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The TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour can feel like a pretty stuffy event sometimes, but you could feel the excitement in the air as the time approached for the Arrested Development panel today. The beloved comedy is making an amazing comeback, via new episodes – 14 to be precise, a number confirmed by Netflix today as they officially announced the show would debut in May (exact date TBA), with all the episodes being released at once.
There were a few quick glimpses of Arrested in a clip montage of upcoming Netflix series earlier in the day, including Michael and Gob running into one another and Gob up on a crucifix. The panel itself began without any clips though, as creator Mitch Hurwitz revealed, “One of the challenges of the show was to be surprising and that was easier to do when no one was watching.” With Arrested having gained more fans in the years since it went off the air, “We’ve started really guarding the material, just to make it fun for the audience.”
Hurwitz described the new episodes as “a very different form that emerged really organically. The family grew apart and everybody kind of grew up and [the actors] went on other shows and had other contracts.” That being the case, they approached these new episodes as “An anthology or a series where you kind of dedicate a different episode to different characters’ point of view. It was really fun challenge. We started seeing that the stories would intersect.”
Hurwitz noted that an event might happen in one episode and then, “You’ll see it from a different perspective and get all his other information. “ The closest thing we got to a story spoiler was de Rossi saying in her episode there’s a scene where Lucille is telling her something and Lindsey thinks she is being totally sarcastic, but Lucille’s episode will show you that’s not the case at all. It should be noted that Hurwitz, in the manner of Matthew Weiner, J.J. Abrams and other great secret keepers, felt de Rossi was saying too much even there!
Because the episodes all overlap and link up like this, Jason Bateman described it as, “One giant Arrested Development,” saying they treated it like act one of a larger story, “We hope to conclude in a movie, which would be act two and act three.”
Bateman said he wouldn’t even describe the new episodes -- which will slightly vary in length somewhere within thirty minutes each -- as “Season 4”, though he added, “There certainly is a satisfying conclusion if the movie doesn’t happen, but they are all meant to work together.”
Bateman said that he really felt the new episodes should not be compared to what came before, describing it as, “Something that is completely different on purpose,” and meant to work with the format of Netflix and the way all the episodes will be released at the same time.
Originally, it was reported that there would be 10 new episodes, and then rumors there could be more. Said Hurwitz, “We always knew there were going to be 14. We decided, ‘Let’s say there’s 10 and then the fans will be so happy when we say there’s more.’”
While the Netflix release means people could watch them in any order, Hurwitz noted, “There is an order that we have put together to create the maximum amount of surprises.” As for those worried about spoilers getting out, Hurwitz remarked, “There are going to be surprises that are going to be ruined by spoilers but that was going to happen anyway. So it’s happening in one day for hardcore fans, but the stuff exists. It’s just out there.”
Bateman described Arrested Development as “pleasantly dense,” with all of its callbacks and jokes that build upon each other. Remarking why it failed initially, he said, “I just don’t think that’s necessarily conducive to something that has commercials in it.”
I asked Hurwitz if, given the format this time out, and the cast availability, they had to have the 14 scripts totally set before production. Said Hurwitz, “We got very locked in on the story. It was so incredibly, incredibly complicated.” Arrested was in “second position” for almost the entire cast contractually, meaning the other films and series they were on were their first priority. Hurwitz said that meant, “We have this actor, we don’t have this actor. It’s a complicated story that jumps around in time, with all these intersections, and we’re shooting way out of order.” Initially, they started writing the shows in order, but that would change depending on actor availability, with Hurwitz giving the example of, “We have Tony Hale today, we have Jessica Walter, we have to shot that stuff for Jessica’s episode!”
Jeffrey Tambor said that on his second week back on the show, there was a scene with the entire cast, “All nine of us in the living room.,” and that while "We're not a sentimental group,” it was pretty emotional. Said Walter, “It was surreal. There we were nine years later…”
As the panel ended, Hurwitz revealed he did have a clip from us. And because he wanted to keep secrets, it was a deleted scene – though he added that if we laughed, maybe he’d put it back in.
And perhaps he will put it back in, as everyone cracked up at the clip, which was a long, single take in which Lucille, under house arrest and unable to go out on her balcony – and forbidden from smoking – used her son Buster to get away with her vice. And in typical Arrested Development manner, it was oh-so wrong, fairly incestuous and hysterical, as Buster tried to tell her a story while she smoked – and each time she exhaled, he’d put his mouth right in front of hers, for her to exhale into his mouth, run out onto the balcony and blow the smoke out. Buster keeps trying to tell his story while this occurs, while coughing, wheezing, and adding things like, “I can’t breathe!” When Lucille finishes one cigarette only to light up a new one, he begs, “Please mother, please,” but she doesn’t care (and never speaks a word in the scene), continuing to exhale into his mouth… until he finally collapses on the ground.
More Bluth awesomeness awaits in May! |
1988 novel by Salman Rushdie
This article is about the novel. For the verses known as "Satanic Verses", see Satanic Verses
The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism and relied on contemporary events and people to create his characters. The title refers to the satanic verses, a group of Quranic verses that refer to three pagan Meccan goddesses: Allāt, Uzza, and Manāt.[1] The part of the story that deals with the "satanic verses" was based on accounts from the historians al-Waqidi and al-Tabari.[1]
In the United Kingdom, The Satanic Verses received positive reviews, was a 1988 Booker Prize finalist (losing to Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda) and won the 1988 Whitbread Award for novel of the year.[2] However, major controversy ensued as Muslims accused it of blasphemy and mocking their faith. The outrage among Muslims resulted in a fatwā calling for Rushdie's death issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran, on 14 February 1989. The result was several failed assassination attempts on Rushdie, who was placed under police protection by the UK government, and attacks on several connected individuals such as translator Hitoshi Igarashi (leading, in Igarashi's case, to death).
The book was banned in India as hate speech directed towards a specific religious group.[3][4]
Plot [ edit ]
The Satanic Verses consists of a frame narrative, using elements of magical realism, interlaced with a series of sub-plots that are narrated as dream visions experienced by one of the protagonists. The frame narrative, like many other stories by Rushdie, involves Indian expatriates in contemporary England. The two protagonists, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, are both actors of Indian Muslim background. Farishta is a Bollywood superstar who specialises in playing Hindu deities. (The character is partly based on Indian film stars Amitabh Bachchan and N. T. Rama Rao.)[5] Chamcha is an emigrant who has broken with his Indian identity and works as a voiceover artist in England.
At the beginning of the novel, both are trapped in a hijacked plane flying from India to Britain.[6] The plane explodes over the English Channel, but the two are magically saved. In a miraculous transformation, Farishta takes on the personality of the archangel Gabriel and Chamcha that of a devil. Chamcha is arrested and passes through an ordeal of police abuse as a suspected illegal immigrant. Farishta's transformation can partly be read on a realistic level as the symptom of the protagonist's developing schizophrenia.
Both characters struggle to piece their lives back together. Farishta seeks and finds his lost love, the English mountaineer Allie Cone, but their relationship is overshadowed by his mental illness. Chamcha, having miraculously regained his human shape, wants to take revenge on Farishta for having forsaken him after their common fall from the hijacked plane. He does so by fostering Farishta's pathological jealousy and thus destroying his relationship with Allie. In another moment of crisis, Farishta realises what Chamcha has done, but forgives him and even saves his life.
Both return to India. Farishta throws Allie off a high rise in another outbreak of jealousy and then commits suicide. Chamcha, who has found not only forgiveness from Farishta but also reconciliation with his estranged father and his own Indian identity, decides to remain in India.
Dream sequences [ edit ]
Embedded in this story is a series of half-magic dream vision narratives, ascribed to the mind of Farishta. They are linked together by many thematic details as well as by the common motifs of divine revelation, religious faith and fanaticism, and doubt.
One of these sequences contains most of the elements that have been criticised as offensive to Muslims. It is a transformed re-narration of the life of Muhammad (called "Mahound" or "the Messenger" in the novel) in Mecca ("Jahiliyyah"). At its centre is the episode of the so-called satanic verses, in which the prophet first proclaims a revelation in favour of the old polytheistic deities, but later renounces this as an error induced by the Devil. There are also two opponents of the "Messenger": a demonic heathen priestess, Hind bint Utbah, and an irreverent skeptic and satirical poet, Baal. When the prophet returns to the city in triumph, Baal goes into hiding in an underground brothel, where the prostitutes assume the identities of the prophet's wives. Also, one of the prophet's companions claims that he, doubting the authenticity of the "Messenger," has subtly altered portions of the Quran as they were dictated to him.
The second sequence tells the story of Ayesha, an Indian peasant girl who claims to be receiving revelations from the Archangel Gibreel. She entices all her village community to embark on a foot pilgrimage to Mecca, claiming that they will be able to walk across the Arabian Sea. The pilgrimage ends in a catastrophic climax as the believers all walk into the water and disappear, amid disturbingly conflicting testimonies from observers about whether they just drowned or were in fact miraculously able to cross the sea.
A third dream sequence presents the figure of a fanatic expatriate religious leader, the "Imam", in a late-20th-century setting. This figure is a transparent allusion to the life of Ruhollah Khomeini in his Parisian exile, but it is also linked through various recurrent narrative motifs to the figure of the "Messenger".
