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If the toxic effects of outsize spending in judicial elections were not already evident, the fiasco playing out in the Wisconsin Supreme Court should erase any doubt.
Last month, a special prosecutor, who is investigating whether Gov. Scott Walker committed campaign-finance violations in the run-up to his 2012 recall election, formally asked at least one — and possibly as many as four — of the state’s seven justices to step aside when the court hears the case in April.
The prosecutor, Francis Schmitz, appointed by five Wisconsin district attorneys, cited “ethical concerns” as the reason for the unusual request. More precise details are not available because most of the investigation, which has been on hold for more than a year, is under seal until any charges are filed. But reporting by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has confirmed that the recusal request involves large amounts of spending by three conservative nonprofit groups in support of the elections of four of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court justices.
Those three groups — the Wisconsin Club for Growth, Citizens for a Strong America, and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce — are at the center of the investigation looking into illegal coordination in fund-raising and spending between independent groups and Mr. Walker in 2011 and 2012. |
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Do you need information about walk in showers? Yes! you are on the right place, please read my advice below.
When it comes to talk about a house’s sanitation, the first thing that crosses over our mind is bathroom. Some people said that the whole quality of a house is determined by the looks of its bathroom. Others even said that your bathroom appearance will describe your personality. That’s why so many people give a large effort to make their bathroom looks as fabulous as the other parts of their house. Some people even remodel their old bathroom and turn them into new designed bathroom which has more elegant and luxurious look. Bathroom design is the most important factor that will determine the appearance of a bathroom, indeed. There are so many bathroom designs you could choose and apply it at your own house. Basically, the design of a bathroom could be divided into two main categories. They are conventional design and modern design. Conventional designs have more common appearance while the modern ones usually use new approaches and styles. One of these styles, which become so popular these days, is walk in showers. Find out more about this style below.
First thing you need to know about this kind of shower is its advantages. This shower provides you a wider space than normal showers. It also looks more elegant and will enhance the appearance of your bathroom. This shower offer you privacy and convenient in the same time. If you have a smaller bathroom, you still could apply this walk in showers at your bathroom since there are small sized of it. You could also adopt other style to make this shower looks more beautiful while enhance its function. You could create a spa bathroom shower using walk in baths and showers or a corner shower which suitable for your big sized bathroom. Based on its design, this shower could be divided into three main styles. The first style is using frames on your shower.
Walk In Baths And Showers
These frames usually made using steel or aluminum that held a thin glass. This style is very suitable if you have a limited budget. The second one is frame-less style which made from stronger glass material and not required a frame to hold it. This style has more elegant look even though it will cost you more. The last one is semi frame-less style, which basically is a combination of those two previous styles. The installation of this shower should notice some important thing. The most important thing to consider is where you would like to install it, on the wet room or on a shower tray. If you would like to placed it on the wet room, you’ll going to need a professional assistance since there are some technical factors that have to be considered such as tanking and sloping.
Walk In Tubs And Showers
Walk in tubs and showers are the other combination that you might want to choose, especially if you would like to have a bathtub in your bathroom or already have one. Besides the glass pane, you also have to notice other parts of this shower such as the floor tiles, wall tiles, its lighting and windows. The most important factor of floor and wall tiles is its color. Choose a pastel or bright colors to give you a soothing and relaxing experience. You could put a small window also to give a natural lighting without ruin your privacy. Always consult with your plumber experts for any useful advices and recommendations about the installation of this walk in showers.
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Christopher Wray has just been confirmed as the next FBI director in a 92-5 Senate vote, replacing James Comey and thrusting himself squarely in the middle of the investigation into the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 election.
But getting a bitterly divided Senate to confirm him was an easy challenge compared with what comes next. Wray will have to convince government officials — especially FBI employees — and the general public that he will be an independent-minded leader and not a Trump lackey.
He addressed this very issue during his confirmation hearing. "I think the relationship between any FBI director and any president needs to be a professional one, not a social one,” Wray said.
Still, he will face skepticism when he walks into FBI headquarters on his first day. As my Vox colleague Dara Lind explains:
Wray is a former Justice Department official. He ran the criminal division of the Department of Justice under George W. Bush, from 2003 to 2005. That means he has professional experience working with the FBI, though not experience working within it. FBI agents might see that as a crucial difference. They value their independence, which they feel is under attack from the White House. And they have reason not to trust that the Trump administration (and Trump family) is doing everything it can to help with the investigation.
So Wray has his work cut out for him: not only proving himself to his new colleagues, but also overseeing the Russia investigation, which reaches all the way to the White House’s power center. Yesterday, for example, the Washington Post reported that Trump dictated his son Donald Trump Jr.’s misleading response about the meeting he and other campaign officials had with a Kremlin-tied lawyer during the election.
It remains to be seen if Wray will be able to do the job — and for how long an anxious president will allow him to do it. One thing is for sure: Wray won’t want to meet the same fate Comey did.
Wray seems to disagree with Trump on a lot
One noteworthy thing about Wray is that he appears to disagree with many of the president’s views.
First — and most critically — he doesn’t believe special counsel Robert Mueller is on a witch hunt as he leads the Russia probe. “I do not consider Director Mueller to be on a witch hunt,” he told Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Wray also believes Russia acted in an adversarial manner toward the United States when it tried to influence the 2016 election. And he believes he and the president should not meet one on one unless there is an important national security matter to discuss. Finally, he’s not of the opinion that Comey is a “nut job,” as Trump described him back in May.
Throughout his hearing, Wray made a point to show that he is not Trump’s guy — just his pick. He even noted he would leave his post if he felt he were being asked to do something unethical by the president. “I would try to talk him out of it,” Wray said, if that kind of inquiry came in to him. “And if that failed, I would resign.”
But for now, Wray has the job. Many will be interested to see what he does with it — especially the president. |
If you have a rooted Android device then you can check it for the Carrier IQ rootkit right now. Trevor Eckhart, aka, TrevE over at xda-developers, the security researcher who exposed the whole Carrier IQ debacle, posted an .APK you can install yourself to test for logging services like CIQ. Trevor also has a paid ($1) version of the tool that can remove CIQ on certain devices but we can't recommend it after seeing a few reported issues in the related forums.
We ran the test on a Samsung Galaxy S II (GSM) running on the UK carrier Three. It came up clean (see image above), unsurprisingly given the custom Cyanogen ROM that we're using. Dutch site Tweakblogs has readers reporting back their findings and thus far, only a single device, the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab GT-P1000, returned a match for CIQ.
Back in the US, Jeffrey Nelson, of Verizon claims that Carrier IQ is not installed on Verizon phones. We'll be testing that claim soon enough. Meanwhile, let us know how your own testing goes in the comments below.
Update: A new app called Voodoo Carrier IQ Detector has been released to the Android Market that doesn't require root access. However, be aware of the author's disclaimer that the "results are not reliable yet" and it still generates "false positives." Regular updates are promised so it might make sense to bookmark this one, or install and set to auto-update while the developer works out the kinks. |
Editor’s note: I noticed that in the comments section of a previous blog there was another very nice comment on the election and the general state of things in Sweden. I have been unable to contact the author, but I am sure he won’t mind if give it a bit more exposure by posting a slightly edited version here.
Valiant Swede: It is not logical to open the door for millions of young Muslim men. Still this is going in all European countries, partly because of Jewish lobbying. The result has been that Jews cannot walk around with religious symbols, in cities like Malmo. In northern Europe Jewish religious clothing was extremely uncommon to see on the streets 30 years ago, but it is even rarer today. The Swedish Jewish community is not blaming ethnic Swedes for this persecution; they blame Muslim youth and partly the left wing communist establishment. In interesting thing is that parts of the media and politicians care less and less for Jewish sensitivities. On the other hand, they do care for the Muslim population, which is growing rapidly. The Social Democratic party did not travel to industrial cities and meet the workers. They traveled to immigrant ghettos, mostly Muslim.
Little more than a week ago, the paleo-conservative and cultural nationalist party “Sweden Democrats” (SD), was elected to parliament. Their main goal is to assimilate all immigrants and reduce immigration by 90 percent. Here in Sweden you are called a “Nazi” if you open your mouth and talk positively of assimilating immigrants. Our elite says that Swedish society must adapt to the immigrant culture and let it flourish alongside our own. But parts of the elite claim that Swedish culture does not exist, rather the Swedish culture is the sum of all the immigrant cultures. Swedish culture is just a social construction …. But on the other hand the same people claim that Kurdish, Islamic and African cultures exist and have distinctive characters.
Today, our elite are the most extreme in Europe when it comes to multiculturalism and mass immigration. All the media (even the state owned) are openly saying that they have a plan to stop the Sweden Democrats from further success. Sweden Democrats got 5.7 percent of the votes and are now a larger party then the Christian Democrats and the party of the left (Socialists). What is more important is that the success of the SD makes is impossible for the center-liberal alliance to rule the country without support from the Green Party (multiculturalists, hippie-liberals and radical Muslims). On other hand, the green-red Alliance (Green Party, Social Democrats and the Left Party) cannot rule the country either without support from Sweden Democrats, and the Center party and the People Party refuse to leave the center-Liberal Alliance. (Which is just called “The Alliance”?)
The election statistics show that if everything continues in the same path next election, the Christian Democrats and Center-Party would get less than four percent and be forced out from the parliament. This would mean that the conservative-liberal Moderate Party would be forced to work together with the Sweden Democrats, or they must give their hand to the Social Democrats and end 100 years of antagonism.
Yesterday, I heard the Sweden Democrats on the state-owned radio. The Sweden Democrat Member of Parliament and spokesman for “Cultural issues” really kicked some liberal butt. His debate partner, the general director for a Swedish-cultural heritage foundation, was in the end saved by the bell when the program ended.
This guy is the head of the largest Swedish cultural preserveation society, and yet he rejected money from the Sweden Democrats, calling them “Nazis” and claiming that Swedish culture does not exist — rather it is the sum of all immigrant cultures. When he was asked by the a Swedish Democrat MP if Kurdish culture exists and if it would be racist for them to preserve it, the General Director could not answer; instead he begun to shout and call this MP a Nazi pig. As always the journalist who moderated the session took the position of the general director.
This is pretty much how the elite debate with the Swedish Democrats. In every debate they take part in, the Sweden Democrats win. Even my very liberal-hippie friends agree with me that the mainstream politicians, journalists, academics and NGO-general directors lose all debates with the Swedish Democrats. Some of them try to say “Oh, how can you say that illegal aliens (who are called “paperless” by the elite) should not be eligible for free education and medical aid.” For most people, they would back down because they do not want to be called “heartless.” But the Sweden Democrats never do this; they never back down. They just smack down all arguments based on “stigmatization,” and they do it well — very well!
The Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland) now all have culturally conservative and nationalist parties in their parliaments. In Denmark the Danish People Party is cooperating with the government and immigration is dropping every year. In Denmark, half of the government with the support of the Danish Peoples Party, are now talking about abolishing all “hate-speech laws.” A couple of weeks ago, they began to discuss how they can stop all immigration from the Third World. This discussion is actually taking place in the media, and it’s a seriously open debate.
In Norway, the paleo-libertarian Progress Party is the second largest party in parliament and they are now moving to reduce immigration from the Third World. The debate in Norway is much more open and now they discuss even “Race and IQ” in the open. This discussion follows the release of statistics showing that 100 percent of all gang-rapes in Oslo were committed by Muslims and other Third World immigrants.
In Finland, where just 3 percent of the population consists of immigrants, five members of the True Finns were elected to Parliament in 2007, and politicians of all parties are partly in support of reducing immigration.
Of all European countries Sweden is the worst off, because here the elite is very aggressive and they do not back down, even if they lose votes, power and funding. This is why I think the Swedish Democrats will have 10 percent by the next election in 2014 and 20 percent by the election 2018. Sadly the clock is ticking very fast here.
Our political elite has opened the door for more then 100 000 immigrants per year (mostly from the Third World), and we only have a population of 9 million. Today, 20 percent of the population is immigrants or children of immigrants. Those children of immigrants are now having children, so we have a third generation of immigrants. They have many, many children. There is some natural assimilation among Christian and east-Asian immigrants. But in general, all kinds of “mixed-marriage” are unusual here.
This is partly because immigration is not dispersed over the entire country. It affects the largest cities, Stockholm, Malmo, Gothenburg and Uppsala, and most of our Third World immigrants live in ghetto-suburbs. They are not ghettos in the sense that they look like ghettos, rather the opposite. The state put in billions of kronor to build nice schools, soccer fields, libraries, swimming halls — the good life.
My parents live in an upper-middle-class area 10 km from one of those immigrant ghettos. Children there have nothing like the facilities that you find in the immigrant ghettos. But people here do buy alarms, have double locks, put up gates and surveillance cameras, and they have now a security company that protects their community. This is true in the four largest cities in Sweden. The middle class and young families—those who cannot pay almost one million dollars for a house—move an hour or two outside the cities. In Stockholm they move to the archipelagoes and buy old cabins that they make into a permanent home. This is the only way to escape the cities that now consist of Islands of “the Rich” and Islands of the “poor.”
This social democratic vision is long gone. People vote for more classical liberal policies because they refuse to pay for more social welfare and state-funded genital mutilations for Muslims and Black Africans. White people here keep to their own. The old European immigrants from Italy, Greece, Eastern Block and Spain also see our nation collapsing because of this growing Black-Muslim-Arab population. They (the European immigrants) are now joining the ranks of the Sweden Democrats.
Swedish society is breaking in the middle. The elite celebrated last week with a 4000-person demonstration against “racism,” mostly joined by radical Muslims, Third World immigrants and socialists after the election was over. The demonstration was partly funded by the largest newspapers. |
Who knew Russian President Vladimir Putin cared so much about embattled FIFA president Sepp Blatter?
Last night, in response to a reporter's question, Putin offered his views on the revelation that the US will prosecute a number of current and former FIFA officers for corruption. As a commentary on the prosecutions, his thoughts were utterly wrong: he claimed that there were no US citizens involved in the case (there are several), and that the alleged crimes had nothing to do with the US or its territory (they did).
But as a commentary on Putin's deepest, darkest fears about the United States, his response was quite illuminating. Putin believes the US uses its power covertly to interfere in foreign affairs, undermining unfriendly governments and then replacing them with more pliant leaders after they crumble.
That's what he thinks happened in Ukraine. That's what he thinks the US is trying to do to his regime in Russia. And apparently it's also what he thinks is behind the FIFA prosecution:
As we all know, on Friday FIFA was to elect its president, and Mr Blatter has every chance to be re-elected. We are aware of the pressure that was put on him to prevent the 2018 World Cup in Russia. We know of his views, which have nothing to do with any special relations between FIFA and Russia. [...] This is yet another obvious attempt to spread their jurisdiction to other states.I have no doubt that this is obviously an attempt to prevent Mr Blatter’s re-election to the post of FIFA President, which is a grave violation of the principles that international organisations function on.
Putin thinks the US has gone after FIFA now as part of a covert attempt to bring down its leader, Sepp Blatter. Who, wouldn't you know it, seems to Putin to be a friendly and right-thinking person who supported Russia's successful bid for the 2018 World Cup and has every right to remain in power.
To Putin, the FIFA prosecution is a new instance of the US aggression he fears
In reality, of course, this is a pretty outlandish interpretation of events. The FIFA corruption prosecution isn't some sort of political vendetta or crazy international overreach. Rather, it arose out of wrongdoing by a US citizen, Chuck Blazer, who failed to pay any US taxes from 2005 to 2010 and then agreed to provide evidence about other FIFA wrongdoing as part of a plea agreement.
The other defendants include US citizens and a US company, along with their foreign co-conspirators. CONCACAF, one of the main FIFA regional entities at issue in the case, has its administrative offices in the US. FIFA's decision to award Russia the World Cup isn't at issue in the indictment. And Blatter isn't among the FIFA officials charged.
But that's the point: Putin's fear of US aggression and interference is so deep that he sees it everywhere, regardless of whether that's actually reasonable. His answers were based on his general concerns about the United States, not on the specifics of the FIFA case.
Putin's fear of the US has had a deep impact on the way he governs Russia. Vladimir Ryzhkov, a Russian analyst and opposition politician, explained to me in a meeting several weeks ago that Putin fears the US will use "maidan technology" (i.e., popular protests engineered from outside) to bring down his regime. That fear, Ryzhkov said, is the cause of the severe crackdown on civil liberties and freedom of association that has taken place in Russia in recent years.
Of course, there are political benefits to seeing US plots everywhere: that frame allows Putin to blame the US for Russia's problems while he takes credit for its successes. But Putin isn't just chasing an advantageous narrative. He genuinely believes the US is trying to bring down his regime, as he believes it has already done in Ukraine.
When Russia had mass protests in 2011, Ryzhkov explained, Putin was "very much afraid" that they were an outside plot sponsored by the US. "He does not believe that people came to Bolotnaya and Sakharova [the main squares where protests were held in Moscow] voluntarily. He really believes they’ve been inspired, and maybe paid, by Americans." The next year, Ukraine's Euromaidan protest movement reinforced those fears — especially when Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland was photographed handing out cookies to the protesters.
When Putin looks at FIFA, he sees Russia. And when he looks at the prosecution, he sees a frightening vision of the future. |
Donald Trump didn't actually kick a baby out of a rally this week in Virginia, according to the eyewitness report of a journalist sitting nearby and the mother of the baby herself.
In a widely-circulated video that spurred headlines criticizing the GOP nominee, Trump was seen saying first that he loved the baby who had begun to cry during his rally, then just a minute later saying that the mother should "get the baby out of here."
"I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I'm speaking," Trump said.
But Daniel Dale, a reporter for the Toronto Star sitting behind the crying baby in question, said the mother was never asked to leave and that the entire episode was Trump's sense of humor being blown out of proportion.
The mother was already on her way out when Trump made his second statement.
"One minute later, though, the baby began to cry again. This time, the mother quickly decided to take the baby out of the room. Trump, looking in our direction, appeared to notice that she was on her way to the exit," Dale wrote.
"To my eyes, it certainly was not an ejection — it was an unusually barbed endorsement of the mother's own decision to depart," he continued.
He also noted that the mother and her child returned to their seats after a short time, with the baby quieted and sucking on a pacifier.
Byron York, the chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner, was also in the room, across the room in an area reserved for press.
"It was obvious, not just to reporters, but to everyone in the room, that Trump was treating the situation humorously," York said. "I've covered Trump rallies in 10 states and have seen a lot of people removed. This was not that."
The mother, Devan Ebert, also told the Washington Post that the situation did not play out as the media had reported.
"The media did in fact blow this entire situation out of proportion," she said. "I'm not looking to make it into anything bigger. All I'm hoping is that Trump personally is aware that I am in agreement with him and stand by the fact that I was never kicked out of the rally."
She said it was "blatantly obvious he was joking" when asking the baby to leave the rally. |
Bob Huntley wrestled with the limitations of the written recipe before founding his Houston-based software company called CulinApp. In the 1990s, Mr. Huntley had little time for cooking; he was busy building the network for Doom, the first international online gaming network. But after he sold that business and retired to a ranch outside the small town of Mason, Tex., with his pet longhorns and a T1 data line that Verizon built just for him, he tried teaching himself to cook from cookbooks and online recipes. It didn’t work.
“I struggled with getting the whole recipe downloaded into my head,” he said.
“I would read the whole thing through, but pieces kept falling off — I needed a buffer,” he said, using a term for large caches of downloaded data that make a program run smoothly. “I kept having to go back to the page, and the interface was so difficult to manage.”
Mr. Huntley was becoming restless in retirement around the time Apple’s iPad was coming on the market. Accustomed to inventing alternate realities, he developed ways of presenting recipes on a screen. These strategies can be disorienting at first, but make enormous sense. CulinApp’s first product was Baking With Dorie ($7.99), the lively app from Ms. Greenspan, which was released this year.
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Users can choose from four different ways of seeing each recipe. For novice cooks, a step-by-step view presents each recipe step in full screen, with a video of Ms. Greenspan doing what the text says (creaming butter and sugar together, for example, for her All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake). Mr. Huntley also developed CulinView, a nonverbal way for a more confident cook to follow a recipe. After ingredients are measured and the oven heated, the rest of the process is shown in a flow chart, illustrated with bright images of mixers, whisks, ovens and ingredients. With arrows and color-coding, it sketches out the process for the more confident cook who already knows how to cream butter and sugar, say, but needs to be reminded what to do with the chopped apple and grated fresh ginger. SpinView puts the whole recipe on one page, with the option of scrolling through the steps. Finally, for the traditionalists, there is the Cookbook view, formatted in the old-fashioned way.
Mr. Huntley is not the only designer thinking about new ways to represent recipes in visual form.
“We are completely breaking these texts down to their data-rich components,” said Mark Douglas, a partner in Culinate, a food technology company in Portland, Ore., that produces the app for “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman, the New York Times writer. “Then, we put them back together to make an app that feels the same, but better.”
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Last year, Caz Hildebrand, a cookbook designer, and Jacob Kenedy, a chef, published a cookbook that didn’t look anything like a modern example of the genre. Their book, “The Geometry of Pasta,” illustrated entirely in crisp black and white, with all pasta shapes drawn true to size, met Ms. Hildebrand’s goal of designing a visually informative cookbook without any photographs. “People know what a bowl of pasta looks like, or a lump of Parmesan, or they can imagine it,” she said. “I wanted to do something new and enticing.” The recipes she is designing for the book’s app will add motion to the mix, with animated line drawings. Pasta butterflies flutter into boiling water, the word “Parmesan” is itself grated into a bowl, and the word “prosciutto” is sliced into slivers.
Many developers say that recipe animation, either employing stop-frame photography, line drawings or infographics, is the future of digital cooking instruction. Video, on the other hand, while it can be valuable for bringing a personality into the kitchen, has several drawbacks. It is expensive to produce, and eats up precious memory. Because there is so much video in Baking With Dorie, its mere 24 recipes pushed the app to the maximum data size allowed by Apple in the iTunes store. In contrast, the app for “How to Cook Everything,” illustrated only with line drawings, holds 2,000 recipes.
Cookbooks have long offered their own kind of enriched content, in the form of scribbles left in the margins by cooks who found they liked a little extra cinnamon, or a higher oven temperature. As it turns out, there’s an app for that, too.
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Since the 1970s, arriving students at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., have been issued essential tools of the profession: chef’s whites, a set of knives and several heavy cookbooks. As of next June, they will also need a tablet loaded with the institution’s new app, The Professional Chef, a complete digital edition of the basic textbook the institute has published since 1962. In addition to reference materials and video, the app brings in networking ability and social media.
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Each student user is assigned a virtual notebook, used for jotting notes and questions. (Currently, this function is served by food-stained index cards on which the students rewrite each recipe.) Within the app, class members are linked together through the institute’s wireless network and can read one another’s notebooks — as can their instructor. The goal is for students and faculty members to use the app as a substantive, interactive, 24/7 teaching tool, said Brad Barnes, the school’s head of culinary education.
Nonstudents who buy the app can link to other users, too. (At $49.99, it is by far the most expensive cooking app in the iTunes store; it has nonetheless stayed in the top 10 in its category since it went on sale last month.)
Nick Ahrens, a fresh-faced recent graduate who helped develop the app, was using it on the school’s campus last week to practice vegetable cuts, zooming in to compare his julienne carrots to the ones on the screen. Behind him, a current student, Alexis Lockwood, was feeding a wide ribbon of pasta dough through a roller, adroitly using one hand to hold it and the other to back up the video on her iPad, until the pasta maker’s handle fell off.
“There’s only so much you can get from process shots,” Mr. Ahrens said smoothly, referring to the step-by-step photography that, in a book, provides the most detailed representation possible of a recipe. “You can’t hear the onions sizzling in the pan, or how to move your knife through a salmon fillet, or see how to put your pasta machine back together in a book.” |
CBS Interactive
It seems that Apple is retail's Botox.
The minute an Apple store appears in a shopping mall -- or, say, a vast famous New York railway station -- somehow the area becomes prettier and more devastatingly young.
The Next Web reports that Apple is continually offered ludicrously favorable incentives just to be the next shiny dance partner for a city or a shopping mall.
Apparently, authorities in Grand Central Terminal and Salt Lake City didn't bother with annoying complexities as some (or any) rent or share of profit in order to encourage Cupertino to erect a little more glass, white and silver in their vicinities.
ABC News suggests that the Utah city offered 5 years free rent.
This follows from a New York Post report that Apple is only paying $60 per square foot at its new store in Grand Central Station -- as opposed to a restaurant that has to pay $200. Apple isn't even reportedly required to share any of its profits, as are almost all other stores there.
To many, this will seem like obvious business sense. Apple stores are constantly crowded with people who have the virtue of still possessing money -- or those simply keen on making dancing videos.
It's an interesting logic, though, that attracting Apple customers to an area will automatically make the local Ann Taylor or Benihana suddenly more attractive. It's surely more true that once an Apple store arrives, other more sexy establishments might follow.
However, to compare an Apple store with a restaurant is a little odd. There's one slightly significant difference between the two: restaurants tend to go bust rather more often than Apple stores. Some estimate that 27 percent of restaurants go down in the first year. Apple stores, on the other hand, don't seem to disappear as often.
If you really want to understand the truths of the restaurant business, there is no finer -- and more salty-tongued -- recent book than "Restaurant Man," written by Mario Batali's business partner, Joe Bastianich. This is a business that fights for margin past every piece of expensive linen and supplier fraud.
There again, surely Apple also chooses locations where it feels its stores will be able to beam with pride. It's not as if Grand Central, for example, is an entirely ugly (or cheap) location.
Indeed, only the other day I stumbled somewhat blindly into a Grand Central tapas restaurant called La Fonda Del Sol.
The wine was good and I was in the mood for a paella. I should have looked a little more carefully. When the check came, the paella was $68.
Of course, any retail area enjoys having an Apple store in its midst. But Apple stores also choose to be in places where ready cash is a-jangling.
Many might remember one of Steve Jobs' final presentations -- to Cupertino City Council. He was talking them into Apple's new alleged spaceship HQ.
During the presentation, one of the council members wondered why there wasn't an Apple store in Cupertino (other than on Apple's campus).
Jobs replied very politely: "The problem with putting an Apple store in Cupertino is that there just isn't the traffic." |
The White House has reviewed a proposal to outsource the job of training and assisting Afghan forces to private contractors, said Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm formerly called Blackwater.
In several recent op-eds, the Blackwater founder suggested “restructuring” America’s presence in Afghanistan by replacing US troops training and assisting Afghan security units with private contractors on a long-term basis.
Prince’s new security company, Frontier Services Group, will bid for the government contract should the Trump administration take up his Afghanistan proposal, he told C-SPAN on Friday.
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“I was asked by the folks at the White House to elaborate on the op-ed I wrote to the Wall Street Journal,” Prince said. He did not say whether the White House gave him an answer.
Having fought the US for over 15 years, “the Taliban now are at their best,” Prince told C-SPAN. America’s conventional army is losing to guys “in pickup trucks and flip-flops,” he added.
In March, Prince offered Kabul to hire a private air-force to back the local army’s operations, the Military Times reported last week. Prince’s plan included providing “high speed response” as well as close-air support for Afghanistan’s army fighting the Taliban. The private air force’s fixed-wing planes, attack helicopters and drones would be flown by hired pilots, but “weapons release decisions will still be made by Afghans,” according to the newspaper.
Some of the people who called in to ask questions during the interview blasted Prince for pitching mercenaries to fight the war in Afghanistan.
“I don’t want to send my money to Mr. Prince or anyone like him,” said one caller.
Blackwater rose to infamy in September 2007, after its operatives gunned down 17 Iraqi civilians, including a 9-year-old boy, in Baghdad’s Nisour Square.
In 2010, the private security firm reached an agreement with the State Department to pay $42 million in fines for hundreds of violations of US export control regulations. The violations included illegal weapons exports to Afghanistan, making unauthorized proposals to train troops in south Sudan, and providing sniper training for Taiwanese police officers, the New York Times reported. They have since rebranded as Academi, while Prince went on to establish Frontier Services Group in Hong Kong.
READ MORE: US govt spends $76bn to arm & equip Afghan forces - new report
The US-backed government controls about 60 percent of the country, down from 65 percent the same time last year, according to the US military headquarters in Kabul. Meanwhile, the Taliban is gaining ground. Last week, militants gained control of a key area in Afghanistan’s north Sari Pul province.
As of 2016, the Pentagon had around 26,000 private contractors in Afghanistan, about half of whom were assigned to logistics and maintenance duties, according to the US Department of Defense. The US currently has around 9,000 troops deployed in the country, on a mission to train and assist Afghan forces.
President Donald Trump reportedly lashed out at top US military officials in a July meeting for “losing” in Afghanistan and questioned whether America’s longest war is still worth fighting.
“We are not winning in Afghanistan right now,” Defense Secretary James Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee in June.
Mattis promised to deliver an updated strategy by mid-July, but the decision-making appears to have stalled.
This week, committee chairman Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) blasted Trump over the lack of Afghanistan strategy and offered his own plan for the Senate to vote on. It involves more troops, more bombing and an enduring US presence in the country. |
Rob Dawson reflects on Mourinho revealing Paul Pogba will be out for an extended period of time due to his injury.
MANCHESTER -- Jose Mourinho has said he considers Paul Pogba to be a "long-term" injury absentee for Manchester United along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo.
Pogba has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury and will sit out Crystal Palace's visit to Old Trafford on Saturday.
Sources have told ESPN FC that the France international could now be ruled out until November.
And speaking at his weekly news conference at Carrington on Friday, Mourinho said: "It's not an injury that I can have the hope I have with [Antonio] Valencia or [Phil] Jones. I have the hope to see them in training.
"Long-term injuries, I don't speak about them. Ibra, Pogba, Rojo, I don't think about these players."
Valencia, Jones, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick also missed the 4-1 Champions League win over CSKA Moscow on Wednesday, while Anthony Martial was forced off in the second half.
Manchester United Manchester United Crystal Palace Crystal Palace 4 0 FT Game Details GameCast
Lineups and Stats
United were due to train on Friday afternoon and Mourinho hopes he will have some of them back to face Palace, although Carrick is certain to miss out.
He added: "We have to train and make decisions after training, but I hope some of the players who couldn't play in Moscow, maybe not all of them, but some of them [will be back].
"Some will be out. From all the injuries we had, I hope that I can have some players available."
United face a Palace side who have not won a point or scored a goal in the Premier League this season, but Mourinho warned: "The mentality is very important because we played Wednesday night and we arrived in Manchester at 4 a.m. so home 5 a.m. and we have to play on Saturday, so mentality is very important."
Rob is ESPN FC's Manchester United correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @RobDawsonESPN. |
For about 20 years, the EU has been a constructive leader in climate negotiations: benefitting from a growing economy, and support from public opinion. However, in the last few years, the EU’s leadership has been declining due to a series of internal and external factors.
On the one hand, the Union’s eastern enlargement has increased internal divisions among member states. Countries like Poland, which heavily rely on coal for their energy supply, fear additional regulations, and traditional leaders, such as Germany, are taking a step back in the context of an ongoing economic crisis.
On the other hand, China and the US have become more proactive in negotiations and are also in the lead for wind energy production and investments in renewable energy.
The EU has largely lost its ability to lead by example. The 2030 framework for climate and energy policies agreed last October, was criticised by NGOs for its lack of ambition.
Although the 40 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 was generally welcomed, the non-binding targets for energy efficiency and the shy 7 percent increase in share of renewables over 10 years was considered too weak.
Simultaneously, concerns about the influence of fossil fuel and other industrial lobbies on EU decision-making processes raise questions about the EU’s willingness to lead.
Among the latest victims are the Fuel Quality Directive whose ambitions were reduced in the context of the 'CETA/TTIP' negotiations with North American countries, and the 2030 European renewable energy targets that were weakened following intensive lobbying by oil and gas giant, Shell.
Calendar records show that some European Commissioners have dedicated a considerable amount of their time to business lobbyists.
Around 83 percent of the meetings of climate commissioner Miguel Canete, and 70 Canete of Maros Sefcovic’s, commission vice-president for the Energy Union, were with businesses, mostly representing heavy industry and fossil fuels.
Knowing that, according to International Monetary Fund estimates, the EU is collectively allowing $330 billion in subsidies to fossil fuels annually, one could question the EU’s ability to lead a climate transition.
If it wants to come out of the climate crisis with a prosperous, socially, and ecologically sound society, the EU must speed up the pace of its transition and review its priorities.
Immoral
Defending fossil fuels is immoral and goes against the human rights so dear to Europeans’ hearts. The EU cannot be a genuine leader in climate negotiations while at the same time supporting destructive practices that will affect billions of lives.
This is why the EU needs a new climate narrative.
Europe could win big by reinvesting in its ability to lead by example. Given the austere economic context, it is unlikely that it will be able to lead by using carrots and sticks as it used to do in the past.
Instead, a less costly option would be to reaffirm its role as a normative power. Endorsing fossil fuel divestment and taking measures in that direction could help it achieve this objective.
The demands of the fossil fuel divestment movement are rooted in scientific evidence.
A recent article published in Nature, claims that 80 percent of coal, 50 percent of gas and one third of all oil reserves must remain in the ground if we are to stay within the 2°C maximum temperature rise.
Given the current rate of emissions, this “carbon budget” will be exhausted within 25 years.
Phasing out of fossil fuels is a necessity. By publicly endorsing fossil fuel divestment and reorienting its incentives and subsidies the EU could gain the trust of other nations, particularly the most vulnerable ones. This could ultimately contribute to the enhancement of the Union’s bargaining power in climate negotiations.
This is not just idealism.
In 2013, Connie Hedegaard, then EU climate commissioner, pleaded for the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to lead the way in eliminating public finance support for fossil fuels.
Numerous world leaders and organisations including the UN's Ban Ki Moon, South Africa's Desmond Tutu, and French president Francois Hollande have publicly supported divestment.
Economic rationale
There is also a strong economic rationale for this.
Fossil fuel companies are currently overrated as their value on financial markets does not appropriately account for the risks of their assets being stranded.
Future climate regulations are likely to impact on the financial value of these companies, which will in turn affect all those who have invested money in them.
A study by the European Green Party found that European pension funds, insurance companies and banks have invested more than €1 trillion in fossil fuels.
In a low carbon breakthrough scenario, these institutions are likely to lose between €350 billion and €400 billion.
A much higher figure is expected if action is further delayed. In June, Shell’s former chairman said that moving money away from fossil fuel companies is a rational response to slow progress on climate change.
Besides, low-carbon energy products are amongst the most dynamic growth sectors. Reorienting subsidies to support transition towards low carbon technologies, energy efficiency, and renewable energy is a reasonable option.
Leading by example has worked in the past.
ETS
The 2005 Emissions Trading System is probably one of the best examples of successful spill over. It has also been argued that the EU’s leading role in climate action was crucial in creating momentum for other countries to act elsewhere.
In the current context of austerity, with an almost unconditional focus on growth and competitiveness, the EU is missing a major opportunity.
The EU should phase out fossil energy. It is of course only part of a solution that requires much broader changes.
This might sound too idealistic, but aren’t youngsters allowed to dream?
Charlotte Flechet is an environment policies worker and an activist for the Global Call for Climate Action campaign |
Over two days authorities apprehended 12 people in an operation aiming "to curtail the current epidemic" of spice use, a Mobile Police Department spokeswoman said.
On Thursday and Friday officers served 13 search warrants throughout the city, police spokeswoman Ashley Rains said. Authorities dubbed the operation Spice R.A.I.D.S (Reduction Awareness Interdiction Deterrence Strategy).
According to police, eight of the arrested suspects face spice-related charges. Five faced counts of possession of spice while three faced charges of distributing the substance.
One of the suspects named by authorities could not be found in Mobile County Metro Jail records. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.
During the operation police seized three pounds of "homemade spice and approximately 150 packs of prepackaged spice," Rains said.
Officers also seized three handguns along with small amounts of marijuana, crack cocaine and methamphetamine, she said.
Investigators released the following list of locations searched:
Unidentified block of Owens Street
Unidentified block of LeCren Street
500 block of Government Street
600 block of Graham Avenue
200 block Columbia Street
150 block of Columbia Street
2800 block of Frederick Street
100 block of Hemley Avenue
800 block of Navco Road
1000 block of Cherokee Street
7100 block of 10th Street
7200 block of 11th Street
7100 block of 2nd Street
Officers with MPD's Narcotics Unit, the Mobile County Street Enforcement Narcotics Teams' Drug Task Force and Tactical Intelligence Detail conducted the raids with help from MPD's Community Services Division and Community Based Response Accountability (CoBRA) Detail.
According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, Mobile County emergency rooms have seen at least 250 people suffering from spice-related health complications. The number placed Mobile among the hardest hit by spice in the state. |
More evidence turned up this week indicating that climate change impacts are already underway—this time in rainfall patterns. It's pretty hard to clearly link climate change to individual droughts, like the summer of 2012 in the United States, or specific storms, like Hurricane Haiyan that devastated the Philippines last week. These events are driven by a complex set of factors, including natural variations. But new research that tracked a broad look at precipitation patterns found that they have already shifted beyond the bounds of natural variations.
Typically, precipitation change is the afterthought in climate predictions—temperatures increases are carefully projected by models, but precipitation patterns are more complex and subject to more natural variation. We know things will change, but we're not sure exactly how—that seems to be the general answer to important questions about storm frequency and droughts.
To study these complex patterns on a global scale, scientists first needed to smooth the noise of natural variation from the data while holding on to the key patterns. This required some rather involved statistics.
A team of scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory used winter precipitation data from 1979-2012 and compared it to the precipitation shifts predicted by climate change models. They focused on two variables. The first is a phenomenon they call the thermodynamic changes—basically an intensification of the existing hydrogeological cycle, where increasing temperatures cause dry regions to get drier and wet regions to get wetter. The second factor they looked at was what they call dynamic changes, which involve the shifting of major circulation patterns towards the north and south poles. Basically, as the globe gets warmer, the tropics expand in both directions from the equator.
The variability in both of these metrics can be quite high, but these natural variations have a key feature: they don't occur in sync. In other words, if tropical weather patterns expand a bit northward one year, it shouldn't increase the odds of an intensified water cycle. By analyzing the two together, the researchers showed that external forces (mostly greenhouse gases and ozone depletion) are pushing both variables beyond their normal range at the same time.
This the first study to show that globally, precipitation has begun to shift in the ways that climate models predict, which seems like bad news, given that the predictions mean more severe droughts and intensified storms. But there is some good news. When it comes to the impact of ozone levels on precipitation, human actions, such as banning chemicals or reducing emissions, can have a meaningful impact on the pace of the planet's change.
PNAS, November 2013 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1314382110 |
Alexa Fleckenstein, M.D., author of Health 2 O, has a few things to say about cold showers. Within the book, she writes:
“Cold water can do more than just wash away sweat, dirt, old skin cells, bacteria, and viruses:
What a Cold Shower Can Do For You
Enhance immunity against infections and cancer Give your glands (thyroid, adrenals, ovaries/testes) a boost, improving hormonal activity Jump-start your mood and motivation Crank up your metabolism to fight type 2 diabetes, obesity, gout, rheumatic diseases, depression, and more Normalize your blood pressure Decrease chronic pain Train and improve your blood circulation Detoxify your body Fight fatigue Strengthen exhausted, irritable nerves Rejuvenate, heal, and tone the skin Deepen your breathing Help with insomnia Improve kidney function Reduce swelling and edema Improve lymphatic circulation, thereby increasing immune function Reduce stress by regulating your autonomic nervous system Regulate temperature, fighting chronically cold hands and cold feet and excessive sweating Keep your hair healthy Improve hemorrhoids and varicose veins Reduce aches and pains”
Just thought you’d like to know. |
The DoJ has released details of Orlando shooter Omar Mateen’s conversations with 911 operators and negotiators. The transcripts were originally redacted to omit his references to Islamic State and only a short portion of the contents have been released.
Mateen killed 49 and wounded 53 people at Pulse, a gay night club, on June 12. He made two 911 calls during the attack, and received one call back.
According to the first FBI’s release, Mateen began his first 911 call with an Arabic greeting, before saying he was the shooter and pledging allegiance to [omitted].
The release goes on to detail a summary of the three crisis calls made. Mateen told the negotiator to stop bombing Syria and Iraq and said “There is some vehicle outside that has some bombs, just to let you know. You people are going to die and I’m gonna ignite it if they try to do anything stupid.”
The negotiations covered 28 minutes of calls, Orlando Police Chief John Mina said. It’s important to keep the person talking in hostage situation, he added.
READ MORE: Mass shooting at Orlando gay nightclub
After receiving much ridicule on social media for the decision to redact the transcripts, the Justice Department relented Monday afternoon and released the unredacted version.
The updated release contains Mateen's allegiance to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. However, it fails to reveal any new information that had not previously been covered in the media.
“The purpose of releasing the partial transcript of the shooter's interaction with 911 operators was to provide transparency, while remaining sensitive to the interests of the surviving victims, their families, and the integrity of the ongoing investigation,” the DoJ said in a statement. “We also did not want to provide the killer or terrorist organizations with a publicity platform for hateful propaganda.”
“Unfortunately, the unreleased portions of the transcript that named the terrorist organizations and leaders have caused an unnecessary distraction from the hard work that the FBI and our law enforcement partners have been doing to investigate this heinous crime," the statement continued.
The decision to release contents of the 911 calls comes after a number of media organizations pushed for the release.
The calls from both Mateen and people inside of Pulse nightclub “were very vital,” Mina said. “That’s how we got information about explosives.”
Police also answered questions about the delay between their arrival and entering the nightclub.
“Our SWAT team responded and set up for all situations,” Mina said. He refused to go into all of the team’s tactics, but noted that for an explosive entry, “those things take time.”
Mina also addressed the question of whether any victims were shot by officers.
“Those killings are on the suspect and on the suspect alone, in my mind,” he said.
AG Loretta Lynch on redacting #ISIS pledge: "we are not going to further his propaganda" https://t.co/GAlYlRz7QUpic.twitter.com/tpYuElWhqC — RT America (@RT_America) June 20, 2016
Speaking to NBC's Chuck Todd on Sunday, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said, “What we're not going to do is further proclaim this man's pledges of allegiance to terrorist groups, and further his propaganda. We are not going to hear him make his assertions of allegiance [to Islamic State]."
Lynch said the release will “begin to capture the back and forth between him and the negotiators, we’re trying to get as much information about this investigation out as possible.”
READ MORE: Orlando killer searched for Facebook updates during rampage, ranted about 'filthy ways of the West'
While President Barack Obama has maintained that the shooter was “self-radicalized” and an example of “homegrown extremism” and others have pointed to Mateen’s struggles with his sexuality as a likely motive for the massacre, Donald Trump and elements of the right have insisted that Mateen’s shooting was part of an IS terror plot, and a clear cut case of “radical Islamic terrorism,” despite a lack of evidence linking Mateen to IS.
The partial release backs up the narrative pushed by the FBI, which has received criticism for failing to prevent Mateen from committing the massacre. Mateen was under investigation by the FBI on two separate occasions before he carried out the attack.
Release of 911 transcripts comes amid revelations of FBI's prior attempts to entrap Mateen https://t.co/GAlYlRz7QUpic.twitter.com/851ic6FUKK — RT America (@RT_America) June 20, 2016
New evidence has come to light which reveals the FBI attempted to entrap Mateen with an informant during the course of its investigation. This is a common tactic employed by the FBI to capture terrorists. It has been criticized for creating terrorists rather than preventing terrorism.
READ MORE: ‘Majority of terrorist attacks in US initiated by FBI, not terrorists’
In Mateen’s case an informant was placed at a St Lucie County Courthouse where he worked for security firm G4S, after complaints were made about comments he had made there. The FBI launched an investigation into Mateen. The informant failed to “lure Omar into some kind of act,” Sheriff Ken Mascara said Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference, FBI Director James Comey described the investigation into Mateen as involving “introducing confidential sources to him.”
READ MORE: FBI calls Orlando massacre both hate crime & terrorism
The conversations between Mateen and the FBI informants could reveal more about his motives than the 911 calls. It is unknown whether conversations with alleged extremists could have radicalized Mateen, or whether the informants knew of Mateen’s issues with his sexuality.
“We’re looking into any potential motive, we’re not just looking at one motive,” Ron Hopper, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Tampa field office, told reporters. The FBI is asking for anybody and everybody who had contact with Mateen to come forward. |
In part 0 I discussed initial installation and configuration. Now it’s time to get into the code. The things I am going to do in this post are:
Understanding the concept of Project and Apps in Django world.
Creation of App.
Using templates to create home page.
Projects vs Apps
Django offers a very useful modular approach of creating web applications. Unlike other frameworks like PHP Laravel or Rails, Django let you create multiple apps under a project. This idea might look alien to those coming from the background of other frameworks where a project == app and you need to rely on routes etc to divide functionality. Let me take example of my own website.
If you look at it, it contains a few static pages like Profile, Services, Testimonials etc and a couple of dynamic sections: Blog and Projects. If you are working on Rails or Laravel, you might come up with a group route to group relevant routes. This might work for task but what if you want to add a blog in another project, now you have no choice other than copy pasting code and manage accordingly, pretty boring right? Django will provide you following solution:
I can now plug in as many apps as I want under a single Project (e.g: My Home Page) and Django will itself take care of the respective URLs of the app under a project. It is not necessary that you can only add your own app, you can incorporate any 3rd party app within your project and use it on your own.
App Creation
It’s time to create the app. I will name this app as tracker. Go to your newly created project folder, in my case ohbugztracker and run the following command:
./manage.py startapp tracker 1 . / manage . py startapp tracker
Once it’s run it will create a new folder tracker and now your project directory will look like this:
You can things like migrations , admin.py , models.py and views.py .
The app is created but Django is still not aware of it, you will need to perform a couple of actions now. First, go to settings.py file and under INSTALLED_APPS section add your app entry for installation purpose. It will then look like this:
settings.py INSTALLED_APPS = [ 'django.contrib.admin', 'django.contrib.auth', 'django.contrib.contenttypes', 'django.contrib.sessions', 'django.contrib.messages', 'django.contrib.staticfiles', 'tracker', ] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 INSTALLED_APPS = [ 'django.contrib.admin' , 'django.contrib.auth' , 'django.contrib.contenttypes' , 'django.contrib.sessions' , 'django.contrib.messages' , 'django.contrib.staticfiles' , 'tracker' , ]
And creation of urls.py file under tracker app folder.
tracker/urls.py from django.conf.urls import url from . import views urlpatterns = [ url('^$', views.index, name='index') ] 1 2 3 4 5 6 from django . conf . urls import url from . import views urlpatterns = [ url ( '^$' , views . index , name = 'index' ) ]
Don’t get scared as I will be explaining what does it all mean.
OK so I installed my newly created app by adding into INSTALLED_APPS list and created urls.py . Let’s run the server and see how it goes. I run the server by running ./manage.py runserver and now visit: http://127.0.0.1:8000/tracker
Ouch! what’s that! Why am I seeing this! Wait! I forgot one thing. I did create urls.py under tracker folder but I did not add entry of it in main urls.py . No worries, there’s always a second chance. Go to main urls.py , in my case in ohbugztracker\urls.py
urls.py from django.conf.urls import url, include from django.contrib import admin urlpatterns = [ url(r'^admin/', admin.site.urls), url(r'^tracker/$', include('tracker.urls')), ] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 from django . conf . urls import url , include from django . contrib import admin urlpatterns = [ url ( r '^admin/' , admin . site . urls ) , url ( r '^tracker/$' , include ( 'tracker.urls' ) ) , ]
here I imported include first and then add the entry. It should work, right? Wrong! because now server is not starting and giving error:
1 2 url ( '^tracker/$' , views . index , name = 'index' ) AttributeError : module 'tracker.views' has no attribute 'index'
Fair enough as I have not added index method in views.py . Before I do it, let me exaplain what is happening.
As I mentioned in the diagram above, Django lets you add multiple apps under a project or I say under a domain(example.com). When you do something like:
urls.py url(r'^tracker/$', include('tracker.urls')), 1 url ( r '^tracker/$' , include ( 'tracker.urls' ) ) ,
You are telling server that when someone visits a URL http://127.0.0.1:8000/tracker, Django will try to match possible pattern, if found, it will include respective app.urls file. In our case it is tracker.urls.
If you notice, Django let you use RegEx to define your URLs pattern. Now let’s try again
Now open views.py file and add the following:
views.py from django.shortcuts import render from django.http import HttpResponse def index(request): return HttpResponse('<h1>I am the root of Tracker App<h1>') 1 2 3 4 5 6 from django . shortcuts import render from django . http import HttpResponse def index ( request ) : return HttpResponse ( '<h1>I am the root of Tracker App<h1>' )
Here I imported HttpResponse and add a view method index which is responded a string in return. If you are a Laravel, Rails or any other MVC user, you might be surprised that why is it being called a View rather than a Controller. Here is a good explaination that Django is not an MVC framework but an MTV (Model Template View) framework. Now try again and you should see something like:
Cool! so we created and installed our new Django App and created a view method which displays text on visiting the application URL.
Before I move further, I will make a small change in my route file. Usually each app has it’s own unique url prefix, tracker in our case which helps to differentiate from other installed apps. Since there is only one app in our case, I will make a change in main urls.py file. Go to main urls.py and change the following from:
url(r'^tracker/$', include('tracker.urls')), 1 url ( r '^tracker/$' , include ( 'tracker.urls' ) ) ,
to
url(r'^$', include('tracker.urls')), 1 url ( r '^$' , include ( 'tracker.urls' ) ) ,
What actually I did, instead of making one to visit http://127.0.0.1:8000/tracker to visit the only app, I just made it available on root URL. So now when I go to http://127.0.0.1:8000/ I will be seeing same page as you see above. Much better, right?
Tired, No? Good! Now just move to next step and integrate the markup of home page in our app.
Templates in Django
Like other web framework Django provides facility of Templates which not only helps to organize the presentation layer but also to avoid redundancy of the markup. I will discuss it further in next part, for the time being just bring our required HTML in the app.
First off, add the templates folder under your app folder tracker . Why templates folder? Well I just set this in main settings.py under TEMPLATES DIRS key.
settings.py TEMPLATES = [ { 'BACKEND': 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates', 'DIRS': [os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'templates')] , 'APP_DIRS': True, 'OPTIONS': { 'context_processors': [ 'django.template.context_processors.debug', 'django.template.context_processors.request', 'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth', 'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages', ], }, }, ] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 TEMPLATES = [ { 'BACKEND' : 'django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates' , 'DIRS' : [ os.path . join ( BASE_DIR , 'templates' ) ] , 'APP_DIRS' : True , 'OPTIONS' : { 'context_processors' : [ 'django.template.context_processors.debug' , 'django.template.context_processors.request' , 'django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth' , 'django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages' , ] , } , } , ]
If you want, you may change it, I will go with the convention suggested by Django. Now go to templates folder and add another folder, named as layouts and add a file master.html in newly created layouts folder. In this file I am just dumping all the markup of HomePage of my application.
