text
stringlengths 316
100k
|
|---|
2. About 95% of those pigs are raised on industrial farms. Farm Sanctuary
At many industrial farms, pens are overcrowded and animals live with injuries and diseases according to investigations by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Mercy for Animals, and PETA. Industrial farming practices have evolved to deal with these problems, but sometimes the solutions lead to more problems. For example, overcrowded pigs will bite at each others tails, which often leads to infection and even death. To prevent that, farm workers dock piglets' tails when they are two to five days old, but the piglets aren't given anesthesia to mitigate the pain. (You can watch a video that shows a docking here.)
3. Most female breeding pigs spend their entire lives in tiny stalls where they are unable to turn around. Flickr: 43008179@N00
4. Eighty percent of U.S. pigs are fed a controversial growth drug that's banned in Europe, China, and Russia. United Soybean Board
The National Pork Producers Council says it's entirely safe to eat pigs that were raised with the drug ractopamine, which makes them grow leaner and faster. "Countries that have banned pork from hogs fed ractopamine have done so to protect their domestic pork producers," says David Warner from the NPPC. "Or in the EU's case because it believes there could be adverse health effects at some point down the road possibly." The National Pork Board says the drug is safe based on "rigorous, scientific reviews" that led the FDA and the United Nations (Codex) to approve its use. But the Center for Food Safety says Codex's approval was based on only one human study of six young, healthy men, one of whom dropped out after experiencing adverse health effects. The human health impacts are more debatable than the effects of ractopamine on animals. "The drug has triggered more adverse reports in pigs than any other animal drug on the market," wrote journalist Helena Bottemiller after her 2012 review of FDA reports. "Pigs suffered from hyperactivity, trembling, broken limbs, inability to walk and death." Bottemiller got access to the FDA reports under a Freedom of Information request. The FDA says this data does not establish that the drug caused these effects. The CFS and Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) sued the FDA in October for withholding records pertaining to ractopamine's safety. Because ractopamine is banned in countries where American companies want to sell meat, some producers are starting to cut down its use. Smithfield, for example, announced last year that half of its pork supply will soon be ractopamine-free.
5. Sometimes dead piglet parts are ground up and fed to living pigs. Humane Society of the United States A recent HSUS undercover investigation at the Iron Maiden Hog Farm in Kentucky revealed that after more than 900 piglets died of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, their intestines were ground up and fed back to their mothers and other breeding pigs. The Center for Food Integrity responded to the findings by saying that the practice, known as "feedback," is done "to expose [the live pigs] to the virus so [they] can build up immunity."
6. Smithfield pork company creates enough pig poop each year to fill four Yankee Stadiums. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF pisaphotography / Shutterstock The total waste discharge is 26 million tons a year according to a 2006 Rolling Stone feature on Smithfield's poop problem. Smithfield is the largest pork supplier in the country but only accounts for about a third of our pigs (and their poop).
7. The poop and other factory waste are so toxic that the "lagoons" its kept in are bright pink. Flickr: picstever / Steve The Rolling Stone article continues: "The excrement of Smithfield hogs is hardly even pig shit: On a continuum of pollutants, it is probably closer to radioactive waste than to organic manure ... Industrial pig waste contains ... ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, cyanide, phosphorous, nitrates and heavy metals. In addition, the waste nurses more than 100 microbial pathogens that can cause illness in humans ... Smithfield's holding ponds — the company calls them lagoons — cover as much as 120,000 square feet ... The liquid in them is not brown. The interactions between the bacteria and blood and afterbirths and stillborn piglets and urine and excrement and chemicals and drugs turn the lagoons pink." Also according to the article, humans have fallen into these lagoons and died.
8. A few lucky pigs, like Julia (below), get rescued by organizations like Farm Sanctuary. Farm Sanctuary Farm Sanctuary rescued pregnant Julia from an upstate New York gestation crate in 2012. You can read about her and her piglets here.
9. But most head to the slaughterhouse. Getty Images/iStockphoto Smithfield's Tar Heel, N.C., slaughterhouse is the largest in the world. It processes more than 30,000 hogs every day.
10. After that, your pork was probably "enhanced" with a whole lot of salt water. Flickr: 29233640@N07 / Robert Couse-Baker Ninety percent of pork products have been pumped with some kind of solution, usually a salty one, that adds moisture and ups the price. "Enhanced" pork can have more than five times the sodium as the non-enhanced version.
11. Your bacon, ham, hot dogs, and lunch meats are treated with a chemical called "sodium nitrite" to help them maintain that youthful red glow. Flickr: myklroventine / Mykl Roventine
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, "Meat processors love sodium nitrite because it stabilizes the red color in cured meat (without nitrite, hot dogs and bacon would look gray) and gives a characteristic flavor... Adding nitrite to food can lead to the formation of small amounts of potent cancer-causing chemicals (nitrosamines), particularly in fried bacon." The American Meat Institute counters that claim, saying, "Numerous scientific panels have evaluated sodium nitrite safety and the conclusions have essentially been the same: nitrite is not only safe, it is an essential public health tool because it has a proven track record of preventing botulism."
12. To make bacon, pork bellies also get doused with "liquid smoke" and red dye. Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF youtube.com Curing pork into bacon can be done at home with basic ingredients like pork and salt. When done en masse, though, pork bellies get a shower of "liquid smoke" and "other flavorings."
13. Some store-bought pork contains potentially harmful and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Flickr: stuartwebster / Stuart Webster Most of this bacteria can be killed if you handle pork correctly, but it's there. When Consumer Reports analyzed 198 samples of pork in January 2013, it found yersinia enterocolitica, a bacteria that causes fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, in 69% of the tested pork samples. "We found salmonella, staphylococcus aureus, or listeria monocytogenes, more common causes of foodborne illness, in 3 to 7 percent of samples," the study says. "And 11 percent harbored enterococcus, which can indicate fecal contamination and can cause problems such as urinary-tract infections."
14. The term "all-natural" has nothing to do with how the pig is raised. jonesdairyfarm.com Don't believe everything you read, especially if it's printed on a meat label. Under the USDA definition, pork is "natural" as long as it has no artificial ingredients added after it's slaughtered and is "minimally processed." |
Photo
The idea of the spy next door, trying to trade in stolen documents and silenced Walther PPKs for P.T.A. meetings and home repair, has been explored in films like “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and the “Spy Kids” movies and in the recent NBC series “Undercovers.”
Usually it’s presented as romantic or family comedy, but the new ABC show “Missing” — in which Ashley Judd portrays a single mom and flower-shop owner dragged back into the spy game after a 10-year hiatus — plays it straight, grim and righteous, in the mode of the Liam Neeson film “Taken”: nothing will stop this avenging parent from finding her son, who disappears early in the first episode on Thursday night.
Photo
That gives “Missing” several things in common with ABC’s breakout hit of the season, “Revenge,” another show approved by the network’s new entertainment president, Paul Lee. They share a theme of vengeance at almost any cost. And Mr. Lee appears to have a taste for prime-time genre fare — soap opera, action thrillers, fantasy, horror — without the jokey, self-reflexive humor of an earlier generation of ABC shows like “Desperate Housewives,” “Ugly Betty” and “Pushing Daisies.” To the extent that “Revenge” and “Missing” exhibit senses of humor, the jokes aren’t stitched in but develop naturally out of the sheer preposterousness of the shows’ situations.
It’s amusing, and perhaps a little arousing, to watch Ms. Judd do violent battle in her full-cotton-sweater soccer-mom outfit — pink cardigan, sensible white T-shirt, gray khakis — after her nurturing suburban character, Becca Winstone, has been revealed as a deadly and relentless former C.I.A. officer. (The show, scheduled for just 10 episodes, doesn’t waste time, pulling the curtain back within 15 minutes of the pilot.) At several points she’s delivering roundhouse kicks and running down European alleys in comically tall wedge sandals, a domesticated version of Angelina Jolie in stilettos.
Advertisement Continue reading the main story
“Missing,” created by the screenwriter Gregory Poirier (“National Treasure: Book of Secrets”), isn’t a particularly good show. The dialogue is mostly wooden, and the plot, through two episodes, is standard spy-story stuff. It doesn’t try for anything like the juicy excess of “Revenge,” and it has no sheerly enjoyable performance like Gabriel Mann’s as that show’s needy billionaire.
Video
But it has its pleasures and grace notes, like those practical yet impractical sandals, or Becca’s taking time out from grilling her son’s Italian girlfriend to lecture her about the evils of smoking. (When the woman says that he left her because he was “just like all the other American boys,” Becca knows he’s been kidnapped — because of course her son is not like all the other American boys.)
The fights and action sequences are good by TV standards, and there’s a bit of classic international thriller ambiance, courtesy of location filming in the Czech Republic and a few scenes that actually appear to have been shot in Rome and Paris. |
The RBI on Wednesday did not allow Stanley Pignal, the South Asian business and finance correspondent for the Economist magazine, to attend the central bank’s bi-monthly monetary policy press conference.
Pignal later put out a series of tweets about RBI not allowing access. “I’ve been critical of new governor not speaking to press, did not expect RBI to freeze us out of press conference. It’s their call obviously,” he tweeted.
When HT contacted, the RBI’s spokesperson said that the matter was between the Economist correspondent and RBI, and that “it can be discussed and sorted out between the two.” The RBI spokesperson also spoke to Pignal subsequently.
The Economist had recently carried a series of stories on demonetization and on how the new RBI governor Urjit Patel has not been talking to the media.
Pignal later also tweeted that the RBI’s decision to exclude the Economist from the press conference was not related to the magazine’s coverage of the demonetization issue.
First Published: Dec 07, 2016 18:57 IST |
The Dead Sea is a remarkable and unique place in the east of Israel. Over the past year I've made countless trips to the area, driving nearly two hours each way, leaving at the break of dawn, in order to be there for sunrise when the light is beautiful and before it becomes too hot as temperatures can reach 46 degree Celsius (115 Fahrenheit).
The Dead Sea is going through rough times to put it mildly. Due to the factories in the area that keep extracting minerals from the salty sea, the sea level keeps receding. One side effect of that are sinkholes that are a direct result of the descent of the water level which causes cavities where the land collapses into itself. The sinkholes make it dangerous for people to walk around in the area since the ground might collapse beneath them. Many have died in the past from exactly that.
Being a landscape photographer I made countless trips to the beautiful Dead Sea to photograph it. At the beginning I only shot with my DSLR but lately I started using my DJI Mavic Pro drone to photograph the sinkholes in places I was afraid to walk in or couldn't even reach.
Looking from above I was fascinated to see the amazing colors that I never even knew were there. But even more amazing was to see shapes that reminded me very much of the human body. I saw sinkholes shaped like crying eyes; one shaped like a heart; a stream of water that looked like a bleeding artery with a blood clot due to the color of the soil; two adjacent streams in blue and red colors reminded me of the aorta; sinkholes in green and yellow colors that reminded me of the digestive system.
I think that though it's very beautiful from above it's a high price to pay for beauty.
More info: Instagram |
Description
The Original Dr. No Effects “MotherBrain” (Delay).
The MotherBrain is an insanely high end quality build Delay effect, that produces classic, classy tones. This makes it the ultimate sonic tool for Guitarists, Bass Players, Keys and Vocal.
With three easy to adjust and dialed in functions;
*”Present” (mix of delay with the guitar signal running through) with dial range from “Wet” (Delay effect is fully mixed in signal when dialing clock-wise) to “Dry” (no delay effect running through signal when dialed back).
*”Insanity” (Delay time).
*”Memory” Short Term and Long Term (the amount of repeats/feedback you prefer).
Like you are used about Dr.No Effects, everything is very clear, and simple with use, but very efficient, robust and reliable.
The engaged MotherBrain delay effect has no influence on your send through signal, that stays at the same level and clarity as your original signal. Preferred position is to use as the last effect in your pedal chain.
Again very easy to adjust to use in various ranges. From rockabilly slabback, almost reverby, to insane oscillation spaced out tones and everything in between. Fully handmade and build to last a life-time by Dr.No, from circuit and silscreened housing to the custom made tiny brain knobs as well as the box and the little brain key-chain that are included. All MotherBrains are hand numbered and signed from 1/350 to 350/350, because Dr.No will only build 350 copies of his MotherBrain!
The MotherBrain uses a 9v power-supply.
Exclusively available at various guitar stores, listed at www.Dr.No-Effects.com and here at Shop.DrNo-Effects.com
Enjoy! |
Kraków is probably one of the most fascinating cities in Europe. We visited the second city and the cultural capital of Poland in September 2013. I do have a soft spot for Poland and considering the fact that I actually lived in the country for many months in 2003-04, it’s quite a surprise that it took me ten years to visit Kraków. It’s a medieval city that breathes a mix of modern breezes on the one hand and nostalgia and history on the other.
Kraków in Early Morning
We visited Kraków in September 2013. Back then we lived in Bratislava and the easiest way was to catch the night train. For once there were more of us, as Jesper’s siblings joined us on this trip. Traveling by train in Europe is so simple, and it is something we can recommend to anyone. Another option is to fly, and there are many cheap flights to the city from several places around Europe.
We arrived early in Kraków and started discovering the city immediately. At around 7 a.m. we found ourselves at the foot of Wavel Hill. The Wavel Royal Castle stood there, very silently, looking over the city – as it has done for centuries. The hill and castle together form the most historically and culturally important site in Poland. Before reaching the impressive hill, we had actually managed to cross most of historical Kraków. Between the train station and the castle lies the Stare Miasto (Old Town). We really enjoyed our stroll where we could take in the Kraków Barbican, Brama Florianska, as well as the Main Square (Rynek Glówny). As we would find out later, the old town is always crammed with people. In other words, we were lucky to be outside at this early hour as we could enjoy all the sights without all the crowds.
The entire Old Town is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and from 1038 to 1596 it was the political center of Poland. There used to be a 3 km defensive wall surrounding the Old Town. This wall was complete with 46 towers and seven main entrances leading through them. Most of the fortifications have been demolished. In the Old Town, you can explore old churches and museums, art galleries, and the shops in the Kraków Cloth Hall (Sukiennice). The Main Square is the largest medieval town square in Europe.
Enjoying the Good Life in Kraków: the Things You Shouldn’t Miss
I dare to use a headline like this one because I decided not to visit Auschwitz with the others. I have been to another camp in Poland before, and I think it’s enough to experience all that horror once. So, in my book Kraków is a place to enjoy the good things in life. These good things include tasty Polish food (such as pierogi or bigos), bookshops and cozy cafés. It is obvious that the city is popular among students and young people. We did not explore the nightlife but there were many bars, pubs, and restaurants. Being an important cultural center, the city also has a lot to offer in terms of concerts, exhibitions, and shows.
There are about 40 parks and gardens in Kraków. One of the biggest parks is called Planty Park and it surrounds all of the Old Town. This seemed to be a particularly popular spot, and we also bumped into a former colleague there. The world is so small sometimes!
As we only stayed in the city for two days, I feel that I would really like to return someday. Fall is a good time to visit – the country is famous for its golden fall. But I’d like to go there in the summer, to enjoy picnics and long walks in the sunshine.
Have you ever been to Kraków? How did you like it?
We have written about Poland before, click on the links below to find out more: |
Ed Sheeran Updates Fans On New Album Progress: "It's Structurally There"
The 'Lego House' singer admits he did most of his writing on the road with Snow Patrol.
Ed Sheeran has revealed that his forthcoming second studio album and the follow up to his hugely successful '+' is "structurally there".
The 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You' star told Billboard.com that he did most of the writing for the record during his North American tour with Snow Patrol and enjoyed the free time.
"I did the second album on tour with Snow Patrol," he confessed. "I found myself with a lot of free time, so I wrote a lot of songs and it's pretty much structurally there."
Ed has been teasing details of the record for the past few months and has previously revealed he has recorded with the likes of Snow Patrol and Taylor Swift.
He recently teamed up with UK rapper Devlin and is rumoured to be performing at the closing ceremony of the London Olympic Games.
You can view a picture of Ed performing live on stage at the Summertime Ball 2012 last month below:
The 'Small Bump' star is also expected to release his collaboration with Example for free this summer.
Ed will also be appearing at the iTunes Festival 2012 and head on a new UK tour in October. |
Last Updated: 09 Oct 2013
The Johnson family received child benefits for going on 20 years, BoJo writes in The Telegraph, which amounts to exactly £47,547.40 in total.
'I can’t pretend that without this dosh they [the kids] would have been deprived of bootees or SMA milk powder or scented nappy bags,' he says. 'Like many other families we have been able to use this astonishing state largesse - the thick end of fifty grand - on all sorts of discretionary spending.
'We’re looking at 10 half-decent ski holidays here, or about five luxury safaris. We could have laid down a cellarful of Chateau Lafite, or picked up an Old Master drawing, or a share of a lovely little place in Spain...'
Well done, Boris. Showing you're 'a man of the people' again... |
Canadians need to stop framing the marijuana issue in the timeless tradition of good vs. bad. We have to get past the medical argument, the gateway argument, the economic argument, the addiction argument, the failure of the war on drugs argument and many others. It’s not a question of right or wrong. The legal status of marijuana, like anything else that is relatively harmless, should be based on one simple principle: that a responsible adult has the right to be in charge of his or her own affairs.
Legalizing marijuana is not about good vs. bad or right vs. wrong. It’s about our ability to make those decisions for ourselves. (Aug. 9, 2012) ( ANDRES STAPFF / REUTERS )
Like most everything we enjoy in life (alcohol, red meat and running a marathon are examples that come to mind right now) the reality of marijuana is that it’s a double-edged sword. Marijuana is both good and bad. The current policy, on the other hand, is all bad, which is why it’s not the plant that needs to be changed. Canada, being a modern democracy with an educated population of mostly responsible, hard-working adults, should stop treating its citizens as though we need to be protected from ourselves. When it comes to drugs, we have historically based policy on what people of poor judgment do with them, leaving those of us competent to manage our daily affairs at a loss and at risk of arrest. Today most Canadians think this is a backward approach. The first time I smoked marijuana was a revelation, not because it was so much fun but because it wasn’t. Certainly it was an amusing experience but it was a far cry from what we’d been taught to avoid in school. I experienced no euphoria, no grand distortion of reality and no withdrawal. What I did was laugh a lot. Then I scoured the kitchen for something to eat.
Article Continued Below
Today I hardly touch the stuff. Unless I’m home alone bored on a Friday night with the kids and wife away and things tidied up nicely at work, it doesn’t seem like much fun at all. But if it did, I would probably need a good movie to watch and a bottle of wine to go with it (yes, I might just drink the whole bottle). Short of that particular scenario and possibly a couple of others, marijuana is not something I’m interested in. It’s not something I crave and it’s certainly not something I feel the police need to protect me from. I know a few police officers who feel the same way. So let’s forget that it’s easier for kids to get marijuana under the current arrangement. Let’s forget about the money we could tax out of a legitimate industry. Let’s forget about the decent people who would no longer end up saddled with a criminal record. Let’s forget that we would no longer be wasting judicial resources to the tune of untold millions per year. Let’s forget that it’s probably less harmful than that bottle of wine I might just polish off all by myself. And let’s finally remember that we are all responsible for our own affairs and most of us don’t want it any other way. What we should be talking about is whether or not Canadian adults are able to make adult decisions without a bunch of politicians telling us to look both ways before crossing the street. If our neighbours to the south can see the light it is time Canada started talking as well.
Legalizing marijuana is not about good vs. bad or right vs. wrong. It’s about our ability to make those decisions for ourselves. I feel quite confident I’m able to do that these days, even when I’m high. Michael Ashby is director of the National Pardon Centre. |
Going to a Broadway show is a special experience, but there is something to be said for enjoying live theater without even leaving the comfort of your living room. You can wear your pajamas, eat a meal, or live tweet, without worrying about disturbing other audience members. On January 14 at 8 p.m. ET, theater fans around the world will get to watch a Broadway show at home when BroadwayHD live streams that evening’s performance of Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical from Studio 54.
Holiday Inn is the final production of Roundabout Theatre Company’s 50th anniversary season. BroadwayHD first partnered with the not-for-profit company in June when She Loves Me became the first Broadway show to be live streamed. After the success of that collaboration, they are teaming up again for this one-night-only event.
Inspired by the 1942 film of the same name, Holiday Inn is directed by Gordon Greenberg and features choreography by Denis Jones, an Irving Berlin score including “White Christmas,” “Blue Skies,” and “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” and a new book by Greenberg and Chad Hodge. Tony nominee Bryce Pinkham stars as Jim, who leaves show business to move to a farmhouse in Connecticut. In order to raise money to keep the farm, he decides to convert it into an inn open only on the holidays when his performer friends can come put on a show, drawing in guests. He gets help and romance from the farm’s former owner Linda (Lora Lee Gaynor), but when Jim’s old partner Ted (Corbin Bleu of the High School Musical franchise) comes for a visit, he wants Linda to join him as his new partner.
More than 3,000 students and teachers have seen Holiday Inn at free or reduced rates, in addition to nearly 20,000 audience members and subscribers. “It’s imperative to Roundabout that our shows remain accessible to everyone. So we are overjoyed now to bring the best of Broadway to audiences who otherwise wouldn’t be in NYC to see us live,” Todd Haimes, Roundabout Theatre Company’s Artistic Director/CEO, said in a statement.
The musical closes January 15, and BroadwayHD will capture the second-to-last performance using 14 high-definition cameras. David Horn will direct for the screen and this performance will be produced in association with Thirteen Productions LLC and Universal Stage Productions, the live theater division of the motion picture studio. The live stream will also include interviews with the cast and creative team and behind-the-scenes footage, starting at 7:40pm ET
BroadwayHD, the only online streaming service of its kind, launched in 2015. In addition to the live stream, subscribers can access more than 160 theater productions on demand. Titles in the library include Billy Elliot the Musical, Gypsy starring Imelda Staunton, and Oklahoma! starring Hugh Jackman.
The live stream will be available on BroadwayHD.com and Chromecast. Subscribers can access it from BroadwayHD’s Roku, Apple TV, iPad, and iPhone apps. Visit BroadwayHD.com to sign up. |
Where does one begin to write about one of the finest and most enduringly popular SF novels ever written? By speaking about how it influenced the modern classic American Gods, whose author Neil Gaiman counts Lord of Light as one of his favourite books, as does George RR Martin? That it’s perhaps one of the most creatively twisted sci-fi adaptations of Indian mythology? That its cloaking of science fiction-as-fantasy or rather its magic-underpinned-by-technology is a great example of Arthur C. Clarke’s Third law, that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’? About how it uses science fiction to talk about religion and revolution, how absolute power corrupts absolutely, about freedom, the class system, suffering, social inequality, conflict and gender fluidity?
Perhaps we should just begin with this 1968 Hugo Award winning book’s own opening lines – it happens to be one of the best opening lines in any book, sci-fi or otherwise. This is how Lord of Light starts:
His followers called him Mahasamatman and said he was a god. He preferred to drop the Maha — and the — atman, and called himself Sam. He never claimed to be a god. But then, he never claimed not to be a god.
Written in the trademark style of Roger Zelazny, which combines ancient myth and modern technology, placing gods in a modern context, and exploring human psychology, philosophy and political systems with crisp dialogue — all in a lovely melange of symbolism, aphorism, anachronism, poetry and humour – Lord of Light tells the action-filled story of Sam and his rebellion against the gods. And if that wasn’t enough, the book abounds in twists, turns, intrigue, sin, back-stabbing, betrayal and many a battle.
A little bit of background here. Eons ago, the spaceship Star of India carrying human colonists from Urath (the long-dead and now-vanished Earth) land on a distant alien planet populated by hostile beings of energy. To survive, to defeat the indigenous creatures and to be able to colonise the planet successfully, the crew augment themselves with chemicals, genetic engineering, and technology to mutate themselves into stronger, powerful and immortal beings, and in the process take on specific attributes for themselves and set themselves up as gods modelled on the Hindu pantheon. Thus we have the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; the death god Yama who is also the creator of the fearsome technology and weapons that the gods wield; Kali, the goddess of destruction; Kubera, who is one of the Lokapalas or guardians; and Ratri, the goddess of the night. And yes, there is also Nirriti (nee Renfrew, the spaceship’s chaplain) who as a staunch Christian is disgusted by all this Hinduism plots to conquer and convert the planet with an army of zombies. Yes, this book has it all (I did say it was creatively twisted!)
These people-who-became-gods, over time, control everything on the planet, subjugating the planet’s population — progeny of their own and the passengers of the spaceship — expecting nothing more than subservience and absolute obedience to their rules. Heaven is nothing but the city in which these gods revel high above in the mountains and hell is nothing but the place in which the original inhabitants, the Raksasha – now considered demons – are bound and caged starting with their leader Taraka. The gods are immortal because of a technique of mind transfer, where they transfer their atman from their old bodies into new, with their powers intact.
It is this reincarnation technology – that these gods control and keep to themselves, apart from all the other tech of course – that gives them the power over the people. For the Law of Karma in this world is nothing but this: follow the rules and after you die, you will get reborn in a healthy human body of your choice. Displease the gods, and your new body may have genetic defects and physical handicaps, just punishment of course. Commit a crime against the order and you’ll see yourself reincarnated as an animal. As simple as that.
Only one man, one of The First, like the gods, decides to stand against them. Over many lifetimes, he has been known by many names – Kalkin, Siddhartha, Maitreya, Manjusri, Tathagatha, Buddha, and who is now Mahasamatman, Binder of Demons, Lord of Light. He personally prefers the name Sam. Sam is an Accelerationist, a person who believes that technology and knowledge must be freely available to all the people, and so sets in motion the process that leads to the birth of Buddhism, much to the chagrin of the other gods who won’t tolerate such culture-jamming tactics. In this sense Sam is like Prometheus who – in Greek myth – stole fire that the gods so jealously guarded and gave it to humankind. And like Prometheus, Sam shall face the wrath of the gods. The books then is the story of Sam’s rebellion, the birth of Buddhism (truly modelled on the very real Indian history of those times), how it comes to be and what happens next.
The last two paragraphs are just the backstory, not the whole story by any stretch nor do they even contain spoilers. The real fun is in the reading, and if it does get challenging, stick with it and you will be rewarded. So I shall say no more about the story except that it’s tightly plotted and gallops along at an even pace most of the time and canters in parts. The fights and battles are of course the most exhilarating parts, brilliantly described and action-filled, almost choreographed like a Peter Jackson epic battle. And to balance it, you also have musings on philosophy and of course, religion.
Lord of Light also contains one of the most famous puns in science fiction history (about halfway into Chapter 2; look out for it!). And speaking of chapters, it would be more fitting to think of them as episodes arranged in a more or less chronological sequence of events, with each episode an individual tale that come together to form a whole as the story progresses. Each episode is preceded by short intros that give context and background to that particular chapter (hot tip: the intros will be more enjoyable if you have a case of Freemanic Paracusia, a ‘disorder’ wherein you hear everything you read in the comforting voice of Morgan Freeman).
And all of this in just about 250 satisfying pages (at least in the 1971 Panther Books edition).
So if this book is so awesome, why wasn’t it made into a movie? It was, and called Argo. But, not really. And therein lies an interesting story.
In the mid-70s, comic book fan and lover of science fiction Barry Ira Gellar bought the movie rights to Lord of Light and wrote a complete screenplay based on it, along with a detailed script treatment. His plan was to use the sets of the movie as permanent structures that form the core of a SF-themed park called Science Fiction Land; a project that included luminaries such as the make-up wizard behind Planet of the Apes, John Chambers, author Ray Bradbury, the architect, inventor and futurist Buckminster Fuller, and most of all, the king of comics, the legendary artist Jack Kirby who created the illustrations for all the characters, the locations and an overall visual world for the film. Unfortunately the project got embroiled in all kinds of legal tangles and charges of fraud and embezzlement and was abandoned.
The Argo connection
The script, along with Kirby’s illustrations, would lie in development hell till 1979 when some Iranian activists would storm the US embassy in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution and take the embassy staff hostage; all except for six people, who’d escaped and found shelter in the home of the Canadian ambassador, and had to be exfiltrated. Yes, this is the true story that the Ben Affleck movie Argo is based on. And when CIA agent Tony Mendez (played by Affleck) contacted John Chambers to identify a movie script they could use as cover (positioning himself and the other people from the US embassy as location scouts for a science fiction film in development), Chambers directed him to a project he’d worked on earlier. You guessed it, Lord of Light!
It was the Lord of Light script by Gellar that Mendez used, along with Jack Kirby’s illustrations, as a cover for himself and the six people. The Lord of Light movie – a name that the CIA changed to Argo – and its Indian elements and need for exotic locations, all fitted in well and supported their story. But just like in Affleck’s version the Canadians don’t do much – when in reality, the operation is called the ‘Canadian Caper’ for a reason – there is no mention of Gellar, Kirby, or Lord of Light in Argo the film.
Well, that’s Hollywood and its ‘based-on-a-true-story’ films for you.
A contest, and a giveaway!
But in more cheerful news, the #NWWonFD contest is back, and this time we’re giving away not one, but two copies of the SF Masterworks edition of this book! Because Lord of Light is two good .
Given what you read above, about how, in Lord of Light, reincarnation/rebirth and the Law of Karma are underpinned by technology, more specifically mind-transfer tech, we’d like to hear how you would – in the same vein – science-fictionally describe or explain any other divine rule, belief or practice of your choice. Could be from any religion/faith. Do submit your entries in the comments sections below before Thursday, March 16. You can also tweet to us with the hashtag #NWWonFD or leave a note on the FactorDaily Facebook page.
I wish you all the best! And Happy reading. I’ll see you next Friday with another edition of New Worlds Weekly, only on FactorDaily. Live long and prosper.
PS: Now you too, dear reader, know that the original Lord of Light was not R’hllor from A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones on TV), but Sam. Given that George RR Martin was a good friend of Roger Zelazny, perhaps we can confidently presume that R’hllor’s epithet was GRRM’s nod to a book he considers to be one of the five best SF novels ever written. |
Never doubt how crazy people can get over cheap clothes.
After weeks of build up, H&M’s new collaboration with designer label Balmain launched today (Nov. 5). A bit of chaos was expected, as is generally the case with these collections, which offer low-end approximations of luxury designs at more accessible prices. But nobody fully anticipated the stampedes that took place as H&M stores across the globe opened their doors to anxious shoppers.
On London’s Regent Street, scuffles broke out among people who had been lined up for hours, according to The Guardian.
In Paris, customers flooded the store, knocking over displays and scrambling to grab anything they could.
In a GQ roundup of the chaos, videos show shoppers in Poland and Dubai pushing past security guards and climbing under a security gate to get inside as stores open.
In other cities, shoppers had lined up days before the collection. Would-be buyers in Sydney patiently spent up to 20 hours in the rain just for the chance to shop the collection. In Singapore, some people waited in line for three days. But the award for sheer endurance has to go to Seoul, where some had reportedly been lined up for a full week awaiting the launch.
Balmain has in recent years become a favorite of the social-media elite. Kim Kardashian and her siblings, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, are routinely spotted wearing the brand, and hanging out with creative director Olivier Rousteing, who is the most-followed French designer on Instagram. For the collaboration’s launch, Rousteing and H&M promoted the hashtag #HMBalmaination.
The H&M collaboration brings his expensive designs, which have earned some unflattering reviews from fashion critics, within reach of the millions who follow him and his coterie on their screens every day. But pieces still aren’t exactly cheap; some items, such as an elaborately beaded dress, cost more than $500.
Still, if you want to copy your favorite Insta-celebrity’s Balmain look, H&M’s version is easier to buy than the genuine article, and even if it is a compromised version, that’s hardly the point.
“I really want to get a beaded dress for my 18th and then put it out all over Instagram,” one shopper told the Guardian. “Although of course then I’ll never be able to wear it again. Not once it’s been on social media.” |
Two construction workers put the Free Beer in TGIFBF this morning when they snuck into the Bronx Brewery for a little mid-morning pick-me-up. The duo were caught on the brewery's security cam helping themselves to some of the spot's signature suds, at one point one of them exclaiming, "This is good!" It's true, the El Serrano Red IPA is quite delicious.
Bronx Brewery Beer Thieves by Gothamist
"I came out of the bathroom and saw two guys sitting at the bar," recounts Assistant Brewer Morgan Snyder. "They had full pints." Snyder says he couldn't find a manager to confirm the duo's identity and by the time he got back, they were gone. Realizing they were probably outside, he sought them out and noticed they were trying to hide the cups of beer from him; one had already gotten in his car and placed the full beer in the cup holder. When asked how they ended up in the building, they told Snyder "the forklift guy" told them they should try the beer, despite nobody on staff using the company's forklift today.
"We're having a Christmas party so we wanted to figure out what beer to bring," the men told Snyder, who says he "gave them the benefit of the doubt" but told them they had to come inside, as they were violating open container laws and putting the brewery in jeopardy. Snyder and marketing coordinator Nick Mezansky confirm that if the men had been spotted by police, the brewery could have been shut down, as all cups are emblazoned with the words Bronx Brewery.
The trio made their way back inside and one of the construction workers threw down a $5 "for your trouble." Ultimately, the men bought and paid for a six pack. Snyder and Mezansky say they've seen some strange stuff since opening but this tops the list. |
If you’ve ever received a phone call, Facebook ad, Twitter notification or brochure in the mail offering help with student loans that seems too good to be true, you’re not alone.
Roughly 60% of a sample of more than 6,300 student loan borrowers said they’d seen advertisements for what consumer advocates have dubbed student debt relief scams — companies that offer to help borrowers with their student loans for a fee, but typically provide services borrowers can access from the government for free. Nearly 45% of respondents said one of these companies had reached out to them directly, according to the survey conducted by personal finance site NerdWallet, and student loan advocacy group, Student Debt Crisis.
The responses came largely from people who subscribed to Student Debt Crisis’s email list, which is not a nationally representative sample, but the results provide some insight into a phenomenon increasingly concerning to policy makers. The more than 40 million student loan borrowers contending with $1.3 trillion in student loans have become a vulnerable population ripe for abuse. In response to borrowers’ struggles, the Obama administration expanded the programs borrowers can use to manage their debt, but scammers have seized on the programs as an opportunity to lure borrowers, advertising their services with government logos and phrases like “Obama student loan help.”
“There is confusion in the marketplace as to which programs relate to you, what you can apply for,” said Natalia Abrams, the executive director of Student Debt Crisis, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reforming how higher education loans are paid. “These debt relief companies prey on that confusion.”
Abrams said her organization first became aware of the companies a few years ago after one started using the logo of an earlier iteration of the Student Debt Crisis, called Forgive Student Loan Debt, as part of its advertisements and the organization had to send the company a cease and desist letter. They’ve heard from countless borrowers since about the firms, she said.
About 9% of the survey respondents said they’d actually paid for student debt relief services, spending an average of $613. In lawsuits, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and states attorneys general have accused various student debt relief companies of luring borrowers into paying for services they could get from the government for free and often not actually providing them or in some cases, keeping borrowers on the hook for a repeating charge illegally.
Borrowers of color were more likely to have used the services with 15% of black respondents, saying they paid a debt relief company compared with 9% of white respondents. While it’s hard to say exactly why this is the case it may be because black borrowers are more likely to take out loans, have higher balances and fewer resources to fall back on if the debt becomes unmanageable. Abrams also noted that predatory companies have a history of targeting minority communities.
“There’s an emotional element to this as well and you do want an answer right away,” said Nonso Maduka, NerdWallet’s student aid expert, of why borrowers of all types are lured by the companies. “Even if something doesn’t feel like the best path, if it feels like a quick path and quick solution that is something that you might entertain.”
Other experts have argued that sloppy student loan servicing also allows the companies to proliferate. Borrower advocates often deride servicers — the private companies hired by the government to collect student loan payments — for not providing borrowers with enough or the right information. Critics have noted that the prevalence of student loan relief scams is reminiscent of the mortgage crisis, where servicers failed to provide homeowners with necessary information and scammers popped up in their stead.
“When there is such a need for information and assistance and that’s not being provided by the entities that are supposed to be providing it, people want to turn somewhere else for help,” said Adam Minsky, a Boston-based lawyer who works with student loan borrowers. “These debt relief scams are feeding on the frustrations and the desperation of people.”
Though Minsky applauds government efforts to curb the problem, including the CFPB’s work attempting to shut down some of the outfits and cease and desist letters from the Department to these companies asking them to stop using the feds’ logo, he says the only way to truly stop the companies is through a “total overhaul of the federal student loan system and more regulations governing student loan servicing as a whole.”
“Right now we’re attacking the problem in the sense that we see a company pop off, they rip people off, we go after them and three other companies pop up in their place,” Minsky said. Survey respondents identified 200 different student loan relief companies that they had encountered.
The Department of Education is currently in the midst of revamping the student loan servicing system so that servicers are incentivized to work in borrowers’ best interest and so that borrowers can repay their loans through one government-branded portal.
“If we fix [the servicing system] then people won’t feel the need to turn to these companies,” Minsky said. |
USA Today
Auburn is making sure that any more miracles Gus Malzahn has up his sleeve come on the Tigers sideline, as the school announced a six-year extension with its head coach on Friday.
The extension will pay Malzahn $3.85 million in the first year, with subsequent $250,000 escalators for its duration.
Malzahn signed a five-year deal with the school last December that paid him an annual salary of $2.3 million. The new deal begins next season, and director of athletics Jay Jacobs noted that this financial commitment ensures Malzahn will be at Auburn for the foreseeable future.
John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
"The new contract includes a raise and extension and is our statement that Auburn is committed to coach Malzahn for the long haul," Jacobs said. "While this season has been remarkable, I'm equally excited about the future of our program under his leadership. The future of Auburn football is very bright."
An extension had been in the works for some time. Jacobs told AL.com's
conversation never takes place. The school did not announce buyout stipulations, but it likely included enough assurances that only the deepest pockets in college football or the NFL can come knocking.
