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BOULDER — The two Boulder police officers involved in the shooting of an elk on Mapleton Avenue late Tuesday were placed on paid administrative leave Friday pending a personnel investigation by the Boulder Police Department.
Meanwhile, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office has launched an internal investigation to determine what role an on-duty sheriff’s deputy played that night.
According to Boulder police, Officers Sam Carter and Brent Curnow have been placed on leave pending the investigation.
Curnow has been on the force for 14 years, while Carter is a five-year veteran.
At 9:35 a.m., Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner tweeted: “Two officers involved in Elk shooting incident have been placed on Admin Leave w/pay pending the outcome of investigations.”
According to police, an officer on patrol near Mapleton Avenue and Ninth Street shot the elk with a shotgun Tuesday night after he said it appeared to be injured. An off-duty officer then arrived to haul away the elk and process it for meat.
The officer did not file a report or notify dispatchers about the incident.
A photo taken by a resident in the area shows Carter posing with the elk. Boulder police did not specify whether Carter or Curnow shot the animal but did specify that the on-duty officer was the one who took the shot. Carter was on duty the night of the shooting and Curnow was not, according to police records.
Cmdr. Rick Brough with the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office said Friday morning that the deputy who reportedly helped load the elk into a truck also is being investigated by that department but has not been placed on leave.
Brough said another deputy drove by the scene but does not appear to have been involved.
Both of the police officers also are under criminal investigation from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Samson’s Law, passed in 1998 after a well-known bull elk in Estes Park was killed by a poacher, adds substantial fines for the killing of trophy animals. The killing of a bull elk with six-point antlers or larger can carry a fine of up to $10,000, on top of the other criminal penalties for violating hunting rules.
In addition, hunting is never allowed within city limits. |
Звездный крик
Загадочные космические вспышки гамма-излучения, продолжавшиеся от нескольких секунд до нескольких минут, впервые были обнаружены в 1968 году американскими спутниками, предназначенными для наблюдений за советскими ядерными испытаниями. На небосводе гамма-вспышки наблюдаются появляются раз в день. По современным представлениям ученых, они возникают во время взрывов особенно крупных звезд и на первых фазах их превращения в черные дыры.
Когда такая звезда гибнет, сила притяжения порождаемой ими черной дыры или нейтронной звезды заставляет клубы материи бывшего светила. выбрасываемые в открытый космос, возвращаться назад и объединяться в "бублик", вращающийся вокруг центрального объекта. Часть этого диска поглощается черной дырой, а остатки разгоняются до околосветовых скоростей и выбрасываются во внешнее пространство в виде джетов, узких пучков материи.
Во время этой "раскрутки" материи погибающая звезда порождает столько энергии и света, сколько звезда класса Солнца вырабатывает за всю свою жизнь. То, как именно происходит этот процесс, ученые пока не знают, и спорят о его сути на протяжении последних 50 лет.
Кутырев и его коллеги сделали большой шаг к раскрытию тайны рождения гамма-всплесков, наблюдая за одной из последних вспышек такого рода, GRB160625B, возникшей в созвездии Дельфина на ночном небе северного полушария Земли в конце июня прошлого года и открытой в первые секунды после ее рождения космическим гамма-телескопом "Ферми". Загадочные космические вспышки гамма-излучения, продолжавшиеся от нескольких секунд до нескольких минут, впервые были обнаружены в 1968 году американскими спутниками, предназначенными для наблюдений за советскими ядерными испытаниями. На небосводе гамма-вспышки наблюдаются появляются раз в день. По современным представлениям ученых, они возникают во время взрывов особенно крупных звезд и на первых фазах их превращения в черные дыры.Когда такая звезда гибнет, сила притяжения порождаемой ими черной дыры или нейтронной звезды заставляет клубы материи бывшего светила. выбрасываемые в открытый космос, возвращаться назад и объединяться в "бублик", вращающийся вокруг центрального объекта. Часть этого диска поглощается черной дырой, а остатки разгоняются до околосветовых скоростей и выбрасываются во внешнее пространство в виде джетов, узких пучков материи.Во время этой "раскрутки" материи погибающая звезда порождает столько энергии и света, сколько звезда класса Солнца вырабатывает за всю свою жизнь. То, как именно происходит этот процесс, ученые пока не знают, и спорят о его сути на протяжении последних 50 лет.Кутырев и его коллеги сделали большой шаг к раскрытию тайны рождения гамма-всплесков, наблюдая за одной из последних вспышек такого рода, GRB160625B, возникшей в созвездии Дельфина на ночном небе северного полушария Земли в конце июня прошлого года и открытой в первые секунды после ее рождения космическим гамма-телескопом "Ферми".
Практически в первые же секунды после начала вспышки к наблюдениям присоединилась российская сеть роботизированных телескопов МАСТЕР, созданных под руководством Владимира Липунова из ГАИШ МГУ и расставленных в стратегически выбранных точках по территории всей планеты.
Танец электронов
Наблюдения за послесвечением вспышки, которые вели Липунов и его коллеги, помогли ученым впервые проследить за тем, в какую сторону "закручено" ее излучение и понять, какую роль в ее рождении играли магнитные поля и притяжение черной дыры.
Астрономы в прошлом считали, что вспышка гамма-всплеска может возникать по двум разным причинам – в результате взаимодействия магнитного поля черной дыры и "роя" окружающих ее частиц, или же в результате взаимного трения частиц материи звезды, падающих на нее и "выплевываемых" вместе с джетами.
Как пишут Липунов и его коллеги, данные по поляризации излучения GRB160625B указывают на то, что на самом деле в рождении этих вспышек виноват и тот, и другой механизм. Изначально рождением гамма-всплеска "дирижирует" магнитное поле черной дыры, однако на некотором расстоянии от сингулярности это поле ослабевает, и взаимодействия частиц материи начинают играть ведущую роль в формировании излучения.
"Синхротронное излучение, порождаемое электронами, "танцующими" в магнитном поле, является единственным механизмом формирования вспышки, который мог бы породить ту поляризацию и тот спектр гамма-всплеска, который мы наблюдали в первые мгновения после его начала. Открытие и доказательство этого является крайне важной вещью для нас, так как до этого нам не удавалось однозначно идентифицировать механизм, порождающий этот поток частиц света", — добавляет Элеонора Троя (Eleonora Troja), астроном из университета Мэриленда в Балтиморе (США).
Как отмечают астрономы, раскрытие механизма работы "самой мощной космической пушки" поможет астрономам понять, как часто возникают гамма-всплески, могут ли они рождаться в нашей Галактике и на каком расстоянии от Земли находится звезда, которая закончит свое существование подобным образом. Кроме того, это открытие указывает на то, что гамма-вспышки не являются источниками космических лучей высокой энергии, как считали раньше ученые, так как сильное магнитное поле черной дыры будет мешать их разгону. Практически в первые же секунды после начала вспышки к наблюдениям присоединилась российская сеть роботизированных телескопов МАСТЕР, созданных под руководством Владимира Липунова из ГАИШ МГУ и расставленных в стратегически выбранных точках по территории всей планеты.Наблюдения за послесвечением вспышки, которые вели Липунов и его коллеги, помогли ученым впервые проследить за тем, в какую сторону "закручено" ее излучение и понять, какую роль в ее рождении играли магнитные поля и притяжение черной дыры.Астрономы в прошлом считали, что вспышка гамма-всплеска может возникать по двум разным причинам – в результате взаимодействия магнитного поля черной дыры и "роя" окружающих ее частиц, или же в результате взаимного трения частиц материи звезды, падающих на нее и "выплевываемых" вместе с джетами.Как пишут Липунов и его коллеги, данные по поляризации излучения GRB160625B указывают на то, что на самом деле в рождении этих вспышек виноват и тот, и другой механизм. Изначально рождением гамма-всплеска "дирижирует" магнитное поле черной дыры, однако на некотором расстоянии от сингулярности это поле ослабевает, и взаимодействия частиц материи начинают играть ведущую роль в формировании излучения."Синхротронное излучение, порождаемое электронами, "танцующими" в магнитном поле, является единственным механизмом формирования вспышки, который мог бы породить ту поляризацию и тот спектр гамма-всплеска, который мы наблюдали в первые мгновения после его начала. Открытие и доказательство этого является крайне важной вещью для нас, так как до этого нам не удавалось однозначно идентифицировать механизм, порождающий этот поток частиц света", — добавляет Элеонора Троя (Eleonora Troja), астроном из университета Мэриленда в Балтиморе (США).Как отмечают астрономы, раскрытие механизма работы "самой мощной космической пушки" поможет астрономам понять, как часто возникают гамма-всплески, могут ли они рождаться в нашей Галактике и на каком расстоянии от Земли находится звезда, которая закончит свое существование подобным образом. Кроме того, это открытие указывает на то, что гамма-вспышки не являются источниками космических лучей высокой энергии, как считали раньше ученые, так как сильное магнитное поле черной дыры будет мешать их разгону.
Астрономы из МГУ и ряда зарубежных университетов и институтов получили первые детальные фотографии и данные по тому, как возникают загадочные гамма-всплески, чье изучение поможет ученым понять, что их порождает и угрожают ли они Земле, говорится в статье, опубликованной в журнале Nature. "Гамма-вспышки происходят на космологических расстояниях от нас, и некоторые из них случились практически в момент рождения Вселенной. Их появление невозможно предсказать, и когда вспышка происходит, их источник навсегда исчезает. Нам очень повезло, что мы смогли проследить за этим событием при помощи разных телескопов и с разных углов зрения, особенно в момент рождения вспышки, который крайне тяжело поймать", — рассказывает Александр Кутырев из Центра космических полетов НАСА имени Годдарда в Гринбелте (США). |
A New Hampshire man was arrested for growing marijuana on Wednesday after posting video documentation of his budding collection to YouTube.
Kyle Thomas Berry, 40, was arraigned Wednesday morning for possessing more than 15 marijuana plants in his home, a hefty collection that police estimated to hold a $16,000 value.
Investigators within the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Drug Task Force began their search for the Auburn, N.H., man shortly after they came across a YouTube channel containing 35 videos that detailed the full-length of the marijuana growing process, with titles ranging from the arcane “First & Second Grow-Rooms” to the celebratory “Merry Christmas,” wherein he takes the time to wish his viewers—Berry’s channel has 18 subscribers—happy holidays.
His most recent video, “YouTube 005,” finds Berry showcasing the elaborate setup found in his grow room.
Though he did go to some lengths to hide his visual identity from the clips, Berry did nothing to mask his voice and even less to keep any potential lines from being drawn between his operation and his legal identity. “The unpacking of my auto seeds from the UK,” from Oct. 17, shows a package that bears his first and last name. His YouTube channel contained his initials: Berry titled it BeginnergrowerKTB1.
Authorities reported that they began collecting information about Berry on Dec. 20, including his home address, a booking photo from a brief Nov. 2010 jail stint, and a picture from his driver’s license. They scanned his videos and found that one Oct. 26 clip shows a reflection of his face in a metallic wall and compared the legal photos to the image they saw before making the arrest.
On Tuesday, police charged Berry with illegal manufacture and possession of a controlled drug with intent to distribute. He was arrested Wednesday after deputies executed a search warrant. Police were able to locate the full lot of Berry’s growing stock, in addition to more than one pound of loose marijuana.
He is currently being held at the Rockingham County jail on a $7,500 cash bail.
Photo via Kyle Berry/YouTube |
Researchers of “extremism” have identified friendly, environmentally-conscious families living in the German countryside as likely dangerous radicals, and warn that rural living itself “is linked with racism”.
Marking country-dwellers with right-wing views as a problem, self-styled “antifascists” are hoping to get large numbers of migrants sent to rural settlements and have established welcome initiatives in preparation.
Welt informs readers that extremism researchers caution that “Volkisch families” pose a threat to the country. The term “Volkisch” relates to the German interpretation of populism and carries connotations of folksy and organic living.
Introducing Volkisch families, the daily newspaper writes: “They belong to no party, no union, and no organisation. They have no [political] voice and get no handouts. The term therefore [refers to] family groups who live in the countryside and are outwardly exemplary but internally right-wing.”
Describing a scene in which men, women, and children in traditional dress dance around a meadow, the newspaper warns that while such people look “basically quite harmless, they are not”.
Volkische families, Welt informs readers, are “friendly neighbours” who “grow vegetables and raise animals, keep bees, and produce electricity from photovoltaic systems”.
Other indicators to watch out for, it continues, are people who “show up as ‘greenies’ and engage in agriculture and crafts, argue against the planned highway 39 in their region, and they have a lot of children. The women bake cakes and get involved in parents’ meetings.”
The federal government views Volkische families as a danger to Germany, asserting that there is “a risk that nationalist settlers’ participation in regional ecology projects and in associations, educational institutions, church structures, and other groups will increase their acceptance [by society] and simultaneously [allow them] to spread their partially-racist ideology”.
Member of the far left Antifascist Action group Olaf Meyer, who go so far to keeps tabs on the activities of right-wing families they even spy on them from hedger, says right-wing extremists are often “young couples [who] buy farms and restore them together with their relatives and friends”.
Asked by the newspaper why he objects to “families meeting together, not committing crimes”, Meyer replies: “Because their concept of their lifestyle only applies to people they define as German”.
Seventy-year-old social worker Knut Jahn, who lives in a rural area, complains that in summer he and his wife are “surrounded” by “Nazis” who in summer hold “meadow festivals, [with] folk music and free beer”.
Rather than moving house, Welt explains that Jahn and a couple of his like-minded neighbours see themselves as spearheading the fight against fascism in the German countryside.
To combat right-wing activity they, along with antifascist groups, put up posters declaring “it’s a wonderful life without Nazis” and warn that Midsummer celebrations and similar events are not welcome in the area.
To combat the phenomenon of right-wing families living in the countryside Jahn says he “expects a lot of refugees” to come in future and that they have set up welcome initiatives in anticipation of this.
The controversial Amadeu Antonio Foundation cautions that there is “a link between rural life and racism”. In a report commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, the foundation wrote: “The objective of [Volkisch families] is to affect everyday culture and build a self-sufficient economic network.”
“While at first glance the men and women seem just to be engaging in cultural and traditional activities, they don’t accept migrants, refugees, democrats, and homosexuals in their society,” the publication cautions.
Earlier this year the high-circulation German parenting magazine Baby & Family carried a special report, informed by the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, warning that families who are “cheerful” and “inconspicuous” could be right wing and thus “dangerous”.
The foundation, which was founded and is chaired by ex-Stasi agent Anetta Kahane and fights against conservatism in Germany, runs the government’s online crackdown on people who criticise open door mass migration and the violent behaviour of migrants towards the German people. |
After hours of labor and one stressed out mama, Faith Hale was born and thankfully she was most definitely Jebediah’s child! She was born a Friendly Couch Potato. Lizzie was so excited that it wasn’t Omari’s child. She could now have the perfect life she has been wanting.
George and Kayla loved being grandparents. Kayla was in playing with Faith all the time and George was learning the guitar so he could sing to her at night. Living with Faith now made them wish they would have had more kids when they were younger. But for now grand kids would do and they both wished for at least 5!
Lizzie and Jebediah had no problems adjusting to life as parents. They loved taking on the all the responsibilities. Jebediah threw himself into his work in order to bring in more money while Lizzie was on maternity leave. He spent a majority of his time at the computer but he made sure to break away from time to time to cuddle his little girl.
After a couple weeks Lizzie made her way back to the alchemy table but she was a little rusty. She didn’t think it would have an effect on her, but it did. She accidentally mixed two potions that exploded and turned her into a toad. She freaked out and ran home. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this but she didn’t know how to fix it.
That night, Jenri came over to announce her second pregnancy! Kayla was so excited and spent most of the time feeling and talking to her tummy. Then out of no where she started to feel dizzy. She stood up and realized what was happening. Her time had come. She looked back on her life, her three daughters, her 3 (and a half) grandchildren, her house, her job, the love of her life, and smiled. She did everything she wanted to, seen everyone and everything she wanted to. Kayla lived her life to the fullest. So when Grim came to greet her she just shook his hand and went willingly.
Lizzie was devastated. After Faith was born she thought she was going to have a perfect life. But now her mom had died and she was still a toad with no idea how to fix it. She spent most of her time eating flies or at the alchemy station trying to figure out what to do. She wasn’t able to care for Faith because she screamed every time she looked at her mom. Lizzie was desperate to fix this.
After days of research she finally found the solution. All she needed was true love’s kiss (sounds a little corny and fairy tale like to me..) So she ran to Jebediah.
L: “Please *ribbit* all you need to do is kiss me *ribbit* and I will be back to normal!”
At first Jebediah was appalled at the idea. But he wanted his beautiful wife back. So he closed his eyes, puckered up, turned her head, and planted a kiss on the side of her slimy scaly face. She started to smoke a green colored smog and then *poof* she was back to normal. The first thing she did (after kissing Jebediah realizing he was her true love) was go and cuddle Faith.
Speaking of Faith, it is time for her birthday! Lizzie is sad that she missed most of her child’s infancy due to the toad curse, but she couldn’t wait to see how beautiful her little girl would grow up to be!
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The release of the Panama Papers will have a huge impact around the world. But Iceland deserves some particular attention.
According to documents leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, several Icelandic politicians, former bankers and government advisers have had links to anonymous offshore companies. Among them, are three members of the Icelandic government: the prime minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, the finance minister, Bjarni Benediktsson and the interior minister, Ólöf Nordal.
The public reaction has been rapid and vehement. Within hours of the revelations, protests were being planned. Off the back of these accusations, these three politicians face the potential collapse of their right-wing coalition government. Gunnlaugsson has stepped aside, but seems to be denying that this amounts to a resignation.
Turbulent times
The Icelandic political landscape has changed drastically since October 2008, when the North Atlantic island was hit by the global recession. Back then, three of Iceland’s largest banks, Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir, faced default as a result of their aggressive expansion strategies.
In response, the Icelandic parliament passed an emergency act enabling the authorities to intervene in their operations. The Icelandic króna dropped in value against other currencies and the government of the time (a coalition between the right-wing Independence Party and the left-wing Social Democratic Alliance) decided not to intervene.
As a result of the collapse, the country entered a recession. Inflation and unemployment skyrocketed. Peaceful protests known as the “pots and pans revolution” started on the streets of Reykjavik. A new political party, the Citizen’s Movement (later renamed The Movement), emerged from these protests and included Birgitta Jónsdóttir, who would later co-found the Icelandic Pirate Party.
The government collapsed in January 2009 and early elections were held. The Citizen’s Movement entered parliament and the Independence Party, which had been in power for 18 consecutive years, lost nine of its 27 seats. The Social Democratic Alliance formed the first left-wing government in Iceland’s history as part of a coalition with the Left-Green Movement.
The new government applied to join the European Union, bankers were jailed, and most importantly, a Constitutional Assembly composed of Icelandic citizens was formed in 2011 to draft a new constitution.
However, the left-wing government proved unpopular. It was defeated in referendums over the Icesave dispute and unemployment remained high by Iceland’s standards. The application for EU membership divided the population, and there were internal disputes between coalition partners.
The government lost the 2013 elections, and a right-wing coalition composed of the Progressive and Independence parties, led by Gunnlaugsson, was formed.
But this administration has taken a series of extremely unpopular decisions. It froze the constitutional reforms and EU accession talks, despite promising a referendum on the latter. In May 2015, thousands of protesters called for the government to resign and listed a series of 99 reasons including allegations of corruption.
What next?
The Panama Papers will exacerbate tensions between politicians and the population. Early elections are a real possibility, especially since a motion of no confidence is being prepared by opposition parties.
And, surprising as it may sound, that could mean the Pirate Party will form at least part of the next government. Despite currently only holding three seats in parliament, the group is polling miles ahead of the pack.
The most recent poll (conducted before the release of the Panama leaks) suggests the Pirate Party would get 36.1% of the votes if an election were called. That’s more than the coalition’s Progressive and Independence parties combined.
That could well mean that this group, which campaigns for direct democracy, transparency, net neutrality and freedom of expression, could form a government.
The likely success of the Pirate Party in Iceland could inspire other Pirate Parties across Europe. So far, the electoral success of these groups has been limited to Iceland and, to a lesser extent, Sweden and Germany. They have tended to be seen as single-issue parties. Julia Reda is currently the only Pirate elected in the European Parliament.
However, should the people of Iceland begin a peaceful revolution, it could increase the visibility of other Pirate parties across Europe, and possibly lead to the emergence of a successful transnational political movement.
This article has been updated to reflect Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson’s announcement that he is to step aside as Prime Minister. |
The latest quarterback prospect that the New England Patriots have shown interest in, is former Boston College signal caller Chase Rettig. According to Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston, the Pats brought Rettig in to Foxboro as part of their local prospect day.
It won’t generate the same buzz as in-house visits with top prospects Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater, but the Patriots continued to focus on the quarterback position Friday by inviting Boston College’s Chase Rettig to Gillette Stadium as part of their local prospect day. One difference with Rettig’s visit is that he actually worked out for team officials, along with other local prospects.
Unlike their interest in the likes of Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, and Blake Bortles, I think the Pats could potentially act on Rettig. He is not a first round pick, which would allow New England to address more important needs early, and then in the later rounds (if that), pick up a solid young quarterback.
Rettig played four seasons with the Eagles, completing an average of 55% of his passes, totaling 8,248 yards, and tossing 52 touchdowns. |
Artist's conception of the pair of supermassive black holes orbiting each other at the center of galaxy 0402+379, located 750 million light-years from Earth.
For the first time ever, scientists have directly spotted a pair of supermassive black holes orbiting each other, a new study suggests.
This orbital motion — which was noted in observations made over the course of a dozen years — may be the smallest-ever movement detected of an object across the sky, the researchers said.
Supermassive black holes harbor millions to billions of times the mass of Earth's sun and form the hearts of most, if not all, large galaxies. Much remains uncertain about how these giant black holes grow and influence the universe around them. [Images: Black Holes of the Universe]
One way to gain insights on black hole growth is to look at black holes on the verge of merging with one another. As such, researchers have analyzed the center of a giant elliptical galaxy called 0402+379, which is located about 750 million light-years from Earth. In 2006, scientists found that the galaxy's core apparently holds two supermassive black holes.
Judging by the gravitational effects these black holes had on their surroundings, the two behemoths harbor a combined mass about 15 billion times that of the sun, the researchers said. It remains uncertain just how big each black hole is, but the limited data that astronomers currently have suggest that one of the black holes might be two or even four times bigger than the other, said study co-author Roger Romani, an astrophysicist at Stanford University.
These black holes are likely only about 24 light-years apart, "which is the closest together that two supermassive black holes have ever been seen before," study lead author Karishma Bansal, a graduate student at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, said in a statement.
The presence of these giant black holes so close together suggested that the galaxy in which they lie resulted from dozens of galaxies merging sometime in the past, the researchers said. This raises the possibility that the two black holes themselves might one day merge also, the scientists said.
Very Long Baseline Array image of the central region of galaxy 0402+379, showing a pair of supermassive black holes (labeled C1 and C2) in orbit around each other. (Image: © Bansal et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF)
To see whether that will happen, the scientists have taken snapshots of the black holes' home galaxy over the past 12 years, using the Very Long Baseline Array, a system of 10 radio telescopes that stretch from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Hawaii and from New Mexico to Alaska.
In the new study, the scientists detected one of the black holes moving at the rate of just more than 1 micro-arcsecond per year. That's about 1 billion times smaller than the smallest thing visible with the naked eye, the researchers said.
"If you imagine a snail on the recently discovered Earth-like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri — a bit over 4 light-years away — moving at 1 centimeter [0.4 inches] a second, that's the angular motion we're resolving here," Romani said in the same statement.
This may be the smallest-ever movement detected of an object across the sky, the researchers said. "Personally, I find the technical tour de force of measuring this tiny motion most impressive," Romani told Space.com.
The new findings suggest that these black holes are orbiting each other, completing a single orbit over the span of about 30,000 years, the researchers said. This is the first time scientists have detected supermassive black holes orbiting each other, study co-author Greg Taylor, at the University of New Mexico, said in the same statement.
In the past year or so, researchers have detected ripples in the fabric of space and time, known as gravitational waves. These waves emanated from pairs of black holes, each up to a few dozen times the sun's mass, in the final stages of their orbits of one another before they collided. In contrast, these new findings mark the first time astronomers have directly analyzed images to detect a pair of black holes orbiting each other, Romani said.
Although these supermassive black holes are orbiting one another, they may never meet, Romani said. The universe apparently continues to expand at an accelerating rate, suggesting that the duo "won't merge in the remaining age of the universe," he said, unless some force, such as friction from surrounding clouds of gas, brings the black holes together.
By investigating why supermassive black holes might or might not merge, the researchers may be able to better learn the conditions under which black holes normally grow, the scientists said. Romani said he hopes that future research will uncover a pair of supermassive black holes "that completed orbit within a few decades, so you could really see the details of the black holes' trajectories."
The scientists detailed their findings June 27 in the Astrophysical Journal.
Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Originally published on Space.com. |
In recent years, much information about the ancients has circulated online, some of which is ill-informed and on the other hand, some of whi...
http://humansarefree.com/2017/04/the-mysterious-connection-between-dogon.html
In recent years, much information about the ancients has circulated online, some of which is ill-informed and on the other hand, some of which may be shockingly accurate.
One of the most controversial topics in the field of archaeology and anthropology is the interpretation of the teachings of Ancient Egypt.Many scholars in recent years have identified uncanny similarities in the beliefs and traditions of the ancient land of Khemit and schools of thought around the ancient world.One of the more compelling arguments for the disbursement of the sacred traditions and astronomical knowledge of the ancient Egyptians comes from researcher and author Laird Scranton In his work, he makes some interesting correlations between the people of the Dogon tribe of Mali and those from the ancient land of Khemit.Inspired by the work of Robert Temple, who’s 1976 book “ The Sirius Mystery ” which would go on to influence future researchers, Scranton pointed out the cosmological significance of the Dogon beliefs.In his work, “ The Science of the Dogon ,” Scranton describes the incredible accuracy with which the Dogon people were able to use their language and symbols to account for complex scientific facts that wouldn’t be discovered in the West until the 20th century.Yet, mainstream scholars who reject the notion of this kind of advanced understanding of Sirius by a tribe deemed primitive, proclaim that the Dogon-Sirius mystery is nothing more than a 1965 hoax put on by two French anthropologists Grisule and Dierterlen.The two were the first to reveal such an unusual idea to the public in an unprecedented filmed interview.Since then, not a single anthropologist has corroborated the findings, although the subject has been heavily examined by independent researchers.But Laird is quick to point out that there are many more mysteries surrounding the knowledge of the Dogon priest (Hogon) that can’t be chalked up to a single interview.According to the Earth Center, Master Neb Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig, a modern day Kemetic Dogon priest claims that the Dogon tradition has been preserved over time and it’s origins lie in Egypt.When considered, how did these two French men have enough knowledge of the workings of the Sirius star system for such an elaborate hoax? The second star of the Sirius Galaxy, referenced by the tribe, wasn’t discovered by NASA until the 80s Could all of it be true? Could the Dogon people really have had a complex scientific understanding of the cosmos? And more could this ancient knowledge go back to ancient Egypt? |
Ever since he was declared BJP's chief ministerial candidate from Himachal Pradesh, former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had little respite. Besides the other candidates in the fray who sought his presence at their election rallies, he was pursued during and after the campaign by senior bureaucrats and others seeking plum posts and other favours after the elections.
With virtually everyone calling the state Assembly elections in favour of the BJP, the writing on the wall was clear. Except that hardly anyone expected the two-time chief minister Dhumal to lose even as his party won hands down. He was undoubtedly the tallest leader of his party in the state. It was perhaps for the first time that the chief ministerial candidate of BJP as a winning party had lost his own election.
The party had initially decided to go for elections without a chief ministerial candidate. However midway during the election campaign, the BJP seeking to wrest power from Congress, developed cold feet and decided to go for naming Dhumal as its chief ministerial candidate. It evidently decided on course correction following reports that the confusion over a candidate was causing bad blood and uncertainty among its cadres in the state.
The party had been selective in the past about decision to name chief ministerial candidates. It named Kiran Bedi as its chief ministerial candidate from Delhi and faced a humiliating defeat. It did not name any in Bihar Assembly election and lost. It, then, named Sarbananda Sonowal as its chief ministerial candidate in Assam and won. However, it did not name anyone in the neighbouring Uttarakhand and still won.
The choice was among former chief minister Shanta Kumar, Dhumal and Union health minister JP Nadda. Shanta Kumar was ruled out because of his age as he qualified for the margdarshak mandal. Nadda, known to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, could afford to wait for his chance later because of his young age and the fact that he didn’t have grassroots support. The party picked up 73-year-old Dhumal who was known to be popular among all sections of the party cadres.
Dhumal had swapped the seat of power with the incumbent chief minister Virbhadra Singh twice in the past and was considered the most suitable choice to take on the Congress. Another important factor for declaring him as the chief ministerial candidate was his influence across Hamirpur and adjoining districts. Besides, he had just two years before he would have attained the ‘retirement’ age as per the policy decision taken by the party. That would have opened up chances for other aspirants who could have led the party to the next elections.
Ironically, while several BJP candidates owe their success to the influence and support extended by Dhumal, he himself lost to his protégé and one-time man Friday, Rajinder Rana. A businessman, who also delved in real estate, Rana is a soft spoken and sincere person known for his humility and simplicity.
It was well known that Dhumal himself had given him the green signal to nurture the Sujanpur Assembly constituency and it was almost certain that he was to be nominated party candidate during the previous Assembly elections in 2012. However, he was denied the ticket by the party high command to accommodate the choice of another senior party leader.
Rana has assiduously cultivated the constituency. So much so, that he was in personal touch with almost all families in the constituencies. He organised mass weddings for the poor and ensured that the local women were given free vocational training. He also made it a point to visit each family which had lost a dear one and attended virtually all weddings in the constituency.
Given the popular support he enjoyed, Rana decided to rebel and won hands down as an independent candidate. He then joined hands with Virbhadra, who led the Congress government but didn’t join the party to avoid attracting provisions of anti-defection law.
However, on the eve of the 2014 Assembly elections, he resigned from his seat and joined the Congress to contest as its Lok Sabha candidate against Dhumal’s son Anurag Thakur. He also made his wife contest the Assembly seat vacated by him. Both lost the elections.
Congress, again, nominated from the Sujanpur constituency this time and he had little inkling that his rival would be his mentor Dhumal. Apparently, even Dhumal was not prepared for it but went by the party high command’s suggestion that his candidature from the constituency would help other party candidates in the adjoining areas.
There lies the unresolved question : A section of BJP leaders, particularly those close to Dhumal, say it was a deliberate ploy to make him contest from a tough constituency instead of the constituency from he had won several elections in the past. The finger of suspicion is being raised against Nadda who had a major say in selection of constituencies and candidates. However, all this is in realm of speculations. The fact is that a confident Dhumal went along the party high command’s suggestions and never protested the decision to change his constituency.
In a twist of irony, Dhumal and Rana reached the district electoral officer almost at the same time to file their nominations. Rana promptly touched his feet and sought his blessings. Dhumal reciprocated by blessing him. On the counting day Dhumal remained confined to his residence as his fortune fluctuated with each round of counting. Finally he lost by about 1090 votes.
Although Dhumal declined to comment on the likely chief ministerial choice or even his own candidature, it is believed that among the two top contenders for the post now are Nadda and a former senior minister Jai Ram Thakur. Unless the party springs a surprise by nominating a dark horse like it did in case of Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh.
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Angular component, $watch and $destroy without $scope — exploring lifecycle hooks
Dvid Silva Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 2, 2016
Angular 1.5.3 introduced something new to the directive controllers that I’m liking a lot, I have seen very little about it online, so I decided to share.
I started using the component method recently, very excited about it, I had been writing component directives before, using controllerAs and avoiding $scope as much as possible, so it felt kinda dirty having to inject $scope in order to use $watch and $destroy.
Angular 2 introduced lifecycle hooks, https://angular.io/docs/ts/latest/guide/lifecycle-hooks.html
A Component has a lifecycle managed by Angular itself. Angular creates it, renders it, creates and renders its children, checks it when its data-bound properties change, and destroys it before removing it from the DOM.
Angular offers component lifecycle hooks that give us visibility into these key moments and the ability to act when they occur.
They were recently introudced in Angular 1.5.3, the way to use them is the following.
In your controller function inside the component, you can add a function to each one of them, the function will be called from the compiler when is relevant if the function exists.
var vm = this;
vm.$onInit = function () {
$log.log('initializing controllers, setting default values');
vm.hello = "hello world!";
};
vm.$onChanges = function (changes) {
$log.log(changes);
};
vm.$onDestroy = function () {
$log.log('destroying controller');
};
vm.$postLink = function () {
$log.log('$postlink, ready to add dom event listeners');
}
The docs explain them quite better than me, https://docs.angularjs.org/api/ng/service/$compile
$onInit() — Called on each controller after all the controllers on an element have been constructed and had their bindings initialized (and before the pre & post linking functions for the directives on this element). This is a good place to put initialization code for your controller.
$onChanges(changesObj) — Called whenever one-way (<) or interpolation (@) bindings are updated. The changesObj is a hash whose keys are the names of the bound properties that have changed, and the values are an object of the form{ currentValue, previousValue, isFirstChange() }. Use this hook to trigger updates within a component such as cloning the bound value to prevent accidental mutation of the outer value.
$onDestroy() — Called on a controller when its containing scope is destroyed. Use this hook for releasing external resources, watches and event handlers. Note that components have their $onDestroy() hooks called in the same order as the$scope.$broadcast events are triggered, which is top down. This means that parent components will have their $onDestroy()hook called before child components.
$postLink() — Called after this controller’s element and its children have been linked. Similar to the post-link function this hook can be used to set up DOM event handlers and do direct DOM manipulation. Note that child elements that contain templateUrldirectives will not have been compiled and linked since they are waiting for their template to load asynchronously and their own compilation and linking has been suspended until that occurs.
I made a working example so you can see them in action and see when different events are happening: http://codepen.io/anon/pen/eZGJNg , missing $onDestroy, but you get the idea. |
Ladies and gentlemen, we are excited to present to you our grand pre-release Q&A blog for Holdfast: Nations At War! We have always been keen on transparency. Primarily this is to keep you up to date with our progress but it also allows us to go a step forward and involve our community with the development of the game. Holdfast: NaW will be available to play through Steam Early Access on September the 21st.
Today we’ll be answering some of your most-asked questions on Holdfast: Nations At War. Before we continue, we recommend that you head over to our previous blog post as we have not gone into detail on things already discussed over there.
Developer Blog 17 - Holdfast: Nations At War releases this September the 21st!
Anvil Game Studios. Meet the core development team
Holdfast: Nations At War is being built from the ground up by a core development team of 3! Andrew “Refleax” Farrugia, the Producer is to the left, Andreas “Dreas” Grech the one and only Programmer working on the game sits to the right and Julian “Rycon” Farrugia the lead 3D Artist, is standing in the middle.
We’re a small indie team putting long hours into something that we all love to do. We are giving it our all to make Holdfast: Nations At War truly great.
Steam Early Access. Alpha phase
Holdfast: Nations At War is still under active development (and will be for some time).
This Alpha state means that some of its features and content are more polished than others. Improvements are ongoing for the core mechanics of the game such as the melee and naval combat along with player count optimisations. On that base, we also plan on the inclusion of new features such as cavalry, new factions and maps. We know what the community wants and we’re working on it!
Constant game updates. Onwards to release
We very well understand our responsibility towards our Early Access supporters in bringing it out of that phase and into a full release. In order to achieve this in a timely fashion, we will be pushing out regular updates and improvements to the game based on our development roadmap. We will also be releasing changelogs with each and every build to provide you with greater visibility of our progress. We feel that visibility and community involvement within development will be the secret to a successful transition from Early Access to release.
1. Is the melee combat directional and what are your priorities towards this mechanic?
On Our Forum
The melee combat system in Holdfast: Nations At War is based on a directional system. This means that you can strike and block in four directions. Not all of the weapons within the game can use all four directions. We feel that this system is incredibly important to the success of Holdfast: NaW and so we are working hard to develop it into something that plays and feels great.
Since we first announced the game, we have been working closely with members of our competitive community during our closed-testing to improve upon this core mechanic of the game. Our heartfelt thanks goes out to them for allowing us to take up their time to gather their feedback!
Work on melee combat is currently ongoing. We understand that melee combat is important to help with sustaining a healthy and competitive player base. This is why we’ve placed improvements and additional functionality for this mechanic at the very top of our priority list.
We will also continue to consult with our wider community on our way forward when the game is out on Early Access to gather further direct feedback. You can join in the discussion on melee combat here:
Melee Combat - Send us your feedback!
2. Can you tell us more about the available firearms and shooting mechanics?
On Facebook
As the game is set during the Napoleonic Wars, the firearms of the time were very different. The reliance on muzzle-loaded smoothbore muskets (and less often rifles) means a longer reload time. The accuracy of these weapons is also limited to a much smaller range. You will often have to rely on your sword or bayonet during combat.
Other than that, they operate similarly to a traditional shooter, right click to aim and left click to fire. Besides muskets and rifles, you will also find other firearms present in the game such as pistols and blunderbusses.
Each and every firearm has different characteristics. We have developed a system that correctly maps projectile trajectories while taking multiple mechanics into account like velocity, accuracy and arching bullet drop. This will come in especially handy for those crews and regiments looking at training their men with the use of firearms! This functionality can be toggled on and off by server administrators.
Here’s a first-hand look at some firearms you’ll be seeing get into the game during Early Access! They’ll be there to complement both existing and new classes.
French Firearms (Work In Progress)
British Firearms (Work In Progress)
3. Will you be releasing the server files to the public?
On Facebook
Yes! You will be able to host your own servers on day one within Early Access. We know how important it is to allow the community to host their own servers so events can start taking place.
We will also be providing you with documentation which goes into detail on how to setup and administer your own server.
4. Do you have any plans for player built defences?
On Twitter
Player built defences will be constructed by the Sapper (Engineer) class which we will be working on during Early Access. You’ll see this present in our development roadmap for the game. We want the Sapper class to do more than just build defences however!
Our current thinking in terms of the engineer is as follows:
Reinforce Doors - Engineers can reinforce doors to increase their resistance to damage.
Repair - The sapper will also be able to repair destroyed artillery pieces, player built defences and other objects on the map.
Explosive Barrel - Engineers can construct and carry explosive barrels underneath fortifications to create breaches. Explosives can also be used to destroy bridges.
Gabions - Engineers can construct wickerwork defences filled with earth to provide cover.
Shooting Platform - Engineers can construct platforms to allow players to shoot above cover such as walls.
Chevaux De Frise - Engineers can construct chevaux de frise which damage cavalry if they touch them.
Infantry Spikes - Engineers can construct spikes which damage infantry if touched.
Trenches - Engineers can dig trenches on fort-based maps to provide cover on the advance.
Tunnels - Engineers can dig tunnels on fort-based maps. They can be used to carry explosives under the fort’s walls and create breaches. They can also be used as a direct entrance to a fortification.
Firing Holes - Engineers can construct firing holes inside walls (in certain places) so that players can fire from them.
Chairs - Engineers can construct chairs because chairs are nice.
You’re very welcome to share with us your own ideas for the Sapper class. Holdfast: Nations At War is being developed based on community feedback.
5. What about Cavalry? I haven’t seen it in the announcement trailer. Can you tell us if you plan on including it or not in the game?
On Our Forum
Yes! Cavalry will be making an appearance within Holdfast: Nations At War during Early Access. We've already planned ahead for their inclusion in the game whilst working on other systems and mechanics.
We would have never promised this feature to our community unless we had already done our research and preparation. We’re very much looking forward to the day we see them in the game ourselves.
6. How many classes do you plan on including in the game?
On Facebook
The greater the selection of classes, the more versatile gameplay will be! There are more classes already present within the game which have yet to be revealed. The selection of playable classes currently totals to 17. Be sure to keep an eye out on our Facebook and Twitter during the coming days.
To start off, here’s a better view of the captain class. Captains have priority over the rest of the crewmen when it comes to sailing a naval vessel. They also come equipped with a pistol, sword, lantern and a spyglass.
7. Will we be seeing new classes get into the game during Early Access?
On Facebook
We have already talked about cavalry and sappers above, and you can see a render of a third class below which you may be able to recognise yourselves! Plans for additional classes to make it into the game other than what we’ve mentioned here are also being discussed.
On top of this, we are also going to be working on expanding the features of all the current classes.
British Uniform (Work In Progress)
French Uniform (Work In Progress)
8. Can you tell us more about game modes?
On Facebook
If you have seen our interview with Historia Games a few months backs, you will already be familiar with this question. Army based game-modes indicate that they are land-only (no ships!) while Naval and Coastal game-modes indicate that they are either purely naval or a combination of both sea and land.
Army Battlefield - Push back the enemy faction's troops until their reinforcements deplete. By depleting their reinforcements, players won't be able to spawn for that faction anymore. If you're still alive on the battlefield and your faction's reinforcements deplete, you will have to commit to your last stand! Players will also spawn in waves in this game mode.
Army Assault - This game mode is an unforgiving single-life battle to the end. The first team to annihilate the other wins the fight.
Army Death Match - Traditional respawning chaos in which a player struggles to kill more of the enemy until the timer ends.
Army Siege - One team holds a fortified position that the opposing side must take. Siege maps have multiple capture points. The defenders spawn in waves in the following game mode and have limited reinforcements.
Naval Battlefield - Two fleets of ships with limited respawns per-vessel fight to the last in a naval engagement.
Naval Assault - Be wary of your opponent’s guns. You only have one life. Sink the other faction’s ships or eliminate their crewmen to win the match.
Coastal Siege - Combined gameplay on land and sea! Two sides clash over a coastal fortification.
You’ll be seeing more land-based fortifications added to the game during Early Access. We have already mentioned some of our plans for the Army Siege game mode whilst talking about the Sapeur class in this blog post. Here’s a preview of something we’re working on right now:
Star Fort (Work In Progress)
9. How many maps are in the game right now? Will you be working on additional game levels during Early Access?
On Discord
We have a total of 14 maps ready and playable in Holdfast: Nations At War. Keep an eye out on our Facebook and Twitter as we regularly showcase more maps as we get ever closer to our Early Access launch date.
You can also head over to our website from the link below to check out the maps we have revealed so far.
Holdfast: Nations At War - Diverse Map Selection
The selection of maps available on land, sea and coast will continuously expand before, during and even after Early Access. There are a total of 7 maps which are currently undergoing development. Here’s a preview of three of the maps that you’ll be seeing get into the game during its Early Access phase.