In next step add another html file under templates folder and call it index.html and add the following line in it. Don’t worry I will explain it later in detail. Your folder structure should look like this:
1 { % extends "layouts/master.html" % }
Go to views.py file and make following changes:
from django.shortcuts import render def index(request): return render(request, 'index.html') 1 2 3 4 from django . shortcuts import render def index ( request ) : return render ( request , 'index.html' )
Now I am using render method which accept request as first parameter and template file as a second parameter. If all goes well, you should be able to see the following:
In case you wonder why this all looking quite stylish, the reason is I am calling bootstrap from the CDN and since my own css files are not included it is just showing everything out of proportion at the moment. Later I will be calling all css/js files from local machine. I will be covering it in next post.
The Github repo has been updated for this project |
The reason why Masaki cried in the H!P concert
The reason why Masaki cried in the H!P concert has been unvieled. Credits to 910 Percent!
Sato Masaki did high five with Chisato on “Iza Susume Steady Go” on Hello concert every time.
But staff told Masaki to stop it because it bother others’s performance.
Masaki was so shocked and cried.
After the suggestion, Masaki told it to Mai and cried in Mai’s arms.
(Maimi saw Masaki searching Mai. where is Hagiwara-san )
Mai: I noticed something troubles happened around her.
But I think Morning Musume should solve the trouble. I should not say anything.
But, just before their performance, she was still crying.
So I asked her.
And I just said : I see. but you can do high five with Okai-chan anytime.
And,
Listen to me, you must stop crying before standing on the stage.
But Masaki didn’t stop crying on the stage too.
After the performance, Oda-chan seemed to say.
“Sato-san, your song and face were terrible this time”
Masaki frustrated the words so much because she was elder generation than Sakura. So she cried again. |
News recently broke that Sony and Tristar Pictures are teaming up to make a dramatized biography film about Vince McMahon, the man behind pro wrestling’s rise to pop-culture relevance in the 1980s and beyond (and still going strong today). The movie apparently has the official backing of the WWE CEO, with WWE Studios partnering on to help with production. The movie, given the ridiculous/awesome title of Pandemonium, is still in the very early stages of having a script finalized. No director or actors are attached to the project, but there is one glaring question that needs to be answered — who will play Vince McMahon?
The events of the movie may stretch over as many as 30 or 40 years, so it’s possible that Vince will be played by multiple actors over the different generations. So while we were thinking about who could fill those large-sized luxury loafers, we didn’t discriminate based on age. McMahon may be in 70s these days, but he started changing the business when he was still in his 20s, so we picked actors of all ages. Looking exactly like the WWE boss wasn’t necessarily a requirement, but it did help a few actors make the list.
17. Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper can do it all, from comedy (The Hangover) to gritty (American Sniper) to just plain weird (American Hustle). He even does a pretty great job at voicing a sarcastic raccoon in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Basically, he could handle all the ups and downs associated with a life as crazy as McMahon’s. The Academy Award nominated actor has the ability to match McMahon’s bombastic personality, as well as his quieter, more humble moments (if the film bothers to show us those, that is).
2
16. Eric Roberts
Here’s one potential candidate to play “Old Vince” in Pandemonium. While Roberts has a lengthy list of stellar acting credits to his name, dating all the way back to the mid-60s (television) and late-80s (film), he’s on this list mostly for a single reason — he kind of looks like Vince McMahon. Maybe it’s just the grey hair and a similar shaped nose, but if you put Roberts in the right McMahon-style power suit, the resemblance would be uncanny. We wonder if Roberts can spit out an angry “YOU’RE FIRED!!!”
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15. Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn rose to fame mostly as a comedic actor, starring in films like Swingers, Dodge Ball, Zoolander, and Old School (to name just a few). But every once in a while, he surprises us with some excellent serious roles, like playing Norman Bates in the Psycho remake or his performance in the otherwise forgettable second season of HBO’s True Detective anthology series. No matter what kind of role he’s in, Vaughn definitely has swagger — that kind of fast-talking salesman delivery that would fit in perfectly in a movie about the behind-the-scenes happening of the pro wrestling world.
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14. Bryan Cranston
If there’s any actor out there who is familiar with the concept of starting out small, but then ruthlessly eliminating your competition until you are the only one left standing, it’s Bryan Cranston, perhaps most famous for his turn as high-school-science-teacher-turned-meth-kingpin Walter White is the excellent Breaking Bad. In many ways, Heisenberg’s rise to the top of his industry mirrored McMahon’s, who was almost vindictive in the way he bought out and took over the old wrestling territories in order to turn his WWF into a global powerhouse. His ego is probably somewhere in the same stratosphere as Walter White’s, as well.
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13. Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis can play almost any part in the world, as the renowned method actor completely immerses himself in every role. In order to play McMahon, the Oscar winning actor would probably buy a small independent wrestling company and then try to take over the competition. Or maybe he’d take steroids and offer them to his new employees. Okay, neither of those things would actually happen. But Day-Lewis definitely has the acting chops to give the role some legitimate dramatic flair.
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12. Alec Baldwin
Baldwin has had a long acting career, rejuvenated in 2016 by portraying American presidential candidate (and later, the 45th president of the U.S.A.) Donald Trump. And there’s a direct connection between Trump and McMahon. WrestleMania IV and V were held at Trump Plaza, and The Donald has been a frequent guest star on WWE programming before his days in politics. Trump is even in the WWE Hall of Fame!
If Alec Baldwin can play one braggadocios billionaire, he can easily play another one!
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11. Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton was out of the Hollywood spotlight for a little while, but has recently given audiences some brilliant performances, starting with 2014’s Birdman and continuing on to Spotlight (2015) and The Founder (2016). To truly showcase his versatility, Keaton will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as baddie The Vulture in the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming flick.
While his looks may not match Vince’s, that’s nothing a little make-up and movie magic couldn’t fix. In his role as McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, we saw his character ruthlessly expand a successful enterprise, driving competitors out of business, and leaving a trail of bad feelings and enemies in his wake. Hmmm, sounds familiar…
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10. Ray Liotta
Ray Liotta is probably most fondly remembered as Henry Hill, the local kid who turns into a Wise Guy before becoming an FBI informant (all a true story, by the way). Goodfellas was just Liotta’s sixth film credit, and you could argue that he hasn’t been able to top it since, despite appearing in more than 70 movies since (plus a few dozen television roles).
While we don’t expect Pandemonium to hold up to Goodfellas when compared side-by-side, we do think that Liotta would be a good choice for playing ol’ Vinny Mac. He kind of has the look, and can certainly hold his own in almost any scene.
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9. Michael Fassbender
Michael Fassbender might only qualify to play “Young Vince,” as the busy actor only recently celebrated his 40th birthday. However, he can truly do it all, going from Summer blockbusters in the X-Men film franchise, to cheesy video game adaptions of Assassin’s Creed, to an Academy Award nominated role in 12 Years a Slave. Fassbender also has experience playing a billionaire CEO that doesn’t always play by the rules — he portrayed Steve Jobs, the late founder of Apple, in 2015.
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8. Josh Brolin
If being a major villain in two different comic book universes isn’t enough for Josh Brolin, maybe he can carve out some time to play Vince in between the Infinity War films and Deadpool 2. A brilliant character actor who has appeared in the likes of Sicario, True Grit, and No Country For Old Men, Brolin could be the exact right age to play both the younger and older versions of Vince, as he sits just shy of his fiftieth birthday.
Much like McMahon, Brolin has a checkered past, including heroin use and stealing cars in his youth. McMahon has also been under fire for drug use of a different kind (steroids) in his lifetime. Brolin also has an edge of toughness surrounding him, which is something that McMahon has used to his advantage throughout his business career.
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7. Armie Hammer
Armie Hammer is another candidate for “Young Vince.” In fact, he’s the youngest actor on this list, having just turned 30 in Summer 2016. The young American only has a couple dozen movies to him name so far, but there are a few big ones in there. He played the Winklevoss twins (aka the “real” inventors of Facebook) in David Fincher’s The Social Network and he is the voice of brash young racer Jackson Storm in the upcoming Cars 3 sequel.
While there are no doubts that Hammer can act, he makes this list because he kind of looks like a young Vince McMahon, back when the WWF owner was portrayed on TV as a mere ringside commentator, despite actually being the backstage boss. Playing Vince could be a true breakout starring role for Hammer, should he ever be offered the job.
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6. Gary Oldman
Let’s be perfectly honest here — is there any role in the movie universe that Gary Oldman wouldn’t knock out of the park? Probably not, since the man is a genuine national film treasure at this point in his incredibly accomplished career. We won’t even try to list Oldman’s excellent performances, because there are simply too many. The point is that Oldman is easily one of the greatest actors of an entire generation and the WWE/Sony would be blessed if they could convince someone with that kind of talent to play Vince McMahon.
Oldman, just shy of 60th birthday, could probably play both the older and younger versions of McMahon, as he’s no stranger to drastically altering his look for the sake of a role.
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5. Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson has turned himself into a bit of an action star late in his film career, and that no-nonsense tough guy act would be perfect for playing one Vincent Kennedy McMahon. The Northern Ireland actor has been in the movie business since the 70s, which is roughly as long as Vince has been in charge of the WWE. While you may think that a serious actor like Neeson would never touch a movie about pro wrestling, we’ll just remind you that he was convinced to make Taken 3, a pretty terrible movie, when the studio basically offered him a dump truck full of money. What we’re saying here is that Neeson can be bought. And Vince (and the WWE) have plenty of money.
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4. Jon Hamm
Hamm is already well-versed in playing someone who makes a living wheeling and dealing, rising to fame playing legendary advertising executive Don Draper in Mad Men. Since that award winning series ended in 2015, Hamm has stayed busy with a handful of movies and dozens of television appearances (or voices). But we think playing McMahon would be a perfect fit.
Hamm has already shown great acting range while playing Don Draper. He can be cold and calculated. Or short-tempered and angry. He can be vulnerable and emotional. Basically, he’s versatile enough to play a man as complicated as the WWE CEO.
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3. Michael Shannon
Michael Shannon has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars twice, and starred in a fair share of movies on his own, plus a memorable role in the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, where he played a religious salesman who finds himself working for the mob after a series of bad decisions.
Shannon was the odds-on-favorite to play the villain Cable in Deadpool 2, before that role surprisingly went to Josh Brolin. We’re sure that an actor as talented as Shannon will have no problems finding more work in Hollywood, but maybe he wants to step into something really abnormal and take on the role of Mr. McMahon.
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2. Robert Downy Jr.
Let’s see here… have we ever seen Robert Downy Jr. play an egotistical, brash, loud billionaire before? Oh right.
We admit that we’re a little concerned that Tony Stark and Vince McMahon might have a little too much in common (other than the whole flying superhero in a metal suit thing) for Downy to be able to truly separate the roles. However, Downy is just so damn good at playing Stark that we have to assume he would be just as good playing another outspoken billionaire in Pandemonium.
Of course, starring in the Iron Man and Avengers movies means that Downy Jr. can now command a top paycheck in the movie business, and might be out of the WWE’s price range.
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1. Tom Hardy
Tom Hardy can do almost anything. The extremely versatile actor went from playing jacked super villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises to playing a quiet unassuming bartender in the excellent mob movie The Drop. He’s also had memorable roles in Christopher Nolan’s Inception and George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road.
We’re confident that Hardy, who is almost 40, could easily fill out one of McMahon’s suits and provide some serious dramatic skills to a movie about his life. Now we just need to cast the perfect Hulk Hogan to play opposite Hardy and Pandemonium could end up being a truly engaging film for everyone — wrestling fans and non-wrestling alike. |
Among the products manufactured by ONN are smartphones, tablets and portable music players. The company is focused on low-cost devices, but they gained notoriety in the audiophile niche thanks to the decent quality of their audio products. The ONN X6 is their flagship portable player and is capable of playing hi-res tracks. Is it worth the money, though? Let’s find out.
Disclaimer: TomTop.com was so kind to provide me with a unit I can keep. You can buy it from them here, if you wish. Please note there is a tracking element in the link, but I earn nothing from it as I am not affiliated with TomTop.
TL;DR: recap
Pros:
Build quality;
Materials and finish;
Almost neutral sound;
Supports hi-res files;
Low price;
Bonus microphone for simple voice notes
Cons:
Clunky interface;
Management of files on SD card is nightmarish;
No expected update of firmware;
A bit too much emphasis on low-mids could not please everyone
Rating: 6.8/10
Packaging and Accessories
As we’ve already seen in the unboxing, the box the device comes in is fairly simple. It comes with a bonus, though, since it also includes a pleather case. The only complaint I have is that it is difficult to press volume buttons while the player is in the case; it needs to get used to it to understand where to press.
Design & Build
The ONN X6 is almost square, being 89 x 62 x 9 mm. It is small enough to fit in any pocket and its light weight (75 g) makes it easy to forget about it. It is definitely smaller and lighter than Fiio’s offerings, as an example, but it does not ditch good manufacturing quality nor “premium” materials because of this. It is actually made of aluminum carved from a single block, with just the rear of the device being made of plastic. It is solid enough for a cheap device and the aluminium adds both sturdiness and a nice finish.
The cheap nature of the device is, however, apparent. Having that said, it is remarkable how ONN managed to set its player apart from the mass of similar cheap devices with design. Four buttons are placed under the screen: left, right, M and power/play. These buttons are too few to give a good user experience, as I’ll explain later, but they are obtained from the aluminium housing and have a very nice feel to them. There is no “lock” button, but there are a volume rocker, a “rec” button and an on/off switch on the right side. The lower side hosts the 3.5 mm jack, the microSD card slot and a micro-USB input.
The buttons are small and a bit hard to press. They are also not easily recognizable to the touch, so you need to look at the player when operating it. It seems like switch quality is not entirely uniform, since the “forward” button is a bit easier to press than the others.
On the left side of the front there are two diminutive speakers, which are not really suitable for listening to music both because of the limited volume and because of the low quality. The presence of the speakers is also the main difference between the ONN X6 and the ONN X5, which lacks such speakers.
The screen seems to use a cheap TN panel; it clearly is low quality as there is an evident contrast shift as you tilt the device up and down. This is not a major issue, though, since the screen is only there to select the song you want to be played.
Specs
The ONN X6 supports MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC, WAV and OGG file formats. It also supports hi-res files, up to 24-bit/192 kHz. It is equipped with a dual-core ARM Cortex-M3 processor operating at 500 MHz, 8 GB storage and a microSD slot (the manufacturer claims it supports up to 32 GB, but I used a 64 GB card and it worked just fine). The ONN X6 can drive headphones with impedance ranging between 16 Ω and 55 Ω.
Firmware and Usage
Using the ONN X6 is a bit of a pain, both because of the firmware and the controls. I say this as a long-time smartphone user, but I also own a Sony Walkman NWZ-E345 (which was launched back in 2009) and it is way easier to use and navigate. Let’s see why.
The firmware is very basic and shows a good few rough edges, especially when it comes to managing the media library. Interface is simple and good-looking, with a minimal set of information shown – which can be either good or bad, depending on one’s taste and needs. The main menu is divided into sections: Now Playing, Music, FM Radio, Record, Explorer, Settings.
It is easy to use the menus and browse the music stored on the device: you just need to use “back” and “forward” buttons to select the desired item and then press the “M” button to activate it. It is easy until you want to go back. This is where the firmware and the presence of just four buttons show the first signs of starts of trouble. To go back you have to long press the “M” button and it takes quite a bit of time and patience to navigate the menus this way.
Navigating through menus to play a track on the SD card is an endeavour similar to the Labours of Hercules. The player does not index the SD card, so it is up to the user to navigate folders and manually select the desired track. This is not a big problem, but it means that you need to browse through all of the folders on the SD card and you cannot mix songs on the internal storage with tracks on the SD card. From a usability standpoint, this is terrible – and it’s even more so because playback of a track on the SD stops if you browse the library on internal storage and vice-versa.
In addition to that, folders and files are not sorted alphabetically, but chronologically. This means you could have AC/DC as the last element of the list and U2 as the first, withball sorts of mixed folders and names in between. Playback is done on a chronological basis, too, so if the last track of the album was stored first on the SD card, then it will be played first.
Playback of tracks stored on the microSD is problematic to say the least. There is a noticeable gap whenever a track starts, which can ruin the listening experience as the first second gets cut off. If the player shuts down and a track stored on the microSD was being played, then clicking on the “Now Playing” menu item will not resume playing, but it will instead start playing a random track stored on the internal memory (if any track is present).
There are really few settings. Playback mode (shuffle/repeat) can be set in the “Settings” screen and there is a simple equalizer. There is also a setting for voice recording (low/high quality) and a few options for the screen off timer. There are also a few language options: traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, some Indian language I cannot identify, Polish, Dutch, Greek, Turkish, Czech, Hebrew and Arabic. I’m surprised not to find Italian!
The battery has a capacity of 1200 mAh and is capable of 19 hours of hi-res tracks playback, according to the manufacturer. If MP3 files are played, battery life increases to 70 hours. I have been listening to FLAC files (16/44.1) and MP3 files (320 kbps) and the battery is not yet empty after three weeks of usage with roughly 1/1.5 hours of listening every day.
Sound
I used the Bowers & Wilkins P3 Series 2, Superlux HD381 and 1More EO323 headphones to test the ONN X6. I’ve been using it for about three weeks on a daily basis.
As I already stated in the Zorloo ZuperDAC review, it is not easy for me to spot big differences in sound signatures when it comes to players, DACs and amplifiers. Having that said, I think the ONN X6’s signature is mostly neutral, with a few necessary distinctions. Sound output shows a low-volume (but still audible) background hiss. Detail is good, especially on treble, without being sharp nor pretending to be analytical.
The soundstage is not very wide and I can distinctly hear the difference when listening to Mayhem’s A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun: Maniac’s voice seems to always remain near to the listener, but it should sound much more distant. Instrument separation is very good, even sometimes superior to what the ZuperDAC exhibits.
Bass is not well controlled in my opinion and it shows a few soft spots of this device: the lows tend in fact to be a bit on the boomy side, with a bump on the low-mids; this is evident while listening to earphones such as the 1More EO323 which offer a strong (but overall balanced) bass response: it makes the bass look more flabby and undefined. Midrange sits in the right spot, without being recessed nor too upfront; treble is detailed and bright, stopping just a step away from being too sharp.
Recording
As you can hear from the sample recording (untouched .wav file produced by the player), there is a vast amount of background noise even though the recording environment was silent. There is an audible double click at the end of the recording when I unlock the screen and stop the recording. I would not suggest using this device as a recorder unless you need it for simple voice notes.
Final thoughts
I think the ONN X6 is a good entry-level player with too many flaws in its firmware. It is all too clear that a low price equals to less features and refinements when compared to higher-tier products; it is then up to each one to decide whether the flaws are too much to bear or whether they are acceptable.
My opinion is that build, sound quality and materials are great for a product that costs just ~60€/65$; on the other hand, a more refined firmware could have made the difference and made this player a “must” in its category. ONN unfortunately let this chance slip away from them and this sounds more of a half-baked device. Its issues lie in firmware, but given that the manufacturer will not issue any updates, they do not seem to be solvable.
It can be an option for the cost-savvy and those who can endure the clunky interface and firmware. The sound is good and the build is great (and it supports Hi-Res, too!), so it is up to you to decide if the firmware is an obstacle or not. If you care more about sound than about ease of use, the ONN X6 could be an option; otherwise, look elsewhere. |
This post is going to be short. Basically, CartoDB runs on the coolest database in the world, PostgreSQL. Because it runs on such an amazing open source technolgy, we often get to tap into amazing advances and amazing documentation of methods that come from the community.
One really nice write-up I came across over the week was, Full text search in milliseconds with PostgreSQL by Max Novakovic. If you haven’t read the post, it just shows you the handful of steps you need to take in order to make really fast, full text search possible in your PostgreSQL tables. I read the post and was like, “CartoDB readers need to know this”.
If you didn’t know, no matter type of CartoDB account you use, you have the ability to create functions and triggers that work on your tables that generate your maps. Given this flexibility, we can follow Max’s write-up for full text search directly in the CartoDB Editor.
Full text search on CartoDB
I have a really nice dataset from a weekend hack I did a couple years back. Basically, it is a bunch of (poorly) georeferenced text from the complete works of Mark Twain. You can find the complete dataset over on my public profile page.
Okay, given a table named twain in my account, and two columns of text, name which is the placename identified and passage which is the fulltext of the line geocoded, let’s replicate the steps to make fast full text search possible.
Adding columns and indexes
Right in the CartoDB Editor, we are going to run the following SQL statements one at a time.
ALTER TABLE twain ADD COLUMN tsv tsvector ;
and then
CREATE INDEX twain_tsv_idx ON twain USING gin ( tsv );
When adding indexes in CartoDB, I often include the name of the table directly in my index name, twain_tsv_idx for example. I do this so that I don’t hit the same index name twice if I use it on multiple tables. I don’t imagine this will be my last tsv example, so it will be good to do here.
Just like addeing columns and indexes in CartoDB, we can run UPDATEs directly in the editor. Here we are going to follow Max’s method, but we aren’t using a JSON column as input, I’m just using my two text columns name and passage , so my query looks a little bit different.
UPDATE twain SET tsv = setweight ( to_tsvector ( coalesce ( name , '' )), 'A' ) || setweight ( to_tsvector ( coalesce ( passage , '' )), 'D' );
Creating functions and triggers
Creating functions and triggers is just as easy, write them directly in the SQL editor in your account, hit apply query and if no errors are returned, you are gold. Again, I’m going to add the tablename to my function to ensure I don’t clash with future functions.
CREATE FUNCTION twain_search_trigger () RETURNS trigger AS $$ begin new . tsv : = setweight ( to_tsvector ( coalesce ( name , '' )), 'A' ) || setweight ( to_tsvector ( coalesce ( passage , '' )), 'D' ); return new ; end $$ LANGUAGE plpgsql ;
Same thing for creating our INDEX,
CREATE TRIGGER twain_tsvectorupdate BEFORE INSERT OR UPDATE ON twain FOR EACH ROW EXECUTE PROCEDURE documents_search_trigger ();
Running a full text query
Final thing is to see it in action. Here, I’m going to query for Mark Twain passages that include the phrase, river ,
SELECT cartodb_id , name , passage , tsv FROM ( SELECT cartodb_id , name , passage , tsv FROM twain , plainto_tsquery ( 'river' ) AS q WHERE ( tsv @@ q ) ) AS t1 ORDER BY ts_rank_cd ( t1 . tsv , plainto_tsquery ( 'river' )) DESC
Here we can see it in action,
And if you are building an application, you can run the same query over the SQL API to retrieve the data as a JSON object. |
Plack Handbook for Developers
This little handbook is based on the content of the website Plack Advent Calendar. The calendar had 24 useful short posts explaining the concept of PSGI and tutorials how to adapt Plack to the existing web applications. The calendar was so successful and it's been considered a canonical reference for many beginners trying to learn Plack and also web framework authors trying to adapt PSGI.
The handbook is now available as an ebook you can buy for $5 and download immediately, available in EPUB and MOBI without DRM. The ebook formats have been tested with Apple iBooks and Nook Simple Touch (EPUB) and Kindle for iOS and Kindle Touch (MOBI). Once we get to revise the content to be more up-to-date, you'll recieve the notifications to redownload the ebook files for free, if you provide an email address upon purchase at Gumroad.
Japanese version is also included. 日本語版EPUBとMobiファイルも含まれています。
Just in case you can't (or don't want to) use credit card payment with Gumroad, the e-books are available on Amazon Kindle as well: English edition and Japense edition.
Raw source code of the book, in Markdown format, is available at github repository under the Creative Commons license. See LICENSE file for details. |
Gamers love a good challenge. Unless it involves an underwater level. Or a mine cart. Or pretty much anything from Mega Man 9. Come to think of it, gamers are frustrated by a lot of things. Here's a tribute to the levels that made us collectively break our controllers.
1. Battle Toads: Turbo Tunnel
The most annoying level of the Citizen Kane of near-impossible video games, the BattleToads speederbike level, is the reason why the Game Genie and adderall were invented. Nothing short of John Nash-like spatial recognition is enough, as even thousands of plays can still leave the most talented gamers in the fetal position. What sets it apart from other classic video games, and what is perhaps its most annoying quality, is that years later it still retains the same level of difficulty it had when you were 9.
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dam Water Level
NES
TMNT
3. StarFox 64: MacBeth/Titania
Apparently the developers of theversion of the classicarcade game weren't satisfied with simply desecrating probably the greatest multi- player arcade game ever conceived. They had to make the underwater levelalways a bane of any gamer's existencethe single most difficult underwater level in video game history. The obstacle list reads more like a grocery list for someone shopping a medical marijuana facility (Electric seaweed, Energy Draining Leaves, 8 Bombs) than a proper collection of video game obstructions.
Look, we appreciate the StarFox developers being courteous enough to give the Landmaster as many Arwing-ian qualities as possiblesmart bombs, locking onto enemies with the laser, even doing a Barrel rollwe get it, thank you. But you don't go to a seafood restaurant and order a cheese burger, and if we wanted to roll around in a tank, we'd play Twisted Metal. Now get us back to the goddamn planes.
4. Mike Tyson's Punchout!: Mike Tyson
The most annoying aspect of fighting the title character in Mike Tyson's Punchout! isn't the uppercut that signals instant death for anyone on the receiving end, or the grotesquely large physique of someone who could destroy you even if he was half your size, or even the fact that your character was given an embarrassingly limited repertoire of moves. No, the most annoying aspect is the fact that in 1987, Mike Tyson's Punchout! was possibly the most realistic game ever invented.
5. MarioKart: Rainbow Road
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There isn't really anything super complicated to navigate on Rainbow Road, but it's the ultra minimalist and, let's face it, ingenious act of simply removing the railings that helps it make the list. Because the mark of a truly annoying video game comes from your complete and total confidence being crushed at a moment's notice by the simplest of mistakes. |
Sanjay Singh doesn’t know Urdu. But whenever his friends are in town, he makes sure they visit Mirza Ghalib’s haveli that stands down Gali Qasim Jaan in Chandni Chowk’s rundown neighbourhood of Ballimaran.
This Sunday too, Singh, 28, a graphic-designing student, accompanied his friend Dolan to the mansion, walking past old Delhi’s overcrowded streets along rows of optical shops. To their delight, the haveli was being decked up ahead of the poet’s 220th birth anniversary celebrations on Wednesday.
“All I know is Ghalib was a famous Urdu poet and this is the place where he lived,” says Singh, from Jodhpur and in Delhi for studies. For many like him, the mansion is like any other monument in the city.
Delhi’s poet
Now a heritage site, Ghalib ki Haveli is the place where the poet spent the last six years of his life till he died on February 15, 1869. Born in Agra on December 27, 1797, as Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan, who later used pen name ‘Ghalib’ (the conqueror), he migrated to Delhi where he lived for the rest of his life. It was during his stay in many rented houses, including the haveli, when Delhi was witness to the most turbulent times during the 1857 revolt, that he penned down couplets and anecdotes still populating the cultural landscape of the National Capital and beyond. Ghalib, it is said, wrote the Diwan-e-Ghalib (the collection of poems) at this haveli
For heritage lover Girish Srivastava, 60, a talk on Delhi is not possible without Ghalib. As he enters the haveli once again, Srivastava belts out a famous couplet by Ghalib on his love for Delhi
“Ik roz apni rooh se poocha, ki dilli kya hai, to yun jawab main keh gaye, yeh duniya mano jism hai aur dilli uski jaan (I asked my soul, ‘What is Delhi?’ It replied: ‘The world is the body, Delhi its soul”)
Nestled in a quiet corner on the left side of the crowded narrow alleys leading to the shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, southward of Old Delhi, lies the desolate tomb of Ghalib decked in white marble.
As groups of children play cricket and football in a nearby concrete lawn, a couple of admirers come and pay obeisance with flowers on the grave.
“I was passing by. I saw the board of this grave outside. So I thought I should see this too,” said Jai Kishan, a businessman from Mayur Vihar, who says he doesn’t know anything about the poet or the place.
A few metres from the grave, a plaque mentions Ghalib as “among the greatest poets of South Asia”.
Now a heritage site, Ghalib ki Haveli is the place where the poet spent the last six years of his life till he died on February 15, 1869. ( Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO )
Language no barrier
For those who don’t know Urdu , like Singh and his friend Dolan, Ghalib’s poetry in translation cannot but evoke a heady mix of love, beauty, intoxication and despair.
“His work becomes most relevant in this day and age because his non-conformity pushes us to question hierarchical structures of society,” says Dolan, 25, a history student at Jawaharlal University.
Others with deep knowledge of Urdu get swayed by his invincible grip on the language, which sets him apart.
“Ghalib touches a chord in everyone’s heart. There could be hardly anyone who, after reading Ghalib’s immortal verses, says his emotions were not touched,” says historian Rana Safvi, explaining how the poet called out the established orthodoxy.
Mehrajuddin, the haveli’s caretaker, says his forefathers had rented out the three-room house to Ghalib, which was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India in 1997. ( Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO )
Back in the haveli, Kaustabh Verma, 37, an MNC employee from Dwarka, ushers his friends, including a couple from Amsterdam, inside the poets’ house. Inside, he takes them through life-sized portraits of Ghalib’s Urdu verses translated in English and Hindi, his bust donated by poet-filmmaker Gulzar in 2010, replicas of famous handwritten letters, a lookalike of his clothes and a few brass utensils from the poet’s time.
“This place brings back the memories of the era when Ghalib lived in penury,” says Verma.
Deserves more
For historian Sohail Hashmi, Ghalib, the greatest poet the country ever produced, deserves more. The tragedy of his timelessness and literary significance, he says, is that the language in which he wrote (Urdu) has been associated to a religion or the followers of the religion.
“Had he written in English, he would have been a Nobel laureate,” he says.
Many others have complaints. Mehrajuddin, the haveli’s caretaker, says his forefathers had rented out the three-room house to Ghalib, which was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India in 1997. A businessman who runs a neighbourhood shop, he says only sandstone floors and Mughal-style arches are original in the house.
“Had Ghalib been alive today, I am sure he would not have owned even a flat,” says Mehrajuddin, pointing at the Delhi government hoarding on the wall facing the haveli, announcing events to mark Ghalib’s anniversary with no Urdu words in it.
Heritage activist Firoz Bakht Ahmed couldn’t agree more.
“Not just in the lanes of Shahjahanabad, where Urdu tehzeeb prevailed, even children of Urdu medium schools don’t know who Ghalib was,” he explains the obscurity Ghalib faces with the poet’s verse:
“Poochtey hein woh ke Ghalib kaun hai, koi batlao ke hum batlayen kya,” which translates to “They ask me, who is Ghalib? Someone tell them, what can I say?’”
Tourists come, click selfies and go, without realising the importance of the poet. ( Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO )
Lip service
Rishi Pal, a private guard on duty at the haveli gate for six years now, says normally 10-15 people, most of them tourists, visit the memorial every day and keep clicking pictures.
“On this day, every time, however, netas come and bring a crowd with them,” says Pal, 55.
The Delhi government organised a three-day event to commemorate the anniversary. The events included a candle light march from Town hall to the haveli on Sunday.
Next to Ghalib’s tomb stands the two-storey Ghalib Academy, an institution set up in 1969 in his memory. Apart from holding the usual seminars and debates on Urdu and other topics, the academy has a library visited by 20 people every day. A mushaira is scheduled on Wednesday.
“People who pass by visit the academy. Those who visit the library read newspapers,” said Bushra, the librarian.
Mirza Ghalib’s tomb.
Hashmi says rituals like occasional seminars and candle light marches are no more than a lip service to the poet, referring to a verse by Sahir Ludhianvi on Ghalib’s centenary year.
“Jin shehron mein gunji thi Ģhalib ki nava barson, un shehron mein ab urdu benam-o-nishaa thehri (Those towns where Ghalib’s voice echoed for years, there’s not a mark left of Urdu in those cities)
Khalid-bin-Rasheed, who teaches Urdu at the Indo- Arabic Secondary School, laments the government’s missing priority for Urdu.
“Apart from 8-10 Urdu schools, there are very few schools in Delhi that offer Urdu, but as an optional third language. Unless made mandatory, only Muslims will read Urdu,” he says.
Usage of Urdu words
For optimists like Safvi, the Urdu, or Hindustani, language is here to stay. “Can you imagine movies and songs without Urdu or Hindustani words,” she says.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said in a reply to a query from Hindustan Times that the government would support all events about Ghalib and Urdu as it was necessary to keep the legacy of poets like him alive.
There are life-sized portraits of Ghalib’s Urdu verses translated in English and Hindi, his bust donated by poet-filmmaker Gulzar in 2010, replicas of famous handwritten letters, a lookalike of his clothes and a few brass utensils from the poet’s time. ( Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO )
“Now, more than ever, it is imperative to keep Ghalib’s legacy alive when the secular fabric of Delhi is under threat. The government plans to support and organise events about the great poet. The work of poets like Ghalib is eternally relevant,” he said.
After spending 15 minutes inside the haveli, Verma’s friend from Amsterdam, who doesn’t want to be named, clicks a picture of a board hanging on the wall in which British scholar of Urdu literature, Professor Ralph Russell is quoted in English, Hindi and Urdu:
“Had Ghalib written in English, he would have been the greatest poet of all times, among all languages!” the board with an old portrait of Ghalib and the mansion reads.
First Published: Dec 27, 2017 09:12 IST |
I had an interesting exchange on Twitter yesterday with a guy whose opinions I generally respect, but who also tends to default to defense of Stan Bowman in most instances.OK, now’s when I should warn you: this blog will not be suitable for the faint of heart or the die-hard Stan Bowman/front office defenders.You’ve been forewarned.So this guy was tweeting back and forth with me about the Winnik and Sekera deals yesterday before he remarked, essentially, that Dean Lombardi had overpaid for Sekera.Well, that reminded me of a similar statement I heard back in the Spring of 2012, pretty much three years ago to the day: how Lombardi had “overpaid” for Jeff Carter.The Party Line at that time was the Kings would be “saddled” with Carter’s contract for years, he was injury prone, the price of a player, a 1st round pick (a late one), and a prospect was “way too high.”Two Stanley Cups (in three short years) later, how’d that work out for Lombardi? How’d that line of reasoning work out for those who defended Stan Bowman/the Hawk front office choosing not to pay the aforementioned price?Now, there are the ostriches out there who refuse to acknowledge that the Hawks were even in the bidding for Carter. But . . . I am 99.9% certain they were. Just as the same people refused to acknowledge (after the fact) that the Hawks were in the bidding for Ryan Kesler this past summer.Yet, these same people, many of them at least, also continue to lament how, now approaching a decade after the departure of Robert Lang, the Hawks lack a second line center.So if your Heroic GM wasin the bidding for Carter and Kesler, two guys who fit the description of second line NHL center to a T, what exactlyhe done?Just hand out inflated contracts to existing, and in some cases, over-hyped Hawk players?Really, if he is not, as some have vehemently maintained, in these pursuits for players who could legitimately help the Hawks, thenSee, I’m willing to give Bowman and the Hawk front office some credit.I think they do sniff around and even bid on good players that potentially fill roster needs when they come on the market. I just think, as I hear over and over, they’re too often a day late and/or a dollar short when it comes to closing the deal.The Hawks were in the bidding for Sekera, but, as my source on it later messaged me, “Stan chose not to match LA’s offer. Again.”Understand, what Pittsburgh paid for Daniel Winnik and L.A. for Sekera yesterday is not an overpay when you finally understand that is the market price for improving your team.You want to get better at the deadline this year? Here’s what it costs. And that price is determined by what other teams—your competition—are willing to offer. Think they’re stupid?Dean Lombardi has been willing to step up at least a couple of times the last few years and “overpay” in the estimation of some of the Hawks’ armchair GMs—and he’s been vindicated by two parades in the last three summers.To which we will next hear: “The Hawks didn’t, and won the Cup in 2013.”Hey, you know what, they did.With: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Dave Bolland, Marcus Kruger, Bryan Bickell, Ben Smith, Corey Crawford.All players acquired before the current regime took over.Sure, Andrew Shaw, Dan Carcillo, Brandon Saad, Nick Leddy, Johnny Oduya and Michal Rozsival were added under Bowman. But the 2013 Cup doesn’t happen without the first group of players, does it?And could have happened without the second.So, no, Bowman’s approach has not been vindicated by that Cup.The other thing I heard was the name of Kyle Quincey thrown out as an example of an overpay that “didn’t pay off” for Detroit. Yes, Ken Holland traded a late first round pick for Quincey a couple of years ago? No, the Wings haven’t won a Cup since.But the deal hasn’t exactly destroyed the Wings either. Quincey is still playing for them in a top 4 role, and oh by the way, the Wings have the same record as the Hawks do this season.Don’t mortgage the future. That’s the mantra that gets repeated this time of year over and over again.Well, think about this, between 1998 and 2010, in terms of first round draft picks, the “future” has been: Mark Bell, Adam Munro, Steve McCarthy, Tuomo Ruutu, Anton Babchuk, Seabrook, Cam Barker, Mikhail Yakubov, Pavel Vorobiev, Jack Skille, Toews, Kane, Kyle Beach, Dylan Olsen, and Kevin Hayes.Almost all drafted in the top half of the first round (as opposed to the bottom half where the Hawks have picked since then and likely will next year).Of those, at least half can be called flat out busts.Why? Bad drafting? No, more likely because the NHL drafts players at age 17, typically 3-4 years before they enter the league full time. Like major league baseball, NHL drafts are more of a crap shoot. So all this “value” attached to a late first round draft pick is kind of laughable.The future? Go back and trace through, as I did a couple of weeks ago (it’s buried on one of my comment threads), what Bowman has to show for all the draft picks and prospects accumulated in the trades of: Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell and Troy Brouwer.Go back and track what the Hawks have today, and what they got in subsequent transaction involving players acquired in those deals.Are you ready for the answer?Philip Danault and Gustav Forsling.The future?The future for the Hawks looks like another talent sell-off this summer because of a salary cap conundrum that can’t be laid, this time, at the feet of Dale Tallon. No, Bowman has handed out over $30 million in annual cap hit to four players—Toews, Kane, Crawford and Bickell. And nearly another $12 million to Seabrook and Sharp.Yes, let’s give Bowman the benefit of the doubt on the Byfuglien, Ladd (although having to deal him was forced by someone—and not Tallon—failing to account for contract bonuses), Versteeg, Campbell and Brouwer deals. The whole league knew the Hawks were over a barrel.But theyknow thatsummer? Hello?!The future?Let’s talk about thefuture, which for the next 12 weeks or so, until the 3rd round of the playoffs (if the Hawks could actually get there) does not include Chicago’s best offensive player, Patrick Kane.This team had not exactly been filing the nets with rubber or winning a lot before the injury.If anyone in Chicago is serious about getting anywhere in the playoffs, with or without Kane, it wasn’t going to happen without Bowman pulling the trigger on a deal anyway. The team really only has three centers as it is, the defensive third pairing has been a trainwreck most of the season—and now Oduya is hurt.By now, everyone and their brother knows the Hawks are at least “interested” in Arizona center Antoine Vermette. They are also allegedly interested in Edmonton D Jeff Petry.There are still assets out there that can fill glaring holes on an otherwise loaded team. Enough, maybe, to get the Hawks to the 2nd or 3rd round when Superman might emerge from the phone booth. Hey, now ya got something.But let me repeat, there is going to be market price for those players that is determined by what other teams are willing to pay. And the evidence suggests, at least in the case of the Kings, these are not necessarily overpays.I can pretty much guarantee you this, if the Hawks “stand pat,” it would take a miracle just short of the Resurrection of Jesus for them to win the Stanley Cup this year.And if anyone thinks that winning another Cup becomes more likely after paring $5-10 million in salary this summer and plugging in some of the highly touted Rockford ice Hogs, put the pipe down.Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.I recall a lot of the “experts” being so willing to move out the “slow,” “unexciting,” “meathead” Brouwer in 2011. The same people who now rejoice in “Teuvo Time” and warn not to “mortgage the future.”But Brouwer had better offensive numbers in junior and AHL hockey than all of the current Ice Hogs, including the Messianic TT.I don’t doubt that Teravainen, Danault, Mark McNeill and Stephen Johns will all be NHL players of some kind. Great. But there is zero proof they will be as good or better than those they will replace: Brad Richards, maybe Sharp, maybe Oduya.And hey, here’s a thought, if the market is so crazy for talent right now—precluding you from being a buyer—why not be a seller? Especially when you will have zero leverage in the summer?What is the plan? The supposed future all stars in Rockford? And that’s it?Or is it time for Bowman and the Hawk front office to stop defaulting to a core that is getting older, and the promise of prospects and draft picks that never gets quite fulfilled?Go out and get Antoine Vermette. And Petry, or similar. Win now.Sort it out this summer. That’s what winners like Dean Lombardi and Ken Holland have done and still do.I’m sure the message board comments will be . . . breathtaking.JJCheck out Hockey Streams. See NHL, AHL and CHL streamed in HD right to your computer, tablet or gaming device for a small donation: http://www.hockeystreams.com/ref/51981 |
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Quirky Opens Up
Ben Kaufman Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 13, 2015
Quirky is a platform for invention. Unlike many platforms, though, until recently it only had one customer… its own consumer brand.
For years, the idea of partnering with another brand and allowing them to tap into our invention machine rubbed us the wrong way. We were so protective of our community, that the risk of an outside brand betraying their trust seemed too high. Since our launch in 2009 we have been frequently approached by some of the world’s largest companies — hoping to tap into the power of our community and bring new products to life. To some it was a marketing schtick — to others, a way to augment a shrinking internal team — to us, it was always a non-starter.
We resisted each one of these inbound requests with great effort. We believed very deeply that every prospective partner would endanger our community. We thought that the introduction of third parties would make it harder to protect our community’s IP, assure royalties were paid, etc. On a personal note, my lack of what a friend calls “frustration tolerance” led me to believe that within a month of working with a global brand i’d tell ‘em to go fuck themselves — which would ruin the partnership and reflect poorly on the community.
Then in 2012, a small company called Undercurrent introduced us to a big company called GE.
GE was the company I idolized. The original invention company. The company that in many respects, we were attempting to build in modern form. They truly believed in us and for a company like GE, we were willing to look past all of the risks. We embarked on an expansive partnership with them in early 2013.
Our partnership with GE was (and continues to be) deeply transformative for Quirky. Not only did we learn a lot about technology and engineering from them, we learned a lot about ourselves.
We quickly learned that we (together with our community) were capable of taking on a much more sophisticated type of invention (not just the small plastic stuff we had been commercializing earlier). We realized that our way of working taught GE how to be a bit faster and more responsive to consumer trends. Most importantly, the partnership opened us up to an enormous opportunity — our community inventing alongside a company like GE. This was a huge milestone in our never ending quest to “Make Invention Accessible.”
You see, by the middle of last year the “invention” part of “Making Invention Accessible” was becoming the easy part. The “accessible” bit was becoming increasingly difficult (as we were operating a full stack invention brand across 12 consumer product categories):
- We were receiving more ideas every single week, but only manufacturing the same amount (or less) of product every year given the increase in product complexity that we were taking on. Quickly making Quirky more of a lottery than a meritocracy.
- While we were manufacturing a lot of products across different categories, many of the products did not sell because of a lack of distribution in the category, or a lack of scale that could provide competitive pricing to the consumer / retailer.
- The Quirky name / brand wasn’t right for every category. No one wants a ‘quirky’ home appliance, they want a ‘good’ one.
We realized that to “Make Invention Accessible” across all categories of consumer products, we can’t do it on our own and that partners like GE bring a massive amount of opportunity (and accessibility) to our Inventors.
Introducing Powered by Quirky
Announced earlier this year, “PbQ” will allow some of the world’s largest consumer product brands to tap into the creative excellence and speed of the Quirky community.
Quirky will continue to own the full value chain in categories that represent emerging invention opportunities (Connected Appliances, Connected Home, and Electronics). It will launch consumer products under brands solely focused on excellence in their category- See for example our recently launched Poppy brand.
In all other categories, Quirky will have a partner brand. For instance, you won’t be surprised to hear that our partner in lighting is GE. ☺.
Last week, we announced that Harman and their consumer brands (JBL, AKG, Infinity, etc) will be our partner in the Audio category.
Later this week and in the coming weeks and months, we will be announcing many more partnerships with global brands. Each partnership representing a large brand’s belief in the Quirky community’s ability to provide them with a level of creativity and speed that they would not be able to achieve on their own.
Powered by Quirky partnerships will allow us to scale into an infinite amount of categories while leveraging the consumer trust and scale already present in brands like GE and JBL.
This represents an enormous opportunity for our community, and provides Quirky with the ability to stay absolutely true to its mission without the costs and brand constraints that were present in our ‘own everything’ model.
The Acquisition of Undercurrent
My lack of patience for corporate bullshit is alive and well, however. Which is why I’m incredibly excited to announce that Quirky has acquired Undercurrent, a company founded by Josh Spear & Rob Schuham in 2007.
You see, not only was Undercurrent the company that introduced us to GE many years ago- but they were there all along the way. Every time it seemed like GE and Quirky weren’t understanding each other, Undercurrent jumped in and helped us push through…
They acted as translator, mediator, coach, and therapist for both sides of the partnership.
Undercurrent is one of those things that is incredibly hard to explain until you see it in action. The 33 members of their amazing team help the country’s largest companies prepare for and embrace our ever-changing world. Quite simply, their work inside these large companies greatly reduces all the forces that stand in the way of a great idea being implemented by anyone, anywhere in the organization.
Aaron Dignan, Undercurrent’s CEO will join Quirky and run our Powered by Quirky business. He and his team will assure that our partners are fully embracing all that the platform and community has to offer. Undercurrent will also continue the organizational design work that they have become known for over the past 8 years.
The Future
Building an Invention machine is complex, and often unpredictable. One thing has remained constant in the last six years, and that is our belief in our mission (Making Invention Accessible), and our community (now 1.2 million people strong).
We love the fact that “Making Invention Accessible” isn’t a goal that can ever be attained, and will remain tireless in our desire to make progress every day.
I truly believe that of all the things we’ve done in the past six years — the introduction of strong partner brands and the deployment of Undercurrent’s methodology within partner companies will have the most profound effect on the accessibility of invention since our inception.
Here’s to an “Ever Better Future” of “Making Invention Accessible” |
In recent days, a new term has suddenly appeared in the media to describe a supposedly Arab cultural practice: "taharrush gamea." The term, which is misspelled (the second word should read gama'ei), just means "group harassment" in Arabic, but right-wing commentators are trying their hardest to convince you that it actually means "sexual assault by a bunch of Arab men" or "gang-rape game" and that it's a normal thing in the Arab World.
They're wrong, of course, on all fronts. But the invention of the term and the sudden currency it has gained in the mainstream Western media tells a darker tale of how xenophobic right-wing groups in Europe have cynically used reports of sexual violence against women to further a deeply racist, anti-refugee agenda.
The story begins on New Year's Eve, when groups of men standing outside the central train station in the German city of Cologne began harassing and mugging women, groping and sexually assaulting many in the process. Crowds of men, many of whom were reportedly drunk or on drugs, shot off fireworks at each other and some also gathered around and robbed and groped women. The entire time, hundreds of police stood by while doing little to stop the crowds, until eventually they just cleared the square entirely.
In the days that followed, reports emerged that similar scenes had unfolded on a much smaller scale in Hamburg and a few other towns. Victims of the attacks reported that the men taking part were primarily of "Arab or North African" appearance. In total, so far 766 people filed crime reports with police about incidents that are said to have occurred in connection to that night, of which around 381 - less than half - described sexual assault. The majority of reported crimes involved only theft.
For days, Cologne police failed to publicize what had happened, but soon after New Year the scope of the incidents surfaced. The justice minister called the attacks, which involved the participation of dozens of men and in some cases appear to have been coordinated, a "new dimension of organized criminality." The police said that the groups were probably linked to criminal gangs that hang out around the country's train stations, and mentioned that the incidents were similar to "antänzer," a German word for "waltzing," which refers to a common form of mugging whereby the attacker quickly moves around you in order to distract and then rob you.
But in the aftermath of the violence, commentators speculated that the local police had failed to publicize the incidents for fear that it could provoke a xenophobic backlash against the more than 1 million refugees who have been offered safety in Germany in recent months, amid an unprecedented refugee crisis flowing from the Middle East into Europe.
And just as expected, as news filtered out, right-wing commentators and activists went into attack mode, blaming the government for allowing refugees into the country. Right-wing gangs began attacking men who happened to be of Arab or North African appearance, and thousands massed for anti-refugee rallies across the country. One protester in Leipzig even said that the attacks were "in principle bad for the women, but good for us, because the people are being woken up."
Right-wing protesters gather to protest the New Year's Eve attacks in Cologne, Germany on Jan. 9, 2016. (Getty/Sascha Schuermann)
The racist violence was accompanied by a rapid shift in language; while at first the incidents were seen as episodes of criminality involving sexual harassment, assault, and theft, within days a new phrase emerged: "taharrush gamea." In their report on the violence, Cologne police took an Arabic phrase that translates directly to "group harassment," garbled its pronunciation, and then described it as a "modus operandi" in the Arab world.
Unsurprisingly, the use of an Arabic phrase to describe what was now being thought of as a supposedly Arabic cultural phenomenon spurred commentators across the political spectrum to begin speculating how Arabs had brought it there.
To those who have followed the issue of sexual harassment in the Arab world, the sudden appearance of "taharrush gamea" in German or English is bizarre. As I mentioned above, the term has perfectly suitable equivalents in other languages, to describe an issue that unfortunately occurs all over the world: sexual harassment. Germans have only to look at Oktoberfest (where the sexual violence is so bad they've had to set up "sanctuaries" for women) or other mass drunken gatherings to remember that, unfortunately, misogynistic men from many different cultural backgrounds engage in sexual harassment.
In Egypt, where the phenomenon supposedly originates, mass sexual harassment is just as shocking to average people as it is anywhere else. The first recorded instance of mass sexual harassment was by police and pro-government thugs at a protest in 2005, and since then it has re-appeared a handful of times, notably in Tahrir Square after the January 25 Revolution.
That is not to say that sexual harassment or sexism in general are not major problems in Egypt or in other parts of the Arab World. They definitely are, and feminist groups there have for years been confronting the troubling violence women face in many aspects of their lives.
But "taharrush gamea" is by no means a common practice in Egypt nor anywhere else in the Arab World. It is not surprising that right-wing commentators in the West quickly adopted the explanation that mass sexual harassment was part of Arabic culture; what is worrying is that respectable outlets like the Wall Street Journal have started parroting the same language.
A poster reading "Against Sexism, Against Racism" as protesters march through Cologne, Germany on Jan. 5, 2016 (Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay)
One egregious example is a recent article in which prominent German academic Josef Joffe not only mistakenly equates "Arab or North African" with "Muslim," he also argues that,
Young Christian males also don't always obey Miss Manners when traveling in packs. But their culture doesn't have a word for taharrush gamea, as practiced in some Arab lands: a group-grope where young men encircle women to jeer, molest and rob them.
Of course their culture has a word for "taharrush gamea": the word is "group harassment. But rendering the term in Arabic makes it scarier and more exotic, suggesting it is part of a timeless, unchanging Arab culture. And by ascribing the phenomenon to that culture, the author is implying that white men don't sexually harass women in groups or engage in gang-rape - a conclusion which is patently untrue.
