He also addresses the thought of a fight with Ben Askren and we get to the bottom of the alleged All-Star Classic bout that never happened. There's also quite a twist.
SUBSCRIBE TO SHORT TIME
iTunes | Stitcher | Spreaker | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | SoundCloud | RSS
And if you haven't already, head to www.mattalkonline.com/getshorttime to leave a rating and a review on iTunes.
The Short Time Time Wrestling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Flipswrestling. Share your attitude and be heard at Flipswrestling.com. |
MUNICH/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday a Syria ceasefire plan was more likely to fail than succeed, as Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes took rebel ground near Aleppo and set their sights on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province.
International divisions over Syria surfaced anew at a Munich conference where Russia rejected French charges that it was bombing civilians, just a day after world powers agreed on the “cessation of hostilities” due to begin in a week’s time.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reiterated accusations that Russia was hitting “legitimate opposition groups” and civilians with its bombing campaign in Syria and said Moscow must change its targets to respect the ceasefire deal.
The conflict, reshaped by Russia’s intervention last September, has gone into an even higher gear since the United Nations sought to revive peace talks. These were suspended earlier this month in Geneva before they got off the ground.
Turkish forces shelled Kurdish YPG militia targets near the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Saturday, Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, demanding that the group withdraw from land it recently captured.
The United States urged both Turkey and the Syrian Kurds to step back and focus instead on tackling the “common threat” of Islamic State militants who control large parts of Syria.
The Syrian army looked poised to advance into the Islamic State-held province of Raqqa for the first time since 2014, apparently to pre-empt any move by Saudi Arabia to send ground forces into Syria to fight the jihadist insurgents.
A Syrian military source said the army captured positions at the provincial border between Hama and Raqqa in the last two days and intends to advance further.
“It is an indication of the direction of coming operations towards Raqqa. In general, the Raqqa front is open ... starting in the direction of the Tabqa area,” the source said.
Tabqa is the location of an air base captured by Islamic State two years ago, and the source said the army had moved to within 35 km (20 miles) of the base.
The cessation of hostilities deal agreed by major powers falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the warring parties - the government and rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad in a five-year war that has killed at least 250,000 people.
If its forces retake Aleppo and seal the Turkish border north of the city, Damascus would deal a crushing blow to the insurgents who were on the march until Russia intervened, shoring up Assad’s rule and paving the way to the current reversal of rebel fortunes.
Russia has said it will keep bombing Islamic State and the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, which in many areas of western Syria fights government forces in close proximity to insurgents deemed moderates by Western states.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, asked at a security conference in Munich on Saturday to assess the chances of the cessation of hostilities deal succeeding, replied: “49 percent.”
Asked the same question, his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier put the odds at 51 percent.
The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, caused the world’s worst humanitarian emergency and attracted recruits to Islamist militancy from around the world.
Assad, backed on the ground by Iranian combatants and Lebanon’s Hezbollah in addition to big power ally Russia, is showing no appetite for a negotiated ceasefire. He said this week that the government’s goal was to recapture all of Syria, though he said this could take time.
The U.S. government said Assad was “deluded” if he thought there was a military solution to the conflict.
Syrian state television announced the army and allied militia had on Saturday captured the village of al-Tamura overlooking rebel terrain northwest of Aleppo.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported advances in the same area, adding that Russian jets had hit three rebel-held towns near the Turkish border.
Government offensives around Aleppo have sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards the Turkish border.
ISLAMIC STATE TARGETED
Islamic State, driven by the goal of expanding its “caliphate” rather than reforming Syria - the original goal of the opposition when the conflict began as an unarmed street uprising in 2011 - is being targeted in separate campaigns by a U.S.-led alliance and Assad’s government with Russian air support. Regional Kurdish forces supported by Washington are also fighting Islamic State in Raqqa province.
Gulf states that want Assad gone from power have said they would be willing to send in troops as part of any U.S.-led ground attack against Islamic State. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send commandos to help recapture Raqqa.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was reported as saying Saudi Arabia will send aircraft to Turkey’s Incirlik air base to support the air campaign against Islamic State in Syria.
“Saudi Arabia is now sending planes to Turkey, to Incirlik. They came and carried out inspections at the base,” Cavusoglu told the Yeni Safak newspaper, adding it was unclear how many planes would come and that the Saudis might also send soldiers.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday in Munich there was no need to scare anyone with a ground operation in Syria.
Stalls are seen on a street beside damaged buildings in the rebel held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, February 10, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail
Two Syrian rebel commanders told Reuters on Friday insurgents had been sent “excellent quantities” of Grad rockets with a range of 20 km (12 miles) by foreign backers in recent days to help confront the Russian-backed offensive in Aleppo.
Foreign opponents of Assad including Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been supplying vetted rebel groups with weapons via a Turkey-based operations centre.
Some of these groups have received military training overseen by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The vetted groups have been a regular target of the Russian air strikes. |
We've seen it in science-fiction books and movies before — the urban dystopia where living space has shrunk to almost nothing to house a teeming humanity. Now it seems to be here... or at least scheduled for 2011.
The loft — already a compact, efficient living arrangement that eschews most luxury — is being replaced in some places, including one city in windy, wide-open Canada, by the even more austere micro-loft. Soon you can live like Larry Niven's Louis Grindley Wu (in Ringworld Engineers), who could see both doors to his apartment from his chair.
Advertisement
That's the news in a new post at Core77, which says that Vancouver — a progressive, green city that also has some of the highest rents in the world even before Olympic madness — could lead the way.
And of course, as Thomas Malthus warned us two centuries ago, it could take off from there: "In a problem spreading across the globe," the post says," the population is outstripping the available space."
It's another step in a trend — mass produced faux-Tuscan mini-mansions be damned — toward more compact living: The micro-lofts should be ready to roll next year.
Explains Core77:
Although the comedian Ricky Gervais is now fabulously wealthy, in one of his sets he recalls how, as a poor unknown, he and his girlfriend shared a London flat so small that he could open the refrigerator whilst still in bed. In Tokyo I saw similarly tiny apartments, where you would open the front door and hit the bed; and New York's East Village spawns, among other trends, some of the tiniest rabbit-hutch apartments you'll ever see.
Advertisement
(Here's another report on CTV News.)
A developer has just unveiled 270-square foot apartments with Murphy beds, folding kitchen and built-in shelving and flatscreen TVs. (One bit of advice: Windows.)
Besides Ringworld Engineers, what other scifi books or films does this remind us of? |
At Zero Otto Nove, a stalwart trattoria in the Bronx, Mr. Bloomberg sought to pre-empt criticism by citing statistics showing an uptick in restaurant revenue and a reduction in salmonella infections since the grading system began in 2010. He denounced critics as “people that complain because they don’t want to keep their restaurants clean.”
“They think it’s O.K. to have mice and roaches and dirt and not have people wash their hands before they come back from the bathroom,” the mayor said, his voice rising. “That’s just simply unacceptable, and their complaints are going to fall on deaf ears, I can tell you that. We’re not going to change.”
The Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, who is rarely at odds with the mayor, later offered a firm, if measured, rejoinder.
“The mayor is appropriate to defend the idea of a grading system; I defend the idea of a grading system,” Ms. Quinn said in an interview. “I also have to respond when I’ve heard this many complaints from constituents.”
“All I want to make sure is that the grades really tell the true story, and they do it in a way that doesn’t overly or inconsistently fine,” she added.
For health officials, the Council’s hearing came at an inopportune moment. The New York Post reported over the weekend that Per Se, consistently rated among the city’s best restaurants, had avoided a “B” grade with a telephone call to a city official, in which the restaurant successfully argued that the inspection report had contained errors.
City Hall officials quickly pointed out that several dozen restaurants, of varying degrees of prestige, had taken the same route to contest alleged violations and avoid a protracted adjudication process. Mr. Bloomberg, at his news conference on Tuesday, referred to any suggestion of undue influence as “an outrage.”
Photo
“It’s just so unfair,” the mayor said. “No wonder sometimes it’s just so hard for everybody to keep working in this city and trying to do what’s right.”
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
About 72 percent of restaurants have an “A” grade, and Mr. Bloomberg noted that an imperfect rating was not necessarily a reason to avoid a restaurant: he said he had continued patronizing a coffee shop near his Upper East Side town house despite its recent drop from an “A” to a “B.”
The health department has been spot-checking restaurants for safety and sanitary issues for decades, but the unappetizing findings — a roach in the kitchen, unrefrigerated, raw food — were published only in hard-to-find documents, and fines for violations were often quietly paid, with the consumer none the wiser.
Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters.
Mr. Bloomberg and Ms. Quinn agreed on Tuesday that the grading system provided diners with more access to information, but some restaurant owners argued that the grading system was far too blunt and was frequently based on relatively minor issues.
“It could be a cracked toilet cover; it could be a gap around a pipe,” said Peter Hansen, the director of operations at Benchmarc Restaurants, which owns several expensive dining establishments in the city.
“But,” Mr. Hansen added, “what your customer is thinking is: old tuna.”
Elizabeth Meltz, who oversees food safety at Mario Batali’s Italian restaurants, said that she supported a grading system and that it could improve public health.
But, echoing other restaurant workers, she said some city health inspectors seemed inconsistent in their standards, asking about certain elements of the kitchen on some visits and not on others. Sometimes, the inspectors appeared unfamiliar with complex dishes like terrine and kimchi, Ms. Meltz said, and on one occasion, she believed that an inspector was disrespectful to her because of her gender.
“There can be a lack of ability to communicate whatever expertise they may or may not have,” Ms. Meltz said. “I’m all for the grading system. If we could help the health department get the inspectors that they need and deserve, it should work for everybody.”
Ms. Meltz said she wished inspectors and restaurant workers better understood each other’s needs. “Inspectors could come in and dine, and see what our food is like, and why our antipasti are at room temperature,” she suggested. “And a couple of our sous chefs could take a week of the inspectors’ courses, to see how they inspect, so it’s not this guessing game.”
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
In the case of James, which serves artisanal American cuisine on the ground floor of a Prospect Heights brownstone, one of the reasons for its “B” rating was the lack of a ventilating fan in an employee bathroom.
“The bathroom was well ventilated, and I tried to explain that to the inspector, but I guess the law’s the law,” said Bryan Calvert, the chef and one of the owners of the restaurant, who later installed a fan.
Mr. Calvert, who said he prided himself on employing a highly trained staff, said that he missed the “A” cutoff by one or two points, and that he was disheartened when he initially received the lower grade.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “We definitely had people who would ask, ‘What happened?’ ” |
The defensive end, who broke his leg after playing in 10 games during the 2007 Super Bowl season, was optimistic this injury would subside with time and he could resume playing again this season.
The Kiwanuka move was made so the Giants could sign kick returner Will Blackmon.
Kiwanuka, 27, said he will remain with the Giants until his contract expires at the end of the season. Depending on what transpires with the collective bargaining agreement, Kiwanuka will be looking for a new contract and possibly an opportunity to start at defensive end. The Giants have starters Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. Rookie Jason Pierre-Paul is also waiting for a chance.
"Like I said before, I felt like, given enough time, I could've made it back this season, but it's the nature of the business," Kiwanuka said in a statement. "The Giants had to move on, and I had to be OK with it. Regardless of what happens to me as an individual, I'm definitely still going to work with the Giants organization throughout the term of my contract."
It seemed inevitable Kiwanuka's season would end on IR. Kiwanuka hasn't played since the team's loss to Tennessee in the third week of the season.
He led the team in sacks through the first three games with four while thriving in Perry Fewell's new system at defensive end and linebacker. But days before the Giants' win over Chicago, he was diagnosed with a bulging disk in his neck, a similar injury to the one that ended Antonio Pierce's season and career.
Kiwanuka spent much of this past month seeing various doctors. It was after a recent visit to spine specialist Robert Watkins that Kiwanuka's injury was diagnosed as a herniated disk, instead of a bulging disk, meaning it had ruptured. But Kiwanuka said doctors told him his disk will heal on its own without surgery due to the slight degree of the herniation and the alignment of his spine. It just requires time.
"I want to avoid surgery," he said. "The consensus is that if I take the proper amount of time off, there is a very good chance that it'll heal on its own. That's what the goal is right now. If it doesn't happen, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Regardless of whether or not it requires surgery, I'll still be back by the opening of training camp."
Kiwanuka is one of Tom Coughlin's favorite players and the head coach said he wants to see the defensive end stay with the Giants next season. Kiwanuka has been one of the team's most selfless players. He switched positions from defensive end to linebacker and back to defensive end. He also played special teams in the past.
"We held out hope as long as we could," Coughlin said. "Finally, by consensus, the doctors came to this decision. You have to make the right choice and the decision was made that he could not play again this season. My concern is for Mathias. He loves the game, he loves to play, he's proven his versatility this year beyond any question. He's given great effort and he has proven that he is a team player. I feel badly for Mathias because I know how important playing the game of football is to him. Let's get him healthy, back on the field, playing for the New York Giants."
Now the Giants move on without their 2006 first-round pick, who was a valuable chess piece in Fewell's schemes. Umenyiora will have to continue his torrid pace. Since Kiwanuka has been out, Umenyiora has seven sacks and six forced fumbles.
"We had to change a little bit when Kiwi went out," Fewell said on Wednesday when asked about how much he had to change schematically without Kiwanuka. "Kiwi is a special kind of guy, so we looked around and we searched for some guys to take over those roles and we have some guys that can assume that role, but not play it like Kiwi plays it, so that's a special little deal."
The Giants have used three safeties on the field quite a bit and safety Deon Grant sometimes lines up at linebacker. Linebacker Keith Bulluck's recent return from a toe injury helps and Fewell will need Pierre-Paul, who was drafted in the first round as a luxury, to continue his progress. Pierre-Paul doesn't have a sack yet but he has impressed coaches with his play on defense and special teams.
"He is making progress for us and we want to get him more involved and he will become more involved," Fewell said. "It just depends on how much more he can handle and execute. So the more he can take on and execute, the more we'll give him. It's up to him."
Blackmon, who played the past four seasons for the Packers, will come in and immediately compete for the kick- and punt-returning duties. Darius Reynaud, who was acquired in the Sage Rosenfels preseason trade from Minnesota, has been a disappointment. Reynaud is averaging 18.4 yards per kick return and just 5.9 yards per punt return.
"Blackmon had a very good workout for us and showed that he has recovered nicely from a serious knee injury," Reese said of Kiwanuka's former Boston College teammate who played in just three games last year due to an ACL injury. "We expect him to get into the mix quickly on special teams. He has experience and production as a return specialist and cover specialist. He also has played both safety and corner, which gives us some flexibility there as well."
Kiwanuka is looking forward to reuniting with his college buddy.
"It's tough, because we were a couple of weeks away from playing together again," Kiwanuka said. "He got his papers from Green Bay, I was excited and heard there was a chance that he might come here, so I've been talking him up around the locker room. Man, he's a great player. I told everybody he's definitely the most talented and gifted athlete that I ever played football with, hands down. He made the switch from DB to wide receiver [in college] and didn't miss a beat, and obviously he is a very talented return guy, too. He can do it all."
Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter |
The girl who wasn’t supposed to be there, Annie Kennedy, has been named to the national under-18 women’s rugby team despite not originally being invited to the tryouts.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to make it because I was under-sized, I felt like the underdog,” Kennedy said Saturday. “Then I got the email and I couldn’t believe it.”
On Feb. 16, Rugby Canada announced that Kennedy and 23 other athletes were named to Canada’s under-18 women’s team. The group will travel to the United Kingdom for a tour, including two games against England’s national under-18 team at the beginning of April. Kennedy was also named to the Ontario Junior Storm Sevens, the provincial team that will compete in the National Under-18 Sevens Championships Tournament starting Thursday in Vancouver.
“The rugby aspect of the England tour is what I’m most excited for,” Kennedy said. “I’ve played with a ton of the girls that are on the Canada team right now, and I just love them all. It’ll be great to spend a week with them.”
Little did the 18-year-old fly half-turned-scrum half know that making a responsible choice in the spring of 2015 could have delayed her rugby career. Planning ahead for an easier courseload in her senior year at Regiopolis-Notre Dame in order to train and compete more, Kennedy attended summer school. This prevented her from being seen by scouts at major summer tournaments with the eastern Ontario team, the Ontario team and the Kingston Panthers. So she was overlooked and wasn’t added to the long list of athletes invited to the October tryouts.