Land Based Map 1 (Work In Progress)
Siege Map (Work In Progress)
Land Based Map 2 (Work In Progress)
We are also taking what you are saying into account when it comes to the design of our maps. The most obvious example of this is the creation of a place for you and our entire community as a whole to share with us your map ideas! You’re most welcome to join in the discussion by heading here:
Map Concepts - Share with us your Ideas!
10. Will you be working on a map editor?
On Discord
Yes, we would certainly love to provide our community with tools to design and create maps. Even though right now our priorities are towards the core mechanics of the game, we have already put a lot of thought into the technicalities behind a map editor! Steam workshop integration would also greatly complement this feature.
The map editor will be listed in our development roadmap for the game.
11. What is the development roadmap?
On Our Forum
The development roadmap details a list of new features for all of the theatres of combat within the game as well as improvements to existing systems. We will be releasing the development roadmap at the same time as we release Holdfast: Nations At War on the 21st of September.
Within the roadmap you’ll be seeing our plans for the inclusion of cavalry, the sapper (engineer) class, player built defences, improvements upon the directional melee combat system, our ongoing dedication towards supporting high player counts, the ability to host single elimination tournaments, new maps, naval vessels, artillery pieces, additions to artillery mechanics, factions and firearms, sounds, additional voice acted orders and more!
We’ll also be showing work in progress snippets in our roadmap to continuously assure you on our dedication towards the project as we've been doing throughout this Q&A blog. Here’s a preview of something which I am personally really looking forward to seeing added to the game during Early Access! You will also be able to fire these bad boys from boats.
Rocket Artillery (Work In Progress)
Work on redesigning the spawn menu is also ongoing. The user interface is yet another aspect of the game that we’ll be focusing on during Early Access. You’ll be seeing it listed in our development roadmap. Here’s a look at our progress in this area! We’re also thinking ahead on how to allow players to select different uniforms for the same class from this interface.
Spawn Menu UI - Equip Weapon (Work In Progress)
In order to respond to the wishes of the community, we are open to changes in both content and priority within our roadmap as development continues. For instance, as we have mentioned before a significant step will be the decision over which faction to add to the game next.
12. Will you continue developing the game after Early Access?
On Facebook
Yes, we chose the Napoleonic era for our first title because it provides us with an almost endless possibility for content to expand upon. We have also taken the fight in Holdfast: Nations At War from land to include the sea as well as the coast to further broaden the scope of the game.
Our team is also very keen on the period which helps on the long days and difficult development problems! We know that the community that enjoys the type of gameplay we offer are also very passionate. Involving our community throughout the game’s development will be important for its success.
13. Why did you decide to go into Early Access?
On Discord
Early Access plays a key role in allowing us to remain independent. We are currently self-funding Holdfast: Nations At War to avoid any sort of outside influence to the development of the game and remain community oriented. We also want to create the game without the need for accepting donations or loans largely as part of our overall motivation and dedication to this project and our community.
Our team takes great pride in being able to self-finance and create our game from scratch. We firmly believe that a work of passion properly pursued will always result in a game of higher quality.
Shaping the game together with our players is going to play a major role in ensuring its success. We have been gathering and working directly based on feedback since the very early stages of the game’s development and we will continue to do so throughout development. Early Access will enable all of our followers with a direct opportunity to provide us with feedback while we continue to improve existing features as well as well as include new content within the game.
14. How much will the game cost?
On Our Forum
Holdfast: Nations At War will be priced at 19.99 EUR when it is released on Early Access this September. We are also taking measures to reduce the price from the original 19.99 EUR mark depending on the country you currently reside in - This is to make sure that the game is affordable for everyone.
Here are a few examples of the pricing of the game in different currencies:
Turkish Lira - TL31.00, GP Pounds - £14.99, Canadian Dollar - CDN $21.99 Etc.
15. Will you be working on Player Count optimisations during Early Access? How many players can you support per server right now?
On Our Forum
Yes, indeed! Supporting high player counts along with other optimisations and improvements to core mechanics (such as the melee combat) will be at the forefront of Holdfast: Nations At War. The larger the player-count is, the more enjoyable the experience will be.
Andreas (Our sole programmer!) has been working tirelessly towards this goal. You don’t see high player counts being supported in games very often because it’s an extremely difficult and time-consuming feat to achieve. CPU, GPU, RAM, bandwidth and a whole range of other optimisations are required to support even the most basic number of players per server.
Since we announced the game back in July, Andreas has managed to ramp up the player count to over 120 players on land per server! Needless to say, we won’t be stopping right here. We will be continuously working on this both before and during Early Access. We want to see epic Napoleonic battles rage on just as much as you do.
To this effect, the stress tests we’ve been hosting throughout this month have provided us with a lot of technical information for the way forward on player count optimisations. We already know what needs to be done in this area to increase the number of players per server.
We will keep you informed as this number grows during and after Early Access. More testers are being invited on a case by case basis to drive up the numbers in our events.
16. Will you be including additional factions into the game?
On Discord
We will be including new factions in Holdfast: Nations At War - The community will be involved in our decision as to which faction is brought first into the game during Early Access.
17. Will you be translating the game into other languages?
On Steam
We'll be translating the game to multiple languages after the game is released on Early Access. We hope to involve the community in deciding the priority for localisation.
18. What are the system requirements?
On Steam
We’re doing our best to support dated computer hardware (within reason!). Another method for allowing a wider range of systems to run the game is to give you a wide variety of settings and presets with which you can reduce graphical quality in favour of performance. You can have a look at this yourself in the screenshots down below.
We will be utilizing the last few weeks before our Early Access release to investigate the minimum hardware requirements to run the game. This information will be made visible to everyone under the system requirements on our Steam store page along with our recommended system requirements for best gameplay.
19. How will the community be involved in the development of the game?
On Our Forum
A simple and effective format will be the invitation to our player-base to voice their opinion about gameplay features, priorities and preferences through polls. We will also frequent discord and our forums for more direct communication.
Our competitive community is currently being involved in tests for the game to provide us with direct feedback of which we then work on. We will continue doing this during Early Access as well.
You have our word that Holdfast: Nations At War is and will always be community driven!
20. Will there be a single-life game mode available during the Early Access launch?
On Discord
Yes, join a server hosting the Army Assault game mode and you’re good to go.
21. How many ships do you have in the game?
On Our Forum
We have four sea vessels in the game so far excluding the rowboat. The 2-Gun Schooner and the 12-Gun Brig-Sloop have been revealed already and we plan to extend this roster during Early Access. Look forward to what we’ll be showing in our development roadmap!
We’ll also be taking this opportunity to reveal yet another naval vessel ready and playable for the first day we release on Early Access. You can have a look at the 8-Gun Schooner based on the HMS Berbice down below.
22. Do you consider the naval combat as a core part of the game? Do you have any plans for bigger ships?
On Our Forum
Yes, it is a core part of the game! The fight at sea played a huge role during the Napoleonic era. Naval combat goes beyond riding floating platforms blasting each other, players will have to cooperate to operate these vessels while taking things like wind direction and ship destruction into account.
We do plan on adding larger ships to complement our current selection and the frigate class of ship seems to be a good place to start from. Work on this front has also been ongoing!
We’ve been thinking about leaving this as a small surprise for our development roadmap but we couldn’t wait to show it off. Armed with enough guns on her broadsides to bring a quick end to other naval vessels, here’s a first-hand look at the French frigate ‘La Proserpine’.
Frigate 'La Proserpine' (Work In Progress)
23. How do you plan on supporting the competitive scene of the game?
On Our Forum
By the implementation of direct features and the hosting of official competitive events. The latter will start a few weeks after we release on Early Access. This will provide a precedent for regiments and crews to compete against each other. We’re also in contact with some casters and YouTubers who have already offered to give us a helping hand along the way.
Here’s a shot from the “Sunday Napoleonic Battle” event we’ve been hosting during our closed testing for the game. We’re looking forward to continuing doing this!
24. Will there be weather in the game?
On Our Forum
Yes, we have recently revealed the dynamic weather system on our social media. You can see the weather transition from clear skies, to rain, storm, snow and fog in the game. All of this is also configurable by server administrators through a selection of presets during the match.
Here are a few shots of the weather system on both land and sea.
Early Access will be used for its intended purpose! To allow the community to get involved with the game as it develops.
If you made it through all of that you deserve a medal. This brings us to the end of this Q&A but you can look forward to further releases as we make our way towards our Early Access release on the 21st of September. You’re more than welcome to get in touch with us on our forums or discord.
Feel free to join in the discussion on our forums here and as always, may good health be yours.
Once again thank you for all of your support from all of us on the Holdfast: NaW team,
- Peter, Andrew, Julian, Andreas, Nico, Cameron & Tassilo
Anvil Game Studios |
Some pictures courtesy Yoshi Komatsu.
Each week in the lead up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, we’ll be revealing another athlete on our list of the top 15 Olympic archers of all time. This week, it’s…
NOC: Korea
Born: 1 January 1983, Incheon, South Korea
Olympic caps: 2 (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008)
The Medals
Athens 2004 Olympic Games Athens 2004 Olympic Games Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
The quote
“The Olympics… were the best memories of my life. Even when I look back at them now, they’re overwhelming, exciting, and unforgettable.” – Park Sung-Hyun
The Reason
Park Sung-Hyun is the greatest Olympic archer of the 21st century. She took three golds and a silver medal from just two Games, set standards that remain unmatched today and came within a single arrow of defending an Olympic individual title.
She started archery aged 11.
“My teacher suggested it to me. I didn’t know anything about archery, but I thought it sounded fun and exciting,” she said. “I feel deep gratitude towards that teacher who has made me who I am today.”
Aged just 18, Park won the World Archery Championships in Beijing in 2001, and the world team title two years later. She was already being noted for her incredible form and an intimidatingly ice-cold approach to competition that she would maintain throughout her career.
“I think it’s important that you know how to control yourself. No matter how good your posture or your timing is, you can ruin the whole moment with just one mistake by tensing up too much or straining yourself with emotional issues,” she explained.
“At every tournament, all of the athletes become your competitor. But personally, I prefer not to think that way. During a match, I’m thinking that the only person I’m battling with is myself.”
Her Olympic debut came at Athens 2004, where she broke the world record in the ranking round with 682 – a record that was to last for another 11 years. She won all her matches by at least a 10-point margin to face compatriot Lee Sung Jin in the final.
Despite trailing Lee by three points early on, she managed to tie the score with one arrow left. Lee shot an eight, and Park shot a 10. She had the individual gold, on her debut.
“I didn’t actually expect that I’d get a gold medal. All I could think of was how much hard effort I had put in to get there, and I was just so relieved that the match was over,” she said. “I was finally able to feel the excitement of winning – after being reassured that it had all ended!”
The team event came two days later. Park, Lee and Yun Mi-Jin faced off with China in the final at the Panathenaic Stadium.
The Koreans needed 27 points from their last three arrows to win, and all three were down to Park. She shot a nine, but then an eight. One of the Chinese team, Zhang Juan Juan, appeared to do a small victory dance as if they had already won. But Park coolly shot a 10 with the last to secure the gold medal.
“Do you know, if I had aimed for a 10, I’m sure I would not have got a 10? I resigned myself to the divine will, and then I calmed down,” Park said.
In an interview that year with the Korea Times, when asked who had made the biggest impression on her, Park mentioned Zhang, and said: “I hope we meet again in Beijing.”
Her words proved prophetic.
At Beijing in 2008, the team of Park, Joo Hyun Jung and Yun Ok Hee were particularly dominant, breaking two world records and destroying France by 29 points in the semifinal to again face China – again, featuring Zhang Juan Juan – for the gold. Once again, Park had to shoot the last arrow, but the Chinese threat had fallen away and she needed just a two to claim victory. It was a perfect 10.
Three gold medals - and a fourth beckoned. Seeded first in the individual competition, Park strolled untroubled through five matches to face Zhang in a rain-swept final. But the Chinese archer had already defeated the other two Korean women, and was shooting the match of her life in front of a noisy home crowd.
Both were tied on 101 points with 11 arrows shot. Park shot first – and sent an eight down the field. The door was open, and Zhang’s nine was good enough. It was ‘just’ a silver.
“Looking back at it now, I feel like I could’ve done better.” she said, speaking in 2016. “It was the last Olympics of my life, and I was maybe too greedy about getting the gold medal. I ended up not being careful enough with my actions. But I trained my hardest, and have no regrets.”
In addition to her Olympic and World Archery Championship medals, Park won individual and team gold at the Asian Games, Asian Championships, and the Universiade. In 2004, she set the most famous of her many world records, and one that still stands 12 years later: 1405 points on the 1440 Round. No recurve archer, male or female, had gone over the 1400 mark before or has since.
(The 351 she scored on the 36-arrow 70-metre portion is also a world record!)
Park now focuses on coaching.
“My dream as an archer was to take over the whole world. But now that I’ve achieved my dreams as a gold medallist and a leader, my dream is to now train the next best player to take over the world,” she said. “And since Olympic archery still isn’t a very familiar sport in Korea, I’d like for it to become more approachable and fun for people who are interested in learning it.”
Married to fellow legend Park Kyung-Mo, she has three daughters – a team.
“I think you can pass on the genes,” she said, laughing: “But I want them to enjoy archery genuinely without feeling any pressure about it.”
She’s never quite ruled out a return to the sport though, and coyly admitted: “I still enjoy shooting very much. I might consider returning to professional archery in the future if people would like to watch.”
Park has, many times, paid tribute to her long-time coach, Seo Oh Seok.
“He taught me many things about sincerity, effort and how to genuinely enjoy archery. He dedicated his whole life to archery, and his passion for it is not comparable to any athletes out there. He was the biggest reason I was able to win gold. I still receive his advice and learn a lot from him,” Park said. “He made me realize that effort never betrays you in the end and that no one else can do it for you except yourself.”
Her final words were modest: “Really, I don’t think I’m that different than everyone else. I’m sure the other athletes were just as nervous as I was while preparing for an Olympics. If anything, I think I’ve had more luck than other people.”
“I was once told that Olympic gold medals are given to the chosen ones from heaven, so I don’t think I received them myself. So, I like to think of them as a gift I’ve received along with my coach, the staff and my loving family.” |
How are your taxpayer dollars being used to enforce the government shutdown? Police barricades line the World War II Memorial and cones are blocking the roads leading to Mount Rushmore. Over the weekend, the Amber Alert website was offline, but it has since been restored.
Today on Your World, Judge Andrew Napolitano said that while President Obama isn’t deciding where cones should go, he is instructing the executive branch about the nature of things that should be closed.
The judge told Neil Cavuto, “He has the discretion to take the money that the government has and spend it to deliver the greatest amount of services to the greatest number of people. Instead, he seems to be trying to cause the greatest discomfort to the largest number of people and blame it on those terrible Republicans.”
Judge Napolitano likened the federal government’s doomsday warnings to the sequestration. “[The president] tried to make life miserable, and it went back to normal. He’s trying to do the same thing now. When the media catches him, like [Neil] did with the Amber Alert, suddenly they have the money to put it back.” |
A Blood Drive on Monday, September 4, hosted in the Hall of Champions at Kyle Field, from 10 a.m. –4 p.m. All who are able are encouraged to donate blood.
on Monday, September 4, hosted in the Hall of Champions at Kyle Field, from 10 a.m. –4 p.m. All who are able are encouraged to donate blood. A Donation Rally is set for Saturday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Lot 100 (South side of Reed Arena) You can drop off clothing at Cox-McFerrin Wednesday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
is set for Saturday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. in Lot 100 (South side of Reed Arena) Financial Donations to the American Red Cross through the BTHO Harvey initiative.
"Texas A&M University has always stood ready to help when called upon, and the events in Texas and the Gulf Coast present another opportunity for us to lend a hand," Texas A&M Director of Athleticssaid. "We want to provide a brief reprieve to all of those affected by this tragedy, as well as extend an expression of gratitude to all of the first-responders and volunteers that are working so hard to help the region return to normalcy."Game dates and kickoff times are already set for the two games: Nicholls State on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. and Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 16 at 11 a.m.Guests utilizing these tickets are encouraged to park for free and ride via GET TO THE GRID game day shuttles. Other parking options are available here: https://transport.tamu.edu/Parking/events/grid.aspx Texas A&M Athletics also encouraged people interested in assisting with the relief effort to support the American Red Cross, as well as BTHO Harvey www.BTHOHarvey.org >, which is a student-led relief initiative at Texas A&M University.Here are three ways that people can help through BTHO Harvey: |
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued an internal memorandum earlier this month announcing that it will investigate taxpayer-funded teachers and administrators who use biologically accurate pronouns for transgender students instead of the pronouns transgender students prefer.
Candice Jackson, the Trump administration’s acting secretary for civil rights within the Department of Education since April, issued the internal memo on June 6.
The memo explains “the effects of developments on the enforcement of Title IX” concerning transgender students.
Specifically, the memo declares, the federal government may investigate taxpayer-funded schools for “refusing to use a transgender student’s preferred name or pronouns when the school uses preferred names for gender-conforming students or when the refusal is motivated by animus toward people who do not conform to sex stereotypes.”
Jackson’s memo also explains that the Office for Civil Rights may choose to investigate teachers and administrators at public schools if they don’t act quickly whenever transgender students allege sex discrimination over “stereotyped notions of masculinity or femininity.”
In the event, Trump’s Office for Civil Rights explains, federal investigators would determine whether a failure to use the pronouns requested by a transgender student creates “a hostile environment.”
Liberty Counsel, a civil rights group focused on Christian religious freedom, notes that Title IX, a 1972 federal law banning discrimination on the basis of biological sex in education, does not address pronouns chosen by transgender students.
“Title IX does not require a school district or teacher to call students by false gender pronouns,” said Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver in a press release sent to The Daily Caller.
“Title IX is silent regarding the use of pronouns, and it cannot be a violation to refer to students by pronouns consistent with their actual sex,” Staver also said. “Requiring false pronoun usage by teachers is a compelled speech violation for teachers and compelling students to participate in a lie violates their right to free speech. I thought we had seen the last of this nonsense coming out of the Department of Education. I call upon Betsy DeVoss to end this new policy.”
In February, the Trump administration announced that it had revoked a vague Obama administration order forcing taxpayer-funded schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice. Two federal agencies, the Department of Justice and the Department of Education, jointly issued the administrative guidance in the form of a letter. (RELATED: Trump Revokes Obama’s Public School Transgender Bathroom Free-For-All)
White House press secretary Sean Spicer suggested at the time that President Trump would abandon Obama’s transgender-bathroom mandate. “This is a states’ rights issue and not one for the federal government,” Spicer informed reporters, according to The New York Times.
The previous Obama administration guidance, sent in May 2016, instructed public school districts across the country to allow transgender students to choose bathrooms and shower stalls consistent with their gender identity, not their biological features.
Also in February, the U.S. Department of Justice sought permission to delay a hearing on a motion — filed last year — asking federal district judge Reed O’Connor to ease a preliminary injunction striking down the Obama administration guidance on bathroom and shower use in public schools.
The preliminary injunction, entered in August, stems from a 2016 lawsuit filed by the state of Texas in response to the Obama administration’s transgender bathrooms directive. A dozen states joined the suit, which accused federal agencies of issuing the guidelines by means of regulatory “dark matter” — a deluge of agency directives, notices, memoranda, guidance documents, and even blog posts which effectively create new policy without congressional legislation or Administrative Procedure Act (APA) protocols. The states claim that this strategy allows agencies to evade judicial review and achieve their policy objectives. (RELATED: Texas Leads 13 States In Lawsuit To Stop Obama Transgender Bathroom Rules)
Judge O’Connor, an appointee of George W. Bush, wrote in the preliminary injunction that Title IX “is not ambiguous” concerning “the biological and anatomical differences between male and female students as determined at their birth.”
Follow Eric on Twitter. Like Eric on Facebook. Send story tips to [email protected]. |
Exciting Google Summer of Code projects, major developments in the codebase that need testing, and even a Kickstarter are just a few of the many items that have occurred since our last community roundup in January. Let’s get updating.
Official Android Remote
With the last community update in January, we mentioned a desire for someone to step up and help maintain an official Kodi Remote for Android. Developer syncd has stepped forward and offered up Kore as an updated, open source option for users looking for Android remote control software, or even as a base for aspiring devs looking to make their own offering.
We are well aware that there are other closed source Android remotes out there. The goal of the Kore remote project is not to drive out or replace other devs and remotes, but rather to welcome new ones in by providing an open source base to work with.
Google Summer of Code
This year was an incredibly difficult one for deciding which projects to choose. We had enough mentors for 6 projects, but were only provided with 4 slots. Many years, this works fine, and it’s easy to narrow everything down. This year, there were so many great submissions that we ultimately took until the very last day to decide on the final four. There was even a period where we considered asking users to crowdsource fund the other two projects, but we ultimately deemed it too uncertain as to whether such an idea would get funded or would even be acceptable to the students’ schools. We decided not to get anyone’s hopes up only to have them dashed, and instead focus on the four projects we thought had the best combination of exciting/useful idea and feasibility.
With all that said, here are the four projects we chose:
Cross-platform room correction for Kodi: The only project submitted by a Kodi Team member that was accepted is one designed specifically for the audiophiles out there. While Kodi is currently able to bitstream to a hardware A/V Receiver that can often measure and deal with the ambiance of the room, team member Achim and others have been working to make the typical hardware AVR completely unnecessary. Significant work has already gone into integrating Digital Signal Processing features into ActiveAE, Kodi’s integrated audio engine. The next step in this process is… well, let’s let Achim explain it.
One focus of this proposal is to integrate external input sources into ActiveAE. With this new extension point it will be possible to connect a microphone to a Kodi capable device. This allows you to digitally optimize your listening experience while sitting on your favorite listening position e.g. your couch or your armchair, by compensating the influence of the interior room factors. This feature is widely known as digital room correction or digital room equalization.
For digital room correction, three other implementation components are required. One is the implementation of a convolution engine to combine and compute the audio signal with a calculated room correction filter. At the time of writing a first prototype addon adsp.xconvolver exists, this addon was written by me in order to evaluate the technical feasibility of this project. The addon is based on the highly optimized cross platform library LibXConvolver. The second and third component is the measurement signal and filter generation, which I want to implement in adsp.xconvoler during my GSoC coding time.
Put simply, with an integrated DSP and room correction, Kodi should be able to completely eliminate the need for most of the high end software found in most AVRs.
NVIDIA Gamestream: As the code that should revolutionize how Kodi handles inputs finally makes it into core, one of the first projects to take advantage of it will hopefully be a Kodi-specific implementation of NVIDIA’s Gamestream tech. For those unaware of Gamestream, NVIDIA has created a solution for streaming content from a more powerful gaming PC with an NVIDIA graphics card to any of NVIDIA’s Shield devices.
At least, that’s how it started. Since Gamestream was released, a dev going by cgutman created Limelight, an opensource library that makes it possible for any device or software to act as a Gamestream receiver. The goal of this GSOC project is to extend that capability to any instance of Kodi, so you could theoretically watch a show on your RaspberryPi2 running Kodi, then switch over to play some Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, and then listen to a little night music. There are some serious technical issues that will need to be resolved with this project, not the least of which is the potential for massive latency, but if it works, it should make for some really great experiences.
Better Profile Handling: Honestly, this one is far more exciting to us developers than to users. The issue is that as we move towards a model that allows for headless server instances of Kodi, all the instances of Kodi in your house will likely be run by different individuals with different wants and needs, and the other instances on the network simply aren’t smart enough to deal with that at the moment. So one of the great underlying needs of Kodi right now is a vastly improved handling of individual profiles. While users may not see a ton of direct impact on their day to day usage, this project should indirectly touch almost everything we do while using Kodi.
On-The-Fly Transcoding: It’s kind of the holy grail of UPnP server-client interaction and something Kodi doesn’t do at all. As such, this project is probably the most risky project, as it will effectively be an entirely new section of the Kodi code-base, but it may also be the most rewarding. Regardless, the entire team is excited (cautiously excited, in some cases) about this project, and we guess quite a lot of users will be too. As we move forward with it, we’ll keep you updated on its progress.
DVR Kickstarter
We don’t often mention Kickstarters in our blog, but since at least one team member is helping with the project, we figured we’d point out Silicon Dust’s DVR. While the company has already met their goal, their first stretch goal is to make a DVR add-on for Kodi that essentially extends the already fairly brilliant HDHomeRun add-on we featured last month. As many of us would like to use this software, we’re definitely hoping they hit their goal, and as off this writing, they’re only about 5k away.
Bitcoin Donations
Team Member Kib put in all the effort to make it possible for those of you who don’t like Paypal and don’t like banks to donate using the newest, coolest currency: Bitcoin. Many of you demanded it as an option. We’re happy we are finally able to meet that demand.
UPnP Library Integration
Yet another of the major requests we get on a regular basis is for a single library across all your devices without the need to use add-on workarounds or hacks or the AdvancedSettings.xml to make it happen. Team Member Montellese has been working on this task and is now ready for testers to start poking holes in his project: Media Importing and Library Integration of UPnP. A quick overview video can be found below, but simply put, with Montellese’s test build you only need to scan your folders on your network once. Every other instance of Kodi can just scan and grab the library from whatever your main device is. Now any UPnP device on your network can act as a library source.
Website Update
Finally, we’re beginning the process of updating the website to a new look that’s a bit more friendly for first time users. While we’ll talk more about that in the future, for now we’d just like to point out that most of the posts for the past 5 years or so have been categorized, as you should be able to see to the right. This means it’ll be much easier to find some of our favorite old posts, including all the old Feature Fridays, old April Fools jokes, and more. |
The ridiculous and amazing things we scouted in Shanghai.
China Joy kicked off Thursday at the Shanghai New International Expo Center with over 600 firms showing the latest in entertainment and technology.
Among the expected fare of films, games, animation, audio products and cosplay during the four-day conference, there was one obvious and unavoidable sorta newcomer to the scene — virtual reality.
From all-in-one mobile VR headsets to tethered head-mounted displays (HMDs) with hand-controllers that looked eerily similar to brands we already report on, one thing’s for sure, there was no shortage of VR and AR hardware on the show floor.
Let’s take a look at some of the common themes we came across at China Joy.
Rides. There were giant swings, flying things, rollercoasters and jet skis.
Guns. Armed to the teeth with tethered Vives, backpack VR and 3D printed controllers.
Headsets. We saw quite a few multiplayer Vive setups, but we also saw Move controllers on heads, branded headsets and even headsets that look like a Vive controller and Oculus Touch controller had a baby!
Wait, is Freddie Prinze Jr. a fan of VR now!?
Speaking of weird — companies and their names sometimes.
Parties. The VR parties were just as unique. This one had a pool inside it.
There was even mixed reality in the “bathroom”.
With all the strange, unique and sometimes just amazing things we saw for the first time — there was one familiar title that reminded us of home.
Worldwide shipments of VR hardware is set to skyrocket in 2016, with some estimates pointing at volumes of 9.6 million units and hardware revenues approaching $2.3 billion in 2016, according to IDC. Most of that hardware growth will be fueled by key products from Samsung, Sony, HTC, Oculus and Google. And you can expect China will be playing a large role in that growth, not only from the manufacturing side, but also sheer volume of consumer adoption.
According to the latest research released by China Electronics Standardization Institute and Xinhua News Agency, the expanding industry is working to make VR part of people’s daily lives in China. The Chinese VR market was worth 1.54 billion yuan ($236 million) in 2015, and is expected to rise to more than 5 billion yuan ($753 million) this year.
This is going to be quite a world we’ll live in.
Image Credit: Stephen Ip |
x YouTube Video
“For people like Bill O’Reilly,” Hayes said, “there is a zero sum of concern, here. For him, this really isn’t about his interest in helping the actual human beings being killed on Chicago’s South Side. No. It’s about making a point. A point about the propensity of black people to commit violence, and then tossing them aside as violent people with ‘little discipline’ who are ‘unsupervised’ and ‘prone to imitate bad behavior.’” Hayes said, “There are about 200 million white people in America, making up about 63% of the population. In 2010, 1,179 white people were killed by black people.
Compare that number to the roughly 20,000 white people who died from accidental poisoning, 16,000 who died from accidental falls that year, or the 2,000 or so white people estimated who died from accidental drowning. In other words, Bill O’Reilly, you have more reason to be afraid of your own swimming pool than any young black man you see in a hoodie.” Rep. Barbra Lee states that "many studies have shown that low socio-economic status is the largest indicator of violence rather than race".
Just as many argue there is a correlation between a high rate of black crime, even though the fact is those statistics are repeatedly misused, skewed and distorted, they often ignore that there is also a fairly high rate of poverty among non-whites. Via Wapo.
A census report on poverty rates for various racial and ethnic groups found poverty widespread among American Indians, blacks and Hispanics. Nationwide, during 2007 and 2011, which encompasses the recession and the immediate aftermath, 43 million Americans — or slightly more than 14 percent — lived in poverty. But not every group was impacted equally. The poverty rate was 27 percent for American Indians, 26 percent for African Americans and 23 percent for Hispanics. Among whites and Asians, less than 12 percent were poor. The federal threshold for poverty is about $11,500 in annual income for an individual and about $23,000 for a family of four.
So you see the poverty rate for non-whites and non-asians is over two times higher, and also the unemployed rate is far higher as well and has been for quite some time.
There are of course a great many factors that influence this, the crumbling of the urban educational infrastructure, the automation, outsourcing and offshoring blue color jobs, our slow stumbling recovery from the second greatest financial collapse in our history which affects both black and white alike, but with the additional tendency of business to discriminate in hiring, for banks to discriminate in lending, and landlords to discriminate in housing, biased policing that drains economic resources, the drug war and mass incarceration that disenfranchises millions from the job market and most importantly the creeping deficit of hope that slowly drowns the promise of an eventual better future, the end result affects blacks somewhat more. When it came to finding one of the studies mentioned by Rep. Lee, it took all of 0.0026 seconds on google. Here is what the Bureau of Justice Statistics states.
For the period 2008–12— Persons in poor households at or below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) (39.8 per 1,000) had more than double the rate of violent victimization as persons in high-income households (16.9 per 1,000). Persons in poor households had a higher rate of violence involving a firearm (3.5 per 1,000) compared to persons above the FPL (0.8–2.5 per 1,000). The overall pattern of poor persons having the highest rates of violent victimization was consistent for both whites and blacks. However, the rate of violent victimization for Hispanics did not vary across poverty levels. Poor Hispanics (25.3 per 1,000) had lower rates of violence compared to poor whites (46.4 per 1,000) and poor blacks (43.4 per 1,000). Poor persons living in urban areas (43.9 per 1,000) had violent victimization rates similar to poor persons living in rural areas (38.8 per 1,000). Poor urban blacks (51.3 per 1,000) had rates of violence similar to poor urban whites (56.4 per 1,000).
So, generally speaking, rates of violence for people in poverty are largely the same across racial lines it's just that there is a far higher rate of black people living in poverty in higher concentrated density, and hence, more likely in those specific areas to resort to violence, or become the victim of violence. The violence isn't tied to who or what they are, it's tied to the circumstances their living in.
Blacks are not inherently prone to violent crime, poor people sometimes are.
Even with that fact documented, it's it interesting that when you control for poverty for poor urban blacks, that the actual rate of violence is slightly higher for poor urban whites at 56.4 incidents per 1000 white persons vs. 51.3 per 1000 black persons. It may not be more than a statistical anomaly, but it does go directly against the prevailing narrative.
It's also interesting that poor Hispanics rate of violence is not much affected by poverty and is nearly half the rate of both poor blacks and whites -perhaps because for many of them U.S. poverty is a massive upgrade from poverty in Latin America - which certainly stands in stark contrast to the claims made by the likes of Donald Trump about "immigrant rapists and killers" and the like. It is said that a man with few means and great wants may resort to desperate measures. I think we can see that this is true whether that person is white or black. So when exactly are we going to start working on our poor-on-poor crime problem? Or just on ending the problem of the poverty gap itself? |
Jose Mourinho has led Manchester United to a 15-game unbeaten run in the Premier League
Jose Mourinho feels the praise for the playing style he has implemented in English football is long overdue.
Manchester United scored three goals in eight minutes to defeat Premier League champions Leicester City 3-0 on Sunday and close the gap on fifth-placed Liverpool to a single point.
Mourinho's side are now unbeaten in 15 league games and the manager feels he is finally starting to get the recognition he has long deserved in English football.
2:37 Leicester 0-3 Manchester Utd Leicester 0-3 Manchester Utd
He said: "My team is playing very well but for many, many years in my career, especially in this country, when my teams were ruthless and when they were phenomenal defensively and very good in the counter-attack, I listened week after week... it was not enough, in spite of winning the title three times.
"It looks like this season, to be phenomenal defensively and be good at counter attack is art, so it's a big change in England.
"I don't want to change the profile of our play. This is the way we want to play. I don't want to be the manager of a team that plays very well, creates chances and doesn't win matches. We need to score goals and today we did."
The result at the King Power never looked in doubt as United turned in a dominant performance against a Leicester side struggling at the wrong end of the table after a superb 2015/16 season in which they won the title.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates after scoring United's second goal at Leicester on Sunday
It was a far cry from last season, when Mourinho lost his job as Chelsea boss after a 2-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium - and he could not resist a joke at his expense.
He said: "The last time I was sat in this chair, the next day I was sacked!" |
First win for the Polo R WRC at the Volkswagen home event hoping to be achieved at the third attempt
Ogier, Latvala and Mikkelsen favourites as first, second and fourth in the WRC standings
First asphalt event of 2015 is final “elusive win” for Volkswagen in the WRC
Ogier/Ingrassia have first “match point” for the third title win in a row
Victorious everywhere except for Germany so far – if Volkswagen get their way, between 20 and 23 August 2015, Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) or Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (N/N) will close a small but crucial gap in the resumé of the Polo R WRC. The Rally Germany, the ninth event in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), is the only rally to date that the 318 hp World Rally Car is yet to win. Even though Volkswagen weren’t exactly blessed with luck at their home event around Trier in 2013 and 2014, retiring early with different drivers in the lead at each of the rallies, the team is taking its usual meticulous and highly motivated approach to the task in hand. However, the business of getting a home win is anything but easy: The Rally Germany is the first real asphalt event of the WRC in 2015, and is regarded as the “beast” that really does cause dramas.
“One thing’s for certain: Our record at our home event reflects neither our ambitious goals nor our previous performance in Germany,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “There is no other WRC event at which our desire to win is so great and so unfulfilled. We could have got the win under our own steam in 2013 and 2014, but retired with Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala in the lead respectively. But even though luck hasn’t exactly been on our side at home, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be fighting for first place again in 2015. With Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala we have two winners on asphalt lining up, and Andreas Mikkelsen is more than ready for his first ever race victory, and is pacy on all surfaces. And the team behind the three of them is also a winning bunch: They won’t be making any compromises at the Rally Germany, each of them will be putting in that extra bit of hard work and perfection.”
No fear of the “beast” Rally Germany
Volkswagen will take on the “beast” Rally Germany with the same respect as they have for every WRC event, but by no means with fear. Unlike in the previous years, Volkswagen will not be using newly built chassis for Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala, instead they will be using tried and tested chassis that were in action at the “Monte”, in Mexico, Portugal and Poland. And there is another difference from last year: Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila are proven asphalt winners – at the Rally France in 2014 they celebrated the first Finnish success on this surface in 14 years, eleven months and 23 days, and also got the win at the fastest asphalt race of all time. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene also took this opportunity to prove that they are absolute all-rounders – coming second, after finishing in this position on ice and snow in Sweden and on gravel at the Rally Poland.
To build on these successes at the first pure asphalt event since then, Volkswagen has prepared meticulously for the special conditions at the Rally Germany during testing on Corsica and in Germany, and has devised basic tuning for the second generation Polo R WRC for all three driver pairings.
Four passes of Panzerplatte and real classics to finish – the 2015 route
The WRC drivers and co-drivers will be familiar with much of the 2015 edition of the Rally Germany. None of the special stages are completely new to the participants. The notorious Panzerplatte on the military training area of Baumholder – with its unyielding “menhirs” – is on the itinerary four times on Saturday with two different stages. The area, which is only open to civilians during the Rally Germany, has caused all sorts of dramas in the past due to its particularly slippery asphalt combined with those menhirs that are intended to stop tanks. The world’s elite will take on the drift of these special stages with the respect they deserve – at 2.87 and 45.61 kilometres in 2015, they are the longest and the shortest stage of the Rally Germany. However, the highlight is the two special stages on Sunday. “Stein & Wein” and “Drohntal” are characterised by the serpentine road along the vineyards, symbolic of the Rally Germany. The second pass of the Drohntal stage will be the closing “Power Stage” on which bonus points are awarded for the top three driver/co-driver duos. |
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Consumer Reports Auto Reliability Survey: Ford Continues Fall While Seven Japanese Brands Top List
Audi and Cadillac make major jumps in rankings
December 2012 CoverYONKERS, NY-A perfect storm of reliability problems has dropped Ford to next to last among the 28 car brands ranked in Consumer Reports 2012 Annual Auto Reliability Survey, while its luxury brand, Lincoln, placed just a notch higher. The findings were released today before the Automotive Press Association in Detroit.
Only two years ago, Ford was Detroit's poster child for reliability. It cracked the top 10 among brands in Consumer Reports predicted-reliability scores, with more than 90 percent of its models being average or better. This year the top seven spots are all held by Japanese brands.
"Ford's bumpy road can be seen in the numbers. Sixty percent of Ford-branded models and half of Lincolns were below average in predicted reliability, and none placed above average," said Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports.
Several factors contributed to Ford's decline in Consumer Reports' reliability rankings. A few new or redesigned models, including the Explorer, Fiesta, and Focus, came out of the gate with more problems than normal. Ford has also added the MyFord/MyLincoln Touch electronic infotainment system, which has been problematic so far, to many vehicles. In addition, three historically reliable models-the Ford Escape, Fusion and the Lincoln MKZ-are not included in the analysis; the three were redesigned for 2013 and CR doesn't yet have reliability data on them.
Toyota, on the other hand, has excelled in Consumer Reports' latest ratings. Its three brands-Scion, Toyota, and Lexus-swept the top spots. Toyota is clearly setting the pace in reliability. Of the 27 models in the brand's lineup, 16 earned the highest rating. The subcompact Toyota Prius C earned Consumer Reports' top score overall. The hatchback Prius, the larger Prius V, and the new Prius plug-in were also above average.
The Toyota trio was followed by four other Japanese makes: Mazda, Subaru, Honda, and Acura, in that order. All of the models produced by the top seven brands had average or better reliability. And of the 90 Japanese models reflected in Consumer Reports' brand comparison, 86 were average or better, with 35 earning the highest rating.
Leading the Europeans, Audi had its best showing ever, moving up 18 spots to eighth place, making it easily the most reliable European make and the top non-Japanese brand.
The findings from Consumer Reports 2012 Annual Auto Survey are based on subscribers' experiences with 1.2 million vehicles. The organization uses that extensive data to predict how well new cars that are currently on sale will hold up. The complete report and rankings are available at www.ConsumerReports.org starting today, and in the December issue of Consumer Reports.
Mixed bag for domestics
Cadillac is the top U.S. brand, having moved up 14 spots this year. Its CTS coupe was the most reliable domestic car. A number of other General Motors nameplates-Buick, Chevrolet, GMC-also moved up in the ranking. The Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car continues to have above-average reliability, and the compact Chevrolet Cruze, dismal in its first year, improved to average.
Chrysler brands had a few setbacks. This year, Consumer Reports has enough data to report on some of the recently revamped Chrysler and Dodge models, and their problems have dragged the nameplates' rankings down. The Dodge Charger, for example, returns with well-below-average reliability. Other models had ups and downs. The V6 version of the Chrysler 300 sedan, with an average rating, is now the brand's most reliable model, and the V8 300 is its worst. Likewise, the V6 Jeep Grand Cherokee scores average and the V8 is now below par. The differences stem from the alternative powertrains and the extra features found in higher-priced versions. Separating its trucks into a new nameplate, Ram, didn't help Dodge's standing. And Fiat's 500 debuted with average reliability in its first year in the United States.
Japanese models are tops
Mazda is hot on the tail of the three Toyota brands, and its improvement is buoyed by the predicted-reliability score for the new 2013 CX-5 SUV, which is much better than average. And Subaru's standing improved, with its redesigned Impreza debuting with top marks and none of its models scoring below average. Honda dropped one spot in the ranking, to sixth place, but its worst vehicle, the Odyssey minivan, improved from below average to average.
Nissan and its Infiniti luxury brand performed well overall, but a few models kept them from ranking with the other Japanese nameplates. Nissan's Versa sedan, redesigned for 2012, was much worse than average, as was the large Armada SUV. The Titan pickup truck was also below par. Of the seven Infiniti models, only the convertible version of the G scored below average.
Germans brands lead Europe
All of the German luxury brands improved. Six of the seven Audis in CR's survey rated average or better, as did 10 of the 12 BMWs. But the high-end BMW 7 Series and the turbocharged six-cylinder version of the X3 SUV were much worse than average. Mercedes-Benz made a good showing, with the turbocharged, four-cylinder C250 sedan doing well in its first year and the V6 E-Class sedan moving from average to above average. But the redesigned M-Class came in below average in its first year.
Volkswagen was a mix. The redesigned Passat did well, and the CC, Eos, and diesel Jetta sedan improved. But the redesigned Beetle, four- and five-cylinder gasoline Jetta, sporty GTI, and Touareg SUV were below average. Volvo, which ranked highest among European brands last year, dropped 10 places, hurt by declining scores for the C30 hatchback and C70 convertible and a below-average showing for the aging XC90 SUV.
Consumer Reports reliability ratings do not come from the organization's experience during vehicle testing. Instead, it relies on owners to supply the Consumer Reports National Research Center with the data. Earlier this year, the organization asked subscribers to report about serious problems they've had with their vehicles in the prior 12 months. CR bases its predicted-reliability scores on the most recent three model years of data, provided the model has not been redesigned for 2013. The scores are presented as a percentage better or worse than the average of all cars.
The minimum sample size is 100 vehicles, but Consumer Reports often gets many more. Among 2012 models, the Honda CR-V drew the most responses: 2,981. Other 2012 models with more than 2,000 responses are the Hyundai Elantra sedan and the four-cylinder Toyota Camry and Subaru Outback. Some new and redesigned models were released too late to be in our survey, and redesigned 2013 models are not included in the brand's average reliability score.