Sexism is not an imported product. Until 1997, under German law men could legally rape their wives, and even today less than 10% of rape trials end in convictions. Sexual assault statistics themselves are notoriously unreliable, as the vast majority of victims do not report their attackers. But a 2013 global survey estimated that one in three women around the world will face sexual violence in their lives. For the "Eastern Mediterranean," that figure was just above 36%, while for "high-income countries" like Germany it was nearly 33%.
In the United States, for comparison, government surveys report around 50% of women have suffered some form of sexual victimization and around 20% have experienced rape. One-fifth of women who attend college report being sexually assaulted during those four years of their lives alone.
The fact that so many commentators are focusing on a supposedly cultural dimension to the Cologne violence highlights the growing fear that the moral outrage is guided more by racism against refugees than concern for women. Authorities have suggested that asylum-seekers who commit sex crimes will be deported; but what of German citizens who commit such crimes? Why should a refugee who robbed a woman at a train station be deported, and the German man who sexually assaulted and murdered a 4-year-old refugee boy stay? How does deportation address the root of the problem?
Vigil for Mohamed Januzi, 4-year-old Bosnian migrant child abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in Berlin in Oct. 2015. (AFP)
We should definitely be concerned about women's safety, there is no question about it. We must demand that German police deal with individuals accused of sexual assault - all of them, of whatever background - in a way that prioritizes women's voices and right to the public sphere.
But it's possible to demand women's safety and not get sucked into racist explanations that blame "Arab culture" instead of asking larger questions about why men feel entitled to women's bodies in public and why the police failed to take seriously women's concerns that night. Why didn't the police stop the crowds that night? Why do police see large groups of drunk men harassing women as normal or non-exceptional? What norms exist in the local police force in Cologne that even when women were being assaulted in front of them, it did not occur to the police to stop them?
But this is not just about the police. It's about the way society treats sexual violence, and when it decides to care. We need to discuss the roots of sexual violence and the reasons men feel that they have control over women's bodies, and address the structures of patriarchy and rape culture that have made sexual harassment on the streets, at school, at the office, and at home so common for so many millions of women. This mean interrogating both what attitudes in the families of asylum-seekers make violence against women acceptable as well as what attitudes in the families of white Germans make violence against women acceptable.
We need to take sexual violence of all forms seriously, and not just when the attackers are of foreign background. Adopting foreign terms like "taharrush gamea" won't erase the reality of how endemic sexual violence is to our own culture as well. No amount of xenophobia or Islamophobia will erase that fact. |
Arne Duncan, U.S. education secretary, right, speaks during a news conference with John King Jr., senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Education, in the State Dining Room of the White House with U.S. President Barack Obama, not pictured, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Oct. 2, 2015. Obama announced that Education Secretary Arne Duncan is stepping down in December and will be replaced by Deputy Secretary John B. King Jr. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently proposed to redirect $15 billion from correctional facilities toward increasing teachers' salaries in high poverty schools.
Unfortunately, because his suggestion came just days before he announced his resignation, this proposal risks being dismissed as some kind of a Hail Mary; an attempt to be provocative on his way out the door. He even suggested as much, when he stated "I want to lay out an idea today that will strike some as improbable or impractical."
Actually, his idea is neither.
It is both practical and eminently plausible. With the right kind of leadership and advocacy, it might even become probable.
Its basic premise -- that increased investments in education in high poverty schools will reduce crime and improve public safety -- is backed up by a solid and growing body of research. Duncan outlined some of this in his speech, citing a study by economist Lance Lochner that a 1 percent increase in male high school graduates will result in 100,000 fewer crimes and a savings of $1.4 billion annually. But there is more.
According to Lochner, the greatest reductions in crime from increasing the number of high school graduates will be in the categories of murder, assault and motor vehicle theft. Another economist, Hank Levin, found that the average criminal justice-related savings per new high school graduate is $26,600, almost twice that for black males.
Sociologist Bruce Western calculated the risk of imprisonment for black high school dropouts born between 1975 and 1979 at 68 percent. That percentage drops to 21 percent for those with a GED, and to 6% for those with college degrees.
As Duncan stated, "You don't have to be a liberal romantic to like the idea of investing up front in our kids. A hard-nosed look at the bottom line will take you to the same place."
Moreover, this is not exactly a new idea.
The Ella Baker Center launched "Books Not Bars" back in 2004. In 2011, the NAACP unveiled its Smart and Safe Campaign aimed at redirecting "misplaced priorities" that under-educate and over-incarcerate. A hybrid of Duncan's proposal, in the form of Proposition 47, passed in 2014 in California. Massachusetts has introduced An Act to Increase Neighborhood Safety and Opportunity, which calls for repealing mandatory minimums, changing certain felonies into misdemeanors and redirecting savings to, among other things, drop-out prevention and recovery. Undoubtedly other states are putting forth similar legislation and ballot initiatives.
In fact, Duncan's proposition should not only be taken very seriously, but expanded to encompass a wider range of educational reinvestment targets. As worthy as increasing teacher pay is, there are other options from which legislators and the public might choose. In order to increase graduation rates, high poverty schools need more restorative justice and less zero tolerance -- more counselors and fewer police roaming the halls.
Robert Balfanz, a noted dropout expert, has called the middle and high school years for at-risk youths "make or break." He cites the 9th grade transition to high school as particularly treacherous for struggling students.
So, in addition to investing in higher pay for teachers, funds saved by reducing our nation's prison population could be redirected into trauma-sensitive training for teachers and administrators, additional health and mental health services in schools, or into special 9th grade interventions for students flirting with dropping out.
For those students who have already dropped out, or are court-involved, there are programs -- like YouthBuild, ROCA, and Teen Equality Center -- that offer second chances, intensive supports, vocational training, and opportunities to finish high school. Recidivism rates for youths who go through these programs are exceedingly low.
What is important to remember is that all of us benefit from this kind of reinvestment approach. As Lochner and his colleagues wrote, "The social return to schooling is larger than the private return."
This is one instance when doing "good" (investing in educating our population instead of caging them) is the same as doing well (making our society safer and more prosperous). The public increasingly understands this. It has moved a long way from the "tough on crime" heyday of the 1980s and 1990s.
The bi-partisan coalition to dismantle mass incarceration continues to grow. Reinvesting funds saved from a smaller criminal justice system into effective educational interventions for young people at risk of dropping out, or who are disconnected from both school and work, is an achievable and practical next step. |
Previously, on “A Millennial Reviews…”
The following story is non-fictional and depicts an actual person and event.
In the TV reviewing system, sexually based content is considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated bloggers who investigate these vicious programs are members of an elite generation known as Millennials. These are their stories.
Last month was Movember, the month in which men of my generation grow mustaches as a form of activism against catcalling or something. Movember is also a good time to eat “mo” than your fair share of vegan free-range can-free cranberry sauce (it’s called kanberi sauce, you can get it at Whole Foods) and go into a food-coma that causes you to sleep in and lose your job at the dog walking company where you sort of work even though you’re mostly really focusing on music right now. When that happens you end up spending the first week of Dreadcember “Netflix and chilling” alone for two weeks straight, which is known as Netflix and freezing to death. This is a good thing, though.
Remember in Game of Thrones when everyone kept saying “Winter is coming?” That was the show itself reminding you of the reality that winter is the death of your social life and that you need to make a long term commitment to a really involved television series until at least February 15th. Throughout the holiday season you’re going to find yourself at family gatherings, work mixers, juggalo gatherings, molly-fueled MLK Day throw downs, all sorts of shit where you’re going to need a steady series to talk about to keep people from seriously judging you. You’re getting close to 30, if you show up to [STARBUCKS RED CUP HOLIDAY] dinner claiming you’re still shopping around for a good show to watch, your older relatives are going to start making some assumptions. If you can’t decide between Jessica Jones and The Flash, they’re going to assume you watch The Arrow (not that there’s anything wrong with that). It can get worse than that, however. Sometimes you show up at New Year’s Eve with Fargo but by Valentine’s day you’re traipsing around town with some new skanky season of American Horror Story. It will feel like you’re having fun, but it’s short lived manic superficial fun. It’s the type of fun that people like Charlie Sheen and Marco Rubio have where it’s all cocaine and yelling about warlocks until you wake up one morning covered in groupon receipts and little 2 oz. plastic bottles of Fireball cinnamon whiskey and realize you have seriously destroyed your own life and possibly a good section of Florida. My point in all of this is that I’ve found my winter show. It’s a million episodes long, problematic as hell, and roughly the same shit happens every time I watch it. I’m watching Law & Order: SVU.
L&O usually begins with a cold open involving someone jogging or looking wistfully into a pan while frying a single egg because they’re a detective with a lot on their mind. Honestly you can get five minutes into one of these things without knowing whether you’re watching a TV show or an Excedrin commercial. Then a casio keyboard bangs out the intro theme, a sort of jazzy Neon Indian groove set to a series of instagrams put together by someone who only knows how to use the earlybird filter. What follows is the most offensive show on television. This show is harder to watch than the Mythbusters episode where they tried to make Jankum.
Every episode involves a rape. EVERY episode. I suppose this “Dick Wolf” bro thinks this is a fine way for him to get jokes off about this sort of thing. Why not do an episode about women in comedy, or have a sex-positive guest star of color like Aziz Ansari? Why is every episode the same? Literally what is a procedural drama?
Anyways, once the crime of the day is upon us we see a core cast of investigators awkwardly lob dialogue back and forth trying to subtly explain which real news story is serving as the basis for the current plot. The Ariel Castro episode features such illuminating exposition as Ice-T saying “this is like Ariel Castro.” There is also a villain who uses a drink called Five Crazy to get amped up for crime, which I think is supposed to be a fictionalization of Four Loko but that’s actually a real thing (it’s where you pour a Five Hour Energy Drink into a Four Loko and then butt-chug it while that “shut up and dance with me” song is playing). Hell, there’s also an episode where Paula Deen shoots Trayvon Martin (this is actually not a joke, look it up).
Depending on what season you’re watching, there are a number of different JC Penny models that roll through the precinct having really boring middle aged relationships with one another where they have to get into serious discussions about how much they love their kids. Then there’s some guy called Ice-T that seems vaguely familiar? I swear I’ve heard this dude’s before somewhere. Finally and most importantly there’s problematic comedian Richard Belzer, who is a comedian and is on this show, so clearly he’s here to get jokes off about victims of sex crimes. He uses his white male privilege to saunter around the police station making zingers without regard for anyone’s safe space. In one episode he gets shot in the ass, and then he asks his partner Ice-T if he wants to kiss it and make it better. Now prior to watching this episode I had eaten a good three quarters of what’s known as a Chicago Danksgiving Pumpkin, which is a pumpkin soaked in sativa butter cut into a Jack ‘o Lantern of Chief Keef’s Face, so this little “ass” joke triggered me pretty hard. And make no mistake, it’s the show’s fault for triggering me into a post-ass-joke-stress-syndrome panic attack, not my raging addiction to the modern technology’s most manic strain of weed. Rape joke comedian Richard Belzer makes me sick and should never be allowed on stage again. If he ever comes to the comedy show I run in the bathroom hallway of a Bushwick hardware store he will for sure have the mic shut off and the stage rushed by me, the only person that’s usually at the show.
So if this show is so offensive, why am I marathoning the whole thing until Black Herstory month? Because I am an internet activist, and without being sanctimoniously offended, I am nothing. Winter is coming and I need a very large supply of content to be furious over. There are so many actors involved in this show, it could take me months to create petitions to get all of them fired. I’m so happy. God bless us, everyone.
Oh shit I just remembered where i’ve heard that guy’s voice: |
Two mass shootings in the past month—in Aurora, Colorado and Oak Creek, Wisconsin—have focused American attention once again on the issue of guns. Are guns a Jewish issue? Jewish organizations have expressed their opinions by their statements and their silence.
Relevant Links Should a Jew Sell Guns? J. David Bleich, Berman Jewish Policy Archive. “Jewish law recognizes that indiscriminate sale of weapons cannot fail to endanger the public.” (PDF) “Jewish law recognizes that indiscriminate sale of weapons cannot fail to endanger the public.” (PDF) Dress Code? Natalie Weinstein, Gender Tree. One of the oldest authoritative interpretations of the Bible understands the prohibition over the wearing of a man’s clothes by a woman as an injunction against women bearing arms. One of the oldest authoritative interpretations of the Bible understands the prohibition over the wearing of a man’s clothes by a woman as an injunction against women bearing arms. Jews for Gun Control Eric Yoffie, Haaretz. Although a majority of American Jews want to restrict gun ownership, neither of the two main political parties represent their position. Although a majority of American Jews want to restrict gun ownership, neither of the two main political parties represent their position. Armed and Jewish Dennis Prager, Jewish Journal. There are two reasons for Jews to support gun ownership: the American value of the armed citizen, and the Holocaust’s lesson that people are not basically good. There are two reasons for Jews to support gun ownership: the American value of the armed citizen, and the Holocaust’s lesson that people are not basically good. Halakhic Hunting Mayanot Lecture. Hunting is permitted if it has positive benefits for humans or the environment. (Audio) Hunting is permitted if it has positive benefits for humans or the environment. (Audio) Jews for Guns Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. “Founded by Jews in 1989, JPFO initially aimed at educating the Jewish community about the historical evils that Jews have suffered when they have been disarmed.” “Founded by Jews in 1989, JPFO initially aimed at educating the Jewish community about the historical evils that Jews have suffered when they have been disarmed.”
The Reform movement’s Religious Action Center has decried the recent shootings and called for “common-sense gun control laws.” A blog on the Center’s website clarifies what the RAC thinks this means. “The most effective way to prevent gun deaths,” it says, “is to reduce the number of guns.” An earlier editorial by a RAC associate director went further. It decried the prospect of an armed and balkanized American society—and derided the argument that “only when Jews have guns have they been able to preserve Jewish honor and dignity.” The RAC’s answer to threats that Jews might face is tikkun olam.
The president of the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly made a more interesting comment on the shootings. He condemned them, but also noted “the fragility of the fundamental social contract that binds us to each other in a civil society. Each and every assault on that unwritten contract,” he observed, “erodes our sense of security, and in so doing, threatens to make us that much less trusting, and less compassionate.” This is undoubtedly true—and unhelpfully abstract. It begs the question of whether it is the guns or the shooters that pose the real problem.
The Orthodox Union condemned the shootings at the Sikh temple in Wisconsin as an assault on religious freedom—but did not mention guns. While Orthodox rabbis, like rabbis of other denominations, have undoubtedly sermonized on guns and violence, taking various positions, Orthodoxy’s Rabbinical Council of America issued no public statement about the recent events.
Jewish exegesis related to guns is necessarily indirect. Biblical and talmudic texts generally require people to secure possessions of theirs, such as dangerous dogs, that pose safety hazards. There are prohibitions on selling weapons to idol worshippers and criminals, lest the weapons be turned against Jews. At the same time, there are complicating biblical and talmudic pronouncements about moral freedom and pikuah nefesh, saving a life. In one talmudic commentary on Deuteronomy, the prohibition on a woman’s wearing men’s clothing includes a ban on her wearing weapons, the quintessential male accoutrement. It follows that for men, wearing weapons is natural.
But none of these sources figures in American Jews’ discussions of guns; instead, there is near blanket opposition. Why?
At the center of the gun issue is power: To whom does the positive and negative power of weapons rightfully belong? Max Weber famously defined the state as an entity with a monopoly on violence; and the American Jewish attitude towards guns, following Weber, cedes all responsibility for the protection of individuals—of Jews—to government. American Jews, as opposed to Jews through most of history, unilaterally cede this power even though it is available to them.
The issue is not simply Left versus Right. The Reform movement explicitly wishes to restrict or prohibit individual gun ownership. In contrast, Orthodox silence on the issue tacitly accepts both the legal status quo, which permits private guns, and social norms, under which Jews do not own guns. The denominational positions effectively converge. Guns are not for Jews.
One pathological consequence of Jewish powerlessness has been the tendency to embrace weakness, rationalizing it and the suffering it produces as elevated and noble. Another pathology is guilt regarding whatever power one does possess. For American Jews, who are not shy about wielding their social and economic power, the choice to remain unarmed is perverse—but logical.
Jews also follow the prejudices of their social class. Educated upper middle-class suburbanites, largely untouched by gun violence, are notably opposed to guns. Their opposition reflects intellectuals’ assumptions about the sources of and solutions to violence, and blame is assigned to the technology. True, the culture of the shooters themselves is identified as the problem in certain cases—say, neo-Nazis. But in other cases, such as inner cities, culture is quietly ignored: Highlighting it might be thought racist. Expiating a sense of privilege by restricting the rights of others is another hallmark of the educated upper middle class. In this sense, too, Jews emulate their fellows and embrace weakness.
There is also a passive-aggressive element in the American Jewish attitude: It cedes a monopoly on violence to government not just in exchange for the government’s protection but as a way of establishing an entitlement to—of demanding—such protection. Government, correspondingly, offers sympathy to victims while accepting empowerment as their protector. Unfortunately, criminals and terrorists have not agreed to the bargain. Thus, the Jewish attitude, a form of pacifism, entails the occasional human sacrifice.
But the American social contract uniquely specifies that government does not retain a monopoly on violence. The country was founded precisely in rebellion against such an idea, a rebellion that is burned into the nation’s founding documents. Moreover, the power of governments to threaten liberties is fact, not paranoid fantasy; Jews have been victims of state violence as much or more than non-state violence. The question of whether to place total trust in the state for protection does not have a self-evident answer.
Then there is the problem of guns and Zion. How many American Jews are taken aback at seeing young Israeli men and women with assault rifles slung on their shoulders? How much alienation from Israel comes from the American Jewish desire that violence be impersonal and distant, rather than, as in Israel, intensely personal?
Guns are an imperfect last defense against adversaries—governments, terrorists, home invaders. In rejecting guns, Jews elect to put their full faith in government—also imperfect, as well as haphazard, biased, even vindictive. Placing faith in government rather than in legal rights places faith not in laws but in human discretion. Such a choice in the haphazard and political is necessarily foolish. And faith in powerlessness is still worse, demeaning and potentially suicidal.
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ROME (Reuters) - Rescuers recovered one body and saved 298 people in the Mediterranean on Tuesday amid poor weather conditions, a day after a rubber boat with an unknown number of people flipped in heavy seas, Italy’s coast guard said.
The migrants were pulled from three different rubber boats, one of which had turned over, it said in a statement.
Sea conditions were challenging, with 2-meter (6 foot) waves and winds of up to 25 knots, a SOS Mediterranee spokeswoman said.
On Monday, an oil tanker pulled 15 people from the water about 30 nautical miles (55 km) off the Libyan coast after a rubber boat turned over in heavy seas, a coastguard spokesman said.
The survivors have since been taken on board a coastguard vessel and are being taken to Catania, Sicily, he said. The coastguard would not estimate the number of missing.
Mathilde Auvillain, a spokeswoman for SOS Mediterranee on board the humanitarian group’s Aquarius rescue vessel, said rubber boats are normally packed with at least 100 migrants.
On Monday, the Aquarius recovered five dead bodies from a rubber dinghy and the crew saw another person drown but was not able to recover the body, she said.
A boy who was pulled from the water and remained unconscious for two hours and a woman who had inhaled fuel fumes were evacuated from the Aquarius by helicopter.
In total, about 550 migrants, most of them from West Africa, were pulled to safety in five operations on Monday, the coast guard said.
The death toll in the Mediterranean has surged this year to 4,271 as of Nov. 14, compared to 3,777 in the whole of 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The deadliest route is across the Mediterranean toward Italy from Libya, where smugglers have taken advantage of a breakdown of order to pack people into unseaworthy boats.
Arrivals to Italy this year, now at about 167,000, have already exceeded last year’s 154,000. While last year departures dropped off from October as the weather conditions worsened, this year the decline has been less pronounced, Interior Ministry data show. |
Jen Bartel is known for her candy-colored illustrations and depictions of strong female characters. She’s best known in comics for her work on IDW’s Jem and the Holograms, but her work has also been featured in a number of illustration magazines and special gallery shows around the country. Bartel, primarily known for her cover illustrations, recently drew full interior comics pages for Jem and the Holograms with issues #17 & 18.
This week, comics shops will be graced with an exclusive Jen Bartel Over the Garden Wall variant cover!(top image)
Additional credits: American Illustration Showcase, Chaos Arena: Crystal Fighters, 1001 Knights, Lumberjanes, Juxtapoz, Nickelodeon, and many more!
Links: www.jenbartel.com/ :: @heyjenbartel
For more comics related art, you can follow me on my website comicstavern.com – Andy Yates
Save |
Early the next morning, Harry sat in the privacy of his trunk, and thought.
To-do list:
1. Save every sapient being in the universe.
2. Resurrect all dead sapient beings in the universe.
He had wanted a challenge. He had wanted to be significant. He had no real right to complain.
Right. What do I have to get done right now?
Dumbledore had wanted to discuss more with him, if he had nothing better to do.
List of things to ask Dumbledore:
1. How are spells really made?
2. How does magical power work? Why aren't I as powerful as Voldemort was?
3. Where does magic come from?
He needed to contact Professor Quirrell, as soon as possible. They needed the Stone. Harry reached for his wand-
"Hello again, Mr. Potter."
Harry spun around, almost falling off his chair.
Professor Quirrell was not leaning against a wall, as had once been his custom: he was standing solidly, and there seemed to be more to him than there had been before - like he was more real, somehow.
The sense of doom was gone, the prophecy fulfilled.
"That was quick," Harry said, recovering. "And most people would have knocked."
Idiot, Harry chastised himself. He'd just resolved to be more sensible, and he hadn't taken any precautions against, say, Professor Quirrell deciding it might be a good idea to kill the prophesied end of the world.
It wouldn't be easy for Professor Quirrell to kill Harry. Harry's fingers rested casually on his wand. Quirrell might try something to circumvent the Horcrux system, but if he did, Harry would Transfigure enough antimatter inside his own skull to kill himself instantly (he'd calculated the amount required long ago, of course. Be prepared.)
The fact that Harry was still there was evidence enough that Quirrell didn't want him dead, but just to be safe...
"Musst ssay ssomething cruccial," hissed Harry as quickly as he could. "Iss prophesssied for me to desstroy world, yess, but world iss inevitably doomed - alternative iss end of all life. Am only chancce to resscue people of world before all thingss end."
"I see," said Quirrell after a moment's pause. His wand hand gestured rapidly as he spoke, casting as many privacy spells as could be evoked within the castle Hogwarts.
"Am told original wordss of prophecccy, from one who heard it, can be helpful. Parsseltongue will not count, I think." Professor Quirrell cleared his throat. "He is here. The one who will tear apart the very stars in Heaven. He is here. He is the end of the world."
Harry shivered. There was nothing particular about the words themselves, but inside the calm, precise tones of that voice was a kind of elemental force.
"Now, how do you plan to sset about doing thiss?"
"Wass told yessterday."
"No excusse."
"Had jusst ssslain Dark Lord."
"Sstill no excusse".
Harry gave the closest Parseltongue could come to a long-suffering sigh. "'End of world' could ssimply refer to thiss..." Parseltongue had a word for "planet", but something told Harry that Salazar Slytherin had meant the little moving points of light in the sky, not what he'd been standing on... "planet, sso minimum neccesssary iss desstruction of two sstarss and one planet... could find ssome meanss of adapting great creation, presserving all thinking creaturess..."
"This," said Professor Quirrell slowly, in human speech, and the troubling thought occurred to Harry that the Defence Professor had just as little understanding as he did, "is challenging enough to be interesting."
"More knowledge neccesssary. Can you concceive, teacher, of ssome meanss of lifting interdict of anccient-wizard-chief?"
Professor Quirrell looked almost horrified. "Wass raissed for good reasson-"
"Am not ssstupid. Sshould be possible to usse knowledge sso gained to casst interdict once more, and better thiss time. If not, think acceptable rissk, to ssave world. Are there any known librariess, hoardss of ssecretss ssurviving but hidden by interdict?"
"The Twilit Archives," murmured Quirrell in human speech, "and perhaps a few more."
Harry smiled. Now we're getting somewhere.
"Sso. Breaking the Interdict?"
OoOoO
Albus Dumbledore was not all that elderly, as it happened. For all his years, both the natural and the Time-Turned, he was still a wizard. His body consisted under its own magic; he had access to such things as Healing Charms, should the need arise. In physical terms, he was in no worse condition than a middle-aged Muggle.
But it was times like this when he felt so, so old.
His feet pushed away the dark stone steps.
"Lumos," he murmured. It wasn't necessary. He could have lit that room without speaking a word, without touching a wand, but he had always taken some comfort from executing the precise techniques of spellcasting.
A small statue of Hermione Granger, wand raised and eyes set in her camouflage practice uniform, occupied the centre of the room. In its hand was her wand, almost unique amongst the wands in this room in that it was intact.
Hermione held a special position in this room, not because she had been closer or greater than any other, not because she had been young or innocent, but because she had been his student. Her parents had been promised that she would be safe at Hogwarts...
He'd come here on that awful day and wondered briefly if it might be the right thing to do to surrender Hogwarts. He had joined the ranks of those Headmasters under whom a pupil had died.
But that was no help to anyone, and so Albus had spoken to Hogwarts and raised this as a tribute to yet another he'd failed to save, made all the worse for the fact that she had been a first-year of Hogwarts, and a hero if ever there had been one.
Albus reached up and took Hermione's wand, and with a small gesture the statue receded back into the stone floor.
Albus shook himself slightly. The Ravenclaw within him had burned to ask Harry what had happened, how Hermione had survived after all, but the boy had been through enough.
No, Albus was here to celebrate another, one who would be missed by far fewer than had mourned Hermione, even after most of the country had been convinced she was a murderer.
Severus would not have wanted special recognition. The man had been convinced that the life he was risking was no life at all.
There were things Albus could have said, to help Severus, to free him. But there were other dangers in that. The Potions Master might not have been strong enough to understand, could have ended up broken even more. Looking around the room he was in, Albus knew quite well that he would not have freed Severus even if he had been sure.
He would make the announcement at dinner. He would tell the students the truth. They deserved that much. Severus deserved that much.
On a small black pedestal stood a framed photograph of a young Severus Snape with a rare smile, standing next to a laughing red-haired woman. Just in front of it lay a small urn of ashes, and a cracked and scorched wand.
The door closed soundlessly behind Albus Dumbledore.
OoOoO
Harry leant back in his reading chair.
Professor Quirrell didn't know a handy counter-spell to the Interdict of Merlin. There had been attempts to break through it throughout history, but nobody had ever succeeded, and Quirrell couldn't recall anyone trying to lift it completely.
He did hypothesise that the Interdict was tied to the Line of Merlin Unbroken.
Sadly, Professor Quirrell had told Harry, the Line was amongst the greatest artefacts known. There were seven things, Professor Quirrell said, that might endure the passage of time indefinitely, resist any material force, withstand even Fiendfyre: the Mirror, the Hallows, the Hall, the Line, and of course the Philosopher's Stone.
That brought Harry to the next point. "Ah," he said. Mess this up, and people keep dying. "About the Stone..."
There was a long, calculating look. Harry wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he thought he saw the man smirk.
If you value human life, if you care at all about other people, please...
"Tell me," Quirrell said neutrally, "what would you do first, if I handed you the Stone at this moment?"
Not have to get Dumbledore and half the Order to steal it from you, thought Harry. "Set up a hospital. Portkey people in, Transfigure them, touch them with the Stone. We could punish the worst criminals by having them bind Unbreakable Vows, or use them for security and healing. Begin dismantling the-"
Harry clamped his mouth shut. Begin dismantling the Statute of Secrecy.
For once, Harry had actually managed to think before speaking.
Harry had used his knowledge of science to his advantage, doing things no other first-year could. But he was far from unique. How many Muggle children had heard of antimatter? How many happened to be friends with a wizard child? What if some idiot science enthusiast who didn't understand how big c^2 was thought it would be fun to get his wizard neighbour to Conjure some neutronium/antineutronium, and the wizard humoured him and cast the spell...
Wizards and witches hid magical lore for the sake of safety, but that wasn't what they ought to worry about.
"Begin healing Muggles in secret. Heal dementia in its early stages, cancer before it's diagnosed. Fake the invention of highly-effective but rare treatments..."
"All very ambitious, yes. But what would you do now? The very first change you could make?"
Oh.
Harry's heart started racing.
A Patronus was not effective against Dementors without its caster close by. But touch it with the Stone...
That wasn't all. The harm could be reversed with the Stone. Harry could make it all as though it had never happened. That woman might remember her children's faces again.
Harry's wand was halfway raised when the Defence Professor shook his head. "Again, you must continue thinking. A phoenix came to you when you wished to destroy Azkaban, and it might yet come to another."
"You mean-"
"You are too valuable to risk on any phoenix's venture. But phoenixes are powerfully magical. It is not inconceivable that there is something you and she might learn, students both of Muggle arts, from a phoenix. Dumbledore will not gladly surrender Fawkes."
Quirrell's tone sharpened. "He may mean well, but Dumbledore is still the man who told a young Tom Riddle not to meddle when he went down on his knees and begged to meet Nicholas Flamel."
Harry hesitated only a fraction of a second. He was not going to rush into another of Quirrell's plans without thinking. "It's not worth the risk to Hermione. It's not worth the extra time the prisoners have to suffer. And I'm pretty sure Dumbledore will-"
"Will hesitate and wring his hands and gently dissuade you from trying anything vaguely distasteful, for all that it might save us all. As for Miss Granger, it is only necessary that she think that she is risking her life. Send copies of your Patronus to her after she has left."
After a moment, Harry nodded.
OoOoO
Lucius had noticed immediately, that morning.
It had taken him a while to work out just what that feeling was.
The Dark Mark had left his arm and his mind and his magic, leaving smooth and unmarked skin, as though it had never been there at all.
This rather changed things.
OoOoO
Later, at dinner:
The Headmaster rose solemnly to his feet as the last of the food vanished.
When he spoke, his voice was far from its accustomed boom. It was not gentle, but old, sorrowful.
"Students, staff, I am afraid I must share with you the gravest news."
There were glances between students. The staff either knew already, or kept themselves composed.
Harry sat stiffly.
It could have been so much worse. Another few minutes, and Snape might have been joined by Dumbledore and McGonagall and Bones and Moody. And after that, who knew how many more...
Harry knew that the death of one person - two - was an unbelievably light price to pay for killing Lord Voldemort. He knew that Snape would have gone to that death willingly, if he had somehow known.
That didn't make it right.
"Professor Severus Snape," spoke Dumbledore carefully, "died last night."
That simple phrase seemed to burn in the crowded hall. No student breathed. First-years who, minutes previously, might have gleefully imagined the hated man's death, sat stunned by the simple force of the words.
"Make no mistake," continued Dumbledore, "Severus was not a flawless man. But he was our respected Potions Master, a most gifted wizard, and - far more importantly - a good friend to me."
The silence was absolute.
"The truth is sacred," continued Dumbledore, "and I will not lie to spare young ears. Severus Snape was killed by Lord Voldemort."
That broke the spell, and there was a moment of horrified whispering before Dumbledore raised a hand once more.
"The danger is past. Thanks in part to Severus' own actions, the Dark Lord can threaten nobody ever again. It is safe to tell you now that Severus was a spy for the Light for almost all his life. His unwavering dedication and unspeakable mental discipline saved many lives."
"Severus died in the act of defending myself, Amelia Bones, Alastor Moody and Minerva McGonagall. Severus had his own demons, but I ask you all to remember him as the man who overcame his background, his flaws and his circumstances, and lived and died ultimately for love. Thank you."
Dumbledore sat down again.
Harry stared hard at the grain of the table wood, trying to absorb himself in it, trying to forget his failure.
The students sat in sombre silence, saying little.
Tears shone on the faces of some of the Slytherins.
At the far end of the Slytherin table, Rhianne Felthorne sat with her head in her hands and sobbed. She couldn't quite remember... something, but it made her heart ache anyway.
OoOoO
Baba Yaga stood unsteadily in her living room, brandy clutched tightly in trembling fingers. Her boots were still on, her heavy cloak tattered and scorched about her. There was a kind of calmness there that bespoke only helplessness.
Without warning her control broke, and she wound up and threw the goblet with force nobody could muster without magical aid into the fire. With a sob, magic lashed out of her and tore the opposing wall free of the rest of the house.
It didn't help.
After a while, she calmed again. She drank, and tried to forget, or at least think of something else.
It didn't work. |
As I outlined in a recent column, this year Israel declared the newest phase in its “war” against pro-Palestinian human rights groups and organisations. They have named their new tactic: “targeted civil eliminations”.
By inserting the word “civil” into their usual euphemism for cold-blooded assassination, Israeli officials are very deliberately sending out a message. It is a message of extreme violence.
Israeli death threats against Palestinian aid workers, humanitarians, journalists and poets are nothing new, but the “civil eliminations” campaign is a step-up in a particularly alarming and duplicitous campaign. It is mainly targeted at groups that support BDS, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
More recently, it spread to non-political charities and aid organisations in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza director of World Vision currently languishes in an Israeli dungeon based on entirely fabricated “evidence” concocted by Israeli spies who didn’t even bother to make their lies even superficially convincing.
But now it has reached Europe, to the alarm of its targets.
Workers at Palestinian human rights organisations operating with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague are the victims of a coordinated and sophisticated campaign of harassment and death threats. Dutch authorities are investigating, but it took the ICC stepping in for them to take it seriously.
Palestinian human rights organisations Al-Haq, Al-Mezan, PCHR, and Addameer have been working with ICC authorities, who have since January 2015 been conducting a preliminary examination into war crimes allegedly committed by Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza during the 2014 Israeli war on the coastal strip.
Israel wants to avoid this taking place, at almost any costs. And so it seems its dirty war has now spread to Europe.
Nada Kiswanson, a lawyer with Al-Haq working in The Hague, has received a steady stream of death threats for the last six months. She has been subjected to vicious and intimidating phone calls, emails and other forms of communication targeting her and her family. Kiswanson accuses Israel of being the culprit. “It’s very clear that the reason I’m being threatened is because of the work that I do in Europe and particularly at the International Criminal Court,” she told the Associated Press.
The complex and coordinated nature of the campaign suggests she is right to suspect Israel.
Only one day after buying an anonymous prepaid mobile phone, Kiswanson was subjected to threatening calls. She told Reuters that one of her relatives in Sweden was called and told that Kiswanson would be “eliminated”. Amnesty International has condemned the threats and called on Dutch authorities to do more to protect human rights workers.
Al-Mezan, a Gaza-based human right group, also received death threats targeting one of its workers. The staff member, working in Europe on the ICC case, received an email with an attached photo of the exterior of his home reading “you deserve to see your loved ones suffer and die. But maybe you would be hurt before them.”
Human Rights Watch condemned the threats against Al-Mezan and Al-Haq as reprehensible.
This sinister campaign follows a similar dirty war strategy against Al-Haq earlier this year, during which its workers and their families were threatened and harassed, and false claims of corruption were spread against it in a whispering campaign aimed at tarnishing its reputation.
Speaking to the Associated Press, an Israeli official said: “We do not react to such preposterous allegations.”
But it is far from ridiculous to suspect Israel of being behind this campaign. Indeed, to my mind it is the prime suspect, and Dutch authorities have not ruled Israel out as the culprit.
If any other Middle Eastern state had been so clearly implicated in conducting a campaign of death threats against human rights workers in Europe one could imagine how much of an international scandal it would have become in the press.
But Israel continues to benefit from almost total impunity and protection from the European Union and European governments. Until it is held to account, it will remain untouchable. While our governments refuse to act, it falls on us to subject Israel to pressure with campaigns of accountability – at the forefront of which is BDS.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor. |
When the government last shut down, in 2013, Mick Mulvaney considered himself part of “the Shutdown Caucus” — a group of conservative House Republicans who held such a hard line that they were willing to let the lights go out.
Now, four years later, Mulvaney is on a collision course with his former comrades, responsible for convincing intransigent House Republicans to make a different kind of choice and pass a new spending bill by April 28 to avert another shutdown.
The former South Carolina congressman — who was elected in the tea party wave of 2010 and took pride in rejecting his own party’s budget proposals, one after another — now serves as President Trump’s budget director, making him the administration’s chief salesman over the next month on spending matters.
Once an outspoken leader of the House Freedom Caucus, Mulvaney now is tasked with bringing along the group with which his boss has plainly lost patience. Frustrated by their obstruction on health care, Trump last week threatened to destroy Freedom Caucus members in the 2018 midterm elections, even as Mulvaney is working with them to forge consensus on an agreement to keep the government funded.
But there are clear limits to Mulvaney’s influence, as this month’s embarrassing collapse of the Republican health-care bill laid bare. Some Freedom Caucus members speak privately of Mulvaney’s “philosophic convulsion,” as one put it, and are quick to note that he no longer speaks with the ideological purity they came to respect in him, but rather as an agent of a president on the hunt for a deal.
(Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)
“All of our lives are composed of trade-offs,” said Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), a Freedom Caucus member. “Each person has a different calibration on where ‘go’ means ‘go’ and where ‘no’ means ‘no.’ I wouldn’t attempt to suggest for another where their own lines ought to be on that balancing act of personal philosophy and assigned roles or jobs, but what I would say is that I wish Mick the absolute best.”
Trump and his other advisers, however, see Mulvaney as their bridge to the Freedom Caucus, believing he still has unique credibility with the conservative hard-liners, however hostile they may be to some of the administration’s priorities.
“If you have to have somebody on your side that understands the complexity of these [bills] and the stakes around a government shutdown, who would you rather have than Mick Mulvaney?” asked Stephen K. Bannon, the chief White House strategist.
Bannon called Mulvaney “the unsung hero of this administration, because he’s doing yeoman’s work on just about every front. He’s a rock star.”
Marc Short, the White House legislative affairs director, said Mulvaney is “anchored in his core philosophy,” but that he has said, “As much as he loves his colleagues in the House, sometimes it’s less about winning the argument than about actually advancing the ball.”
One example of Mulvaney’s dramatically altered role came with Sanford, who told The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., that Trump used Mulvaney as an intermediary to threaten to oust Sanford in retaliation for not supporting the health-care bill. Sanford said Mulvaney told him, “The president asked me to look you square in the eyes and to say that he hoped you voted ‘no’ on this bill so he could run [a primary challenger] against you in 2018.”
The episode marked an uncomfortable evolution for a man once allied with Sanford who saw his previous job in Congress as protecting the American taxpayer against runaway spending — even for the military and even if the cuts he championed caused pain for his constituents.
(Reuters)
[Trump wants to add wall spending to stopgap budget bill, potentially forcing shutdown showdown ]
Now as director of the Office of Management and Budget, however, Mulvaney has proposed a large increase in defense spending, which would be offset by steep cuts in social services such as housing, job training, and after-school activities, as well as foreign aid.
Some of these positions have infuriated antipoverty advocates, particularly his statements that federal assistance for low-income students and the elderly is ineffective.
“Rarely will any program be able to fully accomplish its goals because the needs are so great, but if you took those programs away, there would be a huge impact,” said Libba Patterson, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law who ran the state’s social services agency for four years.
Fiscal hawks had a different reaction to Mulvaney’s first budget. Rep. Jeff Duncan (R., S.C.), a Freedom Caucus member who served with him in the South Carolina legislature before they were both elected to Congress in 2010, cheered Mulvaney’s moves. “We were all dancing in the street that Mick was chosen to be OMB director,” he said.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) praised Mulvaney, a friend, as “a committed conservative.” But, he said, Mulvaney is wearing “a different hat. He is now representing the administration’s policy, so he doesn’t have the same freedom he had as someone who represented the people of South Carolina.”
During the health-care push, Mulvaney was one of the most visible administration officials. He appeared regularly on television news — Trump thinks he is an especially smooth and punchy communicator, aides said — and lobbied lawmakers incessantly, from negotiating sessions on Capitol Hill to a game of bowling in the White House basement.
[‘The closer’? The inside story of how Trump tried — and failed — to make a deal on health care]
Duncan said Mulvaney helped persuade him to support the Affordable Care Act replacement bill, even though many Freedom Caucus colleagues were opposed.
“He couldn’t convince everyone,” Duncan said. “But even when he was in Congress and the Freedom Caucus, he couldn’t convince everyone.”
One of Mulvaney’s selling points for the budget director job was his connection to the Freedom Caucus, Trump aides said, and there is some disappointment that he fell short on selling the health-care bill. But advisers said blame for the failure has fallen on many officials, including White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, not just Mulvaney.
“There’s nothing more that he could have possibly done,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said of Mulvaney. He called the budget director “a very well-steeped, well-regarded workhorse” who has “an instant sense of credibility on Capitol Hill.”
Mulvaney was well-liked in the House, a rare Freedom Caucus member who made friends with House leaders, including Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).
“I think it’s easy for the media to paint him in a corner philosophically, but his friendships obviously go across the entire spectrum of the Republican conference, and I think that’s why he’s such a great asset,” Short said.
Yet in the Senate, Mulvaney barely won confirmation. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) joined all 48 Democrats and independents in opposing his appointment, in part because of Mulvaney’s past opposition to higher defense spending levels.
[Trump’s federal budget 2018: Massive cuts to the arts, science and the poor]
Before coming to Washington, Mulvaney, 49, was a state lawmaker and also owned and operated a South Carolina franchise of Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina. He first got elected to the House by unseating one of Congress’s long-serving lions — John Spratt, then the House Budget Committee chairman — in a district that Democrats had controlled for more than 100 years.
Spratt said he was surprised Mulvaney had pulled off getting appointed budget director, arguing that he has no “real experience in budget-making.”
“I’m still surprised that he was able to pull down a prize like OMB,” Spratt said. “It’s one of the most difficult jobs in the United States. He’s got to prove himself worthy of the job.”
Mulvaney’s colleagues said he has proven a quick study, and that he helps them see around corners politically.
Mulvaney has instructed the career staff at the budget office to read Trump’s 1987 bestseller, “The Art of the Deal.” He supported Paul in the 2016 presidential primaries, but came around to Trump once he emerged as the presumptive nominee.
Now one of Trump’s employees — he attends the White House senior staff meetings every morning — Mulvaney is forging a bond with the president. Aides said that whenever Trump talks about numbers, he summons Mulvaney if he is not already in the Oval Office.
Trump also invited Mulvaney to join him last weekend at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, according to one of the president’s advisers.
“He can take the mundane — budget policy is not the sexiest thing in the world, let’s face it — and not only make it interesting, but talk to you about the different angles of it,” said Rick Dearborn, a deputy White House chief of staff. “It’s not just the policy piece of it, but his political insights that make it very interesting. He gives you these ‘aha moments’ of, ‘Oh, yeah, I hadn’t thought about that.’” |
YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi told the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights on Monday that the government will avoid using the term “Rohingya” to describe a persecuted Muslim minority in the country’s northwest, an official said on Monday.
National League for Democracy (NLD) party leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrives at Union Parliament in Naypyitaw, Myanmar March 15, 2016. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun
Also on Monday, the top U.N. human rights official issued a report saying the Rohingya have been deprived of nationality and undergone systematic discrimination and severe restrictions on movements. They have also suffered executions and torture that together may amount to crimes against humanity, the report said.
Members of the 1.1 million group, who identify themselves by the term Rohingya, are seen by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The term is a divisive issue.
The U.N. human rights investigator, Yanghee Lee, met Suu Kyi in the capital Naypyitaw on her first trip to Myanmar since the Nobel Peace Prize winner took power in April.
“At their meeting here this morning, our Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi explained our stance on this issue that the controversial terms should be avoided,” said Aung Lin, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Suu Kyi is banned from presidency by the military-drafted constitution because her children have British citizenship. She holds offices of the State Counsellor and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, but is the de facto leader of the administration.
Feted in the West for her role as champion of Myanmar’s democratic opposition during long years of military rule and house arrest, Suu Kyi has been criticized overseas, and by some in Myanmar, for saying little about the abuses faced by the Rohingya.
POSSIBLE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in the report the Rohingya are excluded from a number of professions and need special paperwork to access hospitals, which has resulted in delays and deaths of babies and their mothers during childbirth.
It was the first time Zeid said these and other long-standing violations could add up to crimes against humanity, an international crime. Crimes against humanity are serious, widespread and systematic violations.
Some 120,000 Rohingya remain displaced in squalid camps since fighting erupted in Rakhine State between Buddhists and Muslims in 2012. Thousands have fled persecution and poverty.
“The new Government has inherited a situation where laws and policies are in place that are designed to deny fundamental rights to minorities, and where impunity for serious violations against such communities has encouraged further violence against them,” Zeid said.
Reversing such discrimination must be a priority for the new government “to halt ongoing violations and prevent further ones taking place against Myanmar’s ethnic and religious minorities,” Zeid said.
Suu Kyi has formed a committee to “bring peace and development” to the state in May, but its plans are not clear.
On Friday, Myanmar’s representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Thet Thinzar Tun, criticized use of “certain nomenclature” by a U.N. representative as “adding fuel to fire” and “only making things worse”.
“For the sake of harmony and mutual trust between two communities, it is advisable for everyone to use the term ‘the Muslim community in Rakhine State’,” she said, according to the United Nations.
Suu Kyi said during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last month that the country needed “space” to deal with the Rohingya issue and cautioned against the use of “emotive terms” that she said were making the situation more difficult.
The previous military-linked government of former junta General Thein Sein referred to the group as “Bengalis”, implying they were illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, though many have lived in Myanmar for generations.
Lee, the U.N. Special Rapporteur, will meet several cabinet members and travel to areas where ethnic armed groups fight the military and sometimes between themselves, including Shan, Kachin and Rakhine states.
(This version of the story has been refiled to correct male attribution in paragraph 15 to female) |
The Shins released Heartworms earlier this year, and with its synth-heavy foundation and experimental melodies, it’s definitely proven to be the band’s most danceable album yet. “Cherry Hearts” is one of the more playful tracks that make up the record, and today, the band has shared a video to match.
Directed by Stefano Bertelli, the stop-motion clip for “Cherry Hearts” is made entirely of paper, depicting the happenings at an amusement park. A rollercoaster ride takes a passenger past a dinosaur, grasshopper and blood-splattered monkey before launching him into space and at some point, into a game of Pong. Cupid and a legless lady also make guest appearances in the surrealistic animation.
The Shins will release a bundle for the single on Oct. 13, which will include the original album recording, a flipped version and the RAC remix. Watch the “Cherry Hearts” video below, and read our review of Heartworms here. |
Michigan is the only state in the country to penalize minors for refusing to take breathalyzer tests—even if they're not driving.
Despite multiple federal court decisions finding the practice unconstitutional, the state persists in the practice of testing kids for booze. This has enraged former attorney and State Rep. Peter Lucido (R–Shelby), who has introduced legislation to bring Michigan law and police practices in line with the Constitution.
"By exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right to say no," he says of minors who refuse Preliminary Breath Tests or (PBTs) "they get a two point violation and $100 fine." But "we're allowed to say no because it's a taking of breath. It's a search."
His bill, H.B. 4213, would clarify that minors can refuse a PBT and requires that police officers have to go through the same process to breathalyze them as they would have to with other searches, namely getting a warrant.
"If someone wants to exercise their rights to say no," he says, the cops have to call a judge. "Then a magistrate would hear the facts, and they could get a warrant."
Lucido's bill, if passed, would finally bring Michigan law into accordance with a 2007 U.S. District Court decision which ruled that Michigan's underage drinking law "authorizes practices that contravene the Fourth Amendment" by penalizing people who refuse a search.
That ruling was the result of a lawsuit brought by the Michigan ACLU, who sued the state on behalf of two women who had been subjected to breathalyzer tests against their consent. One of the women had had police show up at her door at 4 a.m. after discovering a purse she had left at a party. The officers demanded she take a breathalyzer or be fined.
Prior to this a 2003 U.S. District Court ruling had struck down an identical local breathalyzer fine for the same reasoning.
But despite the courts striking down the application of fines for people exercising their constitutional rights, the Michigan law has remained on the books.
The law remains up on the Michigan legislature's website, and defense attorneys are still cautioning their minor clients that they can be fined and penalized for refusing a PBT.
The bill passed through the House in March by a whopping 102-to-6 vote, and the Senate Judiciary Committee sent it to the floor Thursday with a due pass recommendation.
So far the only major opposition has been from the Michigan Sheriff's Association, who has said it will remove a useful tool from law enforcement officers.
Sheriff Association Executive Director Blaine Koops told Michigan Live that getting a warrant to conduct field breathalyzer tests was just too much of a hassle for the average beat cop. "That is very time consuming and also very difficult as far as trying to get that paperwork out from the field to the judge and back."
Lucido, who has been in the legislature since 2015, also suggests concerns over revenue might be coloring the judgement of some law enforcement voices sad to see the $100 civil fines go. "You roll up on a house party, have 50 kids refuse a breathalyzer, and collect $5,000 in revenue. You'd probably say you did a pretty good job for the city. Its poking at its finest."
Lucido's bill is currently waiting for a vote of the full Michigan senate, which will then send it to Gov. Rick Snyder for signing. |
With CSS 3D transformations supported by most modern browsers nowadays, we can enrich our web projects with powerful animations, and be confident most users will enjoy the full experience. Today's template is just an example of how to turn a flat app screen into a 3D mockup, and animate it. We also integrated a popular resource, Points of Interest.
Inspiration came from Prismic.io.
Creating the structure
The HTML is structured in 2 main <div> elements ( .cd-product-intro and .cd-product-mockup ) – the first containing the product intro (title, action buttons..) and the second the mockup (and the points of interest) – wrapped inside a section.cd-product .
<section class="cd-product"> <div class="cd-product-intro"> <h1><!-- Product name --></h1> <p><!-- Product description --></p> <div class="cd-triggers"> <a href="#0" class="cd-btn">Download</a> <a href="#cd-product-tour" id="cd-start" class="cd-btn">Start</a> </div> </div> <!-- cd-product-intro --> <div id="cd-product-tour" class="cd-product-mockup"> <img src="img/cd-app-image.png" alt="Preview image"> <!-- mockup image --> <ul class="cd-points-container"> <li class="cd-single-point"> <a class="cd-img-replace" href="#0">More info</a> <div class="cd-more-info cd-left"> <h2><!-- Point of interest title --></h2> <p><!-- Point of interest description --></p> <a href="#0" class="cd-close-info cd-img-replace">Close</a> </div> </li> <!-- .cd-single-point --> <!-- other points of interest here --> </ul> <!-- .cd-points-container --> <div class="cd-3d-right-side"></div> <div class="cd-3d-bottom-side"></div> </div> <!-- .cd-product-mockup --> </section> <!-- .cd-product -->
Two additional <div> elements ( .cd-3d-right-side and the .cd-3d-bottom-side ) have been used to create the 3d sides of the mockup, while the .cd-product-mockup::before pseudo-element has been used to create the shadow.
Adding style
On small devices the CSS is pretty straightforward (you can give a look at the code for more details/comments).
On desktop devices (viewport width more than 1170px) we assigned a position: absolute and width: 50% to the .cd-product-intro and set left: 0 in order to place it on the left side of the screen.