Hearing the news, Brad Greenwood — Kennedy’s coach with Regiopolis, the Panthers club team and the eastern Ontario team — knew he had to do something.
“I called (national coach Dan Valley) and said, ‘I think you’re missing a premier rugby athlete from our area,’ and I wanted to know what we could do to get her into the trials to give her a shot,” Greenwood said. “I knew that Annie was a quality athlete, and I knew she would show well at a trial like that. She’s a good player … for me it was just getting her the opportunity to show her skills and she would have to do the rest from there.”
So with her videographers, better known as mom Lorraine and big sister Grace, Kennedy created a highlight reel. When Valley saw it, he knew he had to invite her.
“It’s pretty cool how it played out for her,” Valley said. “It was a pretty easy decision to invite her out to the tryout camps. Then she performed exceptionally well, and she’s done a lot of work in between those camps, and so I’m really excited for her. She certainly deserves the opportunity. She has a pretty cool career ahead of her hopefully.”
Many of the segments of the highlight reel, Valley said, showed Kennedy playing against high school athletes who were strong, but certainly not at a national calibre.
“I was really impressed how her strengths were able to transfer over so seamlessly,” Valley said. “She was still able to make people miss, and these were some really, really talented athletes. She was able to show them things they may or may not have experienced before, which was really interesting to watch.”
She may have been interesting, but Kennedy said she was nervous.
“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Kennedy said. “The first day was so tiring. I remember the first day (Valley) said he wanted us to get violent with each other. So it just all got thrown at us.”
When Kennedy started playing rugby in Grade 9, high school coach Maria Kerby had her at the wing that year because she was so fast. As the years went on, Kennedy’s confidence in the game grew and she was moved further inside and closer to the decision making.
“She’s a very quick thinker, a split-second decision maker,” Kerby said. “Depending on the position she’s playing, if she’s fly half she’s basically deciding what play the team is going to run and reading the defence and making those game-time decisions.
“But she’s also crazy fast. So we also like to get her out running with the ball because she’s a hard runner and she’s hard to tackle.”
Because of Kennedy’s skills, Valley isn’t sure where he is going to put her on the field. She’s a scrum half/fly half hybrid who is able to play both positions.
“Annie is quite interesting,” Valley said. “But on this tour I feel comfortable with her running out of any of the back positions to be totally honest … Annie’s skill-set lends itself really nicely to playing in any of those positions, which is rare. You don’t often have the ability to perform in each of them. Two or three maybe, but she could play in any of them.”
At five-foot-three, Kennedy admits she’ll need to spend some more time in the gym to add some weight. Valley agrees, especially if Kennedy would like to some day be on the senior women’s team.
“Given her size, she doesn’t win the battle of physics all that often. Fortunately she makes up for it being quite strong and constantly improving technically,” Valley said. “But she’ll need to add a little bit of muscle to the frame in order to continue on this trajectory.”
Greenwood said it goes beyond rugby ability with Kennedy.
“She’s a quality individual and just a nice kid,” Greenwood said. “I’m happy this has happened for her.”
Despite being a group of athletes that will represent Canada in England, the team is pay-to-play. That means Kennedy and her teammates need to pay $3,500 apiece to represent their country. Thankfully, the team is able to raise funds online. To help Kennedy travel, go to donate.rugbycanada.ca/e/akennedy.
The under-18 Canadian women’s team will play in England on April 5 and April 9. Kickoff times and streaming details have yet to be announced. For more information, go to rugbycanada.ca.
[email protected]
Twitter.com/StephattheWhig |
Thirty-two years ago this month an explosive eruption reshaped Mount Saint Helens in a matter of seconds. An earthquake under the volcano in Washington State on May 18, 1980, triggered the largest landslide in recorded history as billions of cubic meters of mountainside tumbled away, initiating a massive release of gas, lava and ash. The cataclysm killed 57 people and sent a plume some 20 kilometers into the sky.
The 1980 eruption was not totally unexpected. For the two months prior, earthquakes and steam explosions had rattled the mountain, and the north slope of the volcano had noticeably swelled outward. But interpreting just what was happening beneath the mountain to cause those shudders and belches was not possible.
Now a team in England and Germany has linked the seismic record from that era to magmatic processes beneath Mount Saint Helens by closely examining crystallized minerals formed in the volcano's innards just before eruption.
In a study appearing in the May 25 issue of Science, the researchers report that crystals of the silicate mineral orthopyroxene from 1980 and from subsequent eruptions trace various injections of magma, as well as other chemical changes, within the bowels of the volcano.
The crystals contain concentric rings of differing chemical composition. Some orthopyroxene crystals, for instance, have a magnesium-rich core surrounded by an iron-rich rim; others have an iron-rich core and a magnesium-rich rim. Each type of crystal zonation can record the conditions of the magma reservoir from which it emerged.
"We chemically fingerprint each of those zones to determine how they formed," says lead study author Kate Saunders, a volcanologist of the University of Bristol in England. The outer rim of an orthopyroxene crystal, she says, represents the most recent stage of crystal formation and typically grew just months before the crystal’s emergence in volcanic ejecta. That allowed the researchers to make precise estimates of when, and how, the crystals acquired their chemical forms. "Mount Saint Helens is really good—because the samples, we know exactly when they erupted," Saunders says.
In several cases, a flurry of crystallization matched up well with internal activity at the volcano, as inferred from seismic records. For instance, crystals with iron-rich rims increased in number in the weeks and months leading up to the May 1980 eruption, as earthquakes shook the mountain with low-frequency seismic waves. Such long-period quakes, Saunders says, are characteristic of magma giving off gas. "Previously it's been reported that iron-rich rims on orthopyroxene are due to changes in the water content of the magma, so it makes sense that if we've got degassing or fluxion of water or CO2 through the system, we may get more iron-rich rims," she says. Other crystals with magnesium-rich rims seem to mark an influx of hot magma from deep reservoirs just before eruption.
Those events are also captured in the seismic record, but the root cause of the tremors is not always clear from seismology alone. That is where the crystals can provide important corroboration—or critical insight into ancient eruptions, for which seismic records do not exist. In the case of Mount Saint Helens, the study's authors "are providing fairly convincing arguments that the periods of enhanced seismicity are related to inputs of magma," says Timothy Druitt, a volcanologist at Blaise Pascal University in Clermont–Ferrand, France. "Just because you've got seismicity doesn't mean you've got magma intruding at depth," he adds. "They're providing evidence that that's probably what happened. If you can establish that, then that helps you better interpret your seismicity.”
Even though crystals from volcanic ejecta can only offer a window into past eruptive behavior, researchers hope that studying such minerals will provide a clearer picture of volcanic behavior overall. "We can't get at the rocks until after they've erupted, but the more we know about a volcano and how it behaves, the better we can anticipate future eruptions," Saunders says. "We can see inside, we can see what's happened in the past and, hopefully, predict what's going to happen in the future." |
Rockhounds follow lessons out in the wild, wilderness, desert and forest that are also valuable in the city. Rockhounds know to bring their own bags, backpacks, saddle bags or pouches with their gear, and also with their finds consisting of gems, minerals, fossils and other stones. For me, this also applies when I am out here in New York City. I bring a backpack, side-bag or saddle bag when I leave the apartment because I am a collector. Like most rockhounds, we are collectors, as well as adventurers and discoverers.
Hence, and the purpose and motivation of this essay, I find myself bothered when I buy a can of soda, or a few items from the grocery store, and the clerk insists on putting the items in a plastic bag. Even when I am carrying my rockhound bag, which is a Fred Perry airline bag, the stores in New York City automatically put your can of soda, or packet of peanuts even into a plastic bag! So now when I walk up to a counter, the first words I speak are “No bag please.” I have recently found myself saying, when asked “Do you want a bag?,” “No thank you. That would be such a waste.”
Now Joe and I have each, respectively been to Vietnam, but when I was there, a Vietnamese tour guide said to me that the plastic bag was the white man’s curse on his country. I saw that in Vietnam as well. We were on tours out in the Vietnamese forests, walking for miles, and then we would walk past a plastic bag, the same type of plastic bag passed out with every transaction in New York City.
The plastic bag is everyone’s curse on the environment here in America as well. New York City streets are littered with them, the trash cans are disproportionately filled with them, and the landfills will continue to grow in area with plastic bags.
American Geode is bothered by the amount of plastic bags that litter our forests and our cities. We hope that all readers will share this essay, follow our example to #banthebag, and refuse a plastic bag during your next shopping excursion, and treat every excursion like a rockhounding excursion, and carry your own bag!
For the most up to date events, check out our Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Newswire. |
The Journal Communications building (left) and the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena properties are believed to be the first choice site for a new Milwaukee Bucks arena. One of the team’s new co-owners said Saturday that a new arena could generate $500 million to $1 billion in private investment downtown. Credit: Mike De Sisti
By of the
Wes Edens, one of the new co-owners of the Milwaukee Bucks, has seen what a new arena can do to rejuvenate downtowns in many midsize American cities.
And that's what he and his new ownership group have in mind for Milwaukee.
"The reality is you can go visit Pittsburgh, you can visit what's proposed for Sacramento, what exists in Los Angeles, and get a very tangible picture of what a vibrant downtown means," Edens said. "These centers can act as a real meeting place for people to come back and connect. It's not just a good idea, it's imperative if we are going to be successful in Milwaukee."
For the first time since he and his partners bought the Bucks for $550 million in April, Edens on Saturday articulated the vision he and his partners have for downtown Milwaukee.
Over the next five to 10 years, Edens, fellow owners Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan and the rest of the ownership group hope to attract between $500 million to $1 billion in additional development near the arena, all privately financed, in the form of a mixed-use development that includes new, multifamily housing, retail and, down the road, office space.
For now the main focus is the arena.
Edens says he envisions an arena with a capacity of 16,500 for basketball, somewhat smaller than the typical NBA arena, and with a design that can be reconfigured for more intimate events like concerts. He envisions a plaza that would serve as a gathering place for crowds gathered for public events or celebrations.
An architect has not yet been selected, he said, nor has a site been found.
"Although we will be the main tenant, we only play there 41 games, plus preseason and playoffs," Edens said. "The other objective is that it needs to be a great venue for concerts and other entertainment.
"The best arenas have upward of 300 events a year, and that plays a huge role in generating economic activity in the surrounding area, the city and the state. We think that's very important."
Should an arena be built and new development becomes a reality, it could be another shot in the arm for downtown Milwaukee.
Right now, downtown is in the midst of a makeover, with the planned $450 million Northwestern Mutual tower, the proposed $122 million Couture apartment tower complex, and the 17-story 833 East office building under construction at 833 E. Michigan St., among others.
To help make their vision a reality, Edens brought in a friend and big hitter in New York real estate in Michael Fascitelli, the former CEO of the Vornado Realty Trust. Before working at Vornado, Fascitelli managed the real estate practice of Goldman, Sachs and Co. Vornado, Edens said, is the largest landlord in New York City.
"Mike is a very good personal friend of mine and Marc," Edens said. "He is, in my view, the most talented real estate person that I know. After we bought the Bucks, he was the first person that I reached out to."
Fascitelli is an investor in the team and is advising Edens, Lasry and Dinan in coming up with a plan for Milwaukee.
"Obviously, we have an ownership group that is committed to trying to doing something that is world class," Fascitelli said Saturday.
"Having a great arena and a great facility is necessary but hopefully not sufficient," Fascitelli said. "I think if we can accomplish revitalizing or picking up the area around it, that would be an even greater objective that Wes, Marc and I all share."
The timetable remains ambitious, Edens said.
"You know it's all happening in real time," Edens said. "Right now we are working on a site and we are cautiously optimistic we will have something there in hand sooner than later."
Edens declined to detail what site the Bucks have in mind. But sources have told the Journal Sentinel that the franchise's preferred site remains the land owned by Journal Communications, publisher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Milwaukee Theatre, or some iteration involving those properties.
If that site doesn't work out, there are other options, including land north of the BMO Harris Bradley Center, and sites near N. 4th St., and W. Wisconsin Ave., and at N. 2nd and W. Michigan streets.
Once a site is selected, Edens said, work would begin immediately on a feasibility study to determine the economics of the project.
"And then we have to have an open and earnest discussion with government about a public-private partnership and how we go about funding this," Edens said.
"Ideally, those conversations will be early next year, with design and how to finance it by next spring. That gives us a fighting chance to have the arena three years from now."
The team's goal is to have the Bucks playing in the new arena for the 2017-'18 season.
Edens is well aware of the anti-tax sentiment and push-back expected from the public to any form of public financing for an arena for a team largely controlled by deep-pocket owners.
Lasry and Edens have committed $100 million toward a new arena. Former U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl , who sold the team, has also said he would put $100 million toward an arena, and additional private investment could bring the total commitment to $300 million.
Once a financing plan is developed with more exact numbers, the right thing to do is "look at what is the appropriate way to get this done."
"If you step back, look, the team generates over the term of this arena's utilization... many tens of millions of dollars of direct tax benefits.
"While people can argue about what the impact is on the team and the community long term, you can't argue that there's not a team playing there that no one is paying taxes. That's not much of an argument."
Timing is important, too. Interest rates are low, Edens said.
"It seems likely to me there really is a constructive middle ground," he said of developing a financial plan.
"We want to build a great arena," Fascitelli added. "You do this once in a lifetime, right? We want to build a great arena with the appropriate design for what Milwaukee is. We are not going to build a spaceship, right? We will integrate the design of this arena into what we think is contextual to Milwaukee.
"That's the goal, if we can do it." |
The Los Angeles LGBT Center wants to spread the word about PrEP, and about AB 2640, a new California Bill which would educate people about PrEP and help stop the spread of HIV in California.
The bill is simple. If you test negative for HIV, you should get information about PrEP.
That simple.
AHF’s Rand Martin, however, doesn’t agree. He says that Truvada can be “toxic” and “it does have side-effects.” And if, for example, “a 45-year-old man who’s been married for 20 years, who has a fling and panics and gets tested, and is told that he should try PrEP, he’s going to be asked to be prescribed Truvada,” he says, so you are “condemning a person who should not be taking it to forever having to take this pill.”
Truvada can be as safe as aspirin, the video says, referring to a Buzzfeed article that said that “people who take Truvada, the once-a-day pill that prevents HIV, are no more at risk for dangerous side effects than those who take an aspirin a day to prevent heart attacks, according to a new study.”
Furthermore, the bill is not a mandate to anybody to prescribe anything, but instead it’s assurance that individuals who test negative will receive information about PrEP treatment.
Information can never hurt.
Dr. Robert Bolan, Medical Director of the LA LGBT Center urges for the passing of the bill, because it will save lives by “reminding medical providers” that they are also “educators.”
For more information, or to sign a petition visit lalgbtcenter.org/ab2640.
Some of the facts highlighted in the video:
California has the second highest number of new HIV infections in the nation.
Expanding HIV testing, treatment and PrEP could slash new HIV cases by 70 percent by 2020.
One in four gay men should take the pill that prevents HIV, CDC says.
Only one in ten gay/bisexual men in California have ever taken PrEP.
Black and Latino men are least likely to know about it.
One in four latino gay/bisexual men are projected to get HIV in their lifetime.
Watch the full video below: |
The perfect mashed potato alternative
From school lunchrooms to fancy steak houses, this side dish is a staple.
Well, sorta.
Introducing: cauliflower mash. It’s creamy, steamy, and savory-starch deliciousness.
Ridiculously easy. Ridiculously good.
But I think its transformation is the best part.
Mesmerized by what a simple head of cauliflower can become
“That’s cauliflower?”
Yep.
It looks and feels and tastes identical to the real thing (mash potatoes).
It’s great next to any main course. And, it’s one of those “sneaky” ways to get your pickiest eaters to eat some (non-potato) vegetables.
It’s definitely a Vitamix recipe, but an immersion blender works just fine.
I hope this cauliflower mash becomes a staple in your house as it has become one in ours.
Hugs,
Lenny
P.S. A single image cannot do this gem justice. Watch the quick vid to see why.
Here’s how to make magic by turning a cauliflower into creamy “mash potatoes” (4:05)
Recipe |
On November 9, the day after the election, Richard Dawkins sat down with comedian Julia Sweeney for a pre-planned interview at the University of Indianapolis.
Their conversation begins at the 7:20 mark with a brief venting session about the previous night… before getting into a longer conversation about science.