Literary criticism and analysis [ edit ]
Overall, the book received favourable reviews from literary critics. In a 2003 volume of criticism of Rushdie's career, the influential critic Harold Bloom named The Satanic Verses "Rushdie's largest aesthetic achievement".[7]
Timothy Brennan called the work "the most ambitious novel yet published to deal with the immigrant experience in Britain" that captures the immigrants' dream-like disorientation and their process of "union-by-hybridization". The book is seen as "fundamentally a study in alienation."[2]
Muhammd Mashuq ibn Ally wrote that "The Satanic Verses is about identity, alienation, rootlessness, brutality, compromise, and conformity. These concepts confront all migrants, disillusioned with both cultures: the one they are in and the one they join. Yet knowing they cannot live a life of anonymity, they mediate between them both. The Satanic Verses is a reflection of the author’s dilemmas." The work is an "albeit surreal, record of its own author's continuing identity crisis."[2] Ally said that the book reveals the author ultimately as "the victim of nineteenth-century British colonialism."[2] Rushdie himself spoke confirming this interpretation of his book, saying that it was not about Islam, "but about migration, metamorphosis, divided selves, love, death, London and Bombay."[2] He has also said "It's a novel which happened to contain a castigation of Western materialism. The tone is comic."[2]
After the Satanic Verses controversy developed, some scholars familiar with the book and the whole of Rushdie's work, like M. D. Fletcher, saw the reaction as ironic. Fletcher wrote "It is perhaps a relevant irony that some of the major expressions of hostility toward Rushdie came from those about whom and (in some sense) for whom he wrote."[8] He said the manifestations of the controversy in Britain "embodied an anger arising in part from the frustrations of the migrant experience and generally reflected failures of multicultural integration, both significant Rushdie themes. Clearly, Rushdie's interests centrally include explorations of how migration heightens one's awareness that perceptions of reality are relative and fragile, and of the nature of religious faith and revelation, not to mention the political manipulation of religion. Rushdie's own assumptions about the importance of literature parallel in the literal value accorded the written word in Islamic tradition to some degree. But Rushdie seems to have assumed that diverse communities and cultures share some degree of common moral ground on the basis of which dialogue can be pieced together, and it is perhaps for this reason that he underestimated the implacable nature of the hostility evoked by The Satanic Verses, even though a major theme of that novel is the dangerous nature of closed, absolutist belief systems."[8]
Rushdie's influences have long been a point of interest to scholars examining his work. According to W. J. Weatherby, influences on The Satanic Verses were listed as James Joyce, Italo Calvino, Franz Kafka, Frank Herbert, Thomas Pynchon, Mervyn Peake, Gabriel García Márquez, Jean-Luc Godard, J. G. Ballard and William S. Burroughs.[9] Angela Carter writes that the novel contains "inventions such as the city of Jahilia, 'built entirely of sand,' that gives a nod to Calvino and a wink to Frank Herbert".[10]
Srinivas Aravamudan's analysis of The Satanic Verses stressed the satiric nature of the work and held that while it and Midnight's Children may appear to be more "comic epic", "clearly those works are highly satirical" in a similar vein of postmodern satire pioneered by Joseph Heller in Catch-22.[8]
The Satanic Verses continued to exhibit Rushdie's penchant for organising his work in terms of parallel stories. Within the book "there are major parallel stories, alternating dream and reality sequences, tied together by the recurring names of the characters in each; this provides intertexts within each novel which comment on the other stories." The Satanic Verses also exhibits Rushdie's common practice of using allusions to invoke connotative links. Within the book he referenced everything from mythology to "one-liners invoking recent popular culture".[8]
Controversy [ edit ]
The novel provoked great controversy in the Muslim community for what some Muslims believed were blasphemous references. They accused him of misusing freedom of speech.[11] Pakistan banned the book in November 1988. On 12 February 1989, a 10,000-strong protest against Rushdie and the book took place in Islamabad, Pakistan. Six protesters were killed in an attack on the American Cultural Center, and an American Express office was ransacked. As the controversy spread, the importing of the book was banned in India[12] and it was burned in demonstrations in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Commission for Racial Equality and a liberal think tank, the Policy Studies Institute, held seminars on the Rushdie affair. They did not invite the author Fay Weldon, who spoke out against burning books, but did invite Shabbir Akhtar, a Cambridge philosophy graduate who called for "a negotiated compromise" which "would protect Muslim sensibilities against gratuitous provocation". The journalist and author Andy McSmith wrote at the time "We are witnessing, I fear, the birth of a new and dangerously illiberal "liberal" orthodoxy designed to accommodate Dr Akhtar and his fundamentalist friends."[13]
Fatwa [ edit ]
In mid-February 1989, following a violent riot against the book in Pakistan, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, then Supreme Leader of Iran and a Shi'a Muslim scholar, issued a fatwa calling for the death of Rushdie and his publishers,[14] and called for Muslims to point him out to those who can kill him if they cannot themselves. Although the British Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher gave Rushdie round-the-clock police protection, many politicians on both sides were hostile to the author. British Labour MP Keith Vaz led a march through Leicester shortly after he was elected in 1989 calling for the book to be banned, while the Conservative politician Norman Tebbit, the party's former chairman, called Rushdie an "outstanding villain" whose "public life has been a record of despicable acts of betrayal of his upbringing, religion, adopted home and nationality".[15]
Journalist Christopher Hitchens staunchly defended Rushdie and urged critics to condemn the violence of the fatwa instead of blaming the novel or the author. Hitchens understood the fatwa to be the opening shot in a cultural war on freedom.[16]
Despite a conciliatory statement by Iran in 1998, and Rushdie's declaration that he would stop living in hiding, the Iranian state news agency reported in 2006 that the fatwa would remain in place permanently since fatwas can only be rescinded by the person who first issued them, and Khomeini had since died.[17]
Violence, assassinations and attempts to harm [ edit ]
With police protection, Rushdie escaped direct physical harm, but others associated with his book have suffered violent attacks. Hitoshi Igarashi, his Japanese translator, was stabbed to death on 11 July 1991. Ettore Capriolo [it], the Italian translator, was seriously injured in a stabbing in Milan on 3 July 1991.[18] William Nygaard, the publisher in Norway, was shot three times in an attempted assassination in Oslo in October 1993, but survived. Aziz Nesin, the Turkish translator, was possibly the intended target in the events that led to the Sivas massacre on 2 July 1993 in Sivas, Turkey, which resulted in 37 deaths.[19]
In September 2012, Rushdie expressed doubt that The Satanic Verses would be published today because of a climate of "fear and nervousness".[20]
In March 2016, PEN America reported that the bounty for the Rushdie fatwa was raised by $600,000 (£430,000). Top Iranian media contributed this sum, adding to the existing $2.8m already offered.[21] In response, the Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel prize for literature, denounced the death sentence and called it "a serious violation of free speech". This was the first time they had commented on the issue since publication.[22]
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ] |
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This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
The pressure is on: Activists are pushing hard to make climate change a major topic in the Democratic presidential debates. The first of six planned debates will be hosted by CNN on October 13.
Tom Steyer, the billionaire founder of NextGen Climate, sent a memo on Tuesday to CNN debate moderator Anderson Cooper arguing that he should devote significant time to the candidates’ climate plans. “To be a leader of the Democratic Party—and the country—you have to lead on climate change,” wrote Steyer. “During the first Democratic presidential primary debate, I urge you to push the candidates to articulate, defend, and refine their plans.” Steyer has previously called for the Democratic National Committee to add an entire debate devoted solely to climate change, a proposal that drew praise from 350.org founder Bill McKibben.
In the first Republican debate, climate change wasn’t discussed at all, and in the second it got just a few minutes out of three hours. Marco Rubio, echoed by Chris Christie, used the opportunity to argue against taking action to limit emissions using false talking points about the science, economics, and international politics of the issue. This is in keeping with the entire GOP field’s tilt toward climate science denial and aversion to doing anything to combat or even prepare for climate change.
The Democratic debates present an opportunity to address the issue more seriously. The leading three Democratic candidates have all staked out relatively strong positions on climate change, although Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have yet to flesh out many crucial details. Clinton, also, has yet to convince many climate hawks that she will make a meaningful break from President Obama’s policy of increasing domestic fossil fuel production. Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, has released the most comprehensive and ambitious climate change policy agenda thus far. He is also calling for the DNC to add more debates.
Greg Sargent of the Washington Post concurs with Steyer that Democrats should talk in detail about climate change policy in their primary campaign even though hardly any voters list it as their No. 1 issue when asked by pollsters. Discussing climate change, Sargent argues, will have other benefits for the Democrats. He writes:
The more Democrats talk about this stuff, the more there is at least a chance that this contrast [with Republicans] will impress itself in some kind of meaningful way on voters. When candidates and/or elected officials talk about issues, it can make a difference, generating more media coverage that can help set the political agenda over time. And Dem primary voters do deserve to know more specifics about the contenders’ solutions: this would help further develop party doctrine on the issue; and promises made by candidates often are kept once in office.
Sargent also argues that “discussion of these issues in the high profile setting of a Dem debate would make for a compelling contrast with Republicans,” noting that the GOP candidates’ extreme positions on climate change might be hard to sustain in the general election. He’s certainly right about that. Most voters accept climate science and support some measures to limit carbon emissions.
But there’s a larger, deeper political dynamic in play here: The GOP’s commitment to an unpopular, outdated position on climate change isn’t some weird outlier but rather the epitome of its rejection of modernity and reason. And so by highlighting climate change, Democrats highlight Republicans’ backwardness more broadly.
By highlighting climate change, Democrats highlight Republicans’ backwardness more broadly.
As Jonathan Chait noted in New York magazine on Sunday, a new political science study looked at the platforms of political parties in nine major industrialized democracies and found that every one of the parties accepts climate science except for Republicans. But climate change is not the only issue on which the GOP stands apart from the rest of mainstream politics in advanced democracies. Republicans are also unique in their rejection of evolution and opposition to even modest gun control. None of these are issues that many voters list as their top priorities. The same goes for a number of lower-profile causes Republicans oppose and most voters support: embryonic stem cell research, funding for PBS and NPR, and so on.
Collectively, however, all of these issues contribute to the negative image of Republicans among some large, growing, and Democratic-leaning constituencies: young people, Latinos, and highly educated white voters. All of these groups were more evenly divided between the parties circa 2000 than they are today. In particular, George W. Bush’s emphasis on education reform was targeted at these voters. Bush lost these groups by smaller margins than John McCain and Mitt Romney later did. In the years since Bush first ran, the GOP has become more reactionary, more affirmatively ignorant, more contemptuous of expertise, more Foxified. Consequently GOP politicians are actually less likely to accept climate science than they were 10 years ago, even as the evidence grows only stronger.
The three current Republican presidential poll leaders, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina, are the apotheosis of all these trends. Trump and Carson are climate science deniers. Fiorina opposes action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and makes the same inaccurate claims—that the United States reducing emissions “can make no difference,” that shifting to clean energy is bad for the economy, and that China won’t do it even if we do—that Rubio does. She also incorrectly attributes the drought in California to environmentalists.
If Democrats and climate hawks keep pushing the GOP on climate change, it could ultimately force the party to accept climate science and embrace climate action.
And, as you’d expect, all three make similarly stupid comments on other scientific topics and on social issues. Carson rejects the science of evolution and the Big Bang theory with nonsense arguments. He also says that a Muslim should not be president. Trump—in an expression of vulgar racism previously verboten among major Republican politicians—labels Mexican immigrants “rapists.” Fiorina goes around making demonstrably false claims about Planned Parenthood and reiterates her lies when confronted with the facts.
Taken together, these embarrassments reinforce an image of the GOP that threatens to condemn them to permanent minority status. Of all these issues, climate change looms largest. It threatens everyone, but it threatens the most vulnerable—the young, the poor, the disabled, the victims of structural racism—the most. To talk about climate change is to highlight the difference between the two parties, contrasting the Democratic focus on science and education, looking forward and outward, with the Republican tendency to be parochial, ignorant, and backward. Climate change is a stand-in for issues like gay rights, immigration, religious pluralism, funding for research and education, and traditional environmental issues like clean air and water.
Bringing attention to climate change should reinforce the Democratic advantage among groups like educated professionals, young people, and Latinos, all of whom helped form the Obama coalition. And if Democrats and climate hawks keep pushing the GOP on the issue, it could ultimately force Republicans to accept climate science and embrace climate action, just as years of successful Republican attacks on Democrats coerced them into supporting harsh anti-crime and welfare-reform laws. But to make that happen, Republicans had to talk incessantly about those issues. Now is the time for Democrats to talk incessantly about climate change. |
Now entering his 15th season with the Packers, Mike Halbach begins his fourth season as the team’s director of football technology after serving as manager of football technology in 2014. He first joined the Packers as a video intern in 2004 before working as a video assistant from 2005-14.
In his current role, Halbach oversees the team’s efforts in football analytics and the development and administration of football information systems, and guides technical decisions that impact football operations. He was instrumental in the Packers’ transition from paper to digital playbooks and from standard- to high-definition video.
Halbach graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2005 with a B.S. degree in communication processes with an emphasis in electronic media. He also earned a B.A. degree in communication and the arts with a minor in corporate communication. |
This review contains spoilers of a film currently in theaters
Director: Francis Lawrence
The third film of the Hunger Games series was recently released in theaters and has continued the conversation about the nature of political repression and resistance. Like the previous two films, this story deals with the oppression of the “districts” by the powerful Capitol, which had used a yearly violent “hunger games” event where each district had to pay a “tribute” of two citizens to fight to the death in a battle royale that was broadcast across the country. The previous film ended with a plot by some of the tributes in concert with a resistance movement to destroy the arena during the broadcast of the games. This destruction of the arena launched a revolution throughout the districts against the Capitol and is what sets the stage for this film.