One note: we have been using the .cd-product-intro::before pseudo-element in order to detect the current CSS Media Query in jQuery: the trick is done assigning different content values at different CSS Media Queries (for additional details, you can check this article by Dudley Storey).
.cd-product-intro::before { /* never visible - this is used in jQuery to check the current MQ */ content: 'mobile'; display: none; } @media only screen and (min-width: 1170px) { .cd-product-intro { position: absolute; left: 0; width: 50%; padding: 0; text-align: left; transition: transform 0.6s, opacity 0.6s; } .cd-product-intro::before { /* never visible - this is used in jQuery to check the current MQ */ content: 'desktop'; } }
For the .cd-product-mockup , we set width: 450px and margin: 0 auto to put it in the centre of its container .cd-product , then rotated it using CSS 3D transformations:
.cd-product-mockup { width: 90%; /* set here the max-width for the mockup */ max-width: 450px; margin: 0 auto; } @media only screen and (min-width: 1170px) { .cd-product-mockup { transform-style: preserve-3d; transform-origin: center top; transform: rotateX(-60deg) rotateZ(-40deg) translateX(50px) translateY(300px); transition: transform 0.6s; } }
The transform-style: preserve-3d assures that also .cd-3d-right-side and .cd-3d-bottom-side are positioned in the 3D-space (and not flattened in the plane, as it is by default).
In order to create the 3D sides effect, we set the mockup image as backgorund-image for both .cd-3d-right-side and .cd-3d-bottom-side , and assigned them an additional CSS rotation (rotateX or rotateY according to the side):
@media only screen and (min-width: 1170px) { .cd-3d-right-side, .cd-3d-bottom-side { display: block; position: absolute; left: 0; background-image: url(../img/cd-app-image.png); /* Firefox bug - 3D CSS transform, jagged edges */ outline: 1px solid transparent; } .cd-3d-right-side { top: -1px; width: 10px; height: 100%; background-size: auto 100%; transform-origin: left center; transform: translateZ(-1px) translateY(1px) rotateY(-90deg); } .cd-3d-bottom-side { bottom: 0; width: 100%; height: 10px; background-position: bottom center; background-size: 100% auto; transform-origin: center bottom; transform: translateZ(-1px) rotateX(-90deg); } }
For the mockup shadow, we used the .cd-product-mockup::before pseudo-element. We started applying the blur() filter to it; this CSS property is not supported in Firefox 33 (and below) and in Internet Explorer 11 (and below). While this can be fixed in Firefox using an SVG filter, there's not an easy fix for IE. So we abandoned the blur() property and came out with a trick based on the box-shadow: we assigned a width: 0 and played with the blur radius and the spread radius to achieve a realistic effect.
@media only screen and (min-width: 1170px) { .cd-product-mockup::before { /* mockup shadow */ display: block; content: ''; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 0; /* play with these values to create a realistic shadow */ height: 45%; box-shadow: 0px 0px 30px 225px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); transform: translateZ(-100px) translateY(480px); transition: transform 0.6s; } }
One note: since in IE11 (and below) the transform-style: preserve-3d is not supported, you won't see the 3D sides of of the mockup.
When user clicks the Start button, we add the .is-product-tour class to the .cd-product element: a translateX(-50%) is assigned to the .cd-product-intro and a translateX(0) to the . cd-product-tour . CSS3 transitions to the transform and opacity values have been added in order to achieve the smooth animation.
Events handling |
VANCOUVER – For fans of movie star Kevin Spacey, this may be the ultimate gift.
A Vancouver resident is selling what they claim is a jar of Kevin Spacey’s breath.
Spacey reportedly breathed into the jar while working on the film American Beauty, which was released in 1999.
The seller says in the ad they got this for their mother who was a huge Kevin Spacey fan before she passed away.
Anyway, this is real, it’s his actual breath in there. If I recall correctly, we had some sort of chicken pasta for lunch before I asked him to blow in the jar. It’s hasn’t been opened since.
There is no price tag attached to the jar, the seller just wants people to make them an offer.
We have contacted the seller for comment. |
A human rights group that accused D.C. police of failing to investigate scores of sexual assault complaints made faulty assumptions and used incomplete data, according to an independent report set for release Thursday.
The confidential report, produced for the D.C. Council by the law firm Crowell & Moring, concluded that police have accounted for all but five of 170 reports that Human Rights Watch had alleged were missing or had been filed in a way that ensured they would never be properly investigated.
The report, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, credits the rights group with casting a “spotlight on an aspect of law enforcement that is not often discussed,” because of the intimate nature of the crimes. It calls the Human Rights Watch analysis a catalyst for positive change.
Investigators — led by two former prosecutors — urged D.C. police to improve the way they communicate with victims and notes that mistakes were made in some of 1,500 cases handled in the period studied by the rights group, October 2008 through September 2011 .
Detectives falsely classified eight cases, police told Crowell & Moring, and closed some cases prematurely. But the independent review, sought by council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), who chairs the public safety committee, largely backs the long-stated position of Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier.
The law firm criticized the rights group for filling its report with 100 separate stories and quotes from eight women, scattering their statements throughout the 196 pages, creating the impression that they “represent a majority or large percentage of cases.”
Wells’s committee will meet Thursday for a roundtable discussion with representatives of the law firm, who will present their findings. There will be no public testimony, although police officials and the author of the rights watch report, Sara Darehshori, will be present. Council members will decide later whether legislation is needed to implement any reforms.
Wells said that the allegations were inflammatory and that it was ”extremely important to bring in a third party that has unquestioned ability to sort this out on behalf of the city. . . . I feel assured of the police department’s ability to respond to sexual assaults.”
Lanier said in a statement that the review has “reinforced our conclusions” that the investigation reflected “a deliberate bias against the department.” She added, “Over the past five years, MPD and the District’s entire criminal justice and victims’ services system have been working together to improve the response to our investigation of sexual assaults.”
Human Rights Watch urged the council to press for external oversight to ensure changes are made. Darehshori said there are outstanding issues, and she isn’t satisfied that all sexual assault reports have been accounted for. “It doesn’t seem to vindicate the police department,” she said.
Human Rights Watch released its report in January. Titled “Capitol Offense,” it portrayed D.C. police as callously disregarding rape victims and what the group alleged was a coordinated effort to play down the crimes. It raised questions of confidence for the police, which Lanier said could undermine her efforts to persuade women to talk to officers in what is considered one of most underreported crimes.
Among the more serious allegations leveled by Human Rights Watch was that it found 170 sexual assault cases in which women sought medical treatment and said they requested police, but no police report or other documentation could be found. That represented more than a third of the 480 cases reviewed by the group.
The rights group, without access to victims’ names, tried to match the hospital reports to public police reports, which are supposed to be filed within 24 hours of a complaint. But Crowell & Moring agreed with police that this methodology was flawed.
A victim can go to the police before going to the hospital, and she has up to 96 hours to seek what is called SANE exam, short for sexual assault nurse examiner. That means the rights group could have missed police reports taken outside the 24-hour window it used.
The report said police retraced the rights group’s steps, but using victims’ names. Of the 170 reports Human Rights Watch said were missing, Crowell & Moring said it concluded that in 19 cases, women sought medical attention in the District for incidents that occurred in other jurisdictions; 24 women told nurses that they had called police when they hadn’t; and victims’ names were duplicated in six of the cases. In an additional eight cases, no hospital exam was given despite assertions by the rights group.
Crowell & Moring said police found documentation for all but five of the remaining sexual assault complaints.
“We determined that not only were investigations conducted in most of those cases, but many of the investigations resulted in arrests,” the report said. But: “In some cases, the investigation was admittedly inadequate.” D.C. police said they have reopened three of those cases. |
From HG Wells’s War of the Worlds to Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonquest, Paul Magrs picks out the best mind-expanding science fiction series for teenagers to discover and devour
1. Splinter of the Mind’s Eye by Alan Dean Foster
Disney is kicking the Star Wars franchise back into life this year with a new series of sequel movies and tie-in novels and comics which expand the canonical universe that’s still so far, far away. But here was the very first sequel, a tense and exciting drama on a deadly swamp world that pitched Luke and Leia and the droids against Vader and his troopers. I was eight in 1978 when this came out and I was agog. Reading this was like being let into secrets about what happened after that first, brilliant movie.
2. Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks by David Whitaker
The very first tie-in Doctor Who novel, back in 1964, was a very atmospheric and nail-bitey condensation of seven long episodes into one perfect volume, beautifully written by TV script editor David Whitaker. From the moment fog closes around narrator Ian’s car and the mysterious Dr Who steps out of the gloom we’re on a non-stop wonderful romp that seems to fuse the very best of the worlds of HG Wells and Edgar Rice Burroughs.
3. The War of the Worlds by HG Wells
The original and best. Like many boys and girls of my generation I was introduced to this perfect novel via Jeff Wayne’s still-astonishing musical version on double vinyl album set, complete with fold-out gatefold sleeve and lavish paintings. I can’t read the book without thinking of Richard Burton, Julie Covington, the resounding “Ullas…!” of the Martian chorus and various catchy disco-inflected invasion tunes. Our teacher used to make us lie down on the drama studio floor and invent stage lighting accompaniments for listening to the record. Such is the force of the original novel I still somehow believe that the UK was invaded by Martians in the early part of the 20th century. Somehow it feels like realism to me.
4. The Silver Locusts by Ray Bradbury
Or The Martian Chronicles as it’s sometimes known. This is an astonishing compendium of related tales, stretching over dozens of decades in the invented history of Mars. Waves of settlers come and go and meet disaster, love, horror, mishaps, mayhem and are transformed by the beauty and strangeness of Mars. It’s a very haunting collection.
5. Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey
When I was in my teens and read the first of this long-running space series I fell in love with the clever fusion of science fiction and fantasy elements. Yes, the world is almost medieval, and the dragonriders of Pern are like knights flying through the skies with lances, but they’re using lasers to combat the deadly parasitical threads that come falling out of the sky. Everything is underpinned by a loopy kind of science fiction reality, allowing us to spring into this wild and vivid world of dragons and castles and adventure. Something else brilliant about Anne McCaffrey. She was one of the first writers I ever wrote to in order to tell her how wonderful I thought her books were. She was the first author ever to write back to me, seeming genuinely pleased I’d taken the time to write. It’s something I’ve never forgotten. Letters from readers are like precious messages from another world.
6. Dune by Frank Herbert
When I was 15 I was a school prefect and the only good thing about that apart from the badge was being able to stay in school during rainy lunchtimes. I read one Dune book after another. Has there ever been a more richly invented alien civilisation? It was mind-boggling in its detail and its weirdness. Its mix of grotesquerie and 1960s phantasmagoria have stayed with me ever since. It seems at first harder to get into than it actually is. Really, it’s a soap opera with witchy queens and rebel heroes who turn into giant sandworms.
7. Starbridge by AC Crispin
Late to discover this – but I knew the author from her Star Wars, Star Trek and V tie-in novels. Here she takes the best elements of all those franchises and creates a wonderful space opera about first contact with all kinds of strange races and peoples. The first novel has a wonderful ensemble cast racketing about the solar system and it includes an adorable character who is basically a sentient mattress.
8. On the Flip Side by Nicholas Fisk
A very strange sci-fi novel, about the day the animals on earth suddenly start talking and one by one, people start disappearing spontaneously off the edge of the world into some unknown dimension. It’s a stunning book by Fisk – who is better known for his other books, about demon grandmothers, space-jackings and robot revolutions. He was a fantastic stepping stone in sci-fi for kids of the 70s and 80s – he should come somewhere between Doctor Who and John Wyndham. Speaking of which…
9. Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
A starchy stand-in teacher at school introduced us to this gem when we were 12. How we thrilled to the swear words and the gore! At the time it was the most believable alien invasion I’d ever read about – and it still might be exactly that. Everyone but a handful of folk go blind overnight due to a meteor storm and the resultant societal breakdown allows genetically modified orchids to go on a deadly and thoroughly enjoyable rampage. I also still love Wyndam’s post-apocalptic tale of mutants, The Chrysalids and who could forget the scary children of The Midwich Cuckoos? His books are perfect for rainy afternoons and comfortably summoning up the spectre of dreadful disaster.
10. The Tears of the Singers by Melinda Snodgrass
My guilty secret all these years has been my being a fan of Star Trek not in any of its TV or movie incarnations in particular – but rather the original novels from the 1980s. Melinda Snodgrass was one of a whole gang of women writers who wrote all the best Trek books (see also: Diane Duane, Barbara Hambly, AC Crispin, Jean Lorrah.) This one is my all-time favourite since it puts Uhura at the centre of the action. A world of singing alien seals are all that stands between the universe and utter destruction, and of course the seals are being clubbed to death one at a time by ruthless men who collect the crystals the seals shed at the point of death. It sounds sappy but it’s absolutely wonderful. Where else would you ever have Uhura falling in love with a prog rock organist, a shipful of furious klingons, Captain Kirk vanishing into a vortex and a planet full of warbling manatees?
Photograph: PR
Paul Magrs’ latest book is Lost on Mars, described as a classic sci-fi, Little House on the Prairie mashup. |
SAN FRANCISCO – A former U.S. Secret Service Special Agent, who had been a member of the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force, was sentenced to prison today on charges of money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch, Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Chief Don Fort of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett of the FBI’s San Francisco Division, and Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General Houston Field Office David Green.
Shaun W. Bridges, 35, of Laurel, Md., was sentenced to 24 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco following his earlier guilty plea to one count of money laundering. Judge Seeborg ordered that the sentence be served consecutively to a previous sentence that Bridges is currently serving. Bridges was also ordered to forfeit approximately 1,500 bitcoin and other fiat currency which has a current value of approximately $10.4 million.
Bridges had been a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service for approximately six years in the Baltimore Field Office. Between 2012 and 2014, he was assigned to the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force, a multi-agency group investigating illegal activity on the Silk Road, a covert online marketplace for illicit goods, including drugs. Bridges’ responsibilities included, among other things, conducting forensic computer investigations in an effort to locate, identify and prosecute targets of the Baltimore Task Force, including Ross Ulbricht, aka “Dread Pirate Roberts,” who ran the Silk Road from the Northern District of California. In 2015, Bridges was arrested and taken into custody on charges related to the theft of approximately 1,600 bitcoin from a digital wallet belonging to the U.S. government. According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, Bridges admitted to using a private key to access a digital wallet belonging to the U.S. government, and subsequently transferring the bitcoin to other digital wallets at other bitcoin exchanges to which only he had access. As part of his plea, Bridges agreed to turn over the stolen bitcoin to U.S. agents.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s San Francisco Division, IRS-CI’s Washington, D.C. Field Office Cyber Crimes Unit, and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General in Washington D.C. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Frentzen and Trial Attorney Richard B. Evans of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Countryman handled the asset forfeiture aspects of the case. |
During September we managed to get hold of some Haswell-EP samples for a quick run through our testing suite. The Xeon E5 v3 range extends beyond that of the E5 v2 with the new architecture, support for DDR4 and more SKUs with more cores. These are generally split into several markets including workstation, server, low power and high performance, with a few SKUs dedicated for communications or off-map SKUs with different levels of support. Today we are testing two 10 core models, the Xeon E5-2687W v3 and the Xeon E5-2650 v3.
Intel Xeon E5 v3: The Information
Our initial Haswell-EP coverage from Johan was super extensive and well worth a read for anyone interested in the Xeon platform. My focus here will be light in comparison, mentioning key points that as an ex-workstation user I find interesting. This will be the first of several reviews on the Xeon processors, which we have split up to focus more on each area.
The core layouts for each of the different levels of processor are from three designs, emulating the single and dual ring bus type arrangements depending on the number of cores in each SKU. As with the Xeon E5 v2 processors, the big block of cache is in the middle of the cores and data is transferred via the ring bus. From the core designs, pairs of cores can be disabled to make lower core count CPUs, and much like the previous generation, some low core / high cache models might be possible.
In the 10-12 core image above we essentially get two classes of cores – one in the big stack to the left and another to the right. The processor is designed to treat all cores equally, although the Cluster on Die snoop mode new to E5 v3 will organize the cache data into what acts like two big sections in a NUMA style-arrangement. This allows data relevant to cores that need it to stay close and hopefully reduce read/write latencies, but is all transparent to the user. Johan goes into more detail on this front in his review.
This column arrangement is also why we do not see the progressive jump in cores we would expect. In the consumer space, we have had 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 cores, and one might expect 12 and 16 on the horizon, but 10, 14 and 18 seem a little off canter, along witht the 15-core design from Ivy Bridge-EP. Using this column design, Intel has to balance the number of cores per ring and the number of cores per column. In the large 18 core design there are 10 cores in the secondary ring and six in a single column – ideally fewer columns would be preferable however more rings allows data to transfer more frequently. It becomes a bit of a balance in terms of design, efficiency, performance and yield at the end of the day, especially when dealing with up to 5.69B transistors in 662 mm2.
CPU Specification Comparison CPU Node Cores GPU Transistor Count
(Schematic) Die Size Server CPUs Intel Haswell-EP 14-18C 22nm 14-18 N/A 5.69B 662 mm 2 Intel Haswell-EP 10C-12C 22nm 6-12 N/A 3.84B 492 mm 2 Intel Haswell-EP 6C-8C 22nm 4-8 N/A 2.6B 354 mm 2 Intel Ivy Bridge-EP 12C-15C 22nm 10-15 N/A 4.31B 541 mm 2 Intel Ivy Bridge-EP 10C 22nm 6-10 N/A 2.89B 341 mm 2 Consumer CPUs Intel Haswell-E 8C 22nm 8 N/A 2.6B 356mm2 Intel Haswell GT2 4C 22nm 4 GT2 1.4B 177mm2 Intel Haswell ULT GT3 2C 22nm 2 GT3 1.3B 181mm2 Intel Ivy Bridge-E 6C 22nm 6 N/A 1.86B 257mm2 Intel Ivy Bridge 4C 22nm 4 GT2 1.2B 160mm2 Intel Sandy Bridge-E 6C 32nm 6 N/A 2.27B 435mm2 Intel Sandy Bridge 4C 32nm 4 GT2 995M 216mm2 Intel Lynnfield 4C 45nm 4 N/A 774M 296mm2 AMD Trinity 4C 32nm 4 7660D 1.303B 246mm2 AMD Vishera 8C 32nm 8 N/A 1.2B 315mm2
Intel should be offering certain configurations with more L3 cache, given that in their press materials the one they labelled '10C-12C' will actually be offered as a cut down to six cores for release. These CPUs, whichever way you slice them, are still massive.
Today our review revolves around two of the 10 core options from Intel.
The E5-2687W v3 is an interesting model of the bunch, particularly due to the importance of the E5-2687W v2 from the previous generation. The v2 version was lauded due to the difference in peak frequencies compared to the higher core count models, but this changes with Haswell-EP.
For Ivy Bridge-EP:
- The 8-core E5-2687W v2 gave 3.6 GHz in full-load, TDP of 150W for $2108,
- The 12 core E5-2697 v2 gave 3.0 GHz in full-load, TDP of 130W for $2614
With Haswell-EP:
- The 10-core E5-2687W v3 gives 3.2 GHz for 160W at $2057,
- The 14-core E5-2697 v3 gives 3.1 GHz for 145W at $2702 or
- The 18-core E5-2699 v3 gives 2.8 GHz for 145W at $4115
If we compare the difference between the E5-2687W and E5-2697, first with v2 and then v3, it makes the new Haswell ‘W for Workstation’ CPU a little less enticing. Previously it was a trade-off between cores and frequency, and depending on the software having a high turbo mode helps with the v2 CPUs.
To make matters worse for the E5-2687W v3, if we compare single thread speeds, the E5-2697 v3 reaches 3.6 GHz compared to the E5-2687W v3 at 3.5 GHz, which puts the W processor at a disadvantage.
It is worth noting that Intel puts these two processors in different parts of the product stack, to technically they should not be 'competing' against each other:
The E5-2687W v3 is firmly for Workstations only, rather than servers, whereas the E5-2697 v3 should end up in 2U servers.
The other processor in this review, the E5-2650 v3 sits in the ‘Advanced’ section in the SKU stack, giving 2.6 GHz at load or 3.0 GHz for single threaded speed, but lists at only 105W for $1166 tray price.
Using this information and a few SKUs that are off-roadmap, the turbo modes of the 10 core processors are:
All the 10 core processors reach their full-core turbo when five cores are in use, and are on the top turbo frequency when one or two cores are active.
The Chipset
When we reviewed a pair of the E5 v2 processors back in March, the main server based chipsets at the time revolved around the C600 series, codename ‘Patsburg’. For the v3 processors, this moves to the C610 series, also known as Wellsburg. The C612 chipset is the primary server component at this point, offering many of the features we have already seen in our X99 reviews:
- Up to 10 SATA 6 Gbps,
- 6 ports of USB 3.0,
- 8 ports of USB 2.0
- Up to 8 PCIe 2.0, with x1/x2/x4 supported
New features for C610 series include:
- Reduced TDP, Average Power and Package (now 7W, 25mm x 25mm)
- Intel SVT
- USB 3.0 XHCI Debug
- Support for MCTP Protocol and End Points
- Support for Management Traffic over DMI
- SPI Enhancements
Intel vPro, SPS 3.0, RSTe and CAS are also supported.
For the SATA/USB3/PCIe bencwidth combinations, Intel has implemented an extended from of Flex IO. It almost looks much the same at Z87 and Z97, offering 22 rather than 18 differential signal pairs. A certain amount of these pairs are fixed to USB3 / PCIe / SATA but two pairs are muxed:
This slide shows 18 signal pairs, although I mentioned 22. This is because the last four are from a secondary AHCI controller giving four more SATA 6 Gbps ports. Like X99, the downside of these secondary SATA ports is that they are not RAID capable due to limitations within the silicon.
MTCP over PCIe is also an interesting new addition to Wellsburg, allowing cross CPU communication from controllers attached to the other side of the system:
The DRAM
We still have a consumer class DDR4 review in the works, but the upgrade from DDR3 to DDR4 for Haswell-EP is more significant. The decrease in power consumption is often listed is the easiest-to-explain benefit, giving an approximate 2W saving at-the-wall per memory module:
One important aspect of DDR4 will be the higher memory frequency, especially when more DIMMs per channel are installed. It might also come to pass that some server motherboard manufacturers will end up supporting the DDR4-2133 at 3DPC, similar to some efforts made with Patsburg.
In a lot of Intel materials we received, it was worth noting that non-ECC UDIMM support is not often listed with the new Haswell-EP CPUs, but we can confirm that in our testing, all of our CPUs worked with standard consumer grade UDIMMs. |
WHETHER you admire them or fear them, the Jesuits have a great mystique. Now that a pope has emerged from the Society of Jesus, for the first time in its five centuries of history, fascination with them is bound to grow. We can all expect to hear a lot of good and bad things about the Jesuits in the days and weeks to come.
So what can be said about them for certain? They are the largest religious order within the Catholic church, with about 18,000 members, of whom 12,000 or so have undergone a long and rigorous training (at least eight years) to become priests. Since its foundation in 1540, by Ignatius of Loyola, and six of his fellow students at the university of Paris, the Society of Jesus has had a reputation for brains, energy and independence.
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In different ways, the Jesuits have always been at the outer edge of the Catholic world: delving deeply into foreign languages, cultures and faiths, in the ultimate hope of converting people to Christianity but in a spirit of deep and skilfully applied empathy. They brought the Christian faith to Japan, to Quebec, to the indigenous peoples of South America, always immersing themselves in the local tongue and way of life. If the Western world knows anything about China's greatest philosopher, and calls him by the Latinised name Confucius, it is because of reports sent back by the Jesuit scholar Matteo Ricci, who thought that Christianity and Confucianism were compatible.
From the very start, the Jesuits were powerful and controversial. An early Jesuit mission exercised huge influence in Japan until it was suppresssed after a few decades and Christianity went underground for three centuries. The Jesuits' current leader, or superior-general, is a Spanish Japanologist, Adolfo Nicolás. Call them cultural imperialists if you like, but the Jesuits were nobody's placemen. They were spearheads for Portuguese influence in places ranging from Brazil to Goa to Macau but they didn't always endear themselves to the authorities in Lisbon; in 1759 they were expelled from the Portugese empire. In Latin America, they set up indigenous communities on the banks of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers called "reducciones". One of the stated purposes was to protect people from slavery; it was even claimed that they were bringing to life Plato's vision of an ideal republic.
And even now, the Jesuits are a challenging, contradictory bunch. They include some of Catholicism's sharpest critics of Islam, such as the Egyptian-born Samir Khalil Samir, who has urged the Vatican not to go far in its overtures to Muslims; and some of the church's most sympathetic observers of Islam, such as Thomas Michel who is an avowed admirer of the Turkish-born preacher Fethullah Gulen. A Jesuit who used to live in Syria, Paolo Dall'Oglio, has spoken out in favour of that country's armed opposition: he is the author of a book entitled "In love with Islam, Believing in Jesus". Jacques Dupuis, an influential Belgian-born Jesuit who lived mostly in India and studied Hinduism, was called to order by the Vatican for appearing to question the role of Jesus Christ as a source of absolute truth.
In the West, the Jesuits' huge prestige in the world of education has been overshadowed by child-abuse scandals. Jesuits in the northwestern United States paid out $166m to victims (mainly indigenous) of child abuse in schools. One of the order's best-known American members, the travelling preacher Donald McGuire, was exposed as a serial abuser and sent to jail for 25 years, to the acute embarrassment of senior Jesuits who had failed to respond to complaints.
Some hope that Jesuit energy and brainpower can be deployed in the struggle against child abuse. In Germany it was a Jesuit school director, Klaus Mertes, who made waves in 2010 by exposing the record of abuse at his own and many other Catholic schools.
Whether they use their knowledge responsibly or otherwise, the Jesuits are certainly privy to a lot of sensitive information. I can vouch for that. I once asked the late Miguel Arranz, a Spanish Jesuit who served as Russian interpreter to three popes, whether it was true that a senior Russian bishop, Metropolitan Nikodim of Leningrad, had died during an audience with John Paul I, the Italian pope who reigned for a few weeks in September 1978. And was it true, as rumour had it, that the Russian had dropped dead in the bewildered pope's arms? "In fact, it was my arms he dropped into," the scholar wistfully told me, before confirming that in other respects that the story was accurate. |
A British teenager has won $250,000 after placing first in the inaugural World Drone Prix in Dubai. 15-year-old Luke Bannister piloted his drone to victory along an outdoor track, using a camera mounted on its front to steer the craft through a series of illuminated hoops from a first-person viewpoint, and beating out competition from 150 other teams in the process.
Drone racing has rocketed in popularity over the last year, but Dubai's World Drone Prix is one of the biggest events yet, with a prize pool of $1 million. More than 2,000 people turned up to see the teams compete for a share of that pot, but it was Luke Bannister's team, Tornado X-Blades Banni-UK, that beat homegrown crew Dubai Dronetek into second place.
The sport has already attracted investment from the likes of NFL team owners, but it still has some way to go before it breaks into the mainstream. Particularly difficult is the question of how to actually observe the races. Drone pilots fly their racing craft in first-person, using special headsets to see as the drone sees, but for observers the footage can feel — and sound — like being strapped to the front of a particularly excitable wasp. A second camera following the action might help human brains contextualize the movements in space, but some of the nascent racing leagues set their courses inside buildings, making a chase camera's operation difficult. Still, though, the speed of the craft and the deftness of his control make watching Luke's victory from Dubai an exhilarating — if slightly nauseating — experience.
This Bazooka is designed to capture rogue drones |
A Florida home appears to have itself a sanctuary to not one, but three manatees since the state has been slapped with heavy flooding due to a tropical storm.
"Because of the rain, the tide was up over the seawall about a foot," Nancy Smith of St. Petersburg wrote on her Instagram account.
Read: Two of a Kind! Florida Manatee Gives Birth To Rare Set of Twins
Smith wrote that one of two manatees pulled itself onto her lawn and began snacking on their freshly mowed lawn.
The following day, a third manatee made its way over to Smith's lawn, which she wrote had been more flooded than the previous day.
"Manatee popping up for a fresh grass snack during high tide," she wrote. "What a delightful sight to see!"
Read: Frozen in Time -- 7 of the Worst Blizzards To Ever Hit America
Though the tropical storm warning has since been lifted, many parts of Florida continue to be flooded after Tropical Storm Colin lashed the state on Monday, WTSP reported.
According to WTSP, residents were urged to stop showering, washing dishes, or doing laundry after a sewer system emergency was declared Tuesday afternoon, when rainfall was heaviest.
At least 34 counties were under a state of emergency through the duration of the storm.
Watch: Rescuers Pull 200-Pound Baby Elephant Out of Uncovered Storm Drain
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There was a moment in last Wednesday’s televised leaders’ debate from Salford when I realised just how powerful a message the SNP’s anti-austerity alternative to the Westminster establishment is – not just to voters in Scotland, but to people from all across the UK.
It was at the half-time interval, when the other protagonists and I were given the chance to step away from our podiums and gather our thoughts during the three-minute advertisement slot.
It was at this point I took the opportunity to come forward and chat with some of the members of the public in the front rows of the studio audience.
And the conversations I had brought it home to me just how persuasive and compelling that anti-austerity message is, as some of the people I spoke to told me that they wished they had the opportunity to vote for SNP candidates in England. It was validation of the approach we have adopted to this election campaign, and personally it buoyed me hugely going into the second half of the debate.
It is natural to be apprehensive ahead of an encounter as high-profile and important as last week’s contest, and I don’t think myself or any of the other leaders would be entirely truthful if we said we had not experienced any nerves. The opening half of the debate had already given me confidence that the SNP’s message was finding its mark, but my interval chat with the audience fired me up for the remainder of the contest. I knew I was speaking not just for many people in Scotland, but for the very many across the rest of the UK who effectively feel disenfranchised by the policy menu offered by the establishment parties at Westminster.
This election is one like no other in modern times, and the power of the Westminster establishment is being challenged as never before. As such, it is no wonder that the polls show those establishment parties are heading for their lowest combined share of the vote in many decades and that, once again, no single party is likely to command an overall majority. Contrary to the opinions expressed by some commentators, this is no bad thing for democracy; rather, it is a great opportunity for change.
Scotland’s experience since 1999 has shown how both coalition and minority governments can work well. The SNP’s experience of the latter from 2007 to 2011 saw us pass legislation on a vote-by-vote basis, and was a stable administration.
As deputy first minister in that government, I learned how to balance sticking to your principles with making the concessions needed to get the work of government done. And I learned how influential smaller parties can be when they have a good idea, when they work hard to keep you to your word, and when they encourage you to be bolder. I also learned that when you have principles you should stick to them, even if you lose the vote, because you will be respected more for that. That system, of regular cooperation and negotiation, led to better solutions in Scotland.
And that is what SNP MPs will bring to Westminster. The Fixed Term Parliaments Act makes minority government possible at Westminster in a way that wasn’t previously practical. A government cannot lose office simply by losing a vote, and instead there must be a specific vote of no confidence. We want to work with a progressive government, not destroy one, and if we have a role to play in a future Westminster parliament that is what we will do.
The SNP’s proposals at this election show we can steer away from the Tory, Labour and Lib Dem cuts consensus and instead invest sensibly while still tackling the deficit – a proposal that has been given independent endorsement by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
I’d like to address the matter of the leaked UK government memo about my meeting with the French ambassador. This story has already been shown to be 100% untrue – having been comprehensively rejected by both the French ambassador and consul general.
I am therefore writing to the head of the UK civil service, Sir Jeremy Heywood, requesting an urgent inquiry into the circumstances of such a false account being leaked for transparently political motives.
In the meantime, I repeat my challenge to Ed Miliband: if together our parties have the numbers required after 7 May, and regardless of which is the biggest party, will he and Labour join with us in locking David Cameron out of Downing Street?
Nicola Sturgeon is first minister of Scotland |
There’s quite a lot of small casting news for The Muppets tonight. Jason Segel and Amy Adams have the key roles, and obviously the other biggest parts will mostly be played by the Muppets. Now Jane Lynch, Donald Glover, Danny Trejo and possibly more are on board.
Between The Wrap and Production Weekly we’ve got a list of new names and, for some, the roles they’ll play. This evening Production Weekly said via Twitter:
Hearing that Eric Stonestreet, John Krasinski & Ed Helms may be in Lady Gaga’s entourage for “The Muppets”, also mentioned Jack Black, Donald Glover, Jane Lynch, Danny Trejo, Zach Galifianakis as Hobo Jo & Paul Rudd as Walter the Muppet.
Wait, what? Lady Gaga‘s entourage? Does that mean that Lady Gaga will be appearing in the film, too? The Muppets have always had a topical touch, especially when it comes to pop culture figures so I wouldn’t be surprised. And she’d be a great foil and/or counterpart for Miss Piggy. We’d heard about a lot of potential celebrity cameos in the film, so having Lady Gaga running around with Ed Helms and John Krasinski would certainly fit in, and oddly be an appropriate part of the Muppet world.
Sadly, Production Weekly backtracked on the idea of Paul Rudd voicing Walter, the new iPhone-wielding Muppet. But we know that Jane Lynch will be a prison guard and Danny Trejo a prisoner. (Didn’t see that role coming for Trejo, did you?)
Also in the cast are Rashida Jones and Chris Cooper, with the latter playing the villain. James Bobin is directing from a script by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller.
Previously:
The film will be in the tone of the classic Muppet films like The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and Muppets Take Manhattan.
Segel will play the lead role, a human named Gary, whose best friend is the puppet bear Walter. Together they go on a journey with Gary’s girlfriend Mary to defeat the evil Tex Richman, a man who doesn’t find the Muppets funny and thinks he can smell oil beneath their studio. There are plenty of celebrity cameos written into the script (including Sean Penn) and Segel apparently got verbal commitments from most of the stars during the writing process. |
WITH winter fast receding in the northern hemisphere and thoughts turning to summer holidays, reports are suggesting that there may be an unprecedented swarm of jellyfish heading for Europe. The mauve stingers (also known as Pelagia noctiluca) have been breeding in the water throughout the winter, and are now ready for an assault on the beaches of Spain and the Mediterranean.
Masses of jellyfish are an increasingly common nuisance, not just in Spain, but all around the world. Spectacular blooms have been reported in Japan, Namibia, Alaska, Venezuela, Peru and Australia. And since 2000, the Gulf of Mexico has been suffering from an invasion of monster Australian spotted jellyfish (Phyllorhiza punctata), which are fouling fishing nets and upsetting the shrimpers. But are these accounts of rising numbers real, or are humans just spending more time in the water?
Lucas Brotz is a oceanography graduate-student at the University of British Columbia's Fisheries Centre, and he agrees that the potential for interaction between man and jelly is on the rise. More fishing means that jellyfish will more frequently clog up, and split, fishing nets. The expansion of aquaculture means more disasters like last year's destruction of 100,000 organically farmed salmon in Ireland—by a swarm of jellyfish. And media reports have also primed journalists to accept that the “deadly jellyfish menace” is on the rise.
So is it possible to say with certainty that jellyfish are increasing? Mr Brotz thinks so: some well-studied ecosystems show evidence of an increase, and he is working to prove that this is a global phenomenon.
The Namibian coast, for instance, used to be “hugely productive in fish,” he says, “and now it is entirely dominated by jellyfish. Things appear to be going that way in the Middle East, South Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean.”
The Japanese coast has long weathered jellyfish blooms, but they tended to happen about once every 35 years. Since 2002, however, every year but one has seen massive blooms. Some individual fish exceed two metres in size and weigh a couple of hundred kilograms; both the size and number of the fish interfere with Japanese fishermen.
Many species of jellyfish spend the early part of their life as a polyp (like an anemone or coral) on the ocean floor, which can survive harsh conditions. When the conditions are right, the polyps switch into jellyfish-production mode and bud off massive numbers of baby jellyfish.
Overfishing may cause blooms: some fish eat baby jellyfish, and some, like herring, compete with jellyfish for the same zooplankton food. Take the fish away, and you get more jellyfish.
But jellyfish also eat fish eggs and baby fish, so if they start to increase in a marine ecosystem, it can create a positive feedback loop and produce more jellyfish at the expense of the fish. The jellyfish don't allow fish stocks to recover because they are eating all the baby fish before they get large enough to reproduce.
Other factors tipping the balance in favour of jellyfish include dumping excess nutrients from chemical fertilisers, which sucks oxygen out of the water and create what are known as “dead zones”, which are hostile to almost all marine life other than certain species of jellyfish. Rising ocean temperatures are also favourable to jellyfish.
Though some species are eaten in Asia (the jellyfish-food industry nets around $120m per year), blooms are already causing significant economic losses to traditional fisheries. In response to this abundance, scientists are developing a process to extract commercially valuable biomaterial from them for use in foods and medicines. Others have suggested expanding the jellyfish-food industry.
But is this sow's ear too big to make into a silk purse? Jellyfish push out incredibly valuable, and diverse, marine ecosystems. Scientists may somehow turn jellyfish into food, tyres or flip-flops, but it is hard to imagine an industry based on a product that is at least 95% water will ever be economically superior to one based on a diverse and healthy marine ecosystem.
In 2004, fish caught in the ocean netted $85 billion on first sale. Do we want to grow an industry that has a vested interest in a very different kind of ocean to the one we have today? The world has to decide what kind of ocean it wants: one thriving with diverse marine life, or one swimming with a few hundred species of jellyfish.
At the moment, it looks likely that humans may have only themselves to blame for the rise in jellyfish, through decades of overfishing. There is a certain Schadenfreude in knowing that Spain, home one of the world's most voracious fishing fleets, is destined to suffer from blooms of jellies—which will presumably do no good at all to its tourist industry. Such pleasure, however, is short-lived when one realises that while Spanish fleets have long benefited from overfishing, we will all ultimately suffer the consequences.
Mr Brotz calls jellyfish “harbingers of change”. The solution isn't to find ways of using them but to “stop polluting the ocean with nutrients and stop over fishing.” The next time you enjoy a sea-side holiday and sit to eat freshly caught fish in an ocean-front cafe, you may wish to pause and wonder whether next time it will be jellyfish fingers for tea. |
cityscape Sidewalks and the “last mile” problem
We forget that walking can be a part of our public transit system too.
On one of those gorgeous weekends Toronto has been enjoying recently, a friend and I went on an urban exploration. We took transit. We met up at St. Clair West Station and headed for the Scarborough Bluffs.
We took the subway to Victoria Park, and then the #12 bus along Kingston Road. From there, we could walk down Brimley Road to Bluffer’s Park.
It was quite straightforward and a lovely exploration, except for the part where we took our life in our hands trying to walk down Brimley Road. It’s a steep hill down to the water and it has a few blind curves along the way. There are deep ditches on either side for stormwater to drain without flooding the road. But there are no sidewalks.
If you haven’t had the pleasure, Bluffer’s Park is gorgeous. It is one of Toronto’s treasures. The scenery is stunning, the beach is lovely, and there is lots of space for recreation. We saw many large groups who had come prepared for the day with coolers and barbecues.
I spoke to people who live in the neighbourhood, who enthused about how lucky they are to have such a beautiful spot just down the road. They go down to the water all the time. They live less than a kilometre away. They drive.
When I mentioned we had walked, they exclaimed at how dangerous that was. The lack of sidewalks is not unique to Brimley Road in this area. Bluffer’s Park Road, which runs along the waterfront, doesn’t have any sidewalks either, although at least there is the option of taking the path through the park (which runs beside the road in places).
Chine Drive, the next street west from Brimley off Kingston Road, was the site of a small skirmish over sidewalks a few years ago that went all the way to the Ministry of the Environment. A petition to “Save Chine Drive Forest” argued that the area was basically rural and that sidewalks would displace trees and wildlife.
A girl was killed on one of those sidewalk-less roads in 2013, in a neighbourhood just west of Midland, between Kingston Road and Scarborough Heights Park.
In response, several residents in the area petitioned for sidewalks. On Chine Drive, there had been a plan for a sidewalk since at least 2004, because Chine Drive has a local elementary school, and parents wanted a safe path for kids to walk. Dylan Reid wrote a good summary of that debate.
They compromised on a sidewalk on just one side, using the existing roadway space to minimize tree removal. It was built the following year. (I’m in favour of sidewalks on both sides, but it’s a start.)
The next year saw the same skirmish flare up on Midland Avenue.
Just in case you think this only happens in Scarborough, the same debate took place in Lawrence Park last summer.
Such sidewalk disputes are usually framed as local, neighbourhood issues.
But our little trip to Bluffer’s Park demonstrates that the lack of sidewalks is not just a local issue, it’s a “last mile” problem for using transit in and out of the area.
The “last mile” problem refers to the gap between transit riders’ residences and their transit stations. The GO Train system is a perfect example. Train stations are surrounded by vast moats of parking because riders commonly have few (or no) good options for getting to the station except to drive.
More people will take transit if they have better access to it. It’s not merely a question of distance. Studies have shown commuters will walk as much as a mile, but what that route looks like can make all the difference.
People don’t enjoy circuitous routes that make them feel like the journey is longer than it needs to be. And they don’t like walking alongside fast-moving traffic, or having to cross multi-lane boulevards, or any other conditions that make them feel vulnerable.
A complete transit system would enable riders to go door to door without needing to get in their cars to access the system in the first place. That means solving the last mile problem with modes of public transit that connect efficiently, comfortably and reliably to bigger systems like the GO Train.
Reducing the need to drive to train stations will also free up lots of valuable land around stations for a more useful purpose, and make the stations more accessible.
While solutions such as shuttle buses and cycling get a lot of attention, experts say that plain old walking is “among the most useful and cost-effective first and last mile strategies.” Walking and sidewalks are part of the public transit system.
Sean Marshall noted last year that up to a quarter of local Toronto roads do not have sidewalks. Marshall’s piece includes a great map that he produced, which shows that there are no sidewalks on either side of almost all of the roads between Warden Avenue and Scarborough Village, between Kingston Road and the water—despite the fact that there are lakeside parks running almost the full length of that stretch.
Last year, city planners recommended a new protocol to curtail the ability to protest sidewalks, so that the City could install them in the interest of safety and accessibility where it saw fit, despite any objections.
Bluffer’s Park and other lakeside greenery should be open and accessible to everyone. We want the whole city to enjoy them, but we don’t want the whole city to drive there. Certainly the locals wouldn’t welcome more traffic and parking problems.
Just as important, the people who live in the area ought to have better access to the transit that runs along Kingston Road. Many of them cannot walk safely to their local bus stop.
Sidewalks are part of solving the last mile problem for Toronto transit. It’s not just a local issue. It’s about access to the whole city for everyone. |
There’s theory and then there’s practice. The one flows from the other and back again, unceasingly. Their interdependence is indissoluble. Likewise, there’s “inner” drawing and then there’s “external” drawing. The first unfolds and takes shape in the imagination; the latter is the former’s manifestation. A masterful drawing seems to be as if a concrete and clear thought, as if we’re beholding the mind’s pure conception. The invisible becomes visible. A true image of perfection. This kind of drawing, in which the “inner” and “external” seem as if to perfectly coincide is something hard to come by. They seem to be only a non-existent ideal, especially in the realm of icon painting nowadays. But, they in fact do exist.
Not all trace. For those who can draw tracing paper is just another tool of the trade – it doesn’t get in the way. For those who can’t, it can never really compensate. The “trace” of evidence remains. The line itself confesses the lack of skill in spite of ourselves.
Not all is relegated to the icon pattern books of the past, the tracing of masterpieces – clumsy reiterations of someone else’s experience. Some icon painters today, as in the past, work from “inner” patterns written in their hearts. They speak from their own vision and experience. Their pictorial poetry is the “external” evidence. So much need not be said.
If my last series of posts, “Imagination, expression, Icon: Reclaiming the Internal Prototype,” seemed a bit excessively theoretical for some, here I leave you with concrete examples of drawings – the theory put to practice. They’re the work of the Romanian iconographer and art restorer Elena Murariu. Her masterful work is mentioned at passing in the OAJ article “The New Romanian Masters: Innovative Iconography in the Matrix of Tradition.” However, although some samples of her icons were included there, her drawings were not featured.
Her line is calligraphic, if not lyrical, and her touch is light. But there is also a painterly sensibility and plenty of mark making. The execution is deft, virtuosity without affect. The process always shows through and a polished finish is never the aim. Thin, crisp and almost wiry lines, seem to emerge out of the mist of broad strokes of smoky subtle tones. The overall transparency of the drawings, their rhythm and the traces of process, make them appear as if they’re visions taking concrete form right in front of your eyes. The compositions are unique interpretations, betraying vibrant and unquestionable creativity. The draftsman of these drawings bears clear witness that she has worked from internal prototypes – from her authentic experience. Theory has become practice.
So how does Elena Murariu do it? How does she approach the creative act? Her answer to this question of creative process in fact confirms, from personal experience, the more than theoretical dimension of the approach to icon painting proposed in our previous series:
True, there are some rules and canons in the painting of icons, but these canons should not be followed in the letter, but in their spirit. When you start to grow[…] then you realize how much freedom there is … Compliance with the canons in the icon is necessary as you need to abide by the road code! You get on the wheel and go, you’re free to start on any road. Freedom of movement is not impaired. In the case of the icon, the rules are made in such a way that they are compatible with human nature, the mirror of God. When your evil fear of breaking the rules disappears, then you can make connections and see some things that, even if they were in your neighborhood, remained hidden. Then some communication bridges open between you and God and some ideas are being communicated, if I can say so. You begin to become a kind of confessor by what you are witnessing to the divine beauty of this world.
Regarding the mental conception and its expression she says:
Before putting it on paper or wood, I paint it first in my mind […] I paint it in my heart and there I change its colors, the background, the vestment. It is a period of growing, kneading, which can take days, months, and even years. When I’m in front of the white […] I already know what I have to do, and I just have to take the icon to the light, bring it from the immaterial world of thought. I then catch things in matter that have already been painted in my soul. This happens with many creators: neither those who write, nor those who make music start from scratch. They start from a thought, from a story, from something that is already ripe, outlined quite precisely in their depths. It is true that during your work you are making changes. Thought is not always clear as a tear! Taken into the reality of the world, it requires adaptations. In transmitting the thought, God has a fundamental role. “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it,” says one line of a Psalm.[i]
Indeed, for most of us, during the process of “external” drawing many revisions take place, perhaps too many. The ghostly traces of erasures, those stubborn marks of evidence – the pentimenti – betray our muddled thinking and ineptitude. Thought is not always clear. It is hard to restrain and shape. Like smoke, it disperses as soon as we seek to grab it. Its embodiment most often than not misses the mark. Inevitably there’s always a give and take, even a battle, between the idea and the concrete format, surface and materials used. Perfection is elusive, as if a never attainable reality. The drawing becomes a confession of our incapacity to bring the theory into actualized practice. But, it gets better. Practice makes perfect. This we must never forget. The process of clarification is as important as the result. It in fact never ends. With it clarity increases “from glory to glory”. The process will only cease when we no longer see as if through a mirror and behold the Prototype “face to face” in the “inner chamber” of the Heavenly Kingdom.
So perhaps there’s less opposition between theory and practice than it would at first appear to be. They in fact tenderly embrace each other in unceasing interplay inviting us to persevere in the pursuit of clarity of expression, if not perfection. If we persevere, gems of creativity are born, as attested by the drawings of Elena Murariu. What follows are some samples, which being more than merely preparatory sketches, I believe function as icons on their own right.
For more samples and information on Elena Murariu’s work see her website.
Notes:
[i] The quoted passages included here have been translated from Romanian and are part of an interview with Elena Murariu published in the article, “Elena Murariu si universul iconografiei Sfintilor Brancoveni,” in Român Orthodox în Franția, January 24, 2015. http://corortodox.blogspot.com/2015/01/elena-murariu-si-universul-iconografiei.html?m=1 (accessed 20 December, 2017). |
The Alpine Fault, which runs up the spine of the South Island, has ruptured five times in the past 1100 years - producing an earthquake of between magnitude 7 and 8 each time.
The Alpine Fault has moved much more than previously thought, and more than any other known fault on land in the world, new research shows.
In the past 25 million years, the two sides of the South Island have shifted more than 700 kilometres relative to each other along the Alpine Fault. That is 250km more than previously thought.
The full extent of the movement was masked because the rocks first moved 250km in one direction, then went back the other way – retracing the first 250km and adding a further 450km.
Stuff.co.nz GNS Science earthquake geologist Robert Langridge has been studying why the Alpine Fault is so susceptible to earthquakes - it's since been discovered that it may be the world's fastest-moving known fault line.
The extent of the movement was worked out by researchers from Victoria University and GNS Science, with the findings published in the American Geophysical Union journal G-Cubed.
READ MORE:
* Alpine Fault spreads across South Island, researchers say
* When, not if: Alpine fault could cause 8 metres of movement
* Scientists digging into new part of South Island's Alpine Fault
JOANNE CARROLL/FAIRFAX NZ GNS Science earthquake geologist Robert Langridge studying layers in the trench across the Alpine Fault at Springs Junction. New research has found that the fault line may be the world's fastest-moving, having shifted around 700km in 25 million years.
"I don't think anybody in their wildest dreams would have thought that displacements on the fault could be so large, and also change direction so dramatically through time," Associate Professor Dr Simon Lamb, from Victoria's School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, said.
The researchers made the discovery by looking at geological maps together with studies of the direction of magnetisation in the rocks.
The finding underscored the fact the Alpine Fault was the big seismic hazard in the South Island and had been for a "very, very long time", Lamb said.
GNS SCIENCE A new study has found West Coast rain plays a role in causing ruptures in New Zealand's major Alpine Fault.
Other faults in central and southern parts of the South Island had played only a small role in the movement of the tectonic plates.
The next largest known fault displacement on land was on the Altyn Tagh Fault in Tibet, with a total movement of about 475km.
The new theory about the Alpine Fault was a major shift in thinking and the researchers had needed to provide convincing arguments to get it published.
GNS SCIENCE/FILE PHOTO GNS Science earthquake geologists studying layers in the trench across the Alpine Fault at Springs Junction.
The idea occurred to him only about six months ago, Lamb said. "I was calculating the motion of the tectonic plates through New Zealand and realised they were so much bigger than the movement everyone was saying had taken place on the Alpine Fault."
His advantage was that coming from the UK he wasn't wedded to a particular way of thinking about it.
"We put together this team of people who came at it from lots of different directions to make sure this was right, that we hadn't made some terrible mistake and missed something."
The idea was exciting but it was followed by a large amount of work. "You spend a lot of time checking. You have to go through an enormous amount of information to look at what other people have discovered. You do a lot of testing. In you mind you play devil's advocate," Lamb said.
"It will be interesting to see what the reception is."
The Alpine Fault started as part of the break-up of the supercontinent Gondwana, with New Zealand starting to drift away from Antarctica about 80 million years ago.simo
That resulted in about 250km of movement along the Alpine Fault but in the opposite direction to the way the fault is moving today. Then "nothing" happened for tens of millions of years, Lamb said.
About 25 million years ago a new plate boundary formed and the Pacific Plate and Australian Plate started moving relative to each other "in a big way".
"That's the situation today. You have the Alpine Fault breaking up this fragment of continent that split away from Gondwana," Lamb said.