Consumer Reports is the world's largest independent product-testing organization. Using its more than 50 labs, auto test center, and survey research center, the nonprofit rates thousands of products and services annually. Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports has over 8 million subscribers to its magazine, website and other publications. Its advocacy division, Consumers Union, works for health reform, food and product safety, financial reform, and other consumer issues in Washington, D.C., the states, and in the marketplace. |
NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi met national party leaders on Friday to seek ways to end weeks of unrest in Kashmir, but a separatist group said there would be no peace until Indian politicians stop treating it as a purely internal issue.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to the media inside the parliament premises on the first day of the monsoon session in New Delhi, July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/Files
Indian security forces killed a militant leader on July 8, sparking violent protests across the Himalayan region, which is split into areas ruled by India and Pakistan. Both countries claim sovereignty of all of Kashmir.
Police extended a curfew in parts of the Muslim-majority territory for a 35th day on Friday and mobile telephone networks were suspended from late on Thursday due to worries about fresh violence following Friday prayers.
National opposition leaders have stepped up calls for an all-party delegation to visit Kashmir for talks with regional leaders.
But Modi maintained a tough line on Friday, telling party leaders in New Delhi that now was not the time to send negotiators and that there must be no compromise on national security.
Modi’s BJP rules Kashmir in a power-sharing arrangement with a regional party and has long advocated a tough stance toward the decades-long insurgency.
With 54 protesters killed since early July, one of the two factions of the main separatist alliance, the Hurriyat Conference, said there was no sign of anger abating.
“Unless there is an acknowledgement among all political parties in India that Kashmir is a dispute and not an internal issue and has to be addressed accordingly, there is very little chance of the situation improving or real peace returning,” said faction chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
Modi’s government has shunned talks with Hurriyat and other groups that challenge India’s claim, putting on hold peace talks with Pakistan, telling it to first rein in anti-India militants operating from its territory. Pakistan rejects allegations that such militants operate from its soil.
A resolution by India’s lower house of parliament on Friday urged steps to restore peace but analyst Ajai Sahni said Modi’s government appeared short of ideas on how to achieve that.
“I don’t see anything in terms of a strategy,” said Sahni, of the Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management.
“The government and the separatists are speaking in completely divergent voices.” |
Last May, Dr. Kathleen Levinstein, a professor of social work at the University of Michigan, wrote a heartbreaking piece about her autistic daughter, a teenaged girl who became convinced that she was really a man trapped inside a woman’s body. With encouragement from transgender activists at the local organization of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), the vulnerable young woman took sex-altering hormones and cut off her breasts. Dr. Levinstein now grieves the mutilation of her daughter’s body and the increased psychological confusion her daughter is experiencing as a result of the hormones.
She states, “She has been taken advantage of. Healthy organs were amputated…. It is a crime not just against women, but particularly against disabled women. So many of these young women who are ‘transitioning’ are also autistic.”
Some contemporary studies have made a connection between gender “dysphoria” and autism. A recent article in The Atlantic uses these studies to push the idea that “transitioning” is a healthy, even necessary, option for those on the spectrum who want it. The author asserts that any effort to discourage such “medical care” to those with special needs is callous. In this way, The Atlantic interweaves natural sympathy for the growing autism awareness movement with transgender ideology.
The Atlantic has it backwards. To help and protect individuals on the spectrum, there needs to be greater awareness of transgenderism’s lies and why those on the spectrum could be susceptible to its manipulation. Encouraging sex-change or an alternate gender identity is destructive to individuals with autism or Asperger’s (previously in a separate diagnostic category), only furthering their private pain.
Why would those who are neurobiologically different also come to see themselves as a different biological sex with the rising influence of the transgender movement? Neurologically atypical individuals spend much of their childhood and adolescence quietly struggling with how others misunderstand them and how they understand themselves. It is critical to understand this struggle in order to push back against the encroachment of transgender ideology into the gifted and special needs community.
With boys, the struggle may be outwardly noticeable. With young girls, the struggle is often more hidden (and undiagnosed). I can offer some insight into this struggle through my own childhood experience as an undiagnosed girl with Asperger’s.
As a child, I flapped my hands and engaged in what it called “stimming.” My particular type of stimming involved opening my mouth wide in a self-stimulatory manner. My jaw dropped and my hands shook repetitively while my voice sounded as if it was out-of-breath (I wasn’t struggling for breath at all). Most clinicians in the 1970s and 1980s did not even know what “stimming” was. Autism was not fully on the cultural radar yet and the groundbreaking writings of Hans Asperger had only been recently translated from the original German. I loved stimming and still do. It felt relaxing: a kind of natural, harmless high in the brain that others around me would never know and could not attain. Nonetheless, I learned at a young age to only stimmy in private so as to avoid ridicule.
From a young age, I always knew I was different in some way. Females with Asperger’s often go unrecognized because young girls are better able to “fake it until they make it” in the neurotypical world. They are better at it up to a point. That point is usually adolescence. During adolescence, the stresses of holding all the quirks and idiosyncrasies in check can be too much to bear in the face of increased social expectations.
As a result, Asperger’s girls growing up often prefer the company of boys and generally find it far easier to relate with males. As psychiatrist Martin L. Kutscher writes in The Syndrome Mix, “Many women who have Asperger’s syndrome have described to psychologists and in autobiographies how they sometimes think they have a male rather than a female brain, having a greater understanding and appreciation of the interests, thinking, and humor of boys during their early school years.” Sound familiar? This aspect of their cerebral wiring—the conflict between what they feel, how they perceive the world and how the world perceives them—existed long before the neo-Gnosticism of transgender ideology came into vogue.
Their thinking is often highly literal. Their mothers struggle to understand them and they find it easier to relate to their fathers.
Due to their unusual traits, they are also prime targets for bullying by “mean girls” during adolescence, further alienating them. I can attest to that from personal experience having ended up with a concussion and blood streaming down my face in middle school. These girls are not “boys trapped in a girl’s body.” These are girls who think differently and are often misunderstood by the other young girls around them. They don’t need to be encouraged to become males. Others need to be encouraged to better understand them as unique young women.
Boys on the spectrum face other sets of struggles. Sensory-seeking little boys may like to touch the ruffles, tutus or lace on girls’ clothes for comfort. They often have delayed gross motor skills, making it difficult for them to engage in the contact sports through which boys generally bond. Boys who toe-walk due to problems with their vestibular system may be mocked for “walking like a girl” or “acting girly.” Boys on the spectrum are routinely bullied or rejected by other boys, leading them to question their very identity as boys.
You could explain to parents and teachers that boys touching girls’ clothes need greater sensory input. You could encourage parents to help their children improve gross motor skills through physical therapy or individualized sports such as gymnastics or martial arts. You could have an occupational therapist work with them on their vestibular system. You could help them develop the friendships with other boys that they desperately crave, such as by finding parents or groups who have children with shared interests or needs.
Or you could play into false and shallow stereotypes of the sexes and tell parents that their child is really a “girl trapped in a boy’s body.” Sadly, you can see this is already happening just by perusing internet forums for moms of children with Asperger’s. Some mothers of Aspies now refer to their sons as “male-assigned” rather than boys.
These parents do not need to be told to accept that their child is really a “male trapped in a woman’s body” or “a woman trapped in a man’s body.” They need to be further educated on special needs and taught ways to relate to their quirky and gifted son or daughter with Asperger’s.
A new campaign has sprung up on social media with the hashtag #AutisticTransPride. A movement telling young people on the spectrum that the identity issues they will struggle with as they grow-up can be solved through sex change or “gender questioning” is cruel. Surface changes in clothes and pronouns will solve nothing and only exacerbate their suffering. What they need is not biological alteration, but greater acceptance and understanding of their neurobiological differences.
For a pseudo-religious movement to target this vulnerable population of youths for their own ideological ends is nothing less than child abuse. The latest Atlantic piece is just another shot across the bow. If we do not remain vigilant in speaking the truth, young people with special needs will just be the latest victims in the left-wing cultural assault against human biology.
(Photo credit: Shutterstock) |
The recent Veterans Affairs legislation is not the only time socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has found common ground with Republican lawmakers.
He has also backed efforts to revamp the Labor Department's monthly unemployment report. Conservatives like Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., also back this.
Maybe they should get to work on this too.
They certainly have a point: The Labor Department actually releases six different numbers every month. These are called "U-1" through "U-6" and range from a narrow definition of the unemployed population and to a much broader one.
The department's monthly report always uses the U-3 figure as the "official" number though. Virtually all media outlets take their cue from the department on this. That's why this month's U-3 result – 6.3 percent – dominated the news reports.
Why that figure and not one of the other five? Good question – labor economists have told me the designation is basically arbitrary.
U-3 is officially defined as "total unemployed, as a percent of the civilian labor force." A more precise definition would people who are out of work but still actively looking for a job.
U-4, on the other hand, includes those who are out of work but have given up looking. U-5 is a slightly broader definition of the same. Those numbers this month are 6.7 and 7.6 percent, respectively.
U-6 expands the figure even further to include the under-employed, such as people who are only able to find part-time work. The Labor Department put that figure at 12.2 percent this month.
Those would all seem to be a much more accurate reflection of the workforce and the economy since they include people who would be employed if they could only find full-time work. Ask yourself: Does this feel like an economy at 6.3 percent?
As Washington Examiner economics writer Joseph Lawler noted Friday: "Friday's record high number of jobs does not represent anything like a healthy U.S. labor market. Employment remains well below its pre-financial crisis growth trend."
The liberal Economic Policy Institute points out that the economy would have to generate 7.1 million jobs to keep pace with population growth since the financial crisis.
A spokesman for Sanders told the Examiner that the senator still favors a change – "He thinks the 12.2 percent figure is the real number" – but was not certain if Sanders had backed legislation to that effect.
Hunter has backed a bill, H.R. 484, titled "The Real Unemployment Calculation Act." It would designate U-5 as the official number. It has 21 sponsors but hasn't made it out of committee.
Maybe Sanders and Hunter should have a cup of coffee and talk about this. |
Guelph residents could see a tax hike of as much as 4.84 per cent for 2018.
On Thursday evening, the City of Guelph released its draft operating budget for next year, which will be presented to councillors by staff on Nov. 8. The recommended base budget comes in at just under $233 million, representing a 2.19-per-cent increase.
On top of the base budget, staff will be putting forward three items for consideration that could drive that rate up.
First are city department budget expansions that could raise taxes by as much as 1.4 per cent, or an extra $3.19 million in the budget. Among those additions are $524,700 for implementing front-end waste collection for multi-residential properties in Guelph, achieving one of the recommendations from the council-endorsed Solid Waste Management Master Plan, passed in 2014; $399,200 to hire four full-time paramedics, increasing service to one extra day shift in Guelph, with the budget citing an increase in delays to responding to emergency calls; $322,900 for an affordable housing incentive program, with $230,000 going into the affordable housing reserve and another $86,600 for one contract staff to implement the program approved by council in July; and $458,000 to expand yard waste collection to every two weeks.
The expansion package also recommends a number of new staff positions, such as $100,300 for a learning and development co-ordinator, who would be responsible for planning, co-ordinating and directing training and development programs; $100,300 for a WSIB claims and disability co-ordinator; $117,500 for a financial analyst for the city’s environmental services department; $158,900 for a financial strategy manager, who would lead the city’s new financial strategy team to “deliver specific advice on financial policy, long-term capital and funding forecasting, and supporting the city’s significant investment in city building and growth decisions,” according to the budget document; and $142,000 for an internal auditor.
There is also a request from staff for an additional one-per-cent levy to go toward the city’s infrastructure.
The request for the infrastructure levy will not be news to councillors, who were advised by staff during a September council meeting to maintain the program in order to help the city catch up on its repair backlog.
At the Sept. 26 meeting, city treasurer Tara Baker told councillors that while the levy introduced for the 2017 budget was a step in the right direction, similar levies would need to be done over the next decade to help the city catch up.
“What you approved last year was a major first step toward becoming sustainable, but the message from staff has always been that in order to reach sustainability, we need the additional one per cent over the next 10 years,” she said at the time.
“With that, we become sustainable approximately by the year 2032.” |
According to NPR, doctors at the Texas Heart Institute have created a device which uses ventricular assist devices (VADs) to move blood throughout the body using whirling rotors.
The catch? Patients who choose this procedure are left without a heartbeat or pulse.
To learn more about this artificial heart technology, I spoke with Dr. Bud Frazier at the Texas Heart Institute. Below is an excerpt of our conversation.
SP: How was this procedure different from other artificial heart procedures?
This procedure involved two separate pumps implanted after removing the native heart. It resulted in an intra-pericardial continuous flow cardiac replacement, and the patient had no way of generating a pulse. Because the pumps were placed inside the pericardium, it is deemed a pulseless intrapericardial cardiac replacement.
SP: How does the pulse-less heart work? What makes a continuous pump different than other artificial hearts?
Because it has continuous flow, this pump can be made smaller and operationally simpler. One of our main reasons for pursing this instead of using the pulsatile devices used in the past is because the pumps are more durable and reliable. They are also much less prone to infection or stroke. I was the first to implant this particular pump in 2003, and it has never been pumped to failure. We had a patient with such a pump for greater than seven years without evidence of malfunction. All of the pulsatile pumps that we developed and used in the past stopped working within two years.
SP: What are the challenges that await with the pulse-less heart? What needs to be changed and fixed in order for the FDA to approve the heart?
We need to develop a pump designed specifically for cardiac replacement. Those used in the procedure are assist pumps that were designed for partial heart assist. In the future, we require time, money, and the engineering expertise to refine this technology to comply with the FDA standards. Although this is much more than a simple Kitty Hawk experiment, more effort needs to be applied to obtain these goals.
Image: via Texas Heart Institute
Related links: Heart With No Beat Offers Hope Of New Lease On Life
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com |
The new "trilateral highway" is aimed at creating a new economic zone ranging from Calcutta on the Bay of Bengal to Ho Chi Minh City on the South China Sea.
The first phase of the project was agreed during Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh's visit to Burma this week when he and President Thein Sein set a 2016 deadline to complete a super highway linking Guwahati in Assam to Burma's border with Thailand via Mandalay and the former capital Rangoon.
According to analysts, the road is a key part of a plan to open the "Mekong-India Corridor" to link the world's second fastest growing market – India – with the new Asian Tiger economies of Indo-China.
Until now plans to open this new economic zone, which bypasses China, the world's fastest growing economy and superpower, have been hampered by international sanctions against the former military regime in Burma.
But with the gradual easing of sanctions following the series of democratic reforms unveiled by Burma's president Thein Sein since last August, the obstacles have now cleared.
For India, the new highway will open up new oil and gas opportunities off the coast of Burma, and also Vietnam, as well as easier access to Japanese products made in Thailand.
It would also bring new wealth to its poor and marginalised North-Eastern states like Manipur and Nagaland, which have been blighted by local insurgencies and heavy security.
The highway will also recall the historic ties between India and Burma which unravelled following their independence from Britain after the Second World War.
During most of the colonial period Burma was governed as a province of British India from Calcutta and later New Delhi. Aung San Suu Kyi, like other children of Burma's elite, was a pupil and university student in India.
Mohan Guruswamy of the New Delh-based Centre for Policy Alternatives, said a two lane highway connecting the Indian border to Mandalay, 375 miles away, had already been built, and the next phases will be to broaden it to a four-lane road and extend it a further 375 miles to Rangoon.
"The idea is that you can get in a car or bus and drive to Bangkok from Guwahati. Burma was the hurdle, but now it has opened up, thanks to the Americans. It marks a great opening of a new economic zone," he said. |
When Gloria Steinem got married at age 66, the media paid attention. One of the most famous feminists of the 1960s and 1970s, Gloria Steinem continued as an activist, critical thinker, author and spokesperson on women's issues for decades. Anti-feminists often associated Gloria Steinem with a false stereotype of feminists as "man-hating." Gloria Steinem's marriage to David Bale was another chance for the media to trot out misconceptions about feminism.
"A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle." - Gloria Steinem
Who Was Gloria Steinem's Husband?
Gloria Steinem married activist David Bale in September 2000. The couple had met at a fundraising event for the Voters for Choice organization and for Democratic candidate Bill Curry.
Gloria Steinem's marriage to David Bale lasted until his death from brain lymphoma in late 2003.
David Bale, father of actor Christian Bale, was an activist known for his commitment to environmental, humanitarian and animal rights causes. He worked with several nonprofit organizations, including the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. He was a commercial pilot.
David Bale was originally from South Africa and had lived in several different countries, including England. His opposition to the apartheid government had, at one time, ended with his being banned from his native country.
Bale had been married and divorced twice before. Gloria Steinem and David Bale lived in New York and California during their marriage.
The Shock of Gloria Steinem's Marriage
At the time of Gloria Steinem's marriage to David Bale in 2000, several news stories poked fun at the idea of the longtime feminist finally "giving in" to society's tradition. Was Gloria Steinem opposed to marriage? She had certainly pointed out its flaws and inequities. Feminists of the 1960s fought against the unfair view of married women as less than legally whole people. They also tried to change laws that prevented married women from independently owning property or obtaining financial credit in their own names.
Gloria Steinem said in 2000 that she had worked for years to make marriage more equal but that she, too, was surprised to actually be partaking of the institution. She responded to questions about whether she had changed her beliefs that she hadn't changed; marriage had. It had become more equitable and fair to women since the mid-20th century and the early days of the women's liberation movement.
Often a target of anti-feminists, Gloria Steinem was the subject of a few snide articles and opinion columns. One writer even referred to the news of Gloria Steinem's marriage as "the taming of the shrew," alluding to the Shakespeare play and choosing a word with a particularly negative connotation, often used for women.
Others suggested that Gloria Steinem and David Bale married for immigration reasons because he had overstayed his visa. The New York Daily News quoted Gloria Steinem in September 2000: "Apparently there is a need to look for ulterior motives when a feminist marries." |
About
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3. Accessory Attachment Points
Consisting of 3 shoe mounts and 2 ¼"-20 threaded inserts for connecting a variety of attachments.
Together, these three components allow for many different setups:
A pro setup with a mic and light attachments mounted to a tripod. (see Pro Backer package)
A production setup with an LCD monitor to review and record footage externally
An underwater setup with adjustable arms and dive lights
+ Many more setups
Compatible cameras:
All GoPro Cameras: HERO4 Session, HERO4, HERO+LCD, HERO, HERO3+, HERO3, HERO2, HD HERO + Any Camera With a Standard Tripod (1/4"-20) Connection
Details:
Dimensions: 10.5" x 6.0" x 1.0"
Weight: 11oz
Materials: Plastic, Rubber, Stainless Steel Hardware
The top grip is a rubber glide handle to be used when filming low angles with one hand. Hanging the camera below the center of gravity produces ultra smooth footage.
The two grips on the side are made to be used when filming with two hands. This gives the filmer a solid grip and helps stabilize footage when shooting follow cams.
From professional video production to capturing footage beneath the surface, Triad Grip is a versatile mount that can be used in many different applications.
When developing Triad grip, we wanted to get the details just right and think outside the box on how useful and versatile this product could be. We chose to manufacture the body out of polycarbonate, which is strong, rigid and lighter than aluminum.
We started off with sketched concept generation and fleshed out the main components and rough dimensions of the product. Our industrial designers then fine tuned, dimensioned and stylized everything in CAD. Once we were happy with everything, we produced a 3d printed prototype.
3D Printed Prototype (left); Production Prototype (right)
We need your support
We are now at the point where everything has been engineered and working prototypes have been produced. We are ready to move forward with manufacturing and just need your support to bring Triad Grip to market.
Thank you backers!
In The Box: 1x Triad Grip, 2x GoPro® Mounts, 2x Hi-Torque Thumbscrews, 1x Wrist-Strap Attachment
Retail Packaging |
Bitcoin is gaining momentum in South America with a nightclub in Santiago now accepting bitcoin as payment for beers, burgers and cocktails.
The California Cantina, a trendy restaurant, sports bar and nightclub in the Providencia neighbourhood of the Chilean capital, claims to be the first nightclub in South America to accept bitcoin payments. The owner, James Lyles, says a friend introduced him to bitcoin and he was immediately blown away by the potential:
“I just found that it was one of those things that was going to make paying and the transactions between people a lot easier. And it takes out the financial institutions, the partners we would rather not have,” he said.
Credit card charges
In Chile, credit card companies charge an additional 3 – 3.5% per transaction. This adds up to hundreds of thousand of peso each year, according to Lyles. Right now, about 70% of all payments in California Cantina are made with credit cards, but Lyles hopes to be able to cut that down by 10% within the first few months by promoting bitcoin payments. This, he says, will lead to “huge savings”. He added:
“We will start it as a trial and see how it catches on. But there are a lot of people in Chile that are starting to buy bitcoin and a lot of the international people here who are all over it.”
The bar started accepting bitcoin payments on Wednesday night, when it held a large meet up and party that drew a large crowd to the nightclub. Joining them for the occasion was Nicolas Cary, CEO of Blockchain.info and Adam Stradling, the founder of Coin4ce, the Santiago-based bitcoin company that will process the payments in Californian Cantina.
Taking time out from the festivities, Stradling said that bitcoin is gaining a momentum in Latin America. The currency’s major hub is still Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, where a number of restaurants, bars and clothes stores accept bitcoin for payments. Buenos Aires also has the highest number of bitcoin users in Latin America, but Stradling says that Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico are waking up to bitcoin and catching up fast.
“Two years ago when we started trading here in Chile nobody knew what was going on. Now, two years later, the newspapers have been writing about bitcoin every day for months,” he said.
QR codes
For California Cantina, Coin4ce has created a pesos to bitcoin market rate converter that creates a QR code for each transaction for bars and restaurants. A waiter or waitress can just bring over an iPad, enter the bill amount, and generate a unique QR code to receive the payment from the customer. Coin4ce is also working on a bitcoin wallet for the Chilean market together with Blockchain and they hope to expand their operations to Peru, Colombia, and Mexico in the near future.
Nicolas Cary is also sensing a new understanding of bitcoin in Latin America. Last time he visited to talk about bitcoin and Blockchain, he said he sounded like an “extraterrestrial” to most people.
But now everyone from taxi drivers to bar owners and business leaders have an opinion on the subject: “the usefulness of [bitcoin] for people here is becoming really clear,” he says.
Lyles maintains that financial incentives were the main motive to accept bitcoin. However, he is also excited about the project on a personal level, to be a part of the future and to stay ahead of his competitors:“If you are not getting used to it now, you will be forced to get used to it later,” he said. “So, we might as well be ahead of the curve”.
So, if you fancy a holiday with sun, beer and a way to spend your bitcoin, head to the South American summer and Santiago for a bitcoin holiday. You can even book your flight on Btctrip, the Argentinian bitcoin travel agency.
Beer Image via Shutterstock |
With a win in Strade Bianche and the Women's WorldTour lead in her recent palmares, Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle High5) is one of the top favourites for Sunday's Trofeo Alfredo Binda, a race that takes place near her home town. Longo Borghini won the race in 2013 in stormy conditions, but hopes she can win in more pleasant weather this time. Related Articles Longo Borghini alters schedule, will tackle Ronde van Drenthe on Saturday
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"Normally it's a good course for me," Longo Borghini said. "It's pretty hard. I'm actually very happy that it's not going to be such bad weather as it was in 2013, because there it was a bit extreme.
"Even though I won, I don't really jump from happiness when it's rainy and cold!"
The Italian opted to add the Ronde van Drenthe to her schedule after the Strade Bianche win to extend her lead in the WorldTour, and the strategy worked.
"This year I will have the Women's WorldTour jersey, which is a plus for me, and it's very important to be in Italy with the jersey that I actually conquered in Italy. So it will be extra motivation," she said.
Longo Borghini can draw still more inspiration from the fact that the race is just kilometers away from her home town. "It's always a bit special in Cittiglio because of that," she smiled. "I will have my family there - my parents, my brother, my nieces and my sister-in-law, and it's just nice."
Wiggle High5 is sending a team similar to the one that helped her win in Strade Bianche: Giorgia Bronzini, Audrey Cordon-Ragot, and Amy Roberts will be joined by Emilia Fahlin and Claudia Lichtenberg.
"We have such a strong team, and with the new entry of Claudia it's even stronger," said Longo Borghini. "She's a climber, she's a girl that can perform very well on that kind of terrain, and Binda suits her very well."
Wiggle-High5 Pro Cycling team for the Trofeo Alfredo Binda - Comune di Cittiglio: Giorgia Bronzini, Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Emilia Fahlin, Claudia Lichtenberg, Elisa Longo Borghini, and Amy Roberts. |
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Godfrey Bloom, who was suspended from UKIP for homophobic and sexist comments, has spoken of his high regard for Douglas Carswell.
It was revealed today that a senior UKIP source has called for a leadership election following Nigel Farage’s return as party leader after just three days. The source described Mr Farage’s leadership as: “A tragedy of self-destruction”.
Former UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom appeared on the Victoria Derbyshire show on BBC2 to discuss the future of UKIPs leadership.
Mr Bloom was suspended from the party in 2013 after describing a lesbian as “a queer” and women party members “sluts”. He left the party at the end of last year, claiming it was “too politically correct”.
Asked his thoughts on Mr Farage’s style of leadership, Mr Bloom said: “He is rather capable of some abrasive behaviour. He’s not a team player.
“He is very popular with the membership, but sooner or later UKIP is going to have to decide whether they want someone who’s popular in the UKIP conference hall, or popular with the electorate.”
He went on to suggest UKIP’s only MP Douglas Carswell for the position of leader.
“I would suggest that the leadership should come from the person who has been elected in Westminster. The fight is from Westminster now, which means Douglas Carswell.
“I think regardless of the politics or your feelings for Douglas Carswell he’s clearly one of the most highly principled men in politics. He’s a sort of Dennis Skinner of the right.
“He’s a man of extraordinary presence and I think naturally should step forward now.
“But I don’t think he wants it. It’s a poison chalice.”
Mr Carswell voted against same-sex marriage during his time as a Conservative MP, calling it “arrogant”.
He has stopped short of saying he completely agrees with Mr Farage’s statements on “foreigners with HIV“. His father, Wilson Carswell was one of the first doctors to recognise HIV in Uganda and a pioneer of HIV research. |
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) AP Our government is a disaster because of a small group of Republicans in the House of Representatives.
I'm not talking about the group of Republicans you might think.
Yes, there are 30 to 50 arch conservatives in the House who have been insistent they won't reopen the government without putting a major dent in Obamacare. These people are not the key problem. They are only relevant because so-called "reasonable" or "realistic" Republicans allow them to be.
The most dangerous group in Congress is moderate Republicans, many from the northeast, who could reopen the government and break extremists' grip on their caucus' agenda, but choose not to.
According to the Washington Post, 21 House Republicans say they are prepared to vote for a "clean" continuing resolution to reopen the government. Together with Democrats, this is enough votes to pass the bill that has already passed the Senate, reopen the government, and stop the madness.
Yet these Republicans who publicly say they favor a clean CR have repeatedly voted with their extremist colleagues to prevent it from coming to a vote.
If moderate House Republicans don't want a government shutdown and favor a clean CR, why have they passed up on ways to end the shutdown?
Here are the three things they could do if they wanted to:
1. Defeating the rule. On Sept. 30, Republicans voted on two plans that would only keep the government open with major changes to Obamacare. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) opposed this approach, saying the House should instead vote on a clean continuing resolution like the Senate's.
King declared his intention to vote against a rule bringing the last Republican plan to the floor; a defeat would have left Republicans with no bill to reopen the government and likely led to a vote on a clean CR. And King claimed that 20 to 25 moderate Republicans were prepared to vote with him.
But when the rule came up for a vote, only one other moderate joined King in voting no: Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.). All the other "moderates" lined up the likes of Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), and the government shut down.
2. Recommitting with instructions. Since the government shut down, House Speaker John Boehner has repeatedly brought up bills to reopen only parts of the government. And five times, Democrats have made motions to recommit these bills with instructions. What those motions would do is amend the bills to be identical to the "clean" continuing resolution that already passed the Senate.
Each time, the Republican presiding officer has ruled the motions out of order, and Democrats have appealed the ruling. If you favor a clean CR and want one brought to the floor, you should vote in favor of the appeal. But each time Democrats have made this move, not a single Republican has voted with them — not even Peter King.
3. Discharging the bill. Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) filed a bill earlier this year that would cause the government to stay open at current funding levels even if Congress fails to pass a continuing resolution. Democrats have proposed a discharge petition for this bill. If 218 members signed that petition, the bill would come to the floor, and if it passed the House and Senate, the government would reopen.
But no Republican has backed this approach, either. Peter King told National Review he wouldn't sign the petition because Democrats "are not bargaining in good faith."
If you look at members' actions and votes instead of their statements, the number of Republicans in the House who favor a clean CR and oppose the Cruz-driven strategy of shutdown and hostage-taking is not 21. It's 0.
The entire House Republican caucus is responsible for its shutdown-based legislative strategy. The only difference among the members is that Tea Party conservatives have the decency to admit what they're up to. |
- Police body camera video shows the dramatic moments when officers rescued two dogs from a hot car in a local shopping center.
App users: View full article here
According to the Roswell Police Department, a woman called 911 just before 4:00 Sunday afternoon after seeing a dog left in a parked car outside the Studio Movie Grill on Holcomb Bridge Road. Police said their officers arrived 18 seconds after the call was made.
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Roswell Police posted parts of the body camera footage on their Facebook page Wednesday.
"You see exactly what's happening from the officer's body cam as he is seeing it," explained Officer Lisa Holland with Roswell Police. "I mean, it's a very traumatic situation for the officer, actually and for the dogs."
The video shows how aggressive the first dog was when being taken out of the car, and how a second dog, who hid under the seat to avoid the sun, came out to protect the first dog.
Moments after being rescued from the car, police said one of the dogs suffered a heat stroke seizure. The video shows police and fire rescue personnel providing urgent care to the animals. Both pets are said to now be in good health, and were seized as evidence by Fulton County Animal Control.
"We want the public to see this and hopefully tell their friends and just remember the importance, [be]cause sometimes you don't think about it. The lady you know, didn't intentionally want to hurt her dogs, she didn't want to cause harm to these animals. She just didn't think," said Officer Holland.
The woman is scheduled to appear in court in August. |
The apartment. Craigslist If you're a "relatively young, hetero, professional male bachelor who grew up in America," then we may have just found the apartment of your dreams.
First spotted by Gothamist, the ludicrous Craigslist listing (which has since been deleted) is for a three bedroom in Long Island City's Arris Lofts. The "palace" is 2,000 square feet with two floors, a washer and dryer, enclosed garden area with koi pond, roof deck, gym, pool, and sauna.
Though the amenities and room sound awesome, the two 30-something men who live there do not. "Do not respond to this ad unless you make, at minimum, six-figures a year," the now-deleted listing reads. "You will not be able to afford to live here or maintain the lifestyle that is necessary to keep up with the rest of us."
Those fresh out of college are not welcome either, along with anyone who can't speak English, is passive aggressive, or is sensitive to "awesome music played at high decibel levels, the aroma of amazing gourmet cooking emanating through the house, lengthy intellectual debates with people who have an amazing sense of humor, or loud moans of sexual delight creeping out from the various bedrooms at any given hour of the day."
But don't worry. They're also accepting of ladies if you are "an extremely hot (at least a 9), lipstick lesbian with bi tendencies and an exhibitionist streak when you get hammered."
Charming. And while the listing is now gone, thankfully Gothamist took screenshots of the outrageous ad. Enjoy. |
Rate Expectations Versus Rates
Which Point To Use?
Interest Income
Concluding Remarks
One of the more intractable controversies within monetary economics is measuring the effect of interest rates on the economy. Within mainstream economics, a strong effect is assumed, and a series of non-falsifiable models are built around that assumption ( as discussed here ). For those of a post-Keynesian persuasion, this is unsatisfactory, as there are a number of potential channels from interest rates to the economy, and the effects can move in opposite directions for these different channels. I would like to ignore the theoretical debate how interest rates affect the economy, rather look at the data. Unfortunately, it is not even clear what interest rate to use.Within modern mainstream Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) models, the level of interest rates is not supposed to be the variable of interest, rather it is expected path of rates. This leads to some fairly complex mathematics, as we are now defining interest rate policy as a "reaction function," and not just a time series of interest rates.Although I have my doubts about DSGE macro, I do not object to the importance of interest rate expectations as a concept. This is because long-term government bond yields reflect the expected path of interest rates. Roughly speaking, a bond yield is equal to the expected average of the policy rate over the lifetime of the bond, plus a "small" risk premium (term premium). All of the mathematical difficulties of DSGE models become understandable if we realise we are interested in the entire term structure of interest rates, and not just a single point of the yield curve.If we want to do econometric analysis to determine the effect of interest rates on the economy (without just assuming we have the model dynamics), we need to do something like run regressions on an interest rate time series versus other economic time series. Unfortunately, it is unclear what point to pick.Pretty well any borrower has the option of locking in a fixed rate of interest for multiple years, or else borrowing at a floating rate. Which rates appear most attractive at any given point in time depends upon the psychology of borrowers. Given the fragmentation of the lending markets, we only have a limited idea of the mix of borrowing maturities. As a result, we do not have an idea what points on the curve matter most for borrowing decisions at any given time.For central bankers, they administer the overnight rate, and it is natural for them to pick that point to run their statistical analysis. "If we move the administered rate by 100 basis points in this direction, what happens?" However, the relationship between the policy rate and points further on the curve is vague.If we are at very short maturities, it does not make too much of a difference what point you choose. As the chart of the 2-year Treasury yield and the overnight policy rate (Fed Funds) shows, the two rates are fairly close together most of the time. If the Fed hikes rates by 400 basis points, the 2-year yield will rise 300-400 basis points. That is pretty close to a 1:1 relationship, at least when we compare the error to the other sources of error in any estimates we are trying to make.This breaks down even when we go out to the 5-year point of the curve. If we look at the interest rate cycle of the mid-2000s, the slope from the overnight rate to the 5-year yield went from +300 basis points to about -100 basis points. Although the time series for the 5-year yield and the overnight rate are correlated, the magnitudes of the change in yields are quite different. This means that it is very unclear what the sensitivity of other variables towards interest rates will be.This relationship between the overnight rate and the 5-year yield is what you would expect to happen if the bond markets are efficient; they will price in yield reversion at both extremes of the cycle. (Many observers, including those at the Fed, were mystified by this "conundrum," which tells us how well the Fed understands their own models.)Making the situation even more complicated is the fact that only the Federal Government borrows at the "risk free" rate; other entities are borrowing at a spread over the Treasury curve. The variability of these spreads further muddies the relationship between the policy rate and the interest rates faced by private sector borrowers.Mainstream analysis is almost entirely focused on the rate of interest (the price of borrowing money), and not the income flows associated with borrowing. Post-Keynesian analysis (in particular, Modern Monetary Theory) puts much more emphasis on the income flows from debt. Changing interest rates will change the income flows within the economy.If you want to pursue this angle, you will need to dig into the interest income flows within the flow of funds. The rate of interest has only a slow lagged effect on these flows, as a great deal of borrowing is done a fixed rate of interest, and the interest rate paid has been already locked in. For example, if you are looking at government interest expense, it will only move slowly as the average maturity of most developed government bond markets is at least 5 years or so. So long as the Treasury Bill segment of the curve can be locked down near the policy rate, the average interest cost on the portfolio of government debt will only move slowly, with a reversion time comparable to the average maturity of the debt.Although some analysts can generate very precise sounding predictions about the effect of Fed rate hikes on other economic variables, the reality is that even if we had good models of the economy, the sensitivity of other variables towards the overnight rate would be hard to pin down. Unless the Fed hikes rates by several hundred basis points (which admittedly was the norm for previous cycles), the flattening of the yield curve would reduce the effect of hikes on effective interest costs.(c) Brian Romanchuk 2015 |
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TRIPOLI (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in front of the Spanish embassy in the Libyan capital late on Monday, residents said, the latest in a string of attacks on foreign missions in the North African country.
“We heard a loud explosion,” said a Tripoli resident living next to the embassy.
Spain’s El Mundo newspaper said nobody had been hurt as Spain, like most Western and Arab countries, had pulled out its diplomats in summer during weeks of heavy fighting between rival armed groups in Tripoli.
Pictures posted on social media showed some damage at the building’s wall. There was no immediate claim for the attack or comments from Tripoli officials.
Militants loyal to Islamic State have claimed a string of killings of foreigners as well as attacks on embassies and oilfields in Libya.
Islamic State militants have exploited chaos in the North African country where two governments allied to a host of armed groups are fighting for control four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.
On Sunday, the group claimed the killing of around 30 Ethiopan Christians, two months after the beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts on a Libyan beach.
Libya’s internationally recognized government has been based in the east since a rival faction called Libya Dawn seized Tripoli in August, setting up a rival administration. |
The deal ends a drawn-out battle that began last year and turned hostile for several months after Roche's initial bid was rejected. The financial crisis then struck, casting doubts about the takeover. Roche later increased its offer after meeting with Genentech investors. The new deal gives the Basel-based firm 44 per cent of Genentech that it did not already control and creates a sales force of about 3,000 people. Roche will now control Genentech's popular cancer drugs Avastin and Herceptin. Executives estimate annual revenues from the two companies should be around $17 billion.
Board members at Genentech, a California-based company, agreed to sell Roche all outstanding shares for $95 each in cash. It is one of the most expensive deals in the history of the Swiss economy.
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Roche buys Genentech for $46.8 billion Mar 12, 2009 - 09:12 Swiss drug maker Roche has struck a deal with shareholders to purchase biotech group Genentech for $46.8 billion (SFr54.11 billion). Board members at Genentech, a California-based company, agreed to sell Roche all outstanding shares for $95 each in cash. It is one of the most expensive deals in the history of the Swiss economy. The deal ends a drawn-out battle that began last year and turned hostile for several months after Roche's initial bid was rejected. The financial crisis then struck, casting doubts about the takeover. Roche later increased its offer after meeting with Genentech investors. The new deal gives the Basel-based firm 44 per cent of Genentech that it did not already control and creates a sales force of about 3,000 people. Roche will now control Genentech's popular cancer drugs Avastin and Herceptin. Executives estimate annual revenues from the two companies should be around $17 billion. |
In an attempt to end the debate over the issue of succession, Prince William has signalled that there is “no question” about whether his father will be the next monarch, despite his surge in popularity following his engagement to Kate Middleton.
Royal aides insist that Prince William has “no desire to climb the ladder of kingship” prematurely, following two recent polls by ICM and YouGov that found that most people believe he would make a better king than his father and think that Prince Charles should stand aside for his son.
A senior royal aide told The Sunday Telegraph: “There is no question in Prince William’s mind that the Prince of Wales will be the next monarch.
“Prince William is aware of the speculation, but he is very thick-skinned. He knows his place in the Royal family and he considers himself to be very low down the food chain. He has no desire to climb the ladder of kingship before his time.”
Royal sources also said that Prince William did not share his late mother’s view that he is more suited to the role of king than the Prince of Wales.
In 1995, Diana, Princess of Wales gave a candid television interview to the BBC in which she said that the role of king would bring “enormous limitations” to Prince Charles, and that Prince William may be better suited to succeed the Queen as monarch.
A royal source said: “Prince William is enormously proud of his mother and all her achievements, but that is so far off what he thinks. He is very close to his father and incredibly supportive of him and his work as the Prince of Wales.
“Both of them will let nature take its course. There is no suggestion from anywhere within the institution that a generation will be skipped.”
Prince William is known to be sensitive at being seen to encroach on his father’s role as heir to the throne and rarely attends official engagements with his father to avoid the spotlight falling on him rather than Prince Charles, 62.
But according to the YouGov poll, only 15 per cent of the public felt that Prince Charles would make a better king, while 56 per cent preferred Prince William.
Royal aides also confirmed that Prince William, 28, who works as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales, will not be stepping up his royal duties following his marriage to Miss Middleton next year, despite St James’s Palace receiving huge demand.
A royal aide said: “The Prince is not yet a full-time member of the Royal family – first and foremost he is an RAF officer – and he will continue in his role at RAF Valley until at least 2013.
“After that time, he may wish to continue in some role in the military, or begin his training for kingship, which may involve attachments to various government departments to learn more about constitutional affairs.
“Prince William has around 20 patronages, but that number is not going to increase in the near future because he does not want to overcommit while he has a full-time job in the RAF.
“Kate will be pursuing her own projects in time, but the plan is very much for her to be introduced to the role and shown the ropes, and not plunging in unprepared.”
Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC, the Liberal Democrat peer and constitutional lawyer, said: “The mechanism of succession is not based on a popularity contest, so all the polls in the world about who should be the next monarch are irrelevant.
“The public need to accept that we have a monarchical system based on the medieval male descent principle where the crown passes from the monarch to the next direct male heir.
“I would certainly not expect the Prince of Wales to ever relinquish that right to the throne in his lifetime, nor would I imagine that Prince William would ever consider challenging it.”
Prince Charles’s future reign as king came under the spotlight recently when he suggested that the Duchess of Cornwall could be crowned queen.
Previously, it was believed that the Duchess would adopt the title of “Princess Consort” when Prince Charles becomes king.
The title was concocted by the last Labour government when the Prince married his second wife in 2005, amid concern that the public had not warmed to the Duchess and felt that the prospect of her becoming queen would not be accepted.
In an interview on American television, the Prince was asked if the Duchess would become queen, to which he replied: “That’s, well… we’ll see, won’t we? That could be.”
Although the Queen, 84, shows no signs of slowing down or reducing her royal engagements, it was announced last week that the Duke of Edinburgh, who will be 90 next year, is gradually to wind down his official commitments. |
The downward trend observed yesterday gained strength today, with the average of ( ) prices across all exchanges falling just over 2% to $445.62. It is suggested that traders on BTC-e are using sell trades to depress the price and enter buying orders to get Bitcoin at a lower price, as the BTC-e exchange has been leading the price movement. For example, the Bitcoin price is $439.99 on BTC-e, while on other exchanges it has not reached that low yet. On the BitStamp exchange, the price is at $448.77. The next important support levels lie at $432.79 and $419.68.
Although traders and margin traders could be to blame for the price decrease, volatility such as experienced in Bitcoin markets is normal for relatively new markets and is to be expected. But as adoption continues to increase, higher demand should push the price up long-term. One factor that is affecting the price in the short-term is mining. The easier accessibility of mining in the form of mining contracts and cloud mining has brought in new participants. This has increased the rate at which Bitcoin are introduced into the system, which depresses the price. The hash-rate has recently jumped, indicating more computing power is being devoted to maintaining the Blockchain. This increases the blocks that are mined and the number of Bitcoins that come into existence.