Just hours away from possibly locking up his first SEC championship, Malzahn can cross one more distraction off his list in what's been a storybook first season. |
Aspendos or Aspendus (Pamphylian: ΕΣΤϜΕΔΥΣ; Attic: Ἄσπενδος) was an ancient Greco-Roman city in Antalya province of Turkey. The site is located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) northeast of central Serik.
History [ edit ]
Aspendos theatre from the upper gallery
Aspendos was an ancient city in Pamphylia, Asia Minor, located about 40 km east of the modern city of Antalya, Turkey. It was situated on the Eurymedon River about 16 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea; it shared a border with, and was hostile to, Side.[2]
Some scholars associate the city's name with "Azatiwadaya". The known city of that name was founded by Azatiwada of Quwê on his eastern frontier, at Karatepe.[3] According to later tradition, Aspendos was founded rather earlier by Greeks who may have come from Argos.
The wide range of its coinage throughout the ancient world indicates that, in the 5th century BC, Aspendos had become the most important city in Pamphylia. At that time, according to Thucydides, the Eurymedon River was navigable as far as Aspendos,[4] and the city derived great wealth from a trade in salt, oil and wool.
Aspendos did not play an important role in antiquity as a political force. Its political history during the colonisation period corresponded to the currents of the Pamphylian region. Within this trend, after the colonial period, it remained for a time under Lycian hegemony. In 546 BC it came under Persian domination. The fact that the city continued to mint coins in its own name, however, indicates that it had a great deal of freedom even under the Persians.
Circa 465 BC Cimon led an Athenian navy against a Persian navy in the Battle of the Eurymedon, and destroyed it. Aspendos then became a member of the Delian League.[5]
Aqueduct of Aspendos
The Persians captured the city again in 411 BC and used it as a base. In 389 BC Thrasybulus of Athens, in an effort to regain some of the prestige that city had lost in the Peloponnesian Wars, anchored off the coast of Aspendos in an effort to secure its surrender. Hoping to avoid a new war, the people of Aspendos collected money among themselves and gave it to the commander, entreating him to retreat without causing any damage. Even though he took the money, he had his men trample all the crops in the fields. Enraged, the Aspendians stabbed and killed Thrasybulus in his tent.
When Alexander the Great marched into Aspendos in 333 BC after capturing Perge, the citizens sent envoys asking him not to garrison soldiers there. He agreed, provided he would be given the taxes and horses that they had formerly paid as tribute to the Persian king. After reaching this agreement Alexander went to Side, leaving a garrison there on the city's surrender. Going back through Sillyon, he learned that the Aspendians had failed to ratify the agreement their envoys had proposed and were preparing to defend themselves. Alexander marched to the city immediately. When they saw Alexander returning with his troops, the Aspendians, who had retreated to their acropolis, again sent envoys to sue for peace. This time, however, they had to agree to very harsh terms; a Macedonian garrison would remain in the city and 100 gold talents as well as 4,000 horses would be given in tax annually.
In 190 BC the city surrendered to the Romans, and the corrupt magistrate Verres later pillaged its artistic treasures.[4][6] It was ranked by Philostratus the third city of Pamphylia, and in Byzantine times seems to have been known as Primopolis. Toward the end of the Roman period the city began a decline that continued throughout Byzantine times, although in medieval times it was evidently still a strong place.[4]
Greek and Roman structures [ edit ]
The Basilica
Aspendos is known for having the best-preserved theatre of antiquity. With a diameter of 96 metres (315 ft), it provided seating for 12,000.[7] It was built in 155[7] by the Greek architect Zenon, a native of the city. It was periodically repaired by the Seljuqs, who used it as a caravanserai, and in the 13th century the stage building was converted into a palace by the Seljuqs of Rum.[8]
In order to keep with Hellenistic traditions, a small part of the theatre was built so that it leaned against the hill where the Citadel (Acropolis) stood, while the remainder was built on vaulted arches. The high stage, whose supporting columns are still in place,[4] served to seemingly isolate the audience from the rest of the world. The 'scaenae frons' or backdrop, has remained intact. The 8.1 metre (27 ft) sloping reflective wooden ceiling over the stage has been lost over time. Post holes for 58 masts are found in the upper level of the theatre. These masts supported a velarium or awning that could be pulled over the audience to provide shade.[7]
The Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival offers an annual season of productions in the theatre in the spring and early summer.
Nearby stand the remains of a basilica, agora, nymphaeum and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) of a Roman aqueduct. The Roman Eurymedon Bridge, reconstructed in the 13th century, is also in the vicinity.
Coinage [ edit ]
Silver Stater from Aspendos dated 370-333 BC, featuring scenes from Olympic sports. City/Region: Pamphylia, Aspendos; Denomination: AR Stater; Composition: Silver Date: 370-333 BC; Obverse: Olympic games-type scene: two wrestlers grappling, the letters delta and alpha between their legs; Reverse: ΕΣΤΕΔΙΙΥΣ , Olympic games-type scene: Slinger, wearing short chiton, discharging sling to right, triskeles on right with feet clockwise; Size: 23.6mm, 10.851g; Reference: SNG Cop 233; SNG France 87
Aspendos was one of the earliest cities to mint coins. It began issuing coinage around 500 BC, first staters and later drachmas; "the slinger on the obverse represents the soldiery for which Aspendus was famous in antiquity,"[9] the reverse frequently depicts a triskelion. The legend appears on early coins as the abbreviation ΕΣ or ΕΣΤϜΕ; later coinage has ΕΣΤϜΕΔΙΙΥΣ, the adjective from the city's local (Pamphylian) name Estwedus. The city's numismatic history extends from archaic Greek to late Roman times.[10]
Bishopric [ edit ]
The Christian bishopric of Aspendus was a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Side, the capital of the Roman province of Pamphylia Prima, to which Aspendus belonged. Of its bishops, the names of four are recorded in extant documents: Domnus was at the First Council of Nicaea in 425, Tribonianus at the Council of Ephesus in 431, Timotheus at the 448 synod held by Flavian of Constantinople, which condemned Eutyches, and at the Robber Council of Ephesus held the same year, and Leo at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787.[11][12]
No longer a residential bishopric, Aspendus is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.[13]
Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival [ edit ]
The theatre hosts the annual Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival organized by Turkish State Opera and Ballet since 1994, with international participation of opera and ballet companies and an audience of about 10,000.
Dalida held her last concert there on 28 April 1987. |
Still looking for that “exploiting a tragedy” bounce
In 2008, candidate Hillary Clinton questioned candidate Barack Obama’s ability to handle that 3 AM phone call that would inevitably come.
What we didn’t know then is that Barack Obama would be the man who — with Hillary Clinton’s assistance — would make the call to take out Osama bin Laden. And we had no idea that an even better test for a presidential candidate than his or her ability to handle that 3 AM phone call was the ability to not send that 12 AM email.
September 11, 2012 was the first day in about a year in which Mitt Romney didn’t lob incendiary, specious attacks at the president. He decided to honor the eleventh anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11 with a little decorum. As he did, the president’s post convention bounce continued and the conservative media began to turn on Mitt. Within a few hours Rush and Laura Ingraham and Bill Kristol all savaged his performance, saying basically anyone could beat Obama so Romney must be terrible.
Mitt’s problem? He wasn’t attacking enough.
For Republicans — who are still willing to employee all of the people who planned the failed Iraq War and still want to offer more tax breaks for the rich after the Bush tax breaks created no jobs — the problem can’t ever be their ideas. And since they decided before any of his policies took effect that President Obama was a failure, they just couldn’t be losing to him. No, it must be that Mitt — who has been throwing invented charges at the president for a full year – just isn’t being nasty enough.
So what did Mitt do around 12 AM of September 12?
He decided that he would take a tragedy that was still unfolding and use it to make a political point in a scathing email statement. Conservatives were complaining about a statement that the American embassy in Cairo put out trying to soothe the protesters. So when a likely unrelated attack on our embassy in Benghazi took the life of an American Ambassador, he took that critique and used to attack the president via email.
Anything to get the knives out of his back and into the president.
Mitt’s email and his smirking defense of it in a press conference have been roundly criticized by almost everyone—except, of course, some of the same maniacs who planned and supported the Iraq War.
Mitt’s defenders called the moment Reaganesque—except they never bothered to look at how Reagan handled such situations in his 1980 campaign.
You could say that the performance was George W. Bushlike, but our memories of the results of the Administration have blurred our understanding of Bush. W. made terrible decisions and hired terrible advisers. But he never did so in a rushed, obviously harried way. He had the confidence of knowing he had support from his dad’s old allies and the steady backing of the right wing press, which at the time was less potent.
In an era where Fox News, AM radio, Drudge and Breitbart are increasingly fact free and set on destruction, a weak candidate like Mitt Romney who has to bend to their ridiculous whims is especially dangerous.
Mitt Romney didn’t understand, or didn’t care, that he was commenting on and inflaming a crisis that is still in progress, putting American diplomats all over the Middle East at risk. His goal is stopping the president’s bounce and he doesn’t even understand the last thing he needs to worry about right wing that never will never really love him.
(Keep in mind that if Mitt defies the odds and is elected, his reliance on the right wing media to avoid a primary challenge will be even more desperate.)
Romney had a chance to show the center what kind of president he would be. And that 12 AM email revealed that he’s a man who has no idea what message he should send.
[Photo by Anne Savage.] |
Smokers who indulge in their first cigarette shortly after waking up have an increased risk of developing lung and head and neck cancers, according to two new studies published in Cancer, a journal of the American Cancer Society. The findings may help identify smokers who have a greater risk of developing cancer. These smokers could then be more urgently targeted for smoking cessation programs.
The first studies to show a link between cigarette smoking and cancer were published back in the 1950s, but it wasn’t until 1980 that nicotine dependence was recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as a psychological and physiological problem. The new studies out of Penn State College of Medicine look at nicotine dependence, which in part can be determined by the amount of time elapsed before a smoker lights up his or her first cigarette after waking up in the morning.
“These smokers have higher levels of nicotine and possibly other tobacco toxins in their body, and they may be more addicted than smokers who refrain from smoking for a half hour or more,” says Joshua Muscat of the Penn State College of Medicine, who led the investigation.
Subjects who smoked their first cigarette between 31 and 60 minutes after waking up were more than 30% more likely to develop lung cancer; the odds increased to nearly 80% for those who smoked in their first half-hour awake. For head and neck cancers, subjects were more than 40% more likely if they indulged in the 31-60 minute window, and nearly 60% more likely for those who smoked in their first half-hour awake.
“One of the things we use to measure dependence is called the Heavyness of Smoking Index, which includes two questions,” says Dr. Richard D. Hurt, the director of the Mayo Clinic’s Nicotine Dependence Center, who is not affiliated with the new studies. “How much do you smoke, and how long after you arise do you have your first cigarette?”
Hurt also points out that waiting a little longer before indulging in a first cigarette of the day would mean fewer total cigarettes in a day. “The more dependent are more likely to be heavier smokers,” he says. “But you also have to look at how aggressively these people are smoking. Those who inhale deeper, hold longer, and smoke their cigarettes all the way to the end are receiving more of the harmful constituents of that cigarette.” This makes them more likely to develop cancer than those who smoke less aggressively.
The half-life of nicotine is relatively short – only two hours – so after six or eight hours of sleep, your body has gotten rid of nearly all of the nicotine you’ve inhaled the day before. There’s very little left in the body in the morning and the receptors in the brain are crying out for more nicotine. Those who are the most dependent need that cigarette earlier, and often smoke more cigarettes throughout the day, more intensely.
The takeaway here is about what you’d expect. “Stop smoking as soon as you can,” says Hurt. “We have more things to offer now than ever before. [You] can go to a physician or call a telephone quit line. We combine behavioral counseling with medications, which can double, triple, or even quadruple your chances of successfully quitting.” |
Since a while now I can hear a metallic ticking clicking sound coming from my new MacBook Pro i5 Unibody. It can be described as a glassy, high-pitched scraping sound. Sometimes, moving the computer or resting your hands or just touching it will cause the noise. Other times, the noise just happens of its own accord.
Because I have a SSD I knew it was not the hard drive I was hearing. I did wonder if I was the only person who had this problem, but I quickly found out there are a bunch of others who also complain about this clicking sound inside their MacBook Pro Unibody. There are even some who had record the sound of it or have made some YouTube video to show how it can be reproduced.
Don’t even try to ask the Apple Genius Bar or the Apple Support Department, they do not even know what you are talking about, stating it is the CD laser head locking sensory system you are hearing.
I had finally found a solution, and fixed the problem of this strange clicking sound in my MacBook Pro. All this thanks to Ten 1 Designer’s blog, the maker of the now famous pogo sketch stylus.
Here’s how to solve the tick-click sound in your MacBook Pro Unibody:
You need to unscrew the back cover of your MacBook Pro and remove a little spring connector that touch (and scrape noisily) the bottom of the metallic casing when the computer heat up.
Ten 1 explain why removing this little connector will solve the problem (and it did) and also why it is not a crucial piece of equipment in your MacBook Pro:
The bottom cover of the MacBook Pro serves as a shield for radiated electromagnetic energy. A great shielding strategy is to find a huge piece of metal, and connect your circuit to that metal wherever possible. The MacBook Pro Unibody enclosure and bottom cover make a terrific shielding system. One of the connectors in this system touches the bottom plate right in the center where it flexes a lot. When the computer heats up, the metal pins in the connector scrape noisily against the cover and chassis. It makes you want to eat your hands. By removing the connector (two easy screws!), you remove one of the grounding connections between the unibody enclosure and the bottom cover. Don’t worry: there are plenty of other connections, and they are adequate for the purpose. Result: Quiet, harmonious environment restored.
Cannot say better. My peace is genuine. Thanks guy! |
Canada’s future depends on its ability to compete on the world stage. As business leaders and tech entrepreneurs, we hope to play an important role in that future.
Many of us were among the more than 150 business leaders who wrote to the previous government to articulate our concerns about Bill C-51. The diverse signatories were affiliated with companies worth billions of dollars, including several start-ups that are planning IPOs, Canada’s largest software company, and one of Canada’s largest institutional investors.
We were buoyed by your government’s promise to introduce much-needed parliamentary oversight of security services, but are deeply troubled that the initial concerns with Bill C-51 from the business community remain largely unaddressed. We appreciate the opportunity for stakeholders to weigh in regarding your public consultation on Bill C-51 but the process to date has raised additional concerns.
In particular we find the following elements from the national security consultation extremely concerning:
Far from mitigating the above concerns, the language from your government’s National Security Consultation further undermines international trust in Canada’s technology and other sectors. In fact, many of the proposals set out in your consultation will further undermine Canada's reputation and change our business climate for the worse.
1. It appears to favour the undermining or breaking of the encryption that many of our businesses and workers rely on.
2. It floats and positively frames mandatory interception powers to access our sensitive business and customer data.
3. It suggests that mandatory access to subscriber data such as an IP address without a warrant is akin to looking up a number in a phone book. This is an appalling and incorrect analogy for a piece of data that can unlock the highly intimate details of the lives of law-abiding Canadians.
4. It raises the idea of forced customer data retention and suggests practices such as purging user data as problematic when such practices actually strengthen data security and customer privacy.
Frankly, it comes as an unwelcome surprise to us to see your government float proposals that, far from addressing the serious problems with Bill C-51, will in fact dramatically exacerbate those problems. We hope you will not proceed with any of these dangerous ideas.
All of the above points relate to data security and we’d like to reiterate a key part of the letter that many of us signed onto last year:
“The data disclosures on innocent Canadians and those traveling to Canada for business or recreation could make our clients leave us for European shores, where privacy is valued. Duplicated data flowing between multiple unsecured federal government and foreign government databases leaves Canadians and Canadian businesses even more open to being victimized by data breaches, cyber criminals and identity theft.
“Even without the increasingly permissive data disclosure practices enabled by C-51, federal government agencies have seen over 3000 breaches of the highly sensitive private information of an estimated 750,000 innocent Canadians in recent years. More than 200 Canadians have come forward in recent months to say their personal or professional lives have been ruined, due to information disclosures, despite never having broken the law. As it is we have a privacy deficit in Canada that erodes trust in both commerce and trade. Bill C-51 deepens that deficit.”
We agree with the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have called on the government to fully scrap this reckless, dangerous and ineffective legislation through OpenMedia and the many other groups working on this issue. We hope your government will listen to Canadians, the business community and experts by starting over with new legislation that respects our collective desire for security overall. Privacy and data integrity safeguards represent security in its most clear and basic sense. Let’s start with this understanding and work from there.
We have attached an appendix that includes more detailed answers to some of the high-level questions put to Canadians in the government’s online consultation on this matter. We hope you find our answers instructive.
We hope for a quick response that addresses these serious economic and data security concerns. We are hopeful that common sense will prevail on this file.
Sincerely,
Laura Tribe, Executive Director, OpenMedia
Julia Fournier, President & CEO, HCMWorks
Wyle Baoween, CEO, HRx Technology
Sara Blenkhorn, Director of collaboration, Leverage Lab
Tim Bray, co-founder, Open Text Corporation
Mark Buell, Director, Internet Society (ISOC), North American Bureau
Matt Buie, Financial Planning Advisor, Assante Capital Management
Graeme Bunton, Manager, Public Policy, Tucows
Jason Collinge, VP Technology, Payfirma
Jennifer Cutbill, Executive Director, Vancouver Design Week
Mo Dhaliwal, Director of Strategy, Skyrocket
Phillip Djwa, President/CEO, Agentic Communications, Inc.
Ryan Dochuk, Co-founder, TunnelBear Inc.
Kat Dodds, Founder/Director, Hello Cool World Media
Bryce Evans, Founder, The One Project
Rachel Forbes, Principal & Legal Eagle, Sharp Six Services
Benjamin Fox, Founder, Tapstream
Martha Fusca, President,The Storyz Network
Mehrdad Gharib, President, FEED Engineering Inc
Frederick Ghahramani, Founder/CEO, airG
Mike Gifford, President, OpenConcept Consulting Inc.
John F. Gray, Co-founder, Mentionmapp
Michael Goodman, Chairman, Tri City Group of Companies
Mack Hardy, President, Affinity Bridge Consulting Ltd.
Daryl Hatton, CEO, ConnectionPoint
Kelsey Heikoop, Owner, Adion Systems
Raynard von Hahn, Lawyer, Genesis Law Corporation
Peter Henry, CEO, GrowthLogic Inc.
Keith Ippel, CEO, Spring Activator Inc.
Gary Isberg, President, AGI by Design
Andrew Jung, Information Architect, Skipping Rock Communication Arts
Alex Krohn, CEO, Gossamer Threads Inc.
Christopher Larsen, Owner, DeadRatGames Inc.
Jordan Lewin, CEO, Digital Sparks Media
Urszula Lipsztajn CEO and founder, WorkBrite
Campbell Macdonald, CEO, Proxxi
Monika Marcovici, Director, Board of Change
Tara Mahoney, Founder/Creative Director, GenWhy Media
Susan McLennan, President, Reimagine PR
Frank Michlick, Founder, DomainCocoon Inc.
Adam Millard, Chair, 3Fold Partners
Chris Nissen, President, Nissen Fasteners
Philip Neves, President/CEO, Neves Software Inc.
Ken Nickerson, CEO, iBinary LLC
Sandra Nomoto, President, Conscious Public Relations Inc.
Andrei Odeski, CEO & Founder, Fortify Communications Inc
Meredith J Powell, Advisor, Finn.ai
Shamus Reid, Co-Founder/COO, New/Mode Inc.
Vanessa Richards, Director, Creative Together
Michael Richardson, Chief Scientist, Sandelman Software Works
Steve Rio, CEO, Briteweb
Thomas Savundra, CEO, Sync.com
Joel Solomon, Chairman, Renewal Funds
Josh Stuart, President, cStreet Campaigns Inc.
Marten Sims, European operations lead, Happy City
Steven Tannock, Founder & CTO, Codegnostic
Michael Tippett, CEO, Wantoo
Matt Toner, President, Zeros 2 Heroes
Andrew Wyllie, Founder and CTO, NU Frontier Communications
Zaid Zawaideh, COO, Sandglaz |
Welcome!
My Plates’ Auctions offer Texans a unique opportunity to purchase a coveted selection of reserved and sometimes never before released plate messages.
My Plates was given authority by the Texas legislature to auction these types of plate messages to help raise money for the Texas General Revenue Fund, which helps pay for services for all Texans.
Auction plate messages are highly sought-after and attract a great deal of attention from the media and public alike.
To receive updates about all of our auction events, sign up for our periodic newsletter - PL8 NEWS. In addition to providing you with the latest information on My Plates' auctions, PL8 NEWS will give you exclusive offers and keep you informed about new plate designs, plate releases, events, surveys, stories, and more. |
For other characters named Anthony, see Anthony.
Anthony House was the half-brother of Robert House and the owner of the H&H Tool Company.
Background Edit
As the self-perceived only legitimate son of House Senior, he considered himself the only worthy heir of his legacy (the aforementioned company). He held a deep disdain for his younger half-brother Robert, likely stemming from the fact that House Senior seemed to favor Robert over him.
Over the years, Anthony developed severe psychological issues, ranging from paranoia to violent delusions. As a manifestation of these conditions, House started implementing increasingly bizarre security measures at his company, which started with things like installing automated turrets in most hallways and eventually devolved into sealing off all the company's bathroom, subjecting his employees to random DNA tests to determine whether they have the "traitor gene", and wearing a "special hat" which allegedly prevented mind-reading. Most of his delusions seemed to revolve around fears that either his half-brother or foreign communists were attempting to steal his company from him and that people inside the organization (such as an executive named Henderson) were secretly aiding them from within.
His condition worsened to the point when, in 2077, he locked down the H&H Tools Factory in outer Vegas and activated its security systems. Curiously, his body is nowhere to be found in the factory.
Notes Edit
He hates foreigners, Masons, carpenters, Tragic players, illegal aliens, extraterrestrials, and the Flemish.
The terminal containing his logs inside the office on the top floor of the H&H Tools Factory is actually named Anthony House's terminal, however in the last entry it is signed Alexander House.
Appearances Edit
Anthony House is mentioned only in Fallout: New Vegas. |
Since most of my output will no longer be suitable for tumblr’s new puritan sensibilities, I’ll be joining many other artists in jumping ship and no longer posting art here.
Thanks to everyone who’s ever followed, reblogged, and otherwise supported or enjoyed my artwork! I started posting art originally on tumblr, and most of development over the last couple of years has been thanks to the feedback and support I’ve recieved from all you lovely people.
I’ll still be posting art to the following places, please do follow them!
Twitter: @rosettiarts - I’ll be uploading all my art to this account, SFW and NSFW.
Furaffinity: Rosetti http://www.furaffinity.net/user/rosetti/ - Mostly the furry stuff, but probably everything else too now tumblr’s kaput.
Pixiv: Rosetti https://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=5318345: - Mostly the shortstack/anime flavoured stuff, but same dealy: probably all my output will go up there now.
Newgrounds: https://rosetti.newgrounds.com/ - It’s brand new, but apparently newgrounds has been on the up-and-up for content creators, and a lot of other artists are heading in that direction. I’ll be uploading my work there.
Deviantart: professortangent - I have one of these. I tend to only upload sfw art to it.
Commissions, I still do those.
I can still be reached for commission enquiries via email, or through twitter, or the messaging services on any of the other sites listed above.
Email: rosettiartenquiries[AT]gmail.com
Prices and information and junk: http://sinearts.tumblr.com/commissions
It’s been a trip everyone, but fuck tumblr :D |
Entirely new diseases can be, and have been, invented to extend a manufacturer's patent on a highly profitable drug. Fugh-Berman said Eli Lilly stood to lose a lot of profits once the patent expired on its hugely popular antidepressant Prozac. "So they positioned this new condition, PMDD (Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder), and then went to physicians and the FDA with their highly paid experts who said PMDD is a tragic disease, and they got approved for Sarafem, the same drug. It's an on-label use for a repackaged drug; they created the disease and then got a drug re-approved that was going off patent."
Just how sly a move was it? "If I as a physician write a prescription for Prozac 20 mg," Fugh-Berman said, "the pharmacist can substitute fluoxetine, the generic. If I write a prescription for Serafem, they can't substitute another drug."
A TEXTBOOK CASE
Dr. Leonore Tiefer, a noted sexologist and associate clinical professor of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine, said the 1998 approval of Viagra for "erectile dysfunction" -- formerly known as impotence -- created a "sea change" in the field of urology. "It was like being sucked into a very medical model and treatment orientation," she told me.
People immediately started asking about Viagra for women. As it was doing for men, Tiefer said that, as a feminist, writing about women, "I knew what would happen if there was a Viagra for women -- the isolation of the function from the person, the isolation of the genitalia from the rest of the body."
The only way to redefine "what a woman wants" -- and build a case for a drug to "treat" it -- was to turn "it" into a medical condition. Without widespread agreement on its definition, pathophysiology, or clinical manifestations, Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) was created. Tiefer called the development of FSD "a textbook case of disease mongering by the pharmaceutical industry and by other agents of medicalization."
With Pfizer's 2011 U.S. Viagra sales pushing $2 billion, and Eli Lilly's Cialis catching up, the booming "enhancement" market suggests that either there has been an extraordinary uptick in male impotence -- or that Pharma has convinced multitudes of men that erectile dysfunction, "E.D." for short, has reached epidemic proportions (40 percent of men are allegedly "at risk"), and drugs are the only solution.
It pains to think of the men who aren't ready when the moment is right as a result of taking Propecia to "treat" another natural effect of aging nearly as widespread among men as occasionally uncooperative equipment: male pattern baldness, or, in medicalese, alopecia.
The fact is you may not need chemical enhancement for the E.D. or the baldness. The best remedy for both may be to reexamine your beliefs about why hair or hardness are so important. A shot of redefined meanings can do wonders to restore normal functioning. |
Members of the New Black Panther Party [NBPP] rioted in front of the Baton Rouge police station on Wednesday. Seven members of the group were arrested. They were protesting the death of Alton Sterling, who died while fighting with police exactly one year earlier. Sterling was a career criminal and a registered sex offender.
Black militants engaged in large-scale violence after Sterling’s death. One officer had several teeth knocked out by an NBPP member. Then on July 17th, 2016, former Nation of Islam member Gavin Eugene Long shot six police officers in Baton Rouge. Three of the victims died. Intense media agitation is believed to have motivated the killer.
Ron Ceasar, a Baton Rouge resident connected to the NBPP, is pledging an escalation of violence. Ceasar was interviewed by the Hayride.com and said a violent civil war is coming. |
Early voting started here in Florida today and voters are turning out in droves, lining up despite rain showers and gusty winds. In Boca Raton, some anticipated the long lines and camped out overnight to be the first in line to cast their votes. The enthusiasm, however, seems limited to Obama supporters.
In Boynton Beach, the early voters line was swamped by an even longer line of citizens waiting at the Civic Center next door, where the Obama campaign was giving out 500 tickets for an Obama appearance tomorrow in nearby Lake Worth. The tickets ran out in a matter of minutes, many in the crowd turned away empty handed.
Susan Horne, a Boynton Beach resident proudly said she was the second voter in Palm Beach County. "I voted for Barack Obama and I hope he's our next president."
Sonya Mitchell, another early voter said she was voting for Obama, too, "and it's not because he's Black, either. I'd vote across party lines for a good candidate, even though I'm a registered Democrat."
John Gavriluk of Delray Beach said he's a small-business owner voting for Obama. "Yes, enthusiastically so. He is visionary, like Colin Powell said in endorsing him. And he does represent a new generation of Americans who are united because he's a 'new breed of politician.' He's articulate, he's bright and he has an even, thoughtful temperament. Our country needs that right now."
Florence Rein and her husband Rubin were waiting, too. "I'll be 89-years old tomorrow and if Obama wins the election I'll think of it as a birthday present. My husband is 93 years old, and we're both voting for Obama." Said Rubin: "It's all about the issues facing our country right now. This crisis has forced Americans to think hard about the future."
"It's also time for us Caucasians to put aside any remaining prejudice. Barack Obama is a beautiful young man," said Florence. "Although I was originally a Hillary supporter, I'm voting for Barack Obama because he represents our future as a country."
Mac Arthur of Boynton Beach emigrated from Haiti and became a citizen only last year. "We really need to reset the button on the way we are seen in the world. Barack Obama represents that change. For the last eight years the way we have been viewed is not what we are about in America."
No McCain supporters in line were willing to step forward. |
The App Store
While the iTunes Store was a near-instant hit in the music space, it didn’t spark the same revolution in video. Originally, use cases for TV shows and movies from iTunes were rather limited — you could watch on your iPod’s tiny screen or on your computer, but Apple didn’t have a straightforward way into taking over the living room. The launch of Apple TV in 2007 helped, but it was famously a “hobby” product for the company for years. Recent revisions and improvements to the store and Apple TV have made it a strong contender for the living room, but it was a while before video was considered one of Apple’s strengths.
If music was a hit and video was more of a slow burn, the launch of the App Store in 2008 is probably best described as a rocket igniting. The June 2007 launch of the iPhone was even more disruptive than the iPod, and consumers quickly clamored for the ability to extend the expensive device’s features beyond the 16 apps Apple included when it launched. It didn’t take long for Apple to get the message. Despite Steve Jobs’ insistence that web apps in Safari would be the ideal mobile solution for developers and consumers alike, Apple announced the forthcoming availability of a full iPhone OS SDK in October of 2007. Over the App Store’s first weekend in July 2008, consumers downloaded a staggering 10 million apps — the familiarity with Apple’s digital marketplace, the abundance of high-quality free selections, and the pent-up demand amongst iPhone owners meant the App Store was an immediate success.
Having a vibrant, third-party app ecosystem became the defining feature for a smartphone
“The App Store changed everything,” said Jeremy Olson of Tappity. “It made selling software so easy that anyone could do it, and it made buying software so simple and affordable that everyone does it.” Part of the App Store’s power was that it leveled the playing field between giant companies and independent developers. “My dinky three-person team has built apps that at certain points in time were some of the highest selling apps on the whole store, dominating all the huge competing brands,” said Olson.
For some developers, the App Store provided a significant financial windfall. “Without much to lose, I founded App Cubby on a $20k loan from family members,” says David Barnard, who was “completely broke” when the App Store launched. “Over the next five years App Cubby grossed well over $1 million.”
Almost overnight, having a vibrant, third-party app ecosystem became perhaps the defining feature for a smartphone — and the lack of one would quickly lead to hard times, as seen in the struggles endured by Palm’s webOS and eventually even the powerful BlackBerry brand. Google, Apple’s main competitor in the mobile device space, certainly took the lesson to heart. Its Google Play market for the Android OS covers nearly all the same bases as iTunes, with vast selections of music, movies, TV shows, books, magazines, and apps.
Side effects
Despite its success, Apple's iTunes has received its share of criticism. Those signature white earbuds delivered poor-quality sound (though they were better than many pack-in headsets of the time). More concerning to artists was the concept of selling compressed files — the quality they had painstakingly crafted was lost in Apple’s 128kbps AAC compression. As for the overall health of the music sector, two years before iTunes launched the labels generated $14 billion in revenue. Sales last year were half of that. Some critics feel that Apple helped strip the value out of music.
Indeed, iTunes hacked away at the dominance of the album as a sales unit and simultaneously tapped into consumer desire to be more selective about the music they owned. Apple’s business model brought back the single, which up until the early 1990s was one of the primary formats for the recording industry. The single all but vanished with the rise of the CD, and music fans were forced to pay for entire albums to get the songs they wanted. Apple unbundled songs, sold them for less than a buck — and paved the way for the CD’s eventual extinction.
The ability to buy nearly any single song without needing to buy the whole album really pushed the concept of the “digital mixtape” into high gear. Music listeners could now easily experience what Apple promised back in 2001 with its “Rip, Mix, Burn” commercial, and playlist curation and sharing has only grown in popularity since then. If you’ve ever spent any time using Spotify, you’ve likely come across all types of user-created playlists in a wide variety of themes — the iTunes Store helped popularize that concept. Plenty of artists didn't like it — AC/DC, Jon Bon Jovi, and Kid Rock were among those that criticized Apple's practices or withheld their songs from the service.
Of course, iTunes wouldn’t still be here if the Store and the iPod hadn’t been easy and fun to use, but Apple nailed both the hardware and the user experience out of the gate. It’s easy to forget a decade later as both the iTunes software and Store have become bloated, but once upon a time iTunes was a far superior option to most other music-management players. There’s no doubt that the iPod’s excellent UI, small size, and solid battery life were a major step forward from the clunky “Jukebox” players of the day that offered high storage capacity but little else.
As someone who grew up dealing with a number of pre-iPod MP3 players, I found the simple experience of buying new music on iTunes and plugging in the iPod to automatically sync new content to be a vastly improved user experience. Even now, just holding the iPod hardware, with its signature shiny, scratch-prone back and then-ubiquitous click wheel, brings back memories of a time when digital music made the huge leap beyond laptop speakers and burnt CDs. And being able to wake up, download a brand-new album you’ve been waiting for, and immediately take it out the door with you made iTunes’ tradeoffs well worth it. |
A man opened fire, shooting at passing vehicles Sunday along a highway near the Gateway Canyons Resort and Spa in western Colorado. The gunfire hit at least one vehicle before security guards, deputies and police raced to the scene and stopped the shooter, Mesa County authorities said.
Mesa County sheriff’s deputies, aided by Grand Junction police, the State Patrol and others, took Rick Whithed, 54, into custody, said Megan Terlecky, spokeswoman for the sheriff. Whithed was to be held in the Mesa County jail.
“He has minor injuries. He was not shot,” Terlecky said. “He was shooting at other vehicles. Shots were fired. At least one vehicle was hit.”
The shooting happened along Colorado 141. Security guards at Gateway Canyons, a luxury resort 55 miles southwest of Grand Junction, were first at the scene. They engaged the shooter, Terlecky said. The authorities notified people in homes, advising residents to shut windows,lock doors and stay inside. They closed Colorado 141 for a couple of hours.
Nobody else was hurt. |
American Free Press Willis Carto, one of the United States' most infamous Holocaust deniers and Nazi sympathizers, was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday.
ARLINGTON, Va. -- The family and friends of Willis Carto, one of the United States’ most prominent Nazi sympathizers, laid him to rest in Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday.
Carto, who died at age 89 in October, was wounded as an Army soldier in the Philippines during World War II, earning him a Purple Heart medal.
Purple Heart recipients are among those veterans and family members of veterans who may be interred at Arlington's military burial site -- as long as they were subsequently honorably discharged, and not convicted of a state or federal crime.
The Huffington Post reported on a request to bury Carto in Arlington in November. Jennifer Lynch, a spokeswoman for the cemetery, said at the time that a person’s political views did not have any bearing on their eligibility for burial.
The military funeral Carto received on Wednesday arguably tests the limits of those standards in light of his career as an anti-Semitic hatemonger, Holocaust denier and white supremacist thought leader.
After World War II, Carto even renounced the cause for which he'd fought.
"Hitler's defeat was the defeat of Europe. And of America," Carto wrote in a letter published in 1966.
Through a number of initiatives -- including the Liberty Lobby, a white supremacist organization Carto founded, and the Institute for Historical Review, a group he started to promote Holocaust denial -- Carto enjoyed influence among a marginal but significant population of American bigots especially motivated by anti-Jewish hysteria.
At the height of the Liberty Lobby’s popularity in the 1980s, there were 400,000 subscribers to its newsletter, according an obituary for Carto in The New York Times.
Todd Blodgett, who managed advertising for the Liberty Lobby and spied on Carto for the FBI from 2000 to 2002, said the deceased anti-Semitic leader wanted to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery because of the “irony,” given his pro-Nazi views.
"He was laughing about it: 'I’m probably America’s biggest Hitler fan, but I'll be buried alongside all these World War II vets,’” Blodgett told HuffPost in November.
Some two dozen people gathered Wednesday afternoon in the cemetery’s administrative building to mourn Carto in a memorial room. They then formed a caravan of cars to inter Carto on the cemetery’s grounds.
One mourner, who refused to give his name, said he wants Carto to be remembered “as a hero, because he was. He fought for freedom from oppression.”
"He stood up for the best interests of this country and against all the special interests, who would like to see us submerged into this polyglot, one-world -- whatever you want to call it." Joel, a mourner at Willis Carto's funeral
Another mourner, who identified himself only as Joel and said he knew Carto personally, described him as a “great man.”
“He stood up for the best interests of this country and against all the special interests, who would like to see us submerged into this polyglot, one-world -- whatever you want to call it,” Joel said.
He then confirmed that the “special interests” were the Jews.
“Of course," he said. "Who else?"
Joel dismissed the idea that some people might take exception to his views.
“I don’t care if they find it offensive,” he said. “They are going to be a lot more offended when the counterrevolution comes.”
Joel then climbed into a red pickup truck festooned with far-right bumper stickers, including one for “Infowars,” the website of radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Ironically, while people gathered to remember Carto on one floor of the cemetery’s administrative building, right above them, a much larger crowd was memorializing Dorothy Goldstein, the recently deceased wife of a retired career Army officer. Goldstein was Jewish.
One mourner, a retired career Army officer who was a classmate of Goldstein’s husband at West Point, said it “disappointed” him to learn that a famous Nazi sympathizer was being memorialized in the same building as his friend.
But the man, who refused to provide his name, did not dispute Carto’s right to receive a burial there.
“What people do politically after they serve in the military is up to them,” the man said. “Apparently he earned his right to be buried here.”
"It is unfortunate that someone with Carto’s views gets to be buried in our national cemetery, but if he meets the criteria there is not much that can be done." Marilyn Mayo, spokeswoman for the Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League, a national anti-Semitism watchdog, expressed a similar sentiment.
“It is unfortunate that someone with Carto’s views gets to be buried in our national cemetery, but if he meets the criteria there is not much that can be done,” said Marilyn Mayo, a spokeswoman for the Anti-Defamation League. “The government cannot be tasked with whether or not to bury someone based on their ideology.”
However, Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Holocaust research and awareness organization, called Carto’s burial in Arlington National Cemetery a “national disgrace.”
“For a person who supported a man responsible for the greatest mass murder in the history of mankind to be buried in the sacred ground where service members who fought to do everything to defeat this man, it profanes the cemetery,” Hier said.
“If Hitler had won the war, defeating first Britain and then the United States, Willis Carto would have been a perfect candidate to be a cabinet member in Hitler’s government,” he added.
Also on HuffPost: |
There are many types of lizards for sale online, but what should you watch for when you buy these animals using the Internet? There are some steps you should take before you ever buy any reptile from an online source, and this is true whether you want to buy chameleons for sale or another type of lizard. Online purchasing means that the animal must be shipped to you, and if the animal is not in excellent health or the shipping is not handled properly then you could end up buying lizards for sale which may die or become ill after you receive them.
If you are searching for bearded dragons as pets or you want to find an iguana you may not be able to go to your local pet store. Many stores do not specialize in lizards and other reptiles, and in some cases it may be necessary to buy lizards for sale online instead. The best option is to use a reputable breeder, one who has been in business for a while and has a reputation for healthy high quality reptiles. Online purchases means that the animal must be shipped, and this is normally done using FEDEX since UPS no longer allows for the shipment of pet geckos for sale or other live reptiles.
Finding online lizards for sale is easy, but you will want to make sure your reptile stays comfortable and has as little stress as possible during the shipping process. Experienced reptile suppliers who provide live shipping in the cooler months will usually add some hand warmers to the package, to keep the lizard warm and prevent any health problems. Check out the breeder you use carefully, and ask questions to ensure you are getting the healthiest reptile possible. Most breeders specialize in certain species, and this can give you reassurance. A good tip is to ask about the care of your animal before making the purchase. A water dragon breeder who can not explain water dragon care is probably not the best choice. The breeder should know all about caring for the reptiles offered, and if they do not this can be a sign that you should find another breeder instead. |
Dec 30, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; USC Trojans defensive tackle Noah Jefferson (91) and defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow Jr. (95) work against each other before the game against the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2015 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
One of the most exciting Tweets to come across our Arizona Football Twitter feed recently is the announcement by USC defensive tackle Noah Jefferson that he had committed to the University of Arizona. We had to find out more.
Recently Arizona Football has had a multitude of recruits poached from their lists, especially from Oregon head coach Willie Taggart (Cody Shear and Braxton Burmeister to name a few). So it’s great to hear when a current USC Trojan decides that Arizona Football is the better program for him.
First things first,we wa nted to know when Noah actually made the decision and why. “It was the Sunday I committed,” said Noah, “I took an unofficial visit and sat down with Coach Rich Rod, they made me feel like I was at home. The coaches understood my mentality and how I play. I liked the position they were gonna play me in their scheme.” Not to mention, “It was the best situation for me and my family.”
When it comes to inspiration or motivation, he turns to who he can count on in life, “My wife and family are my motivation.” When asked what inspires him, what his motivating mantra may be, his answer was spiritual. “My favorite scripture is Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you, Declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future,” quoted Jefferson.
Pretty powerful stuff.
Jefferson’s dad played football at Maryland, his older brother won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos (Will Parks team, and Rickey Hunley’s former team), and his little brother is one of the top 7th graders in the country for basketball. Jefferson’s wife is a prelaw major at UNLV. Pretty. Darn. Cool.
Pets? “I don’t really have any pets, lol, they died.”
How would Jefferson and his family describe him? “Fun, great sense of humor, like to have fun, very competitive hate to lose, laid back and mellow at times.” He has no nickname yet, kind of up to us, “Y’all can call me what you want!”
After talking it over with God and my family I would like to Announce that I have Commited to The University Of Arizona #BearDown pic.twitter.com/xAfzqFgnym — Noah Jefferson (@noahjefferson_) March 6, 2017
Noah told us he would keep in touch with a few players from SC, “I don’t want to lose touch with is Kevin Scott, Chuma Edoga.” He learned some important lessons from his time at SC, specifically that he has competitive nature and that he will never get outworked.
Jefferson is looking forward to establishing who he is once he gets to Tucson, which is the second Day of Fall Camp, “I’m just ready to be on the field again!” He feels his greatest strength are his Athleticism, pass rushing and ability to stop the run. Well, that is much-needed in Arizona! We hoped he could play next season, but weren’t sure of his situation so we asked and he answered, “I can play if this waiver goes through, but I can for sure practice and stuff.”
https://twitter.com/noahjefferson_/status/823724646952337408
So in a nutshell, Arizona’s latest commit, is passionate about football, is spiritual and deep, and wants to prove to Wildcats fans and himself that he is on the right path, in the right place and going to show up and kill it on the field. One thing he has his sights set on, and I hope the coaches can make this happen for him, he wants a jersey with a ‘single digit.’
Here are some highlights of Noah to take in:
We thank Noah and his family for his time with us, Wildcats fans have things to look forward to next season, and Noah Jefferson is a big one. |
Canada’s millennials are facing all sorts of challenges: high home prices, soaring tuition fees and record household debt.
But there’s one challenge that they’re well-placed to weather, says a new study: the rise of the machines.
Indeed.com came to this conclusion by looking at job seeker interest in a number of jobs that are at high-risk of automation.
They found that millennials could be protected from this trend because they’re just not that interested in occupying the jobs that robots could take away.
Millennials (aged 20 to 36 this year) were more interested than Baby Boomers and Generation Xers in “non-routine cognitive” jobs, which include management and professional positions, which are at “low risk of automation,” Indeed.com said.
By contrast, they were the least interested out of all three generations in “routine manual” jobs in industries such as construction, production and transportation.
This category includes many jobs that are at high risk of automation.
Baby Boomers were 54 per cent more likely to be interested in jobs in this area.
Indeed.com then gauged millennial interest in various jobs by narrowing down job search activity to a number of major occupational categories.
The chart above shows that millennials had more interest in “higher-skilled and non-routine occupations” that are “less likely to face replacement by automation,” Indeed.com said.
“In fact, only three of the 15 occupations — — preferred by millennials are routine occupations,” it added.
Baby Boomers were more likely to favour routine occupations, like transportation and material moving, or production, or installation, maintenance and repair.
Construction and extraction, and management were more preferred by Generation Xers.
READ MORE: Millennials in the workplace: why they’re not entirely to blame for everything
“Millennials are much less keen on occupations at high-risk of automation than other generations,” Indeed.com wrote.
“And so are better situated to ride out the disruption that will likely be caused by the coming waves of automation.”
Indeed.com’s study isn’t the first to examine millennials’ relationship with automation in the workplace.
The Deloitte 2017 Millennial Survey found that the generation sees the benefits of automation in terms of economic growth and productivity. They do, however, remain concerned that it could take away jobs that might otherwise be available to them.
They do, however, remain concerned that it could take away jobs that might otherwise be available to them.
But they’re most concerned about the risk of automation making workplaces more sterile and “impersonal” or “less human.” |
TL;DR, Patreon got hacked. We reported a specific Remote Code Execution to them due to a public debugger before they were breached. We believe this was the attack method due to the simplicity and availability of the vulnerable endpoint. This is how you prevent this from happening to you.
Yesterday Patreon, which is a funding platform for artists and creators, went out with a Security Notice about a compromise happening on the 28th of September on one of their debug versions which was publicly available. Shortly after that, data from this instance, which contained live data, was publicly posted which you can read about here and here.
Their debug version of the application was running with the Werkzeug Debugger publicly available, this has also been shown in Shodan.io for at least a few weeks, this image is from the 11th of September:
This domain was not accessible at this time since Shodan.io was last able to crawl it on the 5th of September.
Werkzeug Debugger works in the way that, as soon as something in the code results in an exception or error, a console is opened:
This is basically Remote Code Execution by design.
An RCE is basically game over. You can inject code directly to the application, exposing all data on the server which the application has access to.
Both the documentation of Werkzeug and Flask mentions this with large bold letters that youshould not expose this debugger online.
What Shodan also exposed was that the Debugger got triggered, basically presenting the visitor with a RCE-console right away on the domain’s root URL just by visiting the domain .
Now, Werkzeug requires an actual error to trigger the console, as it uses a secret key generated when the application starts, which is only exposed in the Werkzeug Debugger page. Without this secret key you cannot run any commands, that’s why you need an exception to reveal the secret. Also worth noting is that the debugger only accepts commands sent in by the GET-parameter, which will then show up in access logs on the vulnerable host, which is great for forensic analysis and investigation.
Also, each line in the code responds to a frame which is also needed for the debugger to know exactly where in the code to run the command.
A request is then made to:
http://example.com/?__debugger__=yes&cmd=print+%221%22&frm=[FRAME]&s=[SECRET]
which will return the result of the command.
This has been discussed before, here’s one article by Colin Keigher on the 21st of December last year mentioning that people do actually expose these debug environments online: Remote code execution on misconfigured systems using Werkzeug.
We reported this issue to Patreon on the 23rd of September when we noticed that the vulnerable host on Shodan was actually responding again. Patreon got back to us and told us that they knew about it and was currently working to mitigate it.
We’ve also added into Detectify so we are checking for available Werkzeug Debuggers on the domains we’re analyzing.
Unfortunately there are thousands of publicly available instances of Werkzeug Debugger out there and each and every one of them should take proper mitigation actions as if they have already been exploited.
Author: |
Submitted by Martin Armstrong via ArmstrongEconomics.com,
There is disturbing opinion circulating about Jo Cox may have been assassinated to prevent a BREXIT vote. Many are starting to believe there is a conspiracy plot connecting the dots to ensure a sympathy vote to remain within the EU. People are pointing to the familiar tool of assassination often used to achieve political agendas.
Of course there is the Kennedy assassination that many believe was orchestrated to create the sympathy vote to start the Vietnam War when in fact Kennedy vetoed such a measure.
But the more recent assassination was on September 10th, 2003. Anna Lindh (1957 – 2003), was a Swedish Social Democratic politician who was a member of parliament from 1982 to 1985 and 1998 to 2003. Anna was elevated to minister for foreign affairs by prime minister Göran Persson in 1998. She was widely considered to be his successor as party chairman and there was much hope that she would become prime minister.
Lindh was a supported of adopting the euro. She became the face of joining the new EU and was to be on a TV debate when in Stockholm on the afternoon of September 10th around 4 pm, she was attacked with a knife while shopping in the ladies’ section of the Nordiska Kompaniet department. Lindh was to appear on a televised debate later that night on the referendum about Sweden’s adoption of the euro. At the time of the attack, Lindh was not protected by bodyguards from the Swedish Security Service.
Then there is the unsolved assassination of prime minister Olof Palme in 1986. Palme was accused of being anti-EU and more pro Soviet. His assassination did clear the way for Sweden to join the EU, which was finally presented in the Swedish European Union membership referendum of 1994 approved, which gain only a 52% majority.
While Silvio Berlusconi was not assassinated, the EU did stage a coup against him because he wanted to take Italy out of the euro. Then there was the Greek Prime Minister Georgios Andreas Papandreou who wanted the Greek people to vote on any bailout to stay in the euro. He was told by Brussels there would be no referendum.
The recent Austrian election was rigged with the closest race in history decided by the mailed-in ballots. As the days have passed, the results of the Austrian presidential election have become far more suspicious. The official results claimed the far-left candidate Alexander Van der Bellen defeated Norbert Hofer from the Freedom Party of Austria by just 31,000 votes, 50.35% to 49.65%. Again, the fate of the EU hung in the balance. The provisional result in voting reflected major polls released in the last days before the election, which all showed Hofer with the clear majority of public support over his rival coming in at 53% to 47%.
The Scottish youth called their referendum to leave the UK a “REVOLUTION” and felt very betrayed by what they called the over “65” crowd who just wanted their pension checks from London. It is clear that when people are voting with paper ballots, they vote can easily be rigged. There were countless photos of how they committed outright fraud to ensure there would be no “yes” vote.
David Cameron basically said reading between the lines – the younger generation lost and their fate is now settled “for a generation.” This degree of arrogance is not going to be helpful. Governments will not reform and that brings us only to the point of our rising civil unrest that will rip the systems apart. No one in charge will address the long-term. They are only concerned about one vote at a time.
So is there a conspiracy? Perhaps. They would never investigate themselves, so all this is has been suspicion. What is clear, has been that the EU will collapse if BREXIT is allowed. There is far too much at stake to allow this vote. The burning question will be, just how they cover it up and at what cost? |
A new Purdue University report and survey of on global warming finds that just 50 percent of scientists blame human causes, not the NASA-endorsed and widely distributed claim of 97 percent.
In a survey of nearly 7,000 in the agriculture field, found that most scientists agree that climate change is happening, but just 50.5 percent blame mankind.
“More than 90 percent of the scientists and climatologists surveyed said they believed climate change was occurring, with more than 50 percent attributing climate change primarily to human activities,” said the Purdue report published in the authoritative Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society and highlighted by MRC Business.
“Contrary to the repeated insistence of both climate alarmists and the media, scientists do not all agree on the standard climate alarmism talking points,” said MRC’s review of the scholarly report from one of the nation’s leading ag schools.
“More shocking was that just 53 percent of climatologists surveyed thought ‘climate change is occurring, and it is caused mostly by human activities.’ While that number of climatologists was small, the result is still significant,” added MRC.
Most of the farmers interviewed agreed that climate change is occurring, but just 8 percent blamed humans.
The media has often hyped the 97 percent figure and NASA heralds it on their website. But critics have long argued that the numbers is wildly inflated by liberals like President Obama who are pushing to control man-made pollution.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]. |
Gurtej Randhawa in a police mugshot. National Crime Agency
A 19-year-old tried to buy a car bomb on the dark web, but police intercepted his order and gave him a dummy instead.
Gurtej Randhawa, from Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, tried to buy a remote-controlled explosive and planned to kill people with it.
Randhawa admitted the attempt in court this week, and now faces life in prison.
According to a press release from the UK National Crime Agency, its officers noticed Randhawa's attempts to order the package earlier this year.
They did not disclose his motive, but said it was not linked to terrorism.
Randhawa made the purchase via the dark web, a difficult-to-navigate network of sites which is inaccessible without special software.
It is often used by criminals to trade in illicit goods.
Police said the device, which could be fixed to a car and detonated from a distance, "had the potential to cause serious damage and kill many people."
However, officers intercepted the package and replaced it with an inert dummy device, which they allowed to be delivered to Randhawa in May.
They watched him testing the dud, at which point they arrested him.
Randhawa pleaded guilty to trying to illegally import explosives, and was found guilty of possessing explosives "with intent to endanger life" after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
He will be sentenced at a later hearing on January 12, where he could be given life in prison. |
PRESENTED in an unusually-shaped heavy glass bottle with outsized black lettering, it could be a fine vodka. On sale for £80 ($99) in Harrods, an upmarket department store in London, it has a price tag to match. In fact, it is a bottle of water. Harvested directly from Norwegian icebergs that are up to 4,000 years old, Svalbardi is one of hundreds of water brands that are sourced from exotic places and marketed as luxury products.
From the basic to the expensive, the market for bottled water is an attractive place to be. According to Zenith Global, a consulting firm, the global market has grown by 9% annually in recent years and is worth $147bn. The main reason is changing lifestyles. People are spending more time, and eating more of their meals, away from home. They are also switching from soft drinks and alcohol to healthier fare. Data from Beverage Marketing Corporation (BMC), another consultancy, show that consumption of bottled water overtook that of sugary soft drinks in America in 2016 (see chart).
Get our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks.
Basic brands, such as Aquafina from PepsiCo, compete on price and have slim margins. (The cost of the raw material, which comes from either natural or municipal sources, is next to nothing; the main costs are packaging, distribution and marketing.) At the other end of the scale, convincing customers to pay a lot should be hard when your product doesn’t have a distinctive taste and an alternative is freely available from the tap in most rich countries. But “premiumisation” is working. Though still a small part of the American market, really high-cost bottled water (selling for more than $1.30 a litre) has been one of its fastest-growing areas, says BMC.
Premium water is hardly a new idea. The Perrier brand, which is owned by Nestlé, a Swiss consumer-goods giant, and Evian, owned by Danone, a French one, have long emphasised the uniqueness of their natural sources to sell water. But the newest offerings are promoting a lifestyle. Coca-Cola’s premium water brand, which is advertised by Jennifer Aniston, is marketed as “inspirational” water for successful people. That is also the buzzword for PepsiCo’s LIFEWTR, launched in America with a 30-second ad during last month’s Super Bowl. For the fashion crowd, one range of Evian bottles features artwork from Christian Lacroix.
Adding flavour is another way to dress up water. Grocery stores stock fruit-flavoured waters and “plant” waters, such as coconut, maple or birch. Water that has been fortified with vitamins and minerals is a hit with exercise junkies. The market is small but lucrative: sales of flavoured water amount to only 4% of the volume of plain water sold, according to Zenith, but bring in 15% of the total revenue.
At the luxury end of the market, water has become more like wine, argues Michael Mascha, the author of a guide to fine water. In expensive restaurants the precise origin of water is what matters; many eateries offer water lists along with the wine selection. For power-lunchers in health-conscious Los Angeles, says Mr Mascha, buying an expensive bottle of water is a way to signal status.
High prices can be controversial, given that many people in poor countries have limited access to drinking water and environmental worries dog the industry. Transporting water from exotic places is costly; most plastic bottles languish in landfill sites; and some firms, such as Nestlé, have been accused by environmental groups of monopolising water sources at the expense of local communities, for instance during periods of drought in California. (Nestlé says it monitors environmental conditions around its source springs and that it adheres to sustainable practices.) Many brands address such concerns head-on. Svalbardi water is certified as carbon-neutral, for example; Coca-Cola funds drinking-water projects in Africa.
The thirst for posh water will only deepen, predicts Euromonitor, a market-research firm, as middle-class consumption in poorer countries catches up and as Westerners continue shunning unhealthy soft drinks. If so, the ingenuity seen so far in the bottled-water industry may be just a drip from the iceberg. |
The prime minister has come under pressure to act against Britain's secretive offshore industry at June's G8 summit, as leaked evidence continued to mount that politicians and tycoons from all over the world have used the British Virgin Islands to hide funds.
The premier of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, was the latest to be named, along with prominent Pakistani, Indian, Thai and Indonesian figures – while there was fresh evidence of Britons acting as front directors for companies based in offshore havens such as the BVI.
A senior Liberal Democrat figure said the leaks showed the secret haven of the BVI "stains the face of Britain", as anti-corruption campaigners called for action.
Lord Oakeshott, the Lib Dem peer and a former Treasury spokesman, said: "How can David Cameron keep a straight face calling for the G8 to make big business pay tax when we let the BVI use British law and British protection to suck in billions in dirty money?"
He asked: "How much British aid paid to corrupt countries like Pakistan ends up behind a BVI brass plate?"
Despite mounting evidence that British sham directors are selling their names as fronts for offshore secrecy, the UK's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) signalled that politicians are reluctant to move against them.
A report on the sham directors scandal has already been sent to ministers by the BIS deputy head of corporate governance, Jo Shanmugalingam. This followed a Guardian-BBC investigation last year into the leaked data which revealed that two dozen Britons, giving obscure offshore addresses, were purporting to control thousands of companies.
The latest example, which emerged on Thursday, is of a "general builder", Kevin Gaitely. He gives an address in south London and is registered as the director of Tamalaris Consolidated, a company blacklisted by the UK and US as a front for Iran. He is recorded as a director of a variety of other UK and BVI companies.
Ministers insist they are not ready to act. The BIS issued a statement on Thursday night saying: "The vast majority of companies and directors do comply with the law and they should not be unfairly burdened, so we will focus our attention on those who deliberately seek to break the law."
It is not illegal as such for Britons to rent out their names on behalf of offshore companies, so the BIS statement appears to be a recipe for inaction.
Meanwhile MPs criticised tax avoidance in Pakistan in a report issued on Thursday by the UK Commons committee on overseas aid. It said: "We cannot expect people in the UK to pay taxes to improve education and health in Pakistan if the Pakistani elite does not pay meaningful amounts of income tax."
Robert Palmer of the campaign group Global Witness repeated the call for Cameron to act, saying: "The massive cache of leaked documents demonstrates how hidden ownership of shell companies facilitates corruption, tax dodging and other crimes."
He said: "The time to deal with this issue is now. Given that he has pledged to tackle these secretive shell companies at this year's G8 summit in Northern Ireland, he and his fellow leaders must commit to publishing information on the people who ultimately control and own companies."
The names of thousands of owners of secret offshore companies are currently being published by the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), in collaboration with the Guardian and other international media.
This follows the leak to ICIJ of a hard drive containing 200GB of internal files of offshore incorporation agencies in the BVI, Singapore and the Cook Islands.
A spokesman for the Georgian prime minister, who had set up a BVI company called Bosherston Overseas Corp, said he had done everything in accordance with the law: "For the reporting period of 2011-12, prime minister Ivanishvili had no interest in the company … and therefore there was no obligation to report it in his [financial] declaration."
In India, an MP from the ruling Congress party, Gaddam Vivekanand, said after an offshore company, Belrose Universal, was revealed to have been listed in his name: "I do not remember being involved with such a company and have no connection with it.''
A spokeswoman for Stephen Riady, who heads one of Indonesia's richest families, said there was "nothing illegal or improper in protecting the privacy of one's own information" after the leaked files revealed that his family's Lippo Group conglomerate controlled a number of offshore entities.
The incorporation firm, TrustNet, refers to them as "Client A", noting "client does not want to be seen dealing offshore". Their agent, Gary Phair, instructed TrustNet staff to "delete any reference to 'C/- [Care of] Lippo".
Thai MP Nalinee Taveesin, currently an official trade representative and previously blacklisted by the US for allegedly helping Robert Mugabe avoid sanctions, denied knowing about the offshore company Hall Kingston International, listed in her name.
Her secretary said: "The information about her being [a company] shareholder is incorrect."
In Pakistan, Moonis Elahi, a politician from a prominent Punjab dynasty who was acquitted in a Pakistan court in 2011 of receiving payments in a corruption scandal, said he did not own offshore company Olive Grove Assets, listed to his name at the family residence in Lahore. He did not state whether he had previously owned the firm. |
Bike Fit 8 of 9
Saddle position and cleat adjustment are the two primary areas of concern when treating knee pain from cycling.
The Fix: The most common cause of patellar tendonitis is a seat that is too low. Raising the seat so that your leg is near full extension (about 15 to 30 degrees of knee flexion is ideal) at the bottom of your pedal stroke will relieve pressure on the patellar tendon.
A seat that is too far forward could also be the culprit. The aggressive angle of the knee in relation to the pedal can put undue stress on the knee joint. By sliding your saddle back, you change this angle. Small adjustments can make a world of difference.
Lastly, the position of shoe cleats plays a significant role in the stress placed on the patellar tendon. Much like the fore/aft adjustment of your seat, the cleat's fore/aft position must be properly aligned.
It's a general rule that the pedal axle should be directly underneath the ball of the foot (large bone in forefoot on big toe side). If you are experiencing pain, start with the cleat in this position. From here you can move the cleat slightly forward towards the toe, which will help to put the knee angle in a more favorable position. |
Michael Kelly and I are very pleased to announce the Table of Contents for the Year’s Best Weird Fiction, Volume One , due August.
“Success” by Michael Blumlein, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nov./Dec.
“Like Feather, Like Bone” by Kristi DeMeester, Shimmer #17
“A Terror” by Jeffrey Ford, Tor.com, July.
“The Key to Your Heart Is Made of Brass” by John R. Fultz, Fungi #21
…
“A Cavern of Redbrick” by Richard Gavin, Shadows & Tall Trees #5
“The Krakatoan” by Maria Dahvana Headley, Nightmare Magazine/The Lowest Heaven, July.
“Bor Urus” by John Langan, Shadow’s Edge
“Furnace” by Livia Llewellyn, The Grimscribe’s Puppets
“Eyes Exchange Bank” by Scott Nicolay, The Grimscribe’s Puppets
“A Quest of Dream” by W.H. Pugmire, Bohemians of Sesqua Valley
“(he) Dreams of Lovecraftian Horror” by Joseph S. Pulver Sr., Lovecraft eZine #28
“Dr. Blood and the Ultra Fabulous Glitter Squadron” by A.C. Wise, Ideomancer Vol. 12 Issue 2
“The Year of the Rat” by Chen Quifan, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, July/August.
“Fox into Lady” by Anne-Sylvie Salzman, Darkscapes
“Olimpia’s Ghost” by Sofia Samatar, Phantom Drift #3
“The Nineteenth Step” by Simon Strantzas, Shadows Edge
“The Girl in the Blue Coat” by Anna Taborska, Exotic Gothic 5 Vol. 1
“In Limbo” by Jeffrey Thomas, Worship the Night
“Moonstruck” by Karin Tidbeck, Shadows & Tall Trees #5
“Swim Wants to Know If It’s as Bad as Swim Thinks” by Paul Tremblay, Bourbon Penn #8
“No Breather in the World But Thee” by Jeff VanderMeer, Nightmare Magazine, March.
“Shall I Whisper to You of Moonlight, of Sorrow, of Pieces of Us?” by Damien Angelica Walters, Shock Totem #7. |
Vegan Parmesan Cheese enhances so many dishes. There are only four ingredients and it only takes about 5 mins. Sprinkle it on pasta, soups, salads and more.
How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese is a talent that can be yours in minutes. It enhances so many dishes as I am sure you can remember how regular parmesan cheese did in the old days. This recipe is so simple yet so useful.
There are only four ingredients and is complete in about 5 minutes. You can sprinkle it on, at least, pasta and soups. I love sprinkling quite a lot of it into my salads.
That sounds good! I have to have a salad tomorrow.
This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Go ahead and double or triple the recipe if you like. It freezes so well you can freeze a larger quantity and take out a quarter of a cup at a time. It’ll be ready to go immediately.
Just today I sprinkled some in my chickpea wrap. It really added a delicious extra flavor and texture.
You’ll find you can go through it vegan parmesan cheese very quickly. Thank goodness it’s so simple to make.
Want to try this Homemade Parmesan Cheese? PIN IT to your Vegan or Vegan Cheese Board to save for later! Find me on Pinterest for more great recipes!
My niece was over last week and made a batch with walnuts. That was a bit of a stronger flavor but it certainly has it’s place. I’m thinking chili.
Chili with parmesan on top is always a good thing. How about on avocado and Two Bean Camp Chili? So so good!
If you like walnuts don’t be afraid to try them as a substitute.
Cashews are traditional though as they come closer to dairy parmesan cheese in flavor. Nutritional yeast and other spices are balanced just right. You’ll be glad you made a batch.
I would love to hear how you would use vegan parmesan cheese. Leave a comment below so I can make notes. You aren’t really supposed to eat it off a spoon but it’s okay with me..
Let’s Get Connected! Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Bloglovin
Print 5 from 6 votes How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese Vegan Parmesan Cheese enhances so many dishes. Sprinkle it on pasta, soups, salads and more. Prep Time 5 minutes Total Time 5 minutes Servings 12 Ounces Calories 63 kcal Author Ginny McMeans Ingredients 1 cup cashews raw
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt Instructions Add all of the ingredients to a food processor.
Pulse until a fine crumb mixture forms. Literally seconds.
Use in just about any savory dish you can think of. Nutrition Nutrition Facts How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese Amount Per Serving (1 Ounce) Calories 63 Calories from Fat 36 % Daily Value* Total Fat 4g 6% Sodium 98mg 4% Potassium 89mg 3% Total Carbohydrates 3g 1% Protein 2g 4% Calcium 0.4% Iron 4.3% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keep in the refrigerator for about a month or keep in the freezer in a freezer container for up to 12 months.
Hey! Here are a couple more recipes that love to use vegan parmesan cheese.
The Best Creamy Mushroom Soup and Fantastic Stuffed Mushrooms!
Now just to remind you of a great pantry addition. |
What's the Internet's scariest hivemind like in real life? A bunch of geeky twenty-somethings hanging out in a bar in Brooklyn. This is what I learned last night at the first official meetup for the notorious message board 4chan.
On the Internet, 4chan equals chaos: hacking Sarah Palin's email; flooding YouTube with hardcore porn; taking down gossip blogs; vandalizing dead teens' Facebook memorial pages. What comes to mind is that scene in Lord of the Rings where the orcs are running around like crazy in their underground fortress.
So, I expected something a little more havoc-filled than what I found when I arrived at Barcade in Williamsburg at around 9:30 Friday night: about a half-dozen very normal-looking young men and one young woman crowded around a table, lit up by blinking 1980s arcade games that lined the room. Their 4channess was signaled only by the woman's iPhone 4, on which she had loaded a picture of "Troll Face," a crudely drawn caricature that's sort of a 4chan logo. She waved it around like a beacon.
Upon sitting down, I was relieved to see that none of the assembled 4channers looked very capable of violence. Relieved, because this summer, some 4chan users declared war on me and Gawker over a few blog posts I wrote about the site's role in harassing an 11-year-old viral video star. They brought down Gawker, prank called me and tried sending a bunch of cardboard boxes to my house. (The address was wrong; some random Chinese lady in Queens got the boxes.) Before heading to the meet-up, I steeled myself with beer, figuring it would hurt less to be felled by a 4channer's poison blade if I was sort of tipsy.
But all the 4channers here were friendly; the few that recognized my name actually seemed excited to meet me. They were like kids in the cafeteria on the first day of school, eagerly recounting the crazy stuff they did over the summer. They talked about memes, pranks, video games, 4chan's bad rep (not completely unearned, most seemed to agree). A musician named JP explained the sense of release.
"Normally I'm very careful not to tell a lot of people that I go on 4chan," he told me. "I don't want them to go on there, see some child porn or something, and be like, 'What the hell is this guy into?'"
Still, they were definitely 4channers: At one point Alex, a disheveled pharmacy student in a grey hoodie and steel-framed glasses, pointed at me and said, "You know who you look like? Brian Peppers." Brian Peppers is a meme popular on 4chan. Brian Peppers looks like this:
People slowly accreted around the table, and there were maybe 30 or 40 by the time 4chan's 22-year-old founder, Chris "Moot" Poole, showed up. Moot lives in Manhattan, where he's currently working on a new start-up called Canvas Networks. He was instantly swamped by fans. A Filipino guy next to me freaked out: "In all of my 23 years, this is the first time I've ever met a celebrity!" He had come all the way from Connecticut, where he works at Dunkin' Donuts.
Moot was also very nice. In the past, he's kept an extraordinarily low profile, but it seems recently he's been increasing his visibility, making his presence felt more on the site. He gamely took pictures with every fan who asked, and when I introduced myself he joked, "When's the blog post going up? '4chan Users Finally Crawl Out of Their Basement?'" I asked him what prompted him to organize the meet-up, which he had done by posting a small message at the top of every message board just 24 hours earlier. He said he was inspired by the vibrant "in real life" communities of other websites, like the geek culture blog Laughing Squid.
In a Q&A with 4chan users a few months ago, Moot lamented that, "sometimes I wish I could interact with the community in a more normal way." Watching Moot effortlessly navigate the crowd of twenty-something dudes in a bar in Brooklyn, "normal" was definitely a word that came to mind.
[Image of 4chan founder Christopher Poole (right) and fan at last night's meet-up via 4chan] |
Avete presenti quella sensazione di smarrimento che vi coglie quando qualcuno butta nel discorso un vocabolo straniero, di cui non sapete nulla? Avete presenti quella sensazione diche vi coglie quando qualcuno butta nel discorso un vocabolo straniero, di cui non sapete nulla?
mi è successo giovedì scorso all'evento è saltato fuori un termine che mai avevo sentito prima:
È quello cheall'evento #leprofessionidelfuturo , quando, fra una slide e l'altra,un termine che mai avevo sentito prima:
E tu sai cosa sono?
C'è lo spiega pic.twitter.com/hzfOZbBx1s Big Data, questi sconosciuti.E tu sai cosa sono?C'è lo spiega #leprofessionidelfuturo 23 marzo 2017
Igienista dei Dati?
Al massimo - complici alcuni vecchi fatti di cronaca... "pepati" - avevo sentito parlare di Igienista Dentale...
...Ma dei Dati?
Per fortuna, in pochi minuti di presentazione, la nebbia si è diradata, tutto mi è parso più chiaro.
In fondo, è strano che non ci abbia mai pensato prima: ogni giorno, attraverso i social media, i siti di e-commerce, le iscrizioni a newsletter e altri servizi, e via dicendo, lasciamo per il Web un sacco di tracce, neanche fossimo Pollicino con i suoi sassolini!
I nostri nomi, i nostri indirizzi virtuali e fisici, i nostri acquisti - tanti piccoli tasselli che vanno a integrare database aziendali enormi, creati allo scopo di migliorare la nostra esperienza come utenti/clienti - o almeno così ci dicono i grandi brand.
Nel tempo, però, le informazioni che forniamo alle imprese possono perdere valore, deteriorarsi: abbiamo cambiato residenza senza avvisare, siamo passati alla concorrenza, oppure ci siamo dimenticati di essere già registrati e ci siamo iscritti di nuovo, magari con una casella di posta diversa...
Risultato?
Una mole non sempre coerente di dati, dove ridondanze e generalità ormai inutili abbondano.
Ecco allora la necessità di ripulire gli archivi , eliminando ciò che non serve più, correggendo gli errori e armonizzando i formati.
Una mansione importante e delicata, che qualcuno deve pur svolgere... largo al Data Hygienist, quindi!
Volendo, lo si potrebbe paragonare a un netturbino: invece che su strade coperte di immondizia, lotta contro refusi e doppioni.
non muore ma si trasforma, spostandosi in ambito Digitale; e non è di sicuro l'unico caso, Il concetto resta lo stesso - la mansione, minacciata dall'avvento dei Robot,, spostandosi; e non è di sicuro l'unico caso, come abbiamo visto
Già conosciuto all'estero, e in particolare negli USA, da alcuni anni, l'Igienista dei Dati si appresta ora a conquistare anche l'Italia - e con la fame di dati affidabili che ora consuma anche i business del nostro Paese, non dubito che il suo successo sia già assicurato. |
Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has said an assassination attempt against Afghanistan's spy chief "came from Pakistan".
Speaking in the Afghan capital on Saturday, Karzai said though the Taliban claimed responsibility for Thursday's attempt on the life of Asadullah Khalid, head of the National Directorate of Security, the attack originated in Quetta.
"Of course we will be seeking clarification from Pakistan because we know this man who came in the name of a guest to meet Asadullah Khalid came from Pakistan. We know that for a fact", he said.
Karzai stopped short of directly implicating his neighbour to the south, but did say he would demand clarification from Islamabad.
He said the attack, in which an explosive was hidden in the underwear of the bomber, was beyond the Taliban's capabilities.
"Apparently the Taliban claimed responsibility like many other attacks," Karzai said.
"But such a complicated attack and a bomb hidden inside his body, this is not Taliban work ... It's a completely professional [job] ... Taliban cannot do that and there are bigger and professional hands involved in it."
Karzai said the issue would be discussed next week with Pakistani officials during a meeting between the foreign
ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkey in Ankara.
For its part, Pakistan's foreign ministry said: "before levelling charges, the Afghan government would do well if they shared information or evidence with the government of Pakistan that they might have with regard to the cowardly attack on [Khalid]".
Khalid, who had been appointed the new head of the Central Asian nation's spy agency in September despite allegations of torture and drug trafficking, was in a Kabul guest house when a suicide bomber posing as a peace envoy left him wounded.
Before his role as spy chief, Khalid had served as the minister of tribal and border affairs and the governor of southern Kandahar province for three years starting in 2005. |
Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, speaks during a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 5, 2016. Democratic Party officials in Iowa say they can't do a recount of Monday's razor-thin presidential caucus results between Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders, even if they thought it was appropriate. And both candidates, in their debate later Thursday night, said it was no big deal. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Last month as Hillary Clinton was leaving a town meeting in Manchester, Lee Fang of the Intercept asked her if she would release the transcripts of her paid, and very private speeches to Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street powerhouse historically deep in Washington, D.C., influence-peddling. Mrs. Clinton just laughed.
It is probably a good bet that her laugh was masking a deep worry, shared by her husband, that disclosing what she confidentially told big-business conferences and conventions around the country, which paid her about $5,000 a minute, would emerge as a dominant issue in the mainstream media.
Reporters have taken notice of her $250,000-and-up speeches before trade associations from which they have been excluded. But journalists have not demanded that she tell the voters what she told the executives from Morgan Stanley, Fidelity Investments, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Golden Tree Asset Management, the National Automotive Dealers Association, Deutsche Bank, the National Association of Realtors, eBay, Cisco, among other plutocracy paymasters seeking to expand their political influence.
Until that is, Thursday night's debate in New Hampshire. Chuck Todd of MSNBC asked Hillary Clinton: "Are you willing to release the transcripts of all your paid speeches? We do know, through reporting, that there were transcription services for all those paid speeches. In full disclosure, would you release all of them?"
Mrs. Clinton responded: "I will look into it. I don't know the status but I will certainly look into it."
Let's see how long it will take for her large staff and contacts with these business groups "to look into it."
According to the New York Times, her "contracts for such events typically include strict confidentiality agreements, meaning there are no known video recordings of Mrs. Clinton's Wall Street appearances." But why would Clinton, in a heated contest with Sen. Bernie Sanders, maintain this cloak of secrecy and further the speculation it feeds? Could it have something to do with the many deals and entanglements, for political pursuits and self-enrichment, that have enveloped both Clintons over the years, detailed in Peter Schweizer's recent book, Clinton Cash?
Were the contents of these meetings with business interests revealed, Hillary Clinton would lose more control of the progressive narrative she has worked hard to fabricate. Reporters, opponents and voters would quickly start to make connections and conclusions, whether rooted in fact or surmise. Her campaign message, recently garnished with progressive language to thwart Sanders, would be overshadowed.