Mockingjay Part 1 begins shortly after the previous film’s end. Instead of focusing on the larger society of this universe, most of the time we spend in this film is focused on the resistance movement that is leading a revolution against the Capitol, along with the ruins of the districts that the Capitol has violently destroyed. The main character, Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) continues her role as the symbol of the resistance as she had in the previous films. The main difference in this film however is that the revolution was actively under way while in the previous film it was merely being anticipated. Katniss continues to be a unwilling hero and is constantly reluctant to help the resistance, often allowing her personal issues to get in the way of her dedication to the broader cause. For example, her partner from the games Peeta Mellark has been taken hostage by the Capitol and is being used to produce propaganda against the revolutionaries. She feels that he is being forced to denounce the revolution, but she becomes more concerned with saving him from his captors than trying to combat the propaganda that the Capitol has put out against the revolution. The revolutionary leaders are eager to have Katniss begin producing propaganda against the Capitol, as she is already a symbol for the revolution. While she does reluctantly agree, she adds the condition that Peeta (and other tributes) be freed and pardoned for their propaganda against the revolution. This decision upsets many of the revolutionaries but the compromise is made.
This personal motivation of hers is often portrayed as being more important to her than fighting the Capitol, until she is later shown first hand the destruction of her home district, which is when she begins to develop an even deeper opposition to the Capitol’s growing war against the districts. Once she begins to see the destructive nature of the Capitol, Katniss eventually comes around to helping the revolutionaries to a greater extent, but her motivation constantly remains highly personal and individualized. The other revolutionaries are sometimes frustrated by her selfishness and the film does a good job at portraying it as a major struggle between her and her comrades, a sort of critique of personal motivation in a time where great discipline is needed. While Katniss does eventually come around to supporting the revolution, her reluctance shows that she needed to learn to subvert her own interests to the interests of the broader movement. Although it is questionable how temporary her devotion is considering that her main goal remains rescuing Peeta.
The contrast between her personal motivation and the more collective mindset of the revolutionary movement is highlighted by the aesthetic portrayal of the resistance. The conditions that the revolutionaries live in resemble a sort of Ninteen Eighty Four type of society, where everyone wears the same jump suit, a military discipline is required from everyone, and goods and services are scarce. This way of portraying the resistance is an interesting choice that does not come off as a simple critique of their creeping authoritarian tendencies, but rather we are still meant to sympathize with the movement and see the necessity for that kind of discipline considering their conditions. Each film so far has had a different take on Panem (the fictional North American country in which the films take place). The first film focused on the consumerist and joyous character of the Capitol, the second film had a different take on the Capitol that portrayed it as a Fascist society with military parades inspired by Triumph of the Will, and this film focused instead of the seemingly militaristic society that was attempting to overthrow the Capitol’s rule. While this film does not try to make obvious moralistic statements about how the resistance is structured, there seem to be no implied critiques of how they have conducted themselves up to this point, and their ability to fight the Capitol seems to be justification enough for why they exist in the form they do. The brutality of the Capitol is made clear in all three films, so there is not much room for critiquing the way the revolutionaries have waged their war so far.
The film spent a lot of time dealing with the production of propaganda by the revolutionaries instead of focusing on Hollywood style military battles between the good guys and the bad guys. Both the Capitol and the revolutionary movement focus much of their efforts on trying to win a media war against each other, with Peeta being used by the Capitol to discredit the revolutionaries, and Katniss being used to spread the revolutionary message. Unlike most major films however, propaganda is not seen as an inherently negative or dishonest endeavor but rather just another tool of conflict.
Like the previous films, Mockingjay continues to be a film about revolt and subversion of an oppressive system. It is to a large extent a vague struggle between the “good” heroes and the “evil” oppressors which leaves room for much interpretation. This vagueness will allow commentators from both the Left and the Right to claim it as promoting their message. The way in which the resistance is portrayed and the nature of political propaganda complicate the good/evil dichotomy to an extent and show that struggles against oppression can be complicated even in a world like the one depicted in the Hunger Games.
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Turkey previously shot down a Russian jet.
Now, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are threatening to invade Syria.
How dangerous could this get, in a worst case scenario?
Robert Parry – the investigative reporter who broke the Iran-Contra story for the Associated Press and Newsweek – wrote yesterday:
A source close to Russian President Vladimir Putin told me that the Russians have warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Moscow is prepared to use tactical nuclear weapons if necessary to save their troops in the face of a Turkish-Saudi onslaught. Since Turkey is a member of NATO, any such conflict could quickly escalate into a full-scale nuclear confrontation.
Washington’s Blog asked one of America’s top experts on Russia – Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies and politics at New York University and Princeton University, and the author of a number of books on Russia and the Soviet Union – what he thought of Parry’s claim.
Cohen said:
Parry is a serious man [“serious” is the highest compliment that an insider can give to someone]. I cannot say it will lead to nuke war, but it is very dangerous, as is quadrupling US/NATO forces near Russia’s borders.
Pavel Felgenhauer – a leading Russian military analyst – also believes that a nuclear war is “very likely” to arise from Russia’s skirmishes with Turkey in Syria.
Last December, U.S. Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard – a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Iraq war veteran, and Major in the Hawaii Army National Guard – warned that U.S. policy in Syria could lead to a nuclear war. And see this.
Also in December, retired Lieutenant General Robert Gard, chairman emeritus of the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, retired Brigadier General John H. Johns, professor emeritus from US National Defense University, and Leslie Gelb, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, penned an article in Foreign Policy calling for US-Russia cooperation to de-escalate current tensions and diffuse the increasing worrisome nuclear blustering.
American security expert Bruce Blair – a former nuclear-missile launch officer – notes that Turkey’s downing of the Russian warplane at the Syrian-Turkish border “fits a pattern of brinkmanship and inadvertence that is raising tensions and distrust between Russia and US-led NATO,” and that “this escalation could morph by design or inadvertence into a nuclear threat.”
Blair writes that the threat of nuclear war is higher now that during the Soviet era:
Russia has shortened the launch time from what it was during the Cold War. Today, top military command posts in the Moscow area can bypass the entire human chain of command and directly fire by remote control rockets in silos and on trucks as far away as Siberia in only 20 seconds. Why should this concern us? History shows that crisis interactions, once triggered, take on a life of their own. Military encounters multiply; they become more decentralized, spontaneous and intense. Safeguards are loosened and unfamiliar operational environments cause accidents and unauthorized actions. Miscalculations, misinterpretations and loss of control create a fog of crisis out of which a fog of war may emerge. In short, the slope between the low-level military encounters, the outbreak of crisis and escalation to a nuclear dimension is a steep and slippery one.
(Indeed, the U.S. and Soviets came within seconds of all-out nuclear war on numerous occasions. And only the courage of U.S. and Soviet individuals to say no when their superiors told them to fire nuclear weapons – in the face of mistaken readings – saved the planet from nuclear war.)
Russia expert Stephen Cohen agrees that the risks of nuclear war are much higher than people know, telling the Commonwealth Club last year that the threat of nuclear war with Russia is now greater than it was with the Soviets.
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry agrees that the risk of nuclear war is higher than during the Soviet era.
Postscript: Top Russian, American and Polish experts also warn that continued fighting in Ukraine could lead to nuclear war. |
Spoilers~
Steven Universe is easily my favorite show on television right now. The art direction, the gorgeous animation, the wide array of lovable characters, the humor, the songs...it's a real gem, pardon the pun. If you don't watch it, I can't recommend it enough. It blends the humor and charm of slice of life stories with the adventure and mystery of fantasy/sci-fi. It's a fun, silly cartoon, but each episode is like a piece of a greater, overarching puzzle that makes up the story.
My body was NOT READY for the "Steven Bomb" season finale. I laughed, I cried, I shrieked inhumanly at the TV when Garnet "died", I shrieked again when she turned out to be a fusion, I watched her "Stronger than You" song/fight sequence more times than I can count (seriously, glad I was home alone that afternoon XD)...just wow. Rebecca Sugar has awakened in me a mighty need for magical space lesbians I never knew I had
don't ask what the heck that pose is about
just pretend they're floating and/or about to fuse
ps my favorite gem is garnet
and my favorite homeworld gem is jasper
and my favorite fusion is sugilite, cuz nicki minaj, hot damn |
Commenting on the faux pas of releasing a booklet with Jammu and Kashmir shown as Indian occupied Kashmir, the Congress party on Sunday said it was 'a clerical mistake.'
Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed asserted that Kashmir is an integral part of the nation and that the portion illegitimately occupied by Pakistan belongs to India.
"It might have been a clerical printing mistake. Kashmir is a part of India. The Congress party believes that even the portion of Kashmir which is occupied by Pakistan illegitimately is also India's. This might be a printing mistake," said Ahmed.
Another Congress leader Raj Babbar said that the people responsible for the printing of the pamphlet have admitted their mistake and that there was no need to make an issue out of the matter. "People who were responsible for the printing of the pamphlet have given their statements. We should not make this an issue," said Babbar.
However the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) didn't seem to think it was a trivial matter, and demanded an apology on Sunday from Congress president Sonia Gandhi on yesterday's release of a booklet with Jammu and Kashmir shown as Indian occupied Kashmir.
"Kashmir is the integral part of India and the PoK (Pak occupied Kashmir) is also integral part of India. But this is very unfortunate. The Congress president must apologise to the country because Ghulam Nabi Azad was saying the same thing which was continually said by Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. We strongly condemn it," said BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain.
Echoing similar sentiment, another BJP leader S. Prakash said that the Congress party has always politicised matters of national security and that such things could never be forgiven.
"The Congress party for the last three years has been indulging in politicising the internal security and the national security. This has again been proved. They must apologise to the country. A party which ruled India for over 50 years today is not prepared to accept Kashmir as part of India? This is shameful," he said.
The Congress party yesterday stirred a controversy when its senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad released a booklet with Jammu and Kashmir shown as Indian occupied Kashmir.
The wrong map was published on page 12 of the 15-page booklet titled 'National Security Endangered. Bravado, Rhetoric, Hyperbole Rules' about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. |
GOP strategist Ana Navarro said Monday Republicans would be attempting to impeach Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSanders: 'I fully expect' fair treatment by DNC in 2020 after 'not quite even handed' 2016 primary Sanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Former Sanders campaign spokesman: Clinton staff are 'biggest a--holes in American politics' MORE immediately if they discovered she shared classified information with a Russian official.
Navarro, a vocal Trump critic, seemed to point at an alternate reality if Clinton had won the election instead of Donald Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE.
If Hillary Clinton leaked classified info to a Russian spook/diplomat, Republicans would rightly be drafting Articles of Impeachment N-O-W. — Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) May 15, 2017
Navarro's tweet came shortly after the Washington Post reported Monday evening that Trump shared highly classified information about the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) with top Russian diplomats in a meeting last week, a charge multiple White House officials have denied.
A U.S. official with knowledge of the meeting told the Post that the president “revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies.”
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Since the presidential election, Trump and his associates have come under public scrutiny for their praise and seemingly warm relationship to the Kremlin.
Trump met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at the White House last week.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) says the Trump administration needs to reverse the “downward spiral” it finds itself in, following the Post report.