Even looking back on that part of the discussion, it’s appalling how those fears about Trump have manifested over the past several months. And we don’t even know the half of it. It’s frightening to think about what additional damage Republicans will do to appease the worst instincts of their ignorant base.
I haven’t had a chance to watch the entire conversation, so if any moments stand out to you, please leave a timestamp and summary in the comments. |
Chaos invaded the soccer pitch Saturday at Bartlett High, where a bizarre series of events resulted in the abrupt and premature end of a crucial boys Cook Inlet Conference match between the host Golden Bears and the Service Cougars.
When the dust finally settled, coaches and school administrators were still shaking their heads and trying to figure out what to make of a messy situation that remains unresolved.
Things began to unravel late in the first half of a scoreless match between the third-place Golden Bears and fourth-place Cougars when Service goalie Caleb VanBlankenstein was whistled for fouling Bartlett's Ryan Reid inside the penalty box. The head referee gave VanBlankenstein a yellow card and awarded Bartlett a penalty kick.
In high school soccer, players who receive a yellow card must leave the pitch for a replacement before returning. As VanBlankenstein left the field in favor of temporary replacement keeper Jacob Andrews, Service head coach Dan Rufner and assistant Brian Waite continued to loudly argue with the referee, repeatedly asking for an explanation and protesting the decision.
At that point, the ref decided he'd had enough from both men, and gave Rufner and Waite straight red cards -- which come with automatic expulsions from the match.
Rufner continued to protest for about a minute longer.
"You can't have us both out!" he yelled. "You can't have us both off the pitch, there's no supervision for kids. You pick one or the other, you can't, you can't do it. It's an ASAA rule, you can't."
Apparently tired of hearing Rufner's loudly-stated opinions about what he could or could not do, the referee then blew his whistle three times to signify the match was over.
That's when things really got ugly. Andrews aggressively ran up to the referee before being pulled away by Rufner. After receiving a red card of his own, the senior tore off his jersey and yelled profanities before breaking down in tears. His Service teammates appeared stunned, as did their counterparts on the Bartlett sideline. The head referee and two linesmen retreated to the far side of the field, leaving the participants to stand around wondering what to do next.
"I've never seen anything like this," said Rufner, who has been the Service head coach since 2002.
The head referee refused to comment or give his name to reporters. He was later identified by Anchorage Soccer Referees Association president Terry Curran as Derek Newman, who Curran said is rated as a Level 6 referee by the United States Soccer Federation.
"He is the highest ranked referee in the state," Curran said.
Curran said the officials for Saturday's match were chosen specifically because it was crucial to the league standings.
"We tend to put the best crews we can on games we know will be important," he said.
Curran said Newman reported to him after the match. It was Curran's understanding that Rufner and Waite were given red cards for taunting. Curran backed up Newman's decision.
"Not being there I obviously can't say for sure, but if things went down the way he spoke to me, I would have done exactly the same thing," he said.
Curran said that once a player or coach is given a red card, they're supposed to leave the grounds. That didn't happen in this case.
"If you're dismissed as a player or coach you must leave the area," he said.
Rufner said he and Waite's protestations were only about the call against VanBlankenstein and didn't warrant a pair of red cards.
"That's all we wanted was to explain what the foul was," said Rufner, who pointed out that neither he nor Waite used profanity or threatened the referee before being thrown out.
Curran said coaches are supposed to set an example for their players by treating the referees with respect.
"They tell us in high school ball to have very little tolerance for dissenting language," he said.
Rufner said Andrews' actions toward Newman after the game was called were unwarranted, but that they were the reaction of an emotional player in the midst of a heated situation.
"He overreacted," he said.
After things settled down, players on both teams shook hands, with no one quite sure about what the decision meant for the conference standings.
Bartlett entered the game 6-3-1, four points ahead of Service (5-4-1) in the race for third place. That's a big deal, because only the top three teams in the conference advance to the state tournament.
Many players seemed to think the halted game meant Service lost by forfeit, and Bartlett midfielder Lorenzo Froehle consoled VanBlankenstein in the post game handshake line.
"That's not how we wanted this," he told the opposing goalie.
However, it was unclear in the immediate aftermath if the game will go down as a Bartlett win or some other result. Both Rufner and Bartlett head coach Matt Froehle said they don't know what will happen next.
Service girls soccer head coach Mark Cascolan -- a 1992 Bartlett graduate -- spoke with the head referee after the game. He said a report will be made to the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA), which will determine how to handle the complicated affair.
According to the rules, Cascolan said, his understanding is the game will have to be replayed in some fashion.
"We were looking over the rule book, since it was less than a half that was played, a replay is in order," he said.
Cascolan stressed that nothing has been decided, and that ASAA will have to rule on what to do about the abandoned match.
"After ASAA reads the report from the referees, they'll make that decision," he said.
Cascolan said the situation was a new one for just about everyone who witnessed it.
"This isn't common," he said.
Everyone agreed the outcome was unfortunate, and Curran said he trusts that ASAA will make the right decision.
"I'm sure they'll make a decision that's in the best interest of the players," he said.
GIRLS
South 6, East 0
First-place South continued to roll through the CIC on Saturday, improving to 11-1 in the girls standings with a 6-0 win over East at East. |
In the early 90s, there were few better places to discover music than the used cassette section of Record Connection. At $3 a pop, this was a cost-effective method to keep your ears busy in the pre-streaming era. I managed to dig up Fugazi Repeater, Bad Religion Against the Grain and NOFX Ribbed before finally stumbling upon one that really clicked: Descendents’ I Don’t Want To Grow Up.
After my first listen, I was hooked. A single and love thirsty teenage girl, I nearly always flipped to side two and started with “Silly Girl” and fell in love with Milo before “Good Good Things” ended. I listened to him in the morning on the bus, on the way home from school and eventually in my car. Milo was the perfect counterpoint to my nerdy, somewhat angsty art girl persona. He sported the thin, bespectacled, slightly disheveled emo look long before it came into fashion. He was in a really cool band yet somehow managed to seem accessible. AND HE SANG ABOUT GIRLS.
“I think about you every night and day, and when I could have asked I let it slip away. I’ve got to get to know you, but I’m so afraid. Well it’s so hard to be a friend and be in love this way.” COME ON! How could I resist? Maybe someday, I thought, a guy like Milo would fall in love with me.
So why is my letter to you, Mr. Stevenson, and not to Milo?
Descendents are one of those bands from which I never felt compelled to disassociate myself (I’m looking at you, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy). It’s a badge of honor to be a fan. People who like Descendents like them with all their heart—not only nostalgic gals such as myself but actual punk dudes.
I’ve always wondered why that was the case, and a recent viewing of Filmage answered my question. You are the man behind the magic. It seems almost obvious that someone with your passion and energy would produce music that stayed with me for decades. You poured everything you’ve got into the music and are deserving of all your loyal fans (and particularly the one who brought you back to health). My fandom has reached new levels, and I even bought my baby girl (and a friend’s baby boy) an I Don’t Want To Grow Up onesie.
So, now that I have your attention, here’s a quick anecdote:
In 10th grade, I participated in a class trip to see Macbeth at a local playhouse. Jackie sat next to me on the bus. Jackie was captain of the soccer team, tall, thin, peppy and blonde—everything I was not. Did she want to talk? Even though I was weirdly excited someone actually wanted to sit next to me, my walkman and trusty I Don’t Want To Grow Up cassette were waiting for me.
Jackie didn’t exactly want to talk, but asked if she could listen to my music on the way back to school. Considering the contents of my walkman, I politely warned her that it might not be her thing. My warning lead to her increased curiosity so I set it up for side two (of course) and reluctantly handed it over. After side two ended, Jackie seemed a bit nonplussed and asked “Do you really like listening to stuff like that?” Perhaps she thought I was pretending in order to be different. I was not, and I’d let her into my world exactly long enough to feel exposed, embarrassed and wondering why I didn’t bring a different cassette with me. What about the Cranberries—something I enjoyed that was safe, feminine and mainstream?
I could feel my face getting red and my self-consciousness increasing by the second. Would she tell people what happened, ensuring that my classmates continued to see me as an outcast? Most likely yes, and although it stung like hell at the time, the very thing that made me an outcast as a teen makes me special(ish) now. A Milo bobblehead sat on my corporate desk for years. Everyone who came in asked who it was, and I was delighted to tell conservative men in dark blue suits all about the Descendents.
Descendents are a reminder of how happy I am to be unlike everyone else, and for that, Bill Stevenson, I owe you a great big thanks.
Much respect,
Christine
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Silly Girl
https://loveletterstorocknrolldotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/10-silly-girl.mp3
In Love This Way
https://loveletterstorocknrolldotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/11-in-love-this-way.m4a
Good Good Things
https://loveletterstorocknrolldotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/10-good-good-things.mp3 |
About
Handle Business Tax Like (And Without) A CPA
Have you ever had a skill that’s naturally easy for you, but impossible to others?
The type of skill that you probably don't even notice, until somebody says something.
And no, I'm not talking about the "Not everybody has your metabolism..." skill, I'm talking about other things...
Like fun skills, something similar to "Most Consecutive Pogo-Stick Jumps" (or hops, whatever they're called).
It's a fun skill to have, and a fun skill to show - but it's not a skill that I'd consider "needed"....just take that the good way, if you have this skill - you're unique.
But no matter how fun it is, it's never "needed" unless it's also a useful skill.
And when I say useful skill, I mean something that does everybody good - like Designing Responsive Websites.
You increase your client's sales and you get paid well for it - I'd say that's a good skill.
And it really could be anything, no need to think of it as a Nobel Peace Prize-Winning Skill, either - think of something similar to website design, or Sales Copywriting, or SEO, or - okay...you get the hint.
Anyway, these two things have a lot of differences, but they also have a few things in common…
Like how they help people, or how most people carry these skills - just never use them...
And that last sentence ties in with my message for two different reasons
The first reason is how difficult things are for anybody who's considered self-employed. Trust me, I’ve seen every angle.
Starting with my role as a Commercial Loan Officer, a role that allowed me to work with Small Business Owners everyday.
I enjoyed working with small business owners, but at the same time - I noticed how difficult it was for most of them.
And they were all extremely smart, worked hard, and had money - that was the crazy part.
I know mistakes are inevitable for entrepreneurs, but that's on the business side of things.
A lot of mistakes were happening on the legal (including tax) side of things - and that's the side of things where you really don't want to have mistakes.
Those tend to do a little more damage.
But there's not a lot of resources out there and Freelancing doesn't bring in enough cash to cover Professional Fees, so that takes us back to our original problem...lack of information - for every new entrepreneur.
Sure, you could go to college and get your MBA - but that doesn’t teach you core concepts of business.
Trust me, I’ve been there (MBA-Tax).....
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it didn’t help in one way, shape or form - I’m just saying it doesn’t teach you what you really need to know... in the beginning stages.
And I continued to notice this as I entered the Tax field, preparing tax returns for business owners (including Freelancers, Consultant, Solopreneur, Small Business)...most of them doing it for the first or second time.
The veteran business owners usually had a good handle on things, but it always scared me when I saw someone who'd been in business for less than 5 years. They're the most prone to a "tax surprise" - and it's never fun to deliver these surprises.
Each surprise was different, but to give you some insight on them, they all said the same thing - "I had no idea, I’ve looked everywhere and I didn’t see that - I can't pay that much for tax right now..”.
Which leads me to the second reason, my random skill that’s always been easy for me.
I don’t know who I pissed off or why I was born with this skill, but I’ve always been good at Tax.
It’s not a fun skill to have, but as I’ve learned over the years - it’s important to know.
(I’m sure you’ve heard the Ben Franklin quote about death and taxes)
And that’s where the irony starts to come in. I’ve always had this skill, and I've always loved explaining it to Business Owners - but I’ve never liked doing the actual returns (even though I do like breaking them down and verifying them).
I think that’s where my extroverted personality clashes with my odd number skill - but in all honesty, it really works out great.
I now understand how to talk tax in the terms (and see through the lens) of an entrepreneur - that’s helped me in a lot of ways.
Like creating a system that allows entrepreneurs to handle their own tax - using processes and today's technology...ones that they already use (and know).
They might not understand the tax code in full and they won’t talk like a CPA - but they get the same results.
And that helps them avoid tax surprises or large professional fees (in the early years anyway).
So where are my going with this?
Well finally, after years of advice from family and friends - I finally decided to take the leap.
Helping Entrepreneurs Tackle Tax
The leap started with passing the entire IRS Enrolled Agent Exam after 6 days of studying - then receiving the ability to represent clients (in IRS Tax Audits) a few weeks later.
That led to the Consulting business. I did a few different things, but they all revolved around helping entrepreneurs with tax. And when I say help, I mean cleaning up a mess.
A mess created by the lack of information I talked about a few minutes ago, the same mess that almost forced a client to pay $20,000 on income...that wasn't even income.
A lot of the mess was from a misunderstanding - like doing something that you wouldn't consider income...even though you’re technically making a profit from it.
That story comes from one of my clients who received a large bill from the IRS - referencing $21,000 of unreported income that PayPal sent them.
This amount took place over 3 years, but he also had roughly $20,000 of expenses (that could offset this income)... over the same 3 years.
He clearly wasn't trying to avoid the tax bill, he just didn’t think about it as income.
It was a hobby (custom golf club grips....little profit), so he didn’t see it as anything else.... until he had to pay someone to help him out of a serious tax debt.
And I’m glad he called us, but it made me wonder how many others have been in that situation?
Knowing that help is too expensive, so they decide to risk it - spending way more on tax than they need to?
Helping More Entrepreneurs Tackle Tax
It sounds crazy, but it happens all the time. And after seeing this too many times, I've finally decided to scale up - so I can help more Entrepreneurs avoid this situation.
After months of training...learning...and testing - I’ve finally found out how:
Through an Online Course that’s designed to teach Entrepreneurs - Mainly Freelancers, Consultants, Solopreneurs, and Small Business Owners - how to handle their tax (with systems and processes) and avoid surprises.
The course will continue to grow over the years and updates will be made in different “launches”.
These different launches will add more items like videos, templates, updated tax changes, etc. - but the basics will always be there (and updated annually).
These basics include:
Federal Income Tax For Business...(How It Works/Impacts You)
State Income Tax For Business
Business Entities, and Which One Is Best For You
Other Areas of Tax (If applicable)
Payroll Tax
Estimated Payments
How to Report Your Revenue and Expenses
Sales Tax
Setting up a system that allows you to file your own taxes like a Tax professional, even if you’ve never done them before
And more to come as it continues to grow (i.e. taped coaching sessions)
Always Growing With Member Feedback/Questions
For the beginning stages, I’ve decided to sell this course at a one-time price.
I’ll probably do this again during the second launch, but after the third launch - it’ll change over to subscription pricing.
There’s a few different reasons for that, but it’s mainly a thank you to the initial members who helped get legs under the community....
And even more important, helping more entrepreneurs with tax - a very important topic as the “gig economy” continues to get larger.
That’s why their one-time price is also a lifetime membership - an amazing resource that'll help for many years.
And today, I’m offering that membership to you as a reward for backing this course - for the one-time pledge of 75.
Does this sound like a good course to you?
If so, please help me out by using the options on the right-hand side of this page (towards the top).
Anything helps, thanks for reading! |
This article is part of Copyright Week, a series of actions and discussions supporting key principles that should guide copyright policy. If you too stand behind these principles, please join us by supporting them, sharing them, and telling lawmakers you want to see copyright law reflect them.
Over 3 million men and women work in America’s repair and maintenance industry. When your car breaks down, they get you on the road again. When your washing machine succumbs to entropy, they perform a sudsy resurrection. When your phone screen goes black, they reconnect you to the world. Three million people stand between you and chaos.
Maybe I don’t have a lot of faith in politics, but I think those 3 million people have more tangible impact on our lives than the squabbling politicians in Washington. And yet, a copyright law written by Washington insiders nearly two decades ago is threatening the livelihoods of those 3 million people.
It’s not supposed to work like that. Intellectual property laws are supposed to protect jobs. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), though, is different—and it’s poised to take a massive toll on skilled repair jobs in America.
The DMCA governs the complicated intersection between copyright and technology. Back in the 90s, computers made it relatively easy for people to copy movies and music. So the recording industry teamed up with Washington to crack down on piracy. Among other things, the resulting law made it illegal to break digital locks—like passwords or encryptions—over copyrighted work, no matter the reason.