It had been thought movement along the Alpine Fault was getting faster. "Basically what we showed was that from the moment the Alpine Fault started to move in the direction it's moving today it more or less moved at the same rate." That was an average speed of about 3cm a year. |
Nuclear weapons could be used to stop earth-bound asteroids, but in most instances, they are not the best option, said Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart during a public lecture this Wednesday in San Francisco.
The venerable scientist explained that all but the largest heavenly bodies can be redirected by rear-ending or towing them with an unmanned spacecraft. But last year, NASA issued a report stating that using nukes is the best strategy to prevent a catastrophic collision with earth.
Although Schweickart has a great deal of faith in the agency, enough to risk his life piloting their lunar lander, he feels that they issued the misleading statement – under immense political pressure. It was a nefarious excuse to put nuclear weapons in space.
His own organization, the B612 Foundation, intends to use gentler tactics to alter the course of an asteroid by 2015.
Right now, humans are not tracking most of the objects that could cause serious damage to earth, but in the next century, as powerful new telescopes come online, we will begin watching many of them. When that day comes, we will know which ones stand a chance of hitting earth, and it will be time to make some tough decisions.
Since tracking asteroids contains an element of uncertainty, there will be a lot of false alarms, so it may not be necessary to take action at all. If it must be stopped, should we bump it, drag it, or blow it off course?
The astronaut compares our current situation to standing blindfolded in a batting cage. Right now, we can't do anything, but we know that some balls are hurling towards us. In a few years, our blindfold will come off, and the whole world will be forced to decide – together – when to duck.
See Also:
Image: Don Davis / NASA Photo: Jessica Culler |
The record-smashing success of The Walking Dead has suggested to AMC that it would probably do well to look into some other shows where people walk across desolate landscapes while being slowly picked off by horrible things, then spend all of their downtime discussing how much they don’t like it. So the network is developing The Terror, an adaptation of Dan Simmons’ 2007 novel about a Royal Naval crew who find themselves stranded and starving in the Arctic, only to encounter a mythological beast who pops up to kill them whenever things aren’t already shitty enough. Screenwriter David Kajganich—currently also adapting Stephen King’s The Stand for that film Ben Affleck may or may not do—will script and executive produce the series that’s also set in 1847, thus merging AMC’s until-now exclusive loves of period dramas and monster shows. Now they just need to have the monster selling meth to Eskimos on the side.
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It’s a match made in TV heaven!
Troian Bellisario is engaged to her boyfriend of three years, Patrick J. Adams, PEOPLE exclusively confirms.
The actors, who met on the set of a play in 2009, are often separated due to busy schedules. Bellisario’s show, Pretty Little Liars, shoots in Los Angeles, while Adams, 32, stars on Suits, which films in Toronto.
“It’s constant coordinating,” Bellisario, 28, told PEOPLE in October. “It’s really hard to be away from the person you love, especially when they’re your rock and support system.”
“It’s a challenge but it’s kind of perfect because we’re such analytic, hyper intelligent people that sometimes just to be in each other’s faces all the time might have been too much for us,” she adds. “We’re really growing!”
Her rep did not comment, and his could not be reached. |
Correction: Following the reporting from the Week, this post originally stated that Mark Steyn had been dropped by the law firm representing him, Steptoe & Johnson. National Review publisher Jack Fowler says it was Steyn who ended the relationship, and not Steptoe & Johnson. (See below for more.)
According to a report from the Week's Damon Linker, National Review, the leading right-wing magazine founded by William F. Buckley, is in a world of trouble — and it has one of its most popular columnists, Mark Steyn, to thank.
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Writes Linker:
Climate scientist Michael Mann is suing National Review and Mark Steyn, one of its leading writers, for defamation. It's a charge that's notoriously hard to prove, which is no doubt why the magazine initially refused to apologize for an item on its blog in which Steyn accused Mann of fraud. Steyn also quoted a line by another conservative writer (Rand Simberg) that called Mann "the Jerry Sandusky of climate science, except that instead of molesting children, he has molested and tortured data." (Simberg and the free market think tank for which he works, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, are also named in the suit.)
According to Linker, National Review's requests to have the case thrown out have been rejected (emphasis mine):
In July, Judge Natalia Combs Greene rejected a motion to dismiss the suit. The defendants appealed, and last week D.C. Superior Court Judge Frederick Weisberg rejected the motion again, opening the door for the discovery phase of the lawsuit to begin. That's not all. On Christmas Eve, Steyn (who regularly guest hosts Rush Limbaugh's radio show) wrote a blog post in which he excoriated Greene, accusing her of incompetence, stupidity, and obtuseness. As a result of this outburst, the law firm that had been representing National Review and Steyn (Steptoe & Johnson) has dropped Steyn as a client and reportedly has plans to withdraw as counsel for the magazine as well. (Now representing himself in the lawsuit, non-lawyer Steyn continues on the attack here and here.) [Update: National Review publisher Jack Fowler says that it was Mark Steyn who initiated the break with the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, not the other way around.]
No matter who's representing them, however, the outlook for the folks running National Review is grim. Linker reports that, like many political magazines, National Review has a relatively small (but influential) circulation, and frequently loses money. Breaking even is a good year. Therefore, a large settlement with Mann, or a penalty handed down by a judge, could prove catastrophic. |
poster="http://v.politico.com/images/1155968404/201608/3224/1155968404_5091104069001_5091052117001-vs.jpg?pubId=1155968404" true Trump predicts he can win 95 percent of the black vote
Donald Trump promised Friday night that if elected president, he will win 95 percent of the African-American vote in his reelection bid.
Renewing his effort to reach out to black voters at a rally Friday evening, Trump suggested that Democratic politicians that overwhelmingly govern in America’s inner cities have failed African-Americans. Trump told the Dimondale, Michigan, crowd that “we can never fix our problems by relying on the same politicians who created our problems in the first place. A new future requires brand-new leadership.”
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“You're living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs. Fifty-eight percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?” Speaking before another largely-white audience in a town whose population is 93 percent white, Trump said, “And at the end of four years, I guarantee you that I will get over 95 percent of the African-American vote. I promise you. Because I will produce.”
“No group in America has been more harmed by Hillary Clinton's policies than African-Americans. No group. No group,” he said. “If Hillary Clinton's goal was to inflict pain on the African-American community, she could not have done a better job. It's a disgrace. Tonight, I'm asking for the vote of every single African-American citizen in this country who wants to see a better future.”
The former reality TV star's 95 percent pledge was an ad-libbed moment in a speech that was scripted and delivered with the help of teleprompters, aides that Trump has shunned for much of his campaign in favor of a more off-the-cuff approach. It is the second speech delivered by Trump since Wednesday’s promotion of new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, who is believed to have been elevated to help the GOP nominee remain focused and on-message.
As a remedy to the problems that Trump said beset the African-American community in the U.S., Trump prescribed much of his usual policy proposals: school choice, tougher immigration laws, more efficient government and trade policies that promote American job growth.
Trump has struggled thus far with black voters in the election, polling as low as 0 percent and 1 percent at times, although the margin of error could put his actual support among African-Americans higher. President Barack Obama received 96 percent of the African-American vote in his first presidential campaign and 93 percent of it in his successful 2012 reelection bid.
“The inner cities of our country have been run by the Democratic Party for more than 50 years. Their policies have produced only poverty, joblessness, failing schools and broken homes,” Trump said. “It’s time to hold Democratic politicians accountable for what they have done to these communities. At what point do we say enough? At what point do we say enough?”
Shortly after the real estate mogul concluded his speech, CNN anchor Brianna Keilar asked Trump campaign senior adviser Jack Kingston why Trump continued to reach out to the black community in rallies with mostly white audiences held in areas where few African-Americans live.
“Maybe it would have been nice if he went and had a backdrop with a burning car,” Kingston replied. "His rallies are open to the public. Last night in North Carolina we saw a lot of African-Americans. I wasn't sure about the crowd content tonight… but they’re open to the public, and I mean, there’s nothing exclusive. The reality is, what he is saying is ‘I want to talk to you.’”
Republicans have been urging Trump to reach out to black voters for weeks. In a Facebook Live question-and-answer session hosted by Trump surrogate Newt Gingrich on Wednesday, the former House speaker urged the Republican nominee to reach out to the black community even more directly by speaking in inner cities.
"Trump going into inner-city Philadelphia and offering a better future could have an amazing result. Because the truth is, no Republican has ever had the courage" to offer African Americans a compelling reason to vote for the GOP, Gingrich said.
But such speeches, Gingrich said, would come with "enormous demonstrations" because "left-wing activists cannot allow a Republican to have a genuine conversation in the black community. They understand this is a mortal threat to their power and they will do almost anything to stop him."
At Friday's rally, a day after offering a surprising expression of “regret” if any of his rhetoric had created personal pain, Trump attacked Clinton for not showing similar remorse over her own bevy of scandals and controversial statements. He slammed her record as secretary of state and offered a grim comparison between the Middle East prior to Clinton’s tenure as America’s chief diplomat and the region’s current chaotic state. She is, Trump said, “indifferent to the suffering she has caused.”
“Her tenure as secretary of state may be regarded as the most disastrous in United States history, but she is totally without remorse,” he said. “Her failed decisions as secretary of state unleashed ISIS on to the world. But has she ever apologized for the death and destruction she has caused? No.”
Trump also repeated a false claim he has made again and again on the campaign trail: that he opposed the Iraq war. "Hillary Clinton has made one bad foreign policy decision after another," he said, "beginning with her support for going to war in Iraq -- and I opposed it so strongly." In 2002, however, he was asked by radio host Howard Stern if he supported the U.S. invasion and replied, “Yeah, I guess so.” (During Thursday's rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump said: "I will never lie to you.")
Trump closed his remarks with a rosy picture of what America would look like with him in the White House, promising to unite the country and heal the wounds created by racial tensions.
“We have a divided country. It's totally divided. The era of division will be replaced with a future of unity, total unity. We will love each other. We will have one country. Everybody will work together,” Trump said. “In my administration, every American will be treated equally, protected equally and honored equally. We will reject bigotry and hatred and oppression in all of its forms and seek a new future built on our common culture and values as one American people.” |
Seeking to keep costs in check, the Pentagon has proposed an amendment to federal regulations that would endorse using more contracts with price ceilings.
The move is not surprising considering the growing calls from the Pentagon for greater attention to efficiency and careful spending. But determining the right kind of contract for a given program remains a complex task, and even military officials remain skeptical of relying too heavily on contracts with a firm price.
The Defense Department, which is now accepting comments on the rule, said in its proposal that the regulation is meant “to incentivize productivity and innovation in industry.”
Contracting officers would be required to give special consideration to using “fixed-price incentive” contracts, which adjust a company's profit based on how closely the final cost adheres to the target cost. Companies get more if they come in under budget, but receive less and could even take a loss if they come in over budget. The proposed rule sets 120 percent as a price ceiling.
Ashton Carter, the Pentagon's top official for acquisition, said last year that fixed-price contracts make sense for programs in which the Defense Department is sure of what it wants.
The structure “incentivizes productivity gains . . . [because] the better [the contractors] do at controlling cost, the more they make, which is fine with us because we've gotten the price that we want,” he said.
Still, officials have said they recognize the limits of fixed-price contracts. Malcolm O'Neill, the Army's top acquisition official, said earlier this month that they could cost the Army more because contractors typically build in extra costs.
Additionally, the contracts make it more difficult for the service to make revisions to a program, said O'Neill, and can invite protests if the Army changes a purchase and doesn't reopen it to competition.
“If all of a sudden, you say, ‘Well, I want a 120mm gun on that vehicle instead of a 105mm,' then . . . all bets are off,” he said. “Whereas with cost contracts, all you do is modify it and say, ‘Okay, I want you to add this.' ”
He said the Army has received no direction to use more fixed-price contracts and doesn't have a quota.
Using more fixed-price contracts will likely affect companies' bottom lines, if not immediately, said Byron Callan, a director at Washington-based investment research firm Capital Alpha Partners.
“It's going to have an impact,” he said. “It's just you don't know how and where it's going to show up.”
The Pentagon said it doesn't expect the regulation to take a toll on small businesses, which are more likely to provide commercial products and to already use fixed-price contracts. |
What’s the Difference Between Wilhelmina Rise and Maunalani Heights?
Learn the history behind the popular neighborhood and its surprising connection to Matson Navigation Co.
By Rachel Ross
Photo: Courtesy of the City & County of Honolulu
The easy answer is this: Maunalani Heights is higher. Most would tell you that you’re in Wilhelmina until you get to the intersection of Sierra Drive and Wilhelmina Rise, just below the Maunalani Community Park. But there’s more to it than that.
Long ago, William Matson owned much of the hill. Matson was born in Sweden, came to the U.S. as a cabin boy in 1863, and bought his first ship in 1882. His business model of shipping goods to Hawai‘i from San Francisco and bringing sugar back was very successful, and Matson Navigation Co. boomed. Over time, he developed and sold the homes on the hill to create the neighborhood we now call Wilhelmina Rise. The lots are a bit of a hodge-podge of shape and sizes, and the streets meander in a style nearly as winding as San Francisco’s famous Lombard Street. There are beautiful historic homes big and small in various styles, including Tudor, from the old days, and new, contemporary homes that have replaced many of them. Once cars became the main form of transportation in Hawai‘i, the neighborhood got popular for its views and convenience, and it likely always will be.
Up higher, the streets in Maunalani Heights share names with Matson’s ships (as does the whole hill: The S.S. Wilhelmina was a 146-passenger tourist ship from 1910). Matsonia, Lurline, Monterey and Mariposa were all luxury passenger ships added to Matson’s fleet in the early 1930s. Lurline was a favorite—Matson had two ships by that name, and then named his youngest daughter Lurline as well.
Ethelwyn A. Castle bought 9.5 acres near the top of Maunalani Heights and built her home there. It later became the Maunalani Hospital, which she willed to be a residence for the elderly. You can see it from all over Honolulu. Eventually, Maunalani Heights was parceled off and developed; because it happened later than Wilhelmina Rise, the roads are a bit wider, the utilities are buried and the lots are larger, with a maximum of one home per 10,000 square feet.
Want to live on the hill? There are eighteen homes currently for sale on Wilhelmina Rise and Maunalani Heights. Prices range from $835,000 to $6.3 million for homes on Sierra Drive. It’s a popular place to live—in 2016, 44 homes were sold, and the median sale price was $1,102,500.
3690 Hilo Place
Photos: Courtesy of HiCentral MLS
A four-bedroom, three-bath, 1,624-square-foot home with beautiful views, listed for $1,192,000.
3811 Anuhea St.
A four-bedroom, three-bath, 2,736-square-foot home built in 2013. Low on the hill for an easy commute, it still captures the views and has a large yard. It’s listed for $2,350,000. |
Trailer Park Boys: Ricky, Bubbles, and Julian (Source)
If you like Bubbles, Julian, and Ricky, you’ll love this news: There will soon be a Trailer Park Boys marijuana brand for budding Canadian or American trailer park residents or wannabes. As evidenced by the Happy Borntday episode, Ricky already has a torch which he may or may not use for dabs, and we know that they are “pretty high” in this episode. Although sparkler-powered houses are not on the horizon, the Trailer Park Boys’ foray into medical marijuana is.
Who are the Trailer Park Boys?
Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian television show that was created based on the antics of two Canadian petty criminals as they tried to stay out of jail and survive in a Nova Scotia trailer park. The original film, called One Last Shot was shot in black-and-white documentary style and eventually turned into a feature film called Trailer Park Boys. Trailer Park Boys the series is based on Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles who live in a trailer park and are constantly annoyed by Jim Lahey and his love Randy (the trailer park managers). Jim is a colorful alcoholic and Randy rarely wears shirts, despite his large stomach. Cory and Trevor are always Ricky and Julian’s scapegoats when capers go wrong, and J-Roc is a white aspiring rapper who thinks he is actually black.
What Do the Trailer Park Boys Have to Do with Marijuana?
The Trailer Park Boys announce partnership with OrganiGram Holdings, a Canadian cannabis cultivator (Source)
If you’re a Trailer Park Boys fan, then all of your petty criminal cannabis dreams have just come true. The Trailer Park Boys enterprise recently announced to the Canadian Press that they will be the new brand ambassadors for OrganiGram Holdings, Inc. out of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The company’s motto is “Get your life back. Naturally.” The company currently sells one indica strain (Highlands), and three sativa strains (Rising Tides, High Tide, and Tidal Bore). It’s three “OrganiOils” are Rossignol (sativa), Banook (indica), and Bras d’Or (hybrid). The new deal signed with Trailer Park Boys’ production company (Trailer Park Boys Productions Limited, of Sonic Entertainment Group of Nova Scotia) will be a five-year deal and include branding and packaging targeted to recreational cannabis users. The three actors (John Paul Tremblay, Robb Wells, and Mike Smith) who play the trailer park boys are the sole owners and controllers of the company and make all of their own choices about business ventures. Ray Gracewood of OrganiGram stated that “This relationship solidifies one of our strategic building blocks as we plan for the legalization of recreational [cannabis] use in Canada. The team at Trailer Park Boys have an aligned vision to develop a national brand with our assistance and we’re incredibly excited at how the partnership will come to life.” The “swearist” Trailer Park Boys will receive a combination of cash royalties and other non-monetary considerations. Is Canada ready for Trailer Park Boys Marijuana? Will the first strain be called “Swearist Sativa” or “Shitism Sativa”? Will we ever get official TPB Hash Coins? We’re about to find out, and I guarantee that Ricky, Julian, Bubbles, and J-Roc will be over the moon when their marijuana royalties start rolling in. |
Why not us?
You hear this often whenever a new season begins, regardless of the sport. As training camps break and preseasons get to the "let's start the season already" stage, fans look across the landscape of their respective leagues and think of ways their team can win "the big one". You hear and read things like the following and can only shake your head...
We're a Josh Smith career year away from making a run in the East! Lance Stephenson will really stabilize the Hornets this season... Trevor Ariza has me completely forgetting about Chris Bosh and Chandler Parsons! I think Boogie Cousins is really going to show some maturity and become a leader.
Foolishness, right? Not to those fan bases, who have endured weeks of "best shape of my life" and "gained 10 pounds of muscle" talk. Hopes are high, and if you stare long enough you can find reasons to be optimistic about nearly every franchise and their futures.
At least, you can in October.
But it won't last. The long-term rebuilds of Philadelphia and Orlando will drag out and wear down their fan bases. Detroit will deal with Josh Smith 3's, and Lance Stephenson and Trevor Ariza will likely not be what their fans hope they will be. DeMarcus Cousins' search for growth and maturation will probably not end well. The hope of October will, for many, fade into the future. "Why not us" will morph into "wait until next year".
Not here. Not in Memphis.
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That gleam in the eyes of the Grizzly faithful is not in vain. Belief has morphed into expectation; the idea of a championship parade down Beale Street is not a pipe dream any longer. A challenge? Absolutely. Unlikely? Statistically, sure. Veteran teams that make the playoffs four years in a row with appearances in a Conference Semifinals and Finals during that stretch, though? They have reason to think that this year, this team, could indeed be "the one."
The expectations are there. David Thorpe recently said on "The Chris Vernon Show" that Memphis should expect a Conference Finals appearance from the Grizzlies. The stage is set for a run that the City of Memphis will never forget. It's optimistic, for sure, but not entirely unrealistic. And here's why:
1. Marc Gasol, MVP Candidate
No, four preseason games are not a great sample size. No, interviews and articles are not the same as playing through the grind of the NBA season. The talk of Marc Gasol being in the best shape of his life and wanting to be more aggressive in his game appears to be more than just talk so far, however. In two preseason games playing 15 minutes or more, Marc Gasol is shooting 50% from the field at 11-22 combined, with 7 and 13 rebounds in the two games. His latest preseason performance against the Atlanta Hawks (21 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks) strengthens the hopes of many; he is poised for a career season.
Small sample size, yes. But combine these clips with his performance in the FIBA World Cup and you get a more complete vision of what Gasol has potentially become. He is active defensively, engaged in the offense on multiple levels, and is moving much more smoothly than he has in the past. Gasol is indeed in the best shape of his life. He is a monster, the storied Wendigo looking for blood and the riches of a brand new contract. If trends continue and Marc Gasol does indeed make the leap to a legitimate MVP candidate, the Memphis Grizzlies will make him a "max contract" player in the offseason and will be in the hunt for a top 3 seed in the Western Conference this season.
2. Conley's Comin'
You'll notice in the clip above that, as impressive as Marc Gasol looks, Mike Conley also jumps out as a player whose growth is continuing. The 27-year-old Conley has shown steady development in the wake of the Rudy Gay trade, embracing a role as leader and scorer more than ever before. This is Conley and Gasol's team now, and Mike is entering into the prime of his career at the perfect time. Championship teams tend to have multiple key players having career years. Where Gasol's potential MVP candidacy is a career high for Marc, an All-Star appearance and career highs in points and assists would catapult Conley into the upper-echelon-of-PG debates.
Year after year, Conley has proven all those who doubted him early in his Memphis tenure to be wrong. On the way to an NBA title, the Grizzlies' point guard must make the biggest jump in production of his career. Mike is capable of this; he has shown growth for multiple seasons in a row, and this year he will have more help than ever before.
3. Championship Depth
When a rookie like Jordan Adams can stir up strong debate on social media over playing time on a potential championship contender, you know that a team is remarkably deep. A team that once had an ongoing issue with the backup point guard position now has two who can play in Nick Calathes and Beno Udrih. These two can create mismatches on the court for whichever opponent draws them as their assignment. Depending on the matchup, the Grizzlies' point guard position will consistently be a point of strength, which is most certainly a nice change of pace.
Regardless of who starts on the wing for the Grizzlies this season, the list of players who are in a position to contribute is long and distinguished. This, of course, has not always been the case. Veteran playoff and championship experience will be coming from the likes of Tony Allen, Vince Carter, and yes, even Tayshaun Prince. Hungry players like Quincy Pondexter and Courtney Lee will fight to solidify roles and secure playing time.
And perhaps looking over all of their shoulders is the Grizzlies' first round draft pick who has impressed so far this preseason. If Jordan Adams continues to develop and play well this season, that depth ahead of him may well become trade chips with growing value. Considering that Tayshaun Prince is the only true "small forward" on the roster in terms of size, the right deal may present itself along the way for a taller player who can start and add size to the wing.
In the front court, Kosta Koufos is playing for a new contract with eyes on what should be a considerable pay raise. Jon Leuer is looking to show growth in his defensive game and consistency from range, and Jarnell Stokes could play the Jordan Adams role of rotational dark horse if the right opportunity presents itself.
Shooting, playmaking, length, leadership, and youth. All exist on this Grizzlies roster, and a team that was supposedly the deepest ever in Memphis last season is somehow deeper. Whether this depth is utilized on the court or perhaps on the trading block, it will improve Memphis either way.
4. Joerger's Way
The offseason commitment to Dave Joerger that Robert Pera and the front office made was huge for continuity and coaching effectiveness. There is no more question as to whose show it is; no longer will Joerger's system be eternally questioned so strongly. It is a marriage, a unification that could not come at a better time. Coaches must feel confident and comfortable to experiment with rosters and scheme, piecing together sets that put players in the best position to be successful. Given the slow start, Marc Gasol's injury, and the constant fight to get back into the playoff picture last season, it is unlikely Joerger ever felt comfortable in his own skin, much less with his own team.
A strong head coach can take such depth and utilize it to create mismatches night after night. A confident coach and his staff will continue the development of stars like Gasol and Conley, helping guide them to where they need to be in order for the Grizzlies to achieve championship status. This combination of front office/coaching cohesion and roster depth has not existed in Memphis before like it does now.
5. A Fading Era Means Urgency
Players know all too well when the time to stop playing the young man's game is approaching.
For men like Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, Tayshaun Prince, and Vince Carter, those days are closer than further away. Grit and Grind, for all its triumph and tragedy, legend and lunacy, heart and heartache, is slowly but surely fading into the history books. There will be a time in the near future when Z-Bo and TA are numbers in the rafters, likely the first to be enshrined into Grizzly eternity. A time is coming when Tayshaun and Carter will be remembered for their respective time with the Pistons and Raptors more than their current stints in Memphis. So much is said of the passion, respect, and admiration the younger players in Memphis feel for these veterans.
Photo: Lance Murphey/Getty Images NBA
The time for talk is over. It is time to put that emotion into action.
It's time to take the experience that has been gained these past four seasons and turn it into a real run, unhindered by injury, and inspired by the moment. The Memphis Grizzles have a real opportunity to be that team that unseats the San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division as a lighter Marc Gasol and more aggressive Mike Conley negate the aging dynasty's efficiency. There is an honest chance for Memphis to get past the rival Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers, utilizing their depth to either stay fresh through the season in preparation for the playoffs or for upgrading the starting small forward position. With a jump in effectiveness in the second season of the Dave Joerger regime and the impending free agency of Marc Gasol, the sense of urgency to win now for those whose time in Memphis is close to an end cannot just be a discussion point.
It must be the point of emphasis.
Quicker, smarter, stronger, more mature -- better. All teams hope for this to be a reality rather than some October dream. Of course, those dreams become realities and, in some cases, nightmares more often than not. That is not the case in Memphis. Evidence exists to show that the Grizzlies are primed to make a run. A potential MVP, a growing All-Star, an eclectic bench, and a coach backed by the entire organization say so. Now is the time. No more tomorrows and next years.
Now.
"Believe Memphis" has evolved to "Expect Greatness Memphis". The definition of success has evolved from just making the dance to getting to stay on the floor for a while. The players have evolved as well, changing their bodies and thought processes, roles and responses to the changing faces of authority throughout the "Grit and Grind" era. The pieces are for the most part in place, and the stage is set. The greatest chapter in the story of the Memphis Grizzlies is waiting to be told.
The other teams in the Association will certainly have something to say about it. Bring it on. It's time for a changing of the guard, time to make believers out of not just Memphians, but the entire NBA.
Memphis is ready. The time is now.
Why not us?
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Does antimatter fall up?
That's what particle physicists are asking after they reported their first direct measurements, published in the current issue of Nature Communications, of gravity's effects on the antimatter equivalent of hydrogen.
The measurements were taken at CERN, the huge particle physics laboratory on the French-Swiss border. CERN's Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus, or ALPHA, captures positrons and antiprotons, which are just like regular electrons and protons except that they have opposite charges and quantum "spins," in a vacuum chamber where they combine to form antihydrogen.
When antimatter comes into contact with ordinary matter, the two obliterate each other in a flash of radiation and other subatomic smithereens (which is why we should all be grateful that Isaac Newton was never struck on the head by an antiapple). So, to get a good look at the antihydrogen before it vanishes, the ALPHA scientists trap it in a magnetic "bottle" that takes advantage of the antiatoms' magnetic properties to hold them in place.
The ALPHA team has actually gotten pretty good at confining antihydrogen: In 2011, they set a record by trapping the atoms for more than 16 minutes, an eternity for particle physics.
Now they're asking what happens after the magnets are turned off and the antihydrogen is released. Does it fall down or up?
Sadly, the measurements were inconclusive. The antihydrogen atoms have proven too squirrely and the ALPHA equipment too imprecise to give a definitive answer.
“This is the first word, not the last,” said Joel Fajans, a University of California at Berkeley physicist and ALPHA team member, in a UC Berkeley press release. “We’ve taken the first steps toward a direct experimental test of questions physicists and nonphysicists have been wondering about for more than 50 years. We certainly expect antimatter to fall down, but just maybe we will be surprised.”
If antimatter were to fall up, it could help explain one physics' greatest mysteries, namely, why the universe seems to contain so much matter – such as stars, planets, belly-button lint and so on – and so little antimatter, which, as far as we know, exists only as products of radioactive decay, exploding stars, and very strong electric fields.
According to the standard model of particle physics, the universe should have the same amount of matter and antimatter. "Have had" actually, because, if at the time of the Big Bang there were equal amounts of matter and antimatter, the two would have annihilated each other in short order, leaving only photons.
Because we're here, physicists suspect that this didn't happen. But nobody really knows why.
If antimatter falls up though, then the prevalence of matter over antimatter might make sense. As CERN physicist Dragan Slavkov Hajdukovic argued in a 2011 paper, a cosmos in which matter and antimatter repel each other would experience a series of expansions and contractions – Big Bangs and Big Crunches, if you will – with each successive universe cycling between being dominated by matter and antimatter. Under this model, our present-day universe is mostly matter because the previous one was mostly antimatter. (Residents of that universe probably just called it matter.)
Elsewhere Hajdukovic argued that gravitantionally repulsive antimatter does away with the need to posit the existence of dark matter, thus resolving one of physics' other big mysteries.
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So when will we find out if antimatter falls up? ALPHA is currently being upgraded and will reopen in 2014, and physicists hope to find out after that.
If antimatter is indeed antigravity, we would need to revise quite a bit of current physics. But then again, current physics can't explain where half of our universe went, so perhaps a revision is just what we need. |
Population experts have been saying for many years that we can anticipate nine billion humans on Earth by the year 2050. This morning (July 10, 2012), the Worldwatch Institute in Washington D.C. released the following nine strategies for stopping short of that number. These ideas agree with what nearly every other population expert has told EarthSky over the past decade: that is, women are the key to reducing the rate of population growth. For example, says Worldwatch Institute and other experts, in every culture surveyed to date, women who have completed at least some secondary school have fewer children on average, and have children later in life, than do women who have less education. Women who can own, inherit, and manage property, divorce, obtain credit, and participate in civic and political affairs on equal terms with men are more likely to postpone childbearing and to have fewer children compared to women who are deprived of these rights. And so on. You get the idea. Here are the nine population strategies, from Worldwatch.
Provide universal access to safe and effective contraceptive options for both sexes.
Guarantee education through secondary school for all, especially girls.
Eradicate gender bias from law, economic opportunity, health, and culture.
Offer age-appropriate sexuality education for all students.
End all policies that reward parents financially based on the number of children they have.
Integrate lessons on population, environment, and development into school curricula at multiple levels.
Put prices on environmental costs and impacts.
Adjust to an aging population instead of boosting childbearing through government incentives and programs.
Convince leaders to commit to stabilizing population growth through the exercise of human rights and human development.
Bottom line: On July 10, 2012, the Worldwatch Institute of Washington D.C. released nine strategies for stopping short of 9 billion in population growth. Educating and empowering women is key to these strategies. Other strategies include educating children about population growth, and providing incentives to adjust to an aging population.
Visit the website of the Worldwatch Institute
Paul Ehrlich and the vital role of women in this century |
The Obama administration was battling to contain a collapse in trust between the US intelligence services and Congress on Tuesday after a senator it counted as one of its most loyal supporters accused the CIA of a catalogue of cover-ups, intimidation and smears to hide its role in the torture of terrorism suspects.
The bombshell allegations by Dianne Feinstein, the chairwoman of the Senate intelligence committee, were batted away by CIA director John Brennan, who said they went “beyond the scope of reason”. But they revealed growing strains at the heart of Washington’s intelligence establishment about the agency’s power and accountability.
In a dramatic speech on the floor of the US Senate, Feinstein accused the CIA of potentially violating the US constitution and of criminal activity in its attempts to obstruct her committee’s investigations into the agency’s use of torture in the aftermath of 9/11. She described the crisis as a “defining moment” for political oversight of the US intelligence service.
The White House sought to avoid taking sides in the dispute, saying Barack Obama was aware of the Senate claims but refused to comment on the substance of the allegations or say whether the president was concerned.
“This is a matter involving protocols established for the interaction between committee staff and the CIA,” said spokesman Jay Carney. “There are periodic disputes about this process and it is under two separate investigations, so I am not going to provide an analysis of it.”
But senior Senate Democrats continued to back Feinstein’s unprecedented public attack, calling on the president to allow swift publication of an unclassified version of her committee’s report into the CIA’s interrogation activities. “I support Senator Feinstein unequivocally, and I am disappointed that the CIA is apparently unrepentant for what I understand they did,” Senate majority leader Harry Reid told reporters.
Senator Ron Wyden, a long-time critic of intelligence overreach, told CNN: “The bottom line is: I am becoming convinced the CIA is simply fearful of the interrogation report being made public, and I think it’s time for the American people to get that information.”
The CIA is refusing to back down, raising the prospect of Obama being forced to choose whether to support his party or the intelligence community. “We are not in any way, shape or form trying to thwart this report,” said Brennan at a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. “As far the allegations of the CIA hacking into Senate computers are concerned, nothing could be further from the truth. We wouldn’t do that; that’s beyond the scope of reason.”
Observers noted that Feinstein did not allege “hacking’” but detailed an alleged unauthorised search of a computer system provided to Senate staff by intelligence officers. Beyond Brennan’s general remarks, the CIA did not offer a detailed rebuttal of Feinstein’s allegations.
“Brennan is up to his eyeballs in trouble,” said Amy Zegart, co-director of the Center for International Security and Co-operation at Stanford University. “It’s one thing to stonewall congressional intelligence staffers, quite another to be charged with spying on them for doing their jobs. For years, Feinstein has had the CIA’s back. Now she’s out for blood. How the CIA managed to turn one of its staunchest defenders into one of its fiercest critics is just mind boggling.”
In her speech, Feinstein, who said she was making her statement “reluctantly”, confirmed recent reports that the committee believed CIA officials had monitored on at least two occasions the computer networks used by Senate staffers working on the torture investigation. Going further than previously, she accused the CIA of revoking access to documents containing evidence of torture that would incriminate intelligence officers.
She also alleged that anonymous CIA officials were effectively conducting a smear campaign in the media to discredit and “intimidate” Senate staff by suggesting they had hacked into the agency’s computers to obtain a separate, critical internal report on the detention and interrogation programme.
Staff working on the Senate investigation have been reported to the Department of Justice for possible criminal charges by a lawyer at the CIA who himself features heavily in the alleged interrogation abuses. The CIA’s inspector general is conducting another inquiry into the issue.
Feinstein said the two investigations, launched at the behest of the CIA, amounted to an attempt at “intimidation”. She revealed that CIA officials had also been reported to the Department of Justice for alleged violations of the fourth amendment and laws preventing them from domestic spying.
“This is a defining moment for the oversight role of our intelligence committee … and whether we can be thwarted by those we oversee,” said Feinstein in a special address on the floor of the the US Senate. “There is no legitimate reason to allege to the Justice Department that Senate staff may have committed a crime … this is plainly an attempt to intimidate these staff and I am not taking it lightly.”
Feinstein said that she would immediately appeal to the White House to declassify the report’s major findings. The White House is formally on record supporting the declassification, which the president has the power to order.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dianne Feinstein leaves the Senate floor. Photograph: J. Scott Applewhite/AP
At the previously scheduled event reflecting on the first year in the job on Tuesday, Brennan rejected the accusation that the CIA had thwarted the Senate investigation, and denied the agency had inappropriately accessed Senate computers. “Nothing could be further from the truth. We wouldn’t do that,” he said. Brennan pointed out that he had referred the matter to the CIA inspector general, who was investigating, and would defer to his conclusions.
He also acknowledged there was a Justice Department investigation that encompassed the Senate committee staff members. “There are appropriate authorities are looking at what CIA officers and SSCI staff members did – and I defer to them as to whether there was any violation,” he said.
Brennan said the CIA wanted to put the issue of the torture programme, which he described by its agency nomenclature as “rendition, detention and interrogation”, behind it. “Even as we have learned from the past, we must also try to put the past behind us.” he said.
On the Senate floor earlier, Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the judiciary committee and the longest serving US senator, described Feinstein’s speech at the most important he had witnessed in his time in Congress.
“I cannot think of any speech by any member of any party as important as the one the senator from California just gave,” Leahy said.
Senator Mark Udall of Colorado, an intelligence committee member, said in a statement he applauded Feinstein for “setting the record straight today on the Senate floor about the CIA’s actions to subvert congressional oversight”.
He accused the CIA of “trying to hide the truth from the American people about this program” and sad it had “illegally” searched the committee’s computers.
One of the points at issue between the CIA and the Senate intelligence committee is the ownership of the Senate’s investigation. In a recent court case seeking to prevent public release of the Senate’s inquiry, the CIA argued that the inquiry was the exclusive property of the Senate.
A “key principle” in a 2009 accord between the intelligence agency and the Senate intelligence committee, was that committee staffers’ work “would not become ‘agency records’” and were the “property of the committee,” CIA congressional liaison Neal Higgins told a court in February.
Higgins’s statement took on new salience on Tuesday in the light of Feinstein’s revelation that the CIA had searched the secure computer network it set up at a Virginia facility for the committee’s classified use.
“This search involved not only a search of documents provided to the committee by the CIA, but also a search of the ‘stand alone’ and ‘walled-off’ committee network drive containing the committee’s own internal work product and communications,” said Feinstein, who said she considered the search an effort at “intimidation” to undermine the Senate committee’s oversight responsibilities.
In Higgins’s filing to deny the case, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, he acknowledged that work by the committee “remain congressional records in their entirety”. That meant they were not CIA records and could not be released under the Freedom of Information Act.
A member of the Senate committee, Ron Wyden of Oregon, cited Higgins’s filing as contradicting the basis for what he called an “unprecedented invasion” of CIA computers.
“The CIA’s own recent court filing makes clear that the work product on these computers was and is ‘the property of the committee’,” Wyden said in a Tuesday statement. “I share [Feinstein’s] concern that this search may have violated both federal law and the US constitution.”
Both Brennan and his CIA deputy, Avril Haynes, are former White House staffers, trusted by President Obama. Brennan – who last week blasted senators on the committee for “spurious allegations” about his agency – batted away a question about his resignation. “If I did something wrong, I will go to the president, and I will explain to him exactly what I did, and what the findings were. And he is the one who can ask me to stay or to go,” Brennan said.
Additional reporting by Nora Biette-Timmons |
As a 13-year-old Richard Dawkins would fantasise about praying at an altar then seeing an angel dramatically appear in a burst of white light. Yes, one of the world's most strident atheists communed with God – "but God never actually did get through to me for some reason".
Dawkins' religious fervour lasted about two years, he told the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Wednesday.
"I was briefly seduced by it and took it all in and would pray very vigorously every night," he said. But, he added, he had never acted on his angel fantasy. "I never tried the experiment. I shall never know if it might have happened."
Dawkins has since become the scourge of all religions but he denied that he relished "being hated". Nonetheless he had made a YouTube video which showed him reading his hate-mail in front of a log fire; and the next video, he said, would feature a cello player to give some atmosphere to it. He said: "I don't mind being disliked by complete idiots."
In that category, Dawkins said, would be many creationists. He now refused to appear on the same platform with them since it gave credence to their views.
Dawkins was asked whether his statements on fundamental Islam might demonise moderate Muslims? He hoped not. "It is very important that we should not demonise ordinary, law abiding, very decent Muslims, which of course are the vast majority in this country," he said.
But he argued that moderate people of any faith "make the world safe for the extremists" because they legitimised believing "something without evidence, without the need to justify it". He said such a view gave licence to extremists, letting them say, "my belief is I'm supposed to be a suicide bomber or blow up buildings – it is my faith and you can't question that".
Dawkins accepted that most moderates would be "horrified" at the suggestion they were helping fuel extremism. "I'm sure they'd be horrified, nevertheless it could be true."
Dawkins, best known for his books The Selfish Gene, and The God Delusion, was at the festival in Scotland, which is being staged in association with the Guardian, also to talk about his memoir, An Appetite for Wonder. |
Just months after Suntory’s $16bn takeover of US spirits maker Beam in 2014, the chief executive of the Japanese whisky group dropped a bombshell. The quality of the Kentucky-made Jim Beam bourbon could be improved, he suggested, if its distillers employed a Japanese process called kaizen. Matt Shattock, the chief executive of Beam, cringed at the proposal made by his counterpart, Takeshi Niinami. It was seen as a direct affront to the formula perfected by the Jim Beam family over two centuries.
The Suntory chief was suggesting only minor tweaks to the water purification process, not a change to the Beam recipe. But the mere hint of meddling, raised during a board meeting, caused damage. It strained relations just as the two sides were wrestling with how to make a success of the collaboration between the US bourbon maker and its Japanese owner, known for its Yamazaki and Hakushu whiskies. The tensions continued for months with Mr Niinami, on more than one occasion, slamming his fist on a table and walking out of talks in frustration, according to people briefed about the meetings.
“At that stage, everyone was kind of on the edge of their seat trying to understand what exactly is going to happen,” a person involved in the integration process says. “They heard words [from Niinami] like Jim Beam and quality.”
The clash over the art of making spirits, for which Suntory has adopted the Japanese term monozukuri more widely used for manufacturing, laid bare the challenge faced by the chief executives in integrating two proud cultures, each with a strong heritage.
The difficulties highlight the pitfalls that have paralysed many Japanese owners faced with running newly acquired overseas companies. The deal also serves as a wake-up call for smaller players as groups such as AB InBev and SABMiller combine forces to stay competitive in a rapidly consolidating drinks industry.
“How to blend the skill and expertise of both [companies] is our goal. That has been a big challenge but over one and a half years, they more or less commute to each spot: Kentucky and Yamazaki (distilleries). This is a new plan for our integration,” Mr Niinami says.
This blending helped to lift sales at Beam through joint products and marketing. It also went some way towards rescuing a deal that was undermined from the start by broken promises, a lack of governance and unrealistic ambitions, according to interviews with executives and others involved.
Suntory’s costly acquisition of Beam, an Illinois-based distiller of Maker’s Mark whisky and Courvoisier cognac, was driven by the same motivation that has led to a recent binge in overseas spending by Japanese companies trying to survive a shrinking home market.
Podcast Beam Suntory: A volatile blend Suntory’s $16bn takeover of US spirits maker Beam in 2014 catapulted the Japanese group to number 3 in the global spirits markets. The tie-up was not without its problems, and Kana Inagaki explains how Beam is trying to overcome the differences in the Japanese and American corporate cultures
The deal gave the privately held Japanese group a ticket into the US spirits market — the world’s most profitable and one of the few that is still growing. It catapulted Suntory Holdings, Japan’s largest drinks group, into third place in the international spirits industry by volume — after Diageo in the UK and Pernod Ricard in France, according to International Wine and Spirit Research.
But the gamble came at a huge cost. Suntory emerged from it with net debt at about ¥1.6tn ($15bn), some five times its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation.
“Beam’s profitability remains high but the speed of debt reduction has been slower than expected,” says Motoki Yanase, analyst at Moody’s. “The group is restricted from aggressively expanding as Suntory management . . . focuses on integration.”
Breaking traditions
Mr Niinami is the company’s first chief executive appointed from outside the founding family. Recruited in October 2014 by Nobutada Saji, the charismatic chairman of Suntory Holdings and the grandson of founder Shinjiro Torii, it represented a bold break with tradition.
The Beam deal was part of a wider expansion. Suntory paid $3.8bn for Orangina Schweppes in 2009, then Mr Saji stepped up his overseas drive after his plan to merge Suntory with Kirin, Japan’s second-biggest brewer, collapsed in 2010. In 2013, the group raised almost $4bn by listing its non-alcoholic drinks and food business, and acquired the Lucozade and Ribena brands from GlaxoSmithKline for £1.35bn.
Mr Saji turned to Harvard-educated Mr Niinami to execute the fraught integration with Beam. Mr Niinami, 57, had earned a reputation as an effective operator in 12 years at the helm of Lawson, Japan’s second-biggest convenience store chain. Fluent in English, he is one of the most internationally minded executives and has close ties to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
He has taken a far more active approach than other Japanese executives involved in foreign takeovers. Suntory has representation on Beam’s audit committee and has a say in its compensation and nomination issues.
Related article Japan Inc: M&A’s big spenders An ageing population and growing competition force the nation’s companies into an overseas acquisitions boom
“It wasn’t clear who was in control. I told Matt [Shattock, now Beam Suntory chief executive] that I am the boss of the entire Suntory Holdings,” Mr Niinami says.
In the first year, Beam executives were overwhelmed by the rigorous monthly reporting required by Suntory management, particularly on its cash generation. Beam has exceeded the sales and profit targets set at the time of the acquisition, but its Japanese owner pushed it to try harder.
“Suntory has a very hands-on style so there are detailed questions even in board meetings. It may have been to a point where Matt [Shattock] wondered why we wanted to know such detail,” says Shinichiro Hizuka, Suntory’s chief financial officer. “But as we discussed what was behind the numbers, our understanding of their strategy and markets deepened.”
Beyond the practical challenges, a climate of mistrust developed when two pieces of the original post-merger plan were dropped. When the deal was initially discussed, the Japanese side had indicated to Beam that its shares would be relisted in the US. Beam executives had also expected Suntory to sell its Japanese whisky in the US market following the deal.
The Suntory board agreed in the spring of 2014 that it would trigger Beam’s initial public offering within three years of the merger, with the proceeds forming the backbone of the group’s debt repayment plans, according to one person with knowledge of the decision. But the listing was put on hold due to opposition from Suntory Holdings’ founding family, which holds an 89 per cent stake in the group through an asset management firm — upsetting Beam executives who had been promised an IPO.
Under new management
Since the deal, most of the original Beam management team has left, with the exception of Mr Shattock. “Losing the head of international, the US, chief marketing officer, production, human resources and CFO cannot happen without some impact,” says Donard Gaynor, a retired senior executive at Beam who is a consultant to the industry. “This is what makes acquisitions so difficult.”
The high turnover of senior executives was blamed on everything from rival offers to the cancellation of the IPO but Mr Shattock insists the overall turnover rate at Beam — which employs 3,400 people — is at its lowest in three years. “They realise that this investment is made for a very long term and therefore they now have a parent and a home which will be here for many, many years to come,” he says.
In late 2014 Mr Niinami sought to combine the skills of the Jim Beam distillery in Kentucky and Suntory’s Yamazaki distillery, the birthplace of Japanese whisky on the outskirts of Kyoto, to boost the Jim Beam products amid a shortage of Japanese whisky to sell in to the US. To do this Suntory introduced the concept of kaizen, the philosophy of continuous improvement. For workers at Beam, this sounded like criticism of their long-established practices.
“Initially, the interactions were perceived as highly insulting, until we reached mutual understanding regarding culture and intention,” says Vincent Ambrosino, Beam’s former chief financial officer who moved to Tokyo to serve as a senior adviser to Mr Niinami and Mr Hizuka. “Eventually, we figured out that we shared a common objective.”
Teams led by Fred Noe, the master distiller and great grandson of Jim Beam, and Suntory’s chief blender Shinji Fukuyo shuttled between Kentucky and Yamazaki developing new products. Similar collaborations were made in procurement, marketing and risk management. From Beam, Suntory learnt how to manage global operations.
At home, Mr Niinami was fighting a different battle. Before his appointment, the company decided to put its Japanese whisky business under Beam’s management. For some Japanese employees, it felt humiliating to report on domestic operations to a foreign company, especially one that it owned.
Mr Hizuka admits that tensions persist, but adds: “If we are going to sell Suntory’s whiskies worldwide, it would definitely be better to use Beam’s network and branding than to do it all from the Japanese side.”
Suntory’s transition into a global company moved slowly despite Mr Saji’s aspirations. “It’s impossible for everyone to suddenly have a global mindset. That will take three to five years,” Mr Hizuka says. “To be blunt, most of the people in this building see Beam as someone else’s problem.”
Company executives and analysts admit there is no time to waste, however: “The longer it takes to align corporate culture and get effective strategies in place, the more opportunities are missed,” says Stephen Rannekleiv, spirits industry analyst at Rabobank.
Even after the acquisition of Beam, analysts point to the narrow geographic scope of the two companies as a disadvantage as they seek to tap new markets. In 2015, the group generated 73 per cent of its sales by volume in the US and Japan. But with the Beam deal, the Japanese group will aim to expand sales of brown spirits in India and other parts of Asia.
“They have a lot of catching up to do,” says Jeremy Cunnington, an analyst at Euromonitor. “But the scope for doing [more] investment is a lot more limited with its high level of debt.”
Growing American market
With Beam’s IPO on hold, the group has taken steps to free up cash. It is drawing greater profit margins by selling more high-end products, cutting back on costs, including overseas travel and urging employees to trim working hours. In the past year, Beam has sold its Spanish brandy and sherry business while Suntory offloaded its stakes in hamburger chain First-Kitchen and sandwich franchise Subway in Japan.
The focus on the US and Japan has benefited Suntory and Beam as rivals such as Jack Daniel’s owner Brown-Forman and Diageo grapple with a slowdown in emerging markets.
By volume, whisky sales in the US — where the combined group holds a 19 per cent market share according to Euromonitor — and Japan were up 6.5 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively, while markets in China and Brazil declined, according to IWSR.
Suntory Holdings saw its net profit rise 18 per cent to ¥45.2bn in 2015 while robust Beam sales lifted the group’s revenue by 9 per cent to ¥2.7tn.
In September, Beam Suntory will move its global headquarters to downtown Chicago from suburban Deerfield, as part of the group’s push to ramp up marketing in big cities where it sees fierce competition for millennials and other young drinkers of premium bourbon and whisky.
“Everyone is rushing to the US, from Diageo to Pernod,” says Mr Niinami. “That’s a big threat.” |
The whole concept of civil asset forfeiture turns the law on its head, essentially finding people guilty until they can prove their innocence.
Police departments and federal agencies across the country have been using civil procedures to seize cash, cars and homes that just might be somehow, maybe linked to a crime.
In Humboldt County here in Nevada a county deputy seized $50,000 from a California tourist who said he’d won it at a casino. The deputy claimed he might be a drug dealer.
According to a recording from a dashboard-mounted camera in the patrol car, the tourist asked why he was being searched, and the deputy replied, “Because I’m talking to you … well, no, I don’t have to explain that to you. I’m not going to explain that to you, but I am gonna put my drug dog on that. If my dog alerts, I’m seizing the money. You can try to get it back but you’re not.”
He also told the tourist, “You’ll burn it up in attorney fees before we give it back to you.”
Over a two-year period Humboldt deputies seized $180,000 in cash from motorists, some of them got their money back after fighting the seizure in court.
The Nevada Attorney General’s office reportedly is investigating the county’s highway interdiction program, which smacks of highway robbery to us. The county’s new sheriff, who took office in January, has placed the deputy quoted above on paid leave pending an investigation.
In another Nevada case, the U.S. attorney’s office in Las Vegas demanded a local woman forfeit the $76,667 in salary she earned while running the office of her brother, who was later convicted of mortgage fraud.
U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt called the federal forfeiture effort against Jenna Depue “the most egregious miscarriage of justice I have experienced in more than twenty years on the bench. I refuse to be a party to it.”
Recently, New Mexico lawmakers passed a bill essentially ending most civil asset forfeitures in that state until someone is convicted of a crime. It also would not let police agencies keep the proceeds of a seizure and instead channels it into the state general fund, thus ending an incentive for police to use seizures to raise money.
In Carson City, Republican state Sens. Don Gustavson of Sparks and James Settelmeyer of Minden have sponsored Senate Bill 138, which is similar to the one in New Mexico. It also requires a conviction prior to seizure and states that any money left over after expenses are covered goes to the state general fund. The bill also mandates annual reports to the state on civil asset forfeitures.
The Fifth Amendment provides that “No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.”
But too often police intimidate people by basically extorting waivers of due process rights. In the case of the tourist in Humboldt, he was threatened with having his car impounded, too.