“The White House has got to do something soon to bring itself under control and in order,” the senator said Monday, according to Bloomberg. “It’s got to happen.” |
Genetic network stability analysis
A living organism is an interacting system containing the genome and the expressome, defined as all the molecules (the transcriptome, proteome, metabolome) produced according to the genetic program and for which expression levels are regulated by genes and their epigenetic states in response to external influences or stresses (see Fig. 1). Likewise, the expression states of the genes are regulated by the components of the expressome. For the sake of model simplicity, but without loss of generality, we will specifically talk about the genes expressing as, and being regulated by, proteins. However, other levels of description including transcriptome, metabolome, etc. could also be viewed as relevant aspects of the expressome, similarly impacted by both endogenous and exogenous (environmental) factors. We start from the organism in a “normal” initial state, in which all genes have youthful/healthy expression profiles. With the passage of time, t, most of the genes retain “normal” expression profiles, while a few genes, e g (t) genes in total, subsequently become either damaged or (epigenetically) dysregulated and represent a few “defects” or “errors” in the genetic program. Gene transcripts are translated into the proteome, including its “defects”, at a certain translation rate p. Defects may appear in the expressome even if the genome state is perfectly regulated, due to unavoidable imperfections in translation or metabolic transformations17. Below, we assume that time-dependent quantities such as e g (t) may be averaged over times longer than the characteristic interaction times, but are still much shorter than the lifespan of the organism.
Figure 1: The minimum stability analysis model for a gene network. At any given time the genome consists of a number of normally expressed and dysregulated genes. The proteome accumulates “defects”, such as the proteins over- or under-expressed by dysregulated genes, which are removed via the protein quality-control or turnover systems. DNA repair machinery controls epigenetic states of the genes and restores normal expression levels. On top of this, interactions with the environment damage both the proteome and the genome subsystems, increasing the load on the protein-turnover and DNA-repair components. Parameters f, β, δ, p and c appear in Eqs. (1) and (2), and are interpreted in the text below. The figure was drawn by Peter Fedichev. Full size image
Next, we assume that the initial state of the genome is almost stable, meaning that the number of improperly expressed genes is small relative to the total genome size, and, therefore, the number of improperly produced proteins copies, e p (t), is also relatively small. This allows us to ignore the interaction between defects in the genome and the proteome. Accordingly, the most general model describing the dynamics of the interacting defects in the genome and in the proteome can be written in the following form:
Here , β is the coupling rate constant characterizing the regulation of gene expression by the proteins. The constant K is the average number of genes regulated by any single protein and represents a simple measure of the overall connectivity of the genetic network. The constant c reflects the combined efficiency of proteolysis and heat shock response systems, mediating degradation and refolding of misfolded proteins, respectively, whereas δ characterizes the DNA repair rate. The parameters—coefficients in Eqs. (1) and (2) are described by arrows on Fig. 1. Furthermore, the model includes the “force” terms, f p (t) and f g (t), which characterize the proteome and genome damage rates, respectively. The forces can represent any of a number of things, including oxidative stress (metabolic), temperature, gamma-radiation (environmental), that are imperfectly compensated by protective mechanisms.
Eqs. (1) and (2) can only hold in their simple linearized form if the total number of regulatory errors is small and the defects do not interfere with the repair machinery or any other rare essential subsystems of the gene network. If, for example, a defect alters a DNA repair system-associated gene expression or protein level, the repair rate drops, the system becomes unstable and may quickly diverge from its normal state18,19, as we show below. To avoid complications arising from introducing such nonlinearities, we adopt a simple hypothesis as to how defects in the evolving gene network could be responsible for the demise of a cell or organism. More specifically, we assume that mortality at any time is dependent on the probability of a defect to “land on” and damage or dysregulate an essential gene in a sufficient fraction of cells to lethally impair tissue function locally. Any gene in the model can be dysregulated for a short time (brief relative to lifespan) and then “repaired”, or its products acquired from healthy neighboring cells. Therefore, a gene is considered essential if the disruption of its expression, even for a limited time, is lethal to cells in which it was disrupted, once their occurrence exceeds some threshold fraction of cells. The suggested picture is quite general, however, and is easily extended to entire animals, since the stability boundaries are the same—only the exponents will be reduced because some threshold fraction of a tissue must die (in some most-vulnerable tissue type) to produce organism lethality. In this case the population dynamics of a set of gene networks representing N(t) organisms can be represented by:
where M(t) = ωe g /G is the mortality rate, proportional to the fraction of mis-regulated genes, e g /G, and ω is an empirical factor, roughly a measure of the (small) fraction of genes in the whole genome that are essential.
As shown in Methods, a general solution to Eqs. (1, 2) is a linear combination of two functions characterized by well-separated time scales. Most external perturbations lead to responses, which relax quickly at time scales on the order of the network’ s inverse relaxation rates, c and δ. However, life-long changes, such as aging or development, are usually considerably slower. Therefore we can use adiabatic approximation to obtain the effective equation for the age-dependent changes in the number or regulatory errors and, consequently, the mortality
Here F = f/(c + δ) is a combined measure of genotoxic stress, , and Λ = (βpGK − cδ)/(c + δ) is the exponent characterizing genetic-network stability, which is precisely the propagation rate of gene-expression-level perturbations. As we will see later, in the long run, stress levels can be averaged over longer periods and hence presumed to be time-independent, f p,g (t) = const. This yields the following expression for the age-dependent mortality rate:
The nature of the solution is very different depending on the sign of the exponent Λ. Whenever the combined efficiency of all repair systems is lower than a measure of the defect proliferation rate,
then the gene network is unstable, Λ > 0, and the number of regulatory errors (defects) in the genome and in the expressome grows exponentially along with mortality, M(t) ∼ exp(Λt), which is precisely the celebrated Gompertz law12. The Gompertz exponent, Λ, is related to the Mortality Rate Doubling Time (MRDT), t Λ = ln 2/Λ, whereas the average lifespan is given by
The quantity depends on both the exponent Λ and on the genotoxic stress level through the parameter γ = M 0 /Λ, where M 0 ∼ ωF/Λ is the mortality at birth or Initial Mortality Rate (IMR) in our model. For many species following the Gompertz mortality law γ is very small (γ ≈ 0.05 for fruit flies if computed using MRDT and IMR values from AnAge database11). Accordingly, the logarithm is usually large and the life expectancy, t le ≈ Λ−1 log(1/γ), greatly exceeds MRDT, the time scale characterizing the gene network instability. This is our precise definition of the Gompertz limit describing long lived species including humans, when the logarithm of a large argument is a very slow function, and the lifespan of the species is determined by the gene regulatory network properties only and depends very weakly on the genotoxic stress level through the value of γ. This also means that the lifespan does not depend on precise specification of stress levels or their variation over time. The same argument would hold if a small non-linearity is added in Eq.(4) and thus establishes a considerably wider applicability range for the basic linearized Eqs. (1, 2, 3).
A considerably more intriguing situation may occur when the genome is stable, Λ < 0 or R 0 < 1, and the gene network may remain stable under reasonable stress conditions for a very long time. The fractions of dysregulated genes and of misexpressed components of the expressome will then stabilize at constant levels, as will the mortality rate itself maintain the same level . Constant mortality rate means that the population of animals dies off exponentially rather than age-dependently: , which is much slower than the Gompertz-law prediction. We believe that the age-independent mortality observed in naked mole rat experiments over a very long lifespan7, together with exceptional stress resistance of naked mole rat tissues9, may be manifestations of this stable scenario. We predict that the gene networks of negligibly senescent animals are exceptionally robust, and the number of dysregulated genes will scarcely change with age. This argument is supported by the observations16 in which the number of genes differentially expressed with age was compared among naked mole rat, mice and humans.
Aging of the fruit-fly transcriptome
Analysis of model solutions (see Methods) suggests that aging in gene networks of “normally” aging or Gompertzian animals manifests itself as a highly correlated changes to the genome and the expressome states, occurring on distinct and well-separated time scales. We show that even though most external stresses lead to perturbation of the gene network, which relax quickly back to unperturbed levels, many experimentally measurable properties of the organism state should reflect the underlying instability, to an increasing degree as animals age. This means that gene-expression (or metabolite, etc.) levels should change with age in a coordinated manner and slowly deviate from their healthy/youthful states. We then asked whether our model is supported by gene-expression data from fruit flies (ref. 20). The measurements were performed at 6 different ages, for two groups of adult Drosophila melanogaster: normally (“ad lib”) fed control flies and calorically restricted (CR) flies. Figure 2 is a Principal Components (PC) analysis plot, in which each point represents the state of gene expression for one combination of age and diet.
Figure 2: Principal components analysis of gene expression profiles in aging flies (data from20), fed on control (ad lib) and Calorically Restricted (CR) diets. Every point represents a transcriptome for flies of a specific age and diet. As the animals age, the genetic network accumulates regulation errors and the transcription levels change in a single direction, up to a limit beyond which viability cannot be maintained. Full size image
Remarkably, aging in flies follows a unidirectional and thus apparently pre-defined or hard-wired in the genome trajectory of gene expression (along PC1) throughout their lifespans, accompanied by apparently rapid and random expression changes along orthogonal directions such as PC2. Variance along the PC2 axis is nevertheless small relative to the inter-group differences distinguishing ad lib from CR-fed flies. This may indicate that the corresponding transcriptional changes occur in response to, for example, nutrient-supply variation. Along the PC1 dimension, although there are stochastic contributions, there is a strong, systematic dependence on age in each of the two diet groups. Points on the extreme left correspond to the youngest flies, and points for older age-groups are displaced progressively to the right. Thus, deviation of the gene expression profile from the young state increases with age, indicating that the number and extent of dysregulated genes increases along with mortality up to a point when the accumulation of gene-expression abnormalities becomes incompatible with survival of the organism. This interpretation goes well in hand with the arguments used in derivation of Eqs. (1, 2, 3) and qualitatively support the presented model as a very general description of aging in gene networks of realistic animals, including multicellular organisms, such as fruit flies. We describe a generalization of the equations as well as the transcriptional and metabolic changes in aging flies along with their relation to the Gompertz mortality law in a subsequent work21. Both of the groups age in a similar way (along the same PC1 direction), but at a considerably different rate. We are leaving the detailed analysis of the aging trajectories differences between CR-fed and control flies for a future work.
Genetic-network stability and stress resistance
The proposed model may be considered as a general theory that subsumes previous “error catastrophe” theories19,18 as special cases. It was long considered that error catastrophes can be probed in experiment where the effects of various stresses on animal lifespan were observed22. To understand how the model presented above deals with stresses, we will first reanalyze a related experiment from23, in which flies of varying age were exposed to a traumatic brain injury (TBI) for a short time and then observed for a time T that is small compared to the lifespan of the animals. The mortality index MI T is calculated as the fraction of animals alive at the start of stress, dying over a short observation interval during or following stress application. The post-stress lifespan was also determined. To model the experimental settings we assume that the animals at an early age t 0 , , were subjected to an external genotoxic stress characterized by the amplitude Fs, which is proportional to number of traumatic strikes N in each experiment. As shown in Methods, a generic stress perturbs the state of the gene network and within a linear response theory, the mortality in the experiment has a contribution to both the slow and fast modes. At late ages, the influence of the stress mostly dies out due to the fast relaxation processes in the genome and the proteome. On the contrary, since the gene network of flies is unstable, the influence of a stress applied early in life is maintained in the slow mode and shortens the lifespan of the animals. The mortality M as a function of time t and of number of traumatic events, such as strikes, N is given by
where is an empirical factor, proportional to the number of the strikes, , where χ is a stress and a species-dependent constant. Accordingly, we predict that the difference ΔM 0 between mortality in flies, exposed to a different number N of traumatic strikes, and mortality of the flies in the control group is proportional to N at any given age. Figure 3a shows a direct comparison of the mortalities of the treated and the control groups obtained from our analysis of the data from23. An alternative way to see this is to calculate the model prediction for the average lifespan as a function of N
Figure 3 (a) ΔM 0 , the mortality change as wild-type flies are exposed to N traumatic insults, is plotted as a function of N. (b) Average lifespan, t avg , is plotted as a function of N. In both panels (a,b), the solid lines indicate the theoretical prediction based on Eq. (6) and parameters estimated from experimental data. Grey symbols are experimental mortality data points. Full size image
and compare it with the experimental lifespan in groups with various stress levels. The results of the analysis of the population dynamics data from23 are presented in Fig. 3a,b, and show a fair agreement between the dependences observed in the experiment and the simple model predictions.