In the past 20 years, technology has changed drastically. The DMCA has not. That’s a problem, because copyright isn’t just movies and music anymore. It’s everything. Because everything is powered by computers … which is powered by programming … which is technically copyrighted. That means your tractor, your coffeemaker, and your self-cleaning cat litter pan have the same copyright protection as your DVD of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.
We can’t treat hardware the same way we treat a hit single. Singles break the charts; hardware just breaks. If companies put digital locks over our smart gadgets, then—under the DMCA—they’ll be the only ones who can fix that stuff. Worse, they can sue anyone who tries to break up their repair monopoly.
Over the years, lots of companies have abused the DMCA to squeeze out the competition. In the early aughts, cellphone companies wielded the DMCA to shut down programmers who developed unlocking software that moved cellphones to different carriers. Now, the same tactics are being used to shut down non-OEM repair options.
Local mechanics rely on diagnostic tools from companies like Snap-on and Autel to repair modern vehicles. But in 2014, Ford sued Autel for making a tool that diagnoses car trouble and tells you what part fixes it. Autel decrypted a list of Ford car parts, which wound up in their diagnostic tool. Ford claimed that the parts list was protected under copyright (even though data isn’t creative work)—and cracking the encryption violated the DMCA. The case is still making its way through the courts. But this much is clear: Ford didn’t like Autel’s competing tool, and they don’t mind wielding the DMCA to shut the company down.
“In some sense, this is an old fight. For decades, automakers have tried to steer drivers toward dealership-based repairs, and for decades some drivers have resisted that pull, preferring to work on their rides at home and in third-party shops,” says The Verge’s Russell Brandom. “But the computerization of the modern automobile has upset that balance, thanks to the unique legal status of software.”
Under the DMCA, the legal status of software makes tinkering a suable offense. Autel is fighting the suit—but most others couldn’t, especially against juggernauts like Ford. The safest option for third-party repair companies and developers is just not to innovate in directions that could put them at odds with the DMCA. The legal risk is too great, which leaves dealer repair shops with the only keys to the repair kingdom.
Other shops go out of business; people lose their jobs; repair prices go up.
As computers continue to permeate everyday things, the DMCA could impact repair jobs across all industries—not just cars. Imagine a future where your smart fridge turns into a refrigerated brick, because Samsung stops updating it and no one else can repair it. Or Apple says only they should be able to fix your iPhone. Or John Deere says you can’t repair your own tractor.
If that sounds far-fetched, it’s not. It’s already happening. In 2015, I teamed up with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Intellectual Property Law Clinic at USC to request a DMCA exemption for farmers who wanted the freedom to repair their own tractors—even if it meant fixing and modifying the software without the manufacturer’s permission. John Deere opposed the request, saying farmers didn’t own the software in their tractors. Deere argued that farmers only have “an implied license for the life of the vehicle to operate the vehicle.”
So much for ownership.
Thankfully, the US Copyright Office ruled with farmers and against Deere. But it’s not enough. John Deere just turned around and wrote an End User Licensing Agreement that chips away at an owner’s right to repair. Now it’s that much harder for anyone one but Deere to repair a tractor or develop diagnostic tools for independent repair shops.
Folks in Washington have been arguing a lot about jobs lately. Jobs that are leaving the US; jobs that can be saved. Well, I’m concerned about those 3 million repair jobs. Companies like Ford and John Deere are setting a dangerous precedent. Their aggressive copyright claims come at the expense of something far more dear: people’s livelihoods.
Thankfully, voters are stepping up to protect American jobs. Just last week, at the behest of constituents, three states—Nebraska, Minnesota, and New York—introduced Right to Repair legislation (more states will follow). These ‘Fair Repair’ laws would require manufacturers to provide service information and sell repair parts to owners and independent repair shops. And digital watchdogs, like the EFF and Repair.org, continue to advocate for the Unlocking Technology Act—which would ensure that repair people aren’t marked as criminals under the DMCA.
It doesn’t matter how smart your next gadget is—it’s still gonna break. The future will need fixing. But we’ll have to fix copyright law first. |
Theresa May is edging towards securing a new withdrawal settlement with the EU amid intense negotiations with both Brussels and her Northern Irish political partners.
While a deal on the first ‘withdrawal phase’ of Brexit negotiations was not confirmed on Thursday night, The Independent understands the UK is on the brink of securing broad approval for a final text.
In a sign of progress, officials scheduled European Council President Donald Tusk to make a statement on Friday morning, while Brussels confirmed Ms May had spoken to the European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.
Downing Street are unwilling to speak publicly about any progress until a deal is completely locked in, after being burnt by the Northern Irish DUP’s public torpedoing of her previous effort to secure a settlement. One UK Government source said: “We're not there yet.”
But sources close to Mr Tusk indicated he had agreed to a final text, something which prompted him to set up his statement on Friday.
Meanwhile, members of the European Parliament are also due to meet on Friday to discuss the matter.
Mr Juncker’s spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the Commission President had a telephone conversation with Ms May on Thursday evening and added that an early morning meeting was “possible”.
Shape Created with Sketch. Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Brexit: the deciders 1/8 European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty 2/8 French President Emmanuel Macron Getty 3/8 German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters 4/8 Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA 5/8 The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty 6/8 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images 7/8 Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA 8/8 After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA 1/8 European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty 2/8 French President Emmanuel Macron Getty 3/8 German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters 4/8 Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA 5/8 The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty 6/8 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images 7/8 Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA 8/8 After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA
He tweeted: “We are making progress but not yet fully there. Talks are continuing throughout the night.”
The Independent understands that Ms May’s Europe advisor Olly Robbins has been in constant contact with Sabine Weyand, who works for the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, to agree the final wording of the settlement – specifically around the vexed issue of what will happen to the Irish border.
Ms May had been hoping to make a new offer by Friday on the border to satisfy both Ireland and Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, which props up her Government.
A mooted agreement between the UK and EU on divorce issues including the Irish border, which would allow talks to progress to the future trade relationship, was blocked on Monday by the DUP.
The party objected to plans for “regulatory alignment” between Northern Ireland and the Republic to maintain a soft border between the two, arguing it would amount to the drawing of a new frontier with the UK mainland in the Irish Sea.
But as efforts to cement a withdrawal deal continued on Thursday, a senior Irish official said: “It is moving quite quickly at the moment. Negotiations are continuing.
“I think we are going to work over the next couple of hours with the UK Government to close this off. I say hours because I think we are very close.”
The DUP’s chief whip Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said: “Discussions are ongoing.”
Pressure is mounting on Ms May to see that leaders of the EU 27 member states declare at a European Council summit on December 14 that “sufficient progress” has been made on withdrawal issues to pave the way for trade talks to begin.
If she cannot show that progress on trade is being made by Christmas, business chiefs are warning that companies will activate contingency plans that will cost Britain jobs.
Ms May’s own position will also be put under greater pressure, with rebels in her own party having stated that progress in talks is a key test for her continued leadership.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.
Subscribe now. |
A team of researchers from Auburn University has discovered a new trapdoor spider species from a well-developed housing subdivision in the heart of the city of Auburn, Alabama.
The new species, described in the paper in the open access journal ZooKeys, was named the Auburn Tiger Trapdoor spider, Myrmekiaphila tigris, in honor of Auburn University’s costumed Tiger mascot, Aubie.
M. tigris belongs to a genus that contains 11 other species of trapdoor spider found throughout the eastern United States.
Trapdoor spiders – related to tarantulas, funnel web spiders, and their kin – construct subterranean burrows that they cover with a hinged door made of a mixture of silk and soil. Female spiders spend nearly their entire lives in a single silk-lined burrow from which they forage as sit-and-wait predators. Prey are captured, usually at night, when an insect or other animal causes a vibration, provoking the spider to leap from the burrow entrance, bite and envenomate the unsuspecting victim, and then return to the bottom of the burrow to feast on its prize.
Due to superficial similarities, M. tigris was previously believed to be a different species, M. foliata, according to a taxonomic study of the team that was published a few years ago.
However, closer examination revealed considerable differences in appearance, particularly in their genitalia, that were supported by additional studies comparing the DNA of M. tigris with that of related species.
“Despite the physical uniqueness of these specimens, the use of DNA as an alternate, less subjective line of evidence for recognizing the species was warranted, given our excitement with discovering a new species literally in our own backyards,” said lead author Prof. Jason Bond, director of the Auburn University Museum of Natural History.
Members of the species are rarely encountered individually. However, once males reach sexual maturity at around 5 or 6 years old, they emerge from their burrows to find a female with which to mate; shortly thereafter they die. Wandering males can be found in relatively large numbers on neighborhood sidewalks, in swimming pools and even in homeowners’ garages for a brief time during the months of November and December.
Females, on the other hand, are much more secretive, living relatively long, 15 to 20-year lives in their below-ground burrows. They often have more intricate burrows that include side chambers with additional underground trapdoors. Burrows can be found along the banks in relatively young, secondary growth forests in neighborhood natural areas.
“The discovery of a new species in a well-developed area like this further demonstrates the amount of biodiversity on our planet that remains unknown; we know so little about our home planet and the other organisms that inhabit it with us,” Prof. Bond concluded. |
Horace Augustus Curtis VC (7 March 1891 – 1 July 1968) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Enlistment and training [ edit ]
Curtis was born on 7 March 1891 in St Anthony-in-Roseland, Cornwall. He enlisted after war broke out in August 1914, and passed fit for duty on 12 September. He was attested into The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) at Bodmin on 14 September as No.15833 Private Curtis. However, four days later he was transferred to the 7th Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.[1]
Recruiting in Ireland in August 1914 was not as satisfactory as in Britain, and in consequence Lord Kitchener decided early in September to transfer a number of recruits for whom no room could be found in English regiments to fill up the ranks of the 10th Division. Despite these transferees, the division and its battalions consisted of Irishmen (apart from the 10th Battalion Hampshire Regiment) The 7th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers had just started forming up in August at Naas in Ireland, and presumably Horace proceeded there to commence his training at the Curragh in County Kildare. The 30th Brigade moved to Dublin in February 1915 and then embarked for England in May 1915 and onto the Basingstoke area, where intensive training of the 10th Division took place for the next 3 months. During that time, the division was inspected by King George V on 28 May at Hackwood Park and by Field Marshal, Lord Kitchener on 1 June.
As a result of these inspections the following divisional orders were issued:
"Lieutenant-General Sir B Mahon received His Majesty's command to publish a divisional order to say how pleased His Majesty was to have had an opportunity of seeing the 10th Irish Division and how impressed he was with the appearance and physical fitness of the troops. His Majesty, the King recognises that it is due to the keenness and co-operation of all ranks that the 10th Division has reached such a high standard of efficiency. The General Officer Commanding 10th Irish Division has much pleasure in informing the troops that Field-Marshal Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, the Secretary of State for War, expressed himself as highly satisfied with all he saw of the 10th Division at the inspection today." Order no. 34 1st June 1915.
Gallipoli [ edit ]
The division embarked from Devonport on 11 July 1915, the 7th battalion R. D Fus aboard H. M. T Alaunia and via Malta and Alexandria, the 7th landed at the island of Mytilene off the Turkish coast on 25 July 1915. Horace's service with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (M. E. F) dated from 10 July 1915. The battalion left Mytilene and landed at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli peninsula, Turkey on 7 August 1915.
Other parts of the division had been engaged with the enemy prior to the 7th Battalion arriving and had suffered severe losses, which was also to befall the 7th Battalion. In his book "The Tenth Division in Gallipoli" Major Bryan Cooper, who served with the division, estimates that by the end of the Gallipoli campaign, the Tenth Division had lost 75% of its original strength killed or wounded. In his book "Ireland's Forgotten 10th" Capt. Jeremy Stanley states 3,000 men were killed or died from wounds, 25% of the division's strength.
Greece [ edit ]
After Gallipoli, the 10th Division sailed for the base island of Lemnos (Mudros Harbour) on 30 September and in early October left for the port of Salonica in Greece. During a long stay in the Macedonian theatre of war and bitter fighting, Horace earned promotion during 1916 from unpaid lance corporal on 7 February to full sergeant on 17 November 1916. He was also mentioned in Dispatches in the London Gazette on 21 July 1917.
Palestine [ edit ]
After almost 2 years here, the division sailed for Alexandria in September 1917 for Egypt and the allied offensive against the Turks in Palestine. A further 8 months later in April 1918, the 6th Battalion of the Royal Munster Fusiliers and the 7th Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers had left the 30th Brigade, 10th Division and returned to Egypt in order to join units in France fighting the German advance.
France [ edit ]
On 23 May 1918, the 7th Battalion left Alexandria and landed at Marsailles, France on 31 May. On 6 June the battalion was reduced to a cadre. Surplus personnel, of whom Horace was one, were absorbed by the 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers.
This was to be the fourth theatre of war that Curtis fought in: he had served with the M. E. F and the Eygyptian Expeditionary Force. He was now a member of the British Expeditionary Force (B. E. F) France and Belgium.
On 20 June 1918, Curtis returned to England where he went to Bermondsley Military Hospital in London for treatment for malaria, broken by a furlough, home leave to Fiddlers Green between 24 July until 3 August, the first time in four years.
He was finally cleared to return to his unit in France on 19 August and was back in France by 1 September and to the Front by 21 September.
VC action [ edit ]
On 18 October 1918, No. 14107 Sergeant Horace A Curtis, 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers fought in action near Le Cateau that earned him the Victoria Cross. The following is the official citation, which appeared in the London Gazette on 6 January 1919.
No.14107 Sjt. Horace Augustus Curtis.2nd Battalion, R. Dub. Fus (Newlyn East, Cornwall) For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty East of Le Cateau on the morning of 18th October 1918, when in attack his platoon came unexpectedly under intense machine-gun fire. Realising that the attack would fail unless the enemy guns were silenced, Sjt Curtis, without hesitation, rushed forward through our own barrage and the enemy fire and killed and wounded the teams of two of the guns, whereupon the remaining four guns surrendered. Then turning his attention to a train-load of reinforcements, he succeeded in capturing over 100 enemy before his comrades joined him. His valour and disregard of danger inspired all.[2]
His VC was presented to him by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 8 March 1919.
Post war [ edit ]
On 31 January 1919 he was back home and starting 28 days demobilisation leave and transferred to Class "Z" Army reserve on 23 March 1919. Curtis was finally discharged on 31 March 1920. He joined the 5th (Territorial) Battalion DCLI on a 3-year engagement at St Columb on 5 May 1920. Private 5431368, he was rapidly promoted to Sergeant and by 27 August 1920 was WO2 (CSM). On 20 December 1921, Horace transferred to the 4/5th DCLI and on 19 May 1923 his service was terminated at the end of his engagement.
Curtis died on 1 July 1968.
The Medal [ edit ]
His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Collection[3] at the Imperial War Museum, London. |
Does the Dashter even need an introduction? She looks great stylized as a cuddly cartoon marshmallow elf, but I thought she also deserved to have her real-life awesomeness portrayed in all of its glory, or at least a certain minor percentage of its glory. (can you guess what percentage?? Aaaawwwww yeeeaaaaaah!)Hey, everypony, I want you to hear something... I love music and art together, and think that they both work together synergetically to give rise to inspiration and creative energy. I listened to alot of different music while painting this, and was very inspired by it, and I think the music worked its way into the painting, so I want you to listen to some of the music that inspired me the most while painting this, see how it goes with the artwork, and I hope it inspires creativity and happiness in your heart and mind as well.Try playing it in a separate tab, I mean, um, if you want to... Higher and Higher - The Moody BluesHurdy Gurdy Glissando - Steve HillageTalking to the Sun - Steve HillageMercury - The Winged Messenger - Isao Tomita (originally composed by Gustav Holst)Hehe... I had to mention this too... This image also seems to go perfectly along with the MictheMicrophoneZero dramatic reading of the MLP fanfiction "Quest for the Friendship Stones" by Poultron1Up Next: Fluttershy and Derpy.For all you fellow bronies out there, keep on hoofin' it. You are awesome. A new age is dawning, and we are trampling towards its light.Brohoof! |
The never-ending soap opera surrounding Bulls star Derrick Rose continued on Thursday, and it has nothing to do with another unfortunate injury.
Joakim Noah emotionally defended his teammate after Rose received another round of criticism for saying part of the reason he sits out games is because he’s thinking of his life after basketball.