The Institute for Justice has been fighting civil asset forfeiture in the courts and on op-ed pages of newspapers for years. President and General Counsel Chip Mellor of IJ once said: “The Institute for Justice has documented time and again that civil forfeiture invites a lack of accountability, a lack of due process and a lack of restraints on government authority. Civil forfeiture needs to end. If the government wants to take someone’s property, it should first be required to convict that person of a crime.”
In a 73-page article published in the Nevada Law Journal, David Pimentel, a law professor at Florida Coastal School of Law, laid out the case against civil forfeiture.
“Given the dubious policies behind facilitating property forfeitures, and the due process problems inherent in carrying them out, the more potent question is whether facilitating property forfeitures should be allowed at all,” writes Pimentel. “If the taking of such property is to be justified, or even tolerated, it must be for the most compelling public policy purposes, none of which can be demonstrated for facilitating property forfeitures.”
Let’s hope SB138 breezes through the legislative process and the governor signs it into law.
A version of this column appears this week in the Battle Born Media newspapers — The Ely Times, the Mesquite Local News, the Mineral County Independent-News, the Eureka Sentinel, the Lincoln County Record and the Sparks Tribune — and the Elko Daily Free Press. |
Major General Ian Cardozo was a young major in the 5 Gorkha Rifles in the 1971 war with Pakistan. In a swift military offensive, India defeated Pakistan within 13 days, liberated a region and led to the creation of Bangladesh.
In the war, the then Major Cardozo stepped on a landmine and had to cut off his badly wounded leg with his own khukri.
Yet, through sheer will power and determination, he did not let his disability come in the way of his duty as a soldier and went on to become the first disabled officer in the Indian Army to command an infantry battalion and a brigade.
Awarded a Sena Medal for gallantry, General Cardozo spoke to Claude Arpi about the historic war and how he conquered his disability in the second part of a fascinating interview.
Part I of the interview: 1971, A War Hero Remembers
Tell us about your wound.
At that time, I was still not wounded.
There was a BSF commander who got panicky when he saw all these fellows (prisoners) and asked: "Please send someone here.' I told the CO that I would go. I did not know that I was walking on a minefield. I stepped on a mine and my leg blew off.
A Bangladeshi saw this happening, he picked me up and took me to the battalion headquarters. They were feeling bad. I told the doctor, 'Give me some morphine.' They had no#8800 it had been destroyed during the operations. 'Do you have any Pethidine?' 'No'
I told him: 'Could you cut this off?'
He said: 'I don't have any instrument.'
I asked my batman: 'Where is my khukri?'
He said: 'Here it is, Sir.'
I told him: 'Cut it off.'
He answered in Gorkhali: 'Sir, I can't do it.'
I told him: 'Give it to me.' I cut my leg off and ordered: 'Now go and bury it.'
You tell people that you are embarrassed to tell the story because it was nothing at all. What was your first thought?
My first thought was for her (pointing to his wife, Priscilla). I thought, 'What a stupid thing happened to me. It was beyond my control, it just happened.'
Then the doctor came and tied it up. My CO also came: 'Ian, you are very lucky, we have captured a Pakistani surgeon. He will operate on you.'
'Nothing doing, Sir, I don't want to be operated by a Pakistani doctor. Just get me back to India,' I answered.
By that time Dhaka had fallen and there was no chopper available.
I then told the CO: 'Two conditions.' He immediately said: 'You are not in position to put conditions.'
I told him: 'OK, two requests. One, I don't want Pakistani blood.'
He retorted: 'You are a fool.' I said: 'I am prepared to die a fool. My second request, Sir, I want you to be present when they operate on me.' The CO asked: 'Why?' I answered: 'You know why.' (There had been cases of torture). So, he agreed.
Anyway, the Pakistani surgeon did a good job. His name was Major Mohamed Basheer. I have never been able to say, 'Thank you.' I owe him a thank you, but it is not easy (to find someone in Pakistan].
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1986 soundtrack album by Edgar Winter
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic [1]
Mission Earth is an album with words and music written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. The album was produced and arranged by Edgar Winter, who also performed on it.
L. Ron Hubbard left detailed instructions and audio tapes for the musicians and producers to follow when making this album, which was released posthumously for Hubbard.[2] Edgar described Mission Earth as "both a return to rock’s primal roots and yet highly experimental". Winter had glowing words for Hubbard when he wrote, "Ron's technical insight of the recording process was outstanding." Winter also described Hubbard's delineation of counter-rhythm in rock as something "which was nothing short of phenomenal, particularly inasmuch as it had then been entirely unexplored and only later heard in the African-based rhythms of Paul Simon's work, some five years after Ron’s analysis."[3]
The sci-fi cover artwork for the album and cassette tape feature a blond man, resembling Edgar Winter, floating in the clouds behind an iron fist that appears to be holding a representation of the Earth. The iron fist graphic also appears on the cover of Mission Earth, the novel. The background includes a night sky. The words on the album include "Edgar Winter" written in a futuristic-looking font and the words "Mission Earth", written in a cursive script. Some versions of the album were sold with a gold foil sticker that said, "Words and Music by L. Ron Hubbard".
This album was published by Revenimus Music Publishing, the music publishing division of the Church of Scientology, which also published the album The Road to Freedom, which was also written by L. Ron Hubbard, but performed by various artists.
Track listing [ edit ]
All music composed by L. Ron Hubbard. Arranged and additional writing by Edgar Winter.
Side A No. Title Length 1. "Mission Earth" 6:52 2. "Treacherous Love" 4:34 3. "Bang-Bang" 3:14 4. "Teach Me" 3:32
Side B No. Title Length 5. "Cry Out" 5:03 6. "Just a Kid" 3:54 7. "The Spacer's Lot" 4:46 8. "Joy City" 4:02
See also [ edit ] |
When it's all said and done, there's no doubt in my mind that COPRA is going to go down as one of the best self-published comics of all time. This year, Michel Fiffe — who writes, draws, letters, and even ships the book himself — reached 25 issues, and while the book is still an homage to DC's Suicide Squad , it's gone far beyond a bunch of analogue characters with the serial numbers filed off.
There's a craftsmanship at play here that's hard to find elsewhere, a book that's filled with innovative page layouts and narrative tricks like serializing a second story in the last two pages of each issue. Every time a new issue arrives, it brings something that I'm not seeing anyone else doing in superhero comics. But then, that's been the case for as long as COPRA 's been coming out. It's as good as it gets, and there's no reason to think it won't stay that way. [Chris Sims] |
HITC Sport understands that Fulham youngster is set to leave this summer
Manchester United are favourites to tie up a deal for Fulham midfield sensation Emerson Hyndman, HITC Sport understands.
The 19-year-old from Texas joined Fulham's academy in 2011 and made his first-team debut in 2014.
Now a regular in the first-team squad, Hyndman's performances have caught the eye of a host of clubs - but Fulham, like with Moussa Dembele, have failed to tie him down to a long-term deal and he is set to quit the club in the summer.
Hotline understands that United are currently favourites to tie up a deal for the US international, despite the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham also showing an interest.
German giants Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Wolfsburg are also keen on landing him.
A Fulham source told HITC Sport: "He looks to be on his way, we have been told of a number of clubs who want him and are offering big deals, but United look to be in the strongest position."
With Dembele also set to leave this summer when his contract expires, Fulham will be losing to of their brightest prospects for next to nothing.
United are understood to be keen on landing Hyndman with a view to loaning him out next season. |
Thursday on his nationally syndicated radio show, conservative talker Rush Limbaugh dismissed the saga first reported by The Washington Post late Wednesday evening suggesting that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had failed to disclose meeting with Russian officials during his confirmation hearings earlier this year.
Partial transcript as follows (courtesy of RushLimbaugh.com):
It appears, ladies and gentlemen, that the people on our side still haven’t learned a single lesson about how to deal with the Democrat Party and the media, the American left — of course, that’s all the same group of people. It’s patently obvious. It’s really frustrating to me. All of this should have been anticipated. All of this was easily predictable. I think somebody I know pretty well did. And the way this is all being handled today — and people have the best intentions. The heartfelt desire to defend Jeff Sessions by pointing out the Democrat hypocrisy, when are we gonna learn that Democrat hypocrisy doesn’t exist? There is no such thing as Democrat hypocrisy in the media. You’re never gonna beat these people back by pointing out how they’ve done the same thing that they’re accusing us of doing. It’s never gonna work! This story is not about Jeff Sessions. By the way, greetings and welcome. Great to have you. Rush Limbaugh, 800-282-2882. This story is not about Jeff Sessions. This story is not about illegal talks between Trump and his campaign people and the Russians. This story is about Barack Obama and the Democrat Party attempting to sabotage the Trump presidency and do everything they can to either render it meaningless and ineffective or to get him impeached or force him to resign. That’s what the story is. And that is what has to be attacked, not defended. We have no reason to be on defense all the time. We won the election. These people are barely hanging on. This is all they’ve got. And there’s no evidence, despite a year and a half of allegations of illegal contact between Trump, his campaign, and the Russians. There is no evidence.
Limbaugh urged his listeners not to concede anything wrong was done by suggesting there was hypocrisy and cited Republican disfavor with the media as the reason.
You know what Sessions ought to do? “Yeah, yeah, I talked to the Russian ambassador about our grandchildren. You know, he’s got some grandchildren, I got some grandchildren, that’s what we were talking about.” Well, that’s what Loretta Lynch and Clinton said they were talking about on the airplane one week before a decision was coming down from Comey on whatever was gonna happen with the Clinton investigation into her emails and stuff. I can point that out and you go, “Yeah, yeah, right.” And you know what it’s gonna get us? Nothing! Even in the court of opinion it’s gonna get us nothing because it accepts the premise that Sessions did something wrong and therefore we can mitigate that by pointing out, “Well, look what the Clintons did.” It doesn’t work that way. We should learn after 30 years, it doesn’t work that way. The Democrats are never held accountable for hypocrisy. There is no such thing where they are concerned in the eyes of the media and others who hold them accountable or don’t. I know the desire to defend Sessions. He’s a great man. He’s a decent man. He’s a good man.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor |
Board a bus sponsored by Google. Take the subway to the Madame Tussauds/Hollywood station. Or hop on the Tropicana Orange Line through the San Fernando Valley.
Under a policy approved this month by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the name of practically every part of Los Angeles County’s sprawling transit system will be up for sale, from train stations and bus lines to maintenance facilities, ticketing machines and parking garages.
The decision has raised some eyebrows among skeptics who argue that corporate naming rights could cause headaches for Metro — or just embarrass riders.
“I just hope it’s not too awkward,” said Brian Bond, 31, as he waited for a Red Line train downtown. Asked to elaborate on what names could cross the line, he paused, then said: “Viagra? No, wait. Diapers.”
Others have wondered: How would the names sound over an intercom? Pepsi Presents Pershing Square Station? The Metamucil Experience at North Hollywood?
Proponents of the naming-rights policy admit some names would be more appealing than others, but say it’s hard to turn down free money that could be used to subsidize fares or upgrade the Metro system.
“I was never really in favor of advertising on buses or some of the other things we’ve done,” John Fasana, mayor of Duarte and chairman of the Metro board, said at a recent meeting. “But I am less in favor of fare hearings.”
The naming-rights policy was proposed as part of a broader Metro initiative to stave off long-term operating deficits. It’s unclear how much revenue the program could bring in, because each deal will be negotiated separately.
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Metro’s financial picture is rosier than it has been in years, following last month’s passage of Measure M . The half-cent sales tax for transportation projects will raise an estimated $860 million in 2018, and $120 billion over the first four decades of assessment.
Still, advertising income is also important, particularly because it doesn’t carry the same spending restrictions as sales tax revenue, Metro spokeswoman Pauletta Tonilas said.
The naming-rights guidelines will bar partnerships with tobacco, alcohol and adult entertainment companies, so transit riders won’t encounter a Bacardi bus or a Marlboro/Highland Park Gold Line station. The agreement also precludes sponsorship agreements with political and religious organizations.
Those guidelines, though, don’t protect Metro from the risk of partnering with a company that later faces a scandal, said Ira S. Kalb, a USC assistant professor of marketing. (The most famous example? Enron Field, a sponsorship the Houston Astros paid $2.1 million to terminate 28 years early .)
Contracts will be negotiated to allow Metro to end the sponsorship in the event of an Enron-like disaster, officials say. The policy also precludes business with firms that have “a history of fraudulent, unethical or prejudicial behavior.”
That phrase, critics say, is vague enough to apply to the business dealings of most companies. Sheila Kuehl , a Los Angeles County supervisor and Metro director, said at a recent meeting that scandal seems “inevitable for about 31% of all corporations.”
Companies can face the risk from partnering with Metro too, Kalb said, particularly if something gruesome later happens at a station emblazoned with its logo.
Any naming-rights agreement that would raise more than $500,000 or last longer than five years would need the approval of the agency’s directors. Metro will also seek input from neighborhoods where the stations would be renamed, Tonilas said.
Officials caution that Los Angeles riders should not expect immediate results or significant long-term profits. In other U.S. cities, transit agencies have largely been more enthusiastic about corporate sponsorship than the companies they hoped to woo.
Boston has sought corporate sponsors for a handful of downtown rail stations twice in two decades without success. Orange County officials haven’t secured a sponsor for an expensive but little-used transit hub in Anaheim that opened two years ago.
In New York, transit officials pursued naming-rights deals for five years before inking a sole sponsorship — adding the name “ Barclays Center ” to the subway station closest to the Brooklyn arena. That deal will cost the developer $4 million over two decades.
Metro’s next step will be hiring a consultant to assess what parts of the system could be sponsored and how much those rights would be worth, taking into account the location and the number of people who pass through, said Glen Becerra, Metro’s deputy executive officer for marketing. |
A Toronto woman has launched a human rights complaint against a bar that allegedly refused to allow her to use its washroom on the grounds that she might sue the facility if she injured herself.
Haily Butler-Henderson, who has spina bifida and uses forearm crutches as a mobility aid, said the incident happened at Pentagram Bar and Grill in the city's east end.
Butler-Henderson said she requested permission to use the facility's only washroom located in the basement, but was told she could not in case she injured herself and opted to sue the restaurant.
She said amid repeated requests, a waitress at one point physically barred her access to the stairs.
Even though bar staff eventually relented and she used the washroom, Butler-Henderson said the incident infringed upon a basic human right that she feels the need to fight for.
Pentagram did not respond to a request for comment, and Butler-Henderson's claims in her complaint to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario have not yet proceeded to a hearing.
The 24-year-old woman said her experience left her feeling frustrated.
'I was definitely being denied dignity'
"I was definitely being denied dignity and I was definitely embarrassed," Butler-Henderson said in a telephone interview. "Having somebody yell in your face about your disability and whether or not you can use the bathroom is never really a pleasant experience."
The alleged incident took place on Aug. 19 last year as Butler-Henderson was waiting for friends at a nearby coffee shop.
Lengthy lineups for the washroom there prompted her to move down the block to Pentagram, where she asked the waitress permission to use the facilities as she was not a paying customer, she said.
Butler-Henderson said the waitress specifically cited her use of crutches as a reason to deny her access to the public washroom. The waitress repeated this claim several times, adding that the restaurant would be held liable if she were to fall while traversing the stairs, Butler-Henderson said.
Haily Butler-Henderson is launching a human rights complaint against a restaurant that wouldn't let her use the washroom because she's on crutches. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young)
After five efforts, and a reminder from Butler-Henderson that the restaurant had no legal grounds to bar her from the washroom, she alleges the staff member made the issue public for everyone in the restaurant at the time.
"She said, 'well, everybody in this bar is my witness that I told you not to go down the stairs in case you fall,"' Butler-Henderson said, describing the moment as humiliating.
At the crux of Butler-Henderson's human rights complaint is the notion that people with disabilities have the right to assume a certain amount of risk for themselves.
Butler-Henderson, who has been using this type of crutch since the age of six, said it was not the staff member's place to assess her ability to navigate the stairwell based solely on the fact that she has a disability and relies on a mobility aid.
Another key focus of Butler-Henderson's complaint is the notion of washroom access as a fundamental human right essential for functioning in society.
In tackling the issue, some observers say Butler-Henderson is treading ground previously covered by past social justice crusaders.
Bathrooms seen as battle grounds for activists
Sheila Cavanagh, professor of gender studies at York University and author of the book Queering Bathrooms, said washrooms have served as battle grounds for activists fighting for everything from racial desegregation to LGBTQ equality.
She said washrooms have historically been places where people try to exclude those who do not conform with what prevails as mainstream at the time, adding disability rights may be the next to be hashed out on this long-standing battle ground.
"When there is some kind of prejudice or anxiety about a group of people, stated or not, it tends to manifest itself in the bathroom," Cavanagh said.
"People like to think that they're supportive of people with visible physical disabilities, but what we find is the lack of comfort manifests itself in an unwillingness to make these spaces user-friendly. And certainly there's a lot of anxiety about being in a bathroom with people who might actually need your help to use that room."
Haily Butler-Henderson said the incident happened at Pentagram Bar and Grill in the Toronto's east end. (Google Maps)
Bar has not responded to complaint
Butler-Henderson said she hopes her complaint will lead to more rigorous standards around washroom accessibility and a deeper understanding of how important the issue can be for those who cannot take it for granted.
"To find oneself in a situation where you are unable to relieve yourself without breaking the social conventions that surround the act itself is a denial of the right to participate in social life with dignity," reads an excerpt from her complaint. "As a person with a disability, I must carefully plan where I shop, work, and socialize around access to restrooms."
Pentagram has not yet responded to the complaint. |
Save this picture! Courtesy of Studio Liu Lubin
Architects Studio Liu Lubin
Location Beijing, China
Category Houses
Project Team Liu Lubin, Wang Lin, Weng Jia, Wang Xiaofeng, Wan Li, Liang YIfan, Zhao Ye
Constructor Architectural Design & Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO.LTD Nanjing University Of Technology Advanced Engineering Composites Research Center
+ 25
Save this picture! Courtesy of Studio Liu Lubin
Text description provided by the architects. The Micro-house is based on the minimum space people need for basic indoor movement, such as sitting, laying and standing. The form of the Micro-house is designed to act as a combination of furniture and architecture elements. When being rotated, the unit of the Micro house will shift its space which contains all kinds of housing activities, such as resting, working, washing and cooking, etc. The Micro house unit can not only be used as single- functional room, but also can be grouped together as a housing suite, or even residential cluster.
Save this picture! Courtesy of Studio Liu Lubin
The main material of the Micro-house is the Fiber Reinforced Form Composite Structure, which is light but strong. In this case, the Micro-house unit can be easily lift and assembled by hand. For the convenience of transportation and replacement, the size of the unit is designed as the size of containers.
Save this picture! Courtesy of Studio Liu Lubin
The Micro-house makes it possible for people to have private housing product under current Chinese land policy. |
The terrorism threat against the United States is increasing and Americans are not as safe as they were a year or two ago, the leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees said on Sunday.
Senator Dianne Feinstein and Representative Mike Rogers appeared together on CNN's State of the Union, on the day that al-Qaida's US spokesperson called for attacks on US interests around the world. Rogers said al-Qaida groups had changed their means of communication as a result of leaks about US surveillance programs, making it harder to detect potential plots in the early planning stages.
"We're fighting amongst ourselves here in this country about the role of our intelligence community that it is having an impact on our ability to stop what is a growing number of threats," he said. "And so we've got to shake ourselves out of this pretty soon and understand that our intelligence services are not the bad guys."
Feinstein, a California Democrat, said there were more terrorist groups than ever, with more sophisticated and hard-to-detect bombs. She said: "There is huge malevolence out there."
Rogers, a Republican from Michigan, said there was enormous pressure on US intelligence services "to get it right, to prevent an attack" and said that job was getting more difficult because al-Qaida is changing, with more affiliates around the world. He said groups that once operated independently had now joined with al-Qaida.
Rogers also said terrorists were adopting the idea that "maybe smaller events are OK" and still might achieve their goals. "That makes it exponentially harder for our intelligence services to stop an event like that from happening," he said.
House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers said terrorists now thought 'maybe smaller events are OK'. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP
Although neither lawmaker offered specifics about what led them to their conclusions, Feinstein spoke generally of "a real displaced aggression in this very fundamentalist jihadist Islamic community, and that is that the West is responsible for everything that goes wrong and that the only thing that's going to solve this is Islamic sharia law and the concept of the caliphate". |
VOTING HAS ENDED FOR THE 2015 STEVEN MCDONALD EXTRA EFFORT AWARD
RangersTown, it’s time to cast your vote for the 2015 Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award presented by Lenox Hill Hospital North Shore – LIJ Health System. Starting now through April 3rd, be sure to vote for the Rangers player that you feel “goes above and beyond the call of duty” on and off the ice!Following the 1987-88 season, the Rangers established the award dedicated to paralyzed New York City police officer Steven McDonald, who was shot in the line of duty.When you cast your vote, you will automatically be entered into a sweepstakes to win a New York Rangers jersey autographed by the Ranger player who wins the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award!Fans may vote for the Rangers player they believe deserves the Extra Effort Award as often as they would like, and every vote submitted will count. However, regardless of the number of votes they cast, they will only be entitled to one Sweepstakes entry and must fill out the contact information each time they vote.All entries must be received by |
Andhra Pradesh Janmabhoomi (AP Janmbhoomi) is an exclusive online portal for the Telugu community all over the world, geared towards socio-economic development of Andhra Pradesh in particular and India in general.
Created by the Andhra Pradesh government, the project is the first of its kind in terms of an NRI-backed social initiative ever instated by any state government in India.
The government’s aim was to build a bridge between the numerous Telugu-origin NRIs and the state. It picked Jayaram Komati, who lives in California, as the Special Representative for North America for his social work and continued engagement to ensure the welfare of Telugu Community in North America as well as in India.
“My job was to connect the NRIs to their villages and help them do their bit for their motherland and the response was tremendous. The NRIs were so excited to be a part of this project,” Jayaram says, speaking to TBI from California.
You may also like – Why These NRIs Chose to Return to India After Years Abroad
The first project taken up by AP Janmbhoomi was education, with a target to digitize 5,000 government schools by 2018, using the support of NRIs.
The plan has been approved by the commissioner of school education.
Things that would be provided to each government school include: Two computers (Rs 60,000), one projector (Rs 40,000), two KVA UPS or inverter (Rs 40,000), screen kit and installation (Rs 2,000), networking (Rs 3,000) and one printer (Rs 5,000). The total cost would come to Rs. 1, 50,000.
Financial support is being expected from the NRIs on a 70:30 basis with the government, which amounts to $750 or Rs 45,000, which will be 501(c)(3) tax exempted. The donors would also be recognised with an engraved acrylic plate after his/her name. The project is set to be executed by the Commissioner of School Education.
The Digital Classrooms is a teacher-led educational solution that aims to improve the learning outcomes of the school. The programme supplements the delivery of class-specific curriculum in both English and Telugu medium, offline and online, to make the learning experience in classrooms exciting, meaningful and enjoyable. It also focuses on providing digital content from service providers.
The project is set to progress in phases. In October 2016, the assistance of the NRIs led to the first big milestone of this effort as digital classrooms were launched in 302 schools.
Another 400 schools in villages will get digitized by the end of this month, and funds have been collected for almost 1,000 schools.
“This is just the beginning.We target to digitize 5,000 primary and high schools by the end of 2018. There are 42,000 schools, including secondary and higher secondary schools, across the state. Also we are providing only one digital classroom per school right now; we wish to make each and every classroom digital. There’s lot more to be done,” Jayaram explains
You may also like – An NRI Couple Shows Us How to Return to India and Transform Its Villages
Since implementation, feedback taken from teachers, headmasters and other people associated with these schools show that technology is indeed having a wide-ranging positive effect. The students themselves have been asking for digital classroom sessions, which have improved their concentration and interest levels as the lessons involve songs, stories and other media.
Overall, students are more interested in attending their classes now than ever before. The number of absentees has reduced, enrollments have gone up even before the end of an academic year, and attendance has also increased – one school reportedly experienced an 80-85% jump in the attendance of its students.
The digital classrooms have also helped improve teachers’ performance and the teaching-learning experience.
The issues some teachers faced with the use of technology were tackled with interaction, instruction, and lots of practice.
“We have managed to better the education facilities for all of the 170 students from classes 1 to 5, and six faculty members, with this initiative. Since the installation of the digital classroom, each teacher has been availing one period for a digital class every day,” says Uma Gandhi, Principal of GVMCP Shivaji Palem Government School in Vizag, which is one of the first schools to be benefited by the Digital Classrooms program.
A 3-month internship program was launched to strengthen value delivery in the project.Currently, 150 interns from undergraduate/graduate colleges and universities across the country have been recruited and placed.
Communication interns visit around 100 government schools in the state as part of the 3-month internship program.
Their role is to help teachers with the transition from traditional to digital classroom teaching. A core 20-member team from top management colleges in the country manages these interns.
To ensure that infrastructure is not misused or stolen, a special Digital Classrooms Monitoring Application has been designed. Through this application, live photos of the equipment is uploaded by the school headmasters regularly. Donors can check the usage of digital classrooms directly on the CM Core Dashboard, which flashes live figures regularly updated by every school. This has helped in two aspects – creating trust in the donor and bringing accountability in teachers and headmasters.
AP Janmbhoomi has recently started another programme called the NRI School Connect. As part of the program, NRIs share their experiences with the children and guide them in setting a goal in their lives.
Every Monday a NRI takes an interactive session with the students of the government schools, where the students also take part in a question-and-answer session at the end of the class. This helps the donor keep check on the growth of the students as well as to connect well with the school they have donated to.
Another program is to have an online video session with the government schools of other countries.
“Though language was a barrier initially when our students started interacting with them,by the end of the session they mingled so well that we were short of time,” says Pradeep Karuturi, an active member of AP Janmbhoomi.
AP Janmbhoomi believes that with the help of NRIs and the government, they will soon help the government schools reach on apar with private schools.
“Every state can do it but the government has to take the initiative, the leaders have to come forward,” concludes Jayaram.
Watch the progress here –
If you are an NRI and wish to donate to this initiative then log on to apjanmabhoomi.org or send an email to [email protected] or call on 9494954659.
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: [email protected], or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEW: Click here to get positive news on WhatsApp! |
With ROX Tigers recent announcement in which their players bid farewell to the team, the competitive scene in League of Legends is about to undergo a huge shakeup, with Korea in its epicenter as more breaking news has surfaced.
The following free agent rumors were discussed extensively on a popular Korean eSports radio show named "eSports", who has credited their information from an anonymous source from OSEN.
1. KT's situation with Arrow and Hachani
KT wanted to resign both players desperately
But Arrow has always shown interest in signing abroad , and has requested to take a break for a while
, and has requested to take a break for a while Hachani and KT's signing value had too big of a discrepancy for a resigning, as Hachani asked for almost twice of what the team was willing to pay
Hachani has gotten an offer from an EU LCS team, it is speculated that he has the highest chance of signing there as of current time.
2. Deft and Mata's destinations
Both players are prioritizing winning over money at this point
Expect them to sign for around $100,000
Mata earned around $600,000 per year in China , and while some teams offered him this, he is looking for a stronger team
, and while some teams offered him this, he is looking for a stronger team They may sign together or individually, nothing is confirmed at this point
Longzhu tried to recruit them, but they rejected
tried to recruit them, but they rejected Their first choice to sign is with SKT , if Bang and Wolf chose not to resign
, if Bang and Wolf chose not to resign Their second choice is to sign with KT
Because of the recent increase in Worlds winnings, whatever pay cuts they take in salary will be more than compensated if they sign with a team that can win Worlds
3. Longzhu is looking to make huge moves this offseason
You can expect a huge announcement by next week Tuesday , at the latest
, at the latest Unlike 2016, they are looking to be quick to the free agent market
It's not a lack of funding that is holding them back, but the lack of free agents' willingness to sign in Longzhu
4. Faker
Faker is currently earning $400,000 to $500,000 per year
SKT promised to raise Faker's salary to top levels in LCK, speculated to be at least $1,000,000 per year
Longzhu was the only team that was predicted to have the funds to match this offer, but there are rumors of mysterious team in the LCK told Faker they can match this also
5. kkOma
Has not been contacted with other teams yet, but is expected to get massive offers from other teams
In general, LCK coaches are expected to have a lot of suitors from China this year
6. PawN is only looking to sign with an LCK team
7. A super team is on the verge of forming in Korea*
The players and teams involved have not yet been disclosed
It's not confirmed, but there is a very high chance of it happening
All future news of the LCK will be updated here on Akshon Esports.
*Source: the 3 radio hosts of the show Park Bum, Hyesung Lim, Bit Dol
Image credit: iGamers Youtube Channel |
Twelve armed North Korean soldiers apparently defected across the border to China's Jilin Province earlier this month but were captured by Chinese troops and sent back to the North.
Late last month, two North Korean soldiers shot and killed their senior officer and fled to Jilin Province, prompting experts to suspect something unusual is going on in army units stationed along the border with China.
The 12 North Korean soldiers stationed with a border unit defected across the Chinese border in two groups but were sent back after being captured by Chinese troops, a diplomatic source in Beijing said Thursday.
Another source in the Chinese town of Yanji near the border with North Korea, said the other two North Korean soldiers shot and killed their senior officer and crossed over the border into Changbai, Jilin Province, causing Chinese troops nearby to scramble into emergency mode. |
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (Reuters) - Executions in the United States are decreasing due to concerns about costs, flawed prosecutions and shortages of drugs needed to carry out lethal injections, the Death Penalty Information Center said in a report on Thursday.
There have been 39 executions carried out in the United States in 2013, down from 43 executions in each of the past two years, the group - a well-regarded source of death penalty data - said in its annual report.
The number of people sent to the death chamber has been on a general decline since 1999, when 98 people were executed.
“The realization that mistakes can be made, and innocent people have been freed who could have been executed - that causes jurors to hesitate. Prosecutors know it is harder to get a death sentence,” the center’s executive director, Richard Dieter, told Reuters.
The last planned execution in the United States for 2013 took place on Tuesday in Oklahoma, when the state killed by lethal injection a man convicted of stabbing and beating a horse trainer to death in a case of mistaken identity.
The center said so far this year 80 individuals were sentenced to death, fewer than the 315 death sentences meted out in both 1994 and 1996, representing recent historical high numbers. The 2013 tally was also the lowest for a single year since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976.
About 60 percent of Americans say they favor the death penalty for convicted murderers, polling group Gallup said in October.
Gallup said the number marks the lowest level of support it has measured since November 1972, when 57 percent were in favor. Death penalty support peaked at 80 percent in 1994.
Dieter said the decline in death sentences has been accompanied by an increase in sentences of life imprisonment without parole.
“Jurors like that option,” he said.
BEING SELECTIVE
Prosecutors who support the death penalty, like Susan Reed, the district attorney in San Antonio, said they consider costs in pursuing a capital punishment conviction, which usually involves years of expensive mandatory appeals.
“We are now very selective in what we choose to go after as death penalty cases, instead of deciding that every single murder that we try will be a capital case,” Reed told Reuters.
Several states have had trouble procuring drugs for lethal injections because pharmaceutical companies have shied away from direct sales, not wanting to be associated with executions.
Six states have repealed capital punishment in the last seven years, the center said, with Maryland being the latest.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley said in May when he signed the measure: “Over the longer arc of history, I think you’ll see more and more states repeal the death penalty. It’s wasteful. It’s ineffective. It doesn’t work to reduce violent crime.”
New technology, embraced by the advocates of those who say they were wrongly convicted, has led to 311 post-conviction DNA exonerations in the United States since 1989, according to the Innocence Project.
Of those exonerated, 18 served time on death row and an additional 16 were charged with capital crimes but did not receive a death sentence.
But John Malcolm, director of the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at the Heritage Foundation and a former federal prosecutor, said the death penalty has a place in the judicial process.
“When presented with the facts in individual cases .., support for the death penalty goes up dramatically, and roughly half of Americans say that the death penalty isn’t imposed often enough,” Malcolm told Reuters.
“Their views are entitled to respect.” |
After patiently waiting, I noticed that my wonderful Santa had shipped their gifts! Not only that, but one of them arrived that very day! Gleefully, I tore open the packaging and found... a box of Otter Pops. Upon the opening of the box, I found the real gift: A nice University of Oregon shirt, some delicious pistachios, assorted gum, 2 notebooks, 2 pens, and an Avengers notepad, with the promise of more from Amazon. A few days later (today!), I received the other half of the gift: Some new guitar strings, a string winder, and a new tuner!
The UofO shirt was an excellent addition to my College T-Shirt collection, and was comfortable to boot. The pistachios will make a great snack for the semester if I don't eat them by then, as well as the gum. The Avengers notepad is going to be handy for jotting little reminders, and I've already put the notebooks to good use for my musical endeavors, as my old one is filled up. I just put the new strings on my guitar, and the string winder, and tuner made a snap.
Thanks waitholdupasec! You made my Arbitrary Day anything but Arbitrary! |
SALT LAKE CITY — A 31-year-old woman who claims she was a teenage sex slave and forced to service high-profile clients such as Prince Andrew and attorney Alan Dershowitz has now repeated those claims under oath.
On Wednesday, the woman — referred to in court documents as Jane Doe No. 3 — made a declaration that was filed by her attorneys, including Paul Cassell, a University of Utah law professor and a former federal judge, in a Florida court.
For six years, Cassell and Florida attorney Brad Edwards have represented two women, known only as Jane Does Nos. 1 and 2, in a civil lawsuit against the U.S. government. The suit stems from a criminal investigation involving Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire Wall Street investor accused of prostituting underage girls. Epstein was convicted on relatively minor state charges and served just over a year in jail starting in 2008. He is now a registered sex offender.
The attorneys recently tried to have two more women, listed only as Jane Doe No. 3 and Jane Doe No. 4, added to the lawsuit.
When it was stated in court documents that Jane Doe No. 3 claimed she was forced to have sex with several high-profile people including Dershowitz — one of the country's highest-profile attorneys — and the Duke of York, Britain's Prince Andrew, Dershowitz blasted Cassell in nationally TV interviews and called for his disbarment. Cassell responded by filing a defamation suit against Dershowitz.
Dershowitz sternly denies all the allegations against him and challenged Jane Doe No. 3 to repeat them in public so he could sue her for defamation.
Wednesday, Cassell submitted a sworn 14-page declaration from the woman who talked about her former life as a child sex slave.
"My life took a very different turn when adults began to be interested in having sex with me," she said, claiming she was 15 when she was recruited by Epstein.
In her declaration, the woman states, "I have recently seen a former Harvard law professor identified as Alan Dershowitz on television calling me a 'liar.' He is lying by denying that he had sex with me. That man is the same man that I had sex with at least six times," she stated.
Likewise, Buckingham Palace took the unusual step of releasing multiple statements on behalf of Prince Andrew denying the claims.
If these crimes are not prosecuted, despite my volunteering this information and cooperation, then it may deter other similar victims from coming forward. –Jane Doe No. 3
"I have seen Buckingham Palace’s recent 'emphatic' denial that Prince Andrew had sexual contact with me. That denial is false and hurtful to me. I did have sexual contact with him as I have described here — under oath. Given what he knows and has seen, I was hoping that he would simply voluntarily tell the truth about everything. I hope my attorneys can interview Prince Andrew under oath about the contacts and that he will tell the truth," she wrote in court documents.
Although the declaration includes pictures of the woman when she was a teen, including one of her and the Duke of York together, the Deseret News is not releasing the name of the former child sex abuse victim.
The woman states that she was forced to have sex with "powerful men" whom she is "very fearful" of today, according to court documents. But she hopes her actions will encourage other women to step forward.
"If these crimes are not prosecuted, despite my volunteering this information and cooperation, then it may deter other similar victims from coming forward," she wrote.
"I have directed my attorneys, Bradley J. Edwards and Paul G. Cassell, to pursue all reasonable and legitimate means to have criminal charges brought against these powerful people for the crimes they have committed against me and other girls," she wrote. "Since I filed my motion in this case, my credibility has been attacked. I am telling the truth and will not let these attacks prevent me from exposing the truth of how I was trafficked for sex to many powerful people. These powerful people seem to think that they don't have to follow the same rules as everyone else."
Also on Wednesday, Cassell and Edwards filed their response to Dershowitz's motion for limited intervention in the federal case, asking a judge not to allow his "bullying tactics" in court and to deny the request.
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Anti-capitalist, anti-hierarchy, autonomous, feminist, or radical server projects, revolutionary collectives which provide free or mutual aid services to radical and grassroots activists.
Want to update your collective’s information or want to be listed here? Edit our repo.
World Wide
Hackerspaces are community-operated physical places, where people can meet and work on their projects. This website is for Anyone and Everyone who wants to share their hackerspace stories and questions with the global hackerspaces community.
indymedia.org is a decentralized global network of media activists.
News feeds
Tachanka is the idea of providing technical services to emancipatory projects and groups of political change. It is also the groups of people behind this idea. There are many overlapping collectives that help to maintain the projects, but Tachanka operates within many shared principles, forming a supportive network to enable shared aims. The collectives are international, seeking to enhance global solidarity. The foremost guiding principles of the Tachanka project are the Hallmarks of People’s Global Action and the Debian Social Contract.
Mailing lists
Virtual servers
DNS caching
caching Drupal farms
English / French / Portuguese language
Take Back The Tech!
Take Back The Tech! is a global campaign that connects the issue of violence against women and information and communications technology (ICT). It aims to raise awareness on the way violence against women is occurring on ICT platforms such as the Internet and mobile phones, and to call for people to use ICT in activism to end violence against women. It was initiated by the Association for Progressive Communications (apc.org), Women’s Networking Support Programme, in 2006. Since then, the campaign has been taken up and organised by individuals, collectives and non-governmental organizations in at least 24 countries. More at Wikipedia
Telecentre
Telecentre is a widely adopted concept to provide free access to the internet and other services at puplic spaces with computers and other digital technologies that enable them to gather information, create, learn, and communicate with others while they develop essential digital skills. Guidebook for Managing Telecentre Networks
South America
Codigosur
Codigosur is a collective of activists from different social movements in Latin America for collaboration and the development of communication tools, culture and free technology
Hosting
Email
Lists
Mumble
Streaming
TLS
Etherpad
DNS and more
Colnodo
Colnodo is a Colombian non-profit organization that aims to facilitate communication and the exchange of information, experience, and expertise between Colombian organizations through low-cost electronic networks. Article on cyberstewards.org
Gleducar
Gleducar is a free educational project emerged in Argentina in 2002. It is also an important NGO (Civil Association) from Argentina in the field of education and technology. It is an independent community composed of teachers, students and education activists linked by a common interest in collective work, cooperative knowledge building and free distribution of knowledge. The project works around different themes, such as Open Education, Open Access, Free Knowledge, Popular Education, peer education, collaborative learning and Free Technologies. They promote the use of Free Software in schools as a pedagogical and technical system, with the objective of changing the paradigm of production, construction and dissemination of educational content. Wikipedia
free and open digital education
O grupo de Estudos GuardaChuva.org é espaço interdisciplinar nascido em meados de 2005 com o objetivo promover pesquisas sobre a sociedade da informação, o ciberespaço e sobre tecnologias. Com esse objetivo o grupo de estudos tem inserção no meio técnico-científico-informacional utilizando seus conhecimentos para hospedar páginas, wikis, catalogação de bibliotecas e projetos independentes e autônomo de diferentes grupos ciber-ativistas.
Saravá
O Saravá é um coletivo multidisciplinar que tem como objetivo otimizar o uso de tecnologias por grupos sociais, focando sempre no aspecto humano da relação homem-máquina. Nossos estudos incluem o compartilhamento de uma mesma estrutura física entre pequenos grupos que possuem finalidades diversas, unindo e economizando recursos tecnológicos.
Europe
Actiu.info is a technical network created to the social movements can have resources connected to internet public network, independent of market and establishment, in a secure and confidential way. We develop and maintain Actiu.info as a computing resources center and to promote technological self-management and freedom.
Our focus is on concept of “technological freedom” as the technical and formal conditions that concern individuals and collectives, meaning user’s ability to have a reasonable and comprehensive control over his/her/their acting freedom, his/her/their tools, data, privacy and communication with others.
Actiu.info provides:
E-mail accounts
Mailing lists (Mailman)
Web hosting; weblogs, wikis, forums
Private channels for assemblies/meetings/writing (Gobby)
Remote desktops, shared folders
Physical server colocation, Virtual machine hosting, virtual server (container) hosting
English, spanish, sometimes french
Some random descriptions of aktivix.org from the aktivix description generator:
Aktivix is a donation-funded herd of sweaty techies who desire to enable computer-users to disrupt capitalism in a fluffily non-hierarchical manner.
Aktivix is a donation-funded co-operative of fluffy hacktivists who wish to empower collectives to challenge authority in an entirely sustainable manner.
Aktivix is a consensus-based network of tired activists who wish to facilitate community-groups to communicate in a open and non-hierarchical manner.
Aktivix provides:
Email accounts
Mailing lists
Blogs
Dropbox-alternative (beta)
English, Spanish, German
autistici.org and inventati.org offers services to no commercial, no racist, no nazi, no fascist, no party, no organization with his own structure (who have much money..), no sessis. we have radical organization like anarchist black cross or italian social forum.
Email accounts
Mailing lists
Website hosting
Jabber instant message
Anonymous remailer
Web ananomyzer
Keyserver
Usenet news server
Italian language
artikel-140.nl is a young autonomous tech collective and stands its ground for privacy and security. Send a mail to [email protected] for a request of service. GPG key can be found on the contactpage or a gpg keyserver.
Email accounts (Webbased or Imaps)
Mailing lists
Blogs
Etherpad
Schleuder GPG lists
lists Dutch / English language
boum.org is a autonomous revolutionary tech collective.
Email accounts
French language
CryptiX
CryptiX is a web collective with focus on supporting social and cultural projects, secure encrypted communication, and non-commercial spaces. Discriminating content is antithetic to us.
Domain hosting
Email
Mailing Lists
Webspace
Jabber
cybrigade / espiv.net
cybrigade is an autonomous collective with main point of report, social fights and how these are expressed in cyberspace. cybrigade is managing espiv.net’s services
Email accounts
Mailing lists
Blogs
Greek / English language
Disroot
Disroot is a project and non-profit foundation based in Amsterdam. It is maintained by volunteers and depends on the support of its community. Disroot is a collection of tools to communicate, share, and organize that are open, decentralized, federated, and respectful towards freedom and privacy.
Currently the following services are provided:
Email (2GB quota; RainLoop webmail, IMAP )
) File hosting (4GB NextCloud, Lufi)
Social networking (Diaspora)
Forum (Discourse)
Messaging ( XMPP , Matrix)
, Matrix) Pad (Etherpad)
Pastebin (PrivateBin)
Search engine (Searx)
Polls (Framadate)
Project management (Taiga)
Spreedsheet (EtherCalc)
Framasoft
Framasoft is a french non-profit organization and network of non-formal education, originating from the educational world and initially dedicated to free and open source software.
Framasoft want to provide alternative services to popular but proprietary services that are centralized and tracking users’ data on the Internet. Framasoft is now involved in a long-distance huge project called : Dégooglisons Internet (let’s Ungooglize Internet).
No ads, no trackers, 100% free softwares.
So far, the following services are provided:
Etherpad ≻ Framapad
Ethercalc ≻ Framacalc
Doodle-like ≻ Framadate
Trello-like ≻ Framaboard
Mindmapping ≻ Framindmap
Simple Drawing ≻ Framavectoriel
Search ≻ Framabee (searx)
Social network ≻ Framasphère (Diaspora*)
Chat (slack-like) ≻ Framateam
Decision ≻ Framavox (Loomio)
Pocket-like ≻ Framabag (Wallabag)
Google Reader like ≻ Framanews
Google Maps like ≻ Framacarte (umap+OSM)
WeTransfer like ≻ Framadrop
Pastebin like ≻ Framabin
img.ur like ≻ Framapic
bit-ly like ≻ Framalink
Google drive or Dropbox like ≻ Framadrive
Github like ≻ Framagit (Gitlab)
Alternatives to Change/Avaaz, Google Calendar, Google groups, Blogger, Wix, etc. are planned.
See this page to see all services and access them (home pages in french but most of the services are available in multiple languages)
Freifunk
Freifunk is a free, public, freely accessible, non-commercial, uncensored, decentrally organized mesh network in germany for free communication in digital networks owned by the community. join
GreenNet
GreeNet is a not-for-profit collective established 1985, providing internet services, web design and hosting to supporters of peace, the environment and human rights.
Hosting
Email
Broadband
Web development
Guifi
Guifi.net is a free, open and neutral, mostly wireless telecommunications community network" around Catalonia and Valencia in Spain. The nodes of the network are contributed by individuals, companies and administrations that freely connect to an open network of telecommunications and extend the network wherever the infrastructure and content might not otherwise be accessible. Wikipedia
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So far, the following services are provided:
Email accounts / webmail
Mailing lists (mailman, schleuder)
Βlogs
Web hosting (static, php, ruby) in a secure environment
Wikis and discussion forum
Git repositories
German language, English and French and a little Spanish supported
indivia.net a self-managed virtual place hosting projects involved in the sharing of knowledge
Email accounts / webmail
Mailing lists (mailman,schleuder)
Web hosting
Audio streaming
irc chat
temporary email alias
Italian language, a little of English and French and Spanish supported
Isole Nella Rete Project
ecn.org is a place that offers visibility, relations and a chance of rejoice to those who have been fragmented and dispersed by the deep changes occurred in our society – those who are not aligned with the ‘unique thought’, not yet resigned to marginality – those who still can wish to build a REAL movement able to change the current ‘state of things’.
Email accounts for italian social centers and political collectives
Mailing lists
Websites
Movement search engine
Italian language
nadir.org represents politics by undogmatic leftists in the internet, including electronic services such as mail-providing and web-hosting.
Email accounts
Website hosting
German language
www.nodo50.net provides virtual space for social movements and the political action on the internet. Madrid.
Website hosting
Spanish language
no-log.org (closed to new subscribers)
no-log.org offers an internet access and an email account to everyone who asks for. Since its beginning in 2002 when the first french laws on monitoring the communications were passed, No-log has a minimum (yet legal) log policy, and tries to inform the users about the surveillance and privacy.
Email accounts (pops, imaps, smtp/tls, webmail)
Dial-up accounts (56K modems, local connection)
French language, English supported
Pangea is a private, independent and non-profit organization in Barcelona, created in 1993, to promote the Internet and information and communication technologies (ICT) for the benefit of organizations, movements and people working for social justice, women’s rights, sustainable development and cultural diversity at local and international levels.
Hosting
Email
www.sindominio.net intends to immerse itself in that multiverse which exists and organises itself within the web, in order to contribute to this space which embraces cooperation and communication as well as conflicts and struggles.
Email accounts
Mailing lists
Spanish language
so36.net provides digi-political infrastructure and
Email accounts
Webspace
DNS
Silc
Collaboration
squat.net provides tech services to the squat movement.
Email accounts
Mailing lists
Website hosting
Support in: English, Italiano, Deutsch, Nederlands, Espanol, Polski, Norsk
systemausfall.org provides technical infrastructure for activists and collectives for their political work.
Email accounts
Mailing lists
Jabber
Hosting
Blogs
Wikis
File hosting
and more
Support in: German
systemli.org is a non-commercial provider of privacy friendly communication. Without surveilliance.
Email accounts
Jabber
Hosting (blogs, wikis, forums)
Etherpad
Mumble
Encrypted pastes and polls
Support in German and English
Syster Server
Syster Server offers services to feminist, queer and antipatriarchal groups and collectives. The syster server is run by women, using free software only. It acts as a place to learn system administration skills, host services and inspire others to do the same.
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shelter.is Autonomous tech collective that provides secure and privacy friendly infrastructure that are run with solidarity in mind rather than motivated by profit. Hosted in a friendly data center and network where only a few trusted people have have physical access to.
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Espora.org es un área colectiva orientada a promover modos autónomos de generar, distribuir y mantener infraestructuras para desarrollar proyectos técnicos y sociales. Planteamos un servidor autónomo porque decidimos relacionarnos de igual a igual, decidimos evitar usar la tecnología como simples clientes-consumidores; decidimos tomar el control de nuestras vidas y hacernos responsables de lo que hacemos y decimos también en la Red en lugar de conformarnos con lo que nos dan ya hecho; decidimos construir autonomía para informarnos, comunicarnos y apoyarnos mutuamente a través de la Red.
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The mission at hackbloc.org is to research, create and disseminate information, tools, and tactics that empower people to use technology in a way that is liberating. We support and strengthen our local communities through education and action. We strive to learn from each other and focus our skills toward creative goals, to explore and research positive hacktivism, and to defend a free internet and free society!
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riseup.net is a project to create democratic alternatives and practice self-determination by controlling our own secure means of communications. It is a small anarchist tech collective centered in Seattle.
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entodaspartes es una zona temporalmente autónoma, al mismo tiempo es una herramienta para crear, difundir, distribuir y mantener estructuras sociales basadas en la libertad y el apoyo mutuo. entodaspartes is a temporary autonomous zone, and at the same time a tool to create, spread, distribute and mantain social structures based on freedom and mutual aid
flag.blackened.net has been providing free web hosting for the anarchist left since 1997. flag also provides email and mail lists for the anarchist community. Flag hosts over 50 anarchist sites.
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mutualaid.org is an anarchist tech collective centered in New York, Moscow, and L.A.
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Taharar! (liberate yourself! in Arabic) is an autonomous project that aims to empower individuals, collectives, and groups working on issues of social justice in West Asia and North Africa by providing them with alternative communication and technical services, information, resources, and support. Taharar!’s vision is to combat the digital censorship prevalent in West Asia and North Africa by providing an accessible pool of resources in local languages (including Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew, Kurdish, etc.) that enable people to create democratic alternatives by controlling their own secure means of communications through the use and proliferation of free, open source software and technologies. |
What other bands should we not allow history to forget? Let me know in the comments!