Another reason for this sudden price decline could be the ever-increasing number of merchants that accept Bitcoin are exchanging Bitcoin for . As people use Bitcoin to pay for goods, merchants are exchanging the Bitcoin straight into fiat currency. This trend will continue until the infrastructure of the Bitcoin system is improved and adoption increases.
An Australian Bitcoin start-up has introduced an electronic funds at point of sale card to bridge the gap between crypto-currencies and traditional payment methods. CoinJar’s new development will allow Australians to pay for items in Australian dollars using Bitcoin and withdraw their Bitcoin in Australian Dollars. The CEO of CoinJar hopes that this new service will expose Bitcoin to the majority of Australians and increase adoption. It is estimated half a million Australians are participants in the Bitcoin ecosystem and CoinJar hopes that its service will increase this number substantially.
The daily chart with the Ichimoku cloud is shown below. The price has entered the cloud, suggesting that any trades should wait until the price action breaks out of the cloud in either direction. The lower part of the cloud at around $436 is acting a support and the price failed to close below this level since May 2014, indicating the support level is quite strong. The cloud has switched from red to green, indicating an upward flow may materialize within this current downward trend. If the price action moves out of the cloud in the downward direction, the price could move to $412 and settle around that level. However, if the price moves in the upward direction, past the cloud and past the base line at $476, bullish momentum would be initiated.
Daily Bitcoin
The 4-hour chart for Bitcoin on the BTC-e exchange is shown below. The price is currently nearing the bottom Bollinger band® and could decrease to the important support at $432.79 before rebounding towards the middle band. Both the stochastic and relative strength index are indicating oversold conditions, which could continue today, but eventually an upward correction should take place.
4-Hour Bitcoin
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Noting that "the community’s activism, outside mobilization, and just family awareness and respect for people to end discrimination" contribute to a different public attitude than the last time ENDA was introduced, Nancy Pelosi told reporters that she envisions a path to passage of ENDA similar to that of the Violence Against Women Act:
“We made it too hot to handle in the public,” Pelosi said. “It had to come to the floor. Even so, a majority of the Republicans voted against the Violence Against Women Act. But nonetheless, it came to the floor. I hope we could have a similar situation with this.”
Asked to clarify whether VAWA reauthorization could be a model for House passage of ENDA, Pelosi called for expedited movement of the legislation in her chamber.
“Well, I would think it would be “once burned, twice learned,” and that they would, shall we say, save some time by taking it right to our committee and to the floor,” Pelosi said. “It’s really important. Our country – ending discrimination is what we are all about as Americans, and we should not have discrimination in the workplace because of gender identity.”
Read Chris Johnson's full report at the Blade here. |
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible prohibits ingesting blood and that Christians should not accept blood transfusions or donate or store their own blood for transfusion.[1] The belief is based on an interpretation of scripture that differs from that of other Christian denominations.[2] It is one of the doctrines for which Jehovah's Witnesses are best known.[3] Jehovah's Witnesses' literature teaches that their refusal of transfusions of whole blood or its four primary components—red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma—is a non-negotiable religious stand and that those who respect life as a gift from God do not try to sustain life by taking in blood,[4][5] even in an emergency.[6] Witnesses are taught that the use of fractions such as albumin, immunoglobulins and hemophiliac preparations are "not absolutely prohibited", and are instead a matter of personal choice.[5] The doctrine was introduced in 1945, and has undergone some changes since then. Members of the group who voluntarily accept a transfusion and are not deemed repentant are regarded as having disassociated themselves from the group by abandoning its doctrines[7][8][9] and are subsequently shunned by members of the organization.[10] Although accepted by the majority of Jehovah's Witnesses, a minority does not endorse this doctrine.[11][12] The Watch Tower Society has established Hospital Information Services to provide education and facilitate bloodless surgery. This service also maintains Hospital Liaison Committees, whose function is to provide support to adherents. Contents
Doctrine Edit
Bloodless surgery Edit
Acceptance among Jehovah's Witnesses Edit
Since the elaboration of the blood doctrine to the point of prohibiting transfusion, the majority of Jehovah's Witnesses have adopted the organization's position.[53][54][55] Those Jehovah's Witnesses who accept the blood doctrine typically hold strongly to their conviction.[56] In the August 1998 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine, Donald Ridley, a Jehovah's Witness and organization staff attorney, argued that carrying an up-to-date Medical Directive card issued by the organization indicates that an individual personally agrees with the established religious position of Jehovah's Witness.[57] In 1958, The Watchtower reported on a particular member of Jehovah's Witnesses who voluntarily accepted blood transfusion, contrary to Watchtower doctrine.[58] The organization confirms that members have accepted blood transfusions, despite the imposition in 1961 of a communal shunning policy for willful acceptance.[59][60] In 1982, a peer-reviewed case study of a congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses was undertaken by Drs. Larry J. Findley and Paul M. Redstone to evaluate individual belief in respect to blood among Jehovah's Witnesses. The study showed that 12% were willing to accept transfusion therapy forbidden by Jehovah's Witness doctrine.[53] One peer-reviewed study examining medical records indicated a similar percentage of Jehovah's Witnesses willing to accept blood transfusions for their children. Young adults also showed a willingness to accept blood transfusions.[61] In another study, Jehovah's Witness patients presented for labor and delivery showed a willingness to accept some form of blood or blood products. Of these patients, 10 percent accepted whole blood transfusion.[55] Watch Tower publications have noted that within religions, the personal beliefs of members often differ from official doctrine.[62] Regarding Jehovah's Witnesses acceptance of the organization's official position on blood, Drs Cynthia Gyamfi and Richard Berkowitz state, "It is naïve to assume that all people in any religious group share the exact same beliefs, regardless of doctrine. It is well known that Muslims, Jews and Christians have significant individual variations in their beliefs. Why should that not also be true of Jehovah's Witnesses?"[63] Ambivalence and rejection of the blood doctrine dates back to at least the 1940s. After the Watch Tower Society established the doctrine, teaching that blood should not be eaten (circa 1927-31), Margaret Buber, who was never a member of the denomination, offered a firsthand eyewitness account of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Nazi Ravensbrück concentration camp. She relates that an overwhelming majority were willing to eat blood sausage despite having alternate food to choose from, and specifically after considering biblical statements regarding blood.[64]
History of doctrine Edit
From 1931, when the name "Jehovah's witnesses" was adopted, Watch Tower Society publications maintained the view of Society founder Charles Taze Russell that the reference to abstaining from the eating of blood in the Apostolic Decree of Acts 15:19–29 was a "suggestion" to be given to Gentile converts.[65][66] Watch Tower publications during the presidency of Joseph Franklin Rutherford commended the commercial and emergency uses of blood.[67][68] A 1925 issue of The Golden Age commended a man for donating blood 45 times without payment.[69] In 1927, The Watchtower noted, without elaboration, that in Genesis 9, God decreed that Noah and his offspring "must not eat the blood, because the life is in the blood".[70] In 1940 Consolation magazine reported on a woman who accidentally shot herself with a revolver in her heart and survived a major surgical procedure during which an attending physician donated a quart of his own blood for transfusion.[71] In 1944, with the Watch Tower Society under the administration of president Nathan Homer Knorr, The Watchtower asserted that the decrees contained in Genesis 9:4 and Leviticus 17:10–14 forbade the eating or drinking of blood in biblical times "whether by transfusion or by the mouth" and that this applied "in a spiritual way to the consecrated persons of good-will today, otherwise known as 'Jonadabs' of the Lord's 'other sheep'."[72] In September 1945, representatives of the Watch Tower Society in the Netherlands commented on blood transfusion in the Dutch edition of Consolation. A translation of their comments into English reads: When we lose our life because we refuse inoculations, that does not bear witness as a justification of Jehovah's name. God never issued regulations which prohibit the use of drugs, inoculations or blood transfusions. It is an invention of people, who, like the Pharisees, leave Jehovah's mercy and love aside.[73] According to sociologist Richard Singelenbreg, the statement appearing in the Dutch edition of Consolation may have been published without knowledge of the doctrinal position published in the English July 1945 issue of Consolation by the Watch Tower Society's headquarters in the United States.[74] In 1945, the application of the doctrine on blood was expanded to prohibit blood transfusions of whole blood, whether allogeneic or autologous.[75] The prohibition did not specify any punitive measures for accepting a transfusion, but by January 1961—in what was later described as an application of "increased strictness"[76]—it was ruled that it was a disfellowshipping offense to conscientiously accept a blood transfusion.[77] Watch Tower publications warned that accepting a blood transfusion could prevent Witnesses from living eternally in God's new world, the hope held by members: "It may result in the immediate and very temporary prolongation of life, but that at the cost of eternal life for a dedicated Christian."[78] In September 1956, Awake! stated, "certain blood fractions ... also come under the Scriptural ban".[79] A position against "the various blood fractions" was reiterated in September 1961.[80] In November of the same year, the doctrine was modified to allow individual members to decide whether they could conscientiously accept fractions used from blood for purposes such as vaccination.[81] This position has been expanded on since; the pre-formatted Durable Power of Attorney form provided by the Watch Tower Society includes an option for Jehovah's Witnesses to "accept all fractions derived from any primary component of blood."[82] In 1964, Jehovah's Witnesses were prohibited from obtaining transfusions for pets, from using fertilizer containing blood, and were even advised (if their conscience troubled them) to write to dog food manufacturers to verify that their products were blood-free.[83] Later that year, it was stated that doctors or nurses who are Jehovah's Witness would not administer blood transfusions to fellow dedicated members. As to administering transfusions to non-members, The Watchtower stated that such a decision is "left to the Christian doctor's own conscience."[84] In 1982, a Watchtower article declared that it would be wrong for a Witness to allow a leech to feed on his/her blood as part of a medical procedure, due to the sacredness of blood.[85] In 1989 The Watchtower stated, "Each individual must decide" whether to accept hemodilution and autologous blood salvage (cell saver) procedures.[86] In 1990, a brochure entitled How Can Blood Save Your Life? was released, outlining Jehovah's Witnesses' general doctrine on blood. In 2000, the Watch Tower Society's stand on blood fractions was clearly stated.[87] Members were instructed to personally decide if accepting a fraction would violate the doctrine on blood. In a later article, members were reminded that Jehovah's Witnesses do not donate blood or store their own blood prior to surgery.[88] In May 2001, the Watch Tower Society revised its medical directives and identity cards addressing its doctrinal position on blood; the revised materials were distributed from May 3, 2001.[89] These revised documents specified that "allogeneic blood transfusions" were unacceptable whereas the former document (dated 1999) stated that "blood transfusions" were unacceptable. The revised 2001 documents were active until December 20, 2001. The Watch Tower Society then rescinded the revised document, stating, "After further review, it has been determined that the cards dated "md-E 6/01" and "ic-E 6/01" should not be used. Please destroy these items and make sure that they are not distributed to the publishers." Elders were instructed to revert to the older 1999 edition of the medical directives and identity cards.[90] Watch Tower Society publications frequently claim negative consequences of blood transfusions: A 1951 Watchtower declared: "And let the transfusion enthusiasts with a savior-complex ponder the fact that on many occasions transfusions do harm, spread disease, and frequently cause deaths, which, of course, are not publicized." [91]
declared: "And let the transfusion enthusiasts with a savior-complex ponder the fact that on many occasions transfusions do harm, spread disease, and frequently cause deaths, which, of course, are not publicized." A 1961 Watchtower quoted Brazilian surgeon Dr Américo Valério as saying transfusions were often followed by "moral insanity, sexual perversions, repression, inferiority complexes, petty crimes" and Dr Alonzo Jay Shadman claiming that a person's blood "contains all the peculiarities of the individual ... [including] hereditary taints, disease susceptibilities, poisons due to personal living, eating and drinking habits ... The poisons that produce the impulse to commit suicide, murder, or steal are in the blood." [92]
quoted Brazilian surgeon Dr Américo Valério as saying transfusions were often followed by "moral insanity, sexual perversions, repression, inferiority complexes, petty crimes" and Dr Alonzo Jay Shadman claiming that a person's blood "contains all the peculiarities of the individual ... [including] hereditary taints, disease susceptibilities, poisons due to personal living, eating and drinking habits ... The poisons that produce the impulse to commit suicide, murder, or steal are in the blood." A 1969 Awake! reported on a man named Robert Khoury, who, after receiving a blood transfusion said, "When I recovered I found I had a terrible desire to steal." [93]
reported on a man named Robert Khoury, who, after receiving a blood transfusion said, "When I recovered I found I had a terrible desire to steal." A 1974 Awake! cited a Centers for Disease Control report that as many as 35,000 deaths and 500,000 illnesses a year might be due to the presence of serum hepatitis in blood for transfusions. [94]
cited a Centers for Disease Control report that as many as 35,000 deaths and 500,000 illnesses a year might be due to the presence of serum hepatitis in blood for transfusions. A 2006 Awake! highlighted dangers from transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI).[95]
Critical views Edit
Opposition to the Watch Tower doctrines on blood transfusions has come from both members and non-members. A group of dissident Witnesses known as Associated Jehovah's Witnesses for Reform on Blood (AJWRB) states that there is no biblical basis for the prohibition of blood transfusions and seeks to have some policies changed.[96] In a series of articles in the Journal of Medical Ethics US neurologist Osamu Muramoto, who is a medical adviser to the AJWRB, has raised issues including what he claims is coercion to refuse transfusions, doctrinal inconsistency, selective use of information by the Watch Tower Society to exaggerate the dangers of transfusions and the use of outdated medical beliefs. Scriptural interpretation Edit Dissident Witnesses say the Society's use of Leviticus 17:12 to support its opposition to blood transfusions[97][98] conflicts with its own teachings that Christians are not under the Mosaic law.[99][100] Theologian Anthony Hoekema claims the blood prohibited in Levitical laws was not human, but animal. He cites other authors[101] who support his view that the direction at Acts 15 to abstain from blood was intended not as an everlasting covenant but a means of maintaining a peaceful relationship between Jewish and Gentile Christians. He has described as "absurd literalism" the Witnesses' use of a scriptural prohibition on eating blood to prohibit the medical transfusion of human blood.[102] Coercion Edit Osamu Muramoto has argued that the refusal by Jehovah's Witnesses of "life-saving" blood treatment[103] creates serious bio-medical ethical issues. He has criticized the "controlling intervention" of the Watch Tower Society by means of what he claims is information control and its policy of penalising members who accept blood transfusions or advocate freedom to choose blood-based treatment.[100][103] He says the threat of being classified as a disassociated Witness and subsequently shunned by friends and relatives who are members coerces Jehovah's Witnesses to accept and obey the prohibition on blood transfusions.[8][100][104] In one particular case involving a Russian district court decision, however, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found nothing in the judgments to suggest that any form of improper pressure or undue influence was applied. It noted: "On the contrary, it appears that many Jehovah's Witnesses have made a deliberate choice to refuse blood transfusions in advance, free from time constraints of an emergency situation." The court said: "The freedom to accept or refuse specific medical treatment, or to select an alternative form of treatment, is vital to the principles of self-determination and personal autonomy. A competent adult patient is free to decide ... not to have a blood transfusion. However, for this freedom to be meaningful, patients must have the right to make choices that accord with their own views and values, regardless of how irrational, unwise or imprudent such choices may appear to others."[105] Muramoto has claimed the intervention of Hospital Liaison Committees can add to "organisational pressure" applied by family members, friends and congregation members on Witness patients to refuse blood-based treatment. He notes that while HLC members, who are church elders, "may give the patient 'moral support', the influence of their presence on the patient is known to be tremendous. Case reports reveal JW patients have changed their earlier decision to accept blood treatment after a visit from the elders." He claims such organizational pressure compromises the autonomy of Witness patients and interferes with their privacy and confidentiality. He has advocated a policy in which the Watch Tower organization and congregation elders would not question patients on the details of their medical care and patients would not disclose such information. He says the Society adopted such a policy in 1983 regarding details of sexual activity between married couples.[106][107][108] Watch Tower spokesman Donald T. Ridley says neither elders nor HLC members are instructed or encouraged to probe into the health care decisions of Witness patients and do not involve themselves in patient hospitalisations unless patients request their assistance. Yet Watchtower HLC representative David Malyon says he would respond to "sin" of Witnesses he is privy to by effectively saying "Are you going to tell them or shall I!"[109] Nevertheless Ridley says Muramoto's suggestion that Witnesses should be free to disregard Watch Tower scriptural teachings and standards is preposterous. He says loving God means obeying commandments, not disobeying them and hiding one's disobedience from others.[108][110] Muramoto recommends doctors have a private meeting with patients to discuss their wishes, and that church elders and family members not be present, enabling patients to feel free of church pressure. He suggests doctors question patients on (a) whether they have considered that the Watch Tower Society might soon approve some medical practices they currently find objectionable, in the same manner that it has previously abandoned its opposition to vaccination and organ transplants; (b) whether Witness patients know which blood components are allowed and which are prohibited, and whether they acknowledge that those rulings are organizational policy rather than biblical teachings; and (c) whether they realize that although some Bible scriptures proscribe the eating of blood, eating and transfusing blood have entirely different effects on the body.[111] English HLC representative David Malyon has responded that Muramoto's suggested questions are an affront to coerce Jehovah's Witnesses with "complicated philosophical inquisition" and, if used by doctors, would be "an abusive transformation of the medical role of succour and care into that of devil's advocate and trickster".[109] Selective use of information Edit Muramoto has claimed many Watch Tower Society publications employ exaggeration and emotionalism to emphasize the dangers of transfusions and the advantages of alternative treatments, but present a distorted picture by failing to report any benefits of blood-based treatment. Nor do its publications acknowledge that in some situations, including rapid and massive haemorrhage, there are no alternatives to blood transfusions.[100][112] He claims Watch Tower Society publications often discuss the risk of death as a result of refusing blood transfusions, but give little consideration to the prolonged suffering and disability, producing an added burden on family and society, that can result from refusal.[113] Attorney and former Witness Kerry Louderback-Wood[114] also claims that Witness publications exaggerate the medical risks of taking blood and the efficiency of non-blood medical therapies in critical situations.[115] Douglas E. Cowan, an academic in the sociology of religion, has claimed that members of the Christian countercult movement who criticize the Watch Tower Society, make selective use of information themselves. For example, Christian apologist Richard Abanes wrote that their ban on blood transfusions, "has led to countless Witness deaths over the years, including many children."[116] Cowan wrote: "When the careful reader checks [Abanes' footnote], however, looking perhaps for some statistical substantiation, he or she finds only a statistical conjecture based on 1980 Red Cross blood use figures." Cowan also says Abanes omits "critical issues" in an attempt to "present the most negative face possible." Cowan wrote that "the reader is left with the impression that the Watchtower Society knowingly presides over a substantial number of preventable deaths each year."[117] Edit Osamu Muramoto says the Watch Tower Society relies on discarded, centuries-old medical beliefs to support its assertion that blood transfusions are the same as eating blood.[118] A 1990 Watch Tower brochure on blood quoted a 17th-century anatomist to support its view.[119] Muramoto says the view that blood is nourishment—still espoused in Watch Tower publications[120]—was abandoned by modern medicine many decades ago.[100] He has criticized an analogy commonly used by the Society[121] in which it states: "Consider a man who is told by the doctor that he must abstain from alcohol. Would he be obedient if he quit drinking alcohol but had it put directly into his veins?"[118] Muramoto says the analogy is false, explaining: "Orally ingested alcohol is absorbed as alcohol and circulated as such in the blood, whereas orally eaten blood is digested and does not enter the circulation as blood. Blood introduced directly into the veins circulates and functions as blood, not as nutrition. Hence, blood transfusion is a form of cellular organ transplantation. And ... organ transplants are now permitted by the WTS."[100] He says the objection to blood transfusions on the basis of biblical proscriptions against eating blood is similar to the refusal of a heart transplant on the basis that a doctor warned a patient to abstain from eating meat because of his high cholesterol level.[122] David Malyon, chairman of the English Hospital Liaison Committee in Luton, England, has claimed that Muramoto's discussion of the differences between consuming blood and alcohol is pedantic and says blood laws in the Bible are based upon the reverence for life and its association with blood, and that laws should be kept in the spirit as much as in the letter.[109] Inconsistency Edit See also: Criticism of Jehovah's Witnesses § Blood Muramoto has described as peculiar and inconsistent the Watch Tower policy of acceptance of all the individual components of blood plasma as long as they are not taken at the same time.[100] He says the Society offers no biblical explanation for differentiating between prohibited treatments and those considered a "matter of conscience", explaining the distinction is based entirely on arbitrary decisions of the Governing Body, to which Witnesses must adhere strictly on the premise of them being Bible-based "truth".[100] He has questioned why white blood cells (1 per cent of blood volume) and platelets (0.17 per cent) are forbidden, yet albumin (2.2 per cent of blood volume) is permitted.[100] He has questioned why donating blood and storing blood for autologous transfusion is deemed wrong, but the Watch Tower Society permits the use of blood components that must be donated and stored before Witnesses use them.[123] He has questioned why Witnesses, although viewing blood as sacred and symbolizing life, are prepared to let a person die by placing more importance on the symbol than the reality it symbolizes.[112] Kerry Louderback-Wood alleges that by labeling the currently acceptable blood fractions as "minute" in relation to whole blood, the Watch Tower organization causes followers to misunderstand the scope and extent of allowed fractions.[115] Witnesses respond that the real issue is not of the fluid per se, but of respect and obedience to God.[124][125] They say their principle of abstaining from blood as a display of respect is demonstrated by the fact that members are allowed to eat meat that still contains some blood. As soon as blood is drained from an animal, the respect has been shown to God, and then a person can eat the meat even though it may contain a small amount of blood.[126] Jehovah's Witnesses' view of meat and blood is different from that of kosher Jewish adherents, who go to great lengths to remove minor traces of blood.[127][128]
See also Edit
References Edit |
As the end of the 2012 NFL season comes to a miserable end for the Kansas City Chiefs, the rumors of who could replace KC’s embattled GM Scott Pioli are beginning to heat up.
And that replacement could be former Colts executive Bill Polian.
We told you on December 8th that there was a rumor Polian could be heading to the Chiefs. That report came from the National Football Post.
Now we have another source.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports is backing up the NFP report with one of his own.
As for those more well-known entities, several league sources expect Bill Polian to be a lead candidate in Kansas City if a regime change is made there, with he and his son Chris, the former Colts GM, able to run the franchise in a very hands-on manner, which is in line with how owner Clark Hunt traditionally delegates responsibility.
This would be a smart move for Clark Hunt. Polian has been involved in turning around three franchises during his time as an executive. As Gm of the Bills from 1986-1993, Polian took over a 2-14 team and took them to three straight Super Bowls. Buffalo lost all three of them and Polian was fired.
Polian emerged again as the GM of the new Carolina Panthers franchise. He took the team to the NFC Championship game in only its second year of existence.
Polian left the Panthers to become the President of the Indianapolis Colts in 1997. The Colts had the #1 overall pick in the draft that year and Polian selected none other than Peyton Manning.
Polian began grooming his son Chris in 1998 when he made him Director of Pro Personnel in Indy. Chris was later promoted to GM.
Hiring Polian would be a brilliant move by Hunt. He’d be getting an experienced executive and personnel man but at the same time, he’d be getting the younger Chris Polian as well. Polian senior was 69 when the Colts fired him in January. He likely won’t be with the Chiefs for long but he certainly could stick around long enough to get the franchise back on track.
The Chiefs make sense for Polian as well. The roster has plenty of talent, the team has ample cap space and more importantly, they will likely hold the #1 pick in the draft. It would be a great opportunity for Polian to take his already cemented legacy and dip it in gold.
The good news for the Chiefs is that if Clark Hunt is indeed interested in Polian that he will be able to hire him whenever he wants. Since Polian isn’t under contract with any other NFL teams, he’s a free agent so to speak. If the Chiefs want to move on from Pioli, they’ll need to move quickly to give their new GM the time he needs to have a solid offseason.
What do you think, Addicts? Will Clark Hunt hire Bill and Chris Polian? |
At the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, Veronica Masters is getting a FibroScan test to measure scarring caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in her liver.
Most patients hope for a good result from their medical tests, but Masters is hoping her condition has worsened. "I need Stage 2 to get the drugs," she says.
The cost of a revolutionary medical treatment for hepatitis C is so high that only those with moderate liver disease will have the medicine provided under provincial pharmacare programs.
It's difficult for Masters to accept that there is a cure for her condition, but she may not be sick enough to get it. "I look healthy, but my body doesn't feel as healthy as it should."
She begins to weep. "Sorry, my mental health really gets affected. It's just really, really stressful."
Shawn Sharma, general manager of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, examines Veronica Masters, who has hepatitis C. (Chris Corday/CBC) The cure for HCV comes from Gilead Sciences Inc. of Foster City, CA. two drugs, marketed under the brand names Sovaldi and Harvoni , are direct acting anti-virals.
Dr. Mark Swain, head of the University of Calgary's Gastroenterology and Hepatology Division, says, "I would actually use the word transformational."
Previous treatments had such serious side effects that not all patients with HCV were able to take the year-long therapy, and only half of those who opted for the injectable treatment were successful.
But a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found the Sovaldi regimen cured up to 99 per cent of hepatitis C patients.
"I can cure now. This is why I became a doctor," Swain says.
"It's just a wonderful thing to be in hepatology and be a liver doctor and be able to cure everyone that I put on this type of therapy."
Lyn Moehling is living proof. The Calgary school teacher was symptom-free and had no idea she had been living with hepatitis C for four decades. She found out when she donated blood, and within a few years she learned her liver was failing.
"My liver scan was at 16 and I believe a total fail is at 20. So I was really up there."
Moehling began mentally preparing for the worst, a liver transplant or perhaps even death. Then Swain put her in a clinical trial for Sovaldi.
Sovaldi, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, cures hepatitis C. (Gilead Sciences) She took one pill a day for 12 weeks, with no side effects.
Last June she got the news that she was cured. "My family and friends celebrated with me. I was over the moon." Now Moehling's liver function has returned to nearly normal. "It's a miracle, it's a real miracle."
In Canada, it's estimated between 250,000 and 400,000 people have the hepatitis C virus, a great many of them undiagnosed because many people have no symptoms until their liver is failing.
The Canadian Liver Foundation recommends anyone born between 1945 and 1975 be tested for the virus.
Drugs like Sovaldi and Harvoni are game changers with the potential to cure almost everyone who takes them and even eradicate the disease in the long term, hepatology experts tell CBC News.
But such promise comes with a hefty price tag.
The retail price for an eight- to 24-week regimen of the anti-virals ranges from $55,000 to $80,000 Cdn.
Health Canada and 10 Canadian provincial pharmacare programs that are underwriting the cost of the drug have probably negotiated a discount.
But, whatever the price, it's steep enough that only those patients whose liver disease has progressed to Stage 2 will qualify for publicly funded medication.
Shawn Sharma and Veronica Masters discuss her case. (Chris Corday/CBC) That is a tough message to deliver to patients who know they have a life-threatening illness and want access to the cure before it gets worse, says Shawn Sharma, general manager of the Vancouver centre where Masters is being treated.
"You have to see the patients through the months and they're just always actively questioning you, 'Why are you not wanting to treat me?'" Sharma says. "That in and of itself is difficult to kind of go home with every day as a health-care professional."
It's a difficult but necessary message, according to Dr. Morris Sherman, chair of the Canadian Liver Foundation.
"There has to be a system to amortize the cost of hepatitis C over time, because it's just not possible to pay for treatment for everyone right now," says Sherman, who worries the higher than expected demand could make the drugs less available. "The costs to government are much more than expected, so I worry about them restricting eligibility even further."
So far, that has not happened. But there's little doubt there is an increased focus on how to get more widespread access to those drugs that can cure hepatitis C. Swain says, "I would say that is going to be the biggest challenge going forward."
He says the concept of paying more up front for a quick cure, compared to treating a patient over many years is a paradigm shift in thinking. "I think many of the payers are having a hard time grappling with that because it's a new thing; it's a new phenomenon, really."
At the Vancouver clinic, Masters braces herself for the results of her scan.
Sharma delivers some pretty good health news: "You're at a Stage Zero now, going into Stage 1."
Stage 1 indicates only mild fibrosis, not the moderate fibrosis Masters needs to meet the criteria for a provincially funded cure.
The emotional weight Masters was carrying when she walked into the clinic just got a little heavier.
"What do I think?" she asks. "I think it sucks. I think it's tragic." |
“Dubai’s business model relies on it being able to project an image of progressiveness and stability, and hosting expos and film festivals all fits into this,” said Nicholas McGeehan, Persian Gulf researcher for Human Rights Watch. “But cases likes this seriously undermine that image and reveal it to be nothing more than a public relations artifice.”
Emirati officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The case has only become public recently, after the family members of Mr. Cassim, the American citizen, decided that their efforts to navigate the Emirati justice system had done them little good.
“There seems to be no end in sight,” said Mr. Cassim’s brother, Shervon, who spent nearly three months in the Emirates trying to secure his brother’s release.
In a telephone interview from his home in North Carolina, Mr. Cassim said his brother’s detention had become a bitter end to his family’s decades-old relationship with the Emirates.
His parents emigrated from Sri Lanka to Dubai in 1976 because it was a land of opportunity “where you could go and make your fortune,” he said.
His mother worked for an airline and his father became an advertising executive, part of the large group of expatriates that helped expand the city from a desert backwater into the hypermodern crop of skyscrapers, malls and upscale hotels that it is today.
Shezanne Cassim’s two siblings were born there and all three were educated in British private schools, where they had close friends from the Emirates and many other countries, his brother said. |
Greetings Citizens,
We are kicking off the Year Five of the Star Citizen development subscriber program! Becoming a subscriber gives you access to exclusive perks. Each month you can look forward to a new behind-the-scenes issue of our digital magazine Jump Point and a piece of digital flair to decorate your hangar with, as well as the ability to test fly different loaner ships like the Starfarer, Gladius and Sabre. Subscribers also receive merchandise discounts, coupons (after every 12 months of accumulated subscription time) and access to exclusive digital sales, as well as the chance to submit questions for our shows!
Additionally, if you become a subscriber before April 17th, you’ll receive a special piece of bonus flair; a Big Bennys vending machine to decorate your hangar with! This flair will be distributed to all active subscribers on April 18, 2017.
Due to popular demand, we’ll also be offering a physical edition of Jump Point Volume 3 in the coming months. Subscribers will be the first to have a chance to purchase this at exclusive discounted price. If you’re a subscriber, keep an eye on the Den for additional updates on this in the near future.
You can find more details about becoming a subscriber here!. |
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report released today analyzes literature on the economics of trophy hunting and reveals that African countries and rural communities derive very little benefit from trophy hunting revenue. The study, authored by Economists at Large—commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International and Born Free USA/Born Free Foundation—comes amid consideration to grant the African lion protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).
"The suggestion that trophy hunting plays a significant role in African economic development is misguided," said economist Rod Campbell, lead author of the study. "Revenues constitute only a fraction of a percent of GDP and almost none of that ever reaches rural communities."
As a portion of any national economy, trophy hunting revenue never accounts for more than 0.27 percent of the GDP. Additionally, trophy hunting revenues account for only 1.8 percent of overall tourism in nine investigated countries that allow trophy hunting, and even pro-hunting sources find that only 3 percent of the money actually reaches the rural communities where hunting occurs. While trophy hunting supporters routinely claim that hunting generates $200 million annually in remote areas of Africa, the industry is actually economically insignificant and makes a minimal contribution to national income.
"Local African communities are key stakeholders for conservation, and they need real incentives for conservation," said Jeff Flocken, North American regional director, International Fund for Animal Welfare. "Non-consumptive nature tourism–like wildlife viewing and photo safaris–is a much greater contributor than trophy hunting to both conservation and the economy in Africa. If trophy hunting and other threats continue depleting Africa's wildlife, then Africa's wildlife tourism will disappear. That is the real economic threat to the countries of Africa."
Many species suffer at the hands of trophy hunters including the African lion. The number of African lions has declined by more than 50 percent in the past three decades, with 32,000 or fewer believed remaining today. The steepest declines in lion population numbers occur in African countries with the highest hunting intensity, illustrating the unsustainability of the practice.
"Trophy hunting is driving the African lion closer to extinction," said Teresa Telecky, director, wildlife department, Humane Society International. "More than 560 wild lions are killed every year in Africa by international trophy hunters. An overwhelming 62 percent of trophies from these kills are imported into the United States. We must do all we can to put an end to this threat to the king of beasts."
Listing the African lion as endangered under the ESA would generally prohibit the import of and commercial trade in lion parts, and thus would likely considerably reduce the number of lions taken by Americans each year.
"The U.S. government has a serious responsibility to act promptly and try to prevent American hunters from killing wild lions, especially when the latest evidence shows that hunting is not economically beneficial. Listing the African lion under the Endangered Species Act will help lions at almost no cost to African communities. Government inaction could doom an already imperilled species to extinction through much of its range," said Adam Roberts, executive vice president, Born Free USA.
A copy of the economic study is available for download. For more information about African lions, please visit www.helpafricanlions.org.
About the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Founded in 1969, IFAW (the International Fund for Animal Welfare) saves animals in crisis around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals, and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Photos and video available at www.ifawimages.com.
About Born Free USA
Born Free USA is a recognized leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Through litigation, legislation, and education, Born Free USA leads campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic "pets," trapping and fur, and the international wildlife trade. Born Free USA brings to America the mission of the U.K.-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free: to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation. (bornfreeusa.org; twitter.com/bornfreeusa; facebook.com/bornfreeusa.)
About Born Free Foundation
Born Free Foundation, based in England, is an international organization devoted to compassionate conservation and animal welfare. Born Free Foundation takes action worldwide to protect threatened species, stop individual animal suffering, and keep wildlife in the wild. Born Free helps hundreds of thousands of animals worldwide each year. (bornfree.org/uk)
About The Humane Society of the United States
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization, rated the most effective by its peers. Since 1954, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education and hands-on programs. We rescue and care for tens of thousands of animals each year, but our primary mission is to prevent cruelty before it occurs. We're there for all animals, across America and around the world. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty – on the Web at humanesociety.org. Subscribe to Wayne Pacelle's blog, A Humane Nation. Follow The HSUS on Twitter. See our work for animals on your Apple or Android device by searching for our "Humane TV" app.
About Humane Society International
Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the world's largest animal protection organizations. For nearly 20 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide — on the Web at hsi.org.
SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare |
After Russia's worst floods in recent memory swept through the south of the country, thousands of people were last night sleeping in emergency shelters or the ruins of their homes, as anger against the regime of Vladimir Putin grew for failing to give warning of the disaster.
More than 150 people, many of them elderly, died in the floods, after authorities failed to issue warnings or evacuation orders.
The town of Krymsk, home to around 57,000 people, was worst hit, with residents describing how a five-metre (16ft) wave swept through homes in the middle of the night, turning the town into a mudbath. Unlike the dozens of other tragedies that hit Russia every year – from aeroplane crashes to uncontrollable forest fires – anger with Putin's regime was immediate and widespread.
Residents said that even though officials admitted they knew a dangerous flood was coming, they had issued no warning or evacuation order.
"If we had been warned, people could have been saved," said Irina Loskutova, 50, standing in a muddy square near the central market, hoping to gather clothes and food as the city settled into a third night with no electricity. "They knew and they didn't tell us."
Map of Russia's Krasnodar region Photograph: Graphic
According to officials, heavy rains that hit Krymsk and other towns in Russia's Krasnodar region overnight on Friday sent a torrential flood through the city. Residents tell another story: the water came in such volume and at such speed that they are convinced officials purposefully let open the gates on a nearby reservoir, choosing to send its water through Krymsk's winding roads in order to spare Novorossiysk, a nearby port that is the country's largest and whose main harbour facility is owned by allies of Putin. Alexander Tkachev, governor of the Krasnodar region, said during a meeting with locals on Sunday that the first warnings of flooding came in around 10pm on Friday night – four hours before the waters hit. Residents say they were given no warning.
"No one told us anything," said one woman standing at the city administration building, who asked not to be named. "Our officials say the dam had nothing to do with it, but everyone here knows otherwise."
A spokesman for the prosecutor general's investigative committee said the reservoir was not involved in the intense flooding. Local prosecutors earlier admitted the gates had been opened, but it was too early to say if that caused the flooding. Nearby towns were untouched.
As the town's morgues began to fill, refrigerated trucks were parked on the streets outside a nearby hospital to contain the bodies of the dead. Residents are convinced the final toll will reach into many hundreds.
"We'll know how many it really is when the funerals start," said Volodya Lugovoi, 58, sitting on a porch by the city's main stadium, now a vast pool whose pitch is dotted with floating cars.
Handwritten lists of those who had registered as survivors hung outside the municipal youth centre. "I need to find my son's girlfriend," said one man. "He's in the army. No one can find her."
The tragedy has highlighted increasing dissatisfaction with Putin's regime, and growing mistrust of official media as internet use grows. Photos and videos taken on mobile phones revealing the scale of the flood damage spread at lightning speed on social networks throughout the weekend. On Saturday night, state TV news showed Putin flying over the damaged area earlier in the day, but no mention was made of the suffering of flood victims or the anger on the ground.
Putin has ordered officials to investigate whether enough was done to warn people about the floods. But in the absence of a large-scale relief operation, opposition activists – many of whom have been protesting against Putin since he announced his intention to run for re-election – have launched their own efforts to send relief.
"We heard one thing on TV and then saw another on Twitter so we decided to come see for ourselves," said Viktor Chirikov, a volunteer from Novorossiysk.
"The administration here won't help us at all," said Alexey Mandrigelya, 22, another activist.
The emergencies ministry has set up a makeshift camp for some of those who lost their homes in the floods, and local army units are contributing to the effort to hand out water and clothes.
But on the muddy streets of Krymsk, there were no police or government relief workers to be seen.
Many of the dead were elderly. Loskutova described how she saved her 76-year-old mother: "I was screaming, 'Mama mama!' The water came in so fast and hard, we could barely break through the windows. I prayed and screamed for her not to let go."
The two women climbed on top of furniture where they stood until the water almost reached the ceiling, then finally they climbed through broken windows and on to the roof, she said.
"Then I sat with her, wet and naked, for 12 hours on the roof." No emergencies officials came, Loskutova said, and eventually her son arrived with a boat and ferried them to a hospital. "Are we not people?" she asked.
For years, Putin was seen by many as the country's saviour. Now, 12 years after first coming to power, he is increasingly seen as someone overseeing a system that fails to protect its own citizens.
A 39-year old woman who identified herself only as Natalia said she managed to save her six children, her identification papers, and nothing else. "The kids ask me: where will we live? I have no idea what to say. We have no home," she said.
Natalia's house was damaged in the city's last big flood 10 years ago, which residents say was mild compared with the one that struck the region this weekend. "[Officials] told me then they would help me rebuild – I fought for 10 years and got nothing. I went into debt to restart my life. Whatever they say now, I don't believe them – I will never believe them," she said. |
From EmblemWiki
When it released alongside Fire Emblem Fates in June of 2015, Fire Emblem Cipher was a treat to FE fans new and old. A new trading card game based on a fun and popular series, it capitalized on the popularity of newly released games but also served as a throwback to older characters and the nostalgia of the original Fire Emblem TCG game. However, since the majority of the Cipher information available is only in Japanese, many Fire Emblem fans are just now still discovering this fun card game. After answering many questions from prospective collectors and players over the past several months, I thought it would be a good idea to put together this Newcomers Guide as a reference guide for new and potential fans.
Want to learn more about Fire Emblem Cipher? Read on below for some basic information about Cipher cards, where to get them, how to play the game, and more. This guide was written and maintained by Kirie of the SerenesForest forums.
Fire Emblem Cipher - Card Basics
Whether you're a player or a collector, obtaining cards is the main place to start your Cipher journey. The majority of the available cards are from the Booster Sets, but there are also Structure Deck cards and Promotional cards. The most common cards can be found rather easily, but some cards can be rare or difficult to obtain.
To the delight of many fans, Cipher cards feature characters from many Fire Emblem games throughout the series. Series 1 started off with the Dark Dragon and Sword of Light and Awakening , and since then, we've also seen cards from a number of other Fire Emblem games and worlds, even the spin-off Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. Future releases have been confirmed to feature even more games and continents, so chances are that your favourite character will get their own card at some point, if they haven't already.
The different Fire Emblem games are represented with various colours. Characters from Marth's games are given the colour red and their cards have a red border and other highlights. Characters from Awakening get blue cards, while the Tellius characters are green, Elibe's are purple, and Jugdral's are orange-gold. Fates characters are actually split into 2 colours depending on where their loyalities lie; Nohr characters are black-bordered while Hoshido characters are white. Colours for Valencia and Magvel have not yet been revealed, but will likely be seen in upcoming sets as the game progresses.
Booster Series
This is where you'll find most of the available Cipher cards. Each Series is based off a number of Fire Emblem games and contains approximately 100 cards in total split between the various available colours. Each Booster Series contains at least 2 colours to allow for some variation.
Booster Series cards come in a total of 6 rarities. N (Normal) cards are the most common, with HN (High Normal) cards being slightly rarer. R (Rare) cards are, as their name implies, rarer than N or HN cards. They are also printed on holofoil paper to give them a shiny appearance. Even rarer than R cards are SR (Super Rare) cards. These cards are holo as well, but they also have a slight grooved texture to them that makes the cards both look and feel extra fancy. Some secret cards in a given booster series are marked with a special X on top of their regular rarity.
Some R and SR cards also have special variants. These cards are R+ and SR+ cards. Although R+/SR+ cards are mostly the same as their non-plus versions, they have a metallic gold or silver border around the edge, and some even half a special foil signature of the character's voice actor! These cards are some of the most expensive and sought after Cipher cards by players and collectors alike. Starting with Series 5, R+ and SR+ cards used alternate art from the regular version of the card, making these cards stand out even more.
Booster Series cards are most often purchased as a booster box. A booster box of Cipher cards contains 16 packs, and each individual pack has 10 cards. 6 of those cards will be Ns, 3 will be HNs, and 1 will be an R or SR. Each box contains 11 Rs, 4 SRs, and 1 R+/SR+ card, so the rate of pulling an SR card is approximately 1:4 packs. SR+ cards are found in approximately 1 in 4 boxes.