“I just, I don’t want to see him down. I know sometimes it’s frustrating, you got injuries, you got tweaks,” Noah told reporters after the Bulls beat the Raptors on Thursday night, a game which Rose left with a “minor” hamstring injury.
“Every time something happens to him, people act like it’s the end of the world. And that’s f—ing so lame to me. Relax. Like, OK, he’s coming back from two crazy surgeries. Obviously we’re being conservative with him, and when things aren’t going right, he’s got to listen to his body more than anybody. So everybody needs to chill the f— out. I mean, I’m sorry for cursing, but I’m really passionate. I don’t like to see him down. And he doesn’t say that he’s down, but I don’t like it when, like, people portray him and judge him. ‘Cause it’s not fair to him. It’s not.”
Charles Barkley disagrees.
The TNT analyst ripped Rose’s comments as “stupid” during “Inside the NBA” on Thursday night.
“That was stupid. Derrick Rose is a great player, he’s a great kid. Love his mom. That was stupid. You know, Ernie [Johnson], we’re so blessed. I limp around, but I go home to a big ol’ mansion. There’s people who work harder than Derrick Rose who go home to a shack,” Barkley said.
“There are consequences to what we do for a living. We got the best life in the world. I’m a poor black kid from Leeds, Alabama, who grew up in the projects and listen, I don’t mind limping around because when I go home, there’s a big ol’ house. I got good sheets — I don’t know the thread count, but they’re good. I got a big ol’ car. I never have to worry about my bills. There are pros and cons to what we do for a living. Derrick Rose is making $20 million a year. He got a couple bad knees. That’s disrespectful to maids, people who are in the Army who go out and kill people and get killed. They got no arms and no legs. As much as I like Derrick Rose, that is just flat-out stupid.”
Rose has missed most of the past two seasons first with a torn ACL then a torn meniscus. He was criticized by fans and media for not returning for the 2013 playoffs after suffering the ACL injury in the first game of the 2012 postseason.
Rose has sat out four of the Bulls’ nine game this season while easing into the grind of an NBA season. The Bulls are 3-1 in the games Rose has missed and 4-1 when he’s played.
“I don’t want to be in my meetings all sore or be at my son’s graduation all sore just because of something I did in the past. Just learning and being smart,’’ Rose said earlier this week.
The 26-year-old said he had cramping in his hamstring and does not expect it to be an issue after the victory Thursday. He did not back down from his comments.
“It’s like on to the next,’’ Rose said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Just try to keep it moving. It’s a new day. Just trying to think about the team.’’
Rose added that he could “care less” about his detractors. |
- video encodings still in process -
CAIRO — Egypt displayed Monday newly discovered tombs more than 4,000 years old and said they belonged to people who worked on the Great Pyramids of Giza, putting the discovery forth as more evidence that slaves did not build the ancient monuments.The series of modest 9-foot-deep shafts held a dozen skeletons of pyramid builders, perfectly preserved by dry desert sand along with jars that once contained beer and bread meant for the workers' afterlife.The mud-brick tombs were uncovered last week in the back yard of the Giza pyramids, stretching beyond a burial site first discovered in the 1990s and dating to the 4th Dynasty (2575 B.C. to 2467 B.C.), when the great pyramids were built on the fringes of present-day Cairo.The ancient Greek historian Herodotus once described the pyramid builders as slaves, creating what Egyptologists say is a myth later propagated by Hollywood films.Graves of the pyramid builders were first discovered in the area in 1990 when a tourist on horseback stumbled over a wall that later proved to be a tomb.Egypt's archaeology chief Zahi Hawass said that discovery and the latest finds last week show that the workers were paid laborers, rather than the slaves of popular imagination.Hawass said the find sheds more light on the lifestyle and origins of the pyramid builders. Most important, he said the workers were not recruited from slaves commonly found across Egypt during pharaonic times.Hawass said the builders came from poor Egyptian families from the north and the south, and were respected for their work — so much so that those who died during construction were bestowed the honor of being buried in the tombs near the sacred pyramids of their pharaohs.Their proximity to the pyramids and the manner of burial in preparation for the afterlife backs this theory, Hawass said."No way would they have been buried so honorably if they were slaves," he said.The tombs contained no gold or valuables, which safeguarded them from tomb-raiders throughout antiquity. The skeletons were found buried in a fetal position — the head pointing to the West and the feet to the East according to ancient Egyptian beliefs, surrounded by the jars once filled with supplies for afterlife.The men who built the last remaining wonder of the ancient world ate meat regularly and worked in three-month shifts, said Hawass.It took 10,000 workers more than 30 years to build a single pyramid, Hawass said — a tenth of the workforce of 100,000 that Herodotus wrote of after visiting Egypt around 450 B.C.Hawass said evidence from the site indicates that the approximately 10,000 laborers working on the pyramids ate 21 cattle and 23 sheep sent to them daily from farms.Though they were not slaves, the pyramid builders led a life of hard labor, said Adel Okasha, supervisor of the excavation. Their skeletons have signs of arthritis, and their lower vertebrae point to a life passed in difficulty, he said."Their bones tell us the story of how hard they worked," Okasha said. |
When I play Madden, I play exclusively as the Green Bay Packers. At my best, I had a ranking of #532, not bad considering there over 100,000 ranked players. That’s not "best in the world," tournaments-in-LA kind of good, but it’s good enough where I’d feel comfortable wagering a significant amount of money against the average player.
More than comfortable. Relaxed.
Here's how I make winning look easy:
(Disclaimer: nothing can substitute for stick skills, hand-eye coordination, football acuity, basic mental competency, etc).
The Basics
I leave my playbooks alone. Everything you need is right there in the McCarthy/Capers menu of plays. As for uniform selection, I personally like the white cleats with yellow accents. Kind of completes the uniform for me. These are the important things.
Optimize your Lineup
Might as well start with the best team right? For sure, some switches you will want to make are:
> Start BJ Raji – he will be defaulted on IR
> Get your fastest TEs in the game (sorry Richard Rodgers, next year big fella)
> Roll with Jeff Janis at WR5 (Jared Abbraderis is rated higher, but Janis makes all the tough catches and is faster and bigger up the middle seam)
> Change KOS to Mason Crosby – for some reason, the game has the weaker-legged Tim Masthay set to kickoff
> Make Micah Hyde your CB5 and start Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at Safety – you’ll probably find yourself in Quarter often, and you want your best players out there so…not Jarrett Bush
> KRs – Dealers choice. You can definitely get return TDs using Randall Cobb, but I find the injury risk isn’t worth it, and can roll with DuJuan Harris/Micah Hyde (Sam Shields doesn’t cut quick enough for my liking, acceleration rating be damned).
Defense
> 1st / 2nd DOWN
You win on D by forcing the opposing player into third downs, and then forcing him into a bad throw, or sack. I like to play conservative on early downs/against non-spread offenses. A great play is Cover-2 Sink in the nickel package. Take one of the inside linebackers and play the short pass/run inside. Or a 3-4 2 Deep Man coverage, and track the running back with Hawk, while shading towards the TE. If the team is passing all the time, you can drop Matthews or Peppers into manual coverage from the Cover-2 Sink, or use my favorite 2 plays in the game (see 3rd and long).
> 3rd AND SHORT/2-POINT CONVERSIONS
I love the nickel Psycho defense here. Especially Cover-2. If your opponent likes to run, audible Clinton-Dix into a blitz and take control of the other safety. Hover close to the line of scrimmage, scramble the look a couple times by shifting the secondary/LB units, and rove across the line of scrimmage towards his favorite target once he hikes it while keeping an eye on any receivers going over the top. It’s a guessing game, and it’s a bit of a mess, but its 3rd and short, the odds are not in your favor if you play vanilla.
> 3rd AND LONG/PASS-HEAVY SITUATIONS
Quarter package, basic Cover-2 and Cover-3. Mix them up. Morgan Burnett plays a QB-spy in both these plays, and I take that as carte blanche to do whatever I want with him to blow up the play.
In the Cover-2, you can show blitz off the tackle pre-snap, then float back on the inside seam, past AJ Hawk’s shallow zone into the deep secondary, where you can lure the QB into a bad throw. Or, you can sit Burnett way behind Hawk in the Cover-3, and then swoop in for the interception underneath Hawk’s very deep zone coverage, which will cause the opponent to look shallow. Finally, you can hover inside and navigate through the O-Line for surprisingly effective run-stops and QB hurries. Coverage sacks are here to be had.
(One last thing about this Quarter-base defense: it works great against option QBs if you use Burnett to fill running lanes. Though you don’t quite see as many players choosing Washington as they used to…wonder what’s changed).
> 3rd AND VERY LONG NON-BLITZ, BLITZ
Take that nickel Cover-2 Sink, and swing either Matthews or Peppers over to the other side and shoot the gap right next to the other DE. This is good for unexpected pressure without bringing 5 guys. In fact, if you get through once, just that look will pressure the opposing QB, and then you can peel away at the last second to chase the tight end, QB spy – whatever you haven’t done in a while, basically.
> BLITZING AND BALANCE
Once or twice early on in the game, maybe a couple times later on to spark a comeback, but otherwise playing good coverage in defenses you know is the better bet. At the end of the day, assume the passing is going up the middle and try to take that away. Same with the run. If they beat you outside, so be it, but most people lack the ability or vision to work the outside for an entire game. And if they try, go over there with Clay Matthews and do something about it!
Offense
> 1st AND 10
Run. Body punches. A famous football mind (Parcells?) once said, every running play is a positive play. Take runs from all over the playbook including shotgun/FB dives/motion/goal-line plays/tosses to the outside. Eddie Lacy falls forward enough to make this a useful tactic. Now, you should also be peppering in PA, screens and quick passing at about a 1-to-4 ratio within these runs. Here are some of my favorite "toss-in" plays to mix it up on 1st and 10:
PA-reverse passes out of the Strong and Singleback bunch formations. These two slow-developing plays really stretch the defense, and it’s so nice to get Rodgers out there throwing on the run, which is an absolute back-breaker in this game (ignore rollouts at your own peril). Lacy out of the flat, and underneath the coverage, is just what the doctor ordered here. Even if it only goes for 2-3 yards, it loosens up the defense, who SHOULD and WILL be thinking run by that point.
WR Screen out of any shotgun set. This play is a revelation once you get the swing of it. It works especially well throwing it to the outside shoulder of Nelson or Cobb, and letting him swoop around the blockers towards the sideline. The game almost seems to encourage this action by giving the WR a speed boost while he rounds the corner. It also is nifty when the D is closed in tight for a run, like on third and short (although I wouldn’t mess with it there) or red-zone situations (try it out from the difficult 3-6 yard line zone).
> 2nd / 3rd AND LONG
Oops. Something didn’t go so well. But now is exactly not the time to panic because this is where the talent shines on this team. If it’s still 8 yards or further to the yellow line, I love to break out the 5WR Empty Set. You did pick the Packers, right? This is their bazooka option, and I excitedly break it out on these long pass situations on 2nd and 3rd down. Here’s a tidy little progression you can go through:
1. Pick the "Stick N’ Nod."
2. If the D comes out and the two OUTSIDE CBs are playing off (leaving significant distance between themselves and Nelson and Cobb) audible into "Curl Flats." This is now a "gimme." You will see how easy it is to hit the curling WR between the two defensive backs on the outside, or if necessary, check down to the inside WR in the flat. You should go back to the well on this play for as much as you can get.
3. Things get more interesting if the outside CBs are up close to Nelson and Cobb. The "Stick N’ Nod" you picked can certainly get Janis open over the deep middle of the field, but if you don’t want to risk a sack, keep your eyes more on the underneath receiver, who is running the same route concept just in a tighter amount of space, typically against a slower defender.
4. If you don’t want to mess with all that, you can audible straight to "4 Verticals." The key here is that sly route across the middle by Adams from the inside-left slot. He hitches in the middle of a slant, usually shedding his defender along the way, while the three receivers to the right of Rodgers are all running fly routes. Your first look here is at Jeff Janis at the inside seam fly, who will be veering from right to left as he runs downfield. If this looks at all covered or "busy", your eyes drop down to Adams, and you hit him for whatever the defense gives you. There’s also the "big boy" way to play this, and that’s to focus strictly on the three streaking WRs on the right side—Janis, Boykin and Cobb—and pick on the safety responsible for that side of the field. This is risky but you can get some really nice back-shoulder throws with Boykin or even Cobb down the sideline. Almost as good as the real thing!
> 2nd / 3rd AND SHORT
I do like running it here from time to time, and think it’s necessary. If the situations aren’t dire, and the opponent isn’t overly bracing against the run, break out Shotgun "Doubles On" or "Y-Trips Wk" (personally my favorite formation in the game). The "Inside Zone" plays out of these two formations are really nice plays, providing a solid wall for Lacy to dart through for a tough three yards.
But if things are dire, here’s where the money is at: Singleback Bunch. You’re going to toggle between two plays, the "HB Dive" and "Spacing." I can’t tell you whether to run it or throw it, but your opponent will soon learn the meaning of helplessness when you learn how to complete the "Spacing" pass. Just read it from inside to outside as the three receivers to your right sprint out to their left, middle, and right. You can pick the pocket of the defense, either by taking advantage of an uncovered Quarless in the flat, patiently waiting for Nelson to box-out his spot in the middle, or hitting Adams in stride as he flashes into the middle of the field. On the other hand, you can just pound it with Lacy up the middle. Both of these plays are automatically included as audibles. See why that’s hard to defend?
Oh, and: Aaron Rodgers speed is rated in the the 80's in this game. Use it. He can get hurt rather easily but you should be able to avoid that by ALWAYS sliding (tapping once on the slide button). If you're not nailing two or three killer runs during the game like Aaron does in real life, you're leaving a lot on the table.
Other tricks in the bag
> STRONG FORMATION
Out of its base audible package, you have access to "FL Drive" (Jordy up the seam or Cobb underneath), "Y Trail" (My personal favorite play in the game, hitting Quarless after he doubles back on his route, or pushing it upfield with the quick-hitter to Cobb over the middle), and the deadly "PA Deep Cross" (shudders). Nelson can get so open on this play if the D isn’t perfect, and you can make Aaron Rodgers look really good by "throwing him open" as Nelson breaks away from his man twenty yards down the field. This play is also surprisingly useful in the redzone.
> SINGLEBACK ACE TWINS
There are two nice options here for play action daggers. Look for Nelson to get open on the "PA Boot" by curling away from the action, or slice it upfield to Nelson on the "PA FL Stretch" with the nice safety options with the TE’s underneath.
> KUUUUUHHNNN
Please understand: John Kuhn is deadly catching the ball out of the backfield. He will be wide open in the flat all day, and him running up the sideline is painful for the opposing defense.
Special Teams
Something important to note: with no wind, Crosby can hit safely from 51-52 yards. Any longer and you need to be perfect. Push the field goal aimer to as low as possible on these long kicks. With significant wind into your face, I’d rather go for it on 4th than try anything longer than 45 yards. I don’t really punt when the game is still in hand; if I’m winning, punting is acceptable. Fake FGs work 99% if the opposing team actually comes out in FG block.
Clock Management
At a certain level, people stop blowing each other out. The games come down to who has the ball last. You need to "look down the road" when playing against savvy players. This doesn't need to affect your rhythm. Throwing the ball with the Packers can chew just as much time as running; in many of my games, Rodgers finishes at a 80-90% completion rating over ~30 throws for ~270 yards. If things slip away from you, there may come a time in the game when your best bet is to Onside Kick every time and blitz the other team into short, FG-producing drives. If you can trade TDs for FGs quick enough, this can be an effective strategy in low-odds situations. Otherwise, the better I got the more I relied on defense, much like the real-life Packers.
Last thought
When you’re up, play like you’re down. When you’re down, play like you’re up. That’s another old football-ism I play by. Up by 10? Push the ball no-huddle with a 5WR offense. Down by 10 early on? That’s when your game-plan is actually most important, and it’s when most people I play abandon it (this is 99% the difference of the top players and good players). It comes down to this, whether you’re playing with the Packers or not: you have to believe that your opponent is eventually going to make a mistake, yet you have to play like you can’t afford one. Oh, and if you're home at Lambeau, turn the snow on every now and then. Your guys will be slipping all over the place, and FGs will be almost impossible. Just like video game football was meant to be played.