Britpop was a glorious era for British and Irish music, when bands from almost every major city in the country were generating enough groundswell to rack up Top 20 and even Top 10 hits regularly, and many of them replicating their home shores success worldwide. The Radio Industrial Complex hadn't fully kicked into gear - regional stations hadn't been gobbled whole by centralised conglomerates - and the Madchester scene had proved that local areas could flourish on a national stage if given the exposure. And so it proved, if a band from Downpatrick could conquer the Belfast scene, they could find themselves leading the soundtrack to a Hollywood movie starring Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz.For a while in the mid nineties, the charts were flooded with music from across the country that straddled genres from the burgeoning rave/trip hop/house end of the spectrum to Uk hip hop finding it's feet with Mark Morrison, and the album charts awash with records that were recorded in every country of the islands.Eventually the things ran their natural course, tastes moved on, output from reliable artists veered into the middle of the road, Napster ambushed the business model of an entire industry that refused to embrace the future, 9/11 triggered a diktat that coursed through American radio that implied music was a source of evil, and reality television delivered manufactured music to the masses cheaper, quicker and more reliably than ever before.So Britpop became a memory, one which has very selectively been shrunk to a Big Four - Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede. To narrow one of the most expansive periods in music to four bands is woefully reductive, but what of the Four that were deemed Big. Oasis and Blur were unquestionably the two biggest acts of the era, with their chart battles becoming the stuff of legend , and few bands personified the propulsion of regional music better than Jarvis Cocker's Pulp, who had spent years in Sheffield clubs before hitting the big time.But Suede? How did they get elevated to this bracket? Yes they had hits, and a massive album, but so did lots of bands. Why not Supergrass, with their records of wall-to-wall hits? Why not Manic Street Preachers, who managed some of the most subversive Number 1 hits in chart history (how many other ones were about the Spanish Civil War )? Why not Ocean Colour Scene?Was it their alternative credentials? They why not Placebo, or Elastica, or Skunk Anansie? Their pop song-writing sensibilities? Then why not The Beautiful South, or The Lightning Seeds, or The La's, or Divine Comedy, all of whom fit the 'pop' part of the genre's moniker much better than Suede.And given that Suede's classic lineup with Bernard Butler on guitar had dissolved by 1994, were they even at their creative best when they were seized by the Britpop tidal wave?The reason I'm taking umbrage is that people will look back on Britpop, and look to discover more of it. But if the prevailing narrative is that there's a Big Four - an arbitrary number that seems to have been ordained because there was a perceived Big Four in the Premier League (also proven foolish), so let's have a Big Four for everything - people will be less inclined to seek out the breadth of music that was being scattershot across the airwaves at the time. Could you blame a 17 year old going down a Spotify corridor, and assuming that they had got the gist of Britpop because they listened to Suede's greatest hits, given the way they've been artificially promoted to the Champions League spots after the fact? The implication of even having the Big Four, is that everything else was just a sludge of mediocrity that can be bypassed by history. This has undoubtedly happened with many genres before, but this is the one I lived through, and kids today have the greatest access to recorded musical history of any generation, so let's not short change them by skipping over the likes of Sugar-Coated Iceberg. |
Cable Sports TV Ratings for Sunday April 9, 2017:
(includes overall cable top-10)
Note to readers using mobile phones: the tables are easier to read/scroll through if you tilt your phone to landscape orientation.
Program Episode Network Start End Total Viewers (000) Viewers Age 18-49 (000) CASEY ANTHONY:AN AMERICAN INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY 10:00 PM 11:00 PM 2,895 1,254 REAL HOUSEWIVES ATLANTA 920 CHATEAU SHE DID THAT BRAVO 8:00 PM 9:15 PM 2,685 1,415 WHEN CALLS THE HEART WHEN CALLS THE HEART 4008 HALLMARK CHANNEL 9:00 PM 10:00 PM 2,313 327 FOX & FRIENDS SUNDAY FOX NEWS CHANNEL 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 1,956 261 NAKED AND AFRAID DISCOVERY CHANNEL 10:00 PM 11:00 PM 1,916 810 HOMELAND S6 :12 SHOWTIME PRIME 9:04 PM 9:53 PM 1,896 797 FOX & FRIENDS SUNDAY FOX NEWS CHANNEL 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 1,863 312 LONG LOST FAMILY TLC 9:01 PM 10:03 PM 1,852 469 REAL HOUSEWIVES POTOMAC 202 ALL TEA, ALL SHADE BRAVO 9:15 PM 10:15 PM 1,762 922 ISLAND LIFE HISLF-802H HOME AND GARDEN TV 10:00 PM 10:30 PM 1,744 554 MLB SUNDAY NIGHT L MIAMI/NEW YORK METS ESPN 8:00 PM 10:58 PM 1,737 753 SPORTSCENTER LATE L ESPN 10:58 PM 12:30 AM 880 530 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 1:00 PM 2:00 PM 871 249 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 12:00 PM 1:00 PM 806 238 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 11:00 AM 12:00 PM 649 222 SPORTSCENTER LATE ESPN 12:30 AM 2:00 AM 590 374 SPORTSCENTER WEEKEND-AM L ESPN 10:00 AM 2:00 PM 541 326 SPORTSCENTER WEEKEND-AM L ESPN 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 520 300 OUTSIDE THE LINES-WKND ESPN 9:00 AM 9:30 AM 483 280 SPORTS REPORTERS ESPN 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 478 259 NBA REGULAR SEASON L CLEVELAND/ATLANTA NBA-TV 3:32 PM 6:24 PM 459 197 NBA REGULAR SEASON L HOUSTON/SACRAMENTO NBA-TV 6:24 PM 8:22 PM 453 194 BSBL TONIGHT: SUN CTDWN L ESPN 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 446 244 NASCAR RACEDAY L TEXAS FOX SPORTS 1 11:30 AM 1:00 PM 435 91 PREMIER LEAGUE L MANCHESTER UNITED/SUNDERLAND NBC SPORTS NETWORK 8:24 AM 10:29 AM 420 231 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 412 180 JACK PRODIGY GOLF CHANNEL 9:30 PM 10:31 PM 405 159 PREMIER LEAGUE L LEICESTER/EVERTON NBC SPORTS NETWORK 10:57 AM 1:03 PM 387 209 NBA GAMETIME LIVE NBA GAMETIME LIVE 2 NBA-TV 8:22 PM 9:29 PM 386 165 USA SOCCER WOMEN L UNITED STATES/RUSSIA ESPN 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 384 212 SPORTSCENTER MORNING ESPN 7:00 AM 8:00 AM 359 214 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 7:58 PM 9:30 PM 352 125 NBA REGULAR SEASON L MINNESOTA/LA LAKERS NBA-TV 9:29 PM 11:54 PM 347 143 SPORTSCENTER MORNING ESPN 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 334 205 INDYCAR SERIES L LONG BEACH NBC SPORTS NETWORK 4:33 PM 6:36 PM 321 83 LIGA MX L SANTOS / PACHUCA UNIVISION DEPORTES 6:36 PM 9:03 PM 298 177 SPORTSCENTER MORNING ESPN 5:00 AM 6:00 AM 295 188 SPORTSCENTER WEEKEND-PM L ESPN2 10:00 PM 10:57 PM 285 156 SPORTSCENTER EARLY L ESPN 6:07 PM 7:00 PM 282 152 NBA REGULAR SEASON REPEAT LA CLIPPERS/SAN ANTONIO ESPN 3:00 AM 5:00 AM 275 185 F1 RACING L CHINA NBC SPORTS NETWORK 1:28 AM 4:08 AM 263 106 PREMIER LG LIVE STUDIO NBC SPORTS NETWORK 10:29 AM 10:57 AM 257 160 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 252 102 NBA POSTGAME SHOW NBA GAMETIME PRESENTED BY KIA NBA-TV 11:54 PM 1:00 AM 247 105 MLS REGULAR SEASON L ORLANDO/NEW YORK RED BULLS ESPN 4:00 PM 6:07 PM 233 158 SPORTSCENTER WEEKEND-PM L ESPN2 7:46 PM 9:00 PM 230 131 NBA GAMETIME LIVE NBA GAMETIME LIVE NBA-TV 2:21 PM 3:32 PM 229 89 AFTERNOON BASEBALL GAME NYY AT BAL/BOS AT DET MLB NETWORK 1:36 PM 5:01 PM 228 54 SOMOS LMX L UNIVISION DEPORTES 9:03 PM 10:03 PM 219 149 ESPN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY 30 FOR 30: LGND OF JIMMY THE GREEK ESPN2 10:57 PM 12:00 AM 206 126 SPORTSCENTER WEEKEND-PM L ESPN2 9:00 PM 10:00 PM 204 114 PREMIER BOXING CHAMPION L JOSESITO LOPEZ/SAUL CORRAL FOX SPORTS 1 9:30 PM 11:38 PM 204 75 PREMIER LEAGUE GOAL ZONE NBC SPORTS NETWORK 1:03 PM 2:00 PM 196 135 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 10:31 PM 12:03 AM 195 63 ESPN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY 30 FOR 30:ELWAY TO MARINO ESPN2 12:30 PM 2:00 PM 189 92 NBA REGULAR SEASON L TORONTO/NEW YORK NBA-TV 12:00 PM 2:21 PM 189 69 LIGA MX SUN UNAM / TOLUCA UNIVISION DEPORTES 12:46 PM 3:00 PM 184 131 COLL SOFTBALL REG SSN L OREGON/UCLA ESPN2 5:32 PM 7:46 PM 171 60 ESPN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SEC STORIED: SHAQ & DALE ESPN2 2:00 PM 3:00 PM 171 94 SPORTSCENTER WEEKEND-AM L ESPN2 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 171 101 OUTSIDE THE LINES-WKND ESPN2 10:00 AM 10:30 AM 165 90 COLL SOFTBALL REG SSN L LSU/ALABAMA ESPN2 3:00 PM 5:32 PM 161 67 MLB TONIGHT SUNDAY MLBT SUNDAY MLB NETWORK 5:01 PM 8:00 PM 157 51 NASCAR VICTORY LANE P TEXAS FOX SPORTS 1 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 156 62 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER L SPORTING KANSAS CITY/COLORADO RAPIDS FOX SPORTS 1 7:00 PM 9:30 PM 152 102 INDYCAR CENTRAL POST LONG BEACH NBC SPORTS NETWORK 6:36 PM 7:00 PM 150 31 FOOTBALL LIFE JOE NAMATH PT II NFL NETWORK 10:00 PM 11:00 PM 141 37 SPORTSCENTER MORNING ESPN2 4:00 AM 5:00 AM 132 86 MORNING DRIVE AT MAJORS GOLF CHANNEL 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 132 43 SPORTS REPORTERS ESPN2 10:30 AM 11:00 AM 131 54 CONTACTO DEPORTIVO L UNIVISION DEPORTES 10:03 PM 11:03 PM 130 88 GOLF CHANNEL CINEMA SEVE THE MOVIE GOLF CHANNEL 2:00 PM 4:30 PM 127 36 MLB NETWORK PRESENTS MIKE TROUT: MILLVILLE TO MVP MLB NETWORK 8:00 PM 9:00 PM 127 46 NBA GAMETIME GAMETIME 4/9/17 NBA-TV 1:00 AM 1:30 AM 127 66 MLBT WEEKEND AFTERNOON MLB TONIGHT MLB NETWORK 1:00 PM 1:36 PM 119 33 INDYCAR CENTRAL PRE LONG BEACH NBC SPORTS NETWORK 4:00 PM 4:33 PM 113 43 LA ULT PALABRA WKND FOX DEPORTES 12:00 AM 1:00 AM 112 58 REPUBLICA DEPORTIVA SUN UNIVISION DEPORTES 3:00 PM 4:00 PM 111 75 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 1:23 AM 3:25 AM 110 43 PLAYS OF THE WEEK PLAYS OF THE WEEK 12P MLB NETWORK 12:00 PM 1:00 PM 110 45 PREMIERSHIP RUGBY WASPS/NORTHAMPTON NBC SPORTS NETWORK 2:00 PM 4:00 PM 108 68 ESPN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY 30 FOR 30: WITHOUT BIAS ESPN2 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 107 62 MONSTER JAM 99:WORLD FINALS-RACING FOX SPORTS 1 11:38 PM 12:34 AM 107 36 F1 EXTRA CHINA NBC SPORTS NETWORK 4:08 AM 4:30 AM 107 59 AMSOIL ARENACROSS SACRAMENTO FOX SPORTS 1 1:00 PM 2:00 PM 106 44 FOOTBALL LIFE JOE NAMATH PT I NFL NETWORK 9:00 PM 10:00 PM 105 35 CHEERLEADING 2017 COLLEGE DANCE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP ESPN2 11:30 AM 12:00 PM 102 31 ESPN FC ESPN2 12:00 AM 1:00 AM 101 73 SPORTSCENTER MORNING ESPN2 3:00 AM 4:00 AM 101 63 NBA GAMETIME GAMETIME 4/9/17 NBA-TV 1:30 AM 2:00 AM 100 49 ESPN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY 30 FOR 30: BELIEVELAND ESPN2 1:00 AM 2:30 AM 97 73 COLL SOFTBALL REG SSN LSU/ALABAMA ESPNU 9:16 PM 11:13 PM 97 39 QUICK PITCH QP 11A MLB NETWORK 11:00 AM 12:00 PM 97 47 UFC PPV PRELIMS 210:CORMIER/JOHNSON 2 FOX SPORTS 1 2:13 AM 4:13 AM 91 33 NFL FILMS PRESENTS WHAT A CATCH! NFL NETWORK 11:00 PM 11:30 PM 91 28 MOTOGP TERMAS DE RIO HONDO, ARGENTINA ROUND 2 BEIN SPORT 2:55 PM 4:00 PM 90 36 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 12:03 AM 1:35 AM 90 34 CHEERLEADING 2017 NATIONAL HS CHEERLEADING CHAMPIONSH ESPN2 12:00 PM 12:30 PM 89 31 QUICK PITCH QP 10A MLB NETWORK 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 88 38 QUICK PITCH QP 12A MLB NETWORK 12:00 AM 1:00 AM 88 30 ESPN ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SEC STORIED: BEFORE THERE WERE COWBOYS ESPN2 5:00 AM 6:00 AM 87 47 NASCAR VICTORY LANE TEXAS FOX SPORTS 1 12:34 AM 1:02 AM 86 22 UFC PPV POST FIGHT 210:CORMIER/JOHNSON 2 FOX SPORTS 1 4:13 AM 5:13 AM 86 26 NHL LIVE SPECIAL WHIPAROUND NBC SPORTS NETWORK 7:00 PM 11:30 PM 86 39 TOP 10 WRS OF THE 2000S NFL NETWORK 12:00 PM 1:00 PM 86 51 NASCAR XFINITY SERIES TEXAS FOX SPORTS 1 7:00 AM 9:00 AM 85 21 TOURNAMENT CHARLESTON WTA:WF KASD/OSTJ THE TENNIS CHANNEL 1:02 PM 2:40 PM 85 5 FOX DEPORTES EN VIVO WKND FOX DEPORTES 11:46 PM 12:00 AM 84 58 NBA GAMETIME GAMETIME 4/9/17 NBA-TV 2:00 AM 2:30 AM 82 40 NBA GAMETIME GAMETIME 4/9/17 NBA-TV 2:30 AM 3:00 AM 82 35 BOXEO DE CAMPEONES J LOPEZ VS S CORRAL FOX DEPORTES 9:28 PM 11:46 PM 81 43 CHEERLEADING 2017 COLLEGE DANCE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP ESPN2 11:00 AM 11:30 AM 78 25 PREMIER LG LIVE STUDIO NBC SPORTS NETWORK 7:30 AM 8:24 AM 77 42 FOOTBALL LIFE BRUCE ARIANS NFL NETWORK 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 75 43 COLL SLAM DUNK & 3PT CHMP ESPN2 6:00 AM 8:00 AM 74 44 BLEACHER FEATURE MOVIE SUMMER CATCH MLB NETWORK 9:00 PM 11:00 PM 74 23 QUICK PITCH QP 2:30A MLB NETWORK 2:24 AM 3:24 AM 74 36 TOP 10 INTERCEPTIONS NFL NETWORK 11:00 AM 12:00 PM 73 44 QUICK PITCH QP 8A MLB NETWORK 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 72 30 NFL REDZONE REPLAY 2016 WEEK 5 NFL NETWORK 1:00 PM 5:00 PM 72 39 WEATHERTECH SPRTS CHAMP D LONG BEACH STREET CIRCUIT FOX SPORTS 1 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 71 14 NHRA SPORTSMAN SERIES GAINESVILLE FOX SPORTS 1 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 70 20 NBA PREGAME SHOW AUTOTRADER PREGAME SHOW NBA-TV 11:00 AM 12:00 PM 70 34 SPORTS JEOPARDY NBC SPORTS NETWORK 12:00 AM 12:30 AM 70 21 QUICK PITCH QP 11P MLB NETWORK 11:00 PM 12:00 AM 69 27 SPORTS JEOPARDY NBC SPORTS NETWORK 11:30 PM 12:00 AM 69 34 NFL MOCK DRAFT LIVE NFL MOCK DRAFT LIVE NFL NETWORK 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 69 31 NFL FILMS PRESENTS FOOTBALL CHAOS NFL NETWORK 11:30 PM 12:00 AM 68 27 NFL TOTAL ACCESS WEEK IN REVIEW NFL NETWORK 7:00 AM 8:00 AM 67 25 UFC PPV POST FIGHT 210:CORMIER/JOHNSON 2 FOX SPORTS 1 5:13 AM 6:00 AM 66 13 TOP 10 TIGHT ENDS NFL NETWORK 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 66 39 FUTBOL CENTRAL L UNIVISION DEPORTES 6:00 PM 6:36 PM 66 30 MOTOGP MOTO 2 TERMAS DE RIO HONDO, ARGENTINA ROUND 2 BEIN SPORT 1:15 PM 2:20 PM 64 32 GOLF CHANNEL ACADEMY MARK OMEARA-DRIVER SPECIAL GOLF CHANNEL 7:33 PM 7:58 PM 64 26 FOOTBALL LIFE PAT TILLMAN NFL NETWORK 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 64 28 TOP 10 MICD UP GUYS NFL NETWORK 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 64 34 QUICK PITCH QP 3:30A MLB NETWORK 3:24 AM 4:24 AM 62 35 EXPRESS WEEKEND-L EXPRESS PREVIEW BEIN SPORT 2:20 PM 2:55 PM 61 27 TIMELINE THE MERGER NFL NETWORK 8:00 PM 9:00 PM 61 24 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 60 20 SERIE A-L LAZIO VS. NAPOLI BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 2:40 PM 4:43 PM 58 41 MLB NETWORK PRESENTS MIKE TROUT: MILLVILLE TO MVP 1A MLB NETWORK 1:00 AM 2:00 AM 58 22 QUICK PITCH QP 2A MLB NETWORK 2:00 AM 3:00 AM 58 25 NBA GAMETIME GAMETIME 4/8/17 NBA-TV 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 56 34 NFL TOTAL ACCESS WEEK IN REVIEW NFL NETWORK 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 56 16 PRODUCT SHOWCASE NBC SPORTS NETWORK 4:30 AM 5:00 AM 55 36 MORNING DRIVE AT MAJORS GOLF CHANNEL 7:00 AM 8:00 AM 54 18 MOTOGP MOTO 3 TERMAS DE RIO HONDO, ARGENTINA BEIN SPORT 11:55 AM 1:00 PM 53 20 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 3:25 AM 5:26 AM 53 13 LIVE FROM MASTERS GOLF CHANNEL 5:26 AM 6:00 AM 53 12 EXPRESS WEEKEND-L EXPRESS PREVIEW BEIN SPORT 1:00 PM 1:15 PM 52 23 COLL SOFTBALL REG SSN OREGON/UCLA ESPNU 11:13 PM 1:00 AM 52 28 QUICK PITCH QP 5A MLB NETWORK 5:00 AM 6:00 AM 52 27 NBA GAMETIME GAMETIME 4/8/17 NBA-TV 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 51 29 SPORTSCENTERU ESPNU 7:00 AM 8:00 AM 50 40 SPORTSCENTERU ESPNU 5:00 AM 6:00 AM 49 39 LALIGA SANTANDER-L GRANADA VS. VALENCIA BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 12:20 PM 2:27 PM 48 30 SPORTSCENTERU ESPNU 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 48 40 MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCR SEATTLE FOX SPORTS 2 8:00 PM 11:00 PM 48 22 MLB NETWORK BREAKDOWN 2016 MLBN BREAKDOWN MLB NETWORK 7:30 AM 8:00 AM 48 26 QUICK PITCH QP 4:30A MLB NETWORK 4:24 AM 5:00 AM 48 27 NBA GAMETIME GAMETIME 4/8/17 NBA-TV 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 48 33 QUICK PITCH QP 6A MLB NETWORK 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 47 20 TOURNAMENT TC LIVE: CHARLESTON WTA THE TENNIS CHANNEL 12:20 PM 1:02 PM 47 2 COLL SOFTBALL REG SSN L OREGON/UCLA ESPNU 5:00 PM 5:39 PM 46 16 GAME CHANGERS 2017 GAME CHANGERS - DEF NFL NETWORK 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 46 21 TOURNAMENT DAVIS Q AUS/USA-E:MB4 KYRN/QUES THE TENNIS CHANNEL 2:40 PM 5:02 PM 44 7 SPORTSCENTERU ESPNU 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 43 33 BUNDESLIGA L HERTHA BERLIUGSBURG FOX SPORTS 1 9:21 AM 11:30 AM 43 21 QUICK PITCH QP 9A MLB NETWORK 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 43 24 PL BEHIND THE BADGE WEST BROM 4 NBC SPORTS NETWORK 7:00 AM 7:30 AM 43 20 TOURNAMENT CHARLESTON WTA-E:WF KASD/OSTJ THE TENNIS CHANNEL 6:52 PM 8:29 PM 43 12 EXPRESS WEEKEND-L EXPRESS PREVIEW BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 12:14 PM 12:20 PM 42 28 UFC CLASSICS LEGENDARY BRAWLS FOX SPORTS 2 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 42 11 PRIM LIGA DE PORTUGAL - R MOREIRENSE / SL BENFICA UNIVISION DEPORTES 4:00 PM 6:00 PM 42 27 UFC ROAD TO THE OCTAGON JOHNSON/REIS FOX SPORTS 1 1:02 AM 2:00 AM 41 12 NBA GAMETIME GAMETIME 4/8/17 NBA-TV 7:00 AM 8:00 AM 41 26 PLAY BALL PLAY BALL MLB NETWORK 7:00 AM 7:30 AM 40 20 GAME CHANGERS 2017 GAME CHANGERS - QB NFL NETWORK 9:00 AM 9:30 AM 40 11 COLL SOFTBALL REG SSN L OLE MISS/AUBURN ESPNU 2:00 PM 3:46 PM 39 10 TOURNAMENT CHARLESTON WTA-E:WDF MASA/HRSI THE TENNIS CHANNEL 5:02 PM 6:52 PM 39 5 LIGA MX EN 60 UNIVISION DEPORTES 11:03 PM 12:00 AM 39 26 FORMULA E: STREET RACERS 37 FOX SPORTS 2 11:00 PM 11:30 PM 38 22 NBA REGULAR SEASON RE-AIR CHICAGO/BROOKLYN NBA-TV 3:00 AM 5:17 AM 38 19 SPORTSCENTERU ESPNU 4:00 AM 5:00 AM 37 34 LIGA MX NECAXA / TIGRES UNIVISION DEPORTES 1:04 AM 3:08 AM 37 22 COLLEGE LACROSSE L NORTH CAROLINA/VIRGINIA ESPNU 7:00 PM 9:16 PM 35 16 SPORTSCENTERU ESPNU 3:00 AM 4:00 AM 35 32 BUNDESLIGA PREGAME L 105 FOX SPORTS 1 9:00 AM 9:21 AM 35 11 UFC UNLEASHED JOHNSON/CEJUDO FOX SPORTS 2 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 34 17 PRODUCT SHOWCASE NBC SPORTS NETWORK 5:00 AM 5:30 AM 34 24 GOLF CHANNEL CINEMA SEVE THE MOVIE GOLF CHANNEL 4:30 PM 7:00 PM 33 11 NBA ACTION NBA ACTION 2627 NBA-TV 5:30 AM 6:00 AM 33 14 NBA GAMETIME GAMETIME 4/8/17 NBA-TV 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 33 14 FUTBOL CENTRAL SUN UNIVISION DEPORTES 12:00 PM 12:46 PM 33 20 COLL FTBL SPRING GAME FLORIDA STATE ESPNU 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 32 9 GOLF CHANNEL ACADEMY IAN WOOSNAM-SCORING IRONS GOLF CHANNEL 7:00 PM 7:33 PM 32 12 LALIGA SANTANDER-L CELTA VS. EIBAR BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 10:06 AM 12:14 PM 31 18 PRODUCT SHOWCASE NBC SPORTS NETWORK 5:30 AM 6:00 AM 31 21 TOURNAMENT CHARLESTON WTA:WDF MASA/HRSI THE TENNIS CHANNEL 10:30 AM 12:20 PM 31 4 REPUBLICA DEPORTIVA 2 SUN UNIVISION DEPORTES 12:00 AM 1:00 AM 31 16 UFC PPV PRELIMS 210:CORMIER/JOHNSON 2 FOX SPORTS 2 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 30 11 NBA SPECIAL NBA.COM HIGHLIGHTS NBA-TV 5:17 AM 5:30 AM 30 13 PL BEHIND THE BADGE WEST BROM 2 NBC SPORTS NETWORK 6:00 AM 6:30 AM 29 20 TOURNAMENT DAVIS Q AUS/USA-E:MB4 KYRN/QUES THE TENNIS CHANNEL 8:29 PM 10:47 PM 29 7 90IN30 LA LIGA MALAGA VS. BARCELONA BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 10:03 PM 10:32 PM 27 10 CENTRAL FOX WKND FOX DEPORTES 1:00 AM 2:00 AM 27 15 PL BEHIND THE BADGE WEST BROM 3 NBC SPORTS NETWORK 6:30 AM 7:00 AM 27 15 PL MATCH OF THE DAY NBC SPORTS NETWORK 12:30 AM 1:30 AM 27 14 CENTRAL FOX WKND MID FOX DEPORTES 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 26 11 MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER SPORTING KC VS COL RAPIDS FOX DEPORTES 7:00 PM 9:28 PM 26 14 UFC ULTIMATE KNOCKOUTS TITLE FIGHT KNOCKOUTS FOX SPORTS 2 10:00 AM 10:30 AM 26 4 FIA FORMULA1 CMP MNDL (R) CHINA UNIVISION DEPORTES 9:00 AM 11:00 AM 26 20 EXPRESS WEEKEND-L EXPRESS PREVIEW BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 2:27 PM 2:40 PM 25 19 LA LIGA WORLD - LIGAWORLD BEIN SPORT 11:35 AM 11:55 AM 23 9 E:60 E:60 ON ESPNU ESPNU 3:46 PM 4:00 PM 23 6 BIG EAST LACROSSE L VILLANOVA/DENVER FOX SPORTS 1 2:00 PM 4:19 PM 23 10 STREET LEAGUE SKATEBOARD BARCELONA FOX SPORTS 2 11:30 PM 1:00 AM 23 13 CLASSIC GAMES GB VS. ARI 1/16/2016 15 NFC DIV NFL NETWORK 3:00 AM 6:00 AM 23 12 EXPEDIENTES UDN UNIVISION DEPORTES 11:00 AM 12:00 PM 23 18 LIGA DE PORTUGAL EN 60 UNIVISION DEPORTES 7:00 AM 8:00 AM 23 18 LIGUE 1 - L PARIS SAINT GERMAIN VS. GUINGAMP BEIN SPORT 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 22 20 COLL FTBL SPRING GAME FLORIDA STATE ESPNU 5:39 PM 6:30 PM 22 8 UFC CLASSICS UFC VS. PRIDE FOX SPORTS 2 3:00 PM 4:00 PM 22 5 UFC PPV POST FIGHT 210:CORMIER/JOHNSON 2 FOX SPORTS 2 10:30 AM 11:20 AM 22 6 TOURNAMENT CHARLESTON WTA-E:WF KASD/OSTJ THE TENNIS CHANNEL 12:31 AM 2:07 AM 22 5 LIGA MX EN 60 UNIVISION DEPORTES 2:00 AM 3:00 AM 22 16 UFC PPV POST FIGHT 210:CORMIER/JOHNSON 2 FOX SPORTS 2 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 21 9 LIGA MX EN 60 UNIVISION DEPORTES 1:00 AM 2:00 AM 21 10 FUTBOL MLS EN 60 UNIVISION DEPORTES 3:08 AM 4:08 AM 20 9 LIGA MX EN 60 UNIVISION DEPORTES 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 19 12 BUNDESLIGA L INGOLSTADT/DARMSTADT FOX SPORTS 2 11:20 AM 1:30 PM 18 9 TOURNAMENT CHARLESTON WTA-E:WDF MASA/HRSI THE TENNIS CHANNEL 10:47 PM 12:31 AM 18 2 LIGA MX EN 60 UNIVISION DEPORTES 5:00 AM 6:00 AM 18 11 90IN30 LA LIGA-R MALAGA VS. BARCELONA BEIN SPORT 11:05 AM 11:35 AM 17 12 EXPRESS WEEKEND-L EXPRESS PREVIEW BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 10:00 AM 10:06 AM 17 12 NCAA HOCKEY CHAMP MINNESOTA DULUTH/DENVER ESPNU 11:00 AM 2:00 PM 17 7 FUTBOL MLS EN 60 UNIVISION DEPORTES 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 17 15 WTA TENNIS ABIERTO MONTERREY ARIME- F BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 4:43 PM 6:38 PM 16 7 LIGA MX EN 60 UNIVISION DEPORTES 4:08 AM 5:00 AM 16 10 EXPRESS WEEKEND-L EXPRESS XTRA WEEKEND-L BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 6:38 PM 7:39 PM 15 7 COLLEGE BASKETBALL LIVE ESPNU 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 15 6 CENTRAL FOX WKND ENC FOX DEPORTES 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 15 3 SERIE A - L LAZIO VS. NAPOLI BEIN SPORT 6:00 PM 8:00 PM 14 5 SPORTSCENTERU ESPNU 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 14 6 LA ULT PALABRA WKND ENC FOX DEPORTES 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 14 9 90IN30 LA LIGA-R REAL MADRID VS. ATLETICO MADRID BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 9:35 PM 10:03 PM 13 6 EXPRESS WEEKEND-R EXPRESS XTRA WEEKEND-R BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 10:32 PM 11:35 PM 13 8 BUNDESLIGA - L INGOLSTADT VS DARMSTADT FOX DEPORTES 11:20 AM 1:30 PM 13 8 UFC PPV POST FIGHT 210:CORMIER/JOHNSON 2 FOX SPORTS 2 2:00 PM 3:00 PM 12 7 EXPRESS WEEKEND-L EXPRESS XTRA WEEKEND-L BEIN SPORT 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 11 9 SERIE A - L BOLOGNA VS. AS ROMA BEIN SPORT 8:55 AM 11:05 AM 11 7 CENTRAL FOX WKND EARLY FOX DEPORTES 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 11 7 UFC ULTIMATE KNOCKOUTS BEST OF 2016 FOX SPORTS 1 4:19 PM 4:30 PM 11 4 TOURNAMENT CHARLESTON WTA-E:WS2 OSTJ/LUCM THE TENNIS CHANNEL 8:19 AM 10:30 AM 11 5 SPORTSCENTERU ESPNU 10:00 AM 11:00 AM 10 6 UFC PPV POST FIGHT 210:CORMIER/JOHNSON 2 FOX SPORTS 2 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 10 8 UFC PPV PRELIMS 210:CORMIER/JOHNSON 2 FOX SPORTS 2 7:00 AM 9:00 AM 10 8 PREMIER LEAGUE ENCORE LEICESTER/EVERTON NBC SPORTS NETWORK 1:30 AM 3:00 AM 10 7 MOTOGP MOTO 3 TERMAS DE RIO HONDO, ARGENTINA-RD2 BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 11:35 PM 12:30 AM 9 6 COLL FTBL SPRING GAME OLE MISS ESPNU 1:00 AM 3:00 AM 9 3 CENTRAL FOX US - R FOX DEPORTES 3:00 AM 4:00 AM 9 4 UEFA CL SEMANAL FOX DEPORTES 5:30 PM 6:00 PM 9 9 CENTRAL FOX WKND AM-R FOX DEPORTES 7:00 AM 8:00 AM 8 3 TOURNAMENT CHARLESTON WTA-E:WS1 KASD/SIEL THE TENNIS CHANNEL 3:00 AM 4:15 AM 8 2 TOURNAMENT DAVIS Q AUS/USA-E:MB4 KYRN/QUES THE TENNIS CHANNEL 2:07 AM 3:00 AM 8 4 DIVING FINA DIVING GRAND PRIX-CANADA DAY 2 BEIN SPORT 10:00 PM 12:00 AM 7 2 WTA TENNIS ABIERTO MONTERREY AFIRME-FINAL BEIN SPORT 8:00 PM 10:00 PM 7 3 BUNDESLIGA PREVIA FOX DEPORTES 11:00 AM 11:20 AM 7 2 NATIONAL RUGBY LG L STORM/SHARKS FOX SPORTS 2 2:00 AM 4:00 AM 7 3 TOURNAMENT DAVIS Q AUS/USA-E:MB4 KYRN/QUES THE TENNIS CHANNEL 6:04 AM 8:19 AM 7 1 LIGUE 1 - L PARIS SAINT GERMAIN VS. GUINGAMP BEIN SPORT 1:00 AM 3:00 AM 6 3 FOX GOL MEXICO FOX DEPORTES 2:00 AM 3:00 AM 6 4 STREET LEAGUE SKATEBOARD MUNICH FOX SPORTS 2 1:00 AM 2:30 AM 6 4 UFC ULTIMATE KNOCKOUTS RARE AND UNUSUAL KNOCKOUTS FOX SPORTS 2 1:30 PM 2:00 PM 6 2 EXPRESS WEEKEND-R EXPRESS XTRA WEEKEND-R BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 9:00 AM 10:00 AM 5 5 TOURNAMENT CHARLESTON WTA-E:WS2 OSTJ/LUCM THE TENNIS CHANNEL 4:15 AM 6:00 AM 5 0 LIGUE 1 - L PARIS SAINT GERMAIN VS. GUINGAMP BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 7:39 PM 9:35 PM 4 2 MOTOGP TERMAS DE RIO HONDO, ARGENTIN-RD2 BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 1:30 AM 2:30 AM 4 4 NASCAR FOXD-MONSTER CUP TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOX DEPORTES 1:30 PM 5:30 PM 4 3 MOTOGP MOTO 2 TERMAS DE RIO HONDO,ARGENTINA-RD2 BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 12:30 AM 1:30 AM 3 2 BURTON EUROPEAN OPEN HIGH HALFPIPE FOX SPORTS 2 4:00 AM 4:30 AM 3 3 90IN30 LA LIGA REAL MADRID VS. ATLETICO MADRID BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 8:30 AM 9:00 AM 2 0 BURTON EUROPEAN OPEN HIGH SLOPESTYLE FOX SPORTS 2 4:30 AM 5:00 AM 2 1 BURTON US OPEN HIGHLIGHTS SLOPESTYLE FOX SPORTS 2 5:00 AM 5:30 AM 2 2 EXPRESS WEEKEND-R EXPRES XTRA WEEKEND-R BEIN SPORT 12:00 AM 1:00 AM 1 0 PAID PROGRAMMING PAID PROGRAMMING BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 6:00 AM 8:30 AM 1 0 PAID PROGRAMMING FOX DEPORTES 4:00 AM 6:00 AM 1 0 LA LIGA WORLD - LIGAWORLD BEIN SPORT 8:30 AM 8:55 AM 0 0 PAID PROGRAMMING BEIN SPORT 6:00 AM 6:30 AM 0 0 PAID PROGRAMMING BEIN SPORT 6:30 AM 7:00 AM 0 0 PAID PROGRAMMING BEIN SPORT 7:00 AM 7:30 AM 0 0 PAID PROGRAMMING BEIN SPORT 7:30 AM 8:00 AM 0 0 PAID PROGRAMMING BEIN SPORT 8:00 AM 8:30 AM 0 0 90IN30 SERIE A JUVENTUS VS. CHIEVO VERONA BEIN SPORT ESPANOL 2:30 AM 3:00 AM 0 0 PAID PROGRAMMING FOX DEPORTES 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 0 0 BURTON US OPEN HIGHLIGHTS HALFPIPE FOX SPORTS 2 5:30 AM 6:00 AM 0 0
Note: viewership of around 100,000 or lower is technically what Nielsen refers to as a “scratch” i.e., not enough Nielsen panelists watched for Nielsen to validate it. There are around 40,000 homes in the Nielsen panel and a bit over 100,000 panelists, where 1 Nielsen panelist watching a whole telecast represents around 3,000 people. So something averaging a million viewers averaged around 370 people out of the ~100K panel — small, but still statistically significant. But when there’s a show with 30,000 viewers, that’s only around 10 Nielsen panelists… |
Update: We reviewed one of them! Click here to read our Arby’s Deep Fried Turkey Club Sandwich review.
Thanks to Arby’s you can now enjoy deep fried turkey without the need for a winch. Its new Deep Fried Turkey Sandwiches are available in two varieties: Deep Fried Turkey Club and Cajun Deep Fried Turkey.
The Deep Fried Turkey Club features fried turkey breast, pepper bacon, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and mayo on a star cut bun. The Cajun Deep Fried Turkey has fried turkey breast, a Cajun spread, Cajun seasonings, crispy onions, tomatoes, and lettuce on a star cut bun.
Both sandwiches are available for a limited time.
The Club version has 540 calories, 28 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 95 milligrams of cholesterol, 1620 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 34 grams of protein.
The Cajun version has 430 calories, 15 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 1660 milligrams of sodium, 45 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar, and 25 grams of protein.
If you’ve tried either one, let us know what you think of it in the comments.
(Images via Arby’s website.) |
The Swedish Liberal party’s youth wing proposed legalizing necrophilia and incest Sunday during the group’s annual meeting in Stockholm.
According to the motion filed, two consenting siblings 15 years of age and older should be allowed to engage in sexual intercourse while sex with a human corpse should also be legalized so long as the deceased gave written permission prior to passing.
Speaking with Swedish news site Aftonbladet, Liberal Youth leader Cecilia Johnsson painted the move as a progressive step forward for the Scandinavian country.
“We are a youth organization and one of our task is to think one step further,” Johnsson said.
Johnsson stated that although most of society views the practices as “disgusting,” such acts should not be outlawed by the government.
“I understand that it can be seen as unusual and disgusting but legislation can not be based on it being disgusting,” she said.
“We don’t like morality laws in general and this legislation is not protecting anyone right now.”
In regards to necrophilia specifically, Johnsson argued that people should be allowed to fornicate with the dead so long as arrangements are made beforehand.
“It should be your own decision what happens with your body after you die, and if that happens to be that you want to bequeath your remains to a museum or to science, or if you want to bequeath your remains to someone to sleep with them, then that should be OK,” she added.
The group’s proposal immediately put several former and current members of the mother party on the defensive.
“Liberal Youth of Sweden focuses on publicity, but hardly the issues that determines our, and Sweden’s future,” former Liberal MP Carl B. Hamilton said on social media. “Surely, you must understand that people are laughing at your liberalism, you nitwits?”
Hamilton also quipped over whether or not the youth would focus on bestiality next.
“And what other challenges facing society is on the top 100-list for Stockholm’s Liberal Youth? Sex with hippos?” he said.
Despite the shocking subject matter, the group’s move is unsurprising to many given the growing effort by some liberals to normalize behaviors deemed reprehensible by the rest of society.
For example, left-wing news outlet’s such as Salon have spent the last several months attempting to convince readers that pedophilia is merely a sexual orientation and not a mental disorder.
“In essence, your brain knows what it likes and isn’t going to take no for an answer,” self-described pedophile Todd Nickerson wrote last September. |
Snowden has spoken to the media and directly to the public three separate times. 10 memorable lines from Snowden
Since coming forward as the source behind leaks about the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs, Edward Snowden has spoken to the media and directly to the public three separate times to explain his reasoning, defend his decisions and clarify the programs. Here are some of his most memorable lines:
1. “Initially I was very encouraged. Unfortunately, the mainstream media now seems far more interested in what I said when I was 17 or what my girlfriend looks like rather than, say, the largest program of suspicionless surveillance in human history.” On public response to the story, during an online Q-and-A hosted by The Guardian.
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2. “The US media has a knee-jerk ‘RED CHINA!’ reaction to anything involving HK or the PRC, and is intended to distract from the issue of US government misconduct. Ask yourself: if I were a Chinese spy, why wouldn’t I have flown directly into Beijing? I could be living in a palace petting a phoenix by now.” On whether he’s a spy for China, in an online Q-and-A hosted by The Guardian.
( Also on POLITICO: 10 things to know about Snowden)
3. “This country is worth dying for.” On what he would say to other potential whistle blowers, during an online Q-and-A hosted by The Guardian.
4. “All I can say right now is the US Government is not going to be able to cover this up by jailing or murdering me. Truth is coming, and it cannot be stopped.” On the future of the documents in his possession, during an online Q-and-A hosted by The Guardian
5. “Last week the American government happily operated in the shadows with no respect for the consent of the governed, but no longer. Every level of society is demanding accountability and oversight.” On the NSA program, in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
( PHOTOS: 10 famous/infamous whistleblowers)
6. “I’m neither traitor nor hero. I’m an American.” On reaction to his notoriety, in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
7. “I don’t want public attention because I don’t want the story to be about me. I want it to be about what the US government is doing. … I know the media likes to personalise political debates, and I know the government will demonise me.” On avoiding the media spotlight, in an interview with The Guardian.
8. “I, sitting at my desk, certainly had the authorities to wiretap anyone, from you or your accountant, to a federal judge, to even the president, if I had a personal email.” On the extent of the surveillance, in a video interview with The Guardian.
9. “I’m no different from anybody else. I don’t have special skills. I’m just another guy who sits there day-to-day in the office, watches what’s happening and goes, ‘this is something that’s not our place to decide, the public needs to decide whether these programs and policies are right or wrong.’” On his mentality coming forward, in a video interview with The Guardian.
10. “The greatest fear that I have regarding the outcome for America of these disclosures is that nothing will change.” On what will come out of his efforts, in a video interview with The Guardian.
This article tagged under: NSA
Edward Snowden |
The stage was set for an upset, but unfortunately for Diego Simeone’s men, the win never came at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday night. As it happened, Luis Suarez’s 82nd-minute header prevented Atletico Madrid from winning their first LaLiga match against Barcelona in seven years. The Uruguayan, who has been struggling as of late, offered a late-equalizer that managed to frustrate and hush Atletico supporters everywhere.
Final score: 1-1. Yes, Los Rojiblancos are used to the suffering and will have to wait to break their negative domestic record against Barca.
Atletico supporter depression aside, Simeone’s continued domestic struggles against Barca may seem strange to the neutral given that Atleti have had much success in the Champions League against the Catalans, but surprisingly, the Simeone-era has had a hard time getting the better of Barca in the Spanish top-flight and on Saturday it was more of the same (or was it?).
In our tactical match preview prior to kickoff, I noted that Atletico Madrid’s past three performances against Barcelona have been largely positive; they were the better side in those performances, they dominated Barca via high and counter-pressing for large amounts of time in those matches, but just couldn’t match Barca’s efficiency in front of goal.
Atletico squandered chances, Barcelona didn’t. Atleti huffed, puffed, and prevented Barca from getting into their possession rhythm, but offered little killer instinct on net. Last weekend, much didn’t change in terms of goal scoring efficiency; Antoine Griezmann missed a couple of decent chances, but the defensive approach changed a bit.
How did Atletico change their defensive approach from last season?
Simeone rarely gets it wrong, tactically, against Barca and at the Metropolitano the visitors were welcomed to an aggressive and physical performance from the Rojiblanco hosts.
Ay mate, Simeone nullified Barca’s positional play for a complete 50-60 minutes on Saturday. The endurance, pace, & preparation is unrivaled — Carlo Valladares (@C_V_News) October 16, 2017
Atletico Madrid set out in their ever-common 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid while Ernesto Valverde’s outfit were deployed in more of a 4-4-2 (uncommon amongst BarcAjax tacticians).
What made this match interesting was how Atletico Madrid marked Lionel Messi and co. In the past, and as mentioned in the tactical preview (contains loads of videos), Atleti have recently set up in a zonal/man-marking hybrid against Barca, especially at home, and often press higher up the pitch in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-2-2, but on Saturday they were more restricted to classic man-marking across the pitch when in their mid-block formation.
Before we try and determine the reasoning behind this change in approach by Simeone, let’s break down how Atleti pressed. Below, the video analyzes the key characteristics and defensive strategy that Atleti took on Saturday.
Above, we see that Simeone set up his side to aggressively man-mark in a 4-4-2 mid-block with the focus relying on closing off all midfield passing lanes and preventing Barca’s full-backs, in this case right-back Nelson Semedo, from switching the point of attack. Angel Correa and Griezmann, below, crowded Sergio Busquets to make any potential passes to him ‘high risk.’
When Barca switched the play to their left side (Atleti’s right side), Atleti were then triggered by a backward pass to aggressively man-mark the 5v5 situation on Barcelona’s left wing.
However, there was one occasion where Barcelona switched to their left side and Atletico didn’t trigger an aggressive man-marking press. Instead, Correa screened the passing lane to Busquets while Griezmann stayed higher up waiting to press Gerard Pique in case Barca switch it back over to the right side.
In addition, Saul Niguez can be seen, above, occupying the only zonal-based role out of Atleti’s forwards and midfielders. In case Correa’s passing lane screen was beaten or overloaded, Saul would be there, just behind Busquets, for cover.
Naturally, you’d think Griezmann would man-mark Busquets when the ball was switched to the left given that Correa man-marked Busquets when the ball was on Barca’s right side. The two are striking partners so many would expect them to trade marking responsibilities depending on which side the ball went to. However, Simeone opted for Griezmann to always be ready to put pressure on Pique as seen in the screenshot above.
Why did they change their approach from last season?
Well, in the past, Atleti’s zonal 4-2-2-2/4-3-3 high-press started with an emphasis on forcing play wide by zonally playing three lines of 2 in the central axis and transitioning to a ball-side man-mark press once Barca passed to a full-back or passed near the touchline. Have a look, below, at one of the ways Atleti set up in the past.
Atleti opted to win the ball high up against a side, at the time still managed by Luis Enrique, which was more direct with Messi, Suarez, and Neymar in top form. The Brazilian’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain hasn’t had much of an effect on Barcelona’s strong start to the season, but in a match like this, where Atletico are so structured in defense, it allowed for Simeone’s side to double up on Busquets and Messi in ways they couldn’t last season due to having to man-mark and double mark Neymar.
Below, you can see an Atleti low-block that featured tight man-marking on Neymar from last season. Sime Vrsaljko, in the yellow circle, is disconnected from the rest of his backline due to man-marking Neymar (orange circle).
Neymar’s ability, combined with the fact he played as a left-sided forward in a 4-3-3, meant that Atletico couldn’t approach the match in a more man-marking style last season due to how Vrsaljko’s man-marking would stretch out Atleti’s backline and needed more midfield cover in the half-spaces.
This past weekend, however, with Barca’s 4-4-2 and without Neymar, Atleti didn’t have to worry about their backline being stretched out down their right wing; they could deploy aggressive man-marking in the central areas with only one player (usually Saul or Yannick Carrasco or both) as zonal cover or as a man-marker on Messi (as seen below).
When an opponent is excellent at going direct and has ‘MSN’ at their disposal, you need to be very careful with how you man-mark them as their direct approach may bypass your midfield man-marking. Atletico didn’t have to worry about this and, as a result, ditched their 4-3-3 zonal high-block from last season.
Is there a similar pressing pattern against other teams this season?
Additionally, in last February’s match between these two sides, Barca used a back three which also impacted how Atleti pressed. In fact, it is becoming clear that this aggressive man-marking style, against opponents that use a back four and play a possession style, Atletico are becoming more comfortable with touchline high-pressing.
Below, you can see that there’s a clear pattern between a certain pressing phase against Las Palmas and the one Los Rojiblancos used against Barca last weekend.
Against Las Palmas earlier in the season.
Last weekend against Barcelona.
It is becoming clear that Atleti are pressing teams and forcing opponents back when they’ve trapped the opposition full-back and when the opponent uses two central midfielders in holding positions to build up from the back.
Atletico Madrid’s low-block
One of the tactics that didn’t change, unsurprisingly, against Barca has been Atleti’s low-block. It is truly my favorite part of Simeone’s methodology and it is always a thing of wonder to analyze, in addition to their structured pressing game, how organized it is.
Have a watch.
Conclusion
Barcelona tied the match in the end and while Atletico fans can be frustrated with how close the hosts were to victory, they can be reassured that with Simeone anything is possible. His meticulous preparation, to me, is unparalleled. He’s a true Carlos Bilardo and Marcelo Bielsa-hybrid of a manager and it’ll be interesting to see how he sets up for Barcelona at the end of the season. |
Selecting this year’s All Australian team is an exercise in box ticking. Instead, let’s see if we can build a better team, from players who were not picked for the squad earlier this week.
» The Roar’s 2017 All Australian team
About a month ago, I put together an All Australian team with a handful of rounds remaining, and tweeted it out – as is the thing to do.
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Of the 22 I named, 20 made it into the squad, and will almost certainly be named in the team later today.
The two that didn’t, Nat Fyfe and Ollie Wines were among the handful of befuddling decisions and non-decisions made by the All Australian selection panel this season.
According to the media release accompanying the announcement of the squad, the selection panel got together and came up with a list of who they collectively thought were the best 40 players in the competition this season. That’s of course why Nat Fyfe didn’t make the team and, say, Port Adelaide’s Tom Jonas did.
Notice I felt compelled to include Jonas’ team in front of his name. There is only a modicum of disrespect intended for Jonas – he had a fine season, easily his best, as he emerged as Port Adelaide’s number one defender.
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The Power were one of the league’s stingiest defences, although the role Jonas himself played was likely helped by the Power’s preference for an ultra-high press and smart zoning through the middle of the ground – which meant they conceded the fourth fewest inside 50s in the competition.
Jonas had himself a solid season. Was it even the 40th best season in the competition? Almost certainly not.
Similarly, Collingwood’s Adam Treloar, who wasn’t even the second best midfielder at his club. Jeremy McGovern is an outstanding defender, but when you play 40 per cent of the season as an utterly ineffectual key forward, surely that has to figure into proceedings. Seb Ross gathered plenty of hardballs, but how many couldn’t have been won by Jack Steven, Jack Steele or Jack Billings?
There are bizarre squad inclusions everywhere you look. Ditto exclusions: Fyfe and Wines were in the best 40 players in 2017, as were teammates Lachie Neale and Brad Ebert. Callan Ward, who is now officially the most underrated player in the competition, is the glue that holds the explosive Greater Western Sydney midfield together. Trent Cotchin, Clayton Oliver, Dane Rampe, Jack Macrae, the list goes on.
It got me thinking. Is it possible to build a team made up of All Australian squad snubs that could take it up to, or even beat, the actual squad?
Yes, I believe it is. And here it is.
The Nathan Jones All Stars
The team is named the Nathan Jones All Stars, and will be so long as Nathan Jones is not named an All Australian. We are looking beyond the flash and gaud of the biggest names of the competition, and for football output above all else.
Jones epitomises this. His 239-game career has mostly played out in the depths of Melbourne’s despair, captaining the team for a hefty chunk too. Jones’ 16-game 2017 season yielded nine wins, in what was his first winning year in 12 attempts.
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Prior to his absence this season, Jones had missed five games in his 11 years from debut, and had played 109 consecutive games between Round 15 2012 and Round 13 2017. He’s not in it for the headlines, he is in it to play high-quality football, and that’s what he does.
There are two rules for eligibility for the Nathan Jones All Stars: you must have missed selection in the All Australian squad, and you must have played at least two-thirds of the season (15 games). That’s a slightly lower benchmark than the measuring stick for All Australian team selection (history says 17 games is generally the cut-off). If a player happens to be a personal favourite, or has a signature move or mode of play, that’s helpful.