What might have Hillary Clinton told these commercial audiences? What did those in attendance want to hear from her in such closed-door sessions? She says she spoke at these corporate gatherings about the state of the world. That is a big umbrella indeed. No doubt she delivered her views of U.S. foreign and military policy - unclassified observations she made in media interviews or public addresses. However, Hillary does her homework for each specific audience she addresses; it's her way of responding to their priority interests and impressing them with her command of the subject matter.
For example, Morgan Stanley, one of many major Wall Street supporters of her electoral campaigns, is a strong supporter of the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership trade treaty. So was she until recently, when she expediently stepped back with some skepticism about its labor and environmental contents. What did she say to Morgan Stanley's officials when she was with them on the TPP, opposed by many voters?
According to Politico, drawing leaks from attendees, she told the Goldman-Sachs financiers that banker-bashing was unproductive and foolish. What these businesspeople want, of course, is access, should she become president, and such meetings generate friendships. They also want to hear Hillary Clinton's views on regulation, tax policies, subsidies, government contracting matters and trade. We won't know what she told those groups, who made her a millionaire many times over (she received in a single speech five times the household median income for a year) until the press and the people demand their right to know and judge her accordingly.
So far she has been able to dodge disclosing the content of her speeches, while interviewers were focusing on the giant speech fees. But now she is in New Hampshire - the last state of "retail campaigning" and town meetings where voters can put face-to-face to Clinton the demand that she disclose the content of her speeches inside these closed-door business gatherings. Once she leaves New Hampshire, her flaks and screeners will rapidly replace people-to-people dialogue with big-media buys and photo opportunities.
The right to know is never more important than when it pertains to the activities of presidential candidates. The White House is a cauldron of excessive secrecy - secret deals, secret memos, secret meetings with special interests on matters of serious public policy. Morbid secrecy breeds recklessness and bad government. If there is ever a time to teach presidential candidates about openness in government, it is when they are desperately seeking our votes.
Inquiring voters and Bernie Sanders now have an opportunity to make transparency an important matter of candidate accountability and believability. Otherwise, manipulative and deceptive rhetoric holds sway.
In any event, before Hillary Clinton departs from New Hampshire on Tuesday, the voters themselves who meet her can insist that she tell them just what she told those business magnates on Wall Street. She has a large staff and good files for fully and promptly responding to lifting this strange curtain of secrecy around closed speeches for big fees. |
Speaker Paul Ryan Paul Davis RyanBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Five takeaways from McCabe’s allegations against Trump The Hill's 12:30 Report: Sanders set to shake up 2020 race MORE (R-Wis.) in an interview broadcast Monday dismissed criticism of his tweet saying the Texas shooting victims “need our prayers,” arguing “prayer works.”
“It’s disappointing. It’s sad, and this is what you’ll get from the far secular left. People who do not have faith, don’t understand faith, I guess I’d have to say,” Ryan told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on “The Ingraham Angle” when asked about the criticism.
ADVERTISEMENT
“And it is the right thing to do, is to pray in moments like this because you know what? Prayer works.”
Ryan's remarks come after he said Sunday that the mass shooting in Texas was “devastating.”
“Reports out of Texas are devastating,” Ryan wrote on Twitter. “The people of Sutherland Springs need our prayers right now.”
The speaker took heat on social media for the comment, with various users calling for gun control in the wake of the shooting that left 26 people dead after a gunman opened fire at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.
“And I know you believe that and I believe that,” Ryan told Ingraham about the effectiveness of prayer.
“And when you hear the secular left doing this thing, no wonder you’ve got so much polarization and disunity in this country when people think like that.” |
The ailing carmaker General Motors has proposed handing a controlling stake of more than 50% to the US government as it struggles to reach a deal with its lenders to avert imminent bankruptcy.
The nationalisation, in effect, of the biggest US motor manufacturer would be part of a huge debt-for-equity swap as GM tries to shed $44bn (£30bn) of $62bn in crippling liabilities owed to the government, trade unions and bondholders.
But the plan was condemned last night as "neither reasonable nor adequate", by bondholders who would get only 10% of the company, forcing them to write off billions of dollars. Existing shareholders would be left with only 1%.
With its future on a knife-edge, GM delivered a blunt warning that unless its creditors accepted the plan, it would declare bankruptcy and leave the courts to carve up the company. Fritz Henderson, the chief executive, told a press conference at the company's headquarters: "If this cannot be accomplished out of court, we'll go into court and restructure GM under bankruptcy if it's necessary."
As it struggles to stay afloat, GM has deepened cuts that will include 23,000 job losses by 2011, the closure of 16 of its 47 factories in the US and a 42% drop in the number of dealers selling its vehicles.
GM announced it was shutting its 83-year-old Pontiac marque as it slims its portfolio of brands to focus on just four names in the US: Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. The gas-guzzling Hummer and Sweden's Saab will either be sold or closed by next year but GM made it clear that Britain's Vauxhall brand was not under threat.
Summing up the company's predicament, Henderson described the position as "difficult, challenging and painful".
"None of us like this situation we're in but it's our job to do something about it," he said. "We need to have a more stable and sustainable business model because, candidly, we only want to do this once."
A tough-talking GM veteran, Henderson has led efforts to rescue the company since the Obama administration sacked his predecessor, Rick Wagoner, last month. GM and its smaller rival, Chrysler, are teetering on the brink of oblivion and are struggling to convince the government to extend further financial support. "The task at hand in terms of what we need to get done is formidable," Henderson said. "But it can be done."
Under the company's plan, the US treasury and the United Auto Workers' union would get 89% of the company between them. In return, the government would write off half of the emergency lending extended to GM by US taxpayers.
The union's shares would replace the billions of dollars due to be pumped into a trust fund to cover employees' healthcare.
GM has offered a 10% stake to bondholders, who are owed $27bn – a tough proposition to swallow. For each $1,000 of loan notes, bondholders would get 225 shares, worth little more than $550 at today's market price.
The Obama administration insisted that private-sector creditors should get no more than this slim return, demanding that unions and taxpayers receive the lion's share of the company. But in order to proceed, the proposal must be accepted by an overwhelming majority of 90% of bondholders by a deadline of 1 June.
An ad hoc committee representing bondholders last night vigorously objected to the carve-up: "We believe the offer to be a blatant disregard of fairness for the bondholders who have funded this company and amounts to using taxpayer money to show political favouritism of one creditor over another."
Rebecca Lindland, an analyst at IHS Global Insight, said many bondholders were likely to believe they could get a better deal under a bankruptcy arrangement: "The Obama administration may be more pro-union than a bankruptcy judge but it's really a roll of the dice."
Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of the auto research website Edmunds.com, agreed: "There's no reason for bondholders to accept this if they think they can get a better deal under bankruptcy."
GM's smaller rival, Chrysler, has a deadline of Thursday to strike a rescue deal with Italy's Fiat without which the US government has said it will withdraw financial support. Daimler assisted the process last night by in effect writing off its 19.9% stake in Chrysler and $1.9bn in loans.
For GM, the challenge is to shrink to a scale where it can break even with sales of 10m cars in the US annually, rather than the previous rate of 15m to 17m.
"It's been my theory over time that big is only good if you use it to your advantage," Henderson said. "As a company, our overall performance has just not been adequate."
Pontiac, long known for its sporty designs and once marketed as GM's "excitement division", is a prominent casualty. In Europe, however, Henderson signalled ongoing commitment to Vauxhall cars, which are produced in Ellesmere Port on Merseyside, and in Luton. He said the company had a "fantastic team" running the brand. |
Get ready to fall off your chair, and probably through the floor itself, with shock. From Dust, the new game from Eric “Another World” Chahi, was due out from Ubisoft on Wednesday this week. But would you just flipping believe it – Green Man Gaming are reporting that at the very last moment it seems the PC version only has being delayed!
Climb back up, calm yourself down. I know. It’s too much. Of all people, who would have thought Ubi could be the ones to suddenly delay the PC version of a game at the eleventh hour, like they did with Call Of Juarez: The Cartel last week. And others of their games in the last couple of years.
Now due on the 17th August on the PC, 360 owners will be able to enjoy the game almost a month in advance.
Last week, when the same happened with Call Of Juarez: The Cartel, I approached Ubisoft to ask why this had happened on this occasion, and more importantly, why it happens on so many occasions. After a couple of days I received this reply:
“Our teams work hard to ensure that all versions of our games achieve a level of polish and quality that our customers will appreciate. The development team needed a little more time to focus on the PC version [of Call of Juarez], so we adjusted the date accordingly.”
The answer to my second question, came it not.
It’s worth noting that while Green Man and GamersGate have both updated the release date on their sites, Ubisoft are still selling it as if it will come out on Wednesday.
Big thanks to Trey for letting us know. |
When racist progressives in the early 1900s pushed for the minimum wage, they understood its impact: keeping blacks and immigrants out of the workforce by making it illegal for them to out-compete white Americans on the price of their labor.
Today’s progressives aren’t bigots, but the policy they’ve successfully championed — a $15 minimum wage that will take effect in New York City in 2019 — will have the same effect it had a century ago: making it difficult for marginal workers to find employment.
Consider the car-wash industry. These days, 90 percent of new car washes in the United States are fully automated exterior washes with free do-it-yourself high-powered vacuums for cleaning inside the vehicle. Some customers like this model, but men wielding hoses and rags actually do a more thorough job than the very best machines.
Car washes automated because they couldn’t find enough reliable employees willing to work for less than it costs to install hot-air blowers and banks of spinning brushes.
In New York City, it’s a different story. Here, we’re lucky to have a large population of immigrant workers — many of them illegal — willing to do the sort of dirty work that most of us natives avoid. So car washes in the Big Apple tend to have fewer machines and more men. Yes, these jobs involve repetitive work for low pay.
But they’re often better than the alternatives.
During my reporting, I met a 35-year-old gynecologist from Nigeria working at a car wash in Canarsie. The job is helping to pay the bills while he works toward his US medical license. Then there’s the 74-year-old Haitian immigrant, who survives on Social Security but likes keeping busy and supplementing his income cleaning vehicles.
Many more so-called carwasheros in New York City are raising families, subsidizing their meager incomes with Medicaid, food stamps and the Earned Income Tax Credit.
How does taking away their jobs make them better off? The $15 minimum will push New York car-wash operators to automate like the rest of the country, denying workers the right to undercut the machines on cost.
It’s already starting to happen.
Amir Malki, a leading car-wash equipment installer in the region, says over a dozen car-wash operators in New York City have inquired about putting in equipment to eliminate workers.
One owner told me he’s thinking of purchasing $300,000 in equipment that will allow him to eliminate 15 of his 22 men. That’s because when the minimum wage goes from $9 to $15, he’ll have to charge at least $25 per car wash to make a profit — and few will pay that much.
If he automates, quality will suffer but he can lower his price to about $8. “That’s the only way I can think of to survive,” he says.
Veteran car-wash operator Martin Taub owns three New York City locations. One is automated, another is about to be sold off in a real estate deal and the third is full-service — but not for long. Taub is planning to install machines at that location as well, thanks to the $15 minimum.
Those lacking the capital or credit to fully automate can also purchase equipment piecemeal. One option is to install a Dry ’N Shine — a giant spinning wheel wrapped in absorbent material that rolls over the vehicle to sop up moisture.
Equipment installer Malki says the machine can eliminate as many as six men. But it costs about $70,000 including installation, so prior to the passage of the $15 minimum, his New York City clients have mostly held out. “They’ll come around,” says Malki.
Progressives claim they’re fighting for “economic justice,” which is ironic. “Every worker, regardless of what they do or where they came from, is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect,” said the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union’s president Stuart Appelbaum in a speech about the carwasheros last year.
Is it more dignified to have a difficult job or no job at all? In keeping with progressivism’s long history of infantilizing the poor, Appelbaum and his allies don’t respect the right of the carwasheros to make that choice for themselves.
Adapted from “Minimum Wage vs. the Carwasheros,” available at Reason.com, where Jim Epstein is a writer and producer. |
WATCH: The Sun Like You've Never Seen It
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which keeps a 24/7 vigil on the sun, just released this spectacular video composite to mark five years since the spacecraft was launched.
As Astronomer Phil Plait writes at Slate: "There's so much to take in there. Rolling sunspots, eruptive prominences, collapsing filaments, solar flares, the Transit of Venus (twice!)"
The SDO was being designed and built while Plait was working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The astronomer says he remembers discussing with colleagues how much data would be sent back to Earth and how much would be seen by the probe.
"I had no idea," he writes (emphasis his). "SDO is far more than I imagined, and has revealed our active and complex star far better than anything before it." |
In the past, Germany has pushed for an agreement similar to the understanding that the United States has with Britain and three other English-speaking allies that prohibits spying on one another.
Until now the Obama administration has been loath to broker such a deal with the Germans, who have publicly stated their interest in a nonspying pact, partly because other nations would demand a similar arrangement. But the revelations of recent days have so strained relations between Washington and Berlin that that calculus appears to be changing — especially because American officials have difficulty making a credible case for what the United States has to gain from spying on senior German officials.
In the past, there have been questions about what the United States might gain from entering into a no-spying pact with the Germans. Several years ago, Dennis C. Blair, then the director of national intelligence, held discussions with French officials about such an agreement between the United States and France partly because he thought such a pact could yield practical benefits: it would allow the F.B.I. and other counterintelligence organizations to shift the few resources used in trying to hunt down French spies inside the United States to more productive assignments.
Mr. Blair made the proposal despite the fact that the French are believed to have had an active program of industrial espionage inside the United States, working vigorously to steal American technological secrets. And current and former American intelligence officials said that the Germans are far less aggressive inside the United States than the French.
Administration officials say the National Security Agency, in its push to build a global data-gathering network that can reach into any country, has rarely weighed the long-term political costs of some of its operations. Whether to make those kinds of reciprocal agreements with allies is among the questions two different administration reviews of N.S.A. spying practices hope to address.
One is being run inside the National Security Council. Another is under way by five members of an outside review panel created by Mr. Obama after the disclosures by Mr. Snowden.
Among its members are Richard A. Clarke, who served in the Clinton and both Bush administrations and has become an expert on cyberconflict; Michael J. Morell, a former deputy director of the C.I.A.; and Cass Sunstein, who ran the office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama White House before returning to Harvard Law School. |
By Chris Scott Barr
Back before the whole world went nuts about Twilight there was another set of books/movies which drove tweens wild. I am of course speaking of Harry Potter. Sure, there are still a pair of movies to be released, but I’d say the excitement has died down considerably. That didn’t stop one creative individual from crafting a magical artifact from the Potter universe using muggle technology.
The Weasley family had a peculiar clock which instead of telling time, informed you where each individual was located. So how would one get a timepiece to display such information? Through the magic of Twitter, of course.
The face of the clock has a dozen locations written on it (technically 11 places, and one which says “read me”) and four hands with pictures of each family members. A Seeeduino microcontroller board and wireless router are used to monitor Twitter updates and move the hands. If a Twitter update contains one of the locations on the face, the hand moves appropriately. If an update does not contain one of these, the hand will move to “read me.”
This is one of the more creative projects that I have seen in recent history. Taking something purely magical and crafting it from available technology is just awesome. Thankfully the creator took the time to document his work so you can make your own if you choose.
[ TheMagicClock ] VIA [ Technabob ] |
Man charged with murder in girlfriend’s stabbing at Oakland market
A woman was stabbed numerous times inside the Oakland Market near the corner of 18th and Filbert streets in West Oakland on Sunday. A woman was stabbed numerous times inside the Oakland Market near the corner of 18th and Filbert streets in West Oakland on Sunday. Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Man charged with murder in girlfriend’s stabbing at Oakland market 1 / 3 Back to Gallery
A West Oakland store employee was charged Tuesday with murder in the stabbing death of his girlfriend.
Rusamie Ashly Phongphoumy, 19, of Richmond was stabbed numerous times inside the Oakland Market near the corner of 18th and Filbert streets in West Oakland about 11:30 a.m. Sunday. She died at the scene.
Her boyfriend, 35-year-old Abdol Ali Omar of Oakland, was arrested at the store, where both he and the victim worked, authorities said. The stabbing was captured by high-quality surveillance video from two camera angles, Oakland police Sgt. Caesar Basa wrote in an affidavit.
Omar’s stepbrother witnessed the incident and tried to intervene, Basa wrote.
Omar was booked at a downtown Oakland jail on suspicion of murder. On Tuesday, Alameda County prosecutors charged him with murder and an enhancement for allegedly using a knife..
In a separate case over the weekend, 15-year-old Isaiah Smith was found shot to death on the 5400 block of Trask Street in East Oakland shortly before noon Saturday. Isaiah was a sophomore at Fremont High School in Oakland.
Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @henryklee |
AMY GOODMAN: One of the most moving events at the Democratic National Convention was the speech delivered by Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy in one of his first public appearances since being diagnosed with brain cancer in May. He flew into Colorado, taken immediately to the University of Denver Hospital. Though his family and doctors had advised against it, he went to the Pepsi Center, accompanied by paramedics and a doctor. On the convention floor, he was accompanied by his niece, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President John Kennedy, and his wife Vicki.
A day after he spoke, the Kennedys gathered at the historic Brown Palace Hotel in Denver to remember another Kennedy, Ted’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy, slain forty years ago, the night he won the Los Angeles Democratic primary. After the event, I sat down with his son, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the environmental attorney.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.: One of the most poignant memories I have of my father was a trip that we took to Europe when I was about thirteen years old, and we went to Czechoslovokia and Poland and Italy and Greece and France and Germany. And everywhere we went, we were met by vast crowds of people, hundreds of thousands of people, who came out because they wanted to be near an American politician. And it wasn’t just because my father’s brother had been martyred three years before. The same thing happened to Eisenhower when he went to Kabul and Tehran. A million Muslim people met him on the street waving tiny little American flags. And what I remember as a boy is these crowds of people that were just hungry for American leadership, and they — not bullying. They knew the difference. And they were starved for a moral authority. And they proudly named their streets after our presidents, Washington and Jefferson and Lincoln and Roosevelt and Kennedy.
And I remember the day after 9/11, when the headline on the biggest newspaper in France, Le Monde, was “We’re All Americans Now.” And for three weeks after 9/11, thousands of Muslim people came out spontaneously onto the streets of Tehran to make candlelight vigils to show their support, their solidarity, their love for the United States of America. We were the most beloved nation on the face of the earth and in the history of mankind.
And it took 230 years of disciplined visionary leadership by Republican and Democratic presidents to build up those vast reservoirs of public love for our country. And in seven short years, through monumental arrogance and incompetence, this White House has drained those reservoirs dry. We are now, according to virtually every poll, the most hated nation and feared nation on earth. And anybody who says that it’s good for our national security when European youth, as a recent poll showed, hold Osama bin Laden in the same regard as they hold President Bush, and anybody who believes it’s good for our national security when Hezbollah is as popular in the Mideast as America has their head in an oil well.
You know, Abraham Lincoln said America — we’re doing things today that were inconceivable a few years ago. We’re torturing people in America. We’re eavesdropping on our citizens. We are having extraordinary renditions. We’ve suspend habeas corpus. We have these black prisons. And, you know, Abraham Lincoln said that America is a good nation — is a great nation, because we’re a good nation. And he warned that if we ever lose our goodness, we’ll quickly forfeit our greatness as well.
You know, people say in the White House that we have to do these things, because we’re under such terrible threat. But that’s a lie. When I was a little boy, we had 25,000 nuclear-tipped missiles pointing at our country from the Soviet Union with one guy able to press a button and vaporize most of our population. And we weren’t torturing people and eavesdropping on our citizens and suspending habeas corpus. During the Civil War, 659,000 Americans died. Our cities were burned and occupied by foreign — by hostile armies. And we didn’t engage in those kind of behaviors.
You know, during the Revolutionary War, George Washington was approached by his generals with the idea of torturing British soldiers to extract strategic information. At that time, the British were torturing our soldiers in New York Harbor on coffin ships and killing them by the dozens every day. Washington said to them, “I would rather lose the war, because this is the first nation in history that is based upon an idea, and the idea is one of essential human dignity and justice.” And he said, “We’re not — I’d rather the British continue to rule us than become — than to lose that.” And, you know, he established codes of conduct for the treatment of prisoners, fair treatment of prisoners and humane treatment. And the Hessians that he captured on Christmas Eve were so shocked by the good treatment they received from the American captors that after two weeks in prison, they agreed to walk unguarded all the way to POW camps in western Pennsylvania, and not a single one escaped.
During the Civil War, Lincoln’s general suggested — made the suggestion of torture, and he was so horrified by the idea, that he created a committee to establish a standards — a report with standards for the fair treatment and humane treatment of prisoners of war. And eighty years later, that document became the Geneva Convention.
During World War II, Eisenhower was asked about torturing Germans at a time when Nazis were torturing our prisoners and POWs. And Eisenhower said, “Americans don’t do that.” And he said — and during World War II, German soldiers surrendered to American soldiers by the thousands, because they had heard from their fathers, who fought in World War I, “Always surrender to an American, because Americans don’t torture people.”
You know, a few weeks ago, I had John Dean on my show on Air America. And John Dean, as you know, was the counselor to President Nixon during the Watergate scandal. And Dean said to me — Dean went to prison for his participation in the cover-up. And he said, “You know, we eavesdropped illegally on one office, and I went to jail for four months, and my boss was impeached and then forced to resign.” And he said, “These people have illegally eavesdropped on hundreds of thousands of Americans.” And he said, “Where’s the impeachment? Where are the convictions? Where’s the imprisonment? Where’s the jail term? Where is the American press? Where is the indignation?”
And, you know, we need to continually remind ourselves that the Bill of Rights is not a luxury we can no longer afford and that America is not just a place where people come to, you know, increase the size of their pile, and whoever dies with the most stuff wins. Our nation is an exemplary nation. And that’s the way the world regards us, and that’s what they want from us. And when we start lowering our standards, we lose our prestige, we lose our capacity to influence world events, and we lose the soul of our country. And we now need to gain that back.
AMY GOODMAN: So, what do you make of Nancy Pelosi? I mean, the fact is, it’s not the Republicans who control the House and the Senate, it’s the Democrats who do. And she says impeachment is off the table. They say just consider the election a way to get rid of the President.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.: Well, I don’t believe it. I think, you know, what I’ve said to Nancy Pelosi publicly and to every Democrat that comes on my show, I say, “Why aren’t we impeaching these people, just as a civics lesson to the American public? You know, we need that. We need to remind people that you cannot trample the Bill of Rights. You cannot ignore your oath of office to protect the Constitution.”
You know, there’s no doubt that they committed a crime. Everybody admits it. When it was FISA, when they — you know, when they illegally eavesdropped, there’s no justification for that. It is a crime, and it’s a high crime. And it’s a high crime that’s prescribed, you know, for — as the basis for impeachment. And they ought to be impeached, just so that nobody does it again. We can’t just keep — you know, if somebody is murdered. You just don’t say, “Well, let it go, and move on. Nobody really wants to deal with a trial and all that problem.” It’s our responsibility as a generation to impeach these people now as a showcase, to show future presidents of the United States that the Bill of Rights is not something that can be trifled with, that the Bill of Rights is not just a luxury that we can no longer afford.
AMY GOODMAN: Perhaps their calculation is they are courting Republicans to leave the Republican Party and vote for a Democrat and that if they polarize the country, that they won’t have that option.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.: Well, sometimes you have to do what’s right. And I think, in the long run, it’s the politically smart thing to do, because I think Americans — you know, and I’ve been prosecuting polluters and suing people for years, and when you sue somebody — when you say bad things about somebody, everybody just dismisses it as criticism. But when it becomes a court case, everybody begins taking it seriously. And at this point, you know, it’s clearly the right thing to do, because you can’t let somebody — all of these people, Nancy Pelosi on down, have sworn to protect the Constitution. How can you protect the Constitution when you’re letting somebody violate it and then just say, “Well, we’re going to let this one go, and then we’ll move on to the next one”?
AMY GOODMAN: Well, we’ve just come into a Democratic convention here in Denver, where the Democrats joined with the Republicans in granting retroactive immunity to the corporations like AT&T that spied on the American people. And now, all the delegates carrying around their bag have that logo of AT&T. They’re helping to sponsor this convention.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.: Oh, I know. Well, I always say that Republicans are 95 percent corrupt, and the Democrats are 75 percent corrupt. And the level of corruption reflects the amount of money, of corporate money, they’re taking. I mean, they’ve got AT&T all over their bags, and they’ve got these clean coal signs that are, you know, up and down the streets, that you get mugged by these clean coal people who are apparently paying for half the convention. So, it’s very disturbing to me, Amy.
AMY GOODMAN: Now, your family is divided, right? Caroline Kennedy and your uncle, Ted Kennedy, for Obama; your family is for — has been for Clinton. What are your thoughts right now?
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.: No, everybody is for Obama. You know, the primaries are over. The day the primaries ended, the last primary ended, we all started working for Obama. And, you know, I said from the beginning, we have two great candidates, and I’m happy supporting either one of them. I believed, for my own reasons, that Hillary Clinton had the best chance of winning the election, but I love Barack Obama. And, you know — and from the beginning, I was defending, you know, him against the Republican attacks, even when I was campaigning for Hillary. They started attacking him for not wearing his flag lapel pin. And, you know, this is so ironic and so absurd that that’s the measure of patriotism. You put on a flag lapel pin so you can free both hands to tear up the Bill of Rights, you know, and that’s really what he’s saying, and he should have stuck with it. But anyway, we’re going to work, and we’re going to try as hard as we can to get him elected, because we need this for America.
AMY GOODMAN: You’re involved in a piece in Rolling Stone right now around voting, the issue of voting all over the country. What are your concerns?
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.: Well, the Republican Party has put in place a system for suppressing the Democratic vote, particularly African American voters, Hispanic voters and American Indian voters. And there’s fifty different tricks that are using — of legal mechanisms that now make it very, very difficult for those groups to register, then to vote, and third, to get their votes counted. And they’re complex, very sinister, cunning and clever mechanisms that most Americans, almost — most Americans, including most elected officials, don’t even know about. But in the end, they’re going to end up disenfranchising about three million voters, mainly African American, Hispanic, American Indian, senior citizens and elderly, the hard core of the Democratic Party. And so, we’ve done — myself and Greg Palast — I’ve done an analysis, an easy-to-read analysis, which will be published in Rolling Stone, I think in the September 12th issue. I’ve got to go.
AMY GOODMAN: Thank you very much.
ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR.: Thank you. |
0
Wherever this article finds you within your binging of Marvel’s Jessica Jones on Netflix, part of you might be wondering just where all the news is for one of the comic book company’s other Defenders, Iron Fist. The last time we reported on any news out of the Living Weapon’s camp, it was to lump it together with the loose schedule of Marvel’s other TV series. When Krysten Ritter was announced as Jessica Jones, with Mike Colter set to play Luke cage on Jessica Jones before starring in his own series, fans were left wondering if Iron Fist was still in the works at all.
Thanks to an interview with Marvel Television chief Jeph Loeb, CBR got some good intel on why the TV production wing has kept quiet on Iron Fist and when fans might see their first solid news about the series. While it is still some time away – Jessica Jones just debuted today and we have a full Luke Cage series to look forward to in addition to the second season of Daredevil – Iron Fist provides the last necessary piece of the puzzle that will be Marvel TV’s Defenders series.
So even though there was a rumor that Iron Fist was being scrapped/shelved/delayed, or what have you, simply because things were quiet on the news front, Loeb confirms that this is not the case:
“There was a lot of speculation about what was going on with ‘Iron Fist,’ because [fans] hadn’t heard anything about it, but there’s never been any change at all.”
In fact, when asked if fans can expect to see some casting announcements or other hard news sometime soon, Loeb said:
“The short answer is, ‘Yes, there’ll be news.”
While that news certainly comes as, well, good news, it’d be better if we had a bit of an explanation as to why things have been quiet to begin with. Loeb provides one:
“We knew exactly what we were doing at Marvel and at Netflix. Let’s get [‘Jessica Jones’] out there, everybody knows that ‘Luke Cage’ is up and going. What I can say right now is we’re very excited about ‘Iron Fist.'”
This all makes sense because, unlike major motion pictures, Marvel’s TV series have relatively much smaller budgets and a much smaller marketing window. With Netflix releasing all episodes of a series/season at once, it’s conceivable that most viewers will consume the whole thing during its opening weekend. After that, it’s onto the next big thing.
I actually like that they’ve managed to carve out sections of the calendar that are dedicated in majority to whatever their next project is rather than the one that’s coming after. The best news to take away from all of Loeb’s quotes is this: Iron Fist is coming, and soon we’ll know who’ll be bringing Danny Rand to life. |
It seems that people want to announce everything on Facebook, even their imminent demise.
30-year-old Eric L. Ramsey knew his time was up, so he took out his cell phone and posted on his Facebook wall: "Well folkes [sic] im about to get shot. Peace"
As NBC News reports, some of his friends thought he was joking.
However, shortly after his 3:15 a.m. post, he was fatally shot by a policeman.
The police were searching for Ramsey after he allegedly kidnapped and raped a woman at Central Michigan University, set a house ablaze, stole a sanitation truck, and rammed into the cars of two Michigan State troopers.
The victim of the alleged rape had managed to escape and had alerted the police.
The Isabella County Sheriff, Leo Mioduszewki, said in a press release (PDF): "A short while later, a Crawford County Deputy located the sanitation truck, and the suspect ended up hitting the deputy's car head on. The deputy then got out of the patrol car, ran up to the cab of the pickup, and fired shots, fatally wounding the suspect."
It's not clear what time Ramsey was shot or how he had time to make the Facebook post.
Ramsey isn't the first alleged criminal to have used Facebook during his activity. Two years ago, a man held a woman hostage in a Utah hotel and posted constant updates to his Facebook account.
In the case of Ramsey, Facebook seems to have been the only way he could offer a short goodbye. |
Polar bear hairs are hollow to maximize insulating qualities of the animals' fur, as almost every student of the Arctic knows.
But now a set of studies from China shows polar bear hairs are much more than simple tiny tubes.
Detailed mathematical analysis of the hairs, published in the journal Thermal Science, finds they have complex structures that make them much better insulators than simple hollow hairs would be.
Microscopic examination of polar bear hairs reveals their interior is a structure of membrane pores, researchers from several Chinese universities have found. The latest analysis finds the pore structure is arranged as a fractal, a series of repeating patterns spun off into smaller dimensions.
Calculation of the pore structure finds the ratio of its dimensions to be close to a mathematical figure known as the "golden mean," the ideal dimension ratio for an infinitely spiraling fractal, says one study. The dimension ratio of the inner structure of the analyzed polar-bear hair was calculated at 1.625, close to the golden mean, which is also called Phi and is approximately 1.618; the golden mean "must reveal the possible optimal structure of polar bear hairs," the study says.
Though it appears white, polar bear fur is translucent, helping it absorb environmental heat, the study points out. Without the interior pores' fractal arrangement, however, the translucent hair that absorbs light could easily send heat back out into the environment, the study says.
A related study, with some of the same co-authors, calculates the equation for one-dimensional heat conduction through each "labyrinth cavity" of the hair. The authors used calculus to arrive at a differential equation showing how heat moves through the hairs.
The studies -- the latest in a series on the same subject by the same group of Chinese researchers -- are not mere academic exercises.
Understanding the structure and workings of polar-bear hairs "may find many potential applications in the future, especially in thermal insulation designs for extreme cases," said an earlier study by some of the same authors, published in 2011 in Thermal Science.
They note in their studies that polar bears maintain body temperatures of 98.6 degrees in an environment where temperatures can dip as low as minus 76 degrees.
The Chinese researchers are not alone in looking to polar-bear hair as a model for future heat-collecting and heat-holding products. |
Liquid`Snute: Because it Just Makes Sense Text by Liquid`Nazgul Because It Just Makes Jens
It's been satisfying to read the speculation about Snute joining Liquid. I thought that Snute and Liquid were a perfect match, and it was great to see that so many people agreed. It means that we've done a good job showing our fans what kind of vision we have for our players, and that Snute has done a great job in showing everyone the personality that was so attractive to us. It was a no brainer that we were interested in Snute as a Liquid player, and I'm very happy to make it official.
Snute lives up to what I want my players to stand for. He's extremely down to earth, thoughtful, and caring about his fans. He also cares a lot about his position as a professional gamer, and tries to present himself and his industry in a positive manner.
Although I'd love to pick up a non-Korean Terran / Protoss player who's right for Liquid - and I'm sure you all have your favorites among them - for me Snute is the perfect pickup even if it makes us a little Zerg heavy. With how critical Liquid is about its recruits, when the perfect player and person comes along, race can only have a limited impact in the decision. For me it is more important for Snute's character to fit Liquid than his race. There are very few players out there with the skill, potential, and personality to join Liquid, and I wasn't going to let this opportunity get away.
We had been talking to Snute for some time now, and were close to a deal before HomeStory Cup VI. Winning HSC just reaffirmed what we already knew about his skill. There's a popular impression that I don't want to recruit tournament winners, and focus on up and coming players instead. Although I love to be able to scout lesser known players and help them develop into stars on Liquid, it's not an approach I'm stuck with. Just like with race, that's only one of the many factors that end up contributing to a decision. Snute has so much ahead of him still, and we would love to help him achieve all that he can.
Snute will travel to Poland to play his first tournament as a Liquid player at IEM Katowice. After that... One of the things drew Snute to Liquid was that we both wanted him to spend a period in Korea for training. The details are still to be determined, but we will definitely make it happen at some point this year. You can count on seeing Snute in Korea in 2013, and hopefully in the Proleague as well!
Liquid did amazing things in 2012, and we're on pace to do the same in 2013. Welcome to the team, Liquid`Snute.
- Liquid`Nazgul
Connect to Liquid`Snute
Watch Liquid`Snute Follow Liquid`Snute and TeamLiquidPro on Twitter! Watch Liquid`Snute Stream!
Replay Pack!
Download Now Check out this replay pack from Liquid`Snute, including games against NaNiwa, Kas, Stephano, and more!
Interview with Liquid`Snute
This is a big day for Liquid. We couldn't be happier to announce the first Norwegian since Liquid`Drone back in 2002.
We sat down to talk to him about his views on practice, StarCraft, and how his life has been since he dedicated himself to becoming a professional gamer one year ago.
Welcome! Could you introduce yourself?
Hi! My name is Jens, I'm 22 years old and have been playing SC2 full-time for one year. I used to be studying music technology at the university in Trondheim, but I quit and became a pro-gamer instead.
Tell us about your gaming experience before starcraft. There might be some people who don't know of your achievements!
Hehe ^^ I used to compete a lot in dance dance revolution, also known as machine dance, and was the Norwegian champion way back somewhere around 2004.
So how did you get into StarCraft?
A friend of mine in elementary school had an older brother that played Brood War, so my friend and I had small LANs where we'd play games like Dark Colony and Brood War. Eventually we introduced it to the boys and girls at school and it became the flavor of the month. At some point there were like fifteen 11year old boys and girls playing brood war and meeting online with dialup modem haha. It was rather casual though. I kept on playing casually for a few years a bit on and off, but quit completely eventually.
In 2011 you started to stream and eventually you would achieve some results in WCG and qualify for ESWC. What made you start to get competetive?
I think what triggered it for me was going on a vacation to Korea with my friend Richard 'GLRiChY', where we played some on iCCup before the release of SC2. I got smashed left and right and some korean BM'd me with a simple line: "You need effort". After that trip to Korea I got a bit of my competetive drive back.
I didn't start playing SC2 right away, but picked it up after a month or so. As some people know from early on I didn't play 1v1, but 2v2 with my teammate RiChY and we would compete together. He always had high expectations and I'd often be holding the team back, so it was natural that I wanted to improve to be a better teammate and not make him upset! xD
However, what sparked my drive to win in 1v1 was definitely the Norwegian LANs and the scene we had in Norway early on. There were so many players that were far better than me, so I did everything I could to beat them. Eventually, I did - just barely - and I qualified for WCG and ESWC where I'd face even greater challenges. I was already quite pumped after winning 3 norwegian LANs in a row but I faced even more resistance abroad. That's when the competetive drive kicked in once more.
Your stream gained what we might call a 'cult following'. Why do you think it became so popular, especially being unfeatured? (Sorry! ^^)
Probably because of the commentary and how I used to play back then, my style would always revolve around mass drops, multitasking, baneling bombs, infestor shenanigans, gold bases, baneling busts, mutalisks, 14/14-speedling baneling pressure/allins/micro in ZvZ, things that are really really fun to watch. Lots of explosions. My IRC channel was also a nice place to chill and hang out and talk to people since there were so few, but consistent viewers, so it was very cozy.
Norway isn't known for its gaming scene, while Sweden is a global powerhouse, and Denmark has some strong players in other types of games. Any theories about why Norway seems to have less of an interest in esports?
You can see the difference from Norway to Sweden in our largest competitions: DreamHack and The Gathering. DreamHack puts a lot of effort into SC2. The Gathering hosted a good competition in 2012, but it was not made into mainstage material. This year, there will be little to none focus on ESPORTS at all at TG.
Spending massive amounts of time playing games is unfortunately still not commonly accepted in Norway. Parents are for the most part negative towards video games because of a lot of negative articles about gaming in mainstream media. Receiving support and acceptance from those around you is tremendously important when you want to dedicate a lot of time to something and get good at it, so I hope that the public opinion of gaming in Norway is going to change for the better.
I think Norway has some interest in esports right now, but more from a spectator side. There are a lot of people going to barcrafts and following international SC2 in their spare time. People love to watch DreamHack and the GSL, but little attention is given to the Norwegian scene, because we don't have any truly major/premier events.You can see the difference from Norway to Sweden in our largest competitions: DreamHack and The Gathering. DreamHack puts a lot of effort into SC2. The Gathering hosted a good competition in 2012, but it was not made into mainstage material. This year, there will be little to none focus on ESPORTS at all at TG.Spending massive amounts of time playing games is unfortunately still not commonly accepted in Norway. Parents are for the most part negative towards video games because of a lot of negative articles about gaming in mainstream media. Receiving support and acceptance from those around you is tremendously important when you want to dedicate a lot of time to something and get good at it, so I hope that the public opinion of gaming in Norway is going to change for the better.