+1 Bonus play
Here’s a great little play when you just really need to complete a short pass, whether to get your confidence back, keep the clock running or convert a short third down. "Y Shallow Cross" in Shotgun Y-Trips Wk. After Nelson comes in motion, you’re looking at Quarless shallow across the middle, or you wait patiently for Lacy to release through the middle of the play and curl out to the right for an easy completion. Problem solved. |
CLOSE After over 80 years, the first crop of industrial hemp is planted in Broome County. Patrick Oehler/Staff Video
New York State Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Endwell, speaks about the new industrial hemp farm at Nanticoke Gardens in Endicott on Thursday, July 13, 2017. Lupardo is joined by, from left, Binghamton University's School of Pharmacy Dean Gloria Meredith, and farm co-owners Chip Shafer and Pete Shafer. (Photo: Patrick Oehler/Staff Photo)
ALBANY - New York is looking for industrial hemp growers.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that an application period is open to participate in the state's Industrial Hemp Agricultural Research Pilot Program.
The program is open to researchers, farmers and businesses who wish to research, grow, manufacture and produce industrial hemp in New York.
"By expanding industrial hemp research, we are opening the doors to innovative ideas that could provide a major boost to our farms and communities, creating new jobs, and laying the foundation for future economic growth," Cuomo said in a statement.
New York has passed a series of laws in recent years to promote and expand the industrial hemp industry, particularly in the Southern Tier and Catskills.
The pilot program was started in 2015, and earlier this year the cap on the number of participants in the program was lifted.
Currently, there are more than 20 licensed partners in the pilot program, leading to rapid growth in the amount of farmland used for industrial hemp production.
New York also created, in July, a $5 million industrial hemp processing grant program that can provide grants up to $500,000 to qualified applicants to help cover costs related to hemp production.
Industrial hemp can be used to make more than 25,000 different products including paper, clothing, construction materials and biofuels.
Applications to join the program will be accepted until Nov. 22.
For more information about the program or to apply, visit the state bureau of Agriculture and Markets website.
[email protected]
Natasha Vaughn is a staff writer with USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau.
Read or Share this story: http://on.rocne.ws/2wboAmy |
COLUMBUS, Ohio - New Ohio House legislation would allow concealed handguns to be taken into churches, day-care centers, aircraft, state buildings, airports outside security checkpoints, and publicly accessible areas of police stations.
House Bill 48, introduced this week by state Rep. Ron Maag, is similar to a gun bill the Warren County Republican unsuccessfully pushed last session.
The legislation would further allow conceal-carry permit holders to take handguns into school safety zones if the firearms are left in the car. Current law only allows people to carry concealed handguns in school zones when they are immediately picking up or dropping off a child.
Public and private universities and colleges would also be given the choice of allowing concealed handguns on campus, under the bill. Schools that allowed hidden guns would be granted legal immunity for any injuries or deaths that occur as a result.
Even though the GOP controls a historic 65-seat majority in the Ohio House, the bill's fate is unclear. HB 48 has 10 co-sponsors so far -- all Republicans, though several of them are first-term lawmakers without much clout. |
The UN Security Council unanimously condemned North Korea's firing of a ballistic missile over Japan as an "outrageous" threat and demanded that the country not launch any more missiles and abandon all nuclear weapons and programmes.
In a statement, the Security Council said it was of "vital importance" that North Korea take immediate, concrete actions to reduce tensions and called on all states to implement UN sanctions on North Korea.
The council also expressed "its commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution".
OPINION: N Korea is not Soviet Union and Trump is not Kennedy
"The Security Council stresses that these DPRK [North Korean] actions are not just a threat to the region, but to all UN member states," said the statement, issued after closed-door talks at UN headquarters.
"The Security Council expresses its grave concern that the DPRK is, by conducting such a launch over Japan as well as its recent actions and public statements, deliberately undermining regional peace and stability."
However, the US-drafted statement, which was agreed by consensus, does not threaten new sanctions on North Korea.
Diplomats say China and Russia - two veto-wielding council members - typically only view a test of a long-range missile or a nuclear weapon as a trigger for further possible UN sanctions.
China is working with other members of the Security Council on a response to North Korea's missile launch, the Chinese foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Wang Yi spoke just hours after the UN condemnation and Japan's UN ambassador suggested that a new sanctions declaration could come next.
Wang said China - which is North Korea's only major ally - was "now working with other members of the Security Council to discuss the recent developments of the situation".
He said that "based on the consensus of Security Council members, we are going to make a necessary response to the recent test launch of the missile".
But Wang did not specify whether a fresh set of sanctions was looming.
"Whether there will be new measures going forward, that should be discussed by the Security Council and consensus needs to be formed," he said.
Punishing sanctions
The Security Council earlier this month unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea that could cut by a third the country's $3bn annual export revenue after it staged two long-range missile launches in July.
North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes.
Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, said that while China - North Korea's close ally and neighbour - approved the statement, it had also criticised ongoing joint US-South Korea military exercises which North Korea sees as a threat.
"So while agreeing to condemn North Korea and also agreeing to enforce previous UN sanctions on that country, China making very clear as well that [they believe] there are other duties that some of the Security Council member states could exercise to help defuse the situation within that region," he said.
"But generally, a clear signal of Security Council unity and a very important signal that China has confirmed it will help enforce the execution of sanctions already in place, and this is the critical issue."
Earlier, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called on Wednesday for more weapons tests targeting the Pacific Ocean.
Tuesday's missile launch - likely the longest ever from North Korea - over the territory of a close US ally sends a clear message of defiance as the US and South Korea conduct war games nearby.
Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency said it was a Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile that the North first successfully tested in May and threatened to fire into waters near Guam earlier this month.
INFOGRAPHIC: North Korea explained in graphics
Kim expressed "great satisfaction" over the launch that he called a "meaningful prelude" to containing Guam, which is home to key US military bases that North Korea finds threatening, the agency said. He also said the country will continue to watch "US demeanours" before it decides on future actions.
Kim also said it's "necessary to positively push forward the work for putting the strategic force on a modern basis by conducting more ballistic rocket launching drills with the Pacific as a target in the future."
The launch seemed designed to show that North Korea can back up a threat to target the US territory of Guam if it chooses to do so, while also establishing a potentially dangerous precedent that could see future missiles flying over Japan.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile travelled around 2,700km and reached a maximum height of 550km as it flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
The KCNA said the flight test was a countermeasure to the Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea that run through Thursday. Pyongyang views the annual war games between the allies as invasion rehearsals.
In a statement, US President Donald Trump said North Korea had signalled its "contempt for its neighbours" and that "all options are on the table" in terms of a US response.
OPINION: Should you be worried about North Korea?
Any new test worries Washington and its allies because it presumably puts North Korea a step closer to its goal of an arsenal of nuclear missiles that can reliably target the US. Tuesday's test, however, looks especially aggressive to Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.
North Korea has conducted launches at an unusually fast pace this year - 13 times, Seoul says - and some analysts believe it could have viable long-range nuclear missiles before the end of Trump's first term in early 2021. |
Rep. Justin Amash said a request from Pentagon chief James Mattis prompted his vote to preserve former President Barack Obama’s pro-transgender policies in the military.
In a July 16 Facebook post explaining his unpopular July 13 vote, Amash wrote:
On July 13, the House voted on an amendment offered by Rep. Hartzler. The amendment says that “[f]unds available to the Department of Defense may not be used to provide medical treatment (other than mental health treatment) related to gender transition to a person entitled to medical care” under the military health system … [Defense] Sec. [James] Mattis and the White House urged us not to adopt Hartzler Amendment [and] all the administration wants is three months to review everything.
So far, administration and Pentagon officials have not confirmed Amash’s claim of their opposition to the Hartzler amendment. However, on June 30, Matt ordered a six-month suspension of Obama’s rules, which were about to invite transsexuals to join the military from July 1. The suspension will give Mattis — and new appointees — until January 2018 to decide if the military will endorse the transgender ideology.
In contrast, Mattis ordered a six-month suspension of Obama’s rules on June 30, which were about to invite transsexuals to join the military from July 1. The suspension will give Mattis — and new appointees — until January 2018 to decide if the military will endorse Obama’s pro-transgender ideology.
Amash was one of 23 Republicans who voted with all lockstep Democrats to preserve the Obama-era transgender policy with a narrow vote of 214 to 209.
The Obama policy endorses the transgender ideology by validating and accepting recruits who believe their “gender” is different from their male or female body, and by also offering transsexuals free lifetime medical care — such as debilitating hormones and expensive surgery, despite the loss of military readiness. The new rules also enforce transgender demands by ordering servicemen and servicewomen to offer “dignity and respect” to transsexuals in their shower rooms and in their shared sleep spaces, while also telling transsexuals that they “are not required or expected to modify or adjust their behavior based on the fact that they do not ‘match’ other Soldiers.”
Hartzler’s amendment rejected the ideology of the transgender movement by prohibiting the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for the non-military medical task of converting physically healthy soldiers into transsexuals who face lifelong dependence on hormones and surgery.
Freshman Florida GOP Rep. Brian Mast — who voted for Hartzler amendment after first miscasting his vote — said the Pentagon should not divert funds from military readiness to cosmetic medical services. Mast, a veteran, told Breitbart:
I don’t think the military should be paying for any elective surgery, whether it be for transgender surgery or cosmetic surgery. Everything we look for in Defense Department spending has to make the warfighter better off and safer on the battlefield. No question, this [transgender policy] doesn’t. I’ve been on the battlefield … I have [veteran] friends who can’t get oxygen treatment, who can’t get the things they need for their spine, or can’t get the best wheelchairs or body armor… This is going to be where we should be spending our money. That should make sense to everybody.
During the floor debate, Mast added, “I certainly heard on the House floor [legislators saying] that General Mattis requested that this amendment be pulled from the floor and that he is going to work the issue.” However, that story has not been confirmed by the administration, he added.
Amash’s Facebook statement suggested that the public’s pressure may cause him to flip flop on his vote. After first justifying his vote, Amash ended his post by echoing Mast’s comments about the need to prioritize medical spending and to focus on combat effectiveness:
Given the facts, circumstances, and eminently reasonable request from the Trump administration, it was not a difficult decision to vote no on this amendment. After Sec. Mattis announces the DoD’s finalized policy, we can discuss the policy with him, evaluate it, and seek changes if necessary. Those who serve in our Armed Forces deserve the best medical care. One question we must ask and answer, with the aid of the medical community, is which treatments are medically necessary and which are simply elective. With respect to transgender persons, we should focus on the best science, not the political or philosophical opinions of partisans. Finally, service in all aspects of our Armed Forces cannot be guaranteed to everyone. The job of our Armed Forces is to defend our country, and the DoD should be given more leeway than other parts of the executive branch with respect to personnel decisions.
However, if Mattis decides to continue Obama’s pro-transgender policies in December, then Democrats, liberal Republicans, and the established media will likely deter the GOP leadership from pushing for corrective reforms.
According to critics, Obama’s pro-transgender policies may cost the military up to $3.7 billion over the next ten years if the number of transsexual people in the military matches the high claims by transgender activists.
So far, the military’s most famous transsexual soldier is Private Bradley Manning, who copied and released 90,000 military reports from Iraq and Afghanistan. He was released from jail in early 2017 after Obama reduced his jail sentence. Manning has since changed his name to Chelsea Manning.
The transgender ideology says that a person’s legal sex should be determined by their self-declared “gender identity,” not by their male or female body. The ideology also says the federal government should force Americans to accept the “gender identity” claims made by each person, regardless of scientific data about genetics, biology and the variety of normal behavior and appearances shown by normal equal-and-complementary women and men.
Polls show that strong majority of ordinary Americans oppose the progressive claim that unverifiable “gender” is more important than a person’s sex. Polls also show that Americans want sexual privacy in bathrooms and shower rooms and especially in K-12 schools. Also, the polls show that most Americans want to be polite and helpful to the very few transsexual people who wish to live as members of the other sex. According to one study of the 2010 census, the population of transgender people amounts to one in every 2,400 Americans, or 0.03 percent of the adult population.
The fight over the Pentagon’s policy is important because a Pentagon approval of the pro-transgender ideology would help transgender activists pressure judges and swing-voting legislators to impose the transgender rules on Americans’ civic groups, such as schools, universities, and workplaces.
The progressive push to bend Americans’ attitudes and their two-sexes, male and female, civic society around the idea of “gender” has already attacked and cracked popular social rules for how Americans handle the many social preferences of equal, different and complementary men and women, boys and girls. For example, the gender claims shifted rules or practices about different-sex bathrooms, shelters for battered women, sports leagues for girls, hiking groups for boys, K-12 curricula, university speech codes, religious freedoms, free speech, the social status of women, parents’ rights in childrearing, practices to help teenagers, women’s expectations of beauty, culture and civic society, scientific research, prison safety, civic ceremonies, school rules, men’s sense of masculinity, law enforcement, and children’s sexual privacy. |
It’s something we all hear about during an airplane safety demonstration, but for most of us, hopefully it’s something we’ll never actually have to use.
The evacuation slide.
While it’s exceptionally rare that it would have to be deployed, every commercial aircraft is fitted with an inflatable slide should there be an emergency where customers need to get off the aircraft quickly and safely.
Now, British Airways ground staff has given us a glimpse into exactly how the slide works, in a new behind-the-scenes video where they deploy a Boeing 777-200’s slide during a series of safety checks at London Gatwick.
Boeing 777-200 planes are fitted with eight slides for maximum safety and efficiency – and these are all checked almost on a daily basis by highly trained engineers to ensure that they work properly.
To operate the slide, engineers open the aircraft door in the ‘automatic’ position, which automatically causes the inflatable to deploy.
It’s an impressive sight, as the huge inflatables can be up to 14 metres (or 46ft long) – and yet it takes just six seconds for it to roll out, inflate and be ready for passengers.
A speed we imagine comes in handy during an emergency.
In the clip, British Airways licensed engineer Peter Dyer explains that to activate the slide, cabin crew need to put the door to ‘automatic’ and pull the door handle to 180 degrees, at which point an assist system will take over.
He expanded: “It will fire the squib, the nitrogen pressure in the bottle will power open the door, the slide pack will fall off and then the slide will inflate in six seconds.”
Oh, and if you’ve ever heard cabin crew being asked to ‘cross check’ a door, there’s a simple explanation.
Doors need to be set ‘to automatic’ or ‘manual’ prior to take off and landing so that they’re ready for an emergency – so cabin crew need to make sure they are in the correct position.
Original Source |
True Justice Must Be Served For Guantanamo Detainees
President Barack Obama lifted a moratorium on transfers of Guantanamo bay detainees to Yemen – a moratorium he put in place. Why Obama put this moratorium into place after vowing, on a multitude of occasions, to do whatever he could to restore justice and shut down Gitmo is neither here nor there. I don’t intend to speculate on his reasons for taking so long, but I will say that this is one step forward after 3000 steps back.
But of course, this step is only a drop in the bucket representing justice for those jailed indefinitely at Guantanamo Bay. Now that Obama has made a meaningful step forward toward ending Gitmo, we must put pressure on the executive to see true justice is served. So what will true justice look like for those innocent individuals jailed at Guantanamo? Surely justice would not be to merely release these prisoners into Yemen, where they may very likely meet their end in death-by-drone at some later date.
First, we must look at compensation. In half of the union’s states, compensation is due to those who have wrongfully been imprisoned. Federal statute stipulates $50,000 per year of imprisonment, and $100,000 for those on death row. But of course, for far too many at Gitmo, their wrongful caging goes beyond the standard state or federal case. For example, many were never formally charged with a crime. Many were stripped from their homeland and brought to a foreign island. Many were either tortured directly or force fed during a heroic and continuing hunger strike. All were forced to live under the constant threat that any privileges afforded to them can be stripped away, if they ever refused to comply with the demands of guards. And lastly, many have been known to be innocent for years.
For all of these reasons, we must consider that due compensation far exceeds that of the average wrongfully imprisoned American. I do not mean to speak softly of the plight of your average American prisoner. Practice of solitary confinement has been found by human rights watchdogs to be nothing less than torture. But issues of solitary confinement at Guantanamo are even worse than your average federal supermax. As of 2009, a majority of Gitmo detainees were being held in solitary confinement, often deprived of sleep and beaten for the slightest deviations of prison protocol according the Center For Constitutional Rights.