In addition to the cards, booster boxes also include some extra gifts. Each box contains 1 of 2 preview promotional cards of the main characters from the games featured in the next series. Ever since Series 2, they have also included a pack of 5 unique card sleeves that are only available in these booster boxes. Series 5 and 6 also contain special anniversary reprint promos with a special stamp, though it's unknown if this is temporary or will continue in future sets.
Structured Decks
Each Booster Series is accompanied by at least 1 Structured (or ST) Deck. Each ST Deck contains a set number of cards that fit a given theme. Some of the cards in a ST Deck will also be available in the matching Booster Series, but there are also a few cards included that are exclusive to the deck. ST decks also contain some holo cards that are not available in the Booster Series, including some holo variants of N or HN cards.
ST Decks also come with some good tools for beginning players, such as a playmat, instruction booklet, and a marker card to designate your deck's main character. Like the booster boxes, they also sometimes contain little gifts, though the digital goodies can only be redeemed with a Japanese 3DS.
Promotional Cards
Like many other TCG games, Cipher also has a number of promotional cards that are available to fans for a limited time. Sometimes these promo cards are the same as Booster Series cards but with alternate artwork, sometimes the cards are completely new and only available as part of a particular promotion.
The most plentiful of Cipher promo cards are those available from tournaments in Japan. There have been 6 tournament promo cards released for each series so far, a combination of new artwork and new cards. Players in Japan receive these cards as a gift for participating in Cipher tournaments. However, there are a lot of Cipher cards that come from different and interesting sources. Sometimes promo cards are included as freebies in Japanese magazines (such as Nintendo Dream), or included in other merchandise. For example, a special promotional Tsubasa card was included in Japanese copies of TMS #FE.
For a full list of currently available promotional cards, check out the Promo Cards page, and make sure to keep an eye on the main Serenes Forest page for details of new promo cards as they're announced.
Playing the Cipher Game
While there are some people who only want to collect the cards and look at their pretty artwork, Cipher also has a very large following of fans, both in Japan and internationally, who enjoy playing the game, both competitively and just for fun. Thanks to the internet and a large number of people willing to scan and translate cards, it's possible to learn the rules and play the game, even if you don't know any Japanese.
The Cipher card game is similar to other Trading Card Games that you may be familiar with, such as Pokémon or Magic: the Gathering. Players obtain cards and build a deck that is used to battle against another player's deck. You can choose to build a deck around your favourite characters and work from there, or study the different card effects to create a more powerful strategy.
Since Cipher is a game based off of Fire Emblem, many elements of the game will be familiar to people who are a fan of the video games. For example, each deck has a "Main Character" that is similar to a Lord in the video games. Common mechanics from Fire Emblem games are also present within the game's mechanics, such as class changing and promotion.
A comprehensive explanation of the Cipher game's rules can be read on the Serenes Forest Wiki. If you have any questions about the rules or specific card interactions, we have a thread in the Cipher subforum where other players can offer advice or ruling information.
If you're interested in playing the game but don't have anyone nearby you to play, or money to import the cards you need for a deck, you may be interested in checking out our LackeyCCG group. LackeyCCG is a free program that allows people to play various card games online, and a group of members has put together a plugin for Cipher cards. the cards in the program already have their text translated into English, so there's no need to reference translations while playing. There's also a corresponding Skype group dedicated to finding other players and setting up matches online.
Cipher Merchandise and Events
Since its release, Cipher has also inspired some related merchandise, available online or via special events held in Japan. The most common are special Cipher card sleeves that feature artwork of popular characters from various sets. Four different sets of sleeves are released alongside each series, with each pack containing 65 sleeves. They are perfect for storing and protecting Cipher cards, and they can also be used for other TCGs that use the same size cards, such as Pokémon or Magic: the Gathering.
Starting with Comiket89 in December of 2015, Cipher also started to release some additional limited-time merchandise such as playmats, badges, and artbooks featuring Cipher artwork. There were also Players Boxes that featured an assortment of merchandise together in one nice storage box. After the huge success of Comiket, Cipher repeated the process again with the Cipher Sai events of early 2016. Much of the earlier Comiket merchandise was rereleased along with some new products and styles.
The newest Cipher events are the currently on-going Cipher Caravan events traveling around Japan in celebration of the game's 1st anniversary. The Caravan events have another assortment of merchandise, including some new items such as a card binder and tote bag, and also have other events available, such as tournaments and a concert featuring FE music.
Cipher merchandise has proved to be very popular and a quick seller, so it's likely that we will see more merchandise released at similar events in the future.
Where to Buy?
Although Cipher cards and merchandise are only produced and sold in Japan, it's a relatively simple matter to obtain cards online, both sealed products and singles.
AmiAmi is the most popular source for people around the world to import sealed Cipher products. They sell booster boxes and ST decks, as well as some merchandise, such as sleeves featuring Cipher artwork and the various Guidebooks. The prices are less than MSRP and shipping costs are reasonable.
If you're looking for singles or promo cards, one of the best ways to obtain these cards is directly from other Cipher collectors. We have a thread here on Serenes Forest dedicated to trading, buying, and selling cards, complete with a reputation system. Trading with or buying from collectors cuts out the middleman for better prices, and also helps keep the Cipher community active and flourishing.
There are also a few Japanese retail and auction sites that sell single Cipher cards and limited-time merchandise, such as Amenity Dream and Yahoo!Japan, though the majority of those only ship within Japan. However, there are many middleman services available for purchasing from these sites. If you'd like more information about some of these services, check out this thread on the forums.
Some international sites also sell Cipher cards. TCG Republic is a popular singles reseller and there are even some sellers on the Amazon that carry booster boxes and decks. However, the prices of these products are generally higher than buying from Japan, sometimes significantly, so it's good to do your research before purchasing. The same applies to international auction sites like eBay.
Other Card Resources
If you'd like to learn more about Fire Emblem Cipher, there are a number of resources online that provided detailed information about the cards and the game.
The official Fire Emblem Cipher website - Although it's only offered in Japanese, the official Cipher site is updated frequently with new information about products and events.
Serenes Forest Cipher Subforum - Located right here at Serenes Forest, the Cipher Subforum is frequently updated with the newest information and offers lots of discussion on a wide variety of subjects such as card speculation, deck strategies, card trading, and more. Come check us out and say hi!
Serenes Forest Cipher Wiki - Lovingly maintained by forum user TheVinceKnight and a team of dedicated wiki editors, the Serenes Forest Wiki has a whole large section dedicated to Cipher. You'll find translations of revealed cards, high quality scans, card lists, promotional information, and more.
Questions & Feedback
This Newcomers Guide is a work in progress and I plan to continue updating it with new information as the game grows. After all, Cipher is less than a year old, and there plenty of exciting new changes and additions on the horizon.
If you have any suggestions for material to be added, you are welcome to contact me on the SF forums. If you have any questions about Cipher that have not been answered here, feel free to come ask us in the Cipher Subforum. |
On Tuesday night, after months of political heartburn, things finally started cutting Hillary Rodham Clinton’s way.
Her performance at the first Democratic presidential debate was so commanding that even her greatest vulnerability — the lingering controversy over her private email practices as secretary of state — ended up redounding to her benefit.
After she crisply explained that she made a “mistake” using a private email server and defended her judgment, the moderator, Anderson Cooper of CNN, turned to her biggest threat in the primary campaign so far, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, in hopes that he would attack her. Mr. Sanders instead came to her aid.
“Let me say something that may not be great politics, but I think the secretary is right — and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails,” Mr. Sanders said to cheers and a standing ovation from the Democratic audience. |
On October 26th several vehicles belonging to police officers were set on fire in the French commune of Meylan and now a radical leftist anarcho-feminist group has claimed responsibility saying it is “revenge” for “sexism.”
The group released a statement this week saying that they purposely set the vehicles on fire and made sure to “make a joke to the firemen” by sealing off the entrance to the police car park so they would not be able to deal with the blaze. Around 10 litres of petrol was used to ignite the vehicles which were totally destroyed L’Express reports.
“We do not want to stay in the position of victims in which society would like to place us by recognizing us as girls,” the group said.
The letter explained that the group targetted the personal property of the officers rather than their police cars because they wanted to, “attack the individuals who wear the uniforms, rather than their function,” as police.
The fire ultimately destroyed four cars and a motorcycle and the uncontrolled fire blackened a nearby residential building, though the fire did not spread to it.
Jean-Yves Coquillat, the public prosecutor in Grenoble, commented on the incident saying it was, “not far from a tragedy,” and said he found it worrying that the individual police officers were targetted by the group. He added that the incident was just the latest of a series of similar incidents that have occurred this year in the area.
PICS: Leftist Torch German Police Vehicles in Hamburg Anti-G20 Protest https://t.co/hMSrf64mNB — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 28, 2017
Left-extremist violence is on the rise across Europe and is often directed toward law enforcement. The largest example of leftist violence was the Hamburg G20 in which left-extremist Antifa members destroyed property, looted shops and injured hundreds of police in rioting that lasted for several days.
Right-wing supporters and politicians have also been repeated targets of alt-left violence as well. Recently a social house project of the hipster-right Identitarian youth movement was targetted by left-extremists who threw a hundred bricks at the building, drilled a hole in the door and sprayed butyric acid in the building.
The alt-left have even called for violence toward mainstream journalists in Canada saying that only “approved” media, those who will not show the faces behind their masks, will be allowed to film their protests. |
Everyone loves cute and cuddly video game stars like Mario and Sonic, but there are a few other more wacky characters which are less well known, but just as much fun. When it comes to creating new experiences, history has taught us that the video game makers can literally do what they like, and boy, do they take advantage of it. The result is a few titles which are just strange enough (by way of bizarre plots, characters or player engagement) to reach cult status – immortalized and revered. Here’s a list of our hall-of-famers in all their pixelated and polygonal weirdness.
10. Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure (1995)
We’ll kick this list off with a bizarre 2D platformer from Interplay in the ‘90s. The titular character is a scientist on a quest to fix his broken machine by doing what he does best: combining toilet humor and iffy controls. This was a golden age for the platforming genre, so standing out in any way possible was an impressive feat. We remember it for its grossly endearing animation style both on the SNES and Genesis.
9. Katamari Damacy (2004)
Ah, Katamari. The PS2 original sleeper hit that rolled weirdly into our hearts. Part puzzler, part adventure, part nesting doll, Katamari Damacy had players controlling a tiny ball of stickiness, called a Katamari. The Katamari picks up small items like paperclips and candy, eventually increasing the ball size to pick up housecats, sumo wrestlers, ice cream trucks, buildings and so on. Who could fail to love its low-poly charm, bright colors and hilarious item placements?
8. Mr. Mosquito (2002)
Continuing with the PS2 craziness, we have the somewhat disturbing Mr. Mosquito. You play as a cute little mosquito tasked with sucking the blood from the Yamada family. Players must plot around each family member’s routine and force them to behave in the absolute creepiest way possible. Mr. Mosquito’s claim to fame? Well, if it wasn’t for the game’s lighthearted appearance, it might as well have been called “Personal Space Violation Simulator.”
7. Captain Novolin (1992)
This one’s a rare, peculiar gem designed with a single purpose: to stop kids from getting chubby. Developed by Sculptured Software, who created the equally weird Rex Ronan: Experimental Surgeon, this SNES original claims to be an “action adventure game about diabetes.” While childhood diabetes is no laughing matter, a platforming video game with abysmal controls about it is a surreal thought. This title remains an early example of what can happen when separate interests collaborate in a bizarre way to create a video game.
6. Game Boy Camera (1998)
This entry is less of a game and more of an oddity in the Game Boy’s legendary library, although it does have some game-like aspects. Originally conceived as a way for Game Boy owners to create and edit low-res photos of themselves, it also serves as music-making software with a peppering of mini-games. What made this software so bizarre were the secrets and Easter eggs therein. By performing certain sequences in the game, the player can access strange, distorted images, presumably of some of the game’s creators, along with creepy messages such as, “Who are you running from?”
5. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009)
You may be saying to yourself, “Shouldn’t I be reading about Majora’s Mask over Spirit Tracks on a list of weird games?” In many ways, you’re right about Majora’s dark vibe and unorthodox approach. However, Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS is an entry in the Zelda series that feels like even more of a one-off. Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series is renowned for its rich exploration in the fantasy world of Hyrule. Spirit Tracks, completely out of left field, took the classic fantasy-inspired setting and drove a train right through its wall. That’s right—the over-arching theme of Spirit Tracks is train conducting. The game is best known as the Zelda that let players shoot pigs with a cannon from a golden train.
4. Octodad: Dadliest Catch (2014)
Octodad is a fairly newer indie PC fatherhood/sea life simulator. If that doesn’t do it for you, I can’t imagine what would. Players run the course of the entire game as a boneless octopus in a suit, much to the obliviousness of your human wife and children. The physics are hilarious as you bumble through standard atomic dad activities, such as attempting to barbecue and knocking the grill and burgers all over the patio, or taking the kids to the aquarium while desperately attempting to appear like you aren’t one of its exhibits.
3. Seaman (2000)
Sega’s Dreamcast was a lot of things. A quiet failure to some, but a brilliant flash in the pan to others. The small-but-colorful game library sported by the Dreamcast includes the completely weird, interactive digital pet, Seaman. It used the ill-fated Dreamcast microphone accessory that mounted onto the controller to accept audio input. The man-faced fish on screen was receptive of various forms of communications, but many players just weren’t comfortable with his overall uncanniness. The only thing weirder than Seaman was a special Japanese import called Christmas Seaman.
Yes, that also happened.
2. WarioWare, Inc. (2003)
One of Nintendo’s most odd anti-heroes, Wario, has had a range of his own games in which he is featured, but none are as oddly fun as the mini-game fest known as WarioWare, Inc. The game is a collection of micro-games, usually lasting a matter of seconds, which barely gives you time to even understand what you’re looking at. The tiny scenarios come at the player so quickly that the entertainment always feels blissfully otherworldly. This game put the concept of high-speed micro-games on the map. How fast can you get a finger into a nose?
1. EarthBound /Mother 2 (1995)
Some might call EarthBound (known as Mother 2 in Japan) the crown jewel of the SNES. It also happens to be one of the most outlandishly memorable and heartfelt experiences available on the platform. What’s NOT to remember about EarthBound? The game serves as a caricature of modern society, and its rabid cult following can cite any of its unforgettable quotes and humorous situations. Packed with social commentary, the RPG deals with friendship, enjoying life’s small pleasures, loss and independence. It also deals with applying ketchup to a hamburger in the middle of a battle with a hippy. Many modern games draw heavy inspiration from this one’s quirkiness.
Conclusion
So there you have it, our round up of the craziest plots, players and ideas you’re ever likely to see in a video game this side of the Ozark Mountains. The list above represents our idea of gaming’s weirdest, but did we actually catch them all? Let us know of your own favorites in the comments below. Whatever will they think of next?
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Ryan Marchand is often found checking out the latest quirky indie release or enjoying the 8-bit goodness of a retro classic. He’s also a freelance video game writer for eBay, where you can find many of these bizarre games and other fun titles. |
The former "Boston Legal" star will not return for a ninth season of the still highly-rated NBC comedy.
James Spader will not be returning to The Office.
In another shake-up at NBC’s long-running comedy, the Boston Legal actor has opted not to be part of the series’ ninth season, assuming one is ordered, NBC confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Spader has offered the series a dose of star power since veteran star Steve Carell (Michael Scott) exited the series. In the months since, Spader has replaced Kathy Bates’ character as the fictional company's new chief executive, Robert California.
To hear Office executive producer Paul Lieberstein tell it, Spader already has contributed far more to the series than he had planned. The actor had signed to play a two-scene role in the season-seven finale, but the “life and intrigue” that he brought to the part made two scenes become a full season.
"James always wanted this to be a one-year arc, and he now leaves us having created one of the most enigmatic and dynamic characters in television,” adds Lieberstein, who plays Toby Flenderson on the show. “He’s been a great friend to me and the show, helping us successfully transition into the post-Michael Scott years, and I’m grateful for that.”
The news of Spader's exit comes as other members of The Office's staff — on-camera and off — are toying with departure. Head writer Daniel Chun inked an overall deal with rival ABC Studios in late February, mere weeks after his fellow Office writer and star Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor) had her comedy project ordered to pilot at Fox. If the latter is picked up to series, Kaling, whose Universal Television deal expires in June, is expected to depart the Office and focus on the new show.
Although sources have downplayed its likelihood in recent weeks, NBC is also said to be eyeing a potential midseason spin-off centered on Rainn Wilson’s quirky Dwight Schrute character. The idea, which Wilson has since confirmed, is to further explore the Schrute family farm, with multiple generations of Schrutes involved. If the network opts to move forward with it, Wilson, too, likely will pack his bags.
Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @LaceyVRose |
State lawmakers on Thursday rejected a proposal to reduce the charge for simple possession of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said his bill would save money and result in more people getting successful drug treatment so they can re-enter society.
“No data begins to suggest that putting felonies on these mostly young people and incarcerating them for longer periods of time in any way benefits their recovery from drug use,’’ Leno told his colleagues before the measure went down on an 11-24 vote, with several Democrats in opposition.
Sen. Ted Gaines (R-Roseville) said SB 1506 would threaten public safety, agreeing with the California State Sheriffs’ Assn. that drug use leads to other problems including property crimes.
“I don’t understand how decriminalization will actually reduce crime in California,’’ Gaines said.
Sen. Doug La Malfa (R-Richvale) added: “With bills like this I can see Amsterdam from the Capitol front porch.’’
ALSO:
Senators agree to give up free tickets to games, concerts
California lawmakers vote for legalization of sports betting
California Senate supports streamlining teacher removal over crimes
--Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento
Photo: Members of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter "Resolute" offload some of the 168 bales of seized cocaine Thursday in Florida. Credit: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara. |
Boffins at NATO have managed to ratify, across the entire alliance, the first ever official standard for underwater digital communications.
“This marks the first time that a digital underwater communication protocol has been acknowledged at international level and opens the way to develop many exciting underwater communication applications,” said the alliance in a statement.
NATO’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE) had the new standard, called JANUS, ratified by all of the alliance’s 28 members in late March.
It was developed over the last eight years, with the main paper describing the standard having been published (requires registration) in the journal Underwater Communications and Networking in 2014. The specification is open and “deliberately simple to allow easy adoption by legacy equipment”. More details are available here.
JANUS is mainly focused on allowing underwater drones to communicate with mother ships and each other. "Robots can behave intelligently and act as a team," said João Alves, a principal scientist and project leader at CMRE. “For example, one of the robots could find some interesting feature and call the rest of the team.”
“This is particularly important for search-and-rescue operations,” added John Potter, a scientist at the CMRE Strategic Development Office and one of the authors of the 2014 paper. “Autonomous vehicles are relatively inexpensive and of course unmanned, so they can be sent to do dirty, dangerous jobs.”
Janus was the two-faced Roman sentry god who stood watch over doorways and portals. “That’s why it is called JANUS,” said Potter, “because this language opens the portal between two domains, two different operating paradigms, through which they can talk.”
The Portuguese Navy has been working with NATO on perfecting JANUS, particularly for data exchange with submarines. For typical data movement activities, submerged submarines can either receive very low frequency (VLF) broadcasts from shore stations (but cannot transmit without surfacing) or must surface for two-way communications with nearby ships.
NATO hopes that JANUS will be adopted by the civilian maritime industry as well as navies, as the paper makes clear. The alliance’s press statement gives use-case examples of scuba divers approaching the surface and needing to be aware of nearby ships and boats, or underwater survey drones communicating with oil rigs in real time. It also suggests the standard could be used “for harbour protection, maritime surveillance, mine detection, surveying offshore wind farms and pipelines, or even underwater archaeology.” ® |
CTV Montreal
For cyclists, car doors are a constant threat. And for the first time, Montrealers are learning how often.
Last year, 105 cyclists were hit by car doors, and two were killed in so-called "dooring" accidents, say Montreal police.
“Most accidents go unreported, so that's just a drop in a bucket,” said Geoffrey Bush of the Montreal Bike Coalition.
Several Montreal bike associations and the police have launched a "dooring" awareness campaign. The message to cyclists is to stay at least a metre away from parked cars, while they’re asking drivers to be in control of their doors.
Montreal police say that drivers should reach across their bodies with their right arm to open their doors, forcing them to look at their side-view mirrors and check their blind spots.
Motorists could face fines, $30 dollars plus fees, if they're not careful.
“So if you open (the door), even if you don't hit a cyclist, if it was (done) dangerously you could receive a ticket,” said Nathalie Valois of the Montreal police’s bike safety division.
Many U.S. cities have dedicated campaigns and implemented strict fines to reduce dooring accidents.
The penalty in Chicago, for example, is $1,000.
Cycling activists in Montreal would like higher fines but say developing safer habits is most important -- and could be the difference between life and death on the roads. |
Some players of S outh Park: The Stick of Truth won't get to see the game in its entirety—a handful of 20-second scenes are censored in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) version of the upcoming RPG on consoles.
Warning: minor spoilers for Stick of Truth follow.
A review guide leaked by European press— Stick of Truth , which is out next week for PC/PS3/Xbox 360. A review guide leaked by European press— via NeoGAF —reveals that Ubisoft decided to replace a few mini-game scenes in the console versions ofStick of Truth, which is out next week for PC/PS3/Xbox 360.
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Here's the relevant excerpt:
Knowing the creators of South Park , those image backgrounds will be hilarious. In the censored Australian version of the game, some scenes were replaced by images of Knowing the creators ofSouth Park, those image backgrounds will be hilarious. In the censored Australian version of the game, some scenes were replaced by images of crying koalas
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When reached for comment by When reached for comment by Eurogamer , Ubisoft's UK office said this was a marketing decision. |
20-20: BuLba October 17th, 2013 14:32 GMT Text by CountChocula Graphics by fusefuse
TABLE OF CONTENTS
20 Questions
20 Answers
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20Q 20A: Black^
is a hometown hero here on Team Liquid. A member of Liquid Dota since its inception, BuLba is one of the most vocal North American Dota players on the scene. He loves the community and often posts on our Dota 2 forums right here on TL.
We
BuLba confirms that he will answer 20 questions from the community. BuLba confirms that he will answer 20 questions from the community.
20 Questions
Want to ask something? We'll do it for you. Just post your question in this thread. Our editors will pick the 20 best questions from this thread and BuLba will answer them, after which the answers will be slotted in below.
Ask away, TL!
20 Answers
How awesome was TI3 (and that LGD.cn game)? Could you talk a little about your experience? [Scaramanga]
The LGD game was probably one of the best moments in my life. Everything was on the line and playing versus some of the players that I respected immensely like xiao8 just made it even better. We were definitely rooting for Alliance to beat LGD in the winners’ bracket because LGD felt like they were very vulnerable to our playstyle. I was very surprised that LGD went from a team that tried different stuff out in G-1 like their Spectre strat into a team that literally picked 4 core heroes every game. We expected each and every pick from their Mag pick to their Alchemist. Even the Furion pick was not very surprising because they relied on that pick if the enemy team was going aggressive so Furion can TP in and win their trilane. We had the last pick and Clockwerk felt like the best hero versus their heroes. Clock could solo kill the furion when he was splitpushing and Clock is a decent hero versus Mag and Alch as well. Anyways the game started and everything was just an adrenaline rush. We made the right moves and the right teamfights and just won the game. The feeling after winning was quite surreal.
I'm sure you've given this much thought. What do you think went wrong in your games vs. iG at TI3? [taldarimAltar]
Another mistake was that after killing the Weaver in the trilane, we abandoned it way too early to try and gank SF. Ferrari played very passive and didn’t get ganked and wasted our supports’ time. That allowed Zhou to catch back up and in the end we didn’t snowball our aggressive trilane, which we could have done considering the First Blood. I definitely think if we had more experience in the mid game, we could have done better but their lineup was very good versus ours. Nyx would own the OD later on and Batrider would just lasso me in fights. We had nothing to really go through BKB as well besides the Abyssal Blade. I also probably had to farm more in a spectator’s point of view but their Batrider and Nyx were never showing on the map. It was quite difficult to farm past the river unless we were together because they could pick us off any time. The main problems were that:
A. we broke our trilane way too early. This let Weaver catch up and the N’aix (me) start as a trilane N’aix and then end up as an offlane N’aix soloing versus a Weaver and a Nyx manaburning me. My Phase Boots timing was at like 3 minutes, but I ended up with a late Armlet because I had to solo a Weaver+1. I also should have probably gotten an Assault Cuirass over finishing the Abyssal because Shadow Fiend and Weaver just owned me in fights due to SF aura+Weaver deso.
B. we were too predictable in our laning and iG exploited that.
C. we had nothing to go through BKB. iG could literally just countergank and splitpush us with Keeper and we could not respond efficiently. Batrider and Nyx could pick any of us off and we had no choice but to stick together. Weaver+SF+Bat+Nyx would own our heroes mid to late game. I mention this in an interview I did with Epi , but I felt we were a bit too happy after beating LGD. I think it is because this was our first big LAN win on a stage as big as TI3. Our style at the time was also very predictable. We literally ran aggressive trilanes every game to suppress their carry’s farm and had strong solos. Honestly this was our playstyle the entire year and it fit our team well. Anyways, iG knew this and knew straight from the start that we were going aggressive. They took a Keeper very early because Keeper is quite strong versus aggressives and they also picked a Shadow Fiend. Our goal was to suppress the enemy carry but their carry was actually the Shadow fiend mid which just abused Radiant mid and outfarmed us. They also had a Batrider which owned us quite hard because we always had to stick together. They could endlessly splitpush us while we had to stick together in clumps due to the enemy Batrider and Nyx.Another mistake was that after killing the Weaver in the trilane, we abandoned it way too early to try and gank SF. Ferrari played very passive and didn’t get ganked and wasted our supports’ time. That allowed Zhou to catch back up and in the end we didn’t snowball our aggressive trilane, which we could have done considering the First Blood. I definitely think if we had more experience in the mid game, we could have done better but their lineup was very good versus ours. Nyx would own the OD later on and Batrider would just lasso me in fights. We had nothing to really go through BKB as well besides the Abyssal Blade. I also probably had to farm more in a spectator’s point of view but their Batrider and Nyx were never showing on the map. It was quite difficult to farm past the river unless we were together because they could pick us off any time. The main problems were that:A. we broke our trilane way too early. This let Weaver catch up and the N’aix (me) start as a trilane N’aix and then end up as an offlane N’aix soloing versus a Weaver and a Nyx manaburning me. My Phase Boots timing was at like 3 minutes, but I ended up with a late Armlet because I had to solo a Weaver+1. I also should have probably gotten an Assault Cuirass over finishing the Abyssal because Shadow Fiend and Weaver just owned me in fights due to SF aura+Weaver deso.B. we were too predictable in our laning and iG exploited that.C. we had nothing to go through BKB. iG could literally just countergank and splitpush us with Keeper and we could not respond efficiently. Batrider and Nyx could pick any of us off and we had no choice but to stick together. Weaver+SF+Bat+Nyx would own our heroes mid to late game.
Can you please give us a "table of contents" or a "chapter" of your team's drafting guides and notebooks, which you guys posted pictures of on Twitter in anticipation for TI3? [rkffhk]
One of the chapters was hero statistics and win-rate losses. The rest is secret :D
What are some little-known interesting facts that teammates have shared in your time together or personality quirks that your fellow teammates frequently display during Dota 2 games? What is best practical joke that has ever taken place among Liquid players? [TanGeng]
There are two Tinker players on the new Liquid. When do I get to see some Tinker games? [bigglesbiggles]
In terms of results the NA Dota scene seems far behind the Chinese and European ones. Why do you think this is and what do you reckon needs to be done to help the NA scene catch up? [Mouzone]
Do you feel that Elder Titan needs some changes? Will we ever get to see you play him in competitive? [Dac]
How did you come up with the idea for Tinker’s March build? [msl]
What's currently the best hero no one's ever picking up? Also, what are the main differences - both mechanically and mentally - between playing the offlane and playing solo mid? [GoingGoingGone]
This question is quite difficult because each team has different responsibilities for the offlaner and the mid. For example, Na’Vi farms a lot more on Dendi and relies on him winning his lane. Alliance on the other hand relies on s4 to be very unselfish in his play. He helps his team a lot and makes a lot of plays in the mid game. They are two different styles of playing mid lane besides the normal CS’ing and lane control.
Offlane is also different as you see Chinese teams rely on the offlaner to set up ganks and be teamfight controllers while Alliance relies on Bulldog to have a lot of farm and help in the mid to late game. Both positions need a lot of map awareness and laning skill.
Which role do you enjoy playing more: offlane or mid position? [CylerBelmont]
What would it take to make Invoker "viable" mid again? He was top tier at TI2 and as far as I can remember his only nerf was -4 base damage. With the prominence of supports pulling regen and Treant Protector making any 1v1 winnable, why don't we see him more? [Thomas7575]
For a new player that has basic RTS knowledge (coming from BW and SC2) and does not want to feed, what would be a good tip for playing better at Dota 2? [s.a.y]
Why don't we see Clockwerk mid? He's an insanely good ganker and that early levels should help get some good ganks going pretty quickly, no? Aside from OD, I also don't see any hero completely destroying him on that lane. [Mandalor]
Who do you think is the best Clockwerk in the world, other than yourself? [thragar]
What do you think are issues IceFrog didn't address in 6.79? With Zenith and MUFC disbanding, where do you see SEA Dota going? Can you beat YajirobefromDC? [meniscus-]
Do you think Valve need to put more gameplay items in the game? If so, for what role (support, carry, etc.)? [yookstah]
Do you see yourself as a franchise Liquid player in the same way as say Ret, TLO, etc. in the Starcraft team? Concisely, do you see yourself as Liquid for life? [TemujinGK]
Who has been your favorite player currently active in the scene to watch and learn from and what sort of impact has learning from this player made on your own play? [Koalabee Juniper]
Your favorite Pokémon? [Oukka]
Would you choose to have a real life Bulbasaur or to win TI4? (The Bulbasaurs are watching this.) [kellymilkies]
Sorry Kelly, but winning TI4!
This time, we also have a few bonus questions:
Will you play Bloodseeker mid in competitive Dota? [Nazgul]
What are you fiending on right now? [Hot_Bid]
Why do you lose to Arteezy mid? Explain how being a vegetarian in China has affected you psychologically. [Fluff]
How does it feel to be the second best Tinker in the world? [Qojqva]
Writer: CountChocula
Gfx: fusefuse, riptide
Editor: riptide
Banner image by: R1CH
: CountChocula: fusefuse, riptide: riptide Being second to EternaLEnVy is being second to God Himself. We’re 50/50 in 1v1s. China’s food made me depressed. Stuff to abuse in new patch. 我会让他们连馒头都吃不到 Those championships owed me over the years, I will take them back one by one. Maybe, but I doubt TC thinks the hero is legit. Darkrai I think for this year, the player I felt that had the most impact was s4. His gameplay understanding surpassed every other individual for ti3 and he led his team to several victories. I really enjoy his playstyle. I don’t think I can say I am on the same franchise-level as TLO or Ret for Liquid. They both have represented Liquid for quite a long time and Dota is still quite new in the Team Liquid community. I do however hope to be Liquid 4 Life. I’m not very sure on this one. I can’t really think of an item that is needed that desperately. One of the best things about Dota is definitely the variety of items that fill every role. Honestly the direction that 6.79 took was something I never thought would happen. Not that it’s bad or anything, but it was very sudden and out of nowhere. I haven’t seen a patch that didn’t change as many things core to the game as this one did. I recently sent my opinions about 6.79 to the TL writers about the patch, but it was before playing it. I was totally wrong about how pulls would change the game. Now it seems like pulls don’t even matter as much let it be from Radiant or Dire. I dislike the whole pooling 1 tango thing. It’s very weird seeing like 4 tangos in an inventory and it should have just not been allowed anymore. Mid item builds feel so random and I also felt there should have been a change to runes. The first rune at 2 minutes feels so imbalanced towards however gets it. Even more so than before because you could at least bottle crow if you don’t get the rune, but now the person that doesn’t get the rune is somewhat screwed if he is playing a hero that relies on bottle to lane like Beastmaster or Dragon Knight. Also the Lich change was probably one of the most unnecessary changes. The game was changed to favor dual lanes and the best dual laning hero in the game got buffed. Besides the things I dislike, I do enjoy a lot of the hero changes including Axe, Disruptor and Broodmother. bOne7, however I flame some of his builds to him and we argue. We do occasionally see Clock mid, but definitely not as much as offlane. I think a big reason is that Magnus stopped being picked. Clock did fine versus him in lane and was good versus him in game. Also Clock doesn’t necessarily scale as much as other heroes with farm. He has his spells and his spells are the reason that he is strong. Yes, Force Staff, Aghanim’s and BKB are very good items on him, but his strength is his spells and ability to leech experience and be an annoying initiator. Also when he is mid, he does a lot weaker versus ranged heroes compared to how he does in the side lane. Using cogs to burn mana is a lot harder mid, because there isn’t much space and his lane pushing is not as good as other heroes. However, I think that a snowballed Clock from mid lane is probably one of the strongest heroes in the game. He gets great coverage of runes and can gank any lane easily. Mid Clock is probably my favorite way to play the hero. I think the biggest thing is watching competitive play and not just on streams, but watching replays and player perspectives. See the actions they make and how they play and try to imitate it. This along with practicing and playing a lot will help a ton. Dota is a game which requires a lot of knowledge as well as mechanics, so both of these things need work. There are plenty of resources for knowledge in the form of Youtube videos and guides, but mechanics need to be practiced and imitated. The main problem with Invoker is that BKBs are so strong. He also doesn’t have the same teamfighting abilities as a Puck with a Blink Dagger and is very easy to gank. His laning also lacks lane pushing and rune control, because he doesn’t use bottle as efficiently as other heroes like Puck or Dragon Knight. With the new patch however, we might see him come back - not necessarily because of his buff, but because of how Bottle got nerfed. You do need a Midas as mid Invoker though. The mid position because my favorite heroes besides Clockwerk usually are laned there. Also I enjoy the aspect of how much control you have over the game from the mid lane position. The best hero that no one is picking much is probably Disruptor in my opinion. However we might see an increase in Disruptor picks after 79.This question is quite difficult because each team has different responsibilities for the offlaner and the mid. For example, Na’Vi farms a lot more on Dendi and relies on him winning his lane. Alliance on the other hand relies on s4 to be very unselfish in his play. He helps his team a lot and makes a lot of plays in the mid game. They are two different styles of playing mid lane besides the normal CS’ing and lane control.Offlane is also different as you see Chinese teams rely on the offlaner to set up ganks and be teamfight controllers while Alliance relies on Bulldog to have a lot of farm and help in the mid to late game. Both positions need a lot of map awareness and laning skill. Tinker was always one of my favorite heroes because of his high skillcap. However there was a lack of stability with the hero, because he needed to snowball using Missile Laser. As people and teams got better, you couldn’t necessary rely on your two nukes to carry you through the early game. The hero also needs a lot of items. March felt very strong in Dota 2 and I started experimenting with it. Finally when I was on EG, Demon and I used the ancient Tinker strat and it became popular since then. I started either 2-0-4 or 1-1-4 with the hero and rushed Blink Dagger after Boots of Travel, so I can shift queue into the forest and spam March. People were going Force Staff rush before and I disliked Force first. Elder Titan definitely needed changes. His damage nerf on Spirit made him weaker as a laner, because the timing window where you have to 1 shot the ranged creeps is a lot smaller now. However he is still as strong throughout the game due to the Aura. Experience is always the biggest aspect. It is just harder for NA teams to play competitive compared to European teams and Asian teams due to time restraints. The NA competitive pool besides the 3 top teams has some teams with potential, but the issue is that most of them have no experience. There are a few players that have very high individual skill though, but you will never see them band together. Another issue is the lack of good support players that are not on the top 3 NA teams so it is hard to find cohesion among the individually skilled players. One player on team Typical Mistakes impressed me tremendously though. Name is Andrew “Vt.Jubei” Evelyn. Hopefully soon! Tinker is a hero that has to fit perfectly in a draft usually, because he requires so much farm. However once he gets his farm, he is quite unstoppable if a good player plays it. The best practical joke was probably the one that Hot_Bid and Korok pulled on me after I saw the movie Conjuring. What a scary movie. As for interesting facts, Wayto is a worse bowler than I am. TC smiles 24/7 in real life. Our editors will pick the 20 best questions from this thread and BuLba will answer them, after which the answers will be slotted in below.Ask away, TL! Sam "BuLba" Sosale is a hometown hero here on Team Liquid. A member of Liquid Dota since its inception, BuLba is one of the most vocal North American Dota players on the scene. He loves the community and often posts on our Dota 2 forums right here on TL.We last had BuLba on our Community Q&A in February , and thus felt it was time we let you guys have another crack at him. A lot has happened since then for Sam (including a great run at TI3), and we're sure you have a lot to ask him! |
The judge in the trial of a man accused of murdering an abortion doctor dealt the defence a major setback Thursday, ruling that the jury cannot consider a lesser charge of manslaughter.
The ruling in a Wichita, Kan., courtroom came hours after Scott Roeder took the stand in his own defence and admitted killing Dr. George Tiller on May 31, 2009, in the foyer of a Wichita church the doctor attended. He had previously confessed publicly to the shooting.
Roeder said he acted to save the lives of unborn children.
Roeder's lawyers had hoped to win a lesser conviction of voluntary manslaughter, which requires them to show their client had an unreasonable but honest belief that deadly force was justified. The charge carries a considerably lighter sentence than murder.
Roeder has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated assault. Asked by his own lawyer about his views on abortion, the 51-year-old Roeder, who is from Kansas City, Mo., said he believes it amounts to murder.
"From conception forward, it is murder," Roeder told the court. "It is not a man's job to take life. It is our heavenly father's. He is our creator."
Roeder replied "yes" or "no" to many of the questions he was asked, and his attempts to elaborate drew frequent objections from prosecutors, who say Roeder lacks the medical expertise to describe Tiller's practice.
When asked to detail the types of abortion procedures he was familiar with, Roeder answered "four or five" and then listed them. In one instance, he described a procedure as involving the fetus being "torn limb from limb" — a characterization that prompted a quick objection from the prosecution.
Before Roeder took the stand, District Judge Warren Wilbert barred former Kansas attorney general Phill Kline, who is known for campaigning against abortion, from testifying after listening to a preview of Kline's testimony without the jury present.
Kline investigated Tiller's clinic, Women's Health Care Services, in 2006 because he suspected Tiller was violating Kansas's laws pertaining to late-term abortion. The case was later dropped because of jurisdictional issues.
Wilbert said allowing Kline's testimony at the trial would be "inappropriate" and said much of it amounted to "exactly what this court seeks to avoid."
"I said I would not allow this courtroom to turn into a forum or a referendum on abortion," Wilbert said.
The decision to bar Kline's testimony hampers the strategy of the defence, which had hoped to show that Roeder based his actions in part on Kline's belief that Tiller was breaking the law — a potential step toward a lesser conviction of voluntary manslaughter.
Wilbert had reminded Roeder's lawyers in court on Wednesday that they had to couple a voluntary manslaughter defence with a showing of imminent danger posed by the doctor. He noted abortion is legal in Kansas.
The two counts of aggravated assault Roeder faces are for allegedly using a gun to threaten two ushers who tried to stop him after the May 31 shooting. |
10.0.6 brings a 3200% speed increase when rendering effects on a Final Cut Pro X timeline
This week's Final Cut Pro X upgrade to 10.0.6 brought some excellent new features and some much requested old features back. But under the hood there have been more changes, one of them turbo boosting rendering on the timeline by a massive 3200%!
We would say that it would be hard to find anybody in the industry that didn't think 10.0.6 was a pretty good update to FCPX. But guess what, some people were slamming it before anybody had downloaded it. It really does make us wonder why if people are so happy with other NLEs, why should they keep moaning about FCPX when they don't even use it?
We won't go on about the new features within FCPX, but we will point out one HUGE improvement that has gone rather unoticed over the last couple of days.
You may or may not have been aware that up until 10.0.6 there were large differences between render times of effects on the timeline and the same effects on export. This was because on export, the Mac used all the resources it could to get that movie out and that included the GPU or Graphics Processing Unit. Rendering on the timeline was a different matter and that was done by the CPUs in the background. In the 10.0.6 update, the GPU is now used for rendering on the timeline which has led to a massive improvement in rendering times.
So why should we be interested in this? The majority of effects, generators, titles and transitions are written using Motion which is a heavy user of the GPU. Some of the effects within FCPX are coded, they are the ones that you cannot open when right clicked.
So we thought that we would do a little test.
We took the office iMac which is under a year old and did a like for like comparison of render times of an effect before and after the move from 10.0.5 to 10.0.6. So same machine, latest OSX, same project, same effect.
We decided to use a plugin called Box Roll from the XEffects 3D Transitions pack and turn all the 3D features like distance blur and reflections up to the max. The project was 1080p 25fps ProRes 422 and the effect we put at a duration of 5 Seconds.
We were amazed by the results.
10.0.5
Ouch! And here is 10.0.6
That is a huge 3200% improvement in timeline rendering times! It will also mean less dropped frames on playback as the GPU will have a go at playing complex effects.
This is a great improvement for all FCPX users and will definately speed up the editing process and allow the use of GPU intensive effects to be able to be played without stuttering. We also noticed that the thumbnail previews in the transitions browser were much more responsive.
If anybody else has figures on other effetcs showing the stunning improvement then we would love to post them as an update.
Just to clear one point up, we forced the effect render from a menu command, not just leaving background rendering to finish it. Will be interetsting if background rendering is as quick.
Nice one Apple, 3200 thank yous! |
Overwatch’s Play of the Game feature is iconic as it is infamous. On one hand, it gives big moments a few seconds of fame and encourages friends and foes alike to say, “OK yeah, that was pretty cool.” But it goes against the grain of Overwatch’s team focus, and it misfires. A lot.
In the past, Blizzard has acknowledged POTG’s flaws, but the feature hasn’t changed much in ways that are immediately apparent. “We are tweaking it regularly, but not massively revamping it,” lead hero designer Geoff Goodman told me during an interview at BlizzCon.
He added, however, that Play of the Game won’t keep rewarding people for running down hallways and dying forever. Play of the Game 2.0 is in the works.
“There’s a plan to do what we’re calling Play of the Game 2.0,” he said. “It’s been on the books for a little while. It’s just a matter of prioritizing everything. We have a lot of really cool ideas. We want to do a lot with the camera work. We have ideas for cooperative Play of the Games. Because what we have right now, is Zarya could ult, and then Genji gets the credit. And that’s like, ‘Come on!’”