Do you feel extra weight as the most successful Norwegian? Even if you now have more help (or challengers) than you might have a year ago?
I used to, in Norwegian competitions. When I was the only one playing full time and dedicating a lot to it, I'd often be nervous and afraid of losing to part-time players. However, that's exactly what happened quite a few times, at WCS for example. Fortunately I've matured and shifted away from that negative mindset. As long as I do my best to win, it doesn't matter. When it comes to the international scene I don't feel any added pressure.
You made the decision to become a full-time pro at the start of 2012. What prompted you to make that decision?
It was mostly about a gradual decline of interest in studying. I also noticed that I couldn't travel much and study at the same time due to strict absence rules at the uni. After winning the autumn LANs and travelling to WCG and ESWC, I realized I had a greater desire to travel and live as a pro-gamer.
I don't want to regret anything and I spent a lot of time thinking about going full-time. I decided that it would be the best time for me to just quit the studies and enjoy life in solitude practicing and streaming from the mancave in Trondheim and then do everything in my power to improve and attend competitions.
When was the first time you thought; "I might be good enough to keep doing this"?
Definitely after the Norwegian 2011 autumn LAN season and after attending WCG2011. After I made my choice, I never had any doubts. I wanted to play full time for one year to see what it'd be like. I constantly pushed my own limits and slowly but surely I managed to catch up to people I previously considered unbeatable to me. I had my plans set for 2012, no looking back, I just kept practicing focusing on the tasks ahead.
What did your family think? What were the challenges getting started?
My parents were skeptical at first. They wanted me to study. But reasoning goes a long way and most of all parents want you to be happy with what you do in life, so eventually my parents came to accept that it was what I wished for. To me there would be little point in going to University if I wasn't motivated for it.
As for how it is to get started ... it's a bit different. I had just moved to a new city, knew only a few people, and just quit uni before making any close friends. The result was spending months in solitude, sometimes I'd go days without talking to people in person and sometimes it would be a bit awkward to interact with people again. It's more of a funny thing though. Even if I was mostly alone I was happy and I had good flatmates to talk to.
There were very few challenges getting started. Playing full-time from an apartment is a very simple and peaceful existence. I did well in planning out my financial situation carefully beforehand and it all worked out. I didn't expect to make big money to begin with. When you start off as a pro-gamer it's all about putting yourself in a stable and comfortable position where you can let go and give it your all for a given time and then re-evaluate.
Throughout the first half of 2012, you only achieved one notable result, winning the ONOG Invitational. Did you ever think of quitting?
No. I had so many things going on and I always had competitions to look forward to, I wanted to do my best in every one of them. While I didn't show top placings it was simply because I was not supposed to do so yet. Backing down was never an option to me despite the lack of notable results.
You are known among your stream viewers for your work ethic, can you describe the practice you put in throughout 2012?
I guess it would all sum up to self-diagnostics, self-observation and targetted elimination of critical errors and weaknesses while slowly building a stronger fundamental understanding of the game. In the beginning of the year I'd judge myself, point out mistakes, find the biggest one of them and eliminate them one at a time. It was a very simple, meticilous, but also slow approach.
At the start of 2012 I would still win games with tricks, mindgames, opponent-tailored strategies, all-ins and blind counters, abusing multitasking and micro rather than focusing on strong fundamental understandings of the matchups. It gave me a bit of success, but I could also not keep up in a lot of situations. I remained open to things, I knew that I had a lot to learn, and I tried my best to understand the game better. It took a very long time, but I managed to readjust and improve. Especially the time in the Ministry of Win and Korea afterwards added to my skill in the areas I lacked.
The part that changed the most in the later parts of 2012 was the mental aspect which truly allowed me to take advantage of the accumulated experience. I've always been very self-judgemental. In practice it would encourage me and act as a reminder, but it also backfired on my self-esteem. What we could see in the end of the year was me overcoming mental obstacles that had been troubling me at international LANs this year.
Apart from practicing hard I want to be friendly, respectful and just trying to learn from my mistakes. Every time I lose it's because of myself and while it's rough it's also encouraging. Sometimes it's difficult to stay positive, but I have such a strong practice flow that's been rolling for months and months, nothing can really stop me from wanting to practice.
What did you find to be the most effective practice? Was there any period where something really flipped a switch?
I really would like to say something sensationalist here but the simple truth based on what I've observed is that my improvement has been pretty much constant throughout the year regardless of where I've been. There have been marginal differences, but a lot can also be attributed to overcoming certain obstacles that give you a certain boost and it's difficult to know for sure what's up. If there was anything that I perceived as a big switch, it would be my confidence boost after returning from Korea. But to me it seems like natural development and practice paying off over time, I don't think there's anything magical to it.
Your style has changed a bit over time, and it usually hasn't had much to do with what's popular at the time. How do you describe your approach to strategy?
In the beginning of the year I'd usually do fast-paced strategies that were fun to use more than effective, and that trait is still somewhat with me today. But back when I practiced in the MoW I developed a better diagnostics system which helped me change my style to avoid losing trends and strategies so that I could win more games.
My approach to strategy today is still similar to what it was before, it's just more well-rounded and I don't take as many risks as I used to. I still have the approach where I'll strike at someone if I spot a weakness. You can still see me use Nydus worms, unorthodox timings and things that generally are perceived as losing moves. I'm a very dangerous opponent in that regard. Even if I'm not taking risks and gambles as often as I used to, it's still something that I am capable of.
I think my default approach is rather simple: Create a winning pattern, attempt to shut down winning patterns from my opponent, strike unexpected timings, and take advantage of leads to finish off my opponent swiftly. Although my strategies vary as well.
You were one of the pioneers of mass infestor...
Kind of, yes. I had some really strong infestor harassment and deadly tactics. But I don't think people would think of me as a pioneer... only a few people would watch me play back then and I'm not sure if it even inspired anyone but my few stream viewers.
... and now you're not a fan of them? How come?
Actually I like the infestor a lot still, it's very much needed to stay in the game over time. It's more the thing about rushing to the ZvP endgame with broodlord, infestor and spine that is a bit boring. Ling-Infestor used to be one of my favorite combos, it was so strong and fun to play. Neural nerf made it less viable though. It is good that the nerf happened because ling infestor was absolutely ridicilous vs protoss. Now it's not as powerful of an option anymore and less tempting to use, which is a bit unfortunate since it's a very fun style to play. Infestors are still fun to use vs Terran, they are almost always stronger than the Mutalisk. Both are fun to use and viable options.
ZvZ-wise the last GSL finals was all about the infestor, droning up to comfort zone and making roaches. It seems like a lot of modern euro ZvZ revolves around pure roach now though. I think that the infestor is a neccessity to ZvZ in theory, but close map tension makes it a bit difficult sometimes. I've been able to defeat a lot of people using mass roach against greedy infestor play, but it can go both ways.
You were also a pioneer of a particularly imbalanced build on Antiga, care to explain?
Haha, yes ;D I figured that it was possible to take the gold base first vs Protoss and follow it up with a drone transfer from main to gold and abuse a baneling bust timing right before Forge FE Warpgate tech would finish. It was a lot of fun and I am happy that I hopefully contributed to tournaments removing gold bases from their map pools, that's pretty much what I wanted to accomplish with abusing that strategy for weeks on ladder and in an official tournament qualifier. I want to apologize to the protoss players that had to experience it for weeks..
How do you characterize the way you play now? It's not exactly 'standard' anyway. ^^
I don't know. I hear from my colleagues that my style is difficult to play against and that it's not all turtly and stuff, but I still feel like I play rather standard with the one exception of not going up to hive tech all that fast. I'm not doing nearly as many multitasking taxing things and crazy strategies as I used to, I'm far less creative than I used to be, so to me I feel very plain compared to what I used to be. But I'm happy to hear that!
You've had some solid results in the past few months, but your big breakthrough seems to have been Homestory Cup. What was the key to your incredible winning run there?
I'm slowly improving month by month, and in every month I have some fluctuations in shape. I was in good shape at HSC and I had a lot of confidence thanks to my experience, my recent offline tournament results and also the people close to me supporting me so much. Special thanks to my girlfriend.
Where was there room for improvement?
I lost two matches to Stephano. I did a lot of things right but I should focus more on getting my own transitions right. I feel like I improvised a bit more than I should have and it wasn't as crispy as I wanted it to be. With added confidence and preparation, I'll do better. I also need to improve my scouting and not take too many risks and beware of overdroning. The other thing I need to work on is splitting my army and setting up defensive positions more swiftly. Those are the few things I can think of right now.
What are your goals for 2013?
In 2013 I want to become more consistent as a top Euro zerg, if not the best foreigner. I also want to go to Korea and do well for my team. Most of all, I want to give SC2 my all in every moment of practice and work on my attention management and thinking pattern in-game.
Aside from that, exercise more, especially strengthen the back and avoid the typical moderate stress/office pains that I have now. I don't want to experience wrist problems either, so I will bear that in mind while practicing and stretch well. I also started sleeping fewer hours than I used to because I'd oversleep a lot and it takes time and energy away from practice and life.
Liquid is only your second professional team, what brought you to join TL?
I knew that if I was going to join another team it would have to be one of the very best. I played for GamersLeague for over a year and I grew very attatched to them. At the same time I wanted to make sure that I could have the best opportunities available for me to grow as a player. I knew that Liquid would provide me with the opportunities to compete with the very best and be a reliable and encouraging team.
What do you think you can bring to Liquid, and what can Liquid bring to you?
I want to be a great teammate and practice partner. I want to improve and Liquid will bring me plenty of opportunities to practice and prove myself as a competitor. I can also represent the team in Dance Dance Revolution-battles against other SC2 teams if it's ever needed T_T..
What does the Liquid name mean to you?
To me, Liquid has been what the SC2 community is gathered all around and what the community is cheering for, a friendly and mannered team with a strong fighting spirit. I'm very happy to be on the team that is so revered within the community.
As a recent Korean-destroyer, we have to ask you about the difference between Koreans and foreigners. Why do you feel that Koreans have the edge, and how were you able to take it back?
I think there are more Koreans putting a lot of effort into the game than there are foreigners, they also live and support each other in team houses. Most foreigners are hesitant about leaving home. Some of the Koreans also have a lot of experience from competitive Brood War, so that counts too. I was able to take back a bit of the edge because I went full-time and practiced hard.
Thanks so much! Any final words?
Thanks for reading this interview and shoutouts to everyone who's been cheering me on, your support is invaluable. Last year was great but this one will be even better! I'll do my best to show you more great games from all across the world and I'll practice a lot on stream. Don't miss it! Thanks to Liquid for the very warm welcome - it's an honor to be on the team. I also want to show my appreciation to TL's sponsors, The Little App Factory, Razer, Twitch and Barracuda Networks. Thank you!
It's been satisfying to read the speculation about Snute joining Liquid. I thought that Snute and Liquid were a perfect match, and it was great to see that so many people agreed. It means that we've done a good job showing our fans what kind of vision we have for our players, and that Snute has done a great job in showing everyone the personality that was so attractive to us. It was a no brainer that we were interested in Snute as a Liquid player, and I'm very happy to make it official.Snute lives up to what I want my players to stand for. He's extremely down to earth, thoughtful, and caring about his fans. He also cares a lot about his position as a professional gamer, and tries to present himself and his industry in a positive manner.Although I'd love to pick up a non-Korean Terran / Protoss player who's right for Liquid - and I'm sure you all have your favorites among them - for me Snute is the perfect pickup even if it makes us a little Zerg heavy. With how critical Liquid is about its recruits, when the perfect player and person comes along, race can only have a limited impact in the decision. For me it is more important for Snute's character to fit Liquid than his race. There are very few players out there with the skill, potential, and personality to join Liquid, and I wasn't going to let this opportunity get away.We had been talking to Snute for some time now, and were close to a deal before HomeStory Cup VI. Winning HSC just reaffirmed what we already knew about his skill. There's a popular impression that I don't want to recruit tournament winners, and focus on up and coming players instead. Although I love to be able to scout lesser known players and help them develop into stars on Liquid, it's not an approach I'm stuck with. Just like with race, that's only one of the many factors that end up contributing to a decision. Snute has so much ahead of him still, and we would love to help him achieve all that he can.Snute will travel to Poland to play his first tournament as a Liquid player at IEM Katowice. After that... One of the things drew Snute to Liquid was that we both wanted him to spend a period in Korea for training. The details are still to be determined, but we will definitely make it happen at some point this year. You can count on seeing Snute in Korea in 2013, and hopefully in the Proleague as well!Liquid did amazing things in 2012, and we're on pace to do the same in 2013. Welcome to the team, Liquid`Snute. Administrator |
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday refused to admit the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding Prof Ambikesh Mahapatra,who was arrested for allegedly circulating a cartoon of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Advertising
Vishak Bhattacharjee,a resident of Kolkata,filed a PIL seeking intervention of the Calcutta High Court as the state government did not implement the recommendation of the human rights commission to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to Mahapatra. When advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharjee,counsel of the petitioner moved the plea,the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked why the issue should be treated as PIL as it was a matter between the rights panel and an individual.
The court also asked why the person concerned ( Prof Mahapatra) not filed a case,and what interest did the litigant have in filing the PIL.
The Division Bench said: The media wrongly reported on March 1 that the petition was admitted. It was not correct. Recently the state government informed the rights panel that it would file action-taken report within six weeks. The Division Bench was informed of this too. |
In the Editorial “Ten Simple Rules for Doing Your Best Research, According to Hamming” [1], Erren and colleagues discussed ten ideas originally presented by Hamming for how to do great science. I am grateful that the authors started this discussion. Scientific careers are very challenging, and there is a lack of training in many graduate programs to provide this kind of career meta-advice. Such discussions are a good starting point, and young scientists should take them seriously.
In the vein of promoting further debate and discussion, I provide here a different and perhaps deeper look at what makes a successful scientist. While I can't claim to have the reputation of Hamming, I grew up in a family of well-known scientists, and have had plenty of chances to observe the trajectories of scientific careers over my lifetime. Based on that experience, I propose the following as a somewhat distinct set of guidelines for doing the best research:
1. Don't worry about age, worry about being exposed to new ideas. While it appears that age plays a role in scientific creativity, it has not been well examined whether that role is biologically causative. There are many social changes that usually occur as anyone ages, which may play a greater role than biology does in the age-related creativity decline. Older scientists usually become boxed into their fields of expertise, and come to be seen as “experts.” As such, they are less likely to have their ideas directly challenged by others, and less likely to be exposed to radically new ideas or different fields. I have seen many anecdotal references to Einstein's creative powers reducing as he aged, as his best work was done in his 20s. But this ignores a major factor: during his creative years, he was a patent clerk who was seen as a “nobody,” whereas in his later years he was an eminent professor. Being a nobody has certain creative advantages—for one, there is not much to lose by promoting radical new ideas, because one has no reputation or established career at stake. Also, one is not expected to follow the “party line,” regardless of the latest scientific fashion that happens to be in vogue. Promoting new ideas can often be a minefield for one's career, since there is usually a long period of violent resistance to new ideas. Barry Marshall had to drink a culture of H. pylori to give himself an ulcer, in order to overcome resistance to the idea that this organism caused ulcers [2]. Now, more than 20 years later, he and co-discoverer Robin Warren have the Nobel Prize, and the role of H. pylori in ulcers is widely accepted. In today's competitive grant world, this phenomenon is exacerbated. It is dangerous to one's funding to go against the trend, and if there is a lab to support and mouths to feed, the disincentives are great. This phenomenon stifles creativity, perhaps far more than biological age does. If one is therefore concerned about retaining scientific creativity, perhaps the best solution is to force exposure to new ideas, concepts, and people. Hamming also discussed the importance of this kind of exposure by “keeping your door open” [3]. I think that more than just keeping one's door open, a more direct way of doing this is to become involved in entirely new fields from time to time, which tends to promote creative thinking outside established dogma. So, don't worry about your age, worry about whether you are continuing to expose yourself to new and challenging ideas.
2. Tinker. While it is not frequently acknowledged either in the popular press or in scientific literature, a significant fraction of scientific discovery is the result of serendipity (or to put it more bluntly, luck). From the discovery of penicillin by Fleming to the discovery of new ionization techniques such as MALDI that power modern mass-spectrometry based proteomic research, luck has frequently played a big role. Such discoveries are generally attributed to hard work and genius, rather than to luck. Doing so gives the “genius” too much credit and luck too little. Often the big discoveries come from someone noticing an inconsistency or oddity in their surroundings or experiments, then doggedly working to figure out what is causing it. So perhaps being a great scientist is less about “genius” than it is about willingness to pursue the unusual at the expense of pursuing the usual. This comes back to the argument about age: often, once one has become entrenched in a paradigm, blindness to inconsistencies grows, and so it takes someone from outside of a field to point those out and pursue them. This should be encouraging news for those of us who don't consider ourselves geniuses. The best way to promote scientific success may be to maximize exposure to chance occurrence and events—especially those that have more upside than downside potential. So, don't just ignore those little inconsistencies that arise in your work, give them some room for consideration. This is something anyone can do, though it takes time and courage (see point 3, below). In addition, to be creative and remain open to fortuitous occurrences, the mind needs a rest from time to time. One can be buried in the lab 20 hours a day, and easily become lost in the self-created world where the little oddities begin to escape notice. Fleming discovered penicillin upon return from a long vacation, and his fresh mind may have contributed to the key observation he made on the effect of mold upon bacterial cultures. So it is critical to balance hard work with other activities, particularly those that provide exposure to new and different challenges: travel, sports, hobbies, family, or whatever.
3. Take risks. Risk taking is where most of the big discoveries in science lie. Recall Dr. Marshall and H. pylori: he was willing to swallow a culture of the bacterium to prove his theory. And later, he shared the Nobel Prize for it. It may not be wise to go around drinking random bacterial cultures in the hopes of discovering something new. But it is important when something outside the current scientific fashion is discovered, to at least consider the risks and possible payoffs of pursuing it. Those who do pursue such ideas may find it hard to get funding for them. Others may say it is a bad idea. People may reject papers, expressing vehement opposition to a new idea. For really groundbreaking ideas, there may even be hecklers at talks! But, as Hamming pointed out in his lecture: “The great scientists, when an opportunity opens up, get after it and they pursue it” [3]. Pursuing new lines of inquiry can be very discouraging at times, but it is all part of the process any new idea goes through to transform from fringe to mainstream. I recall one major experience I had with this. Around 1996, I came up with an idea for doing DNA sequencing reactions in a test tube in a way that is very much like pyrosequencing today. After presenting it to a mentor and having it shot down, I gave up on it and went back to my “safe” work. While that was not a great time to pursue a new line of work outside my graduate studies, perhaps I should not have given up so quickly, considering the importance of pyrosequencers now. Risk taking may be a particular challenge for female scientists. It seems that cultural norms discourage risk taking in young girls more so than in boys, and this can carry forward through to adulthood and into scientific careers. The top female scientists I know of take risks in their work, but they seem to be a minority. So it seems especially important for mentors of female students, postdocs, and young faculty, to provide encouragement in this regard. This same issue may apply to other minorities in science as well.
4. Enjoy your work! It is quite easy in today's science to get caught up in the “external rewards” game, meaning: seeking praise, high profile publications, and honors or awards. But these are transient and illusory rewards. The prestigious prizes and high profile publications are often a lottery—in addition to some of the factors above, there is a lot of luck involved in who happens upon the “really big” discoveries. One may or may not get lucky, and may or may not get recognition for that. Sometimes recognition only comes after the prime of one's career—John Fenn received the Nobel Prize at 85 years old. That's a long time to wait for reward if you're just doing science for the sake of such rewards (I doubt that was Fenn's motivation for discovering electrospray ionization). A different and much more gratifying way to pursue a career is to simply enjoy the work! Do science for the sake of doing it. This is as likely as anything to lead to big discoveries and fame. But even if those things don't happen, you are enjoying yourself, and life is too short not to do so.
5. Learn to say “No!”. Over the span of a career, one gets asked to do many non-science activities: serving on committees, grant reviews, paper reviews, and so on. While it is important to contribute effort to these things to keep the system functioning, it is necessary to set a limit, so that they don't take over the fun of doing science itself. The system will not collapse just because one says “no” from time to time in order to preserve time to do science. Learning to say “no” is particularly important for young faculty, who find themselves barraged with such requests, and who can easily get sucked into full-time committee duties. It is wise to step back frequently and ask, “overall, is this work I am doing fun?” If the answer is no, perhaps it is time to revisit points 1 and 4 above, and consider diving into a new area.
6. Learn to enjoy the process of writing and presenting. Note the distinction in this guideline from: “learn to write and present well.” Many students I encounter dislike writing more than anything else they do. As a result, when it comes time to write a paper, it is a struggle from start to finish, both for them and for those working with them. When one doesn't like doing something, procrastination is the most common response. Procrastination and good writing don't mix. I say this even though I am someone who, as an undergraduate, would work all night on a term paper to turn it in at the last moment, and often receive an “A”. But in the real world of scientific paper writing, that first draft just won't cut it. It usually takes three or more significant rewritings and lots of input from others to get it right. Combine that with procrastination and it's a recipe for not getting a good paper out in a timely fashion, or perhaps not at all. So the key is to figure out how to enjoy the writing process, thereby encouraging oneself to avoid procrastination. There is no one formula that works for everyone—some people need utter peace and quiet for their writing. Others prefer writing at a coffee shop, or to have music playing. The thing is to figure out what works, and to stick with it, training oneself to have positive mental associations with writing. Robert Boice, in his book Advice for New Faculty Members, suggests the key is to do a little bit of writing every day [4]. The goal is simply get the ideas on the page, without worrying about their form at the beginning. By doing this a little bit every day—perhaps only 30–60 minutes—it is amazing how quickly and enjoyably a big writing project can take shape through a process of gradual evolution. This often takes significant retraining, however. Many of us begin with the notion that writing should come in sudden bursts of dramatic creation. This message is conveyed frequently in movies that portray an author writing a novel in a sudden last minute rush, and it is reinforced in high school and college by many of us learning to get away with writing papers at the last minute (and still doing well). Reprogramming that unrealistic expectation out of one's head is therefore a key to learning to enjoy writing. The same principle applies to giving a good presentation: enjoy its making and giving. Forget everything you ever learned about giving dry, stuffy presentations (i.e., all those things in the document How to Make a Scientific Lecture Unbearable) [5]. While it is critical to have good science in your talk, it is equally critical to bring that science to life for the audience. That is nigh impossible if you are scared to death of being in front of the audience, or if you are completely bored by your subject matter. If you are bored, the audience will surely be bored, and you might as well not have wasted their time—or your own. The last thing a reader or talk attendee wants to see is a bunch of data just to prove that you did some work. It is much more interesting to tell a story. The story begins with why you started the work in the first place (the big reasons, not just “because my advisor told me to”), it usually has mystery and intrigue (e.g., dead ends, which are worth reporting only if they helped lead you to the final answer), and some kind of dramatic conclusion (which challenges the audience to think about things in a new way). This may seem like overstatement, but having sat through many extraordinarily dry, boring scientific talks (and having read many dry papers), I find that the ones that stand out are those that have such elements. If there is a lack of enthusiasm for the work you are doing, that may be a sign that it's the wrong work for you to be doing. It can be a fun challenge to figure out who your audience is and what they will respond to. For example, when I was a postdoctoral researcher, I once gave a group meeting presentation accompanied by sound effects borrowed from Monty Python. We all had a good laugh, and I still managed to convey some science, too. But I would never do this at a scientific conference. Yet at a conference with a series of 15 minute talks, it is still possible to give a presentation that stands out—by enjoying its making and giving, and fine-tuning it for that audience. Elements such as presenting clear, understandable slides, and providing adequate introduction and background to the audience are very important. But it is most important to discuss subject matter that you have enthusiasm about. Once one has learned to enjoy writing and presenting, it is very likely that writing well and presenting well will follow, since it is more difficult to do a truly poor job of something one enjoys doing. |
The city is taking an unprecedented step to give more than 250 midtown Toronto properties heritage status in one fell swoop, a move that's taking some owners by surprise.
The Toronto Preservation Board voted unanimously to approve the first phase of its "Midtown in Focus" plan, which adds 258 properties on Yonge Street, Eglinton and Bayview Avenues and Mount Pleasant Road to its heritage register.
The plan still has to be approved by city council, but Coun. Josh Matlow says he's confident it will pass, something that could maintain many of the low-slung brick buildings that line those streets. The full list of buildings can be found here.
"The majority of councillors recognize that Toronto has a shameful legacy when it comes to heritage preservation," Matlow told CBC Toronto.
"Far too many architecturally or culturally important properties have been lost to the wrecking ball."
This is going to change things dramatically. - Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam
The city has been stung by the loss of at least two century-old buildings — including an old Bank of Montreal branch and the former Stollerys building — in recent years. Without heritage protection, developers could easily get a demolition permit from the city.
If the buildings are added to the heritage register, the city would get at least 60 days to potentially block future demolitions.
Matlow said the city is moving quickly and, until now, quietly to protect the buildings so property owners don't try to get rid of them before the new rules take effect.
Workers demolish the facade of the Stollerys building at Yonge and Bloor. (CBC)
Owners, developers flag concerns
While several neighbourhood groups are applauding the move, others are voicing concern.
BILD, the home builders' association with some 1,450 member companies, said in a letter to the preservation board that it was surprised by the city's approach, especially given the limited information it received about the change.
"The city's own report acknowledges that this large number of properties being added to the heritage register at one time is unprecedented," BILD's senior manager of policy and government relations, Danielle Chin, wrote to the board.
"Change of this magnitude should always trigger an industry consultation meeting."
Jack Winberg, the president and CEO of developer Rockport, which controls four properties on the list, expressed similar shock in his letter to the board.
"We did not receive any notice of this report or the intent to list our building as having heritage, contextual or cultural value; we are not of the view that it has any," he wrote.
City council gets final say
At Thursday's meeting, architect Michael McClelland said while he supports a city-wide survey of heritage properties, he's alarmed by the city's aggressive stance, suggesting it should find a way to do more consultation with owners.
McClelland also questioned whether or not many of the buildings would qualify for full heritage protection, suggesting while they're "good, stable" structures, they may not meet the full criteria.
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, who sits on the board, asked the same question to staff, and was told in response it would definitely allow city staff to move faster to block demolitions.
Wong-Tam says she believes the city will need to do some work to educate the public about its new approach to protecting batches of buildings at a time.
"This is going to change things dramatically," she said.
City council will vote on the matter at an upcoming meeting. |
Here's what I mentioned
From:[email protected] To: [email protected] Date: 2014-08-17 17:50 Subject: Here's what I mentioned
Note: Sources include Western intelligence, US intelligence and sources in the region. 1. With all of its tragic aspects, the advance of ISIL through Iraq gives the U.S. Government an opportunity to change the way it deals with the chaotic security situation in North Africa and the Middle East. The most important factor in this matter is to make use of intelligence resources and Special Operations troops in an aggressive manner, while avoiding the old school solution, which calls for more traditional military operations. In Iraq it is important that we engage ISIL using the resources of the Peshmerga fighters of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), and what, if any, reliable units exist in the Iraqi Army. The Peshmerga commanders are aggressive hard fighting troops, who have long standing relationships with CIA officers and Special Forces operators. However, they will need the continued commitment of U.S. personnel to work with them as advisors and strategic planners, the new generation of Peshmerga commanders being largely untested in traditional combat. That said, with this U.S. aid the Kurdish troops can inflict a real defeat on ISIL. 2. It is important that once we engage ISIL, as we have now done in a limited manner, we and our allies should carry on until they are driven back suffering a tangible defeat. Anything short of this will be seen by other fighters in the region, Libya, Lebanon, and even Jordan, as an American defeat. However, if we provide advisors and planners, as well as increased close air support for the Peshmerga, these soldiers can defeat ISIL. They will give the new Iraqi Government a chance to organize itself, and restructure the Sunni resistance in Syria, moving the center of power toward moderate forces like the Free Syrian Army (FSA). In addition to air support, the Peshmerga also need artillery and armored vehicles to deal with the tanks and other heavy equipment captured from the Iraqi army by ISIL. 3. In the past the USG, in an agreement with the Turkish General Staff, did not provide such heavy weapons to the Peshmerga, out of a concern that they would end up in the hands of Kurdish rebels inside of Turkey. The current situation in Iraq, not to mention the political environment in Turkey, makes this policy obsolete. Also this equipment can now be airlifted directly into the KRG zone. 4. Armed with proper equipment, and working with U.S. advisors, the Peshmerga can attack the ISIL with a coordinated assault supported from the air. This effort will come as a surprise to the ISIL, whose leaders believe we will always stop with targeted bombing, and weaken them both in Iraq and inside of Syria. At the same time we should return to plans to provide the FSA, or some group of moderate forces, with equipment that will allow them to deal with a weakened ISIL, and stepped up operations against the Syrian regime. This entire effort should be done with a low profile, avoiding the massive traditional military operations that are at best temporary solutions. While this military/para-military operation is moving forward, we need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region. This effort will be enhanced by the stepped up commitment in the KRG. The Qataris and Saudis will be put in a position of balancing policy between their ongoing competition to dominate the Sunni world and the consequences of serious U.S. pressure. By the same token, the threat of similar, realistic U.S. operations will serve to assist moderate forces in Libya, Lebanon, and even Jordan, where insurgents are increasingly fascinated by the ISIL success in Iraq. 6. In the end the situation in Iraq is merely the latest and most dangerous example of the regional restructuring that is taking place across North Africa, all the way to the Turkish border. These developments are important to the U.S. for reasons that often differ from country to country: energy and moral commitment to Iraq, energy issues in Libya, and strategic commitments in Jordan. At the same time, as Turkey moves toward a new, more serious Islamic reality, it will be important for them to realize that we are willing to take serious actions, which can be sustained to protect our national interests. This course of action offers the potential for success, as opposed to large scale, traditional military campaigns, that are too expensive and awkward to maintain over time. 7. (Note: A source in Tripoli stated in confidence that when the U.S. Embassy was evacuated, the presence of two U.S. Navy jet fighters over the city brought all fighting to a halt for several hours, as Islamist forces were not certain that these aircraft would not also provide close ground support for moderate government forces.) 8. If we do not take the changes needed to make our security policy in the region more realistic, there is a real danger of ISIL veterans moving on to other countries to facilitate operations by Islamist forces. This is already happening in Libya and Egypt, where fighters are returning from Syria to work with local forces. ISIL is only the latest and most violent example of this process. If we don’t act to defeat them in Iraq something even more violent and dangerous will develop. Successful military operations against these very irregular but determined forces can only be accomplished by making proper use of clandestine/special operations resources, in coordination with airpower, and established local allies. There is, unfortunately, a narrow window of opportunity on this issue, as we need to act before an ISIL state becomes better organized and reaches into Lebanon and Jordan. 9. (Note: It is important to keep in mind that as a result of this policy there probably will be concern in the Sunni regions of Iraq and the Central Government regarding the possible expansion of KRG controlled territory. With advisors in the Peshmerga command we can reassure the concerned parties that, in return for increase autonomy, the KRG will not exclude the Iraqi Government from participation in the management of the oil fields around Kirkuk, and the Mosel Dam hydroelectric facility. At the same time we will be able to work with the Peshmerga as they pursue ISIL into disputed areas of Eastern Syria, coordinating with FSA troops who can move against ISIL from the North. This will make certain Basher al Assad does not gain an advantage from these operations. Finally, as it now appears the U.S. is considering a plan to offer contractors as advisors to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, we will be in a position to coordinate more effectively between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Army.) |
Egyptian soldiers and medics escort former President Hosni Mubarak after he arrives at a military hospital in the Cairo suburb of Maadi on Thursday. Reuters
In a move seen as symbolic across Egypt's political spectrum, former President Hosni Mubarak has been released from prison and flown to a hospital in Cairo. He was transferred at his own request to Maadi hospital, where he had been treated during his two-year detention.
The interim prime minister's office had previously indicated Mubarak would be placed under house arrest, following a court ruling stating he could be released from prison pending further investigation into corruption charges against him. The former president, ousted during a 2011 uprising, has been told he can prepare for future court appearances from home.
Mubarak's release was not appealed even though prosecutors had 48 hours to challenge it. An appeal could have kept the former president in prison for up to 30 days more.
The former strongman's release was greeted by many supporters and opponents as a sign that the old order is reasserting itself, just weeks after democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi was toppled in a military coup. The prison Mubarak departed on Thursday now houses a number of senior Muslim Brotherhood colleagues of Morsi.
Shadi Hamid, director of research at Brookings Doha Center, said Mubarak's release "confirms what everyone already knows -- that Egypt is moving towards a full-blown autocracy." Hamid told Al Jazeera, "It's not just returning to what it was under the Mubarak era but (to) something significantly worse."
Mubarak has already spent more than two years in pretrial detention, the maximum allowed under Egyptian law, and is now eligible for release pending trial.
Hamid added that Egypt's judiciary system is "highly politicized."
"If the army wanted a different kind of outcome, then that would have happened." |
Imagine yourself being tried for a sensational crime, one that has gripped the passions of the entire country. It’s Casey Anthony, Duke Lacrosse & George Zimmerman, all rolled into one. Would you like to be tried in a well regulated courtroom, presided over by a judge, your fate in the hands of a jury that has spent weeks carefully reviewing all evidence & expert testimony? Or would you prefer for your fate to be decided by popular vote, your future in the hands of every Joe the Plumber with a pulse & an opinion, regardless of his knowledge of the case details?
Earlier, we had discussed why our current system of democracy is fundamentally flawed, and why our founding fathers had always intended for this nation to be a constitutional republic, and not a direct democracy. We had also discussed an alternative system of democracy, one that incorporates vastly successful insights from Google’s search engine. Understandably, many were wary of making such dramatic changes to our electoral system, one that scraps the idea of one-person-one-vote. Hence why today, I’d like for us to discuss another great alternative & improvement over our current dysfunctional system. One that is much more simple and directly parallels a civic system that we already use everyday, with great success: the Jury system.
Our founding fathers were always very wary of mob rule, and justifiably so. History is full of populism and mob justice gone wrong, with terrible consequences. Even today, who amongst us is willing to put our life in the hands of a mob that is short on facts, but long on emotion & passion?
The solution that was found: Trial by Jury. Power was decentralized and fairly portioned out to all segments of society, by creating a system that randomly picks Jurors from all demographics and walks of life. But at the same time, the problem of misinformation & emotional decision making was solved by requiring that the Jurors spend weeks sitting in a courtroom. One that is well regulated by Judges and a system of procedures to combat the spread of irrelevant & incorrect information. One where both sides get to present their best case through facts, evidence & expert testimony. One where the Jury is required to pay full attention to the proceedings and deliberate carefully before finally making their decision.
Our current system of democracy solves the first problem admirably, by ensuring that political power is fairly distributed amongst all segments of society. But it fails horribly at resolving the second problem. Each campaign season finds itself marked by soundbites, shallow arguments, and opinions as opposed to facts, because these are the things that win elections. Rumors & misinformation roam free and can change the course of elections, as John Kerry, John McCain & Barack Obama can all tell you. Without any pressure to listen to expert testimony from both sides, voters are free to self-segregate themselves within their own individual echo chambers. It’s no surprise that the election process more closely resembles a PR campaign, as opposed to a fact finding mission.
It’s all truly unfortunate, given that a much better system is staring us right in the face.
Imagine during every election year, auditoriums packed full of jurors, convening across every state in the country. Jurors holding the greatest civic responsibility of all: electing our Congressmen and the President.
Imagine every candidate being tried in these auditoriums across the country. Their actions, campaign promises, voting records, public policy platform & general conduct… all scrutinized carefully in a courtroom presided over by a judge. Imagine them being grilled by opposing attorneys for every campaign promise they broke, for every campaign contribution they accepted from lobbyists, for every dollar they spent on wasteful government expenditures, and for every vote they cast in favor of special interests. Imagine experts from the fields of Foreign Policy, Healthcare, Fiscal Planning, Economics & National Security… all brought in to give testimony on the candidates’ positions & how viable their plans are.
Imagine a jury in every county, a hundred strong, randomly picked from the public to represent every section & segment of our society, displaying the full and complete diversity that is America. Imagine a jury, excused from work & school for a few weeks, attentively listening to all expert testimony, carefully considering all the facts & analysis presented, and meticulously deliberating over who they would like to have represent them in their state capitol and Washington DC.
That is the type of democracy that I would like to live in.
Winston Churchill once famously remarked that “the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” The quote is often invoked as an insult against the average Joe, but I don’t see it that way.
Keeping up with politics, public policy & current affairs isn’t a hobby that most of us dedicate ourselves to… and we shouldn’t have to. We all have our own lives to lead, our own stories, problems & passions that we follow. If every single person was a West Wing aficionado intent on following every political development, our society would be so much more boring and so much less colorful. Some of us may enjoy reading the news religiously, and others may enjoy volunteering in our local communities. Some of us may enjoy careful deliberation of public policy initiatives in Washington, and others may prefer dedicating their lives towards achieving scientific & technological breakthroughs.
These are all great passions worth pursuing, and we need a political system that doesn’t rely on every voting citizen becoming a public policy expert. A system that ensures that every candidate gets a fair & comprehensive hearing, by an electorate that has been given all the evidence, testimony & time needed to carefully deliberate and reach a conclusion. The Jury system may not be perfect – juries do return bad verdicts more frequently than we’d like – and the specific details of its implementation will certainly need to be tweaked to better fit elections. But it is certainly a vast improvement over any popular-vote based alternative. It’s time we applied these lessons to our democratic process as well. It’s time we started conducting our Democracy by Jury.