The issue of compensation is then a difficult one to calculate. There are no standards one can abide by. I might suggest a lump sum of $2m for each innocent detainee, along with either continued compensation from their torturers or even a shifting of the torturers’ wages and benefits to those who should be freed. The same will go for any other prisoner who, in the past or in the future, will be proven innocent of crimes they have never even been accused of formally.
There is also the concerning issue of releasing detainees into Yemen, where I earlier half-jokingly referred to their possible fate of being bombed by the same government that at one time imprisoned them. President Obama, in the same recent speech that he addressed the issue of Guantanamo, also hinted that the drone policy of his administration is going to be made permanent and even be pursued to new degrees. Perhaps instead we should allow the detainees to be freed into the U.S., into any area of their choosing. Anthony Gregory has suggested Pennsylvania avenue as a possible relocation for them, but that might not be in the cards. I think that they should at least be given the option of living in America, as opposed to Yemen or other countries. Perhaps we can even get them on a path to U.S citizenship? This might, quite ironically, be the safest place for them.
And then there is the issue of future justice. Justice can not truly be served while the practices that led to their wrongful imprisonment are still being carried out. We must arrest their torturers and those responsible for implementing, endorsing and enforcing their torture. This includes both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, along with a lengthy list of top military brass. They, like all others, are entitled to a trial. Those found guilty must pay restitution. We must end the unjust occupations that made such black-bagging of individuals seem necessary. End our campaigns in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and all other nations under attack by the U.S government. End government secrecy. Allow free and open journalism about war crimes the U.S has committed. We must make a solemn promise to never allow such a travesty of justice to occur ever again.
Finally, there is the issue of legacy. Many of those detained unjustly have acted as noble heroes worthy of reverence. Their hunger strike forced the issue, laying bare the injustice of their imprisonment. As such, a memorial is in order. Perhaps we can set aside a space in the heart of Washington D.C, alongside those who seek to emblazon the injustice of Japanese internment camps, where family, friends and supporters can set up such a memorial. To create a memorial for all those innocent victims of a racist United States military.
We must honor, revere and restore as much justice as possible to these innocent victims. We must never forget. |
California marked the month-long celebration Sikh Awareness Month (SAAM) celebrations for the fifth year in a row. With Donald Trump 's the US President-elect, this year's awareness month could potentially be the most important SAAM to date, as the future of Sikh Americans hangs in the balance, said Sikh Coalition community development manager Harjit Kaur. She said minority communities across the nation have experienced an uptick in hate crimes, bullying, and discrimination as a result of the current political climate.A series of Sikh-related events were organised through the month, from local activities in schools to collaborating with the basketball team, the Los Angeles Clippers.Sikh Coalition community development manager Harjit Kaur explains how it all came about. “Since November 2010, California community leaders have engaged with legislators to recognize the contribution of Sikh Americans to California and to provide a platform to create aware ness about Sikhs in California educational institutions and the community .“ Harjit elaborates, “This year, Assembly member Jim Cooper presented Dr Onkar Singh Bindra and me with the state member resolution celebrating Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month. California state superintendent of public instruction Tom Torlakson also recognised November as the awareness month for California's public schools. Sikh Awareness and Appreciation resolutions have been passed in Yuba City , Fresno, San Jose, Bakersfield, Fremont, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara, along with numerous school districts across the state.The Sikh Coalition, along with many volunteers, has delivered presentations to hundreds of Californians across the state in classrooms and local libraries.The Sikh Coalition also co-hosted a Sikh Awareness and Appreciation game with the Los Angeles Clippers.Over 350 Sikh Americans attended the LA Clippers game alongside the other 19,000 spectators. It also featured the US national anthem by Raaginder `Violinder' Singh on the violin as well as the Los Angeles Sikh Boy Scouts of America colour guard, and half-time entertainment by Da Real Punjabiz.Harjeet said they work tirelessly to ensure that SAAM is used as a platform to meaningfully engage with legislators, educators, and community members across the state to address these issues. “This year, after helping to protect Sikh history in California in July , the Sikh Coalition secured safe passage of AB-2845, a groundbreaking new anti-bullying law in California in September“. |
'Orange Is The New Black' writer Lauren Morelli and her girlfriend Samira Wiley, who also stars on the show, on the way to the Emmys (via Lauren Morelli's Instagram)
One of the main writers for Netflix's Orange Of The New Black has filed for divorce from her husband after realizing, through writing the show, that she's a lesbian. Lauren Morelli and her husband of two years, Steve Basilone, recently filed a joint petition for divorce according to TMZ.
Morelli started writing for Orange less than half a year after getting married to Basilone, and realized that she was gay after writing for the main character Piper. In the series, Piper is a bisexual woman who is reunited with her former lover when she is sent to an all-women prison. "I found a mouthpiece for my own desires and a glimmer of what my future could look like," she wrote of her realization, back in May.
Her new squeeze, now that she knows where her heart truly lies? OITNB's own Samira Wiley, who plays Poussey Washington on the show. |
Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Clinton continue to act clueless when it comes to ISIS. They act clueless about when they formed, where they are today, and how can we defeat them. They are lazy, but they are also severely incompetent.
Last week, Donald Trump asserted that Hillary Clinton and Obama “founded ISIS.” Trump didn’t literally mean they sat down and discussed how to create this group from scratch–or did he?
Trump’s statement is 100% accurate, and a leaked memo from the State Department proves it to be true!
A month ago, it was released that Hillary Clinton received classified intelligence stating that Obama was supporting Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), the group that changed their name to ISIS. So, Obama is the founder of ISIS, and Hillary quickly became the co-captain of this dangerous team in 2012.
The leaked memo made it abundantly clear that AQI used Muhammad Al Adnani as their spokesman. Guess what, he is now the spokesman for ISIS. Barack Hussein Obama was literally paying them money! This is not even close to a joke or a theory. The leaked memo proves it to be factual.
Obama’s plan was to support the terrorist group until they overthrew Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad. Toppling dictators and supporting terrorist groups has NEVER worked, but Hillary continues to think so. She was a heavy proponent of this idea. Keep that point in mind.
In an August 2012 “SECRET” classified memo made its way to Hillary Clinton AND Obama.
Farrell confirmed that the report was read by Hillary Clinton via the recipient marking “RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC.”
The document is very lengthy and some portions are still classified, so we pieced together certain aspects to show the exact memo Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama saw.
THE GENERAL SITUATION: A. THE SALAFIST, THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD, AND AQI ARE THE MAJOR FORCES DRIVING THE INSURGENCY IN SYRIA. B. THE WEST, GULF COUNTRIES, AND TURKEY SUPPORT THE OPPOSITION; WHILE RUSSIA, CHINA, AND IRAN SUPPORT THE REGIME.
This report primarily discusses the background of AQI, their methods, capabilities, and that they use the spokesman of the Islamic State of Iraq Muhammad Al Adnani. Clearly there are already signs of bad things, but Hillary and Obama push even harder on this.
The report continues:
AL QAEDA – IRAQ (AQI): A. AQI IS FAMILIAR WITH SYRIA. AQI TRAINED IN SYRIA AND THEN INFILTRATED INTO IRAQ. B. AQI SUPPORTED THE SYRIAN OPPOSITION FROM THE BEGINNING, BOTH IDEOLOGICALLY AND THROUGH THE MEDIA. AQI DECLARED ITS OPPOSITION OF ASSAD’S GOVERNMENT BECAUSE IT CONSIDERED IT A SECTARIAN REGIME TARGETING SUNNIS.
The intelligence report from 2012 also predicts that segments of Al Adnani’s AQI group will break off and join ISIS, making them much stronger:
THIS CREATES THE IDEAL ATMOSPHERE FOR AQI TO RETURN TO ITS OLD POCKETS IN MOSUL AND RAMADI, AND WILL PROVIDE A RENEWED MOMENTUM UNDER THE PRESUMPTION OF UNIFYING THE JIHAD AMONG SUNNI IRAQ AND SYRIA, AND THE REST OF THE SUNNIS IN THE ARAB WORLD AGAINST WHAT IT CONSIDERS ONE ENEMY, THE DISSENTERS. ISI COULD ALSO DECLARE AN ISLAMIC STATE THROUGH ITS UNION WITH OTHER TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA, WHICH WILL CREATE GRAVE DANGER IN REGARDS TO UNIFYING IRAQ AND THE PROTECTION OF ITS TERRITORY.
Remember when American Kayla Mueller was taken hostage by ISIS and was kept as a sex slave for ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi? Had ISIS been destroyed from the beginning like a leaked memo warned, this atrocity wouldn’t have happen to an American!
Both Obama and Hillary Clinton knew ISIS was going to carry out all of the plans in all of the locations before it happened. Did they stop them? No.
This memo leaked proves Obama and Hillary saw this information in 2012, which was just before ISIS rose to their prominence in 2014. So, yes, Mr. Trump, they are the founders of ISIS. They paid them and allowed them to do whatever they wanted in the Middle East.
Here is a former Obama Pentagon official admitting Trump is right:
This report accurately predicted that ISIS would take over Mosul, Raqqa, and Ramadan. Obama and Hillary say Trump lacks the mental capacity, yet these two weak leaders paid ISIS and allowed them to grow into the world’s largest jihadi network. Who lacks the mental fortitude now?
Assange says that he plans to release an “October surprise” that he guarantees will lead to Hillary’s criminal trial, but we have come across an issue. Assange has been receiving thousands of death threats. It is reported that the higher ups are working to take him out before he can release the documentation.
If we don’t continue to share these leaks, he can’t accomplish justice like he is risking his life to. We have reports of social media censoring these type of posts, but they can’t stop them if they are heavily shared. Please show this to everyone! Obama and Hillary are the founders of ISIS.
Trump was 100% correct and leaked classified memo’s prove it to be true. If elected, Hillary may give rise to ISIS 2.0, and we will never be able to stop them.
Check Arrest Warrants Online instantly with this site. You might even see Obama’s warrant soon hopefully! |
You finally found a couple of free hours for writing. Your head is full of ideas, and you can’t wait to get them out there. Perhaps you even have a word count you’re aiming for (e.g. the NaNoWriMo Challenge). You’re focused, energized, and you have a plan: you’re going to write a very fast first draft.
Two hours later, all you have is 3 odd paragraphs that you’re not even happy with. What happened?!
If you recognize this scenario, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Writing a lightning-speed draft is not an easy skill to master. However, for anyone who wants to write anything longer than an email, writing a fast draft is a crucial skill; and it’s not just about saving time. Fast writing is also about focus, clarity, and the freedom to experiment with competing ideas.
Here are 10 tips to help you write your drafts faster than you ever imagined possible.
Speed tip #1: Don’t worry about grammar
Don’t bother putting together well-constructed sentences. Just string words together to create content, and worry about form later on.
For example, Let’s take this sentence (just a random piece of text):
This very detailed training video demonstrates everything you need to know about writing a post in WordPress. All of the basics are covered, as well as some of the more advanced features that are hidden below the surface.
Here’s how I would speed-draft it:
Video shows what you need for WP post. Basics+hidden features covered.
Speed tip #2: Don’t look back
The best way to tangle yourself up with completely unimportant decisions for hours on end, is to edit your text while you’re writing it. If you want to write a lightining-speed first draft, you’ll have to just keep on writing. Imagine the arrow keys on your keyboard, as well as the [Backspace] and [delete] buttons, have been rigged to explode on touch. Don’t set them off!
>Speed tip #3: Write your fixes
Tip #2 may sound a bit impractical. What if you suddenly realize that your last few sentences have led you to a dead end? Or you’ve forgotten to make an important point three paragraphs earlier? Wouldn’t you HAVE to go back and fix stuff? Well maybe, but since your editing keys are now explosive, you probably shouldn’t. Simply write down your thoughts, and move on. If you want to start over, simply mark it with ‘***’ and keep going forward.
This is from my short story Smiling Widow. Spelling mistakes are from the original draft; I chose to leave them in.
Without a word Betty turned – slammed door behind. walked into gloom outside. (rain stopeed a little earlier?) + widow should yell at her: “and don’t come back to beg!”
Speed tip #4: use short sentences
Crafting a long, elaborate paragraph that strings together several ideas into a single long and winding sentence, can be confusing and vague not just for the writer but also for the poor reader. Don’t you agree?
Here’s how I’d speed-draft this last sentence:
Writing a long paragraph can take time. Not just for writer but also for reader.
Personally I have a tendency for too elaborate writing. This kind of writing also helps me fight that weakness.
Speed tip #5: Use bullets
Bullets are great for speed-writing. They allow you to toss in disjointed thoughts at random order, and worry about arranging and connecting them later on.
For example, this sentence:
This very detailed training video demonstrates everything you need to know about writing a post in WordPress. All of the basics are covered, as well as some of the more advanced features that are hidden below the surface.
Can be drafted with bullets like this:
Detailed training video – shows WP posting
Advanced/hidden features covered
Basics covered
Psychologically, I also find it easier to disregard grammar (tip #1) when I write like this.
>Speed tip #6: Use simple words
Forget your arsenal of fancy vocabulary. Later on you can furnish language, searching for just the right word for the particular undertone you wish to convey. For your speed draft, just use plain language. Remember that the first draft should be all about broad strokes, not subtle ornamentation.
Here’s how I drafted the above paragraph:
Don’t use nice words. Fix language later. First draft is broad strokes.
Words like ‘nice’ and ‘fix’ are very general, so I didn’t use them in the final sentence. For a draft, however, that kind of broadness is exactly what’s needed.
Speed tip #7: Use abbreviations, acronyms and codes
Get used to writing abbreviations (like ‘sth’ for ‘something’ or ‘vid’ for video) and acronyms (like like CW for ‘CreativityWise’). Even if you type really fast, this habit will speed you up considerably. It will also help you avoid fancy language in your drafts.
This very detailed training video demonstrates everything you need to know about writing a post in WordPress.
Quick:
This vid = all you need re:WP posts.
You can also use your own ‘codes’ to replace whole phrases, even entire paragraphs. My book ‘The Mechanics of Inspiration’ naturally includes many anecdotes and ideas I was already very familiar with. My first drafts were full of codes like ‘Asterix story’ or ‘stroll/trip’, which really helped me speed things up.
Speed tip #8: Turn off your phone, unplug your internet
For some of you, this is surely the most impractical and annoying advice in this post. What if something important happens and I’m not reachable to respond?
Do remember that the whole point is to be working FAST – so all we’re talking about here is 20-30 minutes of unplugged quietness. Can you not unplug for just 20 minutes? I think you can. Challenge yourself to get used to that. It really makes a huge difference in your ability to focus.
Speed tip #9: Go to the loo before you begin
Sorry if this sounds too silly, but when nature calls it’s no less distracting than when your mother-in-law calls; and unlike your mom in law, you can’t ignore the call or say “I’ll get back to you later, sorry”. If the secret of fast draft writing is focus and flow, then not even your own body should be allowed to interrupt.
Speed tip #10: Use a simple editor
Here’s a surprising piece of truth: word processors are really awful writing tools. They are excellent, amazing, phenomenal tools for editing; but they suck for writing, because they’re just mind-bogglingly distracting! They offer way too many options for stuff that isn’t purely writing: choosing fonts, designing headlines, finding synonyms, fixing grammar and spelling mistakes in one click (that’s one too many clicks!) and so on. In one gloriously embarrassing case, I found myself using Photoshop to design nice-looking bullets for my draft. Seriously.
One of the best writing tools is good old pen and paper. It also helps you avoid too much editing, making it physically difficult to do. If you’re happy with writing by hand, this should probably be your weapon of choice.
If you prefer typing (like I do), there are quite a few great writing programs that offer liberating simplicity. I often use the Q10 writer. If you’re using an iPad, try the iA Writer.
BONUS! Speed tip #11: Write in a series of short bursts
If you’re anything like me, a countdown clock starting with as little as 15 minutes will get you going like a demon. (Q10 actually has an internal countdown clock for exactly that reason). So light up that fire in your eyes, and start typing! You’ll be amazed how far you can get with a 15 to 30 minutes countdown. Try it!
Goodbye, procrastination!
Did procrastination ever steal your creative juice away? That’s probably because you had that feeling that ‘there’s no point starting – I’ll never finish this’. Or maybe you thought, ‘I know I’ll start criticizing myself and editing it to death, end up hating the result, and the whole thing is just going to be too painful. Better stick to watching funny videos of cats on the net’. Well guess what? If you can achieve something great in 20 minutes, and if you’re not even allowed to edit yourself – then its goodbye procrastination, farewell writing blocks, and hello creative flow!