“So we want to highlight the combo play itself, to show both,” he added. “There’s some tricky things there, like how do we handle Play of the Game intros, and how do we decide who gets credit.”
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And of course, it’s a mean feat of engineering to figure out, which further complicates matters.
Still, it’s something fans have been clamoring for (some have even mocked up what it might look like), so it’s something Goodman and co very much plan to do in the near-ish future. “It could be cool with Mercy too,” he said, offering another example of a hero who doesn’t get much credit these days. “She could rez everybody, and then they could get a bunch of eliminations.”
At that point, I added that intros could show heroes high-fiving or hugging or doing special character-specific animations. “I hadn’t even thought about that,” said Goodman. “That’s cool!”
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So you’re welcome for that part of the feature when it inevitably makes it into the game, everybody. |
Image copyright Thinkstock
A skills shortage and "chaotic" handling of personal data breaches are undermining confidence in the government's ability to protect the UK from cyber attacks, MPs have warned.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee said ministers had taken too long to consolidate the "alphabet soup" of agencies tasked with stopping attacks.
Cyber attacks are ranked among the top four risks to UK national security.
The government said it had acted with "pace and ambition" on the issue.
In November, Chancellor Philip Hammond said that hostile "foreign actors" were developing techniques that threatened the country's electrical grid and airports.
'Nato targeted'
And in a speech on Thursday night, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon warned that Russia was carrying out a sustained campaign of cyber attacks targeting democracy and critical infrastructure in the West.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Former GCHQ deputy Brian Lord tells Today the lack of cyber security skills leave UK 'vulnerable'
Moscow was "weaponising misinformation" in a bid to expand its influence and destabilise Western governments and weaken Nato, he said.
Russian hacks 'aim to destabilise West'
The committee of MPs found that the role of the Cabinet Office, which is responsible for protecting all government information from attack, remained unclear.
Could we say that we are cyber-bomb proof? Probably not, but I'm not sure anyone could Prof Alan Woodward, Computer security expert
"Its approach to handling personal data breaches has been chaotic and does not inspire confidence in its ability to take swift, coordinated and effective action in the face of higher-threat attacks," said Labour MP Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee.
"In this context, it should concern us all that the government is struggling to ensure its security profession has the skills it needs."
Reporting of data breaches varied across Whitehall, with some departments highlighting thousands while others recorded none at all, a system the MPs described as "inconsistent and chaotic".
'Investing £1.9bn'
"Without a consistent approach across Whitehall to identifying, recording and reporting security incidents, the Cabinet Office is unable to make informed decisions about where to direct and prioritise its attention," the committee said.
A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said: "The government has acted with a pace and ambition that has been welcomed by industry and our international partners right across the globe.
"Our comprehensive and ambitious national cyber security strategy, underpinned by £1.9bn of investment, sets out a range of measures to defend our people, businesses, and assets; deter and disrupt our adversaries; and develop capability and skills."
Image copyright Getty Images
A spokesman for the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, which has been operational for four months, said the unit had "transformed how the UK deals with cybersecurity".
It had provided "real-time cyber-threat information to 3,000 organisations from over 20 different industries, offering incident management handling and fostering technical innovation".
Prof Alan Woodward, a computer security expert from the University of Surrey, said the report was "a little unfair".
The weakest link?
"Could we say that we are cyber-bomb proof? Probably not, but I'm not sure anyone could," he said.
"But we are getting better, and the government is taking strides to get its own house in order."
The weakest link in any cybersecurity clampdown remained people, Prof Woodward said.
"There are still people who copy things they shouldn't on to laptops or people who decide to connect a nuclear power station to the internet," he said. |
Creating Read-Only & Virtual Attributes with JavaScript Getters and Setters
TL;DR Getters and setters let us create read only attributes of JSON objects. They work in all current browsers (except IE8), so you can use them today
Getters and Setters allow us to create functions to set attributes on our JavaScript objects. This allows us to create pseudoelements and store and retrieve computed values, much as we can with Ruby.
They allow us to write code such that, when we access an attribute of an object, we are actually calling a function. We can use them to create read only properties, write only properties, virtual properties, etc.
Browser support
Getters and setters were actually part of the ES5 specification, but browser support is only now catching up. They work in all the evergreen browsers (as you would expect) plus IE9.
Let's make a cat
Here's a nice cat called Miffy. You'll notice that Miffy is just a plain old JSON object:
var cat = { name : "Miffy" , age : 12 }
We can interact with Miffy as you would expect:
console . log ( cat . name ) // outputs "Miffy"
Enter Getters
Getters allow us to create a function that will be called when we access an attribute, and which will retrieve a value. Let's recode Miffy with a getter.
var cat = { get name () { return "Miffy" ; }, age : 12 };
Note that we can still interact with our cat in exactly the same way:
console . log ( cat . name ); "Miffy"
The cat name is now immutable
Because we only have a getter, the value of cat.name cannot be changed. We have created a read only attribute of a JSON object:
cat . name = "Hermionie" ; console . log ( cat . name ); "Miffy"
Dynamic Values
We use getters to compute values dynamically and return them as though they were just attributes. Here we generate a description from the name and age. I can treat it just like an attribute:
var cat = { name "Miffy" , age : 12 , get description () { return [ this . name , 'is' , this . age ]. join ( ' ' ); } }; console . log ( cat . description ); "Miffy is 12" cat . age = 45 ; console . log ( cat . description ); "Miffy is 45"
Say our cat has a date of birth. We might dynamically generate an age attribute. It just works. We don't need to manually call a function to compute it.
var cat = { dateOfBirth : new Date ( 1953 , 12 , 12 ), get age () { var now = new Date (); return new Date ( now - this . dateOfBirth ). getFullYear () - 1970 } }; console . log ( cat . age ) // outputs 62. Poor old cat.
Setters
Setters let us set a value as though it were a property of the object.
var cat = { set name ( name ) { this . _name = name } };
Now we can set the value of name but not get it.
This lets us create virtual object properties
We can store this value anywhere.
We might store the value in an attribute of the object, as I've done above.
We might store it in a closure.
We might compute a value to save, perhaps doing some validation.
We might save the value in a cookie, or supercookie.
We might send the data to an API.
The possibilities are endless.
Here we receive a dateOfBirth and store an age:
var cat = { set dateOfBirth ( dateOfBirth ) { var now = new Date (); this . age = new Date ( now - dateOfBirth ). getFullYear () - 1970 } }; cat . dateOfBirth = new Date ( 1953 , 12 , 12 ); console . log ( cat . age );
Removing Setters and Getters
You can remove setters and getters altogether just like any other property using delete:
delete cat . dateOfBirth console . log ( cat . dateOfBirth ) undefined
This removes the virtual property altogether. It doesn't just overwrite it with null, it's completely gone. |
From the exhilaration of popular revolution to the tragedy of on-going conflict, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has occupied a prominent place in the headlines. Yet there is another, often silent, drama that is not receiving the attention it deserves.
It is playing out in both rich and poor countries, albeit in different forms. A series of alarming statistics reveal a deterioration in the overall health of the people of the region. This trend is aggravated by underfunded public health systems that provide limited and low quality care.
MENA governments commit on average only eight percent of their national budgets to healthcare. This compares with an average of 17 percent in OECD countries. One significant consequence of this low spending is that individuals are made to shoulder the majority of the costs for care. It often forces households, poorer ones especially, into making the difficult choice between spending on health or other necessities, such as food and education.
In Yemen, the statistics for malnutrition and stunting have reached emergency proportions. Close to 60 per cent of children are stunted and are at increased risk of death due to malnutrition
The region is currently paying a high social cost for the lack of attention paid to public health, and these costs will grow ever more severe in the absence of concerted action. Obesity is nearing epidemic proportions in MENA, with some of the highest rates in the world.
In Egypt, half of all women are obese and one fifth of all men - landing them in the global top 20 for obesity. Among women, Kuwait ranks second globally with 55.2 per cent of its female population considered obese. Other Middle Eastern countries which made it to the Global Top 20 for female obesity include the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (42.0 percent), Bahrain (37.9 percent), and Jordan (37.9 percent).
The obesity rates are not much better for men. Within the top 20 countries globally, 29.6 percent of Kuwaiti men are obese followed closely by UAE (24.5 percent), Saudi Arabia (23.0 percent), and Bahrain (21.2 percent).
Obesity is closely linked to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the Arab world, while high blood pressure is the second leading cause (and has been for the past 20 years).
At the same time, alongside obesity, there are high levels of child under/malnutrition and stunting across the region. In Egypt, 30 percent of children below five years of age are stunted, while 20 percent of children within the same age category are obese. The statistics also reveal significant regional inequalities, with children in rural areas experiencing higher rates of stunting compared to urban areas.
In Yemen, the statistics for malnutrition and stunting have reached emergency proportions. Close to 60 per cent of children are stunted and are at increased risk of death due to malnutrition. Other countries that have a high burden of child under/malnutrition include Morocco, Iraq, Libya and Syria.
While under-nutrition can threaten the lives of young children, it also has long-term effects such as impaired cognitive development. This can affect everything from school performance to productivity and earnings in later adult life. Undernourished children may be particularly sensitive to weight gain as adults, with an increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Turning to young people in the region, and young men specifically, their main cause of death currently is road traffic accidents. In one year 35,900 young men died due to traffic injuries (2010). Although death due to traffic accidents is the third largest killer in the Arab world - for people of all ages - (a total of 73,500people of all ages perished in 2010) young people are disproportionally affected. Also a large killer of children after their first year of life, with the 3,950 casualties in 2010, road traffic accidents are robbing the region of its future generations!
The region is at a critical historical juncture and with it comes also a window of opportunity to transform its health systems - an opportunity to move from only treating sickness to instead focus on preserving and promoting health
Depression is the leading cause of illness for women in MENA. It is especially women between the ages of 15 and 49 that are affected. In fact, the prevalence of depression among women in MENA is ranked higher than any other region. While men in MENA are also more prone to depression, the percentage gap between men and women is higher in MENA than all other regions, with the exception of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Despite all of these daunting health challenges governments are not focusing on preventive interventions. Prevention could result in tremendous future savings - but most importantly it could improve long-term health and protect people from future suffering. There are several factors that impact health, many of which lie outside the health sector itself, such as education, sanitation, roads, environment, etc. Preventive care can be achieved through policies aimed at behavioural risk factors.
The Arab world presents a good environment for successful prevention. The region has high literacy rates and relatively good media coverage; critical elements for effective, mass scale public information campaigns.
In addition, school enrolment rates are high so targeted school-based interventions on road safety, diet and nutrition etc. could work well. The challenges, therefore, are more about leadership, which is essential to establish the vision and strategies for effective public policies that advocate for better public health.
With low government spending on healthcare, households in the middle-income countries must cover almost 40 percent of all health care costs themselves. Patients in the low income countries have to cover a full 55 percent of healthcare costs out of their own pockets. Unfortunately, many cannot afford these medical expenses so people either chose to forgo much needed medical care or face impoverishment as a result.
The low public financing for health compromises both access and quality of care. Patient experiences at health facilities across the region are characterized by long waiting lines, absent providers, lack of privacy and informal payments. Satisfaction with existing health services is very low region-wide. As one Egyptian woman expressed it: "A public hospital is where you lose your life…a private one is where you lose your money".
In order to address the daunting challenges fair and accountable health systems have to be developed, according to a new World Bank strategy for engaging in health in MENA. Fairness - the absence of systematic disparities - could be achieved through prevention and care and the just distribution of the burden of costs according to people’s ability to pay. Accountability - responsibility and answerability- would require that services are effective, safe, cost-conscious, and patient-centred.
The region is at a critical historical juncture and with it comes also a window of opportunity to transform its health systems - an opportunity to move from only treating sickness to instead focus on preserving and promoting health.
There is no time to waste.
Amina Semlali is a human development specialist and works on labour market and social protection issues for the World Bank's Middle East and North Africa Region.
Follow her on Twitter: @Amina_Semlali |
"(a) cartographical gem"
-The Wall Street Journal - Great New (Armchair) Travel Reads
"An utterly exquisite object: atlas as Wunderkammer and bestiary, bound in black cloth and sea-blue card...makes a magnificent case for the atlas to be recognised as literature, worthy of its original name - theatrum orbis terrarum, "the theatre of the world".
-Robert Macfarlane, The Guardian (UK)
"This beautifully illustrated atlas reveals that cartography and the creative imagination have always intersected, spurred on by human wanderlust."
-NPR's 2010 Favorites pick
"'Paradise is an island. So is hell.' Or so says Judith Schalansky in the introduction to her charming, spooky and splendid Atlas of Remote Islands."
-The New Yorker's Book Bench
"...absolutely magical."
-Conde Nast Traveler- CNTraveler.com
"The first five times (or so) that I paged through the Atlas of Remote Islands: Fifty Islands I Have Never Set Foot On and Never Will, I fell deeply in love with the book... Each of author and artist Judith Schalansky's maps--hand-drawn in shades of gray, black, white, and brilliant orange on cadet blue paper--transported me to a, usually, remote island..."
-NationalGeographic.com
"... A testament to the transformative power of maps. Atlas of Remote Islands is a celebration of what can still be accomplished with imagination, paper and ink. Holding it, you feel as if you've stolen the composition book that dreamy girl in the back row of our high school English class is always scribbling into. You page through it and think, Oh, my God. She's a genius."
-Anthony Doerr, TheMillions.com
"That impossible-to-please friend, that cranky relative, that coffee table begging for something more interesting that last Sunday's New York Times Magazine- worry about them no more. Here is your holiday gift, your birthday present, your living room's conversation-igniter."
-HeadButler.com
"The most beautiful and powerful book I have ever seen like this is the Pennyroyal Caxton (King James) Bible, with haunting engravings by the genius Barry Moser. The second most beautiful and amazing book like this I have ever seen arrived, slim and stunning, on my desk days ago: Atlas of Remote Islands. For a child itching to see the world, for the child inside an aged and creaky vessel, for all of us who never stopped dreaming of faraway islands draped in amazing languages and wild stories and a wholly new angle of light, this is the perfect gift."
-Brian Doyle, The Oregonian
"... hand-drawn maps of the remote islands and the fascinating stories that go alongside are utterly captivating..."
-The South Mississippi Sun Herald
"... one of those books that you can easily spend a day dreamily paging through. Beautiful stories are crafted from these remote islands histories, giving character to the pieces of land that could be easily overlooked or forgotten. You want this book."
-World's Best Ever blog www.theworldsbestever.com
"Is it possible to confuse a romance novel for an atlas?... I opened the pages to maps that looked as though they were painted in the Middle Ages. They are clear, artistic, and true to scale. I approached the text and continued my love affair."
-GoNomad.com
"Judith Schalansky's pseudo-tome- the product of a lifetime of studying maps, typography, art and design- is a charming romp through 50 of the most remote islands in the world. But this book is about so much more than maps... it's beautiful...it's charming, fanciful and is part of a near-perfect construction of a book that captures the romance of travel... This is a great coffee table book, perfect for history buffs, dreamers of anyone who sticks pins in their maps and obsessively uses "GTrot" on Facebook."
-LostGirlsWorld.com
"Gorgeously illustrated and with color maps throughout... Judith Schalansky lures us onto fifty remote islands... and proves that the most adventurous journeys still take place in the mind, with one finger pointing at a map."
-Publishing Perspectives
"When we dream of escaping from frantic modern lives into another more perfect kind of existence, the image of an island often comes to mind, a refuge where time slows down, the living is easy and we can at last find inner peace. It's a fantasy, practically a Jungian archetype now... Schalansky's book won a prize in Germany as the most beautiful book of the year. It deserves to win several more. Atlas of Remote Islands is a stunningly accomplished piece of work, as well as being a rare feat of total authorship."
-Rick Poyner at the Observer's Room blog
"The first five times (or so) that I paged through the Atlas of Remote Islands, I fell deeply in love with the book. Each of author and artist Judith Schalansky's maps transported me."
-Intelligent Travel blog
"Last night I devoured the most beautiful book... It's wonderful: it's like Borges' eccentric encyclopedias. It is, in a word, great."
-Caustic Cover Critic blog
"Judith Schalansky's Atlas of Remote Islands perfectly merges the experiences of reading Calvino's Invisible Cities and pouring over an atlas as age eight. I really can't imagine recommending a book more highly."
-Harry Schwartz Eats The World blog
"...what has to be the coolest book released all year. Totally amazing."
-Survival of the Book blog
"Atlas of Remote Islands is a book that opens like a trunk of dusty letters in an attic- full of the promise of the unknown, and the discovery of small delights. There is poetry in the book's simplicity, and a reminder of the beauty of print."
-emagazine.com
"If you ever wonder what kind of place 'real' books will have in an increasingly electronic world, the Atlas of Remote Islands is the perfect example of the power wielded by a physical artifact. This book is a rare gem. It's like your favourite children's fantasy book come to life... it's a little like Lost, and it is like traveling to the moon."
-Writer's Pet blog
"It's a delight... a weird and wonderful assortment."
-Lonely Planet blog
"With hand drawn detailed topographic maps and intricate local histories, each of the islands comes alive through stories about marooned slaves, lonely scientists, lost explorers, mutinous sailors, confused lighthouse keepers, and forgotten castaways."
-Perceptive Travel blog
"An armchair traveler's delight."
-The Philadelphia Inquirer |
Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb said Tuesday that disillusionment with the Democratic Party among white working class voters is "a dignity issue" and also "a fairness issue."
"When you have diversity programs that exclude people simply because they are white -- and white cultures are very stratified," Webb told Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight." "When you have a racial makeup for your statistics, people tend to forget the people at the bottom in terms of income and education have been frozen out of a lot of stuff in this country."
Webb, a former Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan, was briefly a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, but dropped out of the race in October 2015. He also considered making an independent presidential bid, but later dropped that idea.
"The ethnic and racial makeup of the country has dramatically changed, but the laws with respect to affirmative action and diversity have not," Webb said. "Clay County, Kentucky, the poorest county in America, is 94 percent white. And if you were in that county, where there’s a 40 percent poverty rate, wouldn’t you think this is reverse discrimination?"
Webb said that the Democratic Party's shift to "interest group politics" had cost it support among white, low-income voters who turned out for Republican Donald Trump in last week's presidential election. In many cases, he said, white working-class voters had become "whipping posts" for liberal activists.
He described a Democratic Party event where officials discussed how to be more appealing to "the white working vote."
"What I said to them is, ‘This isn’t that complicated. They don’t align themselves with the Democratic Party because they don’t think Democrats like them,’" Webb said. "And I think what we’re seeing right now, finally, is the ability to discuss this issue in an age of political correctness where you can’t even say the words ‘white working people’ without having someone blanch." |
On July 26, 2017 the Department of Labor published a Request for Information (RFI), Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees. For more information, please visit http://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/rfi2016.htm
The Department published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register on July 6, 2015 (80 FR 38515) and invited interested parties to submit written comments on the proposed rule at www.regulations.gov by September 4, 2015. The Department received over 270,000 comments in response to the NPRM from a variety of interested stakeholders. The feedback the Department received helped shape the Final Rule.
Key Provisions of the Final Rule
The Final Rule focuses primarily on updating the salary and compensation levels needed for Executive, Administrative and Professional workers to be exempt. Specifically, the Final Rule:
Sets the standard salary level at the 40th percentile of earnings of full-time salaried workers in the lowest-wage Census Region, currently the South ($913* per week; $47,476 annually for a full-year worker); Sets the total annual compensation requirement for highly compensated employees (HCE) subject to a minimal duties test to the annual equivalent of the 90th percentile of full-time salaried workers nationally ($134,004); and Establishes a mechanism for automatically updating the salary and compensation levels every three years to maintain the levels at the above percentiles and to ensure that they continue to provide useful and effective tests for exemption.
Additionally, the Final Rule amends the salary basis test to allow employers to use nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) to satisfy up to 10 percent of the new standard salary level.
The effective date of the final rule is December 1, 2016. The initial increases to the standard salary level (from $455* to $913* per week) and HCE total annual compensation requirement (from $100,000 to $134,004 per year) will be effective on that date. Future automatic updates to those thresholds will occur every three years, beginning on January 1, 2020. |
A Sydney lawyer allegedly caught using the identity of a dead client to access the prized Members Reserve at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during AFL grand finals is being prosecuted for misconduct.
Denis Manning Anderson was escorted from the stadium after security officers intercepted him using the membership card of Michael Alfred Starkey - who died almost 15 years earlier - at last year's match.
Fairfax Media has been told Mr Anderson may have used Mr Starkey's membership to enter the exclusive area to watch the grand final for several years running.
Queue jumper: Denis Manning Anderson.
Last week the Legal Services Commissioner hauled Mr Anderson before the occupational division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
If found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct, Mr Anderson could be removed from the roll - known as being struck off - or his practising certificate could be suspended or cancelled. |
National construction company ISIS Group Australia could be forced to change its name after 25 years because site workers have been abused as "terrorists".
The Australian company, which specialises in commercial office fit-outs and refurbishments, has reportedly been forced to scale back signage at work sites and encourage workers not to wear branded uniforms, News Corp reported.
Construction staff have been abused as terrorists by people walking past work sites, mistaking the company for the terrorist group in the Middle East.
ISIS chief executive Michael Barnes told News Corp he was upset that "ill-informed members of the public" were making the mistake.
"In recent weeks we have instructed our workers to stop wearing ISIS-branded clothing and are also in the process of scaling back on-site branding to limit attention from misinformed people and ensure the safety of our employees," Mr Barnes said.
"We are upset that what we stand for is becoming eroded by the Islamic State."
Mr Barnes said the company may consider a name change if the abuse continued.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019 |
A pair of 15-year-olds from a town near Pskov in northwest Russia who had gone on the run from their parents opened fire at a police car and then killed themselves, the Russian Investigative Committee has said.
“Two armed 15-year-old teens barricaded themselves in a house in the Strugy Krasnye settlement. Law-enforcement officers had been negotiating with them for several hours, however, all in vain. Later on the teenagers stopped responding,” the investigators’ statement says.
The Russian Special Police Force officers engaged in the storming of the house said that they didn’t open fire during the operation, the press service of the Russian National Guard told TASS.
Upon entering the house officials found two bodies “with gunshot wounds.” Russian Special Police Force officers said that inside they also located an opened safe where with a sporting gun and ammunition. The boy and girl had “distinct signs of suicide,” they added.
Reports suggest that the teenagers were called Denis and Katerina. They streamed the shooting at the police van live via Periscope and posted a video on Instagram where Katerina is heard explaining in Russian that she fell out with her mother who didn’t allow her to have a sleepover at her friend’s place.
READ MORE: Teenage girls shock Russians by posting videos of their torture & killing of domestic animals
“We had a sleepover at my friend’s place. I wasn’t allowed to go, but I went anyway. They found me at night… It was harsh and it all happened in front of Denis and his mother. I ran away again,” Katerina said on the video.
The teens reportedly spent the next three days hiding from the parents at the house where the tragedy occurred on Monday.
The suicide apparently had been planned beforehand with Denis speaking on the video about the best ways to spend the last day of his life while aiming at the police car. Katerina left a farewell note on what seems to be her page on Russian social network VK.
“I loved all of you. But you didn’t notice how you ruined my mind and my life,” the note says.
In another post Katerina elaborated that she wasn’t taken hostage and that suicide was her “conscious choice.”
Following the incident, VK closed the comment section of the boy, while the page of the girl has restricted access due to privacy settings, the social network’s press secretary told RIA Novosti.
In Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” tragedy, young star-crossed lovers commit suicide. The number of guns and ammo, a bottle of Black Russian and a pack of condoms, however, adds a modern twist to the tragedy. |
The New Tax Deal: Reaganomics Redux
More than thirty years ago, Ronald Reagan came to Washington intent on reducing taxes on the wealthy and shrinking every aspect of government except defense.
The new tax deal embodies the essence of Reaganomics.
It will not stimulate the economy.
A disproportionate share of the $858 billion deal will go to people in the top 1 percent who spend only a fraction of what they earn and save the rest. Their savings are sent around the world to wherever they will earn the highest return.
The only practical effect of adding $858 billion to the deficit will be to put more pressure on Democrats to reduce non-defense spending of all sorts, including Social Security and Medicare, as well as education and infrastructure.
It is nothing short of Ronald Reagan’s (and David Stockman’s) notorious “starve the beast” strategy.
In 2012, an election year, when congressional Democrats have less power than they do now, the pressure to extend the Bush tax cuts further will be overwhelming.
Worse yet, the deal adds to the underlying structural problem that caused the Great Recession in the first place.
Since Ronald Reagan was president, median hourly wages have barely budged, and America’s vast working and middle classes have taken home a steadily smaller share of the nation’s income (adjusted for inflation). The typical male worker today is earning less than the typical male worker thirty years ago.
Yet the richest 1 percent of Americans is now taking home a larger percentage of the nation’s income than at any time since 1928. And we recall what happened in 1929.
Unless the vast majority of Americans has enough purchasing power to keep the economy going without going ever more deeply into debt, the economy will eventually go over a cliff.
That’s what happened. By the late 1990s the middle and working classes could keep spending — and thereby keep the economy moving — only by adding debt. This strategy ended when the housing bubble burst in 2007.
Without their spending, there can be no buoyant recovery.
Yes, the pending tax bill will give America’s middle and working classes slightly more cash next year. But only for one year. They won’t spend it. They’ll use it to help pay down their debts.
Will lower taxes on the rich spur them to create more jobs? Not a chance. Since 1980, Reagan’s supply-siders have said lower taxes on the rich will trickle down to everyone else. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Look at history.
During the almost three decade spanning 1951 to 1980, when the top rate was between 70 and 92 percent, the average annual growth in the American economy was 3.7 percent.
Between 1983 and the start of the Great Recession, when the top rate ranged between 35 percent and 39 percent, average growth was 3 percent.
Supply-siders are also fond of claiming that Ronald Reagan’s 1981 tax cuts caused the 1980s economic boom. There is no evidence to support this claim. In fact, that boom followed Regan’s 1982 tax increase. The 1990s boom likewise was not the result of a tax cut; most of it followed Bill Clinton’s 1993 tax increase.
Nor did George W. Bush’s tax cuts trickle down. Between 2002 and 2007 the median wage actually dropped. And Bush’s record of job creation was pathetic relative to Bill Clinton’s, when taxes were higher. Under Clinton, America added 22 million net new jobs. Under Bush, barely 8 million.
So why are Democrats voting for Reaganomics?
They say they have no choice — either vote for this or watch taxes rise on everyone starting January 1.
That Democrats have allowed themselves to get into this fix is a testament to either their timidity, obtuseness, or dependence on the campaign contributions of those at the top.
Robert Reich
Robert Reich’s Blog |
Several months after its release, it’s still difficult to track down Nintendo’s amazing NES Classic Edition. The tiny console is everything you want it to be, but it does have one tiny flaw that isn’t related to limited retail availability: incredibly short controller cords.
The cord on the single controller that comes with the NES Classic Edition is only 2.5 feet long, which makes playing far away from the TV a bit of a chore. You can buy extension cables, but everyone knows going wireless is more convenient.
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Right now there are two primary wireless controller options for the NES Classic Edition: the $20 Nyko Miniboss and the $40 NES30 Classic Edition Wireless Controller Set from 8Bitdo. Both cut the cord and let you sit back on the couch, but which one is actually worth the Andrew Jackson or two you’ll need to spend to own them?
Pairing
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Like the NES Classic Edition itself, both controllers are easy to setup. I plugged a wireless dongle into the front of the console and hit a button on the controller to start the pairing process.
While the Nyko Miniboss never missed a beat and always paired immediately, the 8Bitdo was more annnoying, demanding that I press a button on the receiver itself. It also requires re-pairing after restarting the console, which kind of defeats the purpose of going wireless. I didn’t have to re-pair every time I gamed, but even once or twice was annoying.
Winner: Nyko Miniboss
Battery Life
I wasn’t able to exhaust the battery of either controller in my testing—though some customer reviews indicate that the Nyko Miniboss starts to lag a bit when its battery gets low. Nyko promises that you’ll still get 15 hours on a charge while 8Bitdo claims the NES30 will last 20 hours.
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Both units also charge over micro-USB, but the budget Miniboss doesn’t come with a cable. I could have hunted for one of my own, but instead I just charged it with the power cable for the console itself—which forced me into a gaming time out for a little while.
Winner: 8Bitdo NES30
Versatility
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The nice thing about the 8Bitdo NES 30, and one of the reasons it costs twice as much as the Nyko Miniboss, is that its “Retro Receiver” wireless dongle works with more than just the NES30 controller. It should pair with all 8Bitdo controllers and arcade sticks. It also lets you use a PS3, PS4, WiiMote, or Wii U Pro controller with the NES, which is useful if you’ve got huge hands that might cramp holding the tiny NES 30 controller.
But best of all, the NES30 controller can also be used as a standard Bluetooth controller, which makes playing a game on your computer or home-built emulation station much more satisfying.
In contrast, the Nyko Miniboss dongle works with the controller it comes with. That’s it. Though you can plug the dongle into a Wii or Wii U and use it to play all the NES games on the Virtual Console that were never packed into the NES Classic Edition. Like River City Ransom, a key brawler absent from Nintendo’s tiny console.
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Winner: 8Bitdo NES30
Gameplay
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Wireless performance and nice battery life are all well and good, but it means nothing if the controller doesn’t feel right. Neither one is an exact replica of the classic sharp cornered NES controller. For one thing, buttons on both are offset, diagonally, SNES style, rather than being side-by-side like on the classic NES controller.
In fact, the 8Bitdo NES30 controller is actually very akin to a Super Nintendo controller—with an A, B, X, and Y button on the front and two shoulder buttons on top. It’s just in a rectangular NES housing. The Nyko Miniboss just sticks with two buttons and a control pad for gameplay.
Neither had any problems keeping up in Punch-Out!! or Super Mario Bros 3. But the Miniboss’s smaller directional pad just didn’t feel as good under my thumb. The NES30, strikingly similar to an original NES gamepad, felt happily familiar despite those extra buttons.
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The NES30 also squeezes in a real game changer that fixes a major problem with the NES Classic Edition. It has a built-in shortcut for accessing the home screen on the console, fulfilling its promise of true wireless NES gameplay. I never had to leave the couch to to switch games.
Winner: 8Bitdo NES30
Bottom Line
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Both controllers bring the NES Classic Edition further into modern times and out of 1985. Yet the $40 8Bitdo controller is better in almost every way—even if it also costs twice as much. It you’re just there to squeak out a quick game of Dr. Mario, I don’t necessarily think that extra $20 is worth it. Instead you could get a two-pack of Miniboss’s to get your Dr. Mario on with that housemate that keeps begging to know when it’s their turn.
But you’re going to be more satisfied in the long run with the 8Bitdo NES30. It is more comfortable to use, has longer battery life, and it won’t make you get up from the couch to return to the game screen.
Winner: 8Bitdo NES30 |
It's only been a few days since the latest Pokemon Go update caused more and more players to return capturing Pokemon and battling gyms, and now, the Niantic CEO just teased that the hit AR mobile game is hiding a secret. Would he finally reveal that Gen 2 Pokemon release is just a few steps away? Or would he give us more clues as to what Niantic Labs is cooking up for their next update?
Niantic Labs CEO confirms Pokemon Go has a secret
John Hanke, Niantic Labs CEO, recently confirmed to GamesRadar that Pokemon Go has secrets planted in the game app. "There will always be secrets in the game that no one has found because we're always adding new secrets to the game. There's one out there right now and we'll see how that plays out over the course of the next few weeks," Hanke told Louise Blain of Gamesradar.
When Blain asked if the Pokemon Go secret was released with the Halloween event update, Hanke answered, "I am not giving you any clues." Right, and we're almost there! Yet, his answer is getting more vague than ever, leaving everyone to keep wondering. Smart move, sir!
Pokemon Go Leak
With the latest Pokemon Go update 0.45.0 for Android and 1.15.0 for iOS that came with huge bonuses due to the Free Bonus Event (until Nov.11) and Daily Quests feature, reports have also shown that the update code revealed a hundred new Pokemon that are set to arrive pretty soon. Speculations arose that these are probably the highly-awaited Gen 2 Pokemon. Generation 2 Pokemon that were found in the datamined info include Chikorita, Bayleef, Pichu, Noctowl, Cleffa, Iglybuff, Bellossom, and Politoed, among others.
The recent Pokemon Go leak also unveiled a new Transform move and an animation sequence which may mean that Niantic is also about to release Ditto, a Pokemon known to have the ability to transform. More exciting updates for us then!
What do you think about the Pokemon Go secret the Niantic CEO hinted? Could there be more interesting updates aside from the introduction of Gen 2 Pokemon? Share your thoughts on the comment section below! |
What are things you dislike about bags/ packs/ pouches, that are still used for surveying?
Gloves if I take them off
Gloves if I take them off
If you drop anything during survey, what is the most common?
Do you find it difficult to read equipment because of elements (light glare, mud, water, ice, etc.)?
Every time there is a new model/ new technology
Every time there is a new model/ new technology
Rarely, I keep something until I can't fix it anymore
Rarely, I keep something until I can't fix it anymore
How many times do you change the products you use/upgrade?
What type of closure is preferred in storage? (1=high preference, 4=low preference)
What are qualities in your storage that would be admirable?
No, that would get in the way
No, that would get in the way
Yeah, I'd try it
Yeah, I'd try it
Would storage for survey equipment on the chest/front of body be useful?
Somewhat no, not really
Somewhat no, not really
Somewhat Yes
Somewhat Yes
Do you wish there were more options for storing survey equipment?
In-Store (if they have it available)
In-Store (if they have it available)
When I'm at caving events/ conventions
When I'm at caving events/ conventions
How do you most often buy your gear?
Do you prefer to buy your gear from custom small vendors or large companies?
If you do protect equipment, what do you use?
None: I protect it
None: I protect it
A little, just from my gloves/hands coming in contact.
A little, just from my gloves/hands coming in contact.
Dirty but, it doesn't bother me. I wash it off with everything afterwords.
Dirty but, it doesn't bother me. I wash it off with everything afterwords.
Caked on: I have to brush/wipe it off every time.
Caked on: I have to brush/wipe it off every time.
How muddy/wet does your equipment get?
clipped on with/in bag
clipped on with/in bag
How do you store your survey equipment when on the move?
T
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Attorney General Eric Holder announced Thursday that the Obama adiminstration will soon announce regulations that will make it easier for banks to do business with companies that sell legal cannabis.
Appearing at the American Forum at the University of Virginia, Holder said the Administration recognized the tough spot that cannabis dispensary owners were in and were working to rectify the situation.
You don’t want just huge amounts of cash in these places. They want to be able to use the banking system. There’s a public safety component to this. Huge amounts of cash—substantial amounts of cash just kind of lying around with no place for it to be appropriately deposited is something that would worry me, just from a law enforcement perspective.- Attorney General Eric Holder
One of the biggest problems for dispensary operators thus far has been the ability to utilize banking services, forcing most to run their business entirely with cash. In addition to logistical problems, forcing dispensaries to store and transport large sums of cash presents security issues that most business owners don’t ordinarily face. “We’re in the process now of working with our colleagues at the Treasury Department to come up with regulations that will deal with this issue,” Holder said. Holder also said that the new rules would be announced “soon” but should not be seen as an endorsement of cannabis by the federal government. |
By Duncan Kennedy
BBC News, Rome
The balcony is one of Verona's most popular tourist destinations The balcony where, according to William Shakespeare, Romeo wooed Juliet, is to be made available for weddings. The authorities in the Italian city of Verona - setting for the tale of the two lovers - say they want to foster its image as a centre for romance. The Casa Di Giulietta (house of Juliet) is in the heart of Verona. Folklore suggests it was once the home of the Cappello family - possibly the model for the Capulets in Shakespeare's fictional play, Romeo and Juliet. Although some historians say there is scant evidence to back this up, the balcony on the 14th century building is still one of the city's most popular tourist destinations. From next month, you will be able to hire it as a venue for weddings. But before you rush to this most romantic of settings consider the price - up to $1,300 (£930) for non European Union residents. Officials say they want to enhance the city's image as the perfect place for love and marriage. But remember two things: first, that Italian health and safety laws are likely to prevent modern day Romeos from climbing up the balcony to woo their brides; and second, that Shakespeare's immortal work ends in tragedy.
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Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
Bill Nye the not-really-Science Guy was on Tucker Carlson tonight. Tucker tried time after time to get Nye to say how much of the change was due to humans … and time after time, Nye refused to say what his opinion was.
So Tucker got him to agree that the climate has always been changing.
Then, in response to the question as to “what the climate would be like if humans weren’t involved right now”, Bill Nye said (according to my own transcription):
NYE: “The climate would be like it was in 1750. And the economics would be that you could not grow wine-worthy grapes in Britain as you can today because the climate is changing. The use of pesticides in the Midwest would not be increasing because the pests are showing up sooner and staying around longer. The forests in Wyoming would not be overwhelmed by pine bark beetles as it is because of climate change. That’s how the world would be different if it were not for humans”.
Oh, my goodness. Isn’t that touching? Nye refuses to say how much of the change in temperature is due to humans … but at the same time he claims that if there weren’t humans, that the climate would have stopped changing in 1750. Without humans, he says, we would have a climate which was forever the same …
… and people actually believe this guy? Tucker Carlson was scathing:
CARLSON: You’re not even a scientist, you’re an engineer … So much of this you don’t know, you pretend that you know, and you gotta believe people who ask you questions.
Another escapade in the world of pseudo-science. Anyhow, after writing this I found a YouTube video of the interview—check it out, it’s good for a laugh.
Regards to all,
w.
PS—When you comment PLEASE QUOTE THE EXACT WORDS YOU ARE DISCUSSING, so we can all be clear about your subject.
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The Future? TRCC engines mean China could fly Mach 6 airplanes—like the one shown in this fan art—that could fly anywhere in the world in under three hours. It would mean speeds and altitudes not yet used by modern air defenses. Grassroots (artist)
American and Chinese defense giants are moving quickly to reach the edge of space, aiming to launch hypersonic aircraft that can cross continents in under an hour. What exactly does hypersonic mean? Speeds of over Mach 5, or more than 3,835 miles per hour. It's an arms race well worth watching. Developments have the potential to revolutionize access to space and transform transcontinental travel for civilians. It could also transform national security, making existing air and missile defenses obsolete.
SR-72 With recent technological breakthroughs, Lockheed Martin hopes to fly the Mach 6 SR-72 unmanned hypersonic aircraft by 2030. Lockheed Martin
China is home to two companies reaching for the hypersonic prize, the Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and the Chinese Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). Meanwhile, in America, Lockheed Martin is making waves, having told aviation journalists that its hypersonic technology is about ready for flight testing. Lockheed Martin's progress almost certainly refers to the turbine rocket combined cycle (TRCC), an engine that switches between turbofan, ramjet and scramjets for subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flight. The TRCC engine will be tested on a fighter-sized flight testbed by 2020. If all goes well, it'll shortly thereafter power the SR-72, a Mach 6, unmanned twin-engine reconnaissance aircraft that is targeted to start flight by 2030. That aircraft is designed to enter highly contested and defended airspace at altitudes of 18 and 62 miles, using its speed to outrun enemy defenses, like the SR-71 Blackbird before it. Executive Vice President and General Manager at Lockheed Martin Rob Weiss also suggested that hypersonic planes could fire hypersonic missiles. That suggests that the SR-72 could join the B-21 stealth bomber in the USAF's future global strike arsenal.
XS-1 The "Phantom Express" XS-1 is a DSTO space-launch vehicle, consisting of a rocket-powered launch plane and a second-stage rocket that will separate from the plane to launch 1.5 tons into low-earth orbit. Boeing
Another key U.S. project is the "Phantom Express" XS-1 spaceplane, which is being developed by Boeing and funded by DARPA. It's a dual-stage-to-orbit (DSTO) vehicle. Stage one: a hypersonic plane powered by liquid fueled rockets. Once the XS-1 is in near space (18- to 62-mile altitude), we reach stage two, when an expendable rocket attached to the plane's back will detach and fly into orbit to deploy its 1.5-ton payload. The carrier rocket plane then will be able to return to a runway, where it will be prepped for another launch within 24 hours. The plan is that it can undertake at least 10 launches in 10 days, providing the U.S. space system more resilience to replace satellites in the event of a conflict.
Teng Yun The Teng Yun, which CASIC intends to deliver by 2030, uses a TRCC-engined hypersonic carrier aircraft to carry the second rocket-powered stage into near space. Both stages will be reusable; the hypersonic carrier airframe could also be used to hypersonic strike and reconnaissance roles. WeChat
China, however, is developing some major competition in this same hypersonic race. There are two separate projects. For one, CASIC debuted the Teng Yun spacecraft design during the Global Space Exploration 2017 (GLEX 2017) conference in Beijing. The DSTO Teng Yun would have a combined weight of 100-150 tons. The first stage is a Mach 6 hypersonic 'carrier' aircraft, with TRCC engines that can fly to altitudes of 18 to 25 miles. Unlike the XS-1, the Teng Yun's second stage is a reusable, 10-15-ton rocket-powered spaceplane capable of carrying either 2 tons of cargo or 5 passengers. CASIC Vice President Liu Shiquan said that company has finished technology demonstration of key Teng Yun flight technology (like, you know the engine), and looks to have the two-stage space plane flying by 2030, as part of a $16 billion research effort.
Manned and Unmanned The Teng Yun's second stage can either be a launch rocket, or take five taikonauts to a future Chinese space station. CASIC
Much like the U.S. systems, the CASIC hypersonic carrier could have other applications besides space launch. It's big enough to carry significant payloads (10-15 tons), which could include sensors and weapons. With modifications, like additional fuel tanks for increased range, its hypersonic speed and near-space flight altitude could fit with Chinese military needs for fast, global reconnaissance and strike. As CASIC manufactures most of China's missiles, its experience with rocket motors, ramjet engines (and future scramjet engines) means that it likely has the resources to build the complex TRCC engines for the hypersonic carrier, and by extension a hypersonic recon and strike plane.
Chinese Hypersonic Spaceplane The Chinese hypersonic spaceplane, with a combined cycle engine that hops between jet, scramjets, and rockets, promises to be the ultimate form in reusable and easy space travel. In theory, it could cross the Pacific Ocean in one hour. China hopes to have these fast birds in the sky (with people onboard!) by 2030. CCTV 13
China's second innovation is CASC's hypersonic spaceplane, which was announced in August 2016. Its engine and other critical technology are slated for completion by 2020, and a full-scale hypersonic spaceplane is expected to fly by 2030.