Even though the mortality at late ages does not depend on the fast gene network dynamics, the Mortality Index itself contains both kinds of contributions,
where E = (c + δ) is the effective relaxation time in the expressome (see the analysis leading up to Eqs. (15) and (19) in Methods). Empirically, in TBI experiment and therefore very strong stressors are required to produce a measurable change in the lifespan. This may be extrapolated to and compared with findings reported earlier22, where Drosophila adults in experimental groups were treated for 3–5 days with a number of agents shown to increase misincorporation into protein or RNA, at doses leading to <20% mortality. Although these treatments produced error rates much higher than were seen in the course of aging in control flies, and produced a small mortality increase during the treatment, the misincorporation rates subsequently returned to control (pre-treatment) levels. This would be consistent with predictions of our model, if most of the stress-induced perturbations relaxed quickly to a level nearly indistinguishable from controls. Because the overall Mortality Index in the experiment was small, the average lifespans of survivors were indistinguishable from controls22. The effects of the stress on the lifespan may have been further reduced by hormesis, a known ability of weak stresses to improve survival of animals24,25,26. The latter is clearly a non-linear phenomenon, which is not very strong in the Gompertz limit in any case and can not be explained by the suggested simple linearized model.
Extreme longevity has long been associated with exceptional resistance to a variety of stresses27. And conversely, the decrease of stress resistance with age is one of the best-established indices of aging. The relation should be taken with caution, since the stress resistance measured by the Mortality Index and described by Eq. (10) contains the contribution of processes occurring at all time scales. Only a measure of stress resistance associated with the response of the slowest modes of the gene network can be related with aging and longevity. A curious situation may occur when Λ < 0 in Eq. (6), indicating that the efficacy of repair systems is high enough to prevent exponential system deterioration with age. This would also imply robust resistance to stresses, consistent with the exceptional stress resistance of negligibly senescent species9. For example, a comparison of survival between negligibly senescent vs. short-lived clam tissues treated with tetr-butyl hydroperoxide showed much higher resistance to oxidative stress in long-lived clams3. Also Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) was measured in young and old clams of both types. The experiment showed an age-related decline in ORAC for shorter-lived clams, whereas ORAC did not change with age in tissues of negligibly-senescent clams, which is entirely in line with the model predictions, since there are no possible changes in the gene network state leading to a deterioration of the genotoxic compensation abilities, if the gene network of an organism operates in the stable zone. |
Oroville dam, the tallest in the nation, is currently in danger of structural failure.
Thousands living downstream from its desperate cascading water releases are evacuating their homes in Hollywood disaster-film fashion. Something premodern and apocalyptic like this was not supposed to have happened in a postmodern California of Google, Hollywood, and Napa Valley wineries.
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California’s politicians and pundits in recent years of drought swore the state was entering a cycle of permanent drought (and thus saw no need to start construction on a single dam to store the rain and snow that supposedly would not return). Instead, they warned of the “settled science” of climate change and the need for permanent conservation and restrictions—even as near record storms this year have pushed California’s snow and rain levels in many places to over 200 percent of normal, well beyond the ability of our now ossified water projects to store the deluge that heads out to sea.
Oroville, along with its twin Shasta dam, anchors California's vast water transfer system, the largest and most ingeniously designed in the world. But Oroville’s half-century-old and now damaged spillways were in dire need of maintenance, especially given that auxiliary dams in the region envisioned to alleviate the pressure on Oroville were long ago cancelled. Indeed, the entire California Water Project and federal Central Valley Project were never finished, even as California’s population more than doubled.
After the early 1980s, the state’s politicians and courts decided that dams, as one critic put it, were “a relic of the Industrial Age, a brute-force solution to water scarcity.” They forget that they had been a staple of civilization since the Mycenaean Greeks built them to ward off flood and drought.
Californians also forgot that our forefathers saw in the state’s northern and mountain dams and their subsidiary aqueducts and canals a brilliant solution to the California paradox of two thirds of the population wishing to work and live where one third of the state’s annual rain and snow fell.
After all, so far Stanford University has not been willing to relocate to Crescent City. Facebook has no desire to move to Marysville; and the hipsters of San Francisco do not prefer the weather in Redding. Malibu stars are not likely to transfer their beach residents to the coast at Humboldt. The key to California’s water solutions was that it was among both the wettest and driest of states, and thus was the sole arbiter of its water destiny, without endless poly-state rivalries and feuds that plague the transference and distribution of the waters of the Colorado River.
Dam supporters today are written off by cool greens as hopelessly anachronistic and deprecated as “water buffalos.” Yet a wiser California public has consistently voted for more dam construction, only to be stymied by Byzantine and politicized bureaucracies and a flood of lawsuits.
Working people appreciate in dams and reservoirs a brilliant symbiosis that today’s elites miss entirely. California’s system of dams, if they had been finished and well maintained, all but ended the annual winter and spring nightmares of flooding, which one took thousands of lives in northern and mountainous California and made flood basins unlivable—until a prescient generation in the late 19th and 20th century began building what would become a vast network of some 1300 reservoirs.
No wonder hoi polloi favored dam construction. Those without money to vacation at California’s touristy coast escaped the heat of the Central Valley by driving up to fish, swim in, and camp out by the clean mountain water of hundreds of often alpine and picturesque man-made lakes.
California’s dams also turned millions of desert acres of the Central Valley into a verdant belt of the most productive farmland in the world. Hydroelectric projects—that likewise were largely ended when new dam construction was cancelled—once made California’s energy the cleanest and among the most affordable in the country.
But the best barometer of the dams’ importance was the fact that for all the threats of tearing them down, even the greenest of California politicians quietly accepted that without a Oroville, Shasta, or Hetch Hetchy there would be no Silicon Valley, Hollywood, Stanford, or Cal Tech—all situated in an ideal Mediterranean climate and landscape to which millions of people flocked only after water was imported to support them. In crude reductionist terms, the teeming San Fernando Valley and Santa Barbara wants the water that rural Oroville wants to get rid of.
But if our generation could not quite tear dams down, environmentalists managed to stop the spread of them, ensuring that the third phase of the state’s water projects was never built, robbing California of millions of acre feet of water storage which in a wet year like 2017 would have provided stored water to tide over the next drought. After, all a state of 15 million people built the water projects, and a contemporary California of 40 million paradoxically swore it would build no more. even as it was silently grateful for the inherence of its far sighted forefathers.
On occasion, environmentalists have rightly urged more maintenance on the dams spillways, but largely to ensure that reservoir waters could be safely and efficiently drawn down and emptied when lawsuits forced water releases for fish restoration, bay area fresh-water infusions, and wild river runs to the ocean.
These were new agendas never envisioned by the original architects of the system, who saw human needs solved by flood relief, irrigation, recreation, and power generation first, and salmon swimming from the sea to the Sierra second. The dams were a tough tradeoff between progress and nature: an arid state that would grow to 40 million would have artificial but beautiful reservoirs—but not white water rapids of a once pristine and scarcely populated 19th-century paradise.
How does our generation stack up to the that of the dam builders and “water buffalos”? Contemporary California has among the country’s highest basket of fuel, income and sales taxes and yet is facing another billion-dollar-plus annual budget deficit. Its schools and roads are rated near last in the nation. Its coveted high-speed rail project has not laid a foot of track as costs balloon to an envisioned $100 billion. Never have so many incompetents of the present been so critical of so few geniuses of the past.
It is symptomatic of the present generation’s hubris and historical ignorance that it ridicules the logic of a prior generation’s infrastructure that it gladly inherited and uses but will not well maintain and expand—even as its own legacy is one of an increasing pyramidal state that is home to the greatest number of the nation’s poor and rich—and increasingly few in between. Californians have become squatters of sorts on an infrastructure that others built.
Pie-in-the-sky calls for a network of coastal desalination plants miss the ancient logic of dams and reservoirs. Desalination demands energy to make modest amounts of water; gravity powered mountain runoff behind dams creates vast amounts of stored water that produces rather than consumes electrical power. A desalinization plant is ugly; a Huntington Lake is stunning. Lakes and canals are cool; sea-water conversion plants generate heat. Pumping water into the ground makes sense; but it works best when most runoff is first banked and stored for later release rather than simply let out to flood to the ocean.
The cracks on the face of Oroville Dam remind us that we have abused and caricatured what we inherited. In penance we might do better to listen to the wisdom of the past rather than to parrot the ignorance of the present.
Victor Davis Hanson is the Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow in Residence in Classics and Military History at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Follow him on Twitter @VDHanson.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill. |
John Barr reacts to the news that former Browns QB Johnny Manziel has been indicted by a grand jury on a misdemeanor charge from a domestic violence complaint by his ex-girlfriend. (1:44)
DALLAS -- Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on a misdemeanor charge stemming from a domestic violence complaint by his ex-girlfriend.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner and Texas A&M star was accused by ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley of hitting her and threatening to kill her during a night out on Jan. 30. Crowley said in court documents that Manziel struck her so hard that she temporarily lost hearing in one ear.
The indictment accuses Manziel of striking Crowley and "forcing [her] into a vehicle and against a vehicle dashboard."
Editor's Picks Johnny Manziel timeline since being drafted by Cleveland Browns Timeline: Johnny Manziel's indictment stemming from a domestic violence complaint was the latest incident in a turbulent period since Manziel was taken 22nd in the 2014 draft by the Browns.
Transcript: Johnny Manziel's attorney's statement about indictment Johnny Manziel's attorney released a statement in the wake of an indictment stemming from a domestic violence complaint, and it includes a proclamation that his client will plead not guilty and be acquitted. 1 Related
Manziel faces a charge of misdemeanor assault related to family violence. If found guilty, he faces up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
An attorney for Manziel, Robert Hinton, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the way the indictment has been handled so far suggests there are problems with the case and that his client will plead not guilty.
"If this were Johnny Smith, the district attorney's office would have declined to accept the case, in my judgment," Hinton said in a phone interview Tuesday. "This is not a very credible case. As a matter of fact, it's incredible. There's just not much to it."
Hinton said he thought police and prosecutors had treated the case as though they didn't want it to go forward. Lawyers who aren't involved in the case have noted that Dallas police chose to refer their case to a grand jury rather than arrest Manziel outright, which is unusual for misdemeanor cases.
Hinton said he did not anticipate making a deal to end the case before trial, though he said talks of any deal were premature.
Jim Darnell, another of Manziel's attorneys, issued a statement Tuesday saying his client "will be acquitted at the conclusion of this case."
Johnny Manziel faces a charge of misdemeanor assault related to family violence, which carries up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. His attorney said Manziel "will certainly" plead not guilty. AP Photo/Don Wright
Manziel is in Los Angeles, but is expected to present himself for booking Thursday or Friday, once the case is formally assigned to a judge and bond is set, Hinton said.
"He's got a great attitude," Hinton said. "He's ready to face it and do what we need to do to defend him."
Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk said in a statement Tuesday that prosecutors "respect the criminal justice process and the decision" by the grand jury. A spokeswoman for Hawk declined to comment further.
Crowley has already been granted a protective order that requires Manziel to not see her for two years, stay at least 500 feet from her home and place of work and pay $12,000 in legal fees.
Manziel was cut by the Browns in March after two tumultuous seasons marked by inconsistent play and off-the-field headlines about his partying and drinking, including one stint in rehab. His future in the NFL is uncertain at best, and might be nonexistent without a second stint in treatment that two agents have demanded. The league also has tougher standards regarding domestic violence cases after revising its policy in August 2014 following the Ray Rice case, which could complicate any attempt by Manziel to return.
The allegations stem from a night out on Jan. 30. Crowley alleged Manziel accosted her at a Dallas hotel, a confrontation that eventually continued downstairs to the valet station. She said he forced her into a car and a valet disregarded her pleas for help.
The two eventually drove to where her car was parked in front of a Dallas bar, she said in an affidavit. She said Manziel got into the driver's seat and began to drive. Crowley said Manziel stopped when she tried to jump out of the car, but then he dragged her back inside and hit her.
She also said Manziel threatened to kill himself as he drove her back to Fort Worth, about 30 miles west of Dallas, where police were called.
In the wake of the allegations, Manziel's father said the family had made two recent, unsuccessful attempts to get him into a rehab clinic. Manziel -- who entered the NFL with a reputation for partying and drinking -- spent 73 days last winter in a Pennsylvania treatment center specializing in care for alcohol and drug dependency.
Manziel's second agent, Drew Rosenhaus, dropped Manziel last week. His marketing agency dropped him before the charges were filed, and Nike confirmed last week that it no longer has an endorsement deal with Manziel.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
Stirling Hinchliffe has defended calls from the opposition to resign, saying he is focused on fixing the issues. Credit:Bradley Kanaris "As is the case with any great major project, when you see the delivery of the final product there are some teething and small issues that need to be resolved." Mr Hinchliffe said as the trains were being tested, there was a concern that drivers could not see "stopping points". "At platforms there are markers on platforms to demonstrate to drivers where is the optimal place for this train to come up to a complete stop in order for the passengers to alight and to de-train," he said. Mr Hinchliffe said visibility had to be available for the "full range of drivers", pointing out that some were his height or taller.
Train drivers can't see "stopping points" properly in new generation rolling stock, the transport minister said. "There's a range there and that all had to be assessed and looked at," he said. The former LNP government ordered 75 new trains under a private public partnership. Mr Hinchliffe said five of the trains were in Australia at the moment, and they were undergoing testing and commissioning. He said the trains were also being modified to provide space for guards.
It comes as the government and Queensland Rail face heavy scrutiny after 100 train services were cancelled earlier in October due to a shortage of drivers following the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line. Mr Hinchliffe has defended calls from the opposition to resign, saying he is focused on fixing the issues. "We are delivering more services now than we were in September," he said. "The lack of performance against the October 4 timetable has made us all furious, made us really upset because the high performance we were expecting and wanted to see hasn't been delivering." Meanwhile, Queensland Rail is operating with a level of 30 per cent overtime as it struggles to provide the extra services required following the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.
Mr Hinchliffe told 612 ABC Brisbane earlier on Monday: "We are running overtime levels of around 30 per cent". "There is a cost to this. "It's a consequence of there not being the levels of train crew." Overtime bills soar following opening of new Redcliffe line Figures provided by Queensland Rail show the overtime bill for train drivers increased by 24 per cent after the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.
For the two week rostering period before October 4, $466,701.82 in overtime was paid to 348 drivers. During the two week period from October 4, the overtime bill was $578,752.41, paid to 379 drivers. A Queensland Rail spokeswoman said train drivers were given the choice to increase their salary by doing overtime at times of their choosing. "We are grateful to the traincrew staff for pulling out all the stops and doing extra duties, since we brought in the new timetable on 4 October," the spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman said strict fatigue standards were in place to ensure rosters, and any offered overtime, complied with the rules.
Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls said there was "no evidence" of what Mr Hinchliffe was saying in relation to the visibility issues, describing it as a "red herring". "And even if it were the case, that the drivers are unable to fully see or find out the stopping marks on the station, those are the teething problems, what is the minister doing since his announcement back in February?" Mr Nicholls said. Mr Nicholls said the new trains, ordered under the LNP government, were designed so that guards could roam the carriages. "Guards are absolutely necessary on those trains," he said. "In government, what we were concerned to ensure was that guards weren't secreted away in little cubby hole at the back of the train. That guards were actually walking through the trains, that they were providing, safety, security and assistance to passengers." |
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—There are few and far between times when tough-talking Mayor Rodrigo Duterte would just shut up. An encounter with officials in Cotabato City on Wednesday was one of those times. He was virtually speechless.
Duterte was preparing to leave the stage after speaking about “federalism” before hundreds of local leaders and residents of Cotabato on Wednesday when lawyer Ranibai Dilangalen took the microphone and asked the mayor to stay for a while.
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Dilangalen, a member of the Duterte for President Movement-Cotabato City and Maguindanao chapter, then announced: “Mayor President, we will officially start today our small effort to help you and the country. We will launch the ‘Piso para sa Presidente’ (Peso for President).”
Then, Mohamad Ali Datumanguda, another member of the group, presented Duterte a small handwoven basket filled with P1 coins.
For a moment, Duterte froze, his face red and tears welling in his eyes.
After staring at the crowd, he approached the podium and said: “I don’t know what to say. I am really, really surprised. Thank you for having me here. The presidency is not in my plans, but if I become President, I assure you, one of your feet is in Malacañang.”
Target: P10 billion
Duterte has repeatedly said that he is not running because he does not have the financial capability to run a presidential campaign.
Launching the “Piso para sa Presidente” campaign, Datumanguda said his group would start passing the “bayong” (native bags) in Moro communities to gather P1 donations from the villagers and hopefully collect P10 billion he said would be needed—initially, at least—for the presidential campaign expenses.
An old man who joined the crowd at the gymnasium of Cotabato Polytechnic State University took out coins from his pocket and counted P8.
“My fare back home is P7. I can still contribute P1 for Duterte,” the old man said.
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From Mindanao to Manila
Datumanguda said the basket, which contained a little over P100 in coins, was “just a symbol” of what they would do to raise funds for Duterte’s campaign.
“Piso para sa Presidente will move from Cotabato City to Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It will then be moved to the Visayas, Luzon and Metro Manila, in the hope that we can raise funds for Mayor Duterte,” Datumanguda said.
Duterte’s camp said it did not know about such a project.
Nur Misuari
During the symposium, Duterte said that he was not against the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), contrary to what other people were thinking, after he issued statements warning the administration of President Aquino not to railroad the legislation that would create the new political entity.
“I am for the BBL, but we need to scrutinize some provisions because I do not want you to be frustrated,” Duterte said.
The mayor said he was communicating with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding leader Nur Misuari and that Misuari should be considered in the peace process because he was instrumental in the signing of the Tripoli Agreement, which led to the establishment of a Muslim autonomy region in Mindanao.
“Misuari should see the draft,” Duterte said, adding no one should be left behind in the peace process, including the sultanates.
The mayor is pushing for a shift to federalism in the government structure, asserting that the people of Mindanao should be given a chance to decide their future.
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Israel has said the aim of the past three days of intense bombing in Gaza is to stop rockets being fired by Palestinian militants into southern Israeli towns.
The rockets have claimed 19 lives in the past eight years, but have become an increasingly serious problem for the Israeli government.
To reduce the rocket fire, Israeli military analysts argue, is a modest goal. However, even within Israel there remain sharp differences of opinion about how to achieve that. Most believe the latest conflict will eventually end with a new lull in the fighting, or at best another short-term ceasefire agreement - the latest in a long line of temporary ceasefires in the conflict between Israel and militants in Gaza.
Although Israel has put in place some preparations for a ground invasion, including preparing a call-up of reserves and deploying tanks near the Gaza border, that is still not seen as an inevitable step.
Shlomo Brom, a retired Israeli general and a military analyst at the Institute for National Strategic Studies in Tel Aviv, said the point of the conflict was for Israel to exact the best conditions for a future ceasefire with Hamas, the Islamist movement which controls Gaza after winning Palestinian elections three years ago.
"The military operation is changing the dynamic, making it clear to Hamas that it is going to pay a very high cost for violations of the ceasefire," Brom said. "I think Hamas deluded itself by thinking Israel is kind of paralysed because of its political system or the possible reaction of its population to some suffering."
For nearly six months Israel and Hamas held a ceasefire in Gaza, although it broke down in the final weeks with violations on both sides. Now both Hamas and some Israeli leaders have said they are not willing to return to a ceasefire deal.
Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, told Fox News on Saturday when the bombing began: "For us to be asked to have a ceasefire with Hamas is like asking you [the US] to have a ceasefire with al-Qaida."
The reality is that a new ceasefire agreement is probably the best Israel could hope to achieve. As Alex Fishman, a columnist on the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, put it bluntly yesterday: "The answer to the question of what we want is simple: To stop the fire. In order to stop the fire, we have to reach an arrangement, and in order to persuade Hamas to reach an arrangement, we are now breaking its bones - among other reasons, so that the price it demands will not be high. But we have not yet decided, amongst ourselves, what price we are willing to pay."
Yet there are others who raise broader questions about Israel's policy towards Gaza, particularly in the last three years since Hamas won the electoral victory.
Yossi Alpher, a former official at Mossad and a military commentator, agreed that Israel was seeking a ceasefire on more acceptable terms. But he was critical of the tough economic blockade Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip in recent years, limiting imports to humanitarian supplies and preventing all exports, a policy that has all but wiped out private industry and brought Gaza's economy to collapse. "The economic siege of Gaza has not produced any of the desired political results," he said. "It has not manipulated Palestinians into hating Hamas, but has probably been counter-productive. It is just useless collective punishment."
He said that in future Israel would have to choose either to recognise Hamas was around to stay and to talk to the movement, however unpalatable that might be for most Israelis, or to fully reoccupy the Gaza Strip, topple Hamas and bear all the costs involved.
Some have even spoken publicly against the current bombing in Gaza. Tom Segev, one of Israel's most respected historians, has been particularly critical, arguing that the premise of bombing to secure a peace agreement was false.
"Israel has also always believed that causing suffering to Palestinian civilians would make them rebel against their national leaders. This assumption has proven wrong over and over," Segev wrote in yesterday's Ha'aretz newspaper. "Since the dawn of the Zionist presence in the land of Israel, no military operation has ever advanced dialogue with the Palestinians." |
*10 P.M. Update*
Texas A&M's former mascot, Reveille VII, has died.
The former First Lady of Aggieland died Thursday morning after undergoing emergency surgery at the Texas A&M Veterinary Hospital.
Reveille VII served as Texas A&M's Mascot from 2001 to 2008.
She died after complications from an ulcer and pneumonia.
Now the former highest ranking member of the Corps of Cadets is being remembered for her contributions to the Aggie spirit.
She came our way from Florida becoming Texas A&M's 7th mascot Reveille in May 2001.
A precious puppy that would become the First Lady of the Corps of Cadets.
James Mulvey was a member of the Corps when News 3 interviewed him in 2006 and was proud to be her handler.
"I leave the dorm about 15 minutes early. I know somebody or a group of people is going to stop me," he said at the time.
From chewing on Bevo along the sidelines during the Lone Star Showdown to even special birthday parties like her 10th in October 2010.