——————
Related Links:
The problems inherent to direct democracy
Direct Democracy vs Representative Democracy
Another suggestion to reform democracy, using the same principles that made Google the world’s greatest search engine |
Flickr/Seth Lemmons The world's megacities, from Tokyo to New York, are incredibly influential, housing vast swaths of the population and contributing significantly to global GDP.
But smaller cities and cities in emerging markets are also establishing themselves as globally competitive, and some, like Ahmedabad in India and Tianjin in China, are experiencing double-digit economic growth.
Citigroup has a new ranking of the world's most competitive cities, taking into account everything from economic size and growth to business and regulatory environment, quality of human capital, and quality of life.
A few major takeaways from the report:
Cities in the U.S. and Europe are still the most competitive , despite concerns about aging infrastructures and budget deficits. They're still the best at attracting capital, business, talent, and tourists.
, despite concerns about aging infrastructures and budget deficits. They're still the best at attracting capital, business, talent, and tourists. Asian cities dominated the "economic strength" section of the index. Fifteen of the top 20 cities by that measure are in Asia, a reflection of Asia's overall economic rise.
of the index. Fifteen of the top 20 cities by that measure are in Asia, a reflection of Asia's overall economic rise. T he biggest advantage for cities in developed countries is their ability to attract and develop talent . Another plus for cities in the U.S. and Europe, thanks to their on their high-quality education systems and "entrepreneurial mindset" of citizens.
. Another plus for cities in the U.S. and Europe, thanks to their on their high-quality education systems and "entrepreneurial mindset" of citizens. There is a correlation between density and competitiveness. Urban density is linked to higher productivity, while there is no connection between the size of a city's population and its competitiveness on the index. |
Shadow secretary for Wales, who argued against Corbyn’s three-line whip on Brexit bill, says leaving the EU is ‘terrible mistake’
The shadow secretary for Wales, Jo Stevens, has resigned from her post, saying she could not reconcile herself to voting to trigger article 50 as she still believed leaving the EU would be “a terrible mistake”.
In her letter to the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, Stevens said she was “a passionate European” who had voted to remain, as had a significant majority of her city and constituency of Cardiff.
The MP said she accepted the referendum result and recognised that she could not block the passage of the EU withdrawal bill and that exiting the EU was inevitable. “But I believe that leaving is a terrible mistake and I cannot reconcile my overwhelming view that to endorse the step that will make exit inevitable is wrong,” she wrote.
“I expect this to be the most important vote I will ever cast as an MP and for me it is a clear issue of principle and conscience. When I vote I will be representing my constituents, a great many of whom, including a great many Labour party members and voters, have strongly urged me to vote in this way. That is why, in shadow cabinet, I argued against the imposition of a three-line whip.”
Stevens is the first shadow cabinet member to resign over the issue, after Corbyn said he would impose a three-line whip to vote in favour of the government’s EU withdrawal bill.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tulip Siddiq resigned from frontbench on Thursday. Photograph: Nicola Tree/Getty Images
Tulip Siddiq resigned as shadow early years minister on Thursday, saying she intended to vote in line with her strongly pro-remain constituents in Hampstead and Kilburn.
Stevens was elected in 2015, beating the Lib Dem incumbent Jenny Willott with a majority of 4,981. Though Wales voted overall to leave the EU, Cardiff was pro-remain, with 60% of people voting to stay in.
Stevens previously expressed concern about the impact of leaving the EU on her brief, with 68% of Welsh exports going to the EU.
On the left of the party, Stevens was one of 40 MPs who refused to back a no-confidence motion in Corbyn after the EU referendum, but she later endorsed his leadership rival Owen Smith. She was previously shadow justice minister but was promoted to the shadow cabinet and given the Wales portfolio after Corbyn’s reelection in October.
'Labour is running scared': our readers on Corbyn's article 50 vote Read more
Stevens was among those who argued that MPs should not be compelled to vote for the government’s bill, along with the shadow business secretary, Clive Lewis. Lewis has since said he will vote in favour of the bill on second reading, but hinted he could be prepared to withdraw support in the final stages.
Two Labour whips, Jeff Smith and Thangam Debbonaire, have also said they will not vote for the bill, as have their fellow shadow ministers Daniel Zeichner and Catherine West, though it is not yet clear if they will be forced to resign in order to do so.
In her letter, which has been emailed to local party members, Stevens said Theresa May was pursuing “a brutal exit with all the damage that will cause to the people and communities we represent”.
Stevens said she believed Corbyn, who defied the Labour whip on issues of conscience hundreds of times during the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown years, would understand her strength of feeling. “I must follow my principles and my conscience, even where that conflicts with the party’s whip in parliament,” she wrote.
“It is with deep regret that this inevitably means I must resign from the shadow cabinet. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as your shadow secretary of state for Wales, the country where I was born, bred, work and live.
“In carrying out that role, it reinforced even more strongly to me what Wales will lose from exiting the EU without the guarantees that are needed and without a seat at the negotiating table for the people of Wales. We are net beneficiaries of EU funding. Over two-thirds of our exports are to the EU. It is a lifeline to our manufacturing industry in steel, automotive and aerospace as well as to our farming and food production sector. I do not believe that we can rely on a Conservative government to protect Wales.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Corbyn and Thangam Debbonaire, who has said she will not vote for triggering article 50. Photograph: Chapman/LNP/Rex/Shutterstock
Stevens said she was not seeking to sow division in the party. “Throughout my period on the frontbench I have always sought to promote unity across our party and I wish you, my successor and the whole of the shadow cabinet the very best in leading our party through this most critical period,” she said in her letter to Corbyn.
Earlier on Friday, the shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, whose constituents in Hackney voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, defended Corbyn’s stance. “You have to remember how this looks to people in post-industrial Britain, former mining areas, the north, the Midlands, south Wales – it would look as if elites were refusing to listen to them,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“It would be wrong. How could MPs vote for a referendum and then turn around and say: it went the wrong way so we are ignoring it?”
Corbyn has said he understands the pressures facing his MPs but urged the party to unite, saying: “Labour is in the almost unique position of having MPs representing constituencies in both directions, and very strongly in both directions.
“I say to everyone: unite around the important issues of jobs, security, economy, rights, justice, those issues, and we will frame that relationship with Europe in the future outside the EU, but in concert with friends, whether those countries are outside or inside the EU.” |
Now that Oliver has been kidnapped by Chase, the Emerald Archer will be forced to face his past.
During Wednesday’s episode of Arrow, Chase (Josh Segarra) basically tortures Oliver (Stephen Amell) — both for his own demented plans and on behalf of Talia al Ghul (Lexa Doig). But the hour really takes viewers back to where it all started for Oliver in Russia, uncovering why he became a vigilante in the first place.
“We’ve always had this tradition of doing what we call the ‘all-flashback’ or ‘mostly flashback’ episode,” executive producer Marc Guggenheim explains. “That’s actually what this episode is going to be. It’s going to be a story that’s mostly set in Russia, with Dolph Lundgren coming back as Kovar. It’s the big confrontation that we’ve been building up to for the past several episodes, which is the Bratva vs. Kovar, with a couple surprises thrown in — Oliver may or may not get a certain tattoo; he may or may not lose a certain tattoo.”
RELATED: The Best CW Shows of All Time
Then, in present day, “It’s Adrian Chase trying to get Oliver Queen to confess his sins, really to confess a secret,” Guggenheim says. “It’s incredibly intense. It’s basically a stage play; it’s essentially just Josh and Stephen in a room together. It’s probably one of the darkest episodes we’ve ever done.”
With Oliver forced to look back on what his legacy has wrought, viewers will finally learn long-held secrets. “Part of the biggest thing that we’re explaining in season 5 is what was Oliver’s motivation?” Amell says. “What was his mindset in the early part of season 1? Essentially, to the same extent, what was his mindset when he really became this person in Russia?”
“The idea is that, quite simply, he could put on the hood, and he could compartmentalize this horrible person that he has inside of him because of everything that he has had to deal with in the past four-plus years being away,” Amell continues. “The death of his father, obviously via suicide, the death of Shado, the seeming death of Sara, the fact that he had to murder Slade, the death of a young child in Hong Kong — all of these things that he has had to deal with broke something inside of him that didn’t end up getting fixed until he had a do-over with Slade Wilson, who had just murdered his mother, and he took the high road.”
But even if Oliver were to ultimately kill Chase — or in flashback, be able to take Kovar down once and for all — would he really be satisfied? “If we’ve done our job with season 5 correctly, if we stick the landing on all of this, by the end of the season, our hope is that you will look at Oliver’s killing in a completely different light and look at it in a totally different way,” Guggenheim says. “And look at his motivations for killing in a different way, in a more complex, more nuanced way. My hope is the whole season will kind of answer that question if we pull it off.”
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. |
SAN ANTONIO (KABB) -- Former DEA Agent Javier Pena is a Laredo native who now calls San Antonio home. His life is a Netflix hit.
“One thing I get from people is – ‘That didn't really happen,’” explains Pena. “It did happen.”
The former head of the DEA from Houston all the way down to the Mexican border also happens to be one two US agents who were attached to an elite Colombian group in charge of hunting down the most notorious narco terrorist of our times, Pablo Escobar.
Pena shared with our Yami Virgin some of what he lived in Colombia.
It was the late 80's when Javier Pena was sent from Austin to Colombia by the DEA to help take down the father of narco terrorism.
“It was 1988. I had done four years in Austin, Texas. So as soon as I land in Bogota, my boss says, ‘Javier, you're going to be responsible for the investigation of the Medellin Cartel led by Pablo Escobar,’” remembers Pena. “I had never heard of Pablo Escobar.”
Pena and his partner Steve Murphy lived and worked with an elite Colombian team whose mission was to end Escobar's reign of terror.
“I credit between 10-to-15,000 people that he [Pablo Escobar] was responsible for killing,” said Pena. “It was a very barbaric time in Colombia when he waged war.”
A war to fight being extradited to the United States for crimes that included the bombing of Avianca Flight 203 that killed 107 innocent people. The target was a presidential candidate, who at the last minute decided not to go on the flight.
“When we're going after him, you know, I'm going to say it, but it was based on revenge,” said Pena.
After they retired, Pena and Murphy shared their story with producer Eric Newman to create the Netflix drama ‘Narcos.’ but there was one catch.
“That Pablo Escobar would not be glamourized,” sad Pena. “And they guaranteed that they were not going to portray him as a hero.”
“There are books out there that have glorified what he did, which is pure evil,” said Narcos executive producer Eric Newman.
In his home here in San Antonio, Pena keeps mementos of this part of his life; of this part of history.
“License plate Pablo Escobar had on his car,” said Pena as he pointed to his collection. “Here is Pablo Escobar when he got killed.”
Last week Pena and Murphy met again on a Hollywood red carpet. A far cry from their days in Colombia.
Actor Pedro Pascual, famous for Game Of Thrones, plays Pena.
“This is a man who has been fighting for one thing for many years. He is very obsessed with his objective and this is the closest he has gotten - and we will see what he is capable of.”
“You know Pedro Pascual looked like me - back 30 years ago,” Pena said with a laugh. “Not anymore.”
Pena says he will never forget what he experienced in Colombia.
"Because of all the innocent people killed. I went to a lot of funerals. I had some great friends who were police officers that he had killed, so it was a personal war against Pablo Escobar.”
A tale Pena believes should serve as a warning - as the United States watches a similar war just south of San Antonio across our border.
“I've been asked, ‘What's the solution?’ It's not legalization. But the solution lies in the socialization process. Talking to the young kids. As long as there's a demand, there's going to be a supply.”
“The drug business is a business where you can take out the leadership. We took out Pablo Escobar, but did that take out trafficking? Absolutely not,” added Pena's DEA partner Steve Murphy.
As for his new found fame, Pena says he and Murphy are just enjoying the ride.
“I'm not sure what's going to happen or what they're going to do, but it's been fun. We've traveled a lot. We've talked to a lot of people. Done a lot of interviews. And I never thought this would have happened in 100 years.”
Interview with former DEA agent Javier Pena
Javier Pena stops by Daytime at Nine |
20 Common Ways We Make Bad Decisions
Tim By
|
“You’re only human” is a quote we hear all too often, but it’s in our nature to make bad decisions. Attributes likes the bandwagon effect or overconfidence we’ve heard of before. Groupthink can hurt creativity and individuality, but it can also have dangerous outcomes.
Not mentioned in the infographic below, but directly related to the bandwagon effect is SEP or Somebody Else’s Problem. This is when a large issue of concern is ignored by the masses because no one believes it is their responsibility to step in. This can happen a lot in large crowds like riots.
Another bad habit is the ostrich effect. You know the saying “bury our heads in the sand” to mean ignoring a problem. We do this all the time. Things aren’t going well at work, maybe we won’t check our email as often. A bad economy can lead people to ignore the stock market more as to not see how much money they’ve lost.
Tim Co-Founder After a quick stint in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tim moved to Austin, Texas at the ripe age of one. He then spent the next 17 years there experiencing all that Austin had to offer. Nightlife, music, ...
19.8k |
In addition to our own research and benchmarking, we reached out to Edmund Li of Zalman for help understanding some cooler design elements, so a big thanks to him for his time and knowledge. Let's cover how a heatsink works before anything else.
Picking the best CPU cooler / heatsink for your gaming rig is important if you're planning to keep things quiet or overclock your system; we'll cover noise level, cooling efficiency, and top-level thermal dissipation strategies for aftermarket coolers in this article.
We briefly covered CPU cooler engineering in our Tuniq Tower 120 review , and in continuing that topic, this post will discuss various cooler designs that pervade the market and which are best for you.
How Does a Heatsink Work?
Effective heatpipe design is significantly more complex than gluing a copper brick to a semiconductor, of course. Most of the action within a CPU heatsink happens inside of the copper heatpipes, which often use material phase changes and capillary action to cool microprocessors, but before we get into the specifics, let's cover the basics:
A heatsink's objective is to draw heat away from the hot, underlying chip, which generates heat as a result of its (relatively) high frequency and the electrical current coursing through the cores; improving core stability by amplifying voltage (in the form of vCore) will generate yet more heat, so in overclocking applications, aftermarket heatsinks are particularly noticeable. Stock heatsinks are much more simplistic than the aftermarket products we review, so we'll focus almost entirely upon aftermarket cooling technology for this article. The stock sinks tend to be a composition of a top-mounted fan, aluminum fins, and a flat copper base -- a far cry from the liquid-filled, sintered/grooved copper heatpipes that are used in aftermarket sinks.
Using a fusion of these heatpipes, fan design that minimizes air resistance, aluminum or copper fins to maximize surface area, and high thermal conductivity interfaces, heatsinks and coolers are able to conduct heat from the surface of the CPU and escort it out the back or top of the case. Much of this comes down to thermodynamics and sciences pertaining to thermal conductivity and materials engineering, which we'll cover on a very top-level in a section below (see: Materials & Thermal Conductivity).
We've put together the below image to help familiarize you with the inner-workings of a CPU heatsink and its related terminology:
The anatomy of a heatsink. This is NZXT's Respire T40 - click to enlarge.
The primary elements of a CPU cooler are all covered in this graphic. For the most part, the action happens in the heatpipes, but we're also faced with the actual heatsink, the overall surface area, the contact technology used to transfer heat to the pipes, and fan positioning.
The cooling pipeline for a heatsink is pretty straight-forward, here's what we're usually looking at:
- The CPU generates heat; this heat is absorbed through a conductive baseplate or directly touching heatpipes on the heatsink.
- The heat causes liquid within the heatpipe to undergo a phase change, resulting in its transition to a gas. A significant amount of energy is consumed during this phase change (in the form of heat), this is responsible for a lot of the heat reduction we experience. We then move to the dissipation stage...
- The heat (gas) travels up the pipe and eventually reaches the condensor, which condenses the gas back into liquid form and uses capillary action to transport it back to the evaporator.
- During its trip through the pipe, heat is absorbed by the adjoining (hopefully large) heatsink, where it is dissipated through the fins and cooled by the new, cool air being injected by the fan.
- The liquid is guided back down to the evaporator section of tubing (atop the CPU) through sintered, grooved, mesh, or composite tubing (explained further below), called a "wick" or "capillary structure." Capillary pressure is created by the wick, forcing coolant to return to the evaporator where it can be re-used.
Pretty cool stuff, right?
Yeah, yeah. What Makes a Good CPU Cooler / Heatsink for my purposes?
All of this information can be used in buying decisions to help weed through the ever-increasing amount of heatsinks available. Understanding the basic physics behind a heatsink's functionality helps us determine what design and engineering elements govern a quality product; as always, if you'd like more direct input from us on your system building endeavors, feel free to comment below or post your question on our hardware forums!
Let's expand on each of the previous topics:
Materials & Thermal Conductivity
Materials have everything to do with the efficiency of your heatsink. Starting with a basic chart of relevant materials makes sense:
Material Thermal Conductivity (W/mK) at 25C Air, atmospheric 0.024 Water 0.058 Thermalpaste (Avg) ~5.3 - 8.5 Aluminum 205 Copper 401
Given air's low thermal conductivity, it's evident why we can't just blow air past a CPU to achieve performance-grade cooling. Copper and aluminum, on the other hand, make excellent heatsink materials for our purposes: Copper is objectively the best material for gaming-grade PC heatsinks, but aluminum tends to be the most cost-friendly option and can still exhibit considerable cooling capacity given solid enough design. However, that doesn't change the fact that copper has the best conductive heat transfer potential; it's commendable to search for heatsinks that use copper heatpipe structures and copper fins, though copper fins are not required by any means -- we do always recommend copper heatpipes, though.
Conductive heat transfer is expressed through Fourier's Law as:
q = k A dT / s, where A = heat transfer area, k = the material's thermal conductivity, dT = temperature difference across the material, and s = material thickness. (Read more about this at Engineering Toolbox).
Despite copper and aluminum differences, we're still limited in cooling efficiency by the fan, the case airflow, and the surface area of the heatsink and surface roughness of the contact plate. As a sort-of side note, a lot of manufacturers use nickel plating or other aesthetic-only materials to cover up copper and aluminum, so don't just use looks to determine whether something is aluminum or copper. Cooler Master's T812 is an example -- it uses a copper base, but is coated in a way that almost makes it appear aluminum. Always check the specs for the final word.
Surface Area & Surface Roughness
Surface area was rated by our Zalman contact (Edmund Li) as one of the most important aspects to a cooler's functionality, and it makes sense: A larger chunk of grooved/finned metal provides more area for the heat to distribute itself. This is largely bolstered by fin designs that are optimized to maximize surface area, further enabling the unit's ability to cool.
Luckily, this is one of those items that's pretty simple to shop for - big being better, in this case - just make sure you choose something that makes sense for your system. Grabbing the heaviest heatsink out there won't matter if it doesn't fit in the case and puts too much strain on the CPU or motherboard. Just grabbing any massive aluminum heatsink is probably not for the best, of course, given the importance of heatpipes, surface smoothness, and copper's place in the world.
Surface roughness is a measurement of the base plate's smoothness (measured in microinches) and overall ability to connect directly with the surface of the CPU. In a perfect world, there would be no thermalpaste and the copper base plates would come in direct, flush, perfectly smooth contact with the CPU... but we don't live in a perfect world, and if we did, I'd be playing games while floating in a tube of water, not writing about heatsinks.
The reason we even need thermalpaste, as we explained in this previous post, is because microscopic divets in the surface of the connecting materials create air pockets. Air gets trapped in these pockets at high temperatures, causing uneven thermal distribution and resulting in hotter core temps. A thermal interface, while significantly lower thermal conductivity than pure copper or aluminum, provides an air-tight sealant between the divets that allows heat to cleanly migrate from the CPU surface to the cooler base plate. Smoother is better.
Thermalpaste's thermal conductivity will impact the temperature moderately, but not normally enough where it's justifiable to spend lots of money on thermal compound. If you're doing serious overclocking and need every single degree you can muster, then by all means, consider a tube of MX-4. But for most of us, 5.3W/mK - 6.x W/mK is more than enough to keep things under control. And it's affordable.
Heatpipe Exposure and Wick / Capillary Design
And now we're back to heatpipes! There are two prevailing chamber designs in the CPU heatsink market: Vapor chambers and traditional capillary heatpipes. We'll cover the latter first due to their dominance.
Source.
As this image shows so well, a heatpipe contains a very small amount of coolant or liquid (normally a mix of ammonium and ethanol or distilled water) which undergoes chemical phase changes - this is the catalyst for our reduced temperatures. The evaporator (CPU surface region) evaporates the liquid, where it travels in gaseous form toward the condensor. The condensor then—you guessed it—condenses the gas back to liquid form, where it travels down grooved, sintered, metal mesh, or composite tubing as a result of capillary action.
The grooved wick design looks precisely like you'd think -- it's grooved cleanly down the interior of the tube, meanwhile the sintered design carries a more foamy and porous look. Metal mesh designs are more common among consumer heatsinks and vaguely resemble a basket's woven pattern. Thermolab cut open some heatpipes to reveal their insides, which makes the explanation a bit easier.
Left to right: Sintered, Grooved, Mesh Weave. Source: Thermolab.
Zalman uses a fourth design—composite heatpipes—which mix copper powder inside of the pipe to help aid in thermal transfer (the steam travels faster).
Composite and sintered heatpipes have much higher production cost than grooved pipes; as for which makes a "better" heatsink, it really comes down to individual product testing due to the many other variables -- but composite and sintered heatpipes are preferable, albeit rare.
Heatpipes connected directly to the surface of the CPU will cool it more efficiently for a short period of time (we were told "about an hour" by Zalman), but as heat builds and time progresses, that tends to equalize; direct touch heatpipes are not often noticeably more effective than polished base plates when it comes to endurance cooling. What is noticeable, though, is a copper base versus an aluminum one -- you'll want copper exposed directly to the CPU for best heat wicking potential.
Polished copper baseplates will give off a "mirror finish" shine, like the one on this 9900Max.
Vapor changes are a little bit different and aren't quite as common, but are still worth a quick mention: Vapor chambers are used for disproportionately high, localized heat generation by processing units; a vapor chamber helps spread this additional heat more evenly across the fins within the heatsink (rather than favoring fins in close proximity to the hotspot). Cooler Master's 812 uses both vapor chambers and heatpipes, and they created this image to help explain their usage:
It's effectively the same as a heatpipe in its functionality, they just use a slightly different design to attract location-specific heat.
Fan Positioning & Noise Reduction
Noise levels are always going to be a problem with small fans, but fan positioning and cooling optimization can help reduce the requirement of high RPMs and high decibel levels.
Fans generate noise within a CPU cooler for a few primary reasons: Bearing type, fan size and RPM, and rattling within the cage. Of these, only rattling is unique to CPU coolers -- the rest are covered by our fan bearings overview / guide.
Rattling is normally a result of poor fan positioning and design. The Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme cooler we reviewed had rubberized screws to prevent rattling, Zalman uses a centralized fan that is detached from the fins (theoretically the quietest design), and other coolers use a mix of brackets and mounting mechanisms that may or may not vibrate under load.
The centered fan design is interesting -- by placing the fan directly over the CPU and surrounding it with the fins (but not touching the two), the fan still pulls air cleanly through the entire unit without the added fun of rattling the cage.
Aside from isolated fans, it's good to look for units with rubberized mounting plates/screws or otherwise stable brackets that can better withstand high RPMs. More fans are always going to be beneficial for cooling, of course, as they'll pull more air into the system and will more evenly cool the fins, but they aren't necessary; we saw a 3C decrease in temperature between the NZXT Respire T40 with one fan and the T40 with two fans -- so it is noticeable -- but the noise level will obviously increase as a result (though you could arguably just run them at lower RPMs). Decibels are calculated on a logarithmic scale (10*log(x) equates the difference in dB, where x is the number of fans of the same decibel level), so adding more fans to the system will always increase noise marginally for the most part.
Top Things to Look For in a CPU Cooler
Now that we have a thorough understanding of how coolers work, let's recap the most important design elements to look for; we're assuming a standard performance / gaming-grade build for this article's purposes:
Surface area. The larger the heatsink, the more readily it can dissipate heat. On this note, a larger base plate surface area means better transfer of heat from the CPU to the pipes and more room for mounting error.
Materials. Copper has about twice the thermal conductivity of aluminum and simply makes a better heatsink.
Number of heatpipes and their diameter. As a general rule, more heatpipes means better cooling. Additional vapor chambers may aid in heat diffusion for some units, but are not as common as traditional heatpipes.
Fan positioning and number of fans. More fans means better cooling, but potentially more noise. Find a balance between performance and noise that works for you; remember that you can always decrease the RPMs across the fans to neutralize some of the noise.
And there's one more thing: Aesthetics. It's silly, but if we're honest, a lot of the mid-range to high-end heatsinks will offer almost identical cooling performance. For performance and enthusiast applications, mounting an ugly piece of copper to your otherwise beautiful rig isn't preferable. Given negligible performance difference between coolers, pick the one that you think fits your rig's personality the best.
Let us know if you are debating between two heatsinks and need some help!
- Steve "Lelldorianx" Burke, with thanks to Edmund Li of Zalman for insight.
Special thanks to Tim "Space_man" Martin for his physics engineering insight. |
LONDON — The slugs are back, and this time there are even more of them.
Following 2015's slugocalypse, in which mild temperatures prompted a boom in both homegrown and introduced Spanish slugs, the slimy creatures are making a return en masse again.
A wet summer in 2015 followed by an unusually mild winter has meant that slugs across the UK have skipped their hibernation and spent the time eating and breeding instead, conservation charity Buglife told the BBC. It could mean an "explosion" in the slug population and problems in gardens across the country.
See also: Mild weather could lead to an explosion of slugs in the UK
There are some 20,000 slugs in the average British garden, Countryfile estimates.
They prefer temperatures above five degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) and lay up to 200 eggs per cubic metre. Buglife says that figure could rise by as much as 10% this year, thanks to climate conditions and a decline in predators including hedgehogs and amphibians.
"Due to climate shifts, warmer winters and wetter summers, we're seeing slugs become active all year round," Buglife's chief executive Matt Shardlow said.
"Whereas key predators like amphibians will only lay their eggs once a year, slugs are not so restricted."
"The impact of super-sized, sleepless slugs could spell devastation for our gardens this summer."
The Royal Horticultural Society offers a number of tips for dealing with slugs if they take over your garden, from heading out at night with a torch to transfer them away to a nearby field to placing barriers around pots that need protecting and setting traps, such as scooped out grapefuit skins, to stop them in their slithery tracks. |
Nine months after the president promised to rein in the NSA’s spying powers, the business of reform is delayed for 90 days -- again. By Dustin Volz
In the face of congressional inaction, a federal court Friday renewed an order allowing the government to collect phone records on virtually all calls within the United States.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approved the Justice Department’s request for another 90-day extension of the National Security Agency’s controversial mass-surveillance program, exposed publicly last summer by Edward Snowden and authorized under Section 215 of the post-9/11 Patriot Act. The spying authority is next set to expire on Dec. 5.
“Given that legislation has not yet been enacted, and given the importance of maintaining the capabilities of the Section 215 telephony metadata program, the government has sought a 90-day reauthorization of the existing program, as modified by the changes the president announced in January,” the Justice Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a joint statement.
The extension marks the third of its kind since President Obama pledged in January to reform how the NSA spies on Americans during a major policy speech delivered amid withering scrutiny of the nation’s intelligence-gathering practices. Obama outlined a series of immediate steps to reform government surveillance and boost transparency, but noted he would wait for Congress to deliver him a bill before ending the bulk collection of U.S. call data.
At the time, Obama said he had asked Attorney General Eric Holder and the intelligence community to devise “options for a new approach” for phone-records surveillance “before the program comes up for reauthorization on March 28.” The president added that “during this period, I will consult with the relevant committees in Congress to seek their views and then seek congressional authorization for the new program, as needed.”
But attempts at NSA reform on Capitol Hill this year have been slow going. And in the absence of legislation, the courts have now renewed the collection of telephone metadata—the numbers and time stamps of calls but not their actual contents—in March, June, and now September.
Republicans have claimed throughout the year that Obama has overstepped the constitutional bounds of his office, a charge that has even brought a lawsuit from the House of Representatives. But NSA critics have urged Obama to not wait for Congress and simply let the phone-records program lapse. In June, more than two dozen privacy groups sent the president a letter asking him to not renew the program, a decision they said was “solely within the authority of the Department of Justice.”
In July, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy introduced the USA Freedom Act, which would effectively end the government’s collection and storage of phone metadata and instead require phone companies to retain those records, which intelligence agencies could obtain only after earning court approval for their queries. The measure is a more ambitious proposal of a version of the bill that passed the House in May, and it has accrued support from tech companies, privacy groups, the administration, and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
“Congress must ensure that this is the last time the government requests and the court approves the bulk collection of Americans’ records,” Leahy said in a statement. “This announcement underscores, once again, that it is time for Congress to enact meaningful reforms to protect individual privacy.”
In their joint statement, the Justice Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence endorsed the House version of the USA Freedom Act, noting that “it reflects a reasonable compromise that preserves essential intelligence community capabilities, enhances privacy and civil liberties, and increases transparency.” The statement did not directly comment on Leahy’s package.
Despite the wide breadth of support for the Freedom Act, the bill is unlikely to earn a vote in the Senate before the midterm elections, and it could be tabled until next year. |
The British Penny Black is generally acknowledged as the world's first postage stamp.
Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain surveys postal history from the United Kingdom and the postage stamps issued by that country and its various historical territories until the present day.
The postal history of the United Kingdom is notable in at least two respects- first, for the introduction of postage stamps in 1840, and secondly for the establishment of an efficient postal system throughout the British Empire, laying the foundation of many national systems still in existence today.
Early history [ edit ]
The story begins in the 12th century with Henry I, who appointed messengers to carry letters for the government. It is estimated that between 1100 and 1135, 4,500 letters were carried by these messengers. During this time, private individuals had to make their own arrangements. Henry III provided uniforms for the messengers, and Edward I instituted posting houses where the messengers could change horses. The reign of Edward II saw the first postal marking; handwritten notations saying "Haste,post haste".
Master of the posts Brian Tuke was the first
Henry VIII created the Royal Mail in 1516, appointing Brian Tuke as "Master of the Postes", while Elizabeth I appointed Thomas Randolph as "Chief Postmaster". Under Thomas Witherings, chief postmaster under Charles I, the Royal Mail was made available to the public (1635), with a regular system of post roads, houses, and staff. From this time through to the postal reforms of 1839 – 1840 it was most common for the recipient to pay the postage, although it was possible to prepay the charge at the time of sending.
In 1661, Charles II made Henry Bishop the first Postmaster General. In answer to customer complaints about delayed letters, Bishop introduced the Bishop mark, a small circle with month and day inside, applied at London, in the General Post office and the Foreign section, and soon after adopted in Scotland, (Edinburgh), and Ireland, (Dublin). In subsequent years, the postal system expanded from six roads to a network covering the country, and post offices were set up in both large and small towns, each of which had its own postmark.
In 1680 William Dockwra established the London Penny Post, a mail delivery system that delivered letters and parcels weighing up to one pound within the city of London and some of its immediate suburbs for the sum of one penny.[2]
Postage stamps and The Great Office Reform [ edit ]
The Great Post Office Reform of 1839 and 1840 was championed by Rowland Hill, often credited with the invention of the postage stamp, as a way to reverse the steady financial losses of the Post Office. Hill convinced Parliament to adopt the Uniform Fourpenny Post whereby a flat 4d per half ounce rate (equivalent to 10s 8d per pound for heavier items) was charged regardless of distance.
December 1839-letters could arrive at any address in the United Kingdom: The rate went into effect on 5 December 1839 but only lasted for 36 days.[3] This was immediately successful, and on 10 January 1840 the Uniform Penny Post started, charging only 1d for prepaid letters and 2d if the fee was collected from the recipient. Fixed rates meant that it was practical to avoid handling money to send a letter by using an "adhesive label", and accordingly, on 6 May, the Penny Black became the world's first postage stamp in use.
After more than 2,000 suggestions were submitted, Rowland Hill chose the method and printer, and worked by trial and error to achieve the required result. He decided to go with Perkins, Bacon & Petch, "a firm of bank-note printers, to carry out the work by the process of steal engraving, and the head of the Queen as engraved by William Wyon for a special medal struck to celebrate Her Majesty's official visit to the City of London in the year of her Coronation."[4]
The stamp was originally for use only within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as such was, in effect, a local stamp. For this reason the name of the country was not included within the design, a situation which continued by agreement with foreign post offices, provided the sovereign's effigy appeared on the stamp. Envelopes sold with postage paid did not include this, so were marked with the country's name. In 1951, the special commemorative issue for the Festival of Britain included the name "Britain" incidentally. It could therefore be said that the name of the country then appeared for the first time on a stamp of the UK, although the word "British" had appeared on British Empire Exhibition commemorative stamps of 1924.
After the stamp was circulating, it became obvious that black was not a good choice of stamp colour, since any cancellation marks were hard to see. So from 1841 onwards, the stamps were printed in a brick-red colour. The Penny Reds continued in use for decades with about 21 billion being produced.[5]
Victorian era [ edit ]
The Victorian age saw an explosion of experimentation. The inefficiency of using scissors to cut stamps from the sheet inspired trials with rouletting (the Archer Roulette), and then with perforation, which became standard practice in 1854. In 1847, the (octagonal) 1 shilling (£0.05) became the first of the British embossed postage stamps to be issued, followed by 10d stamps the following year, and 6d (£0.025) values in 1854.
Surface-printed stamps first appeared in the form of a 4d stamp in 1855, printed by De La Rue, and subsequently became the standard type. 1⁄ 2 d (halfpenny) and 1 1⁄ 2 d (penny halfpenny – pronounced pennyhaypny or threehaypence) engraved stamps issued in 1870 were the last engraved types of Queen Victoria; the next would not appear until 1913. Surface-printed stamps of the 1860s and 1870s all used the same profile of Victoria, but a variety of frames, watermarks, and corner lettering.
A 5-shilling (abbreviated as 5/- or 5s) (£0.25) stamp first appeared in 1867, followed by 10 shilling (£0.50) and £1 values in 1878, culminating in a £5 stamp in 1882.
Meanwhile, the age of the Penny Reds had come to an end along with the Perkins Bacon printing contract. The new low values were also surface-printed: first was a penny stamp coloured Venetian red in a square frame, issued in 1880. However, the passage of the Customs and Inland Revenue Act 1881 necessitated new stamps valid also as revenue stamps, and so the Penny Lilac was issued in that year, inscribed "POSTAGE AND INLAND REVENUE". This stamp remained the standard letter stamp for the remainder of Victoria's reign, and vast quantities were printed. Later issues were inscribed POSTAGE & REVENUE which became the more familiar POSTAGE REVENUE.
1883 and 1884 saw experimentation with stamps using fugitive inks with the 'Lilac and Green Issue'. These were rather plain designs, low values in lilac and high values in green, because those were the only colours available. They succeeded in their purpose – relatively few of the stamps survived usage, their colours fading away when soaked from the envelope – but they were not liked by the public.
The last major issue of Victoria was the "Jubilee issue" of 1887, a set of twelve designs ranging from 1⁄ 2 d to 1s, most printed in two colours or on coloured paper. (Although issued during the Jubilee year, they were not issued specifically for the occasion, and are thus not commemoratives.)
A perforated Penny Red, letters in four corners and plate 148, therefore printed 1871 or later.
Threepence surface-printed value from 1873.
"Penny Lilac" of 1881; 16 dots in each corner.
2½ old pence (twopenny halfpenny) value of the unpopular series of 1883/4.
5d. "Jubilee" of 1887, among the first British stamps to be printed in two colours.
Early 20th century [ edit ]
Common watermarks found on British stamps.
When Edward VII succeeded to the throne, new stamps became necessary. The approach was very conservative, however most of the Jubilee frames were reused and the image of the King was still a single profile. Edward's reign was fairly short and there were no major changes of design as a result. chalk-surfaced paper was introduced during this time. (This type of paper can be detected by rubbing the surface with silver, which leaves a black mark.)
By contrast, the stamps of George V were innovative from the very first. The first issue made was of the 1⁄ 2 d and 1d values, which were in the same colours as used in the previous reign. Although the main design feature remained the same – a central ellipse for the portrait, an ornamental frame, value tablet at the base and a crown at the top – a three quarter portrait was used for the first time. However, subsequent designs reverted to the standard profile.
The UK's first commemorative stamps were issued for the British Empire Exhibition in 1924. The pair of large-format stamps featured a lion in an imposing stance; they were issued twice, in 1924 and then in 1925, the stamps of each year being inscribed with the year of issue.[6] A second set of commemoratives in 1929 marked the 9th Congress of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), held in London that year.[7]
Edward VII 1d of 1902.
George V 1 1⁄ 2 d of 1912, used in 1928 at Wootton Wawen in Warwickshire.
Independence of the Irish Free State [ edit ]
Following the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921, responsibility for posts and telegraphs transferred to the new Provisional Government. Upon the formal independence of the Irish Free State in December 1922, and then transferred to the Free State Government. A Postmaster General was initially appointed by the Free State Government, being replaced by the office of Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in 1924. An early visible manifestation was the repainting of all post boxes green instead of red, plus the overprinting of British postage stamps prior to the introduction of Irish stamps.
Abdication and war [ edit ]
A set of four stamps was issued in 1936 for Edward VIII before he abdicated.[8] George VI's coronation was marked with a commemorative: part of an omnibus issue which included every colony in the Empire. New definitives featured a profile of the King on a solid colour background, based on a plaster cast by Edmund Dulac.[9] This was a precursor of the Machins three decades later: see below.