Our goal is a bit more nefarious than the All Australian team selection process, but overtly so. We will build a starting 18 made up of the best possible players who are available for selection and who fit together with the style of play I’m looking for. We fill out the rest of a hypothetical squad of 22 thereafter. Then we will select a bench of four who best complement the starting 18.
It’s a reverse of the All Australian team process, but in a way that means it is exactly the same as the All Australian team process.
Finally, there are three types of Nathan Jones All Star: the superstar snubs, the injured injustices, and the hidden gems. There are sub-types but look I’m guessing you really want to see this team.
The 2017 Nathan Jones All Stars
FB Z Williams D Rampe D Astbury HB S Hurn P Davis Z Tuohy C M Duncan C Ward T Cotchin HF M Walters J Riewoldt C Petracca FF J Billings J Patton C Wingard Fol. S Martin N Fyfe O Wines
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Let’s go line by line and make the case for each selection.
The back six
The back six was a challenge, because the selection panel largely got this area of the ground 100 per cent correct.
The starting talls should be Alex Rance and Michael Hurley, the flankers should be Sam Docherty and Michael Hibberd, and the flex spots should be Neville Jetta and Rory Laird. The panel hoovered up plenty of other potential names, as they should have. Jeremy Howe and Jake Lever are unlucky to miss out, and could be candidates for a bench spot later this evening if the panel is that way inclined.
So, we were left with what is mostly a genuine second team line up.
Dane Rampe and Phil Davis anchor my defence, as two of the best one on one stoppers in the competition. Rampe was presumably left out of the All Australian squad on account of his games played, given he was arguably the leader of what emerged as unarguably the best defence in the competition.
Richmond’s David Astbury is my flex defender; as Rance’s protégé, Astbury often took the full back spot to allow Rance the room to roam the wider parts of the Tigers’ back 50. Having these three tall defenders should see my team match up well against what looms as a tall All Australian forward line (six talls were selected in the squad).
Outside of this group, I want the rest of my defence to have a bias for attack – and for long kicking. The best teams of this season played at least two of their defenders much higher up the ground, starting them at the back of the centre square or on a wing and starting the wingers at the back of the centre square. Michael Hibberd and Rory Laird are the avatars for this but are unavailable.
In their stead, we select Geelong’s Zach Touhy, GWS’s Zac Williams, and West Coast’s Shannon Hurn. All three played career years, with Touhy a genuine All Australian squad snub. Williams is a ground-ball get machine, has one of the quickest triggers in the league, and has demonstrated an around-the-ground flexibility this season.
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Williams and Hurn would take the primary small forwards by way of match ups, with Touhy available to act as a spare defender or roam further up the ground as a score set up threat. My trio of rebounders can be a little untidy with their disposal, but that fits the structure of my forward line nicely.
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The front six
Small and flexible is en vogue. It is really hard to get away with a three tall forward line up as a base look in 2017; some teams, like the Giants and Swans, get away with it as an alternative to a two-tall line up. St Kilda found that out the hard way this season.
The Adelaide Crows are unique in this respect, given they play four tall players in their forward half, albeit Tom Lynch is more a winger who timeshares forward than a genuine tall forward.
Much of the rest of the league followed the lead of the Western Bulldogs in rolling out flexible front six line ups, populated with medium-sized aerial threats and a raft of smaller ground ball threats. Richmond threw convention out of the window altogether, playing Jack Riewoldt as the singular tall threat and surrounding him with three or four small forwards at all times. Dustin Martin also spent plenty of time as the deep threat with Riewoldt as a more traditional centre half forward with that look.
This is the way we will go. Robbie Gray and Dane Zorko, the two most likely candidates for this kind of role, are sure to be selected in the All Australian side and so are unavailable. Instead, we turn to Michael Walters, Christian Petracca and Chad Wingard, all of whom played career-best years and, in the case of the former and latter, would have been borderline All Australian squad selections with full years under their belts.
Both Walters and Wingard missed parts of the season on account of injuries; Walters’ year wrapping up in Round 18 on account of a PCL injury and Wingard dropping out twice with multi-week niggles. The duo played more time in the midfield than their careers to date, averaging 20 disposals and more than a goal a game each.
Petracca gets in because I am the selector, but also because he emerged as one of the most damaging offensive players in the competition. Similar to Walters and Wingard, Petracca doesn’t get the gaudy possession tallies of others, but was just shy of 20 touches a game and averaged almost 11 contested possessions. The great thing about Petracca though is he averages a 60-40 forward half split, and can spend time starting in the centre square. He affords the flexibility we’re chasing.
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Jack Billings is my notional small forward, although he plays much higher than the archetype in his role for the Saints. Billings has a strong nose for goal, evidenced by his seven games with at least four scoring shots. It was tempting to insert either Dan Butler or Orazio Fantasia in this slot, but Billings offered more by way of flex further up the ground.
I went with two tall forwards. Riewoldt finished fifth for goals kicked, despite missing two games, and was just outside of the top 20 in score involvements. He played as the lone tall forward in most games, meaning he won the spot over other worthy tall forward candidates. For the second spot I was tempted to pick GWS’s Jeremy Cameron, but I went with teammate Jonathon Patton, who was fourth in the league for contested marks among full-time forwards, and would play in my set up with a chain on his ankle that doesn’t allow him to move beyond the 50-metre arc.
The midfield
My midfield group is made up of snubs: Mitch Duncan, Callan Ward and Trent Cotchin on the centre line, and Nat Fyfe and Ollie Wines in the follower spots.
The centreline appears to have been overlooked because of the higher profile nature of their teammates. Duncan played a career year, providing the glue for Geelong’s midfield and working both wings with ground ball gets and uncontested marks. Many Geelong fans thought he should have been picked in the All Australian squad over Joel Selwood – I agree.
Ward suffers a similar fate to Jones; he’s unassuming, does a lot of his work on the inside, and simply goes about his business consistently and with ruthless effect.
Cotchin had a stellar year freed of some of the inside workload, on account of the insertion of Dion Prestia into the Richmond line up, free wheeling across the ground and setting up the Tigers’ attacks from the half back line.
Fyfe was snubbed because he wasn’t 2015 Nat Fyfe. After a relatively slow start in the first third of the season – in which he averaged 27 disposals, 6.3 clearances and 15.1 contested possessions – Fyfe warmed up heading into the second half of the season, at which point he went nuclear. Between Round 15 and the end of the season, Fyfe averaged 2.9 contested marks, 16.4 contested possessions and seven clearances per game. His influence on Fremantle grew over time, and there is little doubt by the end of the season that he was back to a level near his all-time peak.
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Fyfe might have been a top-50 player in the first half of the season; he was one of the best handful in the second half of the season. Yet he isn’t one of the best 40 players in the competition for the year as a whole? It makes you wonder how much football some media members take in.
Wines is a bit of a niche case of mine. He reached a career high for disposals, averaged five tackles, four inside 50s, six clearances, 14 contested possessions and just under seven score involvements per game, despite not really hitting the scoreboard himself. Wines tidied up his disposal this year too.
Brisbane’s Stefan Martin, the best available ruckman outside of the three correctly picked in the All Australian squad, is my ruckman. Martin does all the heavy lifting up north, but in keeping with my flexibility mantra isn’t just a hitout machine: he averaged four marks, 17 disposals, five clearances and almost three tackles per game. Hawthorn’s Ben McEvoy had a similar profile, but I prefer Martin’s volume of around-the-ground work.
The Nathan Jones All Stars midfield doesn’t have the star power of the likely All Australian team of Josh Kelly, Josh Kennedy, Zach Merrett, Paddy Ryder, Patrick Dangerfield and Dustin Martin. But it would push it for on-field performance, and that’s what we’re concerned with here.
The bench, and rest of the squad
Finally, the final four spots and the rest of the squad for 2017. As above, we’re trying to pick the best available 22 players who didn’t make the starting 18, and we’ll work out a bench from there. Here’s the squad.
Int. J Macrae C Oliver N Jones T McDonald Squad D Beams Z Jones C Pederson S Burgoyne J Lyons S Pendlebury J Cameron A McDonald- N Smith B Ebert Tipungwuti D Talia B Goddard B McEvoy T Rockliff T Hawkins M Murphy N Wilson L Neale
Each member has been picked for their contribution to their team’s success over the year, and their standing in the game in this season and this season alone. There are a handful of players in here that should be in contention for the All Australian squad, and perhaps a borderline team case or two sprinkled in for good measure.
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In terms of the bench, I couldn’t go past Jack Macrae, Nathan Jones himself and Clayton Oliver as the spare midfielders. Each offers their own unique attributes, mostly ball control and quality disposal in the case of Macrae and Jones, and ball-winning in the case of Oliver.
For the final spot, I went with the best swingman in the league in 2017, Tom McDonald. McDonald is an outstanding key defender who the advanced metrics used by Champion Data and many clubs across the league love to bits; he also took 23 shots (for 18 goals) and generated six direct assists in an eight-week stretch as Melbourne’s number one key forward. He can play in the ruck, too.
One of the most frequent, and mostly ignorant, comments regarding the selection of the All Australian team every year is that it’s a pointless exercise because the team doesn’t play anyone. Well, they could play the Nathan Jones All Stars. They might even lose. |
The Jets lost in embarrassing fashion to the Patriots, as the team fell apart in many ways. The defense was deplorable, and the offense was horrible. We will be looking at Bryce Petty’s plays, and then highlight a few young players in the game. Since there is dearth of interest in Fitzpatrick, and he most likely won’t be back next year, there is no point in breaking down film.
Petty:
1)
This is an almost impossible play for any QB. The defense is in a two deep safety look, with press man coverage across the board. At pre-snap, Petty sees press coverage on Marshall to the left of the formation, with safety help over the top. He correctly surmises that, the best place to find an open receiver is to the right side of the formation, so his first progression read is to the right side. Unfortunately, there just isn’t an open receiver in the area. The Patriots have this play covered extremely well, at which point Petty tries to run with the ball, but runs into his own tackle, and gets sacked. This looks like a coverage sack, there just isn’t an open option in the time frame for him to pull the trigger.
2)
Identical situations, although there is a chance for a risky throw here. The defense again shows two deep safety with press coverage, but switch to zone coverage on this one. Marshall is again double teamed here with the CB playing underneath routes, with safety help over the top. Petty, again, looks to the right of the formation to see an open receiver, although the Patriots are baiting Petty for a throw to the Enunwa. The defender on Enunwa has outside coverage, and falls off, allowing Enunwa to be open, but there is middle linebacker coming in from the middle to intercept a pass. Petty’s best option is to target Brandon Bostick behind Enunwa, but it’s too late, as the rush is near him. He tries to squeeze between defenders in moving up in the pocket and gets tripped. The secondary read (Bostick) only develops after he gets behind Enunwa (most likely read is Enunwa then Bostick) but there isn’t enough time to complete this read. The worst culprit on this play is Brandon Shell, who decides to completely abandon the defensive end lined up right across from him, instead choosing to double team a defensive tackle. The decision is made even worse by the fact that the defense is showing blitz from that same side, meaning he allows two free runners at the QB so he can double the defensive tackle. Either Shell just can’t grasp the blocking scheme, is utterly ill prepared, or Petty failed to set protection. As we broke down last week’s film, Shell made similar plays as well. The only thing that saves Petty from a Cameron Wake type take down is Bilal Powell trying to swipe the legs of the defender, which causes him to jump up, and prevent him from destroying Petty as he runs to the side. The Jets paid a heavy price for Brandon Shell, but he has not looked good at all lately in terms of protection, as he seems to have a penchant for allowing free runners. It could also be a function of an inexperienced offensive line that just doesn’t communicate well, which is a black mark for coaching.
3)
The Patriots are showing single high safety, but the second safety backs up at the last moment, with press zone coverage. Petty’s first read is Brandon Marshall on this play, but he doesn’t pull the trigger. Marshall is briefly open on this play, as his defender is playing the underneath route, so there is an opening for a deep pass. However, Petty looks towards Marshall and decides to take the safer pass to Powell, and fails. It’s just a terrible throw by Petty, most likely caused by the rain, but he can’t have excuses for plays like this.
4)
Right read, bad throw. The defense is in a two deep safety look, and Petty tries to make a back shoulder pass to Anderson and makes another bad throw in the rain. As the second example shows, the ball slipped out of his hand and essentially floated towards Anderson. Maybe Petty should invest in some gloves. This is another bad throw, as he has to learn to make throws in the rain, especially playing in an open air stadium. It’s a great play by Malcolm Butler to come up with the interception, but all of the fault for this throw goes to Petty.
5)
Another bad play by Petty. The defense is in a single high safety look, with press man coverage on this play. The pre-snap read is good by Petty because he realizes the defender on Enunwa is the furthest away from any receiver and he just needs short yardage, thus he’s the most likely to be open. Enunwa is open on this play, while Petty is staring right at him, but doesn’t make the throw. Petty even takes a page out of the Fitzpatrick play book, by running towards a defender while trying to make a throw. It’s a horrible play all around by Petty.
Supporting Cast:
1)
Austin Seferain-Jenkins. Please ignore the rest of the play, this one focuses just on Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The TE is lined up in the slot facing a linebacker, who is shading him to the inside. This indicates that the defense is willing to let Jenkins run outside, and defend the slant route to the middle of the field. However, Jenkins shows his ability to get open on this play by the move he makes near the defender. Watch the slight stutter step when approaching the defender, as he needs the linebacker to think he’s going on an out route. Jenkins first moves inside, then outside, which causes the defender to turn towards the outside, as Jenkins runs by him up the field. The part that makes the play is the hips of the linebacker, because if the defender turns to the inside as he runs up field (as he’s not worried about the out route) this is most likely an interception. However, Jenkins makes the play by the slight move, which causes the hips to change directions, allowing him to be open on this play.
2)
Austin Seferian-Jenkins. On this play, Jenkins is lined up against a safety, and watch how he attacks the safety down the seam. Jenkins runs right at the safety, causing indecision on the part of the defender as he backs up. He even gives him a hint of a curl route near the first down marker, which causes the safety to flinch forward as Jenkins gains inside leverage on this play. He does everything well on this play, but just doesn’t catch the pass. This is a pass that has to be caught, and shows the ups and downs with this young TE.
3)
Charone Peake. When we did the scouting report on Charone Peake, we concluded that he’s a more refined (slightly less athletic) version of Stephen Hill, and he does a good job of reminding fans of the former Jet on this play. Peake is lined up in the slot on this play, and he uses his speed to run across the middle and create separation. Peake is open for this pass, and Fitzpatrick throws a good pass, but it is flat out dropped by the receiver. Peake shows great athletic ability, because if he catches this ball, he’s one missed tackle away from a touchdown, but he also shows the issues that plagued him in college with drops.
4)
Robby Anderson. The speedy receiver is lined up on the outside in press coverage, and gets by his defender with a slight move at the line of scrimmage. The defender is shading him to the outside, and Anderson does a slight move at the line of scrimmage to freeze the defender before running down the field. This is a very slight move, and it doesn’t gain that much of an advantage but it does help him gain a yard of separation. Keep this move in mind, because it’s going to come up again later in the game. Getting off the line in press coverage, especially if you are slightly built like Anderson requires a bit of skill, and he shows some skills to gain an advantage over the defender.
5)
Robby Anderson and Devin Smith. There are two players to note here, with the first one being Devin Smith. He is lined up to the right of the formation, facing zone coverage and quickly finds a seam in the coverage. The plays shows some respect to his speed, because once the initial defender hands him off, it’s the safety’s responsibility to handle Smith, but the safety stays back. While Smith hasn’t been great for the Jets, defenders have to respect his speed in this case. If this was a TE running the same route, the safety would engage him much quicker. Smith also does a good job of “sitting in” the zone to provide a good target for the QB. The other aspect of this play is Robby Anderson on the outside to the left of the formation. Anderson is facing zone coverage, but he gets around his defender to the outside, which allows him room down the sideline. The defender is trying to funnel him to the inside but Anderson makes a good move to the outside, getting around his defender. In this zone coverage, the outside defenders want to take receivers on inside routes (as with Devin Smith) so they are running towards the safeties, but Anderson works around it.
6)
Charone Peake. The rookie WR is lined up in the slot to the left of the formation, and his defender is coming on a blitz with this play. Peake is the hot read on this play, and he catches the ball and shows off his ability by running after the catch. This one is to actually show good situational awareness by Peake, because notice how soon he turns around for the pass from Fitzpatrick. Peake realizes he is the hot read and open, so he wants to be ready for a pass if Fitzpatrick needs to unload the pass quickly, and he keeps his eyes towards the QB as he is running up the field. This is very good awareness from the rookie as we have seen far too often receivers running designed routes lacking awareness about them being the hot read (Kellen Davis for example) in the past.
7)
Devin Smith. Remember the move by Anderson at the line? Well this is the opposite, and what happens when the receiver doesn’t try to make a move. Devin Smith is lined up to the outside, left of the formation facing press man coverage with the safety on the other side of the field. For all it’s worth, this is a one on one match up for Smith and the defender, but the young receiver utterly fails to get open on this play. Smith makes no moves whatsoever, instead relying on a shoulder dip to try and create separation, which doesn’t work. Smith missed most of the year to an injury, and it may have hindered his development, but he has to do a better job of releasing off the line. The dipped shoulder move won’t work nearly as often in the NFL as it did in college, and he could learn a few things from Robby Anderson. Smith has good potential, but he seems to lack some basic moves when facing press coverage.
Conclusion:
An utterly horrible game for the Jets. Bryce Petty didn’t play well at all, and then got injured trying to make a tackle. The Jets do have a good receiver core in place, which should bode well for the QB next year. Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, Charone Peake, Devin Smith, and Jalin Marshall all showed potential through out the year. It’ll be interesting to see if the Jets move on from Marshall because they have very good depth behind him (albeit inexperienced) and could allocate resources to other areas of the team. Austin Seferian-Jenkins also shows promise, showing a decent ability to get open.
Forum Questions:
A) Would you play Hackenberg in the final game (Bowles already has Fitzpatrick starting) but what is your take?
B) How would you fix the offensive line?
Side note: While breaking down this film, I ventured to look at some of the defensive looks, and it’s shocking to see how bad this defense plays. Brady could have thrown for about 200 more yards because the defense can’t stop the pass at all. I’m wondering if people are interested in some defensive breakdowns in the off-season. I want to wait until the off-season to find out the coaching situation, because if the coaching staff is fired, then there isn’t a point in breaking down considerable film. However, if the coaching staff is retained, how many people would like some breakdowns on defense? |
Some hugs are bigger than others. Look no further for proof than the big bromance embrace between Rick and Daryl as the characters were reunited at the Hilltop at the end of The Walking Dead’s midseason finale. Daryl had just escaped Negan’s clutches at the Sanctuary while Rick was finally ready to fight again after watching one Alexandrian get beat up, another shot in the face, and another gutted in the street. The symbolism of the hug (and the handing over of the gun that followed it) made it clear the group was finally ready to “kick some ass.”
We spoke to Andrew Lincoln to get his take on why Rick is ready to fight back, why he “did not enjoy filming on set” for the first half of season 7, and why that hug we saw on screen was nothing compared to what went down between takes.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: First off, tell me about that whole crazy set-up of shooting that scene where you have to paddle through those walkers in the lake?
ANDREW LINCOLN: I told you this already, but this was such a painful season until that point. That was the highlight of the first half of the season for me. I came back home after two days of being drenched in sweaty, zombie-filled waters, and my wife said, “You look happy for the first time.” Ross [Marquand] and I were thrilled to be outside of the oppressive walls of Alexandria and to be able to be in a completely different sequence. Everybody, all the crew were in the lake with us. It was great fun. It was mad. It was a mad sequence, but we loved doing it. And then they keep coming up with these inventive ways to kill the principal characters, it was definitely a fun episode.
I saw some behind the scenes video they showed on Talking Dead of you in that boat. It looked like you had to bail out that boat in between takes. You had a bucket there and were getting the water out.
Oh yeah, I couldn’t work out why I was so wet and I realized [it was] because they’re so cheap that we had to bail ourselves out in between takes! It was a full two days of bailing. That’s pretty much it. And poor old Ross got in the water. But he was loving it. I think he was just really happy to be involved in quite a comprehensive action sequence.
That scene where you get back to Alexandria and Rick has to just stand there and watch Aaron get beat up right in front of him for no reason — is that as much the breaking point for Rick as anything else?
Yeah, that was definitely the idea of the episode is putting it from Rick’s point of view because there were several other storylines they were trying to bring together. They wanted to show a guy who just risked his friend — they risked both their lives in the most insane plan ever and come back — to see somebody tortured in front of you and be powerless again.
And then the next step is seeing two people have been murdered in cold blood, realizing that this is never going to work, this is an untenable situation. You’ve got a distrustful, dishonest, sociopath and the people working for him are… it’s just never gonna work. And that’s what they wanted, stages throughout the episode of dropping of this slow burn. And then, of course, it’s voiced out loud by Michonne in that beautiful speech that she gives.
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Yeah, that little pep talk. Is that the final push, when she says, “We can do this, but only if we do this.”
I think so, but I think it’s also already done. Rick chooses the cell, Morgan’s cell, to try to get some space from everybody. I think that that was very intentional. [Showrunner Scott M. Gimple] and the gang wanted the voice of reason to calm him after such a chaotic day. That was a man trying to weigh all of the options. I think that she’s able to articulate to him what he already pretty much knew, which is that he would rather die standing up than spending a life in servitude, on your knees.
Let’s play devil’s advocate for a minute. Rick comes upon Negan at the pool table and he sees two people are dead. Then again, Negan didn’t hurt Carl when Carl tried to kill him and took out a bunch of his men. And then he did take out someone who was going behind Rick’s back to usurp power. Does Negan win any points for that at all?
You know, he doesn’t. [Laughs] It’s a reasonable, albeit psychotic, argument. Rick is a complete control freak. Because for someone else to lead the show and to make these decisions on his behalf, it’s untenable, it’s just not a position that he’s willing to accept. So in spite of the argument, which, maybe in time, Spencer would have shown his true colors and there would have been a confrontation, I think this is a different Rick that we’re seeing now. It’s a much less impulsive man.
Plainly, by being able to swallow his pride — for way too long in my opinion, come on, kick some ass! — for a full half season, someone who’s been such a driving force, to be able to hold his breath for the sake of the community, it’s an amazing turn-around from whom this guy was last season. I think it’s key to realize that this is a very short space of time we’re talking about, relatively speaking, in story terms, in the world of the show, and it’s difficult because the past 18 months actually is probably in the region of three and a half weeks in real time. Look, devil’s advocate, you’re absolutely right, but he’s a pissant. [Laughs] Gutting Spencer in front of the community is probably not a decision Rick would have made.
It’s interesting how you mention that Rick is a control freak because one of the lines that struck me the most from the episode is when he sees Maggie and he goes up to hug her and says, “You were right, right from the start. I didn’t listen. I can now.” That’s a huge thing for Rick to be able to admit.
Yeah, I think that’s right. He’s not very good at saying sorry. Not very good at listening to other peoples’ plans. These are things we know about the unreconstructive Mr. Grimes. But he’s had a heck of a lot of pain beaten into him over the last eight episodes and I’ve always wished it to be about calibrating a complete leader — this journey that I’m on playing this guy — and I like to think that’s what we’re trying to do. I think that he’s learned countless lessons about bad decision-making, about listening to others, about compassion, about foresight, all of these qualities that I think pride may have got the better of him and blinded him to.
What happened actually is very exciting and you can’t get more dangerous than somebody who’s lost everything and has nothing left to lose. In spite of him not having a thing but a loaded gun, they still are quite a formidable outfit. I think that that was what I wanted from that final scene. They’re almost like individual chambers with a loaded gun — they’re strong in unity. It’s the beginning of the insurgence, but there’s still a way to come.
It’s very triumphant. Even at their lowest point, they’ve gotten to a place where you feel like, all right, we’ve gotten through the slog and now let’s unite again and fight back, with that last beat obviously being very symbolic when Daryl hands you the gun.
It sucks for that first half of the season to be a guy that led this group for so long — and they’ve been not without their trials and tribulations but there’s always been some semblance of hope in Rick — and to have that beaten out of him is heartbreaking, at least it was for me. I did not enjoy filming on set. I was not a happy camper. To have unity, just the beginnings of the flame being ignited again, was enough to get me excited for the back eight.
Tell me about that big bromance hug, and hugging it out with Norman Reedus. Daryl and Rick, back together again.
Dude, it was embarrassing. What you saw was nothing. You should have seen us in between action and cut. It was just never-ending! You couldn’t pry us apart, Dalton! I started to cry because I was so relieved he was out of the sweatpants because he stank and he was really unpleasant. I was so relieved that I didn’t have to hug him in those awful sweats.
For more Walking Dead intel, follow Dalton @DaltonRoss. |
This 2017 photo released by the University of Hawaii shows crew members walking around the university’s Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) on Mauna Loa volcano, Big Island, Hawaii. (University of Hawaii via AP)
In this 2017 photo released by the University of Hawaii crew members of Mission V, walk up hill with a cart next to the university’s facility Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) at the Mauna Loa volcano, Big Island, Hawaii. (University of Hawaii via AP)
In this 2017, aerial drone photo released by the University of Hawaii crew members of Mission V, Brian Ramos and Laura Lark walk around the university’s facility Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) at the Mauna Loa volcano, Big Island, Hawaii. (University of Hawaii via AP)
In this 2017 photo released by the University of Hawaii crew members of Mission V, walk across lava next to the university’s facility Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) at the Mauna Loa volcano, Big Island, Hawaii. (University of Hawaii via AP)
This Jan. 19, 2017, photo released by the University of Hawaii shows the university’s Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) crew members, from left, Joshua Ehrlich, Mission Specialist, Biology, Laura Lark, Mission Specialist, Information Technology and Outreach, Samuel Payler, Science Officer, Brian Ramos, Health and Performance Officer, James Bevington, Commander, and Ansley Barnard, Engineering Officer outside the HI-SEAS facility at the Mauna Loa volcano, Big Island, Hawaii. (University of Hawaii via AP)
HONOLULU — After eight months of living in isolation on a remote Hawaii volcano, six NASA-backed research subjects will emerge from their Mars-like habitat on Sunday and return to civilization.
Their first order of business after subsisting on mostly freeze-dried and canned food: Feast on fresh-picked pineapple, papaya, mango, locally grown vegetables and a fluffy, homemade egg strata cooked by their project’s lead scientist.
The crew of four men and two women were quarantined on a vast plain below the summit of the world’s largest active volcano in January. All of their communications with the outside world were subjected to a 20-minute delay — the time it takes for signals to get from Mars to Earth.
They are part of a study designed to better understand the psychological effects that a long-term manned mission to space would have on astronauts. The data they gathered will help NASA better pick crews that have certain traits and a better chance of doing well during a two-to-three year Mars expedition.
The space agency hopes to send humans to the red planet by the 2030s.
The Hawaii team wore specially-designed sensors to gauge their moods and proximity to other people in the small, 1,200 square-foot dome where they have lived.
The devices monitored, among other things, their voice levels and could sense if people were avoiding one another. It could also detect if they were next to each other and arguing.
The crew played games designed to measure their compatibility and stress levels. And when they got overwhelmed by being in such close proximity to teach other, they could use virtual reality devices to escape to tropical beaches or other familiar landscapes.
The project’s lead investigator, University of Hawaii professor Kim Binsted, said the crew members also kept written logs about how they were feeling.
“This is our fifth mission, and we have learned a lot over those five missions. We’ve learned, for one thing, that conflict, even in the best of teams, is going to arise,” Binsted said. “So what’s really important is to have a crew that, both as individuals and a group, is really resilient, is able to look at that conflict and come back from it.”
The project is the fifth in a series of six NASA-funded studies at the University of Hawaii facility called the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or HI-SEAS. NASA has dedicated about $2.5 million to the studies at the facility.
“So the previous three missions, the four, eight and 12 month missions, those were primarily looking at crew cohesion and performance,” Binsted said. “On this mission and going forward we are looking at crew selection and composition.”
Crew members were mostly excited and optimistic when they entered the facility in January, but had some trepidation.
“My biggest fear was that we were going to be that crew that turned out like Biosphere 2, which wasn’t a very pretty picture,” said mission commander James Bevington in January.
Biosphere 2 was a 1990s experimental greenhouse-like habitat in Arizona that turned into a debacle. It housed different ecosystems and a crew of four men and four women in an effort to understand what would be needed for humans to live on other planets. The participants were supposed to grow their own food and recycle their air inside the sealed glass space.
But the experiment soon spiraled out of control, with the carbon dioxide level rising dangerously and plants and animals dying. The crew members grew hungry and squabbled so badly during the two years they spent cooped up that by the time they emerged, some of them were not speaking to each other. Unlike the Biosphere 2, HI-SEAS is an opaque structure, not a see-through one, and it is not airtight.
The HI-SEAS crew was not confined to the dome but they were required to wear spacesuits and whenever they went outside the dome for geological expeditions, mapping studies or other tasks.
Other Mars simulation projects exist around the world, but Hawaii researchers say one of the chief advantages of their project is the area’s rugged, Mars-like landscape, on a rocky, red plain below the summit of Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano.
The crew’s vinyl-covered shelter is about the size of a small two-bedroom home, has small sleeping quarters for each member plus a kitchen, laboratory and bathroom. The group shares one shower and has two composting toilets.
To maintain the crew’s sense of isolation, bundles of food and supplies were dropped off at a distance from the dome, and the team members sent out a robot to retrieve them.
The team’s information technology specialist, Laura Lark, thinks a trip to Mars is a reasonable goal for NASA.
“Long term space travel is absolutely possible,” she said in a video message from within the dome. “There are certainly technical challenges to be overcome. There are certainly human factors to be figured out.”
The university is already starting to make plans for Mission 6, the final study funded by the U.S. space agency. |
People outside the Bowling Green subway station in downtown Manhattan battle over a naked statue of Hillary Clinton.
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An artist erected an obscene statue of Hillary Clinton in downtown Manhattan Tuesday morning causing a heated fight between defenders of profane piece of protest art and women trying to tear it down.
The grotesque caricature of the Democratic candidate appeared outside the Bowling Green station during morning rush hour on Tuesday and shows Clinton with hooved feet and a Wall Street banker resting his head on her bare breasts.
The statue was up for less than 3 hours before an enraged woman toppled it over and started yelling at the statue’s creator.
A statue depicting Democratic presidenital nominee Hillary Clinton appeared near the Bowling Green subway entrance in downtown Manhattan on October 18, 2016. (Laura Bult/New York Daily News)
“This is obscene!” shouted Nancy, an employee at the nearby National Museum of the American Indian who would only identify herself by her first name.
“To put something up like this in front of my work place...I shouldn’t have to see this,” she later told the Daily News, fighting back tears as she gestured toward the crude figure.
Video of the dispute shows the museum worker struggling with the artist who erected the statue, who identified himself as 27-year-old Anthony Scioli, as he tried to prop the structure back up. At one point during the tussle, the woman sits down on the statue to prevent Scioli from picking it back up.
A woman in a hijab steps in to help Nancy and stomps her foot on the statue's face, yelling at Scioli: "Don't! Leave it alone!"
A statue depicting Democratic presidenital nominee Hillary Clinton appeared near the Bowling Green subway entrance in downtown Manhattan on October 18, 2016. (Laura Bult/New York Daily News)
A small crowd of morning commuters hovered around the scene with their phones out, some of whom started hurling insults and picking sides in the debate over the statue.
“This lady shows up and tips it over and starts assaulting anyone who tried to put it back up!,” Gene H. 39, an IT worker, told the News, citing his belief in freedom of sppech as a reason the statue should stay up.
A nude statue of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, named "The Emperor Has No Balls" was unveiled in Union Square parkin in Manhattan on Thursday August 18, 2016. (Marcus Santos/New York Daily News) (Marcus Santos/New York Daily News)
Around 8:30 a.m. officers with the counterterrorism unit arrived to the scene and ordered Scioli to take the statue down because he failed to get a permit for the demonstration.
A sign on the statue credited Mini Master and Boogie Night production with its creation and witnesses said it went up sometime before 6 a.m.
In August, an urelated anarchist collective called INDECLINE, put up a naked statue of Donald Trump in Union Square . The political group also erected statues of the GOP nominee in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle.
|
Post Harvey Weinstein abuse stories keep coming out (see James Van Der Beek Admits to Being Sexually Harassed by Hollywood Executives and After Days of Speaking Out on Hollywood Abusers, Twitter SUSPENDS Rose McGowan). Here’s Rob Schneider sharing a story of his own. He points out it’s not only wealthy executive studio heads copping feels. It is just about everyone in the business.
Actors, and actress more than guys, they’re particularly vulnerable because they need an agent, and the agents are creeps too. Casting directors, producers, directors, is rampant in the industry. There’s not one actress who doesn’t have a story. When I was a young actor, there was a gross director and it happened to me. I was a famous director, and this was before I was really famous, but next thing you know I was in a room with this guy. He’s in a chair wearing a robe, and wanted me to crawl towards him on the floor.
Let’s separate the A-list celebrities who knew about this abuse, yet thanked Weinstein at every award show they attended, from the growing legion of actress and actors who were all victims of sexual harassment. Seems like the very rape culture feminists have claimed infected college campuses, is actually in Hollywood.
And let’s start naming names so that it stops happening. Who’s going to take the first step?
NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THE PODCAST? FIX THAT! IT’S COMPLETELY FREE ON BOTH ITUNES HERE AND SOUNDCLOUD HERE. |
The National Management Agency has said there is no question of the agency paying bonuses to developers.
In a statement, the agency said the term "bonus" was introduced by a Deputy, and not by NAMA, during a Public Accounts Committee meeting this week.
NAMA said today's statement was in response to "questions and some comments made in relation to debtors and bonuses".
The agency said it fully disclosed in its annual report in 2010 that incentivisation for its debtors could be a feature if better than expected financial outcomes were achieved by them.
It said the the outcome of the review of some debtors' business plans included possible incentivisation arrangements which would only be triggered if they met very ambitious, or "stretch" financial targets which were set for them.
If debtors achieve these targets, they will retain a small proportion of any excess achieved above target levels in certain cases.
"The vast share of any excess will go to NAMA and ultimately to taxpayers if the stretch financial targets are achieved," the agency stated.
NAMA told the PAC meeting that very few debtors are this stage are likely to achieve the "stretch" financial targets set for them.
The agency added that the incentivisation of developers is especially relevant given the shortage of residential supply in Dublin and other urban areas. |
The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutras community.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.
One of the saddest things about being an old-school RPG fan is just how misunderstood one of the most traditional and exciting RPG systems is: the Turn-Based combat.
For many gamers, turn-based combat is best know as "JRPG combat". And it's often seen as outdated, slow, unrealistic, repetitive and many other unflattering adjectives.
There are many reasons for this. In the West, Turn-Based RPGs dominated the 80s but, with the rise of FPS and RTS games, they started to be replaced by Real-Time and Real-Time-with-Pause RPGs.
As TB games vanished from the shelves, misinformation, prejudice and hype-driven reporting stepped in - such as this infamous 2011 interview with InXile's president Matthew Findley, where he states that turn-based games were just a "technical limitation":
"I think these games always wanted to be action games at their heart. I think all those old turn-based games, it’s just that’s all the technology would allow."
Ugh.
While JRPG series like Final Fantasy kept TB combat going for a while longer, the Japanese game industry had a lot of difficulties during the PS3 & Xbox 360 era. Fewer games were translated and crossed the oceans, and many of those were disappointments. For a while, the biggest news on Japanese games was Phil Fish saying that they suck.
In 2012 Kotaku's Jason Schreier even wrote an entire article just to counter-attack the perception that Japanese games are "Stale, Old-Fashioned, Archaic, Obsolete, Out Of Touch Rehashes".
I completely agree with the article, but the fact that it had to be written says a lot.
Thankfully, things improved greatly since then. More JRPGs get localized, we have a more healthy & diverse industry open to trying different things and digital distribution made everything more accessible.
Today you can open Steam or GoG and find all sort of Turn-Based RPGs, from indies like Age of Decadence, Lords of Xulima and Underrail to Japanese imports like Trails in the Sky, Strangers in Sword City and Hyperdimension Neptunia to big AAA titles like XCOM 2 and Divinity: Original Sin 2.
In fact, D:OS2 stands as this year's highest rated PC game on Metacritic! So let's take some time to celebrate Turn-based RPGs, looking at some of their most interesting systems!
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In this first article I'll focus on the basics: the so-called "menu-based combat", where there's little to no movement - your party stands in front of the enemy and trade blows until one side is dead.
This is what many consider the typical "JRPG combat", though it actually originated in the US - first in PLATO games from the 70s, then it matured with Wizardry: Proving Ground of the Mad Overlord (1981), as it was the first RPG to allow its players to create & control a party of characters in battle:
I usually prefer holistic analysis, as game systems are (or at least should be) deeply interconnected, but for this article I'll just show some of the most common and interesting design choices regarding Turn-Based combat. It will be long, but hopefully it will be worth it.
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Action Order:
Ok, so the game is Turn-Based... but who goes first? Well, it depends.
In traditional Turn-Based games, each character has a turn. Turn order is usually decided by initiative/speed, and sometimes a very fast character can have more turns than a slow one. You can see this in games like Final Fantasy X, Temple of Elemental Evil, Fallout 1 & 2, the Gold Box games, etc.
Some games - especially tactical ones such as X-COM, Disgaea or Jagged Alliance 2 - instead alternate between a "player turn", where you control all characters and attack, followed by an "enemy turn", were the opposing force does the same. This elevates the risk & reward: you can coordinate your attacks and deal a lot of damage, but then you'll have to endure the enemy doing the same.
However, a few RPGs use instead a Phase-Based system (aka "We-Go"), where you and your opponent give orders to all characters and then the actions are executed all at once.
This is a more chaotic system, that requires some gambles. Let's say you are facing a strong monster and one that is near-death: how many characters should attack the near-death one? Just one? But what if the attack misses? Several? But if the first attack kills, then the others might be wasted...
Initiative is also key. If one of your characters is dying, a fast monster might kill him/her before your slow Cleric can cast a healing spell - will you take the gamble, or order the Ninja to use a healing item?
This system was used mostly on older RPGs, such a Bard's Tale and Wizardry, but lives on in modern Wizardry clones, such as Etrian Odissey, Stranger Of Sword City or Elminage: Gothic.
In 1991 Final Fantasy IV introduced the ATB (Active Time Battle) system, where characters can act as soon as their ATB bars fill up. This remains the quintessential JRPG combat system for a lot of people - especially since it was used in several of Squaresoft JRPGs in the 90s, including FFVII:
Final Fantasy X-2 expanded upon the concept, adding bonus damage when the player chains attacks together. Final Fantasy XIII added more flexibility: you could quickly execute weaker attacks, or wait for it to charge further and unleash stronger ones - a useful choice when trying to keep a combo up:
It's interesting to note that later Lightning Returns added do many nodes to the ATB bar that it effectivly plays like a stamina bar in a real-time RPG like Dark Souls.
Bravely Default elevated combat turns into a resource. Characters can skip turn to save them for later, attacking several times at once or using powerful attacks that take several turns to execute. They can also spend more turns than they saved, which will force them to helplessly stand still for a few turns.
Grandia, on the other hand, made the turn order itself interactive - characters "race" each other on a timeline to select an action. Each action takes a certain time to be executed, and you can try to interrupt an enemy's attack, delay it or quickly prepare a defense before it lands. This system was later used in games like Penny Arcade's On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 & 4 and Child of Light:
Nowadays many gamers are familiar with the Persona series, where hitting an enemy with elemental magic he's weak to will negate his turn and leave him exposed. But the Turn Press system in the Shin Megami Tensei games goes much deeper. During your turn you get a certain number of points to use - and each action will consume some of those points.
However, Critical hits or exploiting enemies' weakness consumes less points than normal, while a miss will consume more points. And if you screw up big - like using a spell the enemy can absorb, you lose ALL points and your turn will end.
It's an elaborate system, that requires you to know each enemy and their weakness, then exploit those to make your turn last as long as possible.
Position & Reach:
Wizardry 1 divided your characters into front & back row, meaning only the three characters in the front could physically attack & be attacked. The problem was that this limited party composition. For example, Mages and Priests could still cast spells from the back row, but the Thief class was useless in combat - it was too weak to be in the front row, but unable to cast spells from the back row.
Final Fantasy I "solved" this by making front & back rows more subtle - everyone can hit everyone, but characters in the front row deal & take full physical damage, while those in the back take & deal less:
A better solution came in Wizardry V, with the addition of weapon range. Now characters from the back row could attack as well, as the game's manual anxiously explains:
Recently, Lords of Xulima spiced things up, adding horizontal range: characters with short weapons can only attack adjacent enemies. In the image below, the far right goblin can only be attacked by the right-most Warrior or the bow-wielding Thief. For the Cleric to hit him, he'll have to move to the right:
Wizardry 8 revolutionized the concept by mixing a fully 3D world with a circular party formation. Now enemies could engage you from any direction, so being attacked from the left means that your right-side characters likely wouldn't be able to reach the enemy. Being surrounded means you have to spread your defenses thin, and enemies will likely have easy access to your fragile casters.
Meanwhile, we also have games where position not only who can attack/be attacked, but also which skills can be used. In Darkest Dungeon some skills are only available if the character is in the two front slots, while others can only be used from the two back slots:
A further example is Yumina: The Ethereal, where only the front-most character can attack - the others provide support, buffing the attack, debuffing the enemy or trying to interrupt/counter the enemy's buff/debuff. It looks chaotic, but it's quite intuitive:
Radiant Historia inverts things by offering attacks that allows you to manipulate the enemy's position on the grid - you can push them into traps, into the range of AoE spells or pile them up in a single square, so that you can deal damage to all of them at once. The game even allows you to delay your turns, so that you can coordinate the attack better & land multiple hits with the same character:
A common characteristic in all these games is that the heroes and the enemies are in separate fields - even when characters can move around, they cannot enter the opposing field.
Obviously, not every Turn-Based game follows this rule. There are RPGs where encounters take place in small tactical maps, like Albion or Agarest: Generatios of War; in large areas, like Final Fantasy Tactics or X-COM; in oddly-shaped arenas, such as Wild Arms 4 & 5; those with free movement inside a radius, such as Hyperdimension Neptunia; and even those set in large open worlds, like Jagged Alliance 2, Divinity: Original Sin or Fallout 1 & 2:
However, these add several new elements, such as Action Points, Grids, Stances, Flanking, Attacks of Opportunity, etc... so we'll address them and Tactical RPGs another time.
Timed button press / QTEs:
An advantage of TB combat is that during a character's attack the game & player are 100% focused on that single attack, so many games ask players to perform additional actions during the attack.
A very common one is to press a button right when the attack/block happens, to make it more efficient. Several RPGs, from Paper Mario to Final Fantasy 8 make use of this feature.
Final Fantasy 8 actually takes it further. Some Limit Break attacks require special inputs - Squall's just asks players to time the button press correctly, but Zell's come with a long list of attacks that must be executed by pressing a specific button combination:
A fan-favorite is Shadow Hearts' Judgment Ring system, where attacks require that players time their button presses to hit certain areas on a clock-like artifact:
Executing the attack is usually easy, but landing a critical requires hitting a very narrow area - and might lead to a miss. More than a gimmick, this is a key part of the game - different attacks have different rings, and some buffs/debuffs can affect the ring's speed or the size of the hit areas.
In a slightly different take, Mario & Luigi blended the brother's platforming skills with RPG by having not only timed button presses to boost attacks, but also asking players to jump with both characters to avoid attacks during the enemy's turn:
Other games, like Valkyrie Profile and Agarest 2 go for a combo-like approach. In Valkyrie Profile each of the PSX's four face buttons is assigned to one party member. During your turn you can attack with each character a certain number of times - the goal is to make them combo the enemy with as many hits as possible - but the trick is that each hero has a different speed and attack type.
If you can coordinate all characters and land enough its in a short amount of time, you'll unleash extra special attacks. Of course, enemies won't just stand there - they may block or counter your moves.
Party Members
Turn-based games rely heavily on abstraction - mechanics over verisimilitude - or "gamistic" rather than "simulationistic", if you prefer. As such, they more easily acommodate mechanics like instantly swapping party members during battle - although it begs the question of WTF were they doing instead of fighting.
Pokémon, arguably the world's most popular Turn-Based RPG, uses character swapping as a core mechanic. You may have a party of six pokémons, but only one will fight at a time. This is complemented by the several Pokémon types, each with their strengths and weakness. A key part of the game is knowing which Pokémon to use and when to swap it.
If you push this concept to its ultimate limit, you get Labyrinth of Touhou. These games allow you to fight with a four-character party, but with eight more characters in the reserve, where they slowly regenerate. This is because characters are all very fragile - and there's no way to resurrect them mid-combat. You have to play smart, selecting characters with the appropriate attacks & resistances, then swapping them out a soon as their HP starts to go down:
Other games, such as Breath of Fire 4, will keep extra party members as support. The game only allows three characters to battle (again, mechanics over realism), but the rest of the party stays in the back, occasionally using support skills. They can be instantly swapped with active characters, as well:
Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis also keeps half your party on the reserve, but you can swap them in mid-attack or even while defending. Not only this allows for extra damage, but you'll later unlock special finishing moves that require you to deal a certain number of combos, or use all characters in one attack.
Another design choice is to have a party, but only give players control over one character at a time. A few games do this, but IMHO the pinnacle of such system was Final Fantasy XII and its gambit system, where you "program" party members using a series of conditionals - "IF health < 30%, USE Potion", and so on:
The Last Remnant might be a mess of a game, but it's a very interesting mess. While most RPGs have between three and eight party members, here you have up to 18 characters at once, split in up to five different squads - each with their own formation. The stats of each squad are a mix between the individual character stats and a group average + current formation bonus:
Instead of asking you to control all 18 characters, the game takes a more "macro" approach: you give orders like "Full Attack!" to each squad, and each character will use the attack they think works best.
Another example of fighting large scale battles is Sengoku Rance, in which you control generals & their armies. Their troops are their HP - and the more troops, the more damage they can deal:
BTW, another unique aspect of Sengoku Rance is that battle & character has a turn limit. Each unit can only attack up to four times per battle, and battles can't last more than 24 turns. Once time ends, the side with the highest morale wins.
Time-keeping & Status Effects:
Speaking of time, an cool side-effect of having turns is that it makes the passing of time much easier to measure & understand. Compare it to a Real-Time RPG: even if you know that a buff lasts 35 seconds, that doesn't clearly convey how many actions you're able to perform. In TB games, that's very simple to understand - it will just say "this buff last five turns".
As such, many TB games make great use of effects that happen over time, such buffs, debuffs and trade-offs - or even just annoying enemies that regenerate 20% HP each turn.
The Etrian Odyssey series has plenty of skills based on short time windows or temporary trade-offs - such as dealing more damage this turn but being left vulnerable; forfeiting a turn to boost damage for the next 2-3 turns; or dealing a lot of damage at once, then resting for 1-2 turns.
Cosmic Star Heroine has several systems that will make you carefully track time. Each turn both you and the enemies get stronger, so combat grows increasingly deadly. Also, every X number of turns your characters get a "hyper" buff, which grealty increases their damage.
Moreover, there's no mana: each ability can be used once, then you must rest or defend to be able to use it again - effectively asking you to "waste" a turn to recharge your powers. Thus, knowing when to use your best attacks (ASAP to quickly kill enemies? When hyper activates? Later when they're more powerful?) and when to rest is key to surviving.
Other games, such as Chrono Cross, play with the alternating nature of turns. Each spell you cast has an element color, which affects the battle's "Field Effect". Cast three Green spells in a row and the field will be 100% Green - this boosts characters that are attuned to the Green Element, and allows them to use higher-tier spells such as summons or ultimate moves.
The trick is that you control only three characters, so even if you cast three spells of the same color in a row, the next turn the enemy might cast a different color - or take advantage of the field for himself!
Yumina, which I mentioned previously, also does this with its shared mana bar: there are four colors of mana - if you cast a spell that costs 12 Green mana, the Green portion of the mana bar will go down by 12 and the other colors will go up by 4.
If you use too much of one color, you'll drain it - but also allow more powerful spells from other colors to be cast. All characters in battle draw from the same mana bar, so if the opponent has a powerful Red attack, you can use a heavy Red spell immediatly before him, leaving him out of mana.
Joint Attacks
Another tradition of TB RPGs are joint attacks. Instead of having each character attack separately, two or more heroes join forces in a single attack. Several games do this, but Chrono Trigger is perhaps the most famous, with its double and triple techs:
Ah, the memories...
But Chrono Trigger is far from the only - or the best game at this. Suikoden II uses its massive 108 character roster to allow all sizes of joint attacks, from a double strike all the way to five humanoid squirrels joing forces to instantly kill an enemy:
However, not all combination attacks are openly presented. Some games "hide" them - they occur when a specific sequence of attacks is inputted. In Phantasy Star IV, for example, instead of individually selecting what each character will do, you can create a macro - in theory to make combat faster, but using certain spells in a certain order leads to powerful attacks executed by multiple characters:
Truly weird stuff
Finally, we get to the truly weird & unique TB games.
SD Snatcher is a spin-off of Hideo Kojima's adventure game Snatcher. The game can be described as a "Turn-Based FPS": each turn you choose a gun and aim with the crosshairs - you can destroy specific body parts of your enemies to make them slower or weaker, but they'll often move before you fire. Thus, aiming for a small critical spot is risky, while shooting at the body is a guaranteed hit... unless they have shields or hostages:
After a Turn-Based FPS, why not a Turn-Based 2D fighting game? Windwalker is a martial arts RPG where battles play like a turn-based Street Fighter - each turn you choose one of ten movements, such as jumping, kicking, dashing forward, cartwheeling, punching, etc - each with its own range, damage and execution time. Plus, after each battle you can watch a real-time replay!
Undertale deserves a lot of credit as well: a turn-based RPG that requires you to play through short gameplay segments during the enemy's turn - from bullet hell to platforming. Perhaps most importantly, it uses the game as a whole to convey its story - from the soundtrack to the user interface.
A favorite of mine is NEO Scavenger. The game is a survival RPG that almost hides all information from the player. You never see damage numbers and there's not a single combat animation.
Instead, you select commands, such as “shoot”, “kick” or “sneak towards”, and the combat log will describe what happened. While this may seem crude, it allow for actions that even AAA games find too complex to animate, such as head-butting, leg tripping and even grappling (with mods) – all while pushing a shopping cart. You'll have to use your intuition to understand which actions deals more damage and are more useful. A nice twist on what's usually a very number-driven genre.
Finally, here's Hylics:
The gameplay is quite standard, but damn the art looks cool.
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There's many more games to talk about, but this article is already long enough as it is. I shall return soon(ish) with a second part about interesting aspects and systems in turn-based tactical RPGs, but feel free to point out other games & systems that I missed.
In the meanwhile, if your heart desires more RPG-goodness, check the CRPG Book Project, my ongoing FREE ebook on the history of Computer Role-Playing Games. Cheers! |
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