TRRE The turbo-aided rocket-augmented ram/scramjet engine (TRRE), which uses rocket augmentation in order to aid in the transition into the supersonic and hypersonic flight regimes, could be the world's first combined cycle engine to fly in 2025, paving the way for hypersonic near space planes and single-stage space launchers. Beijing Power Machinery Research Institute
CASC's ambitions match the projected timeline for the rocket-assisted scramjet being built by the Beijing Power Machinery Research Institute for near space strike and reconnaissance, as well as dual- and single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicles. BPMRI will commence full-scale testing of the technology demonstrator in 2020, followed by the flight of a full scale afterward. Further improvements will lead to a scramjet engine powerful enough for an SSTO hypersonic plane to fly directly to orbit in one piece, as opposed to the DSTO model, where only part of the spacecraft makes it to orbit. Compared to the smaller and cheaper DSTO, a sufficiently fueled SSTO spaceplane could depart from and reenter orbit on multiple occasions during the same flight, traveling at greater speed compared to a near-space-only hypersonic aircraft.
Three Phases of Reusability CASC's DSTO program has three planned stages: (1) a reusable carrier rocket plane, (2) both a reusable rocket plane and second stage, and (3) a TRCC hypersonic carrier aircraft. CASC via xyz
CASC also has more conservative plans for its own DSTO program. Its GLEX 2017 presentation showed a three-phase DSTO approach. The first phase involves a reuseable hypersonic rocket plane with an expendable upper stage rocket. In September 2016, CASC had also announced plans for a vertical-takeoff, rocket-powered spaceplane known as the Scaled Suborbital Vehicle. This Mach 8, 20-passenger, 100-ton rocket plane can reach an altitude of 81 miles and carry a second-stage rocket with a 2-ton payload. It is likely that Phase 1 of the CASC DSTO is the Scaled Suborbital Vehicle. |
«Sine libris cella, sine anima corpus»
Si è letto che una famosa ditta di arredamenti svedese ha deciso modifiche al suo principale modello di libreria in previsione di una drastica diminuzione di libri cartacei nelle case, per via della futuribile diffusione dell’ebook.
Così, agghiacciato da una prospettiva dove sparisse a poco a poco la seduzione della carta, tatto e olfatto, o il piccolo piacere di sbirciare i libri nelle case altrui, titoli e disposizione, come fotocopia di un’anima e delle sue scelte, ho tratto un po’ di volatili pensieri, che qui espongo. Sperando che i calcoli svedesi siano buoni quanto le loro leggi.
Le profezie sulla fine dei libri non son di per sé lettera nuova, senza scomodare le visioni un po’ ebeti di Farenheit 451 con gli uomini trasformati in ripetitori meccanici di parole, né il califfo Omar che incendiò la Biblioteca di Alessandria perché i libri erano o dannosi, se non conformi al Corano, o inutili se conformi. La storia è lunga quanto il Mahabharata.
Fin dal suo principio, la forma del codice, opposta ai rotoli, fu guardata con certo sospetto dai dotti, che continuarono a srotolare i loro libri in papiro o pergamena. La diffusione del formato in pagine rilegate fu merito del pensiero cristiano, i quali adepti predilessero la praticità di consultazione (e diffusione) del nuovo prodotto, che in seguito sarà perpetuato nell’alveo della Chiesa nel laborioso silenzio dei monasteri, fino a raggiungere perfetta struttura nella Bibbia di Gutenberg.
Ad inizio Ottocento, con la rapida ascesa della stampa si preconizzava il sopravvento del giornale sul libro; poi l’invenzione del fonografo di Edison che avrebbe reso tutti testi in forma sonora; e in seguito il cinema, la radio, il resto. La sfida a sostituire questo contenitore del pensiero umano ha esercitato un fascino irresistibile, oltre che affrettate previsioni. Pur rilevando nel Belpaese un attecchimento tutto sommato pigro del fenomeno digitale a discapito della tradizione, risulta evidente che l’ultimo attacco al libro ha connotati affatto diversi, e strategie più subdole, poiché si avvale della nostra complicità. L’introduzione dell’elettronica non investe solo la forma in cui fruiamo la parola scritta. Un lettore di ebook, potrebbe alla lunga trasformarsi in un oggetto anche più comodo del volume cartaceo, o assumerne la forma identica, pseudocarta compresa, con micro celle che si colorano a comando. Non il libro in sé cambia ma più ampiamente la stessa lettura, il metodo, cosa e quando si legge, il perché e nondimeno la profondità con cui ci si possa dedicare al piacere del testo, su cosa focalizziamo l’attenzione, conseguentemente cosa possiamo ricordare di un libro letto.
Perché il libro come finora sopravvissuto è un essere antico, è come noi. È autarchico, impone pagina dopo pagina l‘espressione di un determinato pensiero e la costruzione di un mondo mediato dall’immaginazione. Ma la nostra volontà di abbandonarci a quel mondo, magari vasto come Guerra e pace o la Recherche, saprà resistere alle tentazioni? La voglia, il tempo e l’attenzione che vi si dedica per una lettura silenziosa e profonda, non si sbriciolano ogni giorno di più, ingoiati nel vortice giocoso di media più veloci?
Cosa rimarrà del libro una volta entrato nel macchinario. Il libro-cyborg, di cui possiamo figurarci ingenue meraviglie, sarà sottile e potrà facilmente connetterci in rete con la biografia dell’autore, essere glossato e commentato online. Sarà una lettura multilineare, a nostro capriccio potremmo seguire le bizzarrie del caso, infarcirlo di immagini, dopo un secolo tornare alla successiva riga. Vittime di quel che il filosofo Günter Anders denomina dislivello prometeico. Lo squilibrio del rapporto uomo-macchine.
Ameremo il piccolo vasetto di Pandora, né ci accorgeremo se ciò che ne esce sarà il Male o il Bene, o il Vacuo, che conta? Il medium sarà il messaggio, ne prenderà man mano la forma, per rinverdire la formula di McLuhan.
Affamare il cervello di nuovi bisogni, sempre più volatili e immateriali, crea nuovi disturbi, psicosi, dipendenze altrettanto immateriali. Affamati e folli è uno slogan demente.
Cosa abbiano in comune il libro e la sua immagine fugace di elettricità e prodigio comincia a essere una vaga analogia. Il libro è un oggetto preciso, ingombra un dato spazio, serve a regolare la gamba del tavolo, si macchia di caffè, si spiegazza in un punto letto più volte, resta sempre bene in vista a ricordarti che c’è ed esige almeno che sia onorato, fa niente se non lo capisci del tutto o lui non capisce te, sarà un destino consumato in pagine e sudate carte, di stupefacenti macchine oliate che l’han fabbricato e mani che lo reggono.
O il libro è l’assenza del limite, un sottilissimo coso che può stare in spazi minimi: lo tocchi appena e ti sorride ed elenca diecimila titoli, magari ti consiglia in base al tempo atmosferico la lettura più adatta, aggiunge immagini, profumi e musica a tono, può contenere ogni testo possibile, in qualsivoglia lingua.
Esso sarà tutti i libri dunque nessuno. O avrà la binaria intelligenza di tutta l’era futura. Acceso, spento. Non è un problema di forma, né più un caso di sociologia della lettura, è ontologico. On/off: Esiste?
post-it di Paolo Veronese |
With 2013 now in the books for the U.S. national team, we can start looking at which players have the best chance of starting for Jurgen Klinsmann at the World Cup.
After a calendar year that saw Jurgen Klinsmann experiment with all sorts of lineups, formations and personnel, the big question surrounding the U.S. national team heading into 2014 is just which 11 players are most likely to make up the starting lineup that takes the field in Brazil next summer.There is still plenty of time for things to change because in seven months you could see players lose their form, others gain their form, and some players rebound after rough years. Whether Steve Cherundolo makes a return from his injuries, John Brooks matures into the center back so many think he can be, or Timmy Chandler returns from his national team banishment, there are any number of variables that could wind up affecting the starting lineup Klinsmann ultimately settles on.A total of 23 matches were played in 2013, which provided us with plenty of insight into which players are heading in the right direction, which players may be sliding out of the picture, and which players look like locks to start in Brazil. Here is a closer look at the 11 players we could see taking the field for the U.S. when the 2014 World Cup kicks off:Earlier in the year there was some clamoring for Brad Guzan to become the new No. 1, but Howard has responded to that challenge in style. With a strong second half of the year that reminded us just how good he can be.It took an injury to Brad Evan in order for Klinsmann to take a look at Cameron at right back and what we saw from him there against Austria should be a sign of things to come. Cameron has the length and athleticism to defend well, and he’s gaining confidence in the attacking part of playing right back, as we saw against Austria. Brad Evans will continue to pose a challenge, but with Cameron earning regular starter minutes at right back in the English Premier League, look for him to take over the job.A year of ups and downs concluded with Gonzalez posting some steady performances in central defense that suggest he’s ready to take on the starting center back roll. He’s dominant in the air, and when he’s on his game, can move very well for a big man. His strengths make him a perfect complement to Matt Besler. Young German-American John Brooks is one to watch though, and could put some pressure on Gonzalez for the spot.Earlier in the year, Besler made a memorable debut against Mexico in Estadio Azteca that sent a clear message he was a player to deal with at the center back position. His speed, positioning and ability to read the game and sniff out danger make him arguably the best center back in the pool, or at the very least the most consistent. Cameron, Clarence Goodson and Michael Orozco are some of the options Klinsmann could turn to if Besler winds up not being on the field in Brazil.Klinsmann has tried Johnson out on the left wing, where he has been a serious threat, and even at right back, where he was less impressive, but when looking at what could be the most effective starting lineup, deploying Johnson at left back looks to be the best bet for fielding the strongest possible group. DaMarcus Beasley has held his own at times in the starting role, but Johnson is the better option.Donovan has had mixed results playing as a winger, but in this starting lineup his speed and combination play could be used to maximum effect. Let’s face it, we can’t picture a healthy and fit Donovan not starting in Brazil, and chances are he will be deployed wide if he does start. Here we put him on the left wing, where a Donovan-Fabian Johnson combination could cause real problems for opponents. Graham Zusi should push Donovan for playing time here, and Fabian Johnson can't be ruled out either if Beasley holds on to the left back spot.This selection will raise some eyebrows, especially considering Jones’ recent struggles in the November friendlies, but all signs point to Klinsmann going with the veteran German-born midfielder if he is healthy and playing regularly. Someone like Mix Diskerud, Sacha Kljestan or Kyle Beckerman could ultimately take the job if Jones continues to falter, but if not, the Schalke hard man is a safe bet to be Klinsmann’s choice.The most indispensable player on the U.S. team, Bradley quite simply can’t be replaced, and the question isn’t whether he starts but rather who would serve as his best partner in central midfield. Whether he’s playing regularly for AS Roma or not, a healthy Michael Bradley will be in the starting lineup in Brazil.Klinsmann has settled in on using Dempsey as a second striker/playmaker and this is where we see him in Klinsmann’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation here. With Donovan and Aron Johannsson providing speed on the wings, and Jozy Altidore posting up as the target forward, Dempsey could have a field day as a playmaker. Now he just needs to regain his top form come 2014. Diskerud is an option at this position if Dempsey is unable to go, as could Joe Corona be if he regains his form with Club Tijuana.The Sunderland striker has endured a rough start to his time with his new club, but the struggles are making him a better player and should only serve to help him when the World Cup roles around. We saw in the summer just what Altidore can do when given consistent service, and if Klinsmann can get this lineup on the field around Altidore, you could see him enjoy a strong World Cup. If for some reason Altidore isn't available, young Rapid Vienna striker Terrence Boyd and Seattle forward Eddie Johnson are also in the mix.Whether deployed on the left, right, or underneath Altidore in the 4-2-3-1, Johannson has shown all the qualities of a player who can help the U.S. attack. He is improving by leaps and bounds and in another six months he could be ready to lead the attack. Klinsmann has been bringing Johannsson along slowly, but when 2014 rolls around, it will be difficult to keep the AZ Alkmaar striker out of the starting lineup. Nantes midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, Zusi and Corona are some of the other options for the right wing. |
Last Friday, Capcom published a picture on Twitter which suggested that Urien was not the only character with a secret suit in Street Fighter V. Since then there have only been a couple of days, but a player managed to solve the mystery behind its tweet.
In a recent publication, the user of Steam called “The Who” said that it is possible to unlock alternate costumes for other fighters, and also revealed how to perform this trick.
The secret is to keep pressing and holding the buttons of LP+MP+HP+LK and hold UP after selecting their character until the battle begins. This also works between rounds that should not be activated from the start.
So far, these variants have been confirmed:
Chun-Li – Costume CPT without boa
Chun-Li – Without skirt swimsuit
Cammy – CPT without vest suit
Cammy – swimsuit without equipment
Necalli – Costume CPT shirtless
Laura – Shirtless swimsuit shirt
Karin – Swimsuit without glasses or hat
Ibuki – Swimsuit without scarf
R. Mika – Swimsuit without hoodie
In recent news, Capcom has also released a tool to fix security risk in the recent patch of Street Fighter 5. The company has provided a rollback of the patch and also introduced a tool which will remove the corrupted file, incase you were not lucky enough to have downloaded the patch at the very first place. You will need to follow all the instructions given at this link and step by step follow the process. |
Need 50 plates for a big occasion? (Picture: Wholesale Clearance UK)
Plenty of useless souvenirs have been produced to celebrate the birth of Prince George. From weird dolls to a CD of royal lullabies, if you’re a big fan of the third in line to the throne you can spend your hard-earned cash on just about anything.
But it seems one company was a little too keen to cash in on the occasion, ordering 5000 commemorative plates labelled ‘to celebrate the birth of the royal princess’ after receiving an ‘inside tip’, which turned out to be incorrect.
It’s a shame really, these would have been nice (Picture: Wholesale Clearance UK)
The company is now selling the plates for £149 per box of 50 and suggests several possible uses for the pieces of ‘inaccurate history’ including ‘waiting for baby number two and selling them for a profit’, ‘having a plate smashing contest’ and to ‘give to your colleagues as the worst secret Santa present ever’.
The plates will probably still work as a plates although we accept no responsibility for any embarrassment, shunning or charges of treason that result from using these plates at a dinner party/royal occasion. |
Mimesis, according to the Silva Rhetoricae, is “The imitation of another’s gestures, pronunciation, or utterance.” It’s a part of delivery, which is one of the Canons of Rhetoric, which according to Silva Rhetoricae, “concerns itself with how something is said, rather than what is said.” While the definition of mimesis has changed since the days of Plato and Aristotle, the way it is used in rhetoric has also changed, to the point that people have debated what the correct use was (going through that research was not easy). However, does mimesis still have any usage in modern times? I plan to explain how mimesis is used in our day and age, by explaining how it is used as a way of adapting myths and legends in both print and digital texts.
Since mimesis is a fancy way of saying imitation, you would think that this would be used in spy films like James Bond or Mission Impossible. While in a sense, that’s true, mimesis is not the main focus of those franchises (especially if you have read the original James Bond novels from Ian Flemming; Bond is definitely more likable in the films). This paper focuses on mimesis as it takes one text and adapts it into a similar form for a different medium. Take for example, Heracles, or Hercules, depending on if you are using Greek or Roman mythology (Everyone gets the two confused, even me). While the stories of this legendary warrior have had multiple print and digital adaptations, including a version that came out recently that starred Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of the most famous stories is how Heracles having to complete twelve labors to be forgiven for killing his wife Megara and his children in a murderous rage. This story has been retold in a variety of formats, including Disney’s animated version, which of course toned down a lot of the more violent aspects of Heracles’ life. This tale is one of the most famous and has been retold multiple times, but adapting Heracles in a digital medium was a little bit harder to find, as many of them change certain aspects of Heracles. Then, I remembered the video game franchise Fate/Stay Night, which is story about how masters call upon servants to fight each other for the Holy Grail (Some of which have no connection to the Holy Grail). In Fate/Stay Night, Heracles is a “Berserker” class servant, meaning he is strength incarnate, which follows the multiple stories about Heracles being super strong. Heracles is also in the murderous rage, like he was when he killed Megara and his children. In this way, mimesis is used to adapt Heracles into a digital medium.
Another character from mythology that has been used in print and digital texts is Gilgamesh. According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, Gilgamesh’s story, The Epic of Gilgamesh, “pre-dates Homer’s writings by 1500 years and, therefore, stands as the oldest piece of epic Western literature.” Like many myths and legends, The Epic of Gilgamesh was told orally for many years, until someone wrote them down. However, due to the nature of oral storytelling, what was said and what was written can vary, this is especially true when translating text from one language to another. An aspect of Gilgamesh that has stood the test of time is that Gilgamesh is “too arrogant and proud” (we all probably know someone like that). This aspect carries over to how Gilgamesh acts in the game Fate/Stay Night; Gilgamesh wears a golden suit of armor, always shows how powerful he is, and tells everyone in earshot that if you do not listen to him, he will kill you on the spot. Plus, even when you follow Gilgamesh, he will still find a reason to kill you. This aspect of Gilgamesh in Fate/Stay Night mimics the arrogance of the Gilgamesh from the original epic poem. Another aspect that the story and the game talk about is that Gilgamesh is not evil. Arrogant, yes, but not evil. The reason Gilgamesh acts the way he does is because in the original poem, Gilgamesh is a demi-god, born from the relationship of a god and a human (which, if you have kept up with Greek history, is not always a good thing; ask Zeus). Gilgamesh just thought that he had the divine right to rule the land of Uruk, like his father. This aspect is mimicked in Fate/Stay Night, but instead of conquering Sumeria, Gilgamesh will have to conquer Japan (since that is where the game takes place, in the fictional Fuyuki City).
The final myth I plan to talk about for mimesis is how King Arthur is used in print and digital texts. While the story of King Arthur has been popular throughout the years; however, the where the reality and how the legend ends is difficult to pinpoint. One of the first stories that mentions King Arthur is the Vulgate Cycle. While the Vulgate Cycle does contain many aspects of King Arthur, it is focused more on the story of Lancelot and his affair with Arthur’s wife, Guinevere (this has continued through the ages in different adaptations). The Vulgate Cycle was the inspiration for Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, which tells of how King Arthur returned Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake (what is it with people wanting to tell the death of a character). This story mimics what was already introduced in the Vulgate Cycle, while adding a few changes to the story. Many stories of Arthur also talk about the famous “Sword in the Stone”, which has been used in films and novelizations, including Disney’s animated adaptation called The Sword in the Stone, which covers many of the stories of a young Arthur Pendragon, but with a few changes to add comedy to the film (no wonder many people do not find that adaptation endearing). However, the digital texts that talk about King Arthur get interesting when we start to talk about Fate/Stay Night, as it has one big change to the previous stories.
In Fate/Stay Night, the major change to King Arthur is that Arthur becomes Arturia (when I found this out, it was odd). While the famous King’s gender has changed, the aspects of Arturia’s personality are consistent with the print texts previously mentioned. Arturia is a fair ruler of England, puts everything she has in defending her country, and is chivalrous in everything she does, similar to the Arthur of legends old. However, this also causes Arturia’s downfall; as Arturia goes off to fight for England’s glory, Arturia’s son, Modred (if you ask how that works, we’re not going to get this paper finished), usurps Arturia’s throne in his abscense, which causes England to go into anarchy. When Arturia returns, she notices that even though she was protecting England from the outside, she didn’t notice what was happening closer to home. Besides the gender change, this mimics what happens in the earlier Arthur stories.
In Fate/Stay Night proper, Arturia is summoned for the Holy Grail War (which makes sense because in many versions, Arthur is looking for the Holy Grail). Arturia’s main weapons are Caliburn and Excalibur; Fate/Stay Night decides to use the version of Arthur from Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, where Arthur both gains and loses Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake, and Caliburn is the titular “Sword in the Stone.” Just like in the stories, Arturia continues to be chivalrous, just like her male counterpart. When Arturia wins the Holy Grail War, she is able to have her wish granted, which is that she wishes that she was not the King her people wish her to be. While this changes the ending of how Le Morte d’Arthur turns out, it’s an interesting idea; if Arthur had a second chance to fix what happened to England, would he?
In this paper I wanted to see if mimesis works in our world today, using how mythology can be adapted from their initial incarnations to modern print and digital texts. I wanted to use the digital text of Fate/Stay Night as the basis for this paper as it made look up many of the characters in the franchise and see what they were based on. While mimesis might give writers the ability to embellish on the original text or adapt it as they see fit, this can either be a cause for celebration or it backfire in the writer’s face. Thankfully, most of the characters in Fate/Stay Night are mostly similar to the mythological characters they are based on (I do not want to have to tell you why King Arthur was made into a woman; really, you do not want to know).
The term mimesis has had its definition changed throughout the years, the concept of mimicking something has stayed the same. Books, films, comics, and video games have adapted multiple stories to fit their mediums (whether or not they are good is another story, and could be another paper entirely). Problems can arise from adapting one medium to the next, however nothing is perfect. I think that mimesis is still something that is viable in our world today, as there are multiple adaptation of mythological characters, including the Guy Ritchie directed King Arthur film (again, whether or not it was good is another story). I think there will still be more adaptations of mythological characters in the future; they are easy to pull off (relatively speaking), people know of these stories or have a certain knowledge of them, and they usually do not need anything else added to them. Whether or not aspects are removed or added are usually more behind the scenes issues that I’m not going to get into. Having a video game that lets King Arthur, Gilgamesh, and Heracles in the same setting sounds fun to me. This is a way mimesis is able to be shown in the modern world without having to change too much of the characters backstories. If there is one thing I can say about mimesis is that there is a lot more that can be said about it, but that will have to be for another day. |
President Jacob Zuma has called for an end to 'shocking and unacceptable' attacks on Africans and South Asians
The anti-immigration violence in South Africa has forced thousands of people to flee their homes and the country
At least six have been killed by armed gangs wielding machetes, hammers and sticks who are targeting foreigners
A shop owner from Mozambique has died from his injuries in a Johannesburg hospital amid xenophobic violence
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A bloody and wounded shop owner has been pictured just moments before he died from his injuries on another day of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The man who is believed to be from Mozambique was taken to a hospital in Johannesburg where he tragically passed away.
At least six people have been killed and many thousands displaced from their homes since the violence against immigrants erupted in the city of Durban several weeks ago.
Despite making 30 arrests overnight, police are struggling to subdue the machete-wielding gangs who ransacked immigrant-owned shops in the slums of Johannesburg.
Many families in the city who now fear for their lives have abandoned their homes and fled to a makeshift refugee camp which lies just east of Johannesburg.
South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has called for an end to the 'shocking and unacceptable' attacks on immigrants from Africa and South Asia, saying: 'No amount of frustration and anger can ever justify the attacks on foreign nationals.'
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Victim: A shop owner believed to be from Mozambique (pictured) has died from his injuries amid the xenophobic violence that has gripped South Africa
Wounded: Bloodied and hurt, the man was taken to a hospital in Johannesburg where he eventually died
Help: A passer-by comes to the aid of the shop owner who was fatally attacked in poor area of Johannesburg and later died in hospital
Dying: He is one of at least six who have been killed in the country this week as armed gangs target foreigners in a spate of xenophobic attacks
Looted: A woman sifts through the remains of the ransacked store she was renting to foreign nationals who are now being targeted by violent groups in Johannesburg
Attacks: At least six people have been killed and many thousands displaced from their homes since the violence against immigrants erupted in the city of Durban several weeks ago
Violent: Gangs of anti-immigrant protesters armed with hammers, knives and machetes have been reeking havoc in South Africa
Scorched: 12 people were arrested overnight as anti-foreigner attacks in South Africa spread to parts of Johannesburg where rioters torched tires (pictured)
Dangerous: Despite making 30 arrests overnight, police have struggled to control the gangs who have torched cars and shops owned by foreign nationals
Refugee: This child who awaits much-needed hospital treatment is one of dozens whose family has been forced to abandon their homes in Johannesburg for a makeshift camp in the city
Protection: Foreign nationals who fear for their lives have gathered at a relief camp (pictured) set up in Primrose, East of Johannesburg
Innocence lost: One of the many refugees now seeking shelter in Johannesburg is two-year-old toddler Knowledge (pictured)
Pain: One man needed emergency treatment for his injuries at the refugee camp set up for foreign nationals fleeing attacks from South Africans
Victims: South African President Jacob Zuma has said the majority foreign nationals (pictured) being targeted by angry, armed mobs are living in the country legally and contribute to its economy
Anger: Zuma has called for an end to the 'shocking and unacceptable' attacks on immigrants from Africa, some of whom now occupy a refugee camp east of Johannesburg (pictured)
Homeless: Some South Africans blame immigrants coming to the country (pictured) of taking jobs and opportunities away from them
Justification: But South African President Zuma has said 'no amount of frustration and anger can ever justify the attacks on foreign nationals'
There was a heavy police presence in the Alexandra township as armed rioters looted shops, burned tires and built street barricades overnight. And armed policeman fired rubber bullets at the groups who have torched shops and cars in the poor areas of Johannesburg in recent days.
Police claim that attacks on immigrants - many of whom are from other African countries - have largely subsided in the country's east where the violence began.
With unemployment and poverty levels high in the country, some South Africans have accused the immigrants of taking jobs and opportunities away from them.
A police spokesman said the 30 people arrested in Johannesburg overnight will be charged for 'public violence, malicious damage to property, house breaking and theft'.
Thousands of foreigners in the country have fled their homes and the country amid the violence, escaping to makeshift camps as well as neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique.
The surge of violence against immigrants is widely blamed on a speech made by King Goodwill Zwelithini, a traditional Zulu leader who blamed the foreigners living South Africa for its high crime rate and said they must 'take their bags and go'.
He has been accused of 'igniting' the Zulus who comprise one of South Africa's largest ethnic groups by saying 'we must deal with our own lice' in a speech broadcast by a local radio station.
The King has since said his words were misinterpreted but for some, Zwelithini simply articulated what many were feeling.
Protest: South African demonstrators have taken to the streets in Johannesburg in a bid to raise awareness of the xenophobic attacks taking place in its township
Furious: And in neighbouring Mozambique, hundreds have been protesting the violence being inflicted on their countrymen in South Africa
Safety: As people in Maputo, Mozambique (pictured) protest against the violence in South Africa, its government has offered to evacuate its citizens from the country
Rise up: Mozambique nationals (pictured) are furious at the violence against their citizens in Johannesburg were four people were killed in a week where shops owned by foreigners were looted back in January
Blame: Protesters in Mozambique (pictured) hold up signs blaming South African President Jacob Zuma for the violence befalling immigrants in the country
Demonstrators: Some South Africans (pictured) have tried to raise awareness for the xenophobic violence but some blame the immigrants for taking jobs in a time of severe unemployment
Armed: At least six people have died since South Africans wielding machetes and other weapons (pictured) began attacking and looting properties owned by fellow Africans
Brutal: The surge of violence against immigrants is widely blamed on a speech made by a traditional Zulu leader who blamed foreigners for a rise in hate crime
Response: Police in Johannesburg (pictured) have been firing rubber bullets to subdue the violent gangs in the city
Battle: A South African police officer trains his sights on Zulu protesters who were demonstrated in front of their hostel in the Jeppestown district of Johannesburg (pictured)
Retaliation: But police also claim that attacks on immigrants - many of whom are from other African countries - have largely subsided
The violence has also been blamed on high unemployment and while recent figures put it at 25 per cent, economists believe it is much higher and crippling the country with widespread poverty and a glaring class divide.
Meanwhile foreign nationals have condemned South Africa's police for failing to protect them and even stirring hostility.
The government says it is addressing complaints about undocumented migrants but many foreign nationals are living legally in South Africa and contributing to economic development.
But the situation has become so severe that the government of Malawi has hired buses to repatriate 500 of its nationals, according to the country's Information Minister.
Kenya has also offered to evacuate any of their citizens who feel threatened and on just today, Mozambique has temporarily blocked a road leading to South Africa.
60 people died during similar unrest in the country in 2008 and in January this year, four people were killed in a week where shops owned by foreigners were looted in Soweto, Johannesburg.
Furious: A terrifying woman covered in black soot (pictured) began screaming at a group of foreign nationals in Johannesburg
Savage: Rioters have armed themselves with sticks, knives and baseball bats as they attack immigrants in Johannesburg (pictured)
Rioters: The violence in South Africa has also been blamed on high unemployment and a glaring class divide
Vicious: With a total population of about 50 million, South Africa is home to an estimated 5 million immigrants who are now being targeted by brutal gangs (pictured)
Zimbabwe's Information Minster Jonathan Moyo tweeted that 'xenophobia today can easily mutate into genocide tomorrow' adding that the Zulu king should 'extinguish what he ignited'.
While in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu, some locals believed their countrymen would have been safer in their troubled native country than in South Africa.
One resident of the city said: 'This must become a lesson for them to return home... Otherwise, they will be eliminated one by one."
It is also a major destination for asylum seekers and currently houses more than 300,000 of them according to projections by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. |
I never saw myself as a writer—not a natural one at least. There are those people who are born to write. You know, the ones whose every word reads like butter to your mind, smooth and effortless. That’s not me. Every word takes time. Every sentence requires pre-meditative thought. I have to go back to that time. I have to remember the events. I have to see myself as a child. Smell the muggy Florida air. See the blueness of the Orlando sky. I have to pretend that I am there. I have to envision myself in that time; feel what it felt like. And every step of the way is challenging. It’s not easy to relive some of these memories that I’ve tried so hard to ignore. But, I can tell you that as I remember and write things down, it’s like a weight is lifted. It’s almost like I needed to tell you. I need you to know what it’s like. So that when you see someone who is silently suffering, you can relate, you can understand what it feels like. I suffered silently for years, and in many ways, I still do. I’m trying hard to accept my invisible disability, to embrace the pain, to understand that it’s a part of me, but that’s not always easy to do. It’s been 20 years of my life that I’ve lived this way. Silently in pain. Secretly uncomfortable, while always trying hard not to be an inconvenience.
School was where I always tried to blend in, to camouflage, to pretend that I was just like everyone else. Some days were harder than others. Some days, I couldn’t focus. There were some days I tried so hard to listen to the words that my teacher was saying, but his words would jam together in my mind to the point where I couldn’t even hear him, couldn’t understand what he was saying. It was as if I was listening to someone speaking a foreign language, or even worse, like listening to Charlie Brown’s teacher in Peanuts. I wanted to listen to every word he was saying, but the pain would take over. As he spoke, my thoughts would wander to my desk. It was made of wood, plastic, and some cheap metal. Kids from previous years had started a chewed-up gum collection on all four corners underneath it, and there were days I forgot the gum was there and would accidentally touch a piece of it, old and hard, that had been there for god knows how long. It was so gross. Yet, that didn’t stop me from contributing to the collection. I added my fair share of chewed-up gum to the corners underneath that desk.
My desk was by the window, which was a luxury and a distraction all at once. But on the days that I had a hard time focusing on what the teacher was saying, the window provided an escape. A small peek-hole into the outside world, a tiny solace where I could drift away and forget. It was my way of escaping. It was those days, the really bad ones, that the window helped me escape. I would look out the window and stare at the trees blowing in the wind, and sometimes, if I listened intently, I could hear the birds chirping, and if I allowed myself to drift far enough away, I could smell the freshly cut grass. Previous kids, who sat at my desk before me, were probably not as lucky to have a window to escape. The signs of boredom and utter distractions were written all over the inside of the compartment of my desk. Pencil scratchings garnished the entire top compartment, leaving no sign that the inside was partially made of wood. I occasionally tried to stick my hand in the compartment and erase some of the markings, but my hand would always come out so stained with gray pencil markings that I eventually gave up.
But it wasn’t like I had the luxury of escaping in my thoughts all the time. In reality, it was seldom that I was able to fully escape through the window. Most days, I resisted the temptation of drifting away. I would force myself to stay seated, even though all I wanted to do was stand up and stretch because I couldn’t get comfortable in those chairs. I would shift and turn, lean back, lean forward. But nothing helped. The longer I sat there, the more I could feel the muscle spasms collecting on the right side of my ribs; it was agonizing. I tried to stretch out the right side of my body by moving my shoulder up and leaning to the left side. But when I would do that, I would get cramps on the left side of my abdomen, and then I would feel trapped in my body and stuck in my chair.
The worst part of it all was that sitting in a chair highlighted my deformity, and I would obsess over it. I could feel the unevenness of my spine, and it bothered me that I couldn’t sit with my back flat on any chair. I was like an uneven piece of wood, where one side was higher than the other, and it drove me crazy. My back was never flat against the back of the seat. The right side was always touching, and the screw heads that held the seat together would be shoved into my ribs. The left side of my body seldom touched the chair. Most of the time, I would place my left hand underneath the left side of my body; this would even it out and alleviate some of the stress that was placed on my spinal protrusion. The longer I held my hand behind my back, the more numb it would become. Sometimes I would leave it there for so long that it would fully fall asleep, and I would have to bare through the tingling feeling of waking it up.
This could have been easily avoided. I could have brought a pillow to school. I could have asked Dr. Gray to write me a note allowing me to randomly stand up in class. I could have done so many things to solve the problem, to avoid the agonizing pain that I lived through, but I didn’t. The detrimental combination of my pride and the shame of my powerlessness wouldn’t allow me to change the situation, to speak up for myself, and instead, I sat there in silence, pretending that everything was okay, even when it wasn’t. |
Pakistan is preparing for its first census in 19 years. Here are some facts about the upcoming enumeration exercise of the sixth most populous nation in the world.
Read: All set for country’s biggest census exercise
A third sex
For the first time, transsexual people will be counted separately, according to representatives of this historically recognised but often persecuted community in the country.
The forms had been printed well in advance of court decisions to include them in the count. Now enumerators have been informed that those surveyed will have three numeric choices for their gender: 1 for men, 2 for women, 3 for those who declare themselves transsexuals.
Only nine languages
Language is considered an essential tool in evaluating the makeup of multi-ethnic Pakistan — but only nine of the country's estimated 70 will be listed , to the dismay of many communities.
No regional languages from sparsely populated Gilgit-Baltistan will be included nor will Gujrati — spoken by some Muslim immigrants from India who believe the lack of recognition will drive their mother-tongue towards oblivion.
Examine: The future of Gujarati language in Pakistan
Faith matters
The census will provide an insight into the true number of religious minorities, especially Christians and Hindus. Estimates are approximate and disputed, ranging from 2 to 10 million for the former and 2.5 to 4.5m for the latter.
Citizens can declare themselves Muslim, Christian, Hindu or Ahmadi.
Otherwise, they can be “members of scheduled castes” — members of marginalised Hindu families, or “other”. There are no separate options for Sikhs, Parsis or Baha'i.
Feeling flush
One box asks households how many toilets they have — a particularly salient question in Pakistan, where the United Nations estimates up to 40 per cent of people defecate in the open air with dramatic health consequences, especially for children.
Nationality
The census gives two nationality options: Pakistani or foreign.
But the army, which will conduct a parallel count, plans to be more precise mainly because of the country's Afghan refugees who are accused of everything from terrorism to trafficking.
Many local officials fear Afghans could be counted as local and skew demography in favour of ethnic Pashtuns, whose political parties would benefit as a result.
On the other hand, the estimated six million Pakistanis working abroad will not be counted. No information will be collected on internal migration — necessary to assess the political weight of a province where many people have moved for economic reasons.
This information will be the subject of a separate subsequent survey based on a large sample of the population, according to authorities. |
A sticker, placed on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Monday which pays tribute to a local teen who died in 2015, has made its way to space and back.
"It was really emotional to see it go up and to know what we know now about rockets," Rhett Hering's mom, Lorna Hering said through tears.
"But to know Rhett was on it and that he was going to get to go to space. It was so much more emotional than I expected."
Back in July, SpaceX decided to honor 15-year-old Rhett Hering and the movement sparked by his death called the "Rhett Revolution," by placing a "Rhett Revolution" sticker on the first stage booster of the Falcon 9 rocket at the McGregor testing facility.
On Monday, SpaceX launched the rocket while Lorna and Jimmy Hering watched on from a private viewing area at NASA in Florida.
"It's truly amazing to watch this rocket go up. The fire, to feel it, to hear it," Jimmy said. "And then seven minutes later to watch it come back down."
Two minutes after the Falcon 9 launch, the first stage booster with the "Rhett Revolution" sticker on board, separated from the rocket and like clock-work, landed 8 minutes later at a pad 11 miles away.
"Now we're sitting here waiting with excitement to see at some point if a piece of that Rhett Revolution sticker made it back," Jimmy said minutes after lift-off.
The landing site of the booster is not open to the public or the media but SpaceX invited KWTX to accompany Rhett's parents as they saw the booster just hours after it landed and when they finally got the answer to the question they had.
The sticker in their son's honor had made it back home and Space X says they hope to return it to the family soon.
"Really I'm speechless I think," Jimmy said. "This culminates an incredible two days."
When the booster carrying Rhett's message of love reentered the earth's atmosphere, it came back faster than the speed of sound but still landed just 4 feet from its exact target.
It's an ending to a mission for the Herings that they say came as no surprise.
"That was to be expected," Jimmy said. "Everything was perfect from the very beginning. Putting Rhett's sticker on it and allowing us to be a part of it and to land it almost dead on bullseye. It was meant to be." |
FACT CHECK Reuters’ Chinese whispers further muddy the truth of the Raqqa ISIS deal
Updated November 17
BBC reporter Quentin Sommerville’s Sunday, November 12 report on the deal to allow some ISIS fighters to leave Raqqa – entitled “Raqqa’s Dirty Secret” – has generated significant debate online since publication.
The BBC has uncovered details of a secret deal that let thousands of IS fighters and family members escape from Raqqa https://t.co/ASZfuHXeMN with @Dalatrm pic.twitter.com/HczRXrsE9Z — Quentin Sommerville (@sommervilletv) November 13, 2017
On Thursday, Reuters published a story headlined “French military says coalition opposed IS withdrawal from Raqqa” that supports statements made by Coalition spokesperson Colonel Ryan Dillon. The story was published at 13:33:52 GMT.
Within that story, Reuters made claims about the number of fighters who had left Raqqa on October 12 in a convoy.
“A report by BBC television on Sunday said some 4,000 Islamic State militants, including hundreds of foreign nationals, had been evacuated from Raqqa as part of the agreement and spread across Syria and as far as Turkey.” Reuters: French military says coalition opposed IS withdrawal from Raqqa
In case of later updates, the original Reuters story is archived here.
The BBC report said:
“Some 250 IS fighters were allowed to leave Raqqa, with 3,500 of their family members.” BBC: Raqqa’s Dirty Secret
Again, in case of later updates, the original BBC story is archived here.
The discrepancy between what the BBC report claimed – 250 fighters plus 3,500 family members – and the Reuters report – 4,000 Islamic State militants – is stark, and highlights a significant problem in reporting events in Syria: Chinese whispers change facts to fiction, errors compound creating new narratives.
Sommerville subsequently doubled down on the numbers with comment from the Coalition.
Coalition confirms BBC exclusive: 3500 IS family members left Raqqa and 250 fighters in ceasefire. Convoy stretched for 8km. Deal agreed by "local partners", coalition says it didn't want anyone to leave. Western officer was present at negotiations but didn't take "active part". — Quentin Sommerville (@sommervilletv) November 13, 2017
Reuters clearly got it wrong. The BBC never reported that 4,000 ISIS fighters left Raqqa, nor that hundreds were foreign fighters.
It's buried a bit down this (excellent) @BBCNews investigation – though this sentence is key: "Some 250 IS fighters were allowed to leave Raqqa, with 3,500 of their family members. " More than 90% of those who escaped Raqqa as part of a local deal with ISIS were civilians. https://t.co/brvlEu4AW2 — Airwars (@airwars) November 13, 2017
Update November 17
Reuters updated the story, saying “This version of the story corrects paragraph three to clarify people, not fighters evacuated.”
However, Reuters is a news agency, and the incorrect story was republished at leat 50 times.
Fog of war
The Reuter report only adds to questions surrounding the BBC reporting, the “exclusive” nature of the report, and what actually happened. The report added significantly to the story, adding detail like the route to convoy took to Deir Ezzor province with interviews of people along that route, plus interviews with people who drove vehicles in the convoy, but it presents the underlying background information as entirely new
The Defense Post attempted to cover the two separate deals brokered by Raqqa Arab tribal leaders which became conflated in reporting: One allowed local Syrian ISIS fighters to surrender to the SDF (they were detained and brought to Tabqa), while the other was the deal to allow others to evacuate to Deir Ezzor.
At the time, the story was unclear. A significant portion of the BBC’s “new” information is simply clarification of what was known at the time.
Extracts from our reporting are below, but there are some significant points to note:
On October 12, The Defense Post was first to publish the Coalition confirmation that a Coalition leader attended meetings about the deals but did not actively participate in discussions.
On October 14, an SDF military source told AFP that vehicles were waiting near the city and would take fighters who surrendered to Deir Ezzor province.
On October 15, the (now disappeared) SDF spokesperson Talal Silo told AFP: “More than 3,000 civilians left on Saturday night as part of a deal and went to areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces.”
Also on October 15, Raqqa Civil Council member Omar Alloush said some foreign fighters had left Raqqa alongside Syrian ISIS militants.
October 12
On Thursday, October 12, The Defense Post published a story entitled Coalition confirms meeting on ISIS withdrawal from Raqqa but says it did not participate
A spokesperson for the U.S.-led Coalition told The Defense Post that a Coalition leader attended a Wednesday [October 11] meeting regarding an orderly Islamic State withdrawal from Raqqa, but did not participate in the discussion. The meeting reportedly occurred in Ayn Issa, the interim base for Raqqa Civil Council. “The Coalition is aware of the meeting between the Raqqah Civil Council and local Syrian Arab tribal elders,” the spokesperson said in a Thursday, October 12 email to The Defense Post. “A Coalition leader attended but did not actively participate in discussions.” “The Coalition opposes any arrangement that allows ISIS terrorists to depart Raqqah,” the spokesperson told The Defense Post.