The century of the postage stamp was celebrated in 1940 with a set of six stamps depicting Victoria and George VI side-by-side. By the following year, wartime exigencies affected stamp printing, with the 1937 stamps being printed with less ink, resulting in significantly lighter shades. Post-war issues included commemoratives for the return of peace, the Silver Jubilee and the 1948 Summer Olympics in 1948, and the 75th anniversary of the UPU, in 1949.
In 1950 the colours of all the low values were changed. 1951 saw a new series of high values (2s 6d, 5s, 10s, £1), and two commemoratives for the Festival of Britain.
George VI 2 1⁄ 2 d of 1937.
Modern era [ edit ]
Queen Elizabeth II "Wilding issue" booklet pane of 1952
When Elizabeth II succeeded her father in 1952, new stamps were needed. A collection of variations on a theme that came to be known as the Wilding issues, based on a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was the result. This portrait was by photographer Dorothy Wilding.[10]
Wildings were used until 1967, when the Machin issues were introduced on 5 June.[11] The Machin design is very simple, a profile of the Queen on a solid colour background, and very popular, still being the standard British stamp. They have been printed in scores of different colours; in addition, decimalisation required new denominations, and there have technical improvements in the printing process, resulting in literally hundreds of varieties known to specialists.
Today, the postage stamp is used in many countries and once colonies of Great Britain. Once colonised countries of Great Britain at one point all used the Penny Black portrait of Queen Victoria, such as Barbados, Nevis, Fiji, Trinidad, British Guiana, and India. Many formerly colonised countries still support a portrait of Queen Elizabeth, although some have branched out to stamps depicting scenery, birds or beasts.
Design trends of British stamps [ edit ]
Up to the 1950s, British commemorative stamps were few and far between; most of the stamps were definitive issues in which the portrait of the reigning monarch was the dominant element. Even after commemorative stamps began to appear more often during the 1950s and early 1960s, the monarch's effigy was prominent, usually taking up a quarter to a third of the stamp's design, which limited flexibility and creativity. A change came in 1965 when the then Postmaster General Tony Benn issued new criteria for what could appear on stamps. Designer David Gentleman wrote to Benn about alternative design approaches, suggesting the monarch's head be replaced by another national symbol, such as a Crown or the country name; "Great Britain" or "United Kingdom". A compromise, a small silhouette of the Queen based on the coinage head of Mary Gillick, was accepted and this has been the standard ever since for commemorative stamps.[12] When the monarch's portrait is part of the stamp's main design (as for example in the case of issues commemorating the Queen's birthday), then the silhouette is not needed and usually does not appear.
Another trend is the growing use of stamps to commemorate events related to the present Royal Family. Up to Elizabeth II's accession in 1952 the only commemorative stamps to have been issued related to royal events were for George V's Silver Jubilee in 1935, George VI's coronation in 1937, and a 1948 issue to commemorate George VI's 25th wedding anniversary. Since 1952, however, stamps have been issued to commemorate many royal occasions. In addition, memorial stamps have been issued after the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales (in 1998) and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (in 2002).
With regard to previous monarchs, stamps were issued in 1987 to mark the 150th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession, and in 1997 to mark the 450th anniversary of King Henry VIII's death. From 2008 to 2011 stamps were issued featuring all of England's kings and queens and also the Scottish House of Stewart.[13]
Regional issues [ edit ]
Beginning in 1958, regional issues were introduced in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales.[14] While these issues are only sold at post offices in the respective countries, the Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh issues are valid throughout the United Kingdom. The Channel Islands (since 1969) and Isle of Man (since 1973) now issue their own stamps which are not valid anywhere else.
British postal services abroad [ edit ]
The United Kingdom has introduced postal services throughout the world and has often made use of British definitives bearing local overprints.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Selected further reading [ edit ]
General [ edit ]
Hamilton, Patrick. British Stamps: A description of the postage stamps of the United Kingdom . London: Peter Davies, 1948 338p. (Supplement in 1954; 75p.)
. London: Peter Davies, 1948 338p. (Supplement in 1954; 75p.) Lowe, Robson. British Postage Stamps of the 19th Century . London: National Postal Museum, 1st ed. 1968, 2nd ed. 1979.
. London: National Postal Museum, 1st ed. 1968, 2nd ed. 1979. Lowe, Robson. The Encyclopaedia of British Empire Postage Stamps: Vol. 1, Great Britain and the Empire in Europe . London: Robson Lowe, 1952 456p.
. London: Robson Lowe, 1952 456p. Mackay, James. British Stamps . London: Longman, 1985 ISBN 0-582-40620-X, 247p.
. London: Longman, 1985 ISBN 0-582-40620-X, 247p. Mackay, James A. Under the Gum – Background to British Stamps 1840–1940 . Limassol: James Bendon, 1997 ISBN 9963-579-76-0, 536p.
. Limassol: James Bendon, 1997 ISBN 9963-579-76-0, 536p. Oliver, Sidney and F. Hugh Vallancey. The Postage Stamps of Great Britain, 1840–1922 . London: "Stamp Collecting", 1923, 563p.
. London: "Stamp Collecting", 1923, 563p. Rose, Stuart. Royal Mail Stamps: A Survey of British Stamp Design . Oxford: Phaidon, 1980 ISBN 0-7148-2072-5, 128p.
. Oxford: Phaidon, 1980 ISBN 0-7148-2072-5, 128p. Todd, T. A History of British Postage Stamps . London: Duckworth, 1949, 274p.
. London: Duckworth, 1949, 274p. Wijman, J.J. Postage Stamps of Great Britain and their history . Nuenen: Jeeboer Press, 1986 ISBN 9071622010, 396p.
. Nuenen: Jeeboer Press, 1986 ISBN 9071622010, 396p. Williams, L.N. & M. Commemorative Postage Stamps of Great Britain. London: Arco, 1967, 206p.
Queen Victoria and King Edward VII [ edit ]
Beaumont, K.M. and John Easton. The Postage Stamps of Great Britain. Part 3, The embossed issues; The surface-printed issues of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII . London: Royal Philatelic Society, 1964, 344p.
. London: Royal Philatelic Society, 1964, 344p. Seymour, J.B. and Clive Gardiner-Hill. The Postage Stamps of Great Britain: Part 1, Introduction to the line-engraved issues: the imperforate line-engraved issues, 1840–1853 . London: Royal Philatelic Society, 1967, 336p.
. London: Royal Philatelic Society, 1967, 336p. Wiggins, W.R.D. The Postage Stamps of Great Britain: Part 2, The Perforated Line-Engraved Issues. London: Royal Philatelic Society, 1962, 220p.
King George V [ edit ]
Beaumont, K.M. and J.B.M. Stanton. The Postage Stamps of Great Britain. Part 4, The Issues of King George V . London: Royal Philatelic Society, 1957, 248p.
. London: Royal Philatelic Society, 1957, 248p. Muir, Douglas N. George V and The G.P.O.: Stamps, Conflict & Creativity . London: British Postal Museum & Archive, 2010 ISBN 978-0-9553569-2-6, 275p.
. London: British Postal Museum & Archive, 2010 ISBN 978-0-9553569-2-6, 275p. Phillips, Stanley. The Stamps of Great Britain, 1911–21. London: Stanley Gibbons, 1921, 105p.
King Edward VIII [ edit ]
Kirk, A.J. King Edward VIII: a study of the stamps of the reign of King Edward VIII. Leigh-on-Sea: G.B. Philatelic Publications Ltd for the Great Britain Philatelic Society, 1974 ISBN 0-9015121-1-7, 31p.
King George VI [ edit ]
Worsfold, Peter. Great Britain King George VI Low Value Definitive Stamps: An illustrated study of the development of their design. London: GBPS, 2001 ISBN 0-9076301-7-0, 40p.
Queen Elizabeth II [ edit ]
Potter, David. British Elizabethan Stamps: The Story of the Postage Stamps of the United Kingdom, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, from 1952 to 1970. London: Batsford, 1971 ISBN 0-71340-381-0, 190p.
Postage dues [ edit ]
Furfie, Michael. British Postage Due Mail, 1914 – 1971: a study of uses of the pre-decimal postage due stamps. Ashford: The Author, 1993 ISBN 0-9522208-0-6, 74p.
Postmarks [ edit ]
Alcock, R.C. and F.C. Holland. British Postmarks: A Short History and Guide . Cheltenham: R. C. Alcock, 1960, 299p.
. Cheltenham: R. C. Alcock, 1960, 299p. Hendy, John G. The History of the Postmarks of the British Isles from 1840–1876 . London: Stanley Gibbons, 1909, 184p.
. London: Stanley Gibbons, 1909, 184p. Pearson, George R. Special Event Postmarks of the United Kingdom . Hemel Hempstead: British Postmark Society, 1984 ISBN 0-9002140-1-5, 276p.
. Hemel Hempstead: British Postmark Society, 1984 ISBN 0-9002140-1-5, 276p. Whitney, J.T. Collect British Postmarks . Benfleet, 1990.
. Benfleet, 1990. British Postmark Database
Postal stationery [ edit ]
Huggins, Alan. British Postal Stationery . London: Great Britain Philatelic Society, 1971 188p.
. London: Great Britain Philatelic Society, 1971 188p. Huggins, Alan and Colin Baker. Collect British Postal Stationery: A Simplified Listing of British Postal Stationery 1840 to 2007. GB Philatelic Publications, 2007 ISBN 978-0-907630-22-7, 151p.
Postal history [ edit ]
Campbell-Smith, Duncan. Masters of the Post: The Authorized History of the Royal Mail . London: Penguin, 2012 ISBN 978-0-2-4195766-0, 849p.
. London: Penguin, 2012 ISBN 978-0-2-4195766-0, 849p. John Bartholomew and Son. Postal History Map of Britain: an illustrated map in full colour with a border of postage stamps . Edinburgh: John Bartholomew & Son, 1970?
. Edinburgh: John Bartholomew & Son, 1970? Marshall, C. F. Dendy. The British Post Office from its beginnings to the end of 1925 . London: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1926, 354p.
. London: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1926, 354p. Robinson, Howard. The British Post Office: A History. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1948, 467p.
Bibliography [ edit ] |
Get the biggest What's On stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Bookie William Hill has suspended betting on The Stone Roses headlining Glastonbury.
The Sunday night headline slot for the world-famous festival is still up for grabs, with Kanye West and Foo Fighters already announced on the line-up.
A raft of bets saw the Manchester band's odds tumble from 12/1 to even money in less than 24 hours, with Blur the 2/1 second favourites ahead of Prince (9/2) and Kate Bush (5/1).
William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly said: “It looks like the announcement many have been expecting since 2011 could finally happen and the Stone Roses look set to headline Glastonbury.
“A gamble like this usually indicates an announcement is not far away.”
But industry insiders have again insisted there is no basis to the growing Roses rumours.
Our well-placed source told the M.E.N.: “The Roses are definitely not doing Glastonbury this year, 100 per cent not.”
Other acts actually confirmed as pulling on their wellies and heading to Worthy Farm on June 24-28, include Florence and The Machine Mary J Blige, Pharrell Williams, Alt-J, Motorhead and Lionel Richie.
Glastonbury 2015 Sunday Headliner odds: 1/1 Stone Roses; 2/1 Blur; 9/2 Prince; 5/1 Kate Bush; 8/1 Coldplay; 10/1 Depeche Mode; 12/1 Fleetwood Mac; 12/1 AC/DC; 16/1 BAR |
Festival Map
Just steps away from Lake Ontario, The Word On The Street 2017 featured the finest writers in Canadian literature before one of the city’s most beautiful backdrops, Harbourfront Centre. Both indoor and outdoor activities were scheduled with tons of special events throughout the grounds. Take a look at the map below to see where your your favourite authors and events took place! - À quelques pas du lac Ontario, The Word on the Street 2017 accueille les meilleurs écrivains de la littérature canadienne devant l’une des plus belles toiles de fond de la ville, le Centre Harbourfront. Des activités intérieures et extérieures sont prévues, y compris une foule d’événements spéciaux un peu partout sur le terrain. Jetez un coup d’œil au plan ci-dessous pour voir où se sont déroulées les prestations de vos auteurs préférés ainsi que plusieurs événements! |
Two Florida girls, one 13 and one 14, have had felony charges dropped in a bullying case that sprang up following 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick's suicide in September. In an interview with Today, 13-year-old Katelyn Roman expressed relief at the decision and said, "I do not feel l did anything wrong."
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd made headlines last month when he charged Roman and Guadalupe Shaw with third-degree aggravated stalking after Sedwick, a girl the duo had allegedly harassed, leapt from a factory tower to her death. Several weeks after Sedwick's suicide, Shaw allegedly wrote on her Facebook wall, "Yes [I know] I bullied Rebecca nd she killed her self but [I don't give a fuck]." That message, said Judd at the time, "forced" him to arrest the girls.
Now that the Florida state attorney has dropped all charges against Roman and Shaw, for reasons it won't release because the girls are juveniles, Judd told reporters he's "exceptionally pleased with the outcome of the case."
"We see the children are going to get the services they need,'' Judd told reporters, referring to both girls being in counseling. "That's the best outcome for juveniles. Our goal is that these kids never bully anyone again."
Not so pleased are the formerly accused teens' parents, who feel that Judd opened up their daughters to a world of criticism based on unfounded claims.
"It was uncalled for for Grady Judd to go up there and throw her picture up there and people coming to my house and trying to come and threaten my family, threaten me on the phone, threaten me at my house, I mean it was just crazy the way he did that," Katelyn Roman's father told Today.
An attorney for the Romans says the family is now considering legal action against Judd. |
To our friends, former co-workers, and industry colleagues at ArenaNet:
We are profoundly saddened to hear the news of the layoffs today. We feel a special kinship with ArenaNet given our shared DNA and our shared history of working together. We can only imagine what you are going through and would like to extend our heartfelt support. Indeed, news like this takes its toll on the entire industry, and taken together with the recent layoffs at Activision/Blizzard and the closure of the former Z2 studio in Seattle, we are distressed by the destruction of trust and safety that creative enterprises require to thrive.
As such, we would like to do everything we can to help people find their next great opportunity. We invite all ArenaNet staff to join us for an open house at Undead Labs on Wednesday evening, February 27th, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. We’ll do our best to coordinate with the entire Xbox Game Studios family to ensure we have broad representation of opportunity within all of our studios. We’ll be ready to share more about our open positions, our product plans, and our development culture with you. Dinner and parking on us. Please RSVP by letting a friend here at the Lab know you plan to attend, or send an email to: [email protected] |
LISBON, Portugal, May 17 (UPI) -- Caffeine may slow Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, researchers in Portugal said.
Alexandre de Mendonca of the University of Lisbon and Rodrigo Cunha of the University of Coimbra, both in Portugal, assembled a group of international experts to explore the effects of caffeine on the brain from multiple perspectives.
The collection of epidemiological and other studies corroborated by meta-analysis have been published as a special supplement in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
"A few epidemiological studies showed that the consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine was inversely associated with the cognitive decline associated with aging as well as the incidence of Alzheimer's disease," Mendonca and Cunha said in a statement. "This was paralleled by animal studies showing that chronic caffeine administration prevented memory deterioration and neurodegeneration in animal models of aging and of Alzheimer's disease."
Mendonca and Cunha have observed one of the most prevalent complications of Alzheimer's disease is mood change -- especially depression -- and they suggest caffeine might be a mood normalizer. |
The manager of an Indiana Pizza Hut has been offered his job back after claiming he was fired for refusing to open the restaurant on Thanksgiving.
Tony Rohr, who worked his way up from cook to manager at the restaurant, in Elkhart, Ind., over 10 years, said the company that owns the store dictated it be open for the holiday, and he refused.
"I said, 'Why can't we be the company that stands up and says we care about our employees and they can have the day off,?'" Rohr told WSBT 22. "Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two days that they're closed in the whole year and they're the only two days that those people are guaranteed to have off to spend with their families.”
After news of the reported firing made national headlines Wednesday night, Pizza Hut announced on its Facebook page that Rohr had been offered his job back.
"We fully respect an employee’s right to not work on a holiday, which is why the vast majority of Pizza Huts in America are closed on Thanksgiving. As a result, we strongly recommended that the local franchisee reinstate the store manager and they have agreed. We look forward to them welcoming Tony back to the team," the statement read.
Earlier Wednesday, a Pizza Hut rep told WSBT 22 that the decision to remain open on Thanksgiving wasn't up to Rohr, and that it came from the corporate level.
Rohr wrote a letter venting his frustrations, saying: "I do not resign. However, I accept that the refusal to comply with this greedy, immoral request means the end of my tenure with this company." He added, "I hope you realize that it is the people at the bottom of the totem pole that make your life possible."
Later, the station got in touch with the director of operations for the local chain and he told the news station that Rohr did not get fired, but rather, he quit.
It was not known late Wednesday if Rohr accepted the company's offer.
Pizza Hut is owned by Yum! Brands, which also owns Taco Bell and KFC. |
Share. Bernthal loves the Dirty Laundry short. Bernthal loves the Dirty Laundry short.
Thomas Jane’s portrayal of the Punisher helped inspire Jon Bernthal’s take on the anti-hero.
ScreenGeek reports that, while answering questions during a New York Comic Con panel, Jon Bernthal revealed he studied Jane's Frank Castle in the short fan film, Dirty Laundry.
Bernthal said he "watches everything" and "reads everything" about the Marvel hero, and that he particularly "loves Dirty Laundry."
"Once you devour and eat up and much as you can, my way is to make it as personal as possible,” said Bernthal. “ It was a great pleasure to watch all of those.”
Dirty Laundry came out in 2012, eight years after the Jane-led 2004 official Punisher film. It has a simple but effective plot, and Ron Perlman stars in a minor role.
Netflix’ The Punisher series has officially begun production, with Daredevil’s Deborah Ann Woll reprising her role as Karen Page. The show also added a few new cast members, with The Chronicles of Narnia actor Ben Barnes playing Billy Russo, who eventually becomes Jigsaw in the comics.
Exit Theatre Mode
Alex Gilyadov is a freelance writer based in New York. You can follow him on Twitter. |
Once upon a time, 12 years ago to be precise, David Bowie said something very perceptive. "Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity," he told a New York Times reporter. "So it's like, just take advantage of these last few years because none of this is ever going to happen again. You'd better be prepared for doing a lot of touring because that's really the only unique situation that's going to be left. It's terribly exciting. But on the other hand it doesn't matter if you think it's exciting or not; it's what's going to happen."
I thought of Bowie and his perceptiveness last week, when – in a rare piece of corporate carelessness – Amazon inadvertently provided a fleeting glimpse of what it has in store for the publishing industry. A new page appeared on its website only to be very quickly withdrawn, but not before it had been cached by Google and spotted by a hacker website.
What was on this elusive page? Why, nothing more or less than an introduction to a new service called "Kindle Unlimited". Subscribers will be invited to "enjoy unlimited access to over 600,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks on any device for just $9.99 a month". One commentator described it as "Netflix for books". David Bowie would doubtless have said that it's the turn of books to become like running water or electricity.
Bowie was perceptive because he understood early the implications of ubiquitous connectivity. When Apple first cracked the problem of selling music tracks online, people collected the tracks in little electronic containers called iPods and carried them around, much as tourists in undeveloped countries carried personal supplies of clean water in bottles. But once safe piped water became readily available, the importance of having one's own bottle declined. The same thing happened with online music, which is why we now have services such as Spotify into which subscribers can tap whenever they please (and have a network connection).
Kindle Unlimited is based on exactly the same logic. Indeed, it's extraordinary how closely it adheres to the original Apple template: the Kindle e-reader is the equivalent of the iPod; and the Kindle store is the counterpart of the iTunes one. The difference is that Amazon is already working on the next move – making the transition from selling discrete units to streaming – with which Apple has struggled (and which explains why Apple bought Beats – not for its daft headphones but for its streaming music service).
Amazon's move will be as discombobulating for the book publishing industry as the advent of Spotify was for the music industry. Stand by, therefore, for howls of protest from publishers and authors on how streaming produces infinitesimal royalties compared with the old publishing paradigm. All true, and a reminder of Joseph Schumpeter's conception of the waves of "creative destruction" with which capitalism renews itself. Each wave has two dimensions: a creative one in which new possibilities, industries and business models emerge; and a destructive one in which old ways of doing things (including things that were genuinely valuable) are destroyed.
The analogy between the Kindle and the iPod is instructive in other ways too. Amazon's device came with networking built-in from the beginning, whereas the iPod relied initially on a physical connection to a laptop or desktop machine for its connection to the online store. And the connectivity of the Kindle has led to some interesting side-effects. Obviously, users can highlight and annotate passages as they read; but if they so choose they can also opt to see what passages other readers have highlighted, which means that one has the strange sensation of seeing what other people regard as interesting or important in the book one is reading.
That's not necessarily great news. Your networked Kindle tells Amazon where you've got to in each book. This is so that if you switch to, say, the Kindle app on your smartphone, you can pick up exactly where you left off. But this also means that Amazon knows not only what you're reading, but even where you've got to. So anonymous reading goes out of the window. And this has led to some ingenious attempts to spot the most unread bestsellers de nos jours [unitalics]. One commentator, for example, claims that Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century currently holds that title. But since his gleeful article appears in the Wall Street Journal, the Mandy Rice-Davies qualification applies. He would say that, wouldn't he? |
Carlos Beltran understands who he is as a hitter. But that doesn’t mean he’s always the same hitter. The 37-year-old New York Yankees outfielder adapts according to feel and he focuses better in some situations than in others. Still, you can’t argue with the results: He’s hit .283/.356/.497 with 363 home runs since breaking into the big leagues with the Royals in 1998. In 51 postseason games he’s hit .333/.445/.683 with 16 home runs.
Beltran talked hitting prior to last night’s game at Fenway Park.
——
Beltran on mechanical adjustments: “Every year, you don’t feel the same so you have to find a way. You find a position where you feel comfortable mechanically and work with that. The way I hit last year compared to how I’m hitting this year is a little bit different. One thing is the position of the bat. Last year I felt good with my hands like this [slightly forward] and this year that feels a little uncomfortable. This year they’re back a little bit.
“When I was coming up in the big leagues, I talked to a lot of guys I looked up to. One of those guys was Edgar Martinez. I asked him if every year he feels the same. He said ‘No, every year I don’t feel the same.’ Your body feels different. Maybe some years you’re into your legs a little more, and other years you’re more comfortable a little bit taller. It’s basically how you feel. For me, left and right are two different swings. Depending on how I feel, I might be the same from both sides or I might be different.
“You need to feel comfortable, but you can’t be doing one thing in one at bat and in the next at bat do something different. You need to be confident with what you’re doing.”
On having a strong base: “I have to feel I’m in my legs. For example, if a pitcher takes a long time to release the baseball my legs are going to get tired. When I feel like the wind is moving me back and forth… like if it’s windy and I feel off-balance, I don’t like that. I need to step out and reset. When I feel set, I feel good hitting-wise. After every swing I take, I try to reset myself and think about my lower body. Once I feel like my lower body is there, then I transfer all my concentration on the pitcher.”
On his approach: “I concentrate on my strength. I’m not a guy who hits the ball a lot to the opposite field. I hit more center and right center and concentrate on getting a pitch in an area I know I can handle. If it’s a pitch on the outside corner, I know I can’t do much with that pitch. Unless I have two strikes, I don’t want to swing at it. If it’s a pitch on the inside corner and I don’t have two strikes, I don’t want to swing at it. That’s a pitch where, even if I take a good hack, I feel I’m not going to do much with it. I have to look for a pitch out over the strike zone, in or away. Basically, near the middle. Pitchers are going to miss and you have to be ready to hit and take advantage of that pitch when they miss.”
On hitting with runners on base: “I love RBIs. I love to drive in runs and take a lot of pride in those situations. I believe I’m a different hitter with guys on base. Leading off an inning, I feel like maybe my concentration is not there. When I have guys in scoring position I concentrate more because I know if I get a hit we can tie a ballgame, take the lead, add to our lead or shorten a deficit.
“You don’t want to make an out, but you have to be realistic. You’re going to fail a lot. I’m not trying to give away at bats, but like I said, I’m a different hitter with guys in scoring position.” |
• Brendan Rodgers could be tempted by £9m plus Dempsey • Fulham sign Hugo Rodallega on free transfer from Wigan
Fulham hope to use Liverpool's interest in Clint Dempsey to drive an audacious swap deal for Andy Carroll, which would feature a cash adjustment, as they also completed the free transfer of Hugo Rodallega from Wigan Athletic.
Dempsey, who scored 23 goals in all competitions last season, has 12 months to run on his Fulham contract and he is keen to move to a bigger club. Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, appears prepared to let Carroll go and the striker has also attracted the interest of West Ham United and Newcastle United, his former club.
Fulham would have to give Liverpool around £9m on top of Dempsey, but the deal for Rodallega, who has signed a three-year contract, has strengthened their options following the departures of Andy Johnson and Pavel Pogrebnyak. |
The video went viral: A Warren police officer strapping a young mother from Detroit into a restraint chair and slicing off her hair weave.
Now that same officer is once again caught cutting on camera – this time accused of slicing open a prisoner’s hand.
Lawyers who say they’ve followed this officer’s alleged “use of force” problems for years say it was only a matter of time before this happened again.
7 Investigator Heather Catallo obtained exclusive video from inside the Warren Police Jail.
In the video, you can see Warren Police Officer Bernadette Najor, who now uses her married name, Bernadette Moore.
In the video, Officer Moore can be seen ordering an intoxicated 19-year-old from Warren to remove a bracelet that’s made of string.
Shannon Morris says she tried telling the officer that the bracelet doesn’t come off. But she ends up on the ground, with a large gash in her hand.
“The next thing I remember is being on the floor asking what happened over and over again. One of the male officers just replied with ‘she stabbed you,’”said Morris.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this officer use a sharp object on a prisoner. Officer Moore made headlines around the world back in 2014 when the 7 Investigators first exposed how she strapped a young mother into a restraint chair and used scissors to slice off her sewn-in hair weave.
So how did a knife get into Officer Moore’s hands, when weapons are not allowed inside Warren’s lock up?
“I didn’t feel like I was a human anymore, the way they had treated me,” said Morris.
Morris admits that since she’s only 19, she should not have been drinking back on April 2, 2016. But Morris says she’s actually the one who called the police, hoping to thwart a drug deal from taking place near her house.
“I was pushed around. I wasn’t treated like I had any value at all, when I was trying to do was help in the beginning,” said Morris.
Belligerent and intoxicated, Warren police took Morris into custody. Morris says she suffers from depression and anxiety, and doesn’t remember much of her arrest.
After the scuffle over her string friendship bracelets, police reports show that those do get removed. Then the officers try to remove the drawstring of Shannon’s pants. One of the male officers asked a third officer to get the safety scissors. Instead, Officer Moore “produced a pocket knife and cut the strings out herself.”
That’s when her hand got sliced.
“She didn’t stop bleeding the entire night. We’re not talking about a small injury. We’re not talking about a laceration. We’re talking about a gash,” said Attorney Paul Misukewicz. Misukewicz said he wasn’t surprised to learn Officer Moore caused his client’s injuries.
“As soon as I heard the name, I said oh boy,” said Misukewicz.
Misukewicz also represented Charda Gregory, the woman who had her weave cut off by force. Misukewicz says Warren Police did the right thing when they fired Officer Moore for that. But an arbitrator forced the city to hire Moore back, because there was not a clear policy that prevented weave removals.
“She should have never got her job back, that arbitrator – that was a miscarriage of justice,” said Misukewicz.
But this time there is a very clear policy: you cannot have weapons in the lock-up.
“It’s right there in their policy manual – it’s unquestioned she violated policy by bringing that knife in to the jail,” said Misukewicz.
Shannon Morris and Charda Gregory are not the only women who say they’ve been hurt by Officer Moore. The 7 Investigators uncovered police records that reveal at least 4 additional women who had issues with Officer Moore’s use of force.
“She took her boot and put it in my hair, and yanked her boot back, and pulled my hair out with her boot, and then kicked me in my side,” Virginia Hamilton told 7 Investigator Heather Catallo in 2015.
“She hit me with a closed fist – in the face,” said Kathy Buford in February 2015.
“I feel bad for the city of Warren, because it sucks that anyone has to work with her when they know she’s not doing her job,” said Morris. “They’re putting everyone at risk with having her work there.”
The city of Warren isn’t commenting about this, because Officer Moore is suing the police department and the Police Commissioner for firing her after the weave-cutting incident.
As for Shannon Morris, she is facing six misdemeanor charges.
We have also learned that Officer Moore is now facing an unpaid suspension.
Moore’s attorneys released a statement to us: “Officer Moore is an excellent police officer doing a difficult job. On a daily basis, people are brought to jail angry, intoxicated, delusional, and worse. Moore treats everyone with respect, even those who assault her and there have been many over the years.” |
(01-18) 22:16 PST — In their second NFL seasons, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith had more yards, touchdowns and a higher quarterback rating than did Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.
After their second year in the league, however, circumstances changed dramatically for Smith and Aikman. And their divergent paths involved the same assistant coach.
In Aikman’s case, the Cowboys hired Norv Turner as their offensive coordinator in 1991, and the struggling QB began a three-year run with Turner that included three Pro Bowls and two Super Bowl titles. For Smith, who prospered under Turner’s guidance in 2006, his career began a steep descent after his offensive coordinator left San Francisco to become the Chargers’ head coach.
Five years, three head coaches and five offensive coordinators later, Smith is on the doorstep of the Super Bowl and Aikman, a Fox analyst, will be in the broadcast booth Sunday when the Niners host the Giants in the NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park.
Thanks to their shared relationship with Turner, now the Chargers’ head coach, Aikman knows better than most how Smith’s career trajectory could have been far different before 2011.
“Absolutely it could have been,” said Aikman, who threw 20 touchdowns, 36 interceptions and had a 7-19 record as a starter in his first two seasons. “Absolutely. I know what Norv does for a quarterback and I know what he meant to my career. …
“That’s a big part of it is having a guy who really understands offense who is able to put you in the right position. Unfortunately for Alex, Norv was just there one season and then he moved on. You know, Brett Favre ran the same offense for 35 years or however long it was. There’s something to be said for that.”
Aikman noted that Smith’s counterpart Sunday, the Giants’ Eli Manning, has had far more stability during his eight-year career. Tom Coughlin has been Manning’s only head coach. New York’s fifth-year offensive coordinator, Kevin Gilbride, was Manning’s position coach in his first three seasons.
For Smith, well, it’s better late than never. His career has been resurrected thanks to the guidance of head coach Jim Harbaugh, who had a 15-year career as a quarterback in the NFL.
“Norv just understood,” Aikman said. “He played (quarterback) in college, but without having played in the pros, he understood what that guy under center was dealing with. That’s Jim Harbaugh and how he’s been helpful to Alex in that regard. He’s a head coach who played the position and knows how difficult the position is with the expectations and challenges.”
Aikman expects Smith to continue improving under Harbaugh, noting Smith is only 27. However, he doesn’t expect Smith to ever put up gaudy numbers in Harbaugh’s offense, which leans heavily on the ground game.
Smith ranked 17th in the NFL in touchdowns (17) this season and 19th in yards (3,144). Aikman can relate. On offenses headlined by running back Emmitt Smith, he did not have a 4,000-yard season and threw for more than 19 touchdowns once in his 12-year career.
Aikman realized early that his career wouldn’t be defined by stats, but by Super Bowls. For that reason, his only focus became winning, and he didn’t tolerate teammates who didn’t share his mind-set. Similarly, Smith has shrugged off questions regarding his so-so stats this season and repeatedly stated his focus is on wins and losses.
Now Smith is two wins away from sharing something else with Aikman besides their relationship with Turner.
“Right now, Alex is realizing the fruits of that; if you win, none of those other things really matter,” Aikman said. “Ultimately, you get the credit and the recognition that you deserve when you win. I think at the quarterback position, if you just win, and make that a priority, the rest of it will take care of itself.” |
Albert Pike, poet, Freemason, and Confederate man about town, astutely commented that “one man is equivalent to all Creation. One man is a World in miniature.” If one man represents the world than the roof over his head, and a mini version of that roof surely has some fundamental universal importance.
We love sensible and profound quotes as much as we love micro architecture, and in discovering Pritzker Prize winner Peter Zumthor’s strangely compelling large-scale models, we’ve found a new means to satisfy our obsession with little buildings. A study in micro representation, the model, as Zumthor explains, is the only way to consider the “atmosphere” of a space. Or, what we like to think of as the best way to design good vibes.
We invite you to get out some construction paper, a pair of scissors, and that old crafty standby, Elmer’s Glue, and be inspired to build your own mini proverbial universe. Made out of wacky materials like organic milk cartons, pepto bismol pink styrofoam and paper dinner napkins, click through to check out our roundup of remarkable models made by some of the world’s most important architects.
Soft paper napkin stack for The Hague’s Dance and Music Center by Zaha Hadid
Image credit: Zaha Hadid Associates via InventorSpot |
Share:
Our recently released Fundraising & Capital Overhang Report breaks down dry powder by vintage year, summarizes which fund classes are most successful in collecting commitments and forecasts what all this means for the industry in the years to come. For the main takeaways from the report, watch the video above or peruse the charts below.
With $535 billion in capital overhang through 2Q 2014, the PE industry still needs to make a dent in its massive dry powder cache, which could portend continued strong activity in 2015 even if valuations remain high.
The step-ups in size of 82% of 2014 funds were modest, indicating PE firms are confident and taking advantage of the fundraising climate but are still aware of their overhang.
To explore the underlying data of these trends, contact us for a free trial of the PitchBook Platform today.
VC fundraising was similarly healthy. One of the more interesting VC fundraising trends has been the rise of sub-$50 million vehicles, as well as a resurgence in big multistage funds, which implies a possible split toward increased activity in the lower and upper ends of the market. |
This article is over 4 years old
CPS confirms no further action will be taken against man who was arrested last December and who has not been named
A sixth man held over the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence will not be prosecuted due to insufficient evidence.
The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed no further action will be taken against the suspect, who has not been named and was arrested 11 months ago.
Lawrence, 18, who wanted to be an architect, was stabbed to death by a group of up to six white youths in an unprovoked racist attack as he waited at a bus stop in Well Hall Road, Eltham, south-east London, with a friend on 22 April 1993.
It took more than 18 years to bring two of his killers – Gary Dobson and David Norris – to justice.
Three other men have also previously been named as suspects but deny involvement.
An inquiry following the murder found failings in how the Metropolitan police had investigated the crime and led to the force being accused of institutional racism.
Lionel Idan, deputy chief crown prosecutor, said: “On October 21 the CPS decided that no further action will be taken in relation to an individual, identified as a suspect in the ongoing police investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
“A file was received on 31 May 2014 from the Metropolitan police. After careful consideration it has been decided that there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.
“The decision has been made in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors.
“Any decision by the CPS does not imply any finding concerning guilt or criminal conduct – the CPS makes decisions only according to the test set out in the code for crown prosecutors and it is applied in all decisions on whether or not to prosecute.”
A Metropolitan police spokesman confirmed the man, who is in his 40s, was arrested on 23 December last year on suspicion of Lawrence’s murder.
The spokesman said: “He was bailed to return pending further inquiries and a file submitted to the CPS for their consideration.
“The individual has now been advised there will be no further action against him.”
It comes as a senior police officer facing claims of discreditable conduct linked to the case prepared to be reinstated to full duties next week.
Scotland Yard confirmed last month that Commander Richard Walton, who was removed from operational duties in March, will resume his role on 1 December, even though he is still facing an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. |
Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
A REMOTE island in the Outer Hebrides made famous by the BBC`s Castaway programme has been sold.
Taransay, on the market for two weeks, was bought for an undisclosed sum by an anonymous buyer.
The island, which was used for the hit TV series, had a price tag of at least £2 million.
TV presenter Ben Fogle was among those who expressed an interest in buying the island. He became a household name when he roamed the rugged island with his dog on the BBC show 11 years ago.
A spokesman for estate agents CKD Galbraith said the new owner does not plan to change the way the island is used and managed.
John Bound said: "Given its exceptional beauty and outstanding setting, it was no surprise that Taransay attracted so much interest and that it has been sold in less than two weeks. The existing owners know the purchaser and all involved are delighted with the outcome, and the island passes into safe hands.
"There will no doubt be a number of disappointed parties who would have liked to bid but it is fitting that Taransay is now in the new ownership of somebody closely acquainted to the area who will preserve the current management of the island."
Taransay covers 3,445 acres and is wholly owned. It has a recently refurbished traditional farmhouse and old school chalet, as well as a bothy which provides holiday accommodation.
The island also has trout and sea fishing, as well as sustainable deer stalking.
Inhabited until 1974 when the last family left, Taransay is now used to graze sheep. The island has had a colourful history. Being the home of Celtic pagans in 300AD, it was the site of several fierce battles and invasions, such as the Massacre of Taransay in 1544 when the Morrisons of Lewis invaded. |
Gay man who tried to poison lesbian neighbours with slug pellets over three-legged cat feud walks free
Gary Stewart leaves Minshall St Crown Court after being sentenced for attempting to poison his lesbian neighbours
A gay man who attempted to poison his lesbian neighbours by pouring slug pellets into their curry after they accused him of kidnapping their three-legged cat has walked free from court.
Gary Stewart, 37, had fallen out with his neighbours, Ann Marie Walton, 38, and Beverley Sales, 36.
But in an apparent bid to restore cordial relations with the pair he offered them a curry from a local Indian takeaway.
When the couple went to eat the meal they found the curry sauce was laced with dozens of tiny blue slug pellets.
Afterwards Stewart said he had done it after he had found the tyres to his car had been slashed with a knife.
He texted a friend saying: 'It was them next door, the f******* fat lesbians, I'm glad I've poisoned them and yes it was slug pellets.'
He was sentenced to a six month suspended jail sentence at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester after pleading guilty to attempting to poison the two women on September 22 last year.