Reveille posed for many pictures but was known to bark at strangers.
"That is her paw, her official paw print," said Tina Gardner as she looked through a scrapbook.
Tina and Paul Gardner of College Station took care of her in her retirement years from 2008 till her passing.
She became ill this week and Thursday morning died of complications from an ulcer.
'I wouldn't say she was spoiled. She was definitely regal," said Paul Gardner.
"She was spoiled," laughed Tina.
Recently Reveille began water treadmill treatment at the Texas A&M Vet School for arthritis.
The Gardners were already planning her 13th birthday for this fall and were planning a "Bark mitzvah," as they are Jewish.
"Maybe she wanted the party part of the "Bark mitzvah," but she really didn't want to have to learn the Hebrew part and so she just chose to go to heaven early," added Tina Gardner.
Funeral arrangements have not been set yet but are expected to happen in September once school resumes with a final resting place in front of Kyle Field looking at the scoreboard.
She would have turned 13 on October 9th.
The Gardners say the Reveille Cemetery will not be impacted by renovations at Kyle Field.
Texas A&M Corps of Cadets Statement
The Office of the Commandant and the Corps of Cadets are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Reveille VII, the former “First Lady of Aggieland” today in College Station. As Aggies we are all very proud of our mascot, and we have great respect for her and all the tradition that she represents. We in the Corps of Cadets are especially fond of Reveille, as she has been part of the Corps from the beginning, lives with the Corps every day as a member of Company E-2, marches with the Corps at all march-ins and parades, and is the highest ranking member of the Corps of Cadets. We will remember with great fondness all the joy that Reveille VII brought to all Aggies during her time as our mascot, and will remember her excited barks every time our football team scored a touchdown. We know that she will continue to do so in the future as she joins the other Reveilles in the North end of Kyle Field where she will always be able to see the scoreboard and bark for her team. Rest in Peace Miss Reveille. You will be missed but never forgotten…
Reveille
*Previous Story*
The former mascot of Texas A&M, Reveille VII, has died, according to the university.
Reveille was taken to the veterinary school on campus earlier in the week and eventually had to undergo emergency surgery. She died Thursday morning.
The collie was born on October 9, 2000. She was bred in Florida and located by the university after a nationwide search. She officially became A&M's seventh mascot by the Reveille name in May 2001.
Reveille VII retired in the summer of 2008, and had been living with local residents Paul and Tina Gardner.
Details on services for the dog are still being worked out.
Known as the First Lady of Aggieland and the highest ranking member of the university's Corps of Cadets, the Reveille serving as the mascot lives with a cadet on campus and goes to classes with the student.
The first Reveille was a black and white dog hit by students on the way to Navasota and brought back to campus for medical care. When the dog began barking the next morning at the Reveille bugle call, the dog was named after the call.
The university would later decide that the dog should be a collie. The first was Reveille III.
More on this story later on News 3 and KBTX.com
Story on one of Reveille's handlers from 2006
---
The following press release was issued by Texas A&M University regarding the death of Reveille VII:
COLLEGE STATION, May 30, 2013 — Texas A&M University’s mascot that was retired in 2008, Reveille VII, died today after being hospitalized earlier in the week and undergoing emergency surgery at the Small Animal Clinic at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVM). She was 12 1/2 years old.
University and Corps of Cadets officials say plans for a suitable memorial service will be announced as soon as details can be finalized. University officials note in planning a suitable memorial service for Rev. VII, they will take into consideration the fact that most students will not return to school until the fall. When Rev. VII’s predecessor died, which also occurred during the summer, the ceremony was deferred until after the start of the fall semester.
Texas A&M mascots are placed in the daily care of the Corps of Cadets’ Company E-2. Reveille is considered “the first lady of Aggieland” and the highest ranking member of the Corps.
Since being retired, Reveille VII had been living with Tina and Paul Gardner who reside in College Station. He is a 1966 Texas A&M graduate.
“Having Reveille VII with us for five glorious years has been one of the greatest things to happen to us during our 46 years of marriage,” Mr. and Mrs. Gardner said in a statement requested by university representatives. “Besides our son, Todd, and his family, wife Stacey, and our three precious grandchildren—Avery, Addison and Adam Gardner—Reveille VII was right up there in our hearts and eyes.”
Reveille VII, was an American Collie, as is her successor, Reveille VIII, the university’s current mascot.
Dr. Stacy Eckman, the veterinarian who had cared for Rev. VII’s medical needs for the past two- and-a-half years, said the university’s retired mascot had been treated for several years for arthritis, as well as other conditions. She was joined by other CVM veterinarians and staffers when the retired mascot was brought in for treatment Tuesday.
Considering her age, Rev VII had been in relatively good health until Tuesday morning, Dr. Eckman said. She noted the average life span for a relatively large dog, such as a collie, is about 12-15 years.
“The Gardners took incredible care of Reveille VII the last five-and-a-half years and that certainly contributed to her longevity and exceptional quality of life,” Dr. Eckman said.
Mr. and Mrs. Gardner were asked by university officials to have Rev. VII live with them about five years ago. They have been actively involved with the Corps of Cadets, as well as other aspects of the university, for more than 40 years. Their son, Todd, is part of the Class of '94 and was a member of Company E-2.
The couple established a fund in 1998 to help cover out-of-pocket expenses for the cadet in Company E-2 designated to be the mascot’s primary handler. Additionally, they established a $50,000 endowment for the benefit of the Small Animal Clinic at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences “to give back to the university for the prestigious honor of taking care of Reveille VII during her retirement.”
The Tina and Paul Gardner Reveille VII Research Endowed Fund was established through the Texas A&M Research Foundation for basic science research. The couple invites others to make tax-deductible donations of any amount payable to the fund. |
College Football Playoff
Monday, Jan. 1
Semifinal No. 1 - Rose Bowl
No. 2 Oklahoma (12-1) vs. No. 3 Georgia (12-1)
5 p.m. ET, Rose Bowl - Pasadena, Calif.
Semifinal No. 2 - Sugar Bowl
No. 1 Clemson (12-1) vs. No. 4 Alabama (11-1)
8:45 p.m. ET, Mercedes-Benz Superdome - New Orleans, La.
Monday, Jan. 8
College Football Playoff National Championship
Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No. 2
8:30 p.m. ET, Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Ga.
Entire Bowl Schedule
Saturday, Dec. 16
New Orleans Bowl
Troy (10-2) vs. North Texas (9-4)
1 p.m. ET, Mercedes-Benz Superdome - New Orleans, La.
Cure Bowl
Georgia State (6-5) vs. Western Kentucky (6-6)
2:30 p.m. ET, Camping World Stadium - Orlando, Fla.
Las Vegas Bowl
No. 25 Boise State (10-3) vs. Oregon (7-5)
3:30 p.m. ET, Sam Boyd Stadium - Las Vegas, Nev.
New Mexico Bowl
Marshall (7-5) vs. Colorado State (7-5)
4:30 p.m. ET, Dreamstyle Stadium - Albuquerque, N.M.
Camellia Bowl
Arkansas State (7-4) vs. Middle Tennessee (6-6)
8 p.m. ET, Cramton Bowl - Montgomery, Ala.
Tuesday, Dec. 19
Boca Raton Bowl
Florida Atlantic (10-3) vs. Akron (7-6)
7 p.m. ET, FAU Stadium - Boca Raton, Fla.
Wednesday, Dec. 20
Frisco Bowl
SMU (7-5) vs. Louisiana Tech (6-6)
8 p.m. ET, Toyota Stadium - Frisco, Texas
Thursday, Dec. 21
Gasparilla Bowl
Florida International (8-4) vs. Temple (6-6)
8 p.m. ET, Tropicana Field - St. Petersburg, Fla.
Friday, Dec. 22
Bahamas Bowl
Ohio (8-4) vs. UAB (8-4)
12:30 p.m. ET, Robinson National Stadium - Nassau, Bahamas
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Central Michigan (8-4) vs. Wyoming (7-5)
4 p.m. ET, Albertsons Stadium - Boise, Idaho
Saturday, Dec. 23
Birmingham Bowl
South Florida (9-2) vs. Texas Tech (6-6)
12 p.m. ET, Legion Field - Birmingham, Ala.
Armed Forces Bowl
San Diego State (10-2) vs. Army (8-3)
3:30 p.m. ET, Amon G. Carter Stadium - Fort Worth, Texas
Dollar General Bowl
Toledo (11-2) vs. Appalachian State (8-4)
8 p.m. ET, Ladd-Peebles Stadium - Mobile, Ala.
Sunday, Dec. 24
Hawaii Bowl
Fresno State (9-4) vs. Houston (7-4)
8:30 p.m. ET, Aloha Stadium - Honolulu, Hawaii
Tuesday, Dec. 26
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Utah (6-6) vs. West Virginia (7-5)
1:30 p.m. ET, Cotton Bowl - Dallas, Texas
Quick Lane Bowl
Duke (6-6) vs. Northern Illinois (8-4
5:15 p.m. ET, Ford Field - Detroit, Mich.
Cactus Bowl
UCLA (6-6) vs. Kansas State (7-5)
9:00 p.m. ET, Chase Field - Phoenix, Ariz.
Wednesday, Dec. 27
Independence Bowl
Florida State (6-6) vs. Southern Mississippi (8-4)
1:30 p.m. ET, Independence Stadium - Shreveport, La.
Pinstripe Bowl
Boston College (7-5) vs. Iowa (7-5)
5:15 p.m. ET, Yankee Stadium - New York, N.Y.
Foster Farms Bowl
Arizona (7-5) vs. Purdue (6-6)
8:30 p.m. ET, Levi's Stadium - Santa Clara, Calif.
Texas Bowl
Missouri (7-5) vs. Texas (6-6)
9 p.m. ET, NRG Stadium - Houston, Texas
Thursday, Dec. 28
Military Bowl
Virginia (6-6) vs. Navy (6-5)
1:30 p.m. ET, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium - Annapolis, Md.
Camping World Bowl
No. 19 Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. No. 22 Virginia Tech (9-3)
7 p.m. ET, Camping World Stadium - Orlando, Fla.
Alamo Bowl
No. 13 Stanford (9-4) vs. No. 15 TCU (10-3)
9 p.m. ET, Alamodome - San Antonio, Texas
Holiday Bowl
No. 16 Michigan State (9-3) vs. No. 18 Washington State (9-3)
5:30 p.m. ET, Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, Calif.
Friday, Dec. 29
Belk Bowl
Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Texas A&M (7-5)
1:00 p.m. ET, Bank of America Stadium - Charlotte, N.C.
Sun Bowl
No. 24 NC State (8-4) vs. Arizona State (7-5)
3 p.m. ET, Sun Bowl - El Paso, Texas
Music City Bowl
No. 21 Northwestern (9-3) vs. Kentucky (7-5)
4:30 p.m. ET, Nissan Stadium - Nashville, Tenn.
Arizona Bowl
New Mexico State (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)
5:30 p.m. ET, Arizona Stadium - Tucson, Ariz.
Cotton Bowl
No. 5 Ohio State (11-2) vs. No. 8 USC (11-2)
8:30 p.m. ET, AT&T Stadium - Arlington, Texas
Saturday, Dec. 30
TaxSlayer Bowl
No. 23 Mississippi State (8-4) at Louisville (8-4)
12 p.m. ET, EverBank Field - Jacksonville, Fla.
Liberty Bowl
No. 20 Memphis (10-2) vs. Iowa State (7-5)
12:30 p.m. ET, Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium - Memphis, Tenn.