Want to know more about the creative process?
Comments
comments |
Well over a decade has passed since Kino's Journey was first adapted into anime, but this season brought us an unexpected remake with Kino's Journey - The Beautiful World . This week in anime, Jacob and Steve compare notes on how the character's world has changed with time.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network . Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead.
Steve
Well Jake, it's 2017, and reboots are still where the big money is. So what better anime series to reboot than a niche hit from 14 years ago that examines philosophical questions through careful allegory!
Jacob
ah yes, you vs the Kino she told you not to worry about
ah yes, you vs the Kino she told you not to worry about
Kino's back! And they're still on a journey, go figure.
It's about as unexpected a choice for a remake as you can get, despite the wealth of source material. The first anime adapted stories from about two books? Three if you count OVAs? But there are twenty books. So far.
Which is why I was pretty optimistic when I heard about the new series! It's definitely not my first choice for a reboot, but the original series is one of my favorite anime, and the prospect of seeing some of the newer stories get animated was exciting.
Honestly, my favorite thing about this new project is its origin story.
Oh, what's that?
Aoi Yūki , was the driving force behind getting more made. Which okay, voice actress is a fan of thing, uses her influence to push for a remake, not a special occurrence. Apparently the new voice of Kino,, was the driving force behind getting more made. Which okay, voice actress is a fan of thing, uses her influence to push for a remake, not a special occurrence.
Aoi Yūki 's debut anime role was?
But guess what's debut anime role was?
If you haven't seen the OG Kino's Journey , that won't mean much to you, but if you have, boy are there layers to that casting choice.
HOLY SHIT I had no idea! That's so cool!
Keiichi Sigsawa . First a new Kino's anime, and then a Gun Gale Online Alternative anime next year! (He wrote that too, the man likes his firearms.) It's gonna be a good year for author. First a new Kino's anime, and then a Gun Gale Online Alternative anime next year! (He wrote that too, the man likes his firearms.)
Kino's Journey and Sword Art Online , but that's anime for you. Aoi Yūki is definitely one of the most talented voice actresses currently working, and her performance as Kino is one of my favorite things about the new series. It is still wild to me that there's one degree of separation betweenand, but that's anime for you.is definitely one of the most talented voice actresses currently working, and her performance as Kino is one of my favorite things about the new series.
Same. I'm a little torn on the art style difference so far, but despite the improved animation of the new series, I think I still tilt more in favor of the old look. Kino's setting is not so much a detailed fantasy world as a series of broad fable worlds. So I liked the more dreamlike and surreal aesthetic that made its stories feel less literal.
Ryutaro Nakamura of Serial Experiments Lain fame, and his control of atmosphere definitely benefited the tone of the series. The muted colors and cartoony character designs evoked a kind of retro feel, and they even added a CRT scanline filter on top of everything, like you were constantly reminded that you were watching a TV show, that it was fiction. As a framing device, it helped further separate the audience from the anime and reinforced the fantastical, fable-like nature of the stories. The old anime was directed byoffame, and his control of atmosphere definitely benefited the tone of the series. The muted colors and cartoony character designs evoked a kind of retro feel, and they even added a CRT scanline filter on top of everything, like you were constantly reminded that you were watching a TV show, that it was fiction. As a framing device, it helped further separate the audience from the anime and reinforced the fantastical, fable-like nature of the stories.
Which is a lot of words to say that I really really love the old anime
Yeah I liked everything but that LCD filter. Don't miss that. Like, digipaint struggles to upscale to modern TVs as it is. YOU ARE NOT HELPING, SCANLINE FILTER.
Definitely an odd choice, but it's charming!
Well, for anyone intimidated by old KJ's artsy-fartsy look, new KJ is here to anime things up for you. Which is fine, these stories are solid, simple conversation-starters that can and should speak to a wider audience, and anime funding and marketing has changed immensely since 2003 in terms of what you can make and how it has to sell. So I get it, though I do miss the old aesthetic.
Yeah, the new anime basically just looks like...an anime. Awkward CG vehicles and all.
Not to say that it looks bad, because there are some very nice shots!
It's just overall not as inspired as Nakamura's version.
Yeah, I don't want to harp on the new style too much because THINGS CHANGE JACOB, and it's not even my primary issue with the new series so far. Nope, turns out I have bigger problems that I wasn't expecting!
Yeahhhhhh unfortunately the anime kinda shot itself in the foot (with a Persuader) by choosing to re-adapt one of the most memorable stories from the old anime in its SECOND episode. So before it even got a chance to establish itself as its own thing, it's already begging comparisons with the old show, and, in my estimation at least, it doesn't have the chops to win this battle yet.
So I have a theory about this, because right before the Coliseum episode (which worked waaaaaaay better a two-parter in the first series for reasons I'm sure we'll get into), the remake's first episode also adapted a story that happened to be very violence-centric. Now for anyone unfamiliar with KJ, I swear Kino does not solve all their problems by shooting at them. In fact, it's supposed to be a big deal when the gun comes out because they try to be as passive and uninvolved as possible in their travels unless their life is endangered.
Kino would much rather stop and enjoy the flowers, metaphorically and literally.
otaku with this story's more common non-gun-centric arguments about societal politics and shit. Definitely! But the first two episodes of this remake have played up the "journey of danger and survival and lookit mah cool guns" thing pretty hard, and I wonder if it's because they don't think the show will grabwith this story's more common non-gun-centric arguments about societal politics and shit.
Our first scene with new Kino is this
It's a good monologue, but they literally jump straight to "I'm gonna keep traveling even if I have to kill people," which is an odd thing to emphasize in terms of sacrifices, certainly not a focal point of the original series.
It sets a worrying precedent, because while some of Kino's stories are indeed dangerous or tragic, a lot of them are also whimsical and amusing. Like these guys!
Yeah, with the new series, I'm already worrying about those kitty ears gettin' blown off by a crossbow.
He used to be a traveler like Kino, but then he took an arrow to the--
[GIANT HOOK CREEPS IN FROM ACROSS THE ROOM]
Part of what I love about Kino's Journey is that it runs the gamut of the human condition, all of its sadness and cruelty and absurdity and, ultimately, beauty. So I hope the new anime doesn't just focus on the cruelty. Kino is many things, but an action hero they are not.
If your motto's "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is," I'm gonna need a lil more o' dat "therefore it is". But it's only two episodes in, so there's still plenty of hope!
True! And this new version does seem to be focusing more on Kino as a character, which is a slightly different direction from the old anime that could be neat to explore.
Right, that's what I was thinking! Anthology format aside, many people's favorite episodes of KJ are the ones that crack Kino's passive, gentle-smile facade and get at what drives them to keep going on this destination-less path, even when they're offered a place to belong now and again. Sometimes this can be cute, as in Kino's rejection of their taller and rugged-er doppelganger Shizu, but sometimes it can be uh
devastating
So with the remake opening once again on a monologue that (weird preoccupation with killing aside) openly questions Kino's motives for traveling, I'm hoping that facade will be cracked a little further.
THE FIRST STEP TO RECOVERY IS ADMITTING THAT YOU HAVE A PROBLEM KINO
I am also on board for more sick motorrad stunts
Poor Hermes.
it's not easy being a talking motorcycle
What's better tho, a talking motorcycle or a talking dog?
DOG IS VERY GOOD
"Get in loser, we're going on a journey."
I wonder if there's a country full of talking dogs. Kino should go there. They need a break.
Yeah, anything's better than that damn Coliseum. We should probably address that elephant, since it seems to be the one big thorn in what's otherwise been a promising remake.
Yeah, the new Coliseum arc adaptation fails on multiple levels. By compressing the story into one episode, it not only feels rushed, it misses out on a lot of the nuance and thoughtfulness of the old two-parter. It plays out so poorly that Kino comes across as cruel, rather than conflicted. The old anime also had five prior episodes to get to know their character before this heavy dilemma.
Look, Kino has always been pretty unflappable.
But they're not reckless, and when you adapt one of the most worldbuilding-heavy stories in a not-worldbuilding-heavy series in a reckless way, that unflappability might accidentally make them come off as a monster. The gist is that Kino accidentally falls into a country that pits hapless passers-by against one another in a deathmatch for citizenship. You know, as one does. But this version of the story cuts out the existence of the underclass, people who aren't at peace with this system but have no other place to live, so it's unclear what would drive Kino to get involved beyond bitterness at being used as a pawn for another traveler's confusing attempt at vengeance, which isn't really enough.
Without the two-episode time to explore all Kino's thoughts before they make their plan to take down this system (as in the 03 series), about the best we get is
This quickly culminates in Kino's clever plan to murder the murderbowl itself by first killing the king and then declaring that Everyone Should Fight to the Death for the right to replace him.
And boy do those folks not waste any time getting straight to the murder! As...one...does?
I can't stress this enough, the Coliseum arc is a BIG DEAL because it's the first time Kino actually interferes with a country. Doing so goes against their entire philosophy of avoiding any attachments to the countries they visit, and the decision to kill the king doesn't come lightly. It comes after Kino sees the unfairness of the caste system, the abject cruelty of the king, and the determination of the exiled prince. In a way, killing the king is a kindness that prevents the prince from falling into an endless cycle of familial bloodshed. THAT is what gets communicated in the 2003 version. In the remake, we don't even learn why Kino was pissed off at all until after they tell everyone to start punching each other to death.
Right, the jump from inception to conclusion is the most Boy That Escalated Quickly thing and I just
you said it, dog
There were also two Extremely Important details left out of Kino's decree from not just the first anime (which did admittedly expand on the book's story) but the original novel itself:
A) The new murderbowl is limited to first-class citizens, i.e. people who won and/or benefited from this awful system in the first place. Slum denizens are not only exempt, but protected from this violence by the decree. If you harm any of them, you're disqualified.
B) The killing doesn't just start two seconds after Kino says "here's my idea fellas!" There's a window of time where anyone who doesn't like the idea can skip town. Kino's decree first prompts an understandable level of confusion, not a mad rush for the long knives.
It also makes Kino's earlier remark (in both versions) that they made it to the finals without killing anyone pretty moot for obvious reasons. YOU SURE MADE UP FOR LOST GROUND IN THE ELEVENTH HOUR, HUN.
I can understand the argument that maybe the country is different in this version, and that maybe everyone who lives there is a jerk, but that's also not as compelling a story. Kino's Journey can be very, very blunt in its messages sometimes, but this seems just mean-spirited.
With any luck, this just means we're hitting this adaptation's low point early and the series will start improving in its choices afterwards.
I liked the first episode quite a bit! So I am also hopeful that the new stories will bring more of that good philosophical flavor that I love.
Also more good food for Kino to enjoy. They deserve it.
Totally. The stories chosen for this remake were selected via popularity poll, so with any luck we'll get some doozies while (hopefully) avoiding the pitfalls of Coliseum.
And apparently we're also getting more Shizu, which means more PUPPY~
Excuse me, I have to go. My Uber driver is here.
ADVENTURE HO! |
New research on farmers' exposure to pesticides links several of the most commonly used chemicals to both allergic and non-allergic wheezing, report researchers at North Carolina State University. Photo by Toa55/Shutterstock
RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Pesticides and herbicides are designed to kill insects and invasive plants, though evidence the chemicals also have a negative effect on health is growing.
Several of the chemicals most commonly used on farms were linked to allergic and non-allergic wheezing in a large study of farmers, with researchers at North Carolina State University warning in a new study that the threat to health is moving beyond farmers as they are increasingly used in residential areas.
Pesticides and herbicides have been linked to diseases such as ALS and several kinds of cancer, though the studies have been controversial and contradicted each other in many cases.
A report from the World Health Organization called one of the most widely used chemicals -- glyphosate, the active chemical in the weed killer Roundup -- carcinogenic, and the state of California officially listed the herbicide as carcinogenic last year.
Months later, however, European researchers released a report claiming a review of more than 100 studies found the link between glyphosate and cancer was "weak," and a United Nations report earlier this year even found levels of exposure to the chemical on food were "unlikely" to cause cancer.
Researchers involved with the new study looked at other effects of exposure to pest control chemicals, linking several to wheezing conditions in farmers who use them.
"This is the most comprehensive list of pesticides in relation to wheeze that has been evaluated to date," Jane Hoppin, an epidemiologist at North Carolina State University, said in a press release.
For the study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers reviewed the effects on allergic and non-allergic wheezing among 22,134 farmers from 78 pesticides using interview data from the Agricultural Health Study collected between 2005 and 2010.
Among the farmers, 6 percent had been diagnosed with allergic wheeze or hay fever, while 18 percent had non-allergic wheezing defined as wheezing without a diagnosis of hay fever.
Of the 78 pesticides considered in the study -- 45 herbicides and plant growth regulators, 25 insecticides, six fungicides, one fumigant and one rodenticide -- 19 were significantly linked to allergic wheeze, 21 to non-allergic wheeze and 11 linked to both.
RELATED Women exposed to DDT in utero more likely to get breast cancer
The chemicals most significantly linked to wheezing as a response to exposure were the herbicides 2,4-D and glyphosate, the insecticides permethrin and carbaryl and the rodenticide warfarin.
"Fifty-one of the pesticides we tested in this study had never been analyzed in terms of their effects on respiratory outcomes," Hoppin said. "And some of them, like glyphosate, 2,4-D and permethrin, aren't just used on farms. They're used residentially now to kill weeds or treat fleas on pets. We believe it's important information that will help people make decisions about pesticides." |
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—There are few and far between times when tough-talking Mayor Rodrigo Duterte would just shut up. An encounter with officials in Cotabato City on Wednesday was one of those times. He was virtually speechless.
Duterte was preparing to leave the stage after speaking about “federalism” before hundreds of local leaders and residents of Cotabato on Wednesday when lawyer Ranibai Dilangalen took the microphone and asked the mayor to stay for a while.
ADVERTISEMENT
Dilangalen, a member of the Duterte for President Movement-Cotabato City and Maguindanao chapter, then announced: “Mayor President, we will officially start today our small effort to help you and the country. We will launch the ‘Piso para sa Presidente’ (Peso for President).”
Then, Mohamad Ali Datumanguda, another member of the group, presented Duterte a small handwoven basket filled with P1 coins.
For a moment, Duterte froze, his face red and tears welling in his eyes.
After staring at the crowd, he approached the podium and said: “I don’t know what to say. I am really, really surprised. Thank you for having me here. The presidency is not in my plans, but if I become President, I assure you, one of your feet is in Malacañang.”
Target: P10 billion
Duterte has repeatedly said that he is not running because he does not have the financial capability to run a presidential campaign.
Launching the “Piso para sa Presidente” campaign, Datumanguda said his group would start passing the “bayong” (native bags) in Moro communities to gather P1 donations from the villagers and hopefully collect P10 billion he said would be needed—initially, at least—for the presidential campaign expenses.
An old man who joined the crowd at the gymnasium of Cotabato Polytechnic State University took out coins from his pocket and counted P8.
“My fare back home is P7. I can still contribute P1 for Duterte,” the old man said.
ADVERTISEMENT
From Mindanao to Manila
Datumanguda said the basket, which contained a little over P100 in coins, was “just a symbol” of what they would do to raise funds for Duterte’s campaign.
“Piso para sa Presidente will move from Cotabato City to Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It will then be moved to the Visayas, Luzon and Metro Manila, in the hope that we can raise funds for Mayor Duterte,” Datumanguda said.
Duterte’s camp said it did not know about such a project.
Nur Misuari
During the symposium, Duterte said that he was not against the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), contrary to what other people were thinking, after he issued statements warning the administration of President Aquino not to railroad the legislation that would create the new political entity.
“I am for the BBL, but we need to scrutinize some provisions because I do not want you to be frustrated,” Duterte said.
The mayor said he was communicating with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding leader Nur Misuari and that Misuari should be considered in the peace process because he was instrumental in the signing of the Tripoli Agreement, which led to the establishment of a Muslim autonomy region in Mindanao.
“Misuari should see the draft,” Duterte said, adding no one should be left behind in the peace process, including the sultanates.
The mayor is pushing for a shift to federalism in the government structure, asserting that the people of Mindanao should be given a chance to decide their future.
RELATED STORIES
Duterte calls presidency a ‘destiny’ after meeting with Roxas
Duterte warns Aquino on rushing BBL
Read Next
LATEST STORIES
MOST READ |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.