October 14
On Saturday, October 14, The Defense Post published a story entitled Council, tribes reach deal to evacuate civilians from ISIS-held Raqqa
Raqqa Civil Council and local Arab tribal elders have brokered a deal to evacuate civilians from the city, the U.S.-led Coalition confirmed in a Saturday, October 14 press release. A convoy of vehicles will leave Raqqa later on Saturday, in an arrangement designed to minimise civilian casualties as Syrian Democratic Forces close in on the remaining parts of the city still held by Islamic State, the release said. The release said the deal brokered on Thursday “purportedly excludes foreign Daesh terrorists” and that people leaving the city will be screened by the SDF, but it did not specify if local ISIS fighters are included in the arrangement. “The Coalition was not involved in the discussions that led to the arrangement, but believes it will save innocent lives,” the release said, adding that it will mean a reduced risk of civilian casualties. … Earlier, Coalition spokesperson Colonel Ryan Dillon told Reuters that around 100 ISIS fighters had surrendered in the previous 24 hours and were “removed from the city.” A Raqqa official told AFP that Syrian ISIS militants surrendered to the SDF. “They sent a message to the Raqqa Civil Council and to the tribal mediators,” the official said. “Those that surrendered are local, not foreigners – the foreigners have not handed themselves in yet,” he said. Activist group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently tweeted that dozens of buses entered Raqqa overnight. … An SDF military source told AFP that vehicles were waiting near the city and would take fighters who surrendered to Deir Ezzor province.
October 14
Later on October 14, The Defense Post published a story entitled ISIS fighters to evacuate Raqqa or surrender to SDF after deal with tribal elders
In a statement published late on Saturday, October 14, tribal leaders from Raqqa said that after an appeal to the SDF, an agreement was reached to allow local ISIS fighters to leave Raqqa and the tribes would “ensure their exit into areas outside the city.” … The elders said they were arranging a “mechanism” for them to leave, and they would protect those taken as human shields, reiterating that they “will ensure the lives of those who will be removed.” … However, Raqqa Civil Council member Omar Alloush told Reuters foreign fighters would be evacuated, and that it would take place overnight. He told AFP that they may be taken to Deir Ezzor province. Alloush said up to 500 ISIS fighters remained in Raqqa. “They have 400 hostages with them – women and children – in the national hospital,” he said. … A Raqqa official told AFP that Syrian ISIS militants surrendered to the SDF. “Those that surrendered are local, not foreigners – the foreigners have not handed themselves in yet,” he said.
October 15
On Sunday, October 15, The Defense Post published a story entitled SDF launches final assault on Raqqa after some ISIS fighters evacuated.
The story summarised and collated information from that day. |
Hi, Jose.
Thanks for the interview. I know this is a tough time for you. So, you shot your middle finger off cleaning your gun?
Clearly. And that’s a positive way to look at it. At least it was just a finger, you know? There are body parts that are a lot more important.
Hey, good for you. You look like you try to stay young and work out.
You look good, Jose. You really do.
I did not say you do, Jose. I never once said that. Back to the shooting accident for a minute — and I’m not trying to lecture you — but I hope you learned the value of gun safety and keeping guns unloaded and locked up? Where is your gun right now?
Okay. I’m not sure if that’s safe or not. Gun accidents just happen so fast. If only there were a way to go back in time and not shoot off your finger, right?
Later? Jose, time travel is a huge deal. It would change history. You could go back in time right now and fix everything: shooting off your finger, that home run ball that bounced off your head, Hitler being born, that time you wore a mesh shirt. All of it. Why can’t you explain now?
Is that goat wearing a diaper? I guess you can’t be too safe today with germs and such.
I will. You know, with everything going on in the world — Ebola, people shooting their middle fingers off, goats getting arrested by human police officers — it’s hard not to get down and depressed.
I’ll try that. Wow, Jose … saving puppies, diapering goats. You seem to really be into animals.
I guess.
I’m going to call bull on that one, Jose. Horses are much faster than humans. And I really doubt you ever raced even one horse around the bases. At best, what you’re saying is a theory.
And now you’re onto dinosaur theories?
I mean, with their wings, is what I’d guess. Do you understand how flight works?
Oh. Okay. Thanks.
Noted.
Got it.
CarMax, too? You seem to have a lot of negative experiences with some big-name brands.
Jeez. Don’t you have anything positive to say about anyone?
I’ll check that out the next time I’m in Secaucus. I have to agree with you on what you said about politicians, though. They’re all frauds.
Al Gore isn’t dead.
That may be true. But Al Gore still isn’t dead.
Have you ever considered getting into politics? On a scale of 1–to-10, how likely is it we one day see a Mayor Canseco or Governor Canseco?
I don’t know.
Stop yelling, Jose! I don’t know the answer. I’m sorry. I’m not from New England and I don’t know their state constitutions. Back to my question: on a scale of 1-to-10, how likely is it you get into politics?
But what if nothing opens up in the U.S. or Canada. Is there any other place you see yourself being in a position of power?
Dennis Rodman. Jose Canseco. It makes total sense, actually. You’re right. But what if politics isn’t in the cards? It’s hard to have your finger on the button if you don’t have a finger. Do you have anything else in the works?
Ooooookay. This interview is for a family site, Jose. Not appropriate. It’s probably time to wrap this interview up now. Maybe your painkillers are to blame for the donkey porn comment? Whatever. You said it. It’s public record now. There’s no way to turn back time, unless you’re going to finally spill the details on time travel?
Another theory. But how do we travel through time? I want specifics.
Maybe. But that’s not time travel. Come on, Jose. I want specifics. Details.
Never mind. You’re clearly hopped up on painkillers. I really appreciate your time and hope the finger you shot off stays re-attached. Thanks again. |
In a press release dated May 19, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, which describes itself as ‘an international association of physicians and other professionals dedicated to addressing the clinical aspects of environmental health,’ called immediately for the following emergency measures to be taken regarding human consumption of GMO foods:
* A moratorium on GMO food; implementation of immediate long term safety testing and labelling of GMO food.
* Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community and the public to avoid GMO foods.
* Physicians to consider the role of GMO foods in their patients’ disease processes.
* More independent long term scientific studies to begin gathering data to investigate the role of GMO foods on human health.
The AAEM chairperson, Dr Amy Dean notes that ‘Multiple animal studies have shown that GM foods cause damage to various organ systems in the body. With this mounting evidence, it is imperative to have a moratorium on GM foods for the safety of our patients’ and the public’s health.’ The President of the AAEM, Dr Jennifer Armstrong stressed that ‘Physicians are probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to ask the right questions. The most common foods in North America which are consumed that are GMO are corn, soy, canola, and cottonseed oil.’ The AAEM’s position paper on Genetically Modified foods can be found at http:aaemonline.org.
The paper further states that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) technology ‘abrogates natural reproductive processes, selection occurs at the single cell level, the procedure is highly mutagenic and routinely breeches genera barriers, and the technique has only been used commercially for 10 years.’
The AAEM paper further states, ‘several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with GM food consumption including infertility, immune dysregulation, accelerated aging, dysregulation of genes associated with cholesterol synthesis, insulin regulation, cell signalling, and protein formation, and changes in the liver, kidney, spleen and gastrointestinal system.’
They add, ‘There is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects. There is causation as defined by Hill’s Criteria in the areas of strength of association, consistency, specificity, biological gradient, and biological plausibility. The strength of association and consistency between GM foods and disease is confirmed in several animal studies.’
GMO is toxic
The AAEM paper should give grounds for official rethinking of the current quasi laissez faire regulatory stance to GMO in which the solemn word of the GMO seed companies such as Monsanto is regarded as scientifically valid proof of safety. The AAEM study is worth citing in detail in this regard:
‘Specificity of the association of GM foods and specific disease processes is also supported. Multiple animal studies show significant immune dysregulation, including upregulation of cytokines associated with asthma, allergy, and inflammation. Animal studies also show altered structure and function of the liver, including altered lipid and carbohydrate metabolism as well as cellular changes that could lead to accelerated aging and possibly lead to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Changes in the kidney, pancreas and spleen have also been documented. A recent 2008 study links GM corn with infertility, showing a significant decrease in offspring over time and significantly lower litter weight in mice fed GM corn. This study also found that over 400 genes were found to be expressed differently in the mice fed GM corn. These are genes known to control protein synthesis and modification, cell signalling, cholesterol synthesis, and insulin regulation. Studies also show intestinal damage in animals fed GM foods, including proliferative cell growth and disruption of the intestinal immune system. ‘
The AAEM study also reviewed the biotechnology industry claims that GMO foods can feed the world through production of higher crop yields. It cited contrary evidence that the opposite appeared to be true, namely that over time GMO harvest yields were lower than conventional yields and required over time, more not less, highly toxic herbicidal chemicals such as glyphosate. The report noted, ‘The several thousand field trials over the last 20 years for genes aimed at increasing operational or intrinsic yield (of crops) indicate a significant undertaking. Yet none of these field trials have resulted in increased yield in commercialized major food/feed crops, with the exception of Bt corn.’ However, the slight yield gain for Bt corn they report was ‘largely due to traditional breeding improvements,’ and not to GMO.
They conclude that because GMO foods ‘pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health and are without benefit, the AAEM believes that it is imperative to adopt the precautionary principle, which is one of the main regulatory tools of the European Union environmental and health policy and serves as a foundation for several international agreements. The most commonly used definition is from the 1992 Rio Declaration that states: ‘In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.’
Under intense public pressure, the German Minister of Agriculture recently issued a prohibition of planting for Monsanto MON810 GMO corn. Unfortunately, two weeks later she permitted planting of GMO potato seeds. Amflora, a genetically modified potato manufactured by chemicals giant BASF (a joint venture GMO partner of Monsanto), was declared by the German Ministry as posing ‘no danger for human health or the environment,’ The Ministry cited ‘in-depth examination’ and talks with scientific and economic experts as basis for the reckless decision.
The publication of the sensational critique of GMO by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine has been greeted with stone silence by most major US media and international press.
GMO politics
As I describe in great detail in my book, Seeds of Destruction: The Hidden Agenda of Genetic Manipulation, GMO was released on the general public in the early 1990’s in the USA under an executive decision by then President George Herbert Walker Bush, reportedly following closed door meetings with leading Monsanto executives. President Bush mandated that there should be no special health and safety tests done by any US Government agency before releasing GMO for food consumption. It came to be known as the Doctrine of Substantial Equivalence.
The US Government, on urging of Monsanto and the GMO lobby, further decided that labelling of a food product as ‘GMO free’ should be prohibited, using the vaguely formulated and entirely unscientific ‘doctrine’ proclaimed by President Bush in 1992, namely that GMO plants and non-GMO or ordinary plants were ‘substantially equivalent’ and hence needed no special testing before being released to the public.
That Substantial Equivalence Doctrine, despite the fact that it directly contradicts the demand of the GMO companies for exclusive patent rights to their GMO seeds as being ‘unique’ and different from ordinary seeds, enabled Monsanto, Dow Chemicals, DuPont and other GMO patent holders to proliferate their products with no control. Most Americans naively believe that the Government Food and Drug Administration and US Department of Agriculture are there to make certain industrial food products are confirmed fully safe for human and for animal consumption before licensing.
That de facto prohibition on labelling GMO foods has meant that most Americans have no idea how much of their daily diet from store-bought Corn Flakes to soybeans to corn and additives in every food on the supermarket shelf contained GMO contamination.
Coincident with the mass introduction of GMO into the human and animal diet in the United States beginning the end of the 1990’s, there have been reported epidemic levels of allergic outbreaks in humans, strange diseases and numerous other health issues. The fact it is forbidden by Federal law to label GMO products means most health professionals are not even aware there might be any connection to a GMO diet for millions of Americans. The US population, since the 1992 ruling of President Bush—a ruling reaffirmed by presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and now by Barack Obama and his pro-GMO Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack—has been in effect treated as human guinea pigs in mass experimentation for substances never independently proven in long-term (ten years or longer) studies to be safe.
It remains to be seen if the scientific critique of the AAEM is given the attention it warrants. |
On Dec. 26 of last year, a bunch of trippers on the Internet saved the life of a complete stranger.
The man went into an online chat room with a confession. He had taken a large number of Xanax, wandered into his local pub, started drinking heavily, and was waiting to pass out in the hope that he would never wake up.
In most random corners of the Internet, such a confession likely would have been met with an incredulous shrug or the flood derisive snark that’s so often comes in response to an obvious plea for attention. But the man didn’t wander into just any IRC chatroom, he came into Tripsit—a forum staffed by volunteers dedicated to helping people navigate intense drug experiences, both good and bad.
Immediately, the Tripsitters jumped into action. “We take any and all suicidal threats and dangerous drug combinations very seriously and this incident is no exception,” explained Tripsit founder Eric Hoftiezer explained. “For those who might not know, mixing benzodiazepine drugs with alcohol is extremely dangerous. Mixing any two CNS depressants is dangerous since the actions of one CNS-depressant tend to potentiate the other one. It’s not uncommon for users mixing benzodiazepines with alcohol to enter black-out states or even die.”
One Tripsit volunteer messaged the man. She determined that he lived in the U.K. and promptly got his name, location, and phone number. She gave that information to another member who called EMS. As they waited for the ambulance to arrive, she talked to him half a world away, via Skype. When he was told help was on the way, the man became anxious about what he had done. The volunteer reminded him that the Tripsit community had worked hard to help him in his moment of need and they weren’t about to let him down now. She didn’t get off the phone until she heard a paramedic say his name and he disconnected the call.
Tripsit began life as an eponymous community on Reddit in September of 2011. It was a place where drug users could talk about their experiences without fear of condemnation. Eventually, it grew into a repository of information about safe drug use and resource for counseling people through drug trips.
The following year, Tripsit expanded into its own independent website and IRC chat forum because Reddit proved to be an inefficient venue for providing people with immediate assistance.
Hoftiezer said that Tripsit has called ambulances for people, but they’ve never called the police. “There’s no reason to get somebody in legal trouble for possessing or consuming mind altering substances,” he explained.
The goal, he insists, is to avoid a repeat of what happened to Brandon Vedas.
Vedas was a 21-year-old man working in tech support at the University of Phoenix who went into a “#shroomery” IRC chatroom one day under the screenname Ripper, turned on his webcam, and began shoveling prescription pills into his mouth. Other people in the chatroom encouraged him—at least, until they realized he had overdosed. An argument ensued about whether to call 911. But, before anyone actually did anything, Vedas died. All the while, an automated bot repeatedly interjected, “Ripper is a gangster!!!”
Macabre doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Today, the Tripsit subreddit is a mixture of advice about what cool visuals to look after taking a large dose of acid to people in the midst of the bad trip begging for help. It’s also peppered with posts of people thanking the community for talking them through particularly hellacious drug experiences.
Hoftiezer explained that the key to Tripsit is keeping everything as non-judgemental as possible. “The human race has been altering their consciousness since the dawn of time, only recently has this practice been deemed illegal. Making substance use taboo is only causing further harm when these individuals have few or no options to turn to in order to better their life,” he said.
“A majority of these users then resort to different or more potent substances, and the cycle continues. Tripsit is one of the few places in the world where drug users can come to get guidance on how to better their lives, without being cast out as an addict or abuser.”
Correction: The story has been updated to clarify the timeline of the U.K. intervention.
Photo by epSos.de/flickr |
Tough times -- whether due to wars, economic hardships or political pressures-- provide opportunities for unveiling the true potential and capabilities of a nation. They reveal the strength of a country’s ability is to distinguish itself, how much it deserves to survive. Hence, one can observe that the best or parts of the most beautiful art works of a country are usually produced during such tough times.
Look at the existing body of literature and art; if you observe, you will find out that the sweetest and most creative works of art and great novels are produced in periods when a nation is carrying out a great task like the ones mentioned. Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” is about the Russian people’s amazing resistance against Napoleon’s attack and the great movement the people of Moscow launched to defeat Napoleon. Tolstoy has written more books, however, in my opinion what makes this book distinguished is that it is thoroughly focused on the Russian people’s spirit of defense. So is true for many other books written either about the revolution in the Soviet Union or the Great French Revolution, or about the wars between France and Germany and French people’s defense, like some of the works of Émile Zola. The most significant novels are the ones written during the most sensitive periods of a nation’s history, when it has been able to unveil its capabilities. That is probably true for paintings, too. Of course when it comes to paintings, I do not know enough, even as a casual observer; however, I assume that as far as I am informed, the most beautiful or part of the most beautiful painting masterpieces depict scenes of wars like “The Battle of Waterloo” or other scenes.
Statements at a meeting with veterans of literature and arts of resistance, August 28, 2005 |
Derek Barnett, a former Brentwood Academy and Tennessee standout, worked out recently for the Tennessee Titans, according to Pro Football Talk.
Derek Barnett has had private workouts with Pats, Saints, Bengals, and Titans per source. — ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 5, 2017
Barnett, Tennessee's all-time sack leader with 32, is the 8th ranked prospect by CBS Sports. He ran a 4.88 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
As a junior in 2015, Barnett finished with a career-best 13.0 sacks and also led the team with 19.0 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles to earn First Team All-SEC honors. Barnett also registered 52 tackles for loss in his three seasons with the Volunteers.
Barnett worked exclusively as a 4-3 rush end in college. The Titans obviously run a 3-4 scheme under LeBeau. Could he make the change to outside linebacker like Derrick Morgan did? |
maartena Premium Member Its hard to be a Republican these days..... Most of my Republican friends have been getting quieter, and quieter, and quieter over the last year. They all voted for Trump, and every single one of them has said they wished they didn't. (Now, I am in Orange County, a county that usually votes Republican, but went Democrat in 2016, and Republicans around here typically do have SOME brains....)
Most of them are techies, granted, so Net Neutrality lies a lot closer to their hearts than say e.g. that abomination of a tax law, but.... it's getting hard to be a Republican and still stand behind Trump these days.
Good on Minnesota. California is planning a similar suit, and put their OWN Net Neutrality laws in place.... and its going to be almost impossible to impose fees and caps on your market of e.g. 9 states with decent footprints in each state, if e.g. 4 of them have a net neutrality law in place.... It would be easier and cheaper to just go with Net Neutrality then.
New York, Illinois, Oregon, Iowa and Massachusetts have already filed. Minnesota is next. California is working on it and probably will file in January. Keep it coming, and suck it Trump & Paj! |
Daniel Lieberman, the Harvard evolutionary biologist sometimes credited for sparking the barefoot running revolution, has a new book out—The Story of the Human Body—and it’s a doozy. Lieberman argues that only by looking at human physiology through an evolutionary lens can we truly begin to understand how we get fit, and, consequently, why we get fat.
The Story of the Human Body hits stores this week
That humans are poorly adapted to our modern lifestyle of convenience foods, flat screens, and desk jobs isn’t very controversial. But how we best cope with this new reality often is. Lieberman takes on many popular notions, including barefoot running, the paleo diet, epigenetics, and a host of hot topics ranging from obesity and chronic disease to Nanny State politics. We caught up with the good professor to hear more about his new book and the story of our bodies.
OUTSIDE: I wanted to ask you first to explain more about the provocative idea you bring up early in the book, the notion of "disevolution," which is something we seem to be in the throes of right now.
DANIEL LIEBERMAN: Well, I'm very interested in evolution and medicine, which forms one of the core themes of the book. And some of the focus of evolution and medicine has been: Why do we get sick?
It's not an insight that we, as a society, spend too much time treating the symptoms of diseases rather than their causes. But I guess the argument I'm trying to make is that that, too, has an evolutionary basis. I mean evolution as a perspective helps us inform what's going on, but it's not a traditional kind of evolution, with Darwin and natural selection. This is really a form of cultural evolution.
It seems like one of the key turning points has been this idea that, for many generations, humans have been trying to get enough calories, and now we've suddenly entered this period where we have too many calories.
Mm, it's amazing. And we're just not very well adapted for it.
Do you look at this from an evolutionary perspective and think, wow, we're really in this bizarre and transformative period?
I think so, yeah. One of my jobs is to try to look around at the world we live in, and to think about what's really normal and what's abnormal from an evolutionary perspective. It's normal to think that the world you grow up in is normal, right? We think it's normal to fly in airplanes, drive a car, eat breakfast cereal from a box, and all the other things that you and I probably do—but actually they're abnormal.
Now, just because it's new doesn't mean it's bad, and I think that's probably one of the problems with a simplistic ancestral-health, paleo-diet view. But just because it's new doesn't mean it's good, either.
A lot of things we take for granted make us sick. And we pay a huge price for it. Illustrating that perspective helps us step out of the world we live in and think about it more critically. And that's really the point.
So you’re saying that, basically, the lifestyle that we've come to understand as very normal and commonplace is actually, from an evolutionary perspective, quite abnormal.
Correct. A lot of people might think, oh, I'm going to go back to nature, and what they mean, usually, is to be a farmer. We think of that blissful, pastoral farmer's life as back to nature right? That's actually also abnormal because that's pretty recent. In fact, you could even argue that the bow and arrow is a pretty recent invention. We invented the bow and arrow, and we stopped having to run. And that's only the last 70,000 years.
Evolution is a complicated thing. There's no one point in time when all of a sudden our bodies became normal or abnormal. It's a constantly moving mosaic, which is why I tried to not just start with hunter-gatherers, where I think a lot of paleo-diet, ancestral-health perspectives begin. Hunter-gatherers are the end of an even longer story, and we need to know the whole story. I started arbitrarily with the origins of the human lineage when we diverged from apes, but of course we could go all the way back to fish.
What do you think about the paleo movement, since the back-to-nature idea has moved beyond the farmer and is now the caveman?
Anybody who reads what I wrote carefully will find the critique of the paleo diet in there. But there isn't any one paleo diet. There were many paleo diets, and just because our ancestors ate it doesn't mean it's better for us. After all, one of my key arguments—not an original idea, but I try to drive it home—is that natural selection is not geared toward making us healthy. It's geared toward making us have more babies in a very different context. But the relentless theme that I keep trying to bring up throughout the book is that adaptation is a tricky concept. And there's no simple answer to the question: What are we adapted for?
Early in the book you say that we haven't evolved to be healthy or happy. That struck me because not only do you see a lot of people seeking out solutions to health and fitness, they're also trying to sort out how to be happy. There are some evolutionary factors there as well.
I agree. I don't know the secret to it, either. Certainly having health helps you be happy. In your line of business, in my line of business, we become very aware of the relationship between the mind and the body. They are mutually interactive for many reasons, mostly because the things that make us healthy also make us happier. Physical health and mental health are often both improved by exercise and diet.
You write a bit about how running has influenced the humans we've evolved into today. I just want to make sure I understand one idea in particular, that we're the only animals that have evolved to run long distances in hot weather?
Pretty much, yes. There are other animals that have evolved to run long distances but they do so at night, or dusk or dawn, when it’s cool. We're the only animals that run long distances in the heat. And that gives us a huge advantage. I don't know the last time you tried to run down an antelope or a deer but, should you want to do it, you'd be better off doing it on a hot day.
I haven't chased one recently. But we can do so also because we’re designed to sweat, right?
It's the combination of the ability to cool by sweating and the ability to run at speeds that makes it possible. Because quadrupeds can’t pant when they gallop, they can’t cool themselves. So you basically knock out their thermoregulatory system. If you chase it long enough in the heat, you'll actually drive it into heat stroke. It's called persistence hunting. I can't pretend it's my idea. I've worked a lot on the evolution of running, but other people proposed that first. We just fleshed it out in a famous paper in 2004, the "Born to Run" paper, with Dennis Bramble.
I think that you can't really understand the value of long-distance running, and that's part of the theme that you mentioned earlier—what's normal versus abnormal. When you look around the world today, when you look out your office building, you'll see lots of people walking but you won't see a lot of people running. There are a lot of hunter-gatherer groups that don't run very much, but I'll make a bet that if you could go back 100,000 years you'd see a lot more running going on. Because before bows and arrows, before stone weapons were invented, how else were you going to get dinner? No one's come up with a better idea of why we are so good at running.
Let's talk about barefoot running, since your work pretty much put barefoot running on the map.
Yeah, sometimes I wish I'd never touched the subject! People have so many preconceptions about it and so much anger about this particular issue, which I find interesting. From my perspective, I'm not crazy about it. If you don't want to run barefoot run, don't run barefoot. It's more about how you run than what part of your feet you use.
Do you still find yourself confronted with a lot of controversy about it? It’s ebbed and flowed a bit in terms of its general popularity. And I've had a few conversations with physical therapists who are like, "Oh, god, barefoot running!"
Part of the problem is that it's been approached in a fad-ish way. A lot of people read Chris McDougal's book, Born to Run, which is a terrific book. And they think, oh my gosh, if I take off my shoes, everything will be perfect. I'll suddenly become an ultra-runner, and I'll have this incredible body. And of course, it's not that way. For one, barefoot runners get injured, too. Secondly, if you haven't been running that way your whole life, you're not adapted to it. You need to build up strength in your calf muscles in order to run properly.
But in any kind of fitness or conditioning program you are trying to introduce adaptation through progression.
Absolutely. I see that a lot of the time. People go buy a minimal shoe. I've heard a lot of good things about minimal shoes, but if you've been wearing cushioned, elevated shoes with arch support your whole life, and you suddenly just throw them away and put on a minimal shoe and you go for a 10-mile run, you are going to be very unhappy. And probably soon seeing a physical therapist.
But if you slowly introduce it, and adapt to it, you might benefit from it. On the other hand, if it ain't broke, why fix it? If you aren’t getting injured running in a conventional shoe, there's nothing wrong with it. I'm not opposed to heel striking. I just think that we shouldn't pretend that it's not normal.
Is evolution, or adaptation, or both, accelerating? Are we changing faster than we did in the past?
Well, that's a bit of a debate at the moment. So it depends on the time span you look at. There was a good, popular book a few years ago, The 10,000 Year Explosion, that makes the argument that evolution has actually been accelerating since the emergence of agriculture. There’s a section in my book where I discuss those ideas.
To one extent the answer is yes, and to another extent the answer is no. By having much, much larger population sizes, for natural selection to occur, you need to have intentions that are beneficial or detrimental. And differential reproductive success. One engine that drives at our regeneration is intentions, and the other engine that drives it is competition.
Larger populations create more mutations. So there's more variation out there to act on. But the other side of the coin is that, now, cultural evolution is acting strongly. How much the effects of those variations influence how many offspring you have that survive and reproduce is debatable. One example might be that since the origins of farming there have been lots of selections for genes that affect how we digest carbohydrates. But on the other hand, those diseases that we get from digesting carbohydrates, like Type-2 diabetes don't often affect people until after they've had kids.
It’s kind of an extreme way of saying that natural selection hasn't stopped. And there's more variation out there. But on the other hand, we have so many cultural means to deal with the deleterious effects of our genetic background that it's probably not so important. For example, we know there's a genetic basis for things like myopia and flat feet. Those genes didn't cause people to get myopic or flat footed back in the paleolithic, because they weren't living inside, and reading books, and wearing shoes with arch supports. But the environmental interactions lead to myopia and flat feet. I would be really shocked if people who were myopic or who had flat feet had lower reproductive fitness than people who have normal feet and normal vision. There's no deleterious consequence because in this culture we've got orthotics, and we've got glasses and contact lessons. So natural selection is clearly not acting in those cases.
At times when I was reading the book, I felt like I was projecting forward and wondering if we were all going to end up looking like the cartoon humans in the movie Wall-E.
Oh yeah, I made a mention of that. I think that's where we're headed. Two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and about a third of American children are overweight. The numbers don't look good at all.
And other countries are in for a serious crisis. Take India. The journal Nature called it a Type 2 diabetes time bomb. The middle class there has terrible rates of obesity, and diabetes is rising at an alarming rate. One of the scary things about India is that they appear to have less genetic background that protects people. And people are getting it at lower ages there. Also, a lot of the medications that have been developed don't work as effectively on younger individuals.
You talk about the different factors that influence health and fitness, that it really goes beyond diet and exercise to includes genes, your microbiome, stress, and sleep.
Yep. No question about it. I also discuss the hygiene hypothesis, about how our bodies are filled with things that aren't us—about 10 times not you in terms of cells in your body, especially in your gut. Every time you take an antibiotic you change the bacteria in your ecosystem. Sometimes that can have negative consequences. A lot of autoimmune diseases may result from changes in our microbiomes. Certainly, it's been proven to have an effect on obesity.
As for sleep, lack of sleep elevates chronic stress and leads to a series of problems. Sleep also affects your appetite, and the regulation ghrelin and leptin. Everything we talk about is a gene-environment interaction. I focused on the environment’s role, partly because we can't really change our genes. So environment is where we need to focus our efforts.
My sense is that a lot of people feel like they're doing something to combat weight issues and they're frustrated because they’re going to the gym every day and working out for an hour and not getting the results they want. You're suggesting a more comprehensive fitness strategy where all of the factors need to come into line. Changing one or two of them isn't going to really make much of a difference.
I agree with everything you just said. If your sole goal is to lose weight, if that's the reason to exercise, then yes, you are going to be disappointed. It's very hard to lose weight through exercise. But since when was that the only reason to exercise? Physical activity makes you happier, makes you smarter, helps your heart, helps digestion, and a thousand other things.
Second, the data on physical activity helps you keep weight off more than lose it. And third, you're right, there is no magic bullet and part of the problem is that once you're overweight, your body wants to stay that way. That's what we're evolved for.
There's a reason dieting is hard, people who lost weight, were at a reproductive disadvantage most of our evolutionary history. So when you diet, guess what, you exercise less, because you lose the motivation, because you're tired, right? That makes sense, because before the industrialization of food we were programmed to save that energy so we could reproduce better. If people understand the evolutionary story, they can better tackle the problem, they understand their body’s natural response.
This is the genetic destiny we all share, then. Am I understanding it right?
Yeah, absolutely. It’s harder for the person who is already overweight because signaling mechanisms shut off sensitivity to leptin that prevents going into negative energy balance. So we have to stop blaming people who are overweight for being overweight. It's not their fault and we should stop demonizing and ridiculing them. Instead we should understand what they’re going through and how we can help, and that requires an evolutionary perspective.
You get into some ideas at the end of the book about ways to encourage this change.
Part of the book was about that because everybody has strong opinions on what to do. Evolution offers several lessons. One is what kind of environment we’re adapted for, and how there's a complicated trade off for every adaptation.
Secondly, it's important to recognize what we're up against—our evolved instincts. They're almost clichéd, right? If I put celery and a donut in front of you, and we talk for an hour, at some point you are going to reach for the donut before the celery. I would.
If you put a little peanut butter on the celery, maybe I'd go for the celery… Nah, I'd probably still go for the donut. Especially if it's the afternoon, when my brain is really craving the sugar.
Exactly. Those are real instincts, and they need to be understood. And to ask people to suddenly start pretending that their instincts don't exist is just fantasy. There are a few of us who can occasionally do it, but most of us fail most of the time.
So the way I stay fit and healthy is by coercing myself, frankly. I like to run marathons. I sign up for them, not so much because I like to run marathons, but when I sign up for one, it forces me to train because, say, on October 15th I've got to slog through 26 miles. If I didn't, there's no question, here in New England on a Sunday morning in February when it's minus 20 and the roads are covered in ice, ehhh, I'm not going to run.
I have a group of friends I run with so I've now forced myself, I’m accountable. When I go shopping, I always go shopping after I've eaten so I'm a little less likely to do all that craving purchases. We all learn tricks. Fortunately I have enough means and have time to train and run and buy healthy food and not everybody has those opportunities and abilities. And that's why we coerce children. Nobody gives children the choice about what they're going to eat, or at least most people don't.
You bargain and negotiate.
Once you start negotiating, you've lost. The problem is you can't philosophically justify coercion in most cases for adults. In some cases we do, like with seatbelt laws, but they are big battles.
You can't prevent somebody from smoking or eating donuts, but we can't do it on our own, either. We live in a world in which people have provided us all of these comforts and foods that we crave, and our instincts aren't, for the most part, able to handle it.
There is also a lot of deceptive advertising. You know, all those muffin shops claiming their goods are fat free. Technically they're right—these muffins are fat free. But they're 50 percent sucrose, and sucrose is 50 percent fructose, which basically turns straight into fat in your liver. We need laws to prevent that kind of advertising because people don't understand it. We need government on our side in a way that helps us help ourselves, but in a way that respects people's liberties and freedom to do what they want with their lives.
What do you think about things like Mayor Michael Bloomberg's soda ban in New York?
I think that's actually a good example of libertarian paternalism. Because on the one hand, he's not preventing people from drinking soda. He's just saying you can't buy 32-ounce sodas. If you want 32 ounces of soda, you have to buy two. And you can't prevent anyone from doing that. I think people overreacted, as if it was an infringement of their rights. But I think it was a reasonable nudge rather than a shout or a push.
We're in a healthcare crisis. We spend, what, 2 trillion a year in the U.S.? Some of the diseases people get are preventable. Heart attacks, coronary heart disease, strokes—and it's costing a fortune. Can we afford not to take some action? What's going to happen to our economy if we don't start enacting some measures?
It certainly seems like the argument from an evolutionary biology perspective is making a very effective and persuasive case against a lot of this.
Thank you. I also wanted people to understand where they really came from rather than having some kind of artificial idea about cavemen.
Some people just seem to think they should eat more meat. They need some of the actual science behind it and that's in short supply right now.
I also think the paleo movement has done a lot of good, but its become a bit of...it's not quite a clique, but there is a bit of a group think.
My take is that the core community that embraced paleo initially were a little bit more serious about it and probably understood the nuances better. Now that it's more widespread, people are just co-opting it and taking it as dogma.
You know, if you think about it, with 7 billion people on the planet, we're not going to be able to feed them all grass-fed beef. Whether you like it or not, we can't do it. It's just not an option. That's not our solution, and that's not going to help the largest number of people. |
How much is that nuclear reactor in the window?
The answer has bedeviled researchers, government officials, academics and others for years. The U.S. hasn't commissioned a new nuclear reactor in years so any baseline data is very old. Reactor designs have changed since the '70s, a move that nuclear advocates say could make nuclear plants cheaper. Critics, on the other hand, have said that rising prices for things like steel combined with the chronic delays and budget overruns that regularly occur make nuclear unaffordable.
How much do the answers vary? In 2003, MIT estimated that the "overnight cost," or the cost of a plant without financing, would be $2,000 per kilowatt. In 2009, MIT updated the figure to $4,000 a kilowatt, assuming some of the risk factors could be eliminated.
Meanwhile, Mark Cooper, from the University of Vermont Law School, said earlier this year that the overnight cost might be in the $7,000-to-$8,000 per kilowatt range, with the all-in cost of a 2-gigawatt nuclear plant including financing running around $20 billion to $25 billion -- in other words, $10 or more per watt. Financing costs are important to include because plants take years to erect: even a one percent loan on a $8 billion project adds up. As a result, the high price results in nuclear socialism, he argues, because plants will always need state support.
Constellation Energy, which wants to build a 1.6-gigawatt plant in Maryland, shed some light on the subject when it pulled out of the DOE loan program. Constellation had been seeking a guarantee that would cover 80 percent of the $7.6 billion loan on the Calvert Cliffs 3 project. The entire budget for the project is estimated at $9.6 billion. Constellation pulled out because the DOE requested a $880 million fee -- around 11.6 percent of the loan -- for the guarantee. The fee would make the project un-economical, Constellation said.
But back to the math. $9.6 billion divided by 1.6 gigawatts equals $6,000 per kilowatt, or $6 per watt. Adding the cost of the DOE guarantee would boost it to $6.55 per watt.
The figure obviously is an estimate. 1.6 neatly divides into 9.6 with no remainder. That sort of thing doesn't happen generally when dividing in the billions. The total cost would also likely be impacted by cost overruns, operations, waste management, maintenance or fuel. Fuel actually only adds two to four percentage points to the overall cost, but some of the other factors are less predictable.
Still, even as an optimistic estimate, it seems to indicate that nuclear could be having trouble keeping up with the rest of the industry. Wind, although intermittent, costs $1,300 a kilowatt. Flow batteries for storing wind power sell for $4,000 a kilowatt. Compressed air can cost $1,000 per kilowatt. Conceivably, wind and storage together hover just under the $6,000 kilowatt benchmark for nuclear. A home solar installation costs $6,000 a watt after incentives and far less for utility-scale projects. Solar and wind, of course, regularly drop in price due to the force of mass manufacturing.
The MIT report adds that even at $4,000 a kilowatt nuclear would need loan guarantees initially and other incentives to stay competitive with natural gas ($850 a kilowatt) and coal ($2,300 a kilowatt). The researchers also recommend carbon pricing.
Again, a final, or even somewhat accurate, price is difficult to determine. These are rough estimates and we hope to delve deeper into the numbers soon. But the nuclear industry likely needs to do better than this. |
Annual homeowner tax of $1,200 an option in SA Government's overhaul of state's tax system
Updated
Homeowners could face a broad-based land tax of about $1,200 a year in return for abolishing stamp duty under a review of the South Australian tax system.
The SA Government released a discussion paper looking at ways to change the way South Australians were taxed.
The State Government released the paper as a summary of the state's current tax system and tax reform options that have been suggested in the past.
Another idea put forward by the Government was an overhaul of payroll tax, which would see thresholds and rates reduced or abolished.
Premier Jay Weatherill said the ideas do not reflect the Government's intention in relation to tax reform, but could help people with public submissions on the changes.
"The State Government is open to radical reform to our state taxation system," he said.
"Nothing is out of bounds, be it taxes, levies or concessions.
"Our state taxation system offers the means to provide high-quality services that the South Australian community values and that make our state a great place to live and raise a family.
"But our state taxation system must also assist investment, create new opportunities and encourage business owners to employ more South Australians."
Liberals opposed to land tax
Opposition leader Steven Marshall said he did not support the idea of a land based tax on households.
"We will always advocate for cutting out waste and inefficiency in the State Government before pinching households in South Australia," he said.
"We will not, I absolutely repeat, we will not support Jay Weatherill's plan to put a $1,200 hit on the average family in South Australia."
But Robert Harding from the Housing Industry Association said the proposal could create a more efficient system and improve housing affordability.
"Any examination of taxation regime will have the effect of lowering the cost of the housing, so that people are more able to get in to the housing market, particularly those who are first home buyers," he said.
The South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS) said any tax system change needed to benefit the wider community, not just the business sector.
SACOSS senior policy officer Greg Ogle said fairness needed to be the priority.
"We want to make sure that community voices and the interests of vulnerable and disadvantaged people are actually reflected in the debate, and not just the business end of town and not just those who are able to muster the PR resources to dominate the debate," he said.
Business SA chief executive Nigel McBride said imposing a broad-based land tax would be a way to encourage economic growth.
"This is something that at least we can support in the interim to see if we can get the very best out of a bad system, which is the State Government having to tax areas of the economy to pay the bills," he said.
Tax reform was one key area outlined yesterday during the opening of the state parliamentary year.
Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis will meet with business, industry and advocacy groups, as well as community representatives in regional areas over the coming months to discuss the review.
The Government is calling for public submissions on the paper by April 10.
Topics: tax, government-and-politics, state-parliament, parliament, states-and-territories, adelaide-5000, sa, australia
First posted |
Protesters gather at an encampment a day after tribal leaders received a letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that told them the federal land would be closed to the public on Dec. 5, near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, Nov. 26, 2016.
Dakota Access oil pipeline protesters will not follow a government directive to leave the federal land where hundreds have camped for months, organizers said Saturday, despite state officials encouraging them to do so.
Standing Rock Sioux tribal leader Dave Archambault and other protest organizers confidently explained that they'll stay at the Oceti Sakowin camp and continue with nonviolent protests a day after Archambault received a letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that said all federal lands north of the Cannonball River will be closed to public access Dec. 5 for "safety concerns."
The Corps cited the oncoming winter and increasingly contentious clashes between police and protesters, who believe the pipeline could harm drinking water and Native American cultural sites.
Standing Rock tribal members believe the land in which the encampment is on is owned by the Sioux through a more than century-old treaty with the U.S. government.
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"We are wardens of this land. This is our land and they can't remove us," said protester Isaac Weston, who is an Oglala Sioux member from South Dakota. "We have every right to be here to protect our land and to protect our water."
The vast majority of the several hundred people fighting against the four-state, $3.8 billion pipeline have created a self-sustaining community at the sprawling camp, which is on Corps land in southern North Dakota, and have put up semi-permanent structures or brought motor homes and trailers in advance of the harsh winter.
On the unseasonably warm Saturday, people were chopping wood and setting up tents at the encampment, which is more than a mile from a Missouri River reservoir where the final large segment of the pipeline is yet to be completed due to the Corps consulting with the tribe. Authorities had set up a staging area about a mile away on a hill overlooking the site.
Dallas Goldtooth, a protest organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network, said it is "an atrocious example that colonization has not ended for us here as indigenous people," and that the government's request will escalate already rocky tensions.
Representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers didn't immediately return multiple messages Friday or Saturday seeking comment and verification of the letter. Last month, the Corps said it would not evict the encampment, which started as overflow from smaller private and permitted protest sites nearby and began growing in August.
President Barack Obama raised the possibility of rerouting the pipeline in that area earlier this month, something Kelcy Warren, CEO of Texas-based pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners, told The Associated Press is not an option from the company's standpoint. Obama said his administration is monitoring the "challenging situation" but would "let it play out for several more weeks."
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Some of the protests have resulted in violent confrontations — one woman suffered a serious arm injury last weekend — and more than 500 people have been arrested since August.
The Corps' letter, according to Archambault, said that those who stay on the land after Dec. 5 may be prosecuted, and that there'll be a free speech zone south of the river.
Archambault said Saturday that he doesn't believe the Corps will forcibly evict people from the camp, adding that the tribe is working to provide protesters protection from the elements on its reservation, which is south of the Cannonball River, but offered few details.
It's the federal government's job to peacefully close the camp because it allowed people to stay there in the first place, Gov. Jack Dalrymple said in a statement Saturday.
"Our state and local law enforcement agencies continue to do all they can to keep private property and public infrastructure free from unpermitted protest activities, and its past time that the federal government provides the law enforcement resources ... to enforce their own order to vacate," the Republican said.
That sentiment was echoed by Morton County Commission chairman Cody Schulz, who said county and state leaders have been seeking federal law enforcement help for months. "It's now time for the federal government to live up to its obligations" said Schulz.
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Attorney Michael Avenatti, who said he is representing several women and families in a sexual misconduct case against recording artist R. Kelly, said he recovered a videotape from the 1990s that appears to show Kelly engaged in various acts with underaged women and teens. (edited) (Published Friday, Feb. 22, 2019)
Republican U.S. Sen. John Hoeven and Democratic U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said the protesters need to move for public safety.
"The well-being and property of ranchers, farmers and everyone else living in the region should not be threatened by protesters who are willing to commit acts of violence," Hoeven said in a statement Friday. He also called on the Obama administration to let work on the pipeline move forward, saying, "this difficult situation has gone on too long and we need to get it resolved."
Heitkamp said the Corps' order is "a needed step to support the safety of residents, workers, protesters and law enforcement."
Copyright Associated Press |
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