The court was told Mr Stewart, who is HIV positive, was devastated after his partner Paul Kleisier, 43, died of an Aids related illness last summer.
He had previously got on well with his neighbours in Denton, Manchester, Miss Sales, an HGV driver, and Miss Walton, a full-time mother, but fell out with them last year after a series of petty arguments
Then last summer they were involved in a furious row after Stewart told the council they were neglecting their eight-year-old son, Jack, and social workers were called to carry out an investigation.
After that Stewart is alleged to have kidnapped the family's three-legged cat, Amber, and dumped her in a village miles away.
Beverley Sales (left) and Ann Marie Walton called police when they found blue pellets in the curry
The cat was eventually found after posters showing a photograph of her led to her discovery at the home of a woman who had taken her in about three miles away.
On September 22 Stewart called Miss Walton and offered her a takeaway curry as a peace offering.
He claimed he had been given the curry by a friend but claimed he was going out for the evening and was unable to eat it all.
Miss Walton said she would collect the curry but fell asleep, so Stewart brought it round to the house and handed it to Miss Sales, telling her to ensure she shared some of the meal with Miss Walton.
Robert Smith, prosecuting, said: 'Both examined the curry later that evening and noticed it had a chemical smell. On closer inspection it looked as though there were blue pellets in it.'
The police were called and tests found the curry had been laced with toxic metaldehyde slug pellets.
Slug pellets are poisonous and can be extremely dangerous to animals and children.
The chemical is classed as 'moderately hazardous' by the World Health Organisation and would not normally kill an adult.
But last year vets had to destroy more than a dozen dogs and scores of cats after they ingested the pellets.
There have been no known deaths of children or adults from eating slug pellets.
Philip Barnes, defending, said: 'He does not offer any excuse for his behaviour. The defendant was given the food in question as a thank you but brought the curry round, because of his own illness he was unable to eat it.
'This can be seen as an act of thoughtlessness and stupidity by a man troubled by his own grief.'
Sentencing him, Judge Jonathan Foster QC said: 'This was a mean offence. I fail to understand precisely what you thought you were doing.
'In any event I am prepared to accept that you realized you would not cause any serious harm even if this food was consumed.'
Detective Constable Graham Masheter, of Greater Manchester Police, said: 'What Stewart did was premeditated and totally shocking.
'He has known the victims for several years and for no apparent reason has decided to try and inflict the misery he felt in his own life on them.
'Had either woman eaten the curry they would have become quite ill - thankfully they noticed and contacted police.' |
War is terrible, but sometimes it is necessary. Which is why Germany needs to stay the course in Afghanistan.
The number of casualties in Afghanistan is growing, and so is the number of Germans against the war. Although more and more Germans are calling for their troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, to do so would be wrong.
The fact that a majority of Germans are against the war is hardly surprising. Who, after all, is an enthusiastic advocate for war? And the fact that the majority is against something isn't much of an argument, either. The majority of Germans were against expanding the EU, and the majority oppose financial aid for Greece. Nevertheless, both are still sensible courses of action.
There is one thing, at least, that everyone can agree on - war is terrible. It's dirty, it kills and it maims - and it can turn people into killing machines. War should only be viewed as a last resort. But sometimes - as in the case of Afghanistan - it is necessary. Much is at stake, even if it is not primarily about democracy and human rights. Those values are in danger in many countries, and Germany doesn't send in its soldiers there. German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged this herself with remarkable candor in a speech she delivered before the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament.
Eating, Drinking and Dying Together
The primary goal of the war is to create stability in Afghanistan and to prevent the country from once again becoming a retreat for terrorists, which would further destabilize the entire region. That is the West's interest in this war, and it's a goal that justifies the victims who have been lost there. No one can guarantee that the West will achieve its goal in Afghanistan. But one thing can be said for certain: This is the wrong moment to pull out. For the first time since the Taliban fell in 2001, the coalition has a coherent strategy for Afghanistan. The plan is to fight the Taliban on its own turf and on a massive scale. At the same time, NATO wants to give a boost to the process of civil development by protecting the population more.
As one American colonel put it, the basis of the strategy is that Western soldiers should "eat, drink and die" alongside their Afghan colleagues. Rather than staying holed up in their fortified camps, they should go out into the villages and help build up local infrastructure. In doing so, the soldiers may become targets. And though it may be a dangerous strategy, it's one that might actually work.
In Iraq, the United States showed it was possible to turn around what looked like a hopeless situation. It did this by adapting its approach to realities in the country. Of course, there's no guarantee that the same approach will work in Afghanistan. But there's too much at stake not to give it a try. And it would be negligent to declare that the strategy has failed before it has even been implemented.
Indeed, even if the West succeeds, the results won't be especially pleasant. It will be necessary to come to terms with the Taliban, and there may well be war criminals among the country's new rulers. Of course, it's hard to communicate these realities to people. But the ability to explain uncomfortable truths is what distinguishes a statesman from a politician.
Would Withdrawal Really Stop the Bloodshed?
Seen in this light, what alternatives do we have? Leaving Afghanistan wouldn't put an end to the bloodshed. On the contrary, the country's civil war would break out again in full force. And the people most targeted for revenge and retaliation would be precisely those who had trusted in NATO to see its mission through to the end. It hardly bears imagining what that would mean for Pakistan, for the entire region and for the global war against terror.
Those demanding that German forces be withdrawn from Afghanistan are also aware of this reality. That's why their calls are only half-hearted. And that's why they say that, even if we do withdraw, we shouldn't do it too hurriedly and that it should be orderly. But what exactly does that mean? If we are giving up on the entire mission anyway, we shouldn't endanger our soldiers' lives for a single moment longer. If we are going to abandon Afghanistan, we should do so immediately. Anything else would be sheer cynicism.
It's hard to get rid of the gnawing suspicion that there is a different motive behind the opposition to this war. After instigating the worst war in world history, Germany spent four decades trying to be the world's most peaceful country. War was something to be left to others, we thought, and we Germans had learned our lesson.
But now it's becoming apparent that things might not be quite so simple. If you want to stop people who are both trying to kill and unafraid of dying, chances are that you won't remain untainted yourself. That might be hard to swallow, but it's still the truth. |
Helen Branswell, The Canadian Press
TORONTO -- A new study suggests giving boys the HPV vaccine could cut health-care costs over the long run.
The researchers used mathematical modelling to estimate the effect of giving HPV vaccine to 12-year-old boys to prevent cancers of the mouth and throat.
The work suggests if all the 12-year-old boys in Canada had been vaccinated in 2012, between $8 million and $28 million might have been saved because of oropharyngeal cancers averted in that group.
The types of human papillomaviruses that cause cervical cancer are also responsible for some oropharyngeal cancers, a form of cancer that is on the rise.
But a senior vaccine researcher questions the finding, saying the study design chosen wasn't the right one for testing this kind of question.
Currently Prince Edward Island and Alberta offer HPV vaccine to boys as well as girls; on Friday, Nova Scotia announced it will follow suit in the fall.
"Gradually bit by bit, perhaps, people are thinking that it is a good thing to do. Because there's no reason why we shouldn't protect the men also," says Dr. Lillian Siu, a medical oncologist at Toronto's Princess Margaret Cancer Center. Siu is one of the senior authors of the study.
The authors admit the mathematical model they used did not take into account what's known as herd immunity -- the protective effect on the entire population of having a significant portion of people vaccinated against a given pathogen.
In this case that means the researchers did not factor into their calculations how vaccinating girls would affect the HPV risk faced by boys. Already research elsewhere has shown rates of genital warts and some HPV-related cancers in men are dropping in the wake of introduction of public programs to vaccinate girls.
The belief is that as the number of girls and women who are protected against HPV rises, fewer of these viruses will circulate so many males will get indirect protection. That group protection may not be as pronounced for the community of males who have sex with other males.
It's not possible to accurately assess the cost-effectiveness of vaccinating boys without factoring in the impact of the girls' program, says Dr. Natasha Crowcroft, a vaccine expert at Public Health Ontario who was not involved in this study.
"The herd effect is so overwhelmingly important you can't leave it out of any analysis," says Crowcroft, who is chief of applied immunization research for the agency.
"When you've got 50 per cent uptake (in girls), it makes more sense to immunize the boys because then you increase your chances of getting herd immunity. Now we're getting 80 per cent uptake in (Ontario) girls. It makes less sense to add the boys in, to me," Crowcroft says, though she acknowledges there is still the question of how to protect males who are gay.
She insists her critique of the study doesn't mean she opposes giving the vaccine to boys, noting her son was vaccinated. But costs and benefits need to be weighed. "If we're using public funds, then we have to make careful choices. Because ... we're always taking money away from something else we could be doing."
The study, which was published in the journal Cancer, as written by scientists at Princess Margaret Cancer Center, Cancer Care Ontario, and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, all in Toronto. |
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
New England Patriots running back Dion Lewis seemingly has emerged from crumb rubber, musket smoke and pixie dust, so we are inclined to chalk him up to mystery.
How else can we explain an undersized running back leading the NFL's best offense in rushing yards after being cut twice and sitting out of football for almost all of last season?
A mystery this is.
But every mystery has clues, if you know where to look and who to talk to. This week, Bleacher Report has tracked down many of the people with insight into Lewis' past and progress to figure out just how he has arrived as such a surprising force in the Patriots' backfield.
Clue No. 1: Lewis had shown extraordinary talent in the past
In the fall of 2008, there were rumors on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. LeSean "Shady" McCoy, the team's star running back, might leave school early and apply for the NFL draft. If he did, the Panthers were going to need a replacement who could step in the following season, and they didn't have one on the roster.
Dave Wannstedt, then the head coach, gave his assistants an assignment: Find a running back who could start for the team next year.
Jeff Hafley, the secondary coach, was in charge of recruiting New Jersey. He placed a DVD on Wannstedt's desk of a running back from Blair Academy.
He needed to explain something, though. "Coach, he's only 5'5", 180," Hafley said, almost apologetically. That was why Lewis was not being heavily recruited by others. He would be offered scholarships from just two other schools, Miami of Ohio and Tulane.
Wannstedt watched the DVD anyway. After just eight plays, he hit the stop button on his remote control.
"Get him in here," Wannstedt said. "If he is the type of person we want, we will offer him a scholarship."
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Lewis replaced McCoy the following year, breaking McCoy's record for most points by a Pitt freshman and breaking Tony Dorsett's record for most rushing yards by a freshman in the Big East.
It did not take long to see Lewis had special talent.
"Barry Sanders was the quickest I ever saw in terms of making a guy miss in a hole," Wannstedt said. "Dion isn't Barry Sanders, but he had some of that same make-a-guy-miss-in-a hole quickness. Plus he had 4.5 speed to outrun you. He could catch. He did things you can't coach."
Lewis was about more than just quick feet. Buddy Morris, the strength coach for Pitt at the time, gave his players a test that measured pound-for-pound strength. Morris said Lewis bench-pressed twice his body weight and squatted more than 500 pounds, making him the strongest pound-for-pound player on the team.
Clue No. 2: There was a reason many overlooked Lewis
At the 2011 scouting combine, Lewis measured 5'7" and weighed 193 pounds. Those numbers spoke loudly to NFL ears. Despite his stats at Pitt, including once carrying the ball 47 times in a single game, Lewis would not be considered durable enough to be an every-down NFL back.
Lewis' small frame did not diminish the enthusiasm of Joe Banner, then the president of the Eagles. The loudest voice in the Philadelphia draft room pushing for the team to select Lewis was Banner's. But even he had tempered expectations. He thought Lewis would be a change-of-pace back in the NFL. The Eagles subsequently targeted Lewis as a fifth-round pick, and they were pleased to select him there.
"There is a prejudice in the NFL against smaller players, and for good reason," said Banner, now an ESPN analyst. "Most smaller players don't overcome the size challenge. But that stereotypical thinking cost a lot of teams a chance at a guy with a lot of talent. He is a good example of that."
Smaller running backs almost always are backups in the NFL. And most coaches want backups to have special teams value. Lewis has not been a return man, and he isn't big enough to block or play coverage on special teams.
Lewis understands his lack of size has cost him opportunities.
"Some people might not want a smaller back on their team, but I don't think of it that way," he said. "I've always been one of the smaller guys on my team, my whole life, so I'm used to it. I knew what I wanted to do and I wasn't going to let anybody tell me I couldn't do something."
Clue No. 3: Lewis was held back by circumstance
Lewis just wasn't in the right place at the right time early in his career.
The Eagles weren't right. Lewis' arrival in Philadelphia coincided with McCoy's arrival as a premier back. In 2011, Lewis' rookie season, McCoy led the NFL in touchdowns and was voted First Team All-Pro. He took 73 percent of the running back touches that year.
"When Dion had opportunities, he was outstanding," said Marty Mornhinweg, who was the Eagles offensive coordinator. "But he was behind LeSean."
Michael Perez/Associated Press
The following season, Lewis stayed behind McCoy and fell behind two rookies—Bryce Brown, who checked in at 5'11", 223, and Chris Polk, who was 5'11", 222. It did not help that Banner, who had been Lewis' football godfather, had been phased out in Philadelphia.
Banner went from Philadelphia to Cleveland, and one of his first moves was to call the Eagles to ask if they would trade Lewis. Banner acquired Lewis a second time in a deal for linebacker Emmanuel Acho.
The Browns weren't right, either. Lewis appeared to be on the verge of breaking out in Cleveland the summer of 2013. Then he fractured his fibula in the second preseason game.
"I would say he was going to play a great deal if he had not been injured," said Norv Turner, who was the Browns offensive coordinator that year. "After [the Browns traded] Trent Richardson [in September], Dion would have definitely been the starter."
Instead, Lewis spent the season on injured reserve. He came back in the summer of 2014, but most of the people who had traded for him were gone. In camp, Lewis did not look like the same player he was before the injury, and the Browns' new regime prioritized size in the backfield. Lewis was cut as the Browns elected to retain Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell and Ben Tate, each of whom stood 5'11" and none of whom weighed less than 220.
The Colts weren't right. They picked up Lewis one week into the season. The plan was to develop a specific role for him and work him into the offense. Many coaches see him as the type of player who is best utilized in a specific package. But days later, the Colts lost defensive tackle Art Jones to an ankle injury. They needed a roster spot to replace him, so Lewis was let go.
The Colts will get their first look at him since last September on Sunday when the Patriots come to town.
After Lewis was cut, the Giants and Patriots had him visit for workouts. Neither team needed a running back at the time. Both were interested in signing him down the road, after the season.
Lewis checked the transaction wire dutifully and made frequent calls to his agent, J.R. Rickert, to assess the landscape. But as far as NFL teams were concerned, Lewis was either too small, not durable enough or not capable of being plugged into their system.
Clue No. 4: Lewis changed the way he trained
After last season ended, Lewis came to a realization. Whatever he had been doing in the past in terms of training and preparation was not enough. So he spent six weeks at the Fischer Institute in Phoenix working harder and smarter than he ever had.
With bands, boxes, medicine balls and sleds, he worked on acceleration, deceleration and agility for functional running back movements.
Lewis was surrounded by others with similar goals. His college roommate, Jon Baldwin, accompanied him, and they became roommates again in Arizona. Others who were regulars at the Fischer Institute included Aaron Dobson, Logan Ryan, Julio Jones and Tyrann Mathieu.
Chip Gosewisch, the sports performance director at the Fischer Institute, said Lewis was "aggressively focused" on preparing himself for this season. "When he put his cleats on to do the agility drills, there wasn't any rest," he said. "He didn't go through anything less than 100 percent. He wasn't ever going through the motions."
Lewis came to realize how precious an opportunity can be. "He won't forget when he was sitting on the couch," Rickert said.
Last year was not easy, but Lewis is better for having survived it. "I was discouraged a little bit through the process, not getting picked up," Lewis said. "But I kept my head held high and worked hard so I could make the most of my opportunity when I got one."
Those who know him well say Lewis appears to be playing with more explosion than before. "I feel stronger," Lewis said. "I think I got better at everything."
Clue No. 5: The situation was finally right
It became apparent very quickly that Lewis fit perfectly in the Patriots' offensive puzzle. Before the team took a single snap this season, Tom Brady told NBC broadcasters Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth that Lewis would become a cult hero in New England. Three games into the season, the Patriots signed Lewis to a two-year contract extension that reportedly includes $1.8 million in incentives.
Lewis has been nicknamed "Jitterbug" by teammate Julian Edelman. Cowboys defenders Barry Church, Jack Crawford, J.J. Wilcox and Corey White understand why after each whiffed on Lewis during a catch and run that went for a 10-yard touchdown last Sunday.
According to Pro Football Focus, Lewis has forced a league-leading 29 missed tackles in just 59 touches.
Lewis, with a little help from one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game, has defeated defenders in many ways.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on his WEEI radio show this week:
One of the most impressive things about Dion is how versatile he's been. He's caught balls out of the backfield. He's caught running back-type routes on linebackers, but he's also caught some receiver-type routes from being extended—gos, double moves, slants, things like that. It's not all slip-screens or hitches or that type of thing. They are actually receiver-type routes. In the running game, he has shown he can run inside. He has shown he can run outside. He has shown he can run with power…put his shoulder down and push the pile for a couple yards. And then he has shown he is very elusive in space with his quickness and change of direction. Sometimes [defenders] don't even hit him. He has good balance and good strength to break tackles, and the quickness to avoid them.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli believes Lewis will be a special NFL player.
"They use him very well," Marinelli said. "They get the ball to him in different ways. Some of the ways they run the ball allow him to use his vision. He gets upfield so quickly. He sees it really well. He's kind of like a [Darren] Sproles with more of an inside dimension. He's physical, and his change of direction is something else. He's pretty unique in that way."
The mystery of Dion Lewis? It's not where he came from anymore. It's how to contain him.
Dan Pompei covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. |
Woman, 51, 'smothers lover to death with her breasts during drunken row in caravan'
Witnesses heard boyfriend pleading with her to get of f of him
He weighed a stone less than her
14st Donna Lange said not to remember how her partner died
Police photographed victim clutching hair the same colour as hers
A buxom 14st woman faces manslaughter charges after allegedly smothering her lover with her breasts during a drunken row inside a mobile home.
Donna Lange, 51, from Everett, Washington, is reported to have thrown herself down on top of her boyfriend at midday on Saturday.
Police arrived at the scene following reports of shouting coming from inside the mobile home and found Lange lying on top of her boyfriend, 51, who weighed a stone less than her.
Donna Lange, 51, from Everett, Washington, is reported to have thrown herself on top of her boyfriend at midday on Saturday in their mobile home. (Mobile home file picture)
Witnesses say they heard the 5ft 7in man, who shared the mobile home with 5ft 6in Lange, pleading with her to get off of him.
One witne ss told The Sun : 'Sh e had her chest on his face - she smothered him to death.'
Lange, who was heavily intoxicated and received facial injuries in the disturbance told police she had no idea how the man had died.
Doctors tried to save him but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Washington Swedish Medical Centre.
Police said that in addition to the victim, a man and three women were at the scene, all who were heavily intoxicated.
A policeman photographed what appeared to hair the same colour as Lange's, clutched in the victim's hand.
Lange faces charges of second-degree manslaughter.
Two months ago a German woman was accused of trying to kill her lawyer boyfriend with her 38DD breasts.
Franziska Hansen, 33, from Unna, who weighs nine stone was accused of ‘attempted manslaughter with a weapon’ after her 13-stone boyfriend claimed she tried to smother him with her breasts and pretend it was a sex game.
Lange, who was intoxicated and had facial injuries told police she had no idea how the man had died. (file picture)
She denies the claim saying it was a sex game and he knew what it was all about.
Tim Schmidt told the German court that although they had had a difficult relationship, until then everything in the bedroom had been normal.
‘The incident happened in May – we were having sex,’ he said.
‘She was sitting on me naked and I was kissing her breasts. Suddenly she grabbed my head and pushed between her breasts with all of her force.
'I couldn't breathe any more, I must have turned blue. I couldn't tear myself free and I thought I was going to die.'
He said that with his last reserves of strength he had managed to extricate himself from the woman's vice-like grip and fled naked to a neighbour and demanded he called the police.
Mr Schmidt said when they met four years ago, the couple had been completely in love.
He said: ‘Everything was great between us – and I would have done everything for her. But it started to go wrong when I got my first job as a lawyer and we moved to Unna.
‘She could not hold down a job and just had one part-time job after the other. And the better my career went – the worst it seemed to be for her.’
He said Hansen tried to kill him after learning he was planning to leave her. |
Canada's infrastructure issue and a return of the Zeppelin?
Find Your Forecast Search for a location
Cheryl Santa Maria
Digital Reporter
Wednesday, September 23, 2015, 6:11 PM - A new report in Canadian Manufacturing draw attention to Canada's infrastructure problem and how some companies hope to alleviate the issue, including one brash idea to bring back an iconic airship.
According to the report, close to 70 per cent of Canada's landmass -- approximately 7 million square kilometres -- is inaccessible by major roads or rail lines.
Some areas can be reached seasonally by ice roads or by ships, but the winter months can completely cut off parts of the country.
Much of this 70 per cent can be found in the north and while portions of it are uninhabited, there are small populations scattered throughout.
Inaccessibility drives up the cost of goods in these regions and can turn the transport of valuable items a logistical nightmare, especially when the weather isn't cooperating.
Canadian Manufacturing says the issue has attracted the attention of several companies, all of which are vying for a solution.
One idea that's being tossed around is bringing back the Zeppelin -- rigid airships that saw their heyday in the early 1900s.
“It’s been a long time in the wilderness… [but] the airship is finally finding itself a market,” Barry Prentice, a professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba, told Canadian Manufacturing.
The USS Los Angeles, a US Navy airship built by the Zeppelin Company. Courtesy: Wikipedia
Zeppelins aren't often seen nowadays, largely due to the disastrous Hindenburg disaster that was broadcast around the world nearly 80 years ago.
“It isn’t that the technology didn’t work. The Germans took their Zeppelins from Brazil to Germany back and forth on a scheduled flight, and they never had an accident except for that famous one in New Jersey,” Prentice added.
But experts say the technology has its benefits.
The ships are able to carry heavy cargo and require less fuel than conventional planes due to their buoyancy. That makes them cheaper to operate and better for the environment.
“These airships allow access to virtually anywhere, water or land, in wide range of weather conditions, without forward infrastructure or manpower required,” Lockheed Martin Hybrid Airships program manager, Bob Boyd told Canadian Manufacturing.
Barry Prentice, a professor of supply chain management at the University of Manitoba, adds that safety standards and testing abilities have improved significantly since the Hindenburg era, minimizing the risk of a repeat disaster.
The concept became a source for heated debate on the content-sharing site Reddit, with some users wondering if the technology is a good fit for Canada's sometimes harsh weather conditions.
"Zeppelins basically can't fly in even moderate winds," Reddit user guyjin speculates.
"It might make shipping cheaper when the weather cooperates, but my understanding of northern weather is that it doesn't often cooperate."
Source: Canadian Manufacturing | Reddit |
Hello backers and people-trying-to-decide-about-backing (do it, Reflex is brilliant).
First of all, we just want to thank everyone for the huge amount of support and excitement there has been about Reflex. We've put a lot of time and money into the game and it's been amazing to see people just as keen as we are to see it happen. Please keep spreading the word and together we can make Reflex a reality!
For today's update, we thought we would give you all a quick overview of (just some) of the game modes we've got planned.
Duel - "A prearranged contest with deadly weapons between two people in order to settle a point of honor". With no one to carry, duel in Reflex is the ultimate test of your timing, movement, aim, positioning and item control. Luck will not save you and the best player always wins.
Deathmatch - One of the most chaotic (but extremely fun) modes. You will be thrown into an arena with between 3-11 hostile players. Shoot anything that moves and gain an advantage with one (or more!) of the 6 planned powerups. The winner is whoever can hit the frag limit first.
Team Deathmatch - A mode all about teamwork and item control. The strongest team will be the one that keeps the tightest hold of key items such as armors and powerups. Our development focus for this mode is to reward intelligent teamplay, making it more than just "Don't shoot the blue guys".
Capture The Flag - Get in to the enemy base, grab their flag, get it back to your base. Would be easy if there weren't people trying to kill you. Attacking players will find the most advantage through their mastery of the movement while defending players will benefit from precise aim and good control of their bases resources. Sudden death CTF overtimes are the closest I've come to a game induced heart attack.
Arena - A round based mode in which players spawn with all weapons and good armor, ditching control and timing for 100% combat. This mode can be played either as 1v1 or with as many team members as you can cram into a map. The victor will be the team with the fastest reflexes, tightest aim and best sense of fight or flight.
Control - Gain points by taking (and holding!) key areas. The more control points you hold, the faster your teams score will increase (but the thinner you spread your defenses). Grab some items and gank an enemy point of fight off a constant barrage of players who dare attack your point.
Flag Control - A violent game of hide and seek. Players spawn in an arena with a single flag and gain points for as long as they can hold on to it (without being turned into giblets). If you've ever participated in an extended fight over a powerup, this is that, all match.
Race - The mode of choice for pacifists. Compete with other players to set the fastest time through an obstacle course full of trick jumps. A good place to hone your movement skills and maybe one day claim a new world record time.
Juggernaut - A team must work together to take down a single, highly buffed opponent. Manage to take down the juggernaut and you will become the juggernaut (and can then enjoy the immense satisfaction of repeatedly stomping an entire enemy team all by yourself)
Freeze Tag - Players are frozen instead of fragged and points are gained by icing all members of the opposing team. Players can thaw out their team mates to prevent the other team scoring. This adds an interesting twist to the game, requiring players to respawn their friends and carefully guard enemy icicles.
Midair - A classic mode for quick, low pressure games. Players are thrown in to a small arena armed only with a rocket launcher. Points are only awarded by turning airborne targets into a shower of sparks, oil and robot chunks. Fun, extremely satisfying and good training for frag-film quality aim.
We've got a few more modes all planned out but these are the ones you can expect to see making their way into the Prototype builds. Whatever your skill level or play style, Reflex is going to have something fun, violent and generally awesome for you!
Want more Reflex? |
Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems (and it is based on the Linux kernel too.) However, diving into developing apps for Android can appear to be a bit daunting at first. The following how-to runs you through the basics of setting up an Android development environment on your Fedora machine. The basic workflow is to download the Android SDK, use the SDK to generate a quick first “hello world” application, then test out that application with either a physical Android device or the Android emulator.
Let’s get started!
Install needed Dependencies
First up we need to install a few packages from the Fedora Repos to make sure everything works correctly. To install these packages, run the command:
sudo yum install zlib-devel.i686 ncurses-devel.i686 ant
Note that the 32bit libraries in the command above are needed even if you have a 64bit install of Fedora.
Get the SDK
Now we need to create a new directory in your home directory to contain the Android SDK and your first project. I decided to name mine android-development:
mkdir ~/android-development/
Now, go to the Android SDK Download page and Download the SDK for Linux. Note that there are two types of download offered on the Android Download page, in this example we are after the SDK Tools Only option, not the ADT Bundle.
After downloading, unpack the bundle into the android-development/ directory.
Update the SDK
Now that you have the SDK you will need to update it. To do this, we need to go to the tools directory in the SDK, and then run the Android SDK Manager:
cd ~/android-development/android-sdk-linux/tools/
./android
The Android SDK Manager will appear, and will prompt you to install a number of updates. It will install them directly into the android-sdk-linux/ directory.
Set up your PATH variable to point at the SDK
Next up, we need to configure your path variable to point at a couple of directories in the Android SDK so we can run them as commands in bash. So open up the
~/.bash_profile
file in your favourite text editor, and add the following lines to the bottom of the file:
export PATH=$PATH:~/android-development/android-sdk-linux/tools/ export PATH=$PATH:~/android-development/android-sdk-linux/platform-tools/
Now log out of your desktop, and log back in to apply this change.
Create the App
Before we create our app, we need to know what version of the Android API we want to build against. Run the following command to see what Android API versions your SDK can target:
android list targets
I only have the most recent version of android downloaded in my SDK, so I got the following output:
Available Android targets: ---------- id: 1 or "android-19" Name: Android 4.4.2 Type: Platform API level: 19 Revision: 3 Skins: WSVGA, HVGA, WXGA800, WVGA800 (default), WQVGA432, WXGA720 Tag/ABIs : no ABIs.
In this output, all we are concerned with is the ID of the API version we want to build against. In the example above, we just need “android-19”
Now, run the following command to create a default Android project (being sure to enter in the correct directory location for the path option and the ID from above for the target):
android create project --target android-19 --name MyFirstApp --path ~/android-development/MyFirstApp --activity MainActivity --package com.example.myfirstapp
Building your Android app
Now that you have done all the prep work, building your first Android app is actually pretty easy. First change into the directory that contains your app:
cd ~/android-development/MyFirstApp
then run the following command to build the app:
ant debug
If the build is successful, the following command will have created a an Android application package file (apk) file at
~/android-development/MyFirstApp/bin/MyFirstApp-debug.apk
Test out your app on a real device
Now we have a built APK of our app, it’s time to try it out on an android device. To Install the APK to a device via USB, you need to enable USB Debugging mode on your device. Note that this step is different depending on the android version your device is running.
For Android 3.2 or older , the USB Debugging option is under Settings > Applications > Development in the android menus.
, the USB Debugging option is under in the android menus. For Android 4.0 and 4.1 the USB Debugging option is under Settings > Developer options .
the USB Debugging option is under . For Android 4.2 and newer, the USB Debugging option is still under Settings > Developer options, but that menu item is disabled by default. To show the Developer Options, go to Settings > About phone and tap the Build Number item 7 times.
Now you have enabled USB Debugging mode, connect your device to your Fedora machine with a USB cable, and run the following command (make sure you are still in the
~/android-development/MyFirstApp/
directory)
adb install bin/MyFirstApp-debug.apk
Now check your phone for the newly installed app (it will be called MainActivity). Run it and bask in all the Hello World goodness:
Test out your app on the emulator
Luckily, If you don’t have a Android device handy, or if you want to try out your app on a different style of device, the Android SDK also includes an the Android Virtual Device Manager to start a whole bunch of Android device emulators. To start the Android Virtual Device Manager, run the command:
android avd
In the “Android Virtual Devices” tab, press the New… button to create a new virtual Android device. Fill out the details in the dialog and press OK:
Start the emulator, and you should see a stock android screen, and some controls:
Now, follow the same steps as if you were installing on a real device. run the following command (make sure you are still in the
~/android-development/MyFirstApp/
directory)
adb install bin/MyFirstApp-debug.apk
Now check the emulator for the newly installed app (it will be called MainActivity).
Further Reading
Now you have successfully set up your build and testing envrionment for Android apps on Fedora, the best place to go to get further information about developing apps for android is the Training section at Google’s Android Developer page. |
Last week we ran a list of Coachella bands headed to Phoenix around the festival's dates. Well, since then the list has grown, including big name acts like Phoenix, The Postal Service, and Tegan and Sara. So allow us to fill you in with a comprehensive list of Coachella acts headed to the Valley of the Sun.
See also:
-Stop Hating on the 2013 Coachella Lineup -Didn't Buy A Coachella Pass in Time? Good Thing a Bunch of Coachella Bands Are Coming to Phoenix
Continue Reading
Hanni El Khatib: On Friday, March 8, L.A.-based garage hellion Hanni El-Khatib will join Cold War Kids, Mergence, In the Valley, Diners, Wooden Indian, Stan Devereux and the Funky Suns, and more at New Times' Carnaval Eléctrico festival at Crescent Ballroom.
Airborne Toxic Event: Critics have always been savage to this band -- but the L.A.-based alt-rockers have a way with their fans. The band comes to Marquee Theatre in Tempe on Monday, April 1.
Dirtyphonics: French EDM duo Dirtyphonics -- who've worked with Skrillex and Marilyn Manson -- will headline a set at the Monarch Theatre in downtown Phoenix on Saturday, April 6.
Phoenix: Coachella mainstagers Phoenix are coming to Tempe; the French indie rockers play Monday, April 8, at Marquee Theatre.
Beach House: Mentioning this doesn't do that much good, as the dream pop band's Tuesday, April 9, show at Crescent Ballroom already has sold out, but it would be much easier to buy a ticket for this show than to deal with shady folks selling Coachella wristbands.
Sigur Ros: This cinematic Icelandic band will swing by Comerica Theatre on Friday, April 12, and the band's orchestral post-rock sounds amazing in concert. Get on it.
Monday, April 15: Coachella-Related Concert Onslaught Day 2013: Unless you're at the festival, you really have no excuse for not going to a show on this day. The xx will be at Marquee Theatre; Poliça will be at The Rhythm Room; and Local Natives will be at Rialto Theatre in Tucson (a much less strenuous road trip than the one to Indio).
Alex Clare: If you're not burned out on "Too Close" yet, you can see this dubstep/soul musician perform at Marquee Theatre on Tuesday, April 16.
Portugal. The Man: These indie rockers always have a big draw. Check out Glenn BurnSilver's review of the band's show last year ("The band may make great records in the studio, but live, they're even better," writes BurnSilver). The band will play at the Marquee Theatre on April 17, and we can't guarantee that it won't sell out. They'll be joined by Lord Huron, also scheduled to appear at Coachella.
Rodriguez: If this singer/songwriter's name doesn't ring a bell, the documentary Searching for Sugar Man may turn you into a fan. The singer will be performing at the gorgeous Orpheum Theatre on Thursday, April 18, and will perform in Tucson the following day.
The Postal Service: Give Up, Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello's team- up LP as the Postal Service, turns 10 this year, and the long-inactive duo is getting back together to celebrate (and push copies of Sub Pop's upcoming deluxe edition). Their stop at Coachella comes in addition to a local date, on Thursday, April 18, at Comerica Theatre . The Gaslight Anthem: These blue-collar Jersey punks were a surprising addition to the Coachella lineup, and they always put on a fantastic show. We highly recommend seeing them at Marquee Theatre on Tuesday, April 23, for a dose of Springsteen-influenced rock.
Father John Misty: The kooky former drummer of Fleet Foxes will return to the Valley a couple of weeks after Coachella, appearing at Crescent Ballroom on Thursday, May 4.
Tegan and Sara: You have to wait a little bit to catch Tegan and Sara in Phoenix. They perform in Tucson on Sunday, April 14, but it won't be until Tuesday, September 10, that they grace the Valley at Comerica Theatre. It'll be worth the wait though -- they'll be opening for fun., fronted by Arizona's favorite son and hitmaker, Nate Ruess.
That's all we know for now. We have our fingers crossed for Lou Reed, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Grizzly Bear, Knife Party, Franz Ferdinand, Violent Femmes, Vampire Weekend, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Wu-Tang Clan, and more to schedule dates in Arizona.
Writeups by Melissa Fossum and Jason P. Woodbury
See also:
-Stop Hating on the 2013 Coachella Lineup -Didn't Buy A Coachella Pass in Time? Good Thing a Bunch of Coachella Bands Are Coming to Phoenix
Follow us on Twitter and friend us on Facebook |
Freshen up your amiibo collection with this Splatoon amiibo series 3-pack! With Inkling Girl, Boy and Squid in fresh alternate colors, these amiibos are all you need to recreate an exciting Turf War in your room. You might want to keep them spread out in your collection, though, because when Inklings are together in one place, things tend to get messy!
Check out the other Splatoon amiibo and prepare the slickest inking team around!
Inkling Boy
Inkling boys hail from the city of Inkopolis in the Splatoon game. They crave team-based competition and love to customize their gear before participating in the hottest sport in town, Turf War! Their hobbies include making messes, rocking the latest fashions, dancing, and spoiling the nefarious plans of their evil octopus archrivals, the Octarians! Like a boss!
Inkling Girl
Inkling girls hail from the city of Inkopolis in the Splatoon game. They crave team-based competition and love to customize their gear before participating in the hottest sport in town, Turf War! Their hobbies include making messes, rocking the latest fashions, dancing, and spoiling the nefarious plans of their evil octopus archrivals, the Octarians! For realsies!
Inkling Squid
In the Splatoon game, the main characters, Inklings, can instantly transform into squids! We're not sure what marvel of anatomy allows them to perform this majestic feat, but it sure is sweet. In squid form, Inklings can swim in any surface they've splattered with ink, even up walls! They can also hide from opponents by submerging in ink and keeping still. How cool is that?
What are amiibo?
amiibo are fun, high-quality Near Field Communication (NFC) figures to collect that also unlock special in-game extras for Nintendo Wii U and 3DS games. Your amiibo can be trained, used to unlock new Mii outfits and character powers, and much more in a variety of games! Enjoy the newest way to play with amiibo! |
McCain said the administration 'should be consulting' members of Congress. McCain fumes over leaks on Syria
Sen. John McCain on Wednesday said President Barack Obama has failed to lay out his policy toward Syria and he railed about leaks on the U.S. military plans.
“[Assad] crossed that red line and I think he was then encouraged to do more since he was not held to account for his previous breaches,” McCain said on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.” “But all of these leaks, when strikes are going to take place, where, what’s going to be used, if I were Bashar Assad, I think I would declare tomorrow a snow day and keep everybody from work. This is crazy. These leaks are just crazy.”
Story Continued Below
McCain also took Obama to task for not explaining his policy toward Syria.
( PHOTOS: John McCain visits Syria)
“This is the same president that two years ago said that Bashar Assad must leave office and so where is America’s credibility? Where is our ability to influence events in the region?” the Arizona Republican said.
And those “who say we should stay out of Syria do not understand that this is now a regional conflict” that is increasingly “getting worse,” he said. “And what is the president’s policy? What is the president’s policy?”
As for the question of whether the president should be seeking congressional approval on Syria, McCain said the administration “should be consulting” members.
( See POLITICO’s full Syria coverage)
“It’s interesting to me that both the British parliament and the French parliament have convened to discuss this issue,” he said. “I do think that the president needs to have more consultation, which so far has not been there. But the War Powers Act is a little murky about that.” |
Subsets and Splits
No saved queries yet
Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.