Fiesta Bowl
No. 9 Penn State (10-2) vs. No. 11 Washington (10-2)
4 p.m. ET, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Orange Bowl
No. 6 Wisconsin (12-1) vs. No. 10 Miami (10-2)
8 p.m. ET, Hard Rock Stadium - Miami Gardens, Fla.
Monday, Jan. 1
Outback Bowl
Michigan (8-4) vs. South Carolina (8-4)
12 p.m. ET, Raymond James Stadium - Tampa, Fla.
Peach Bowl
No. 7 Auburn (10-3) vs. No. 12 UCF (12-0)
12:30 p.m. ET, Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Ga.
Citrus Bowl
No. 14 Notre Dame (9-3) vs. No. 17 LSU (9-3)
12:30 p.m. ET, Camping World Stadium - Orlando, Fla.
Semifinal No. 1 - Rose Bowl
No. 2 Oklahoma (12-1) vs. No. 3 Georgia (12-1)
5 p.m. ET, Rose Bowl - Pasadena, Calif.
Semifinal No. 2 - Sugar Bowl
No. 1 Clemson (12-1) vs. No. 4 Alabama (11-1)
8:45 p.m. ET, Mercedes-Benz Superdome - New Orleans, La.
Monday, Jan. 8
College Football Playoff National Championship
Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No. 2
8:30 p.m. ET, Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Ga. |
This year I received a gift of ukiyo-e prints and another of Japanese poems. I was taking an Eastern art history class this semester, so it'll be great to have another resource for some great prints. :) I haven't had a chance to look at the poems too closely yet but it has the romaji transcript and the author's signature for each poem, which is amazing! Thanks for another great year of exchange.
Happy holidays!
P.S. To my Santa: I'm sorry for taking so long to post! I definitely, 100% THOUGHT I had posted, but as per usual brainfarted and forgot. Seriously though, thank you so much for another awesome year! I can only hope that this continues to be as awesome as it has been the last couple times. |
Former FBI Asst. Director: Original Clinton Probe 'Not a Real Investigation'
Fmr CNN Executive Reacts to Donna Brazile-Hillary Debate Question Leak
O'Reilly: 'Americans Will Be Uneasy' No Matter Who Wins Presidency
Rudy Giuiliani reacted to new WikiLeaks revelations that Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman apparently called for the "dumping" of several emails prior to a subpoena.
"There's no question anymore as to whether or not Hillary Clinton, [Huma] Abedin, and [John] Podesta violated the laws," Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, told Sean Hannity.
"You'd have to be almost stupid not to realize it," he said, adding that the "dump" remark showed that the Clinton team's "first reaction is to do something criminal."
Giuliani pointed out that the "dump" remark came before 33,000 emails were "bleached" rather than handed over.
"That's a pretty sophisticated level of crime. Now she says she wants the emails turned over. Well, Hillary if you wanted the emails turned over, what'd you bleach them for?"
He added that more shocking aspect is "the tremendous cover-up that took place" and the corruption of the Justice Department.
He said that Attorney General Loretta Lynch recused herself from the email probe: "Yet she was telling the director of the FBI that he couldn't respond to Congress" before Friday's letter from Comey.
"The Justice Department, it seems to me, is the one that corrupted this investigation," he said, "There has to be a couple of people there that are also going to be liable eventually when this gets investigated."
Watch the full discussion above.
What Did Clinton Campaign Chair Mean By 'Dump Emails' Before Subpoena?
Krauthammer: Clinton 'Drowning in Cumulative Effect' of WikiLeaks, FBI Probe
Gutfeld on Clinton 'Sexism': Hillary 'Looks Out for Only Herself' |
I was out of the box early on the dust-up around the survival of the Export-Import Bank, but haven’t weighed in since it’s heated up, so allow me to briefly revisit. (You’ll recall that the Ex-Im Bank provides government-backed guarantees to private loans made to other countries under the condition that they use the credit to buy our exports.)
Note the figure in the link above, showing a pretty remarkable drop in Boeing’s share price on the day of Rep. Cantor’s surprise loss to Dave Brat (Cantor’s a supporter of the bank, and Boeing depends on the bank to boost its international sales; Brat’s a strong opponent). That blip says a lot: Brat had a point when he connected Cantor to Wall St., and Boeing is clearly dependent on the Ex-Im Bank.
Brat and the Tea Party are by no means alone in their opposition to the bank’s reauthorization. From what I’ve seen in recent days, punditry opposition from left, right, and center is outpacing support by a wide margin. At this point, I’m not sure if even Tim Howard could save the bank.
Not that the bank obviously needs saving, but neither is the case against it as slamdunkity as opponents claim. For example, running through the critiques is the assertion that the subsidies which the bank provides to American exporters are wasted: they’d make the same sales without them.
That may be the case, but I’ve seen nothing but assertions and no analysis. Keith Henessey, who doesn’t just want to end the bank—he wants to “Kill” it!—makes a point I’ve made as well: “Deep and liquid private credit markets exist today that did not exist when the Export-Import Bank was created in the 1930s.”
Certainly true. The global supply of loanable funds is much greater and cheaper than it was in the past. But neither he nor I nor anyone else knows if that means a developing economy can get an affordable loan of the magnitude needed to buy US-made airplanes. The Ex-Im Bank exists to offset the premium associated with that credit risk and it has done so effectively, in the sense of pricing its loan guarantees to account for the risk (i.e., it has not, on net, lost money on defaults).
That doesn’t mean it’s efficient or even that it deserves to live on. I join the opposition in their major critiques: it’s not clear why Boeing, GE, and other large American exporters need the subsidy, nor why rich countries need the USG to backstop their loans.
But assertion is not proof, and it would be better to test the international credit waters rather than do an experiment with full withdrawal, especially at a time when we very much need the labor demand generated by exports–and remember, we’re talking manufactured goods. Phase-out is also a better strategy given the other main defense of the bank, which is that as long as our competitors for international sales keep their similar credit-providing institutions up and running, we’re at a disadvantage if we drop out of this market. As one critic wrote, that’s not a principled defense, but I think it’s a pragmatic one. |
Last year, University of Pennsylvania researchers Alexander J. Stewart and Joshua B. Plotkin published a mathematical explanation for why cooperation and generosity have evolved in nature. Using the classical game theory match-up known as the Prisoner’s Dilemma, they found that generous strategies were the only ones that could persist and succeed in a multi-player, iterated version of the game over the long term.
But now they’ve come out with a somewhat less rosy view of evolution. With a new analysis of the Prisoner’s Dilemma played in a large, evolving population, they found that adding more flexibility to the game can allow selfish strategies to be more successful. The work paints a dimmer but likely more realistic view of how cooperation and selfishness balance one another in nature.
“It’s a somewhat depressing evolutionary outcome, but it makes intuitive sense,” said Plotkin, a professor in Penn’s Department of Biology in the School of Arts & Sciences, who coauthored the study with Stewart, a postdoctoral researcher in his lab. “We had a nice picture of how evolution can promote cooperation even amongst self-interested agents and indeed it sometimes can, but, when we allow mutations that change the nature of the game, there is a runaway evolutionary process, and suddenly defection becomes the more robust outcome.”
Their study, which will appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examines the outcomes of the Prisoner’s Dilemma, a scenario used in the field of game theory to understand how individuals decide whether to cooperate or not. In the dilemma, if both players cooperate, they both receive a payoff. If one cooperates and the other does not, the cooperating player receives the smallest possible payoff, and the defecting player the largest. If both players do not cooperate, they both receive a payoff, but it is less than what they would gain if both had cooperated. In other words, it pays to cooperate, but it can pay even more to be selfish.
Stewart and Plotkin’s previous study examined an iterated and evolutionary version of the Prisoner’s Dilemma, in which a population of players matches up against one another repeatedly. The most successful players “reproduce” more and pass along their winning strategies to the next generation. The researchers found that, in such a scenario, cooperative and even forgiving strategies won out, in part because “cheaters” couldn’t win against themselves.
In the new investigation, Stewart and Plotkin added a new twist. Now, not only could players alter their strategy — whether or not they cooperate — but they could also vary the payoffs they receive for cooperating.
This, Plotkin said, may more accurately reflect the balancing of risk and reward that occurs in nature, where organisms decide not only how often they cooperate but also the extent to which they cooperate.
Initially, as in their earlier study, cooperative strategies found success.
“But when cooperative strategies predominate, payoffs will rise as well,” Stewart said. “With higher and higher payoffs at stake, the temptation to defect also rises. In a sense the cooperators are paving the way for their own demise.”
Indeed, Stewart and Plotkin found that the population of players reached a tipping point after which defection was the predominant strategy in the population.
In a second analysis, they allowed the payoffs to vary outside the order set by the Prisoner’s Dilemma. Instead of unilateral defection winning the greatest reward, for example, it could be that mutual cooperation reaped the greatest payoff, the situation described by a game known as Stag Hunt. Or, mutual defection could generate the lowest possible reward, as described by the game theory model known as the Snowdrift or Hawk-Dove game.
What they found was that, again, there was an initial collapse in cooperative strategies. But, as the population continued to play and evolve, players also altered the payoffs so that they were playing a different game, either Snowdrift or Stag Hunt.
“So we see complicated dynamics when we allow the full range of payoffs to evolve,” Plotkin said. “One of the interesting results is that the Prisoner’s Dilemma game itself is unstable and is replaced by other games. It is as if evolution would like to avoid the dilemma altogether.”
Stewart and Plotkin say their new conception of how strategies and payoffs co-evolve in populations is ripe for testing, with the marine bacteria Vibrionaceae as a potential model. In these bacterial populations, the researchers noted, individuals cooperate by sharing a protein they extrude that allows them to metabolize iron. But the bacteria can possess mutations that alter whether they produce the protein and how much they generate, whether and how much they cooperate, as well as mutations that affect how efficiently they can take up the protein, their payoff. The Penn researchers said a “natural experiment” using these or other microbes could put their theory to the test, to see exactly when and how selfishness can pay off.
“After this study, we end up with a less sunny view of the evolution of cooperation,” Stewart said. “But it rings true that it’s not the case that evolution always tends towards happily ever after.”
The study received support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Army Research Office and the Foundational Questions in Evolutionary Biology Fund |
The Houston Astros have broken ground for the renovation of center field at Minute Maid Park. That includes the removal or an iconic feature of this particular park.
The renovations now underway include improved seating, although the stadium capacity remains about the same. There’ll be new food and beverage options. And there’ll be revisions to the playing field, including the removal of Tal’s Hill — the 90-foot wide center field incline named for former team president Tal Smith. It has a deep-center wall that’s 436 feet from home plate. But with the redesign of center field, the fence will be 409 feet away.
Astros owner Jim Crane says the new design was influenced by feedback from fans, as well as former and current players. “Yeah, the players, you know, they all have their opinion. I mean, you know, when we looked at it statistically, and certainly, you know, we have the guys to do that, it’s pretty neutral. So, it’s not a big deal, we just think it helps us utilize the park. You know, taking in all that into consideration, we’re just really trying to improve the ball park and the ball park experience. Impacting the game, we don’t think there’ll be that much.”
Astros President Reid Ryan says the things fans will appreciate most can’t be seen in photos of the center field work. “The bigger concourses, the fact that we’re going to add more gates. By the time we get to opening day, people are going to be really excited.”
Renovations are expected to be complete for the 2017 season. Reid says it’s a shame work was able to start early, because the Astros weren’t in the playoffs. “I think when we thought about when are we gonna do this press conference, all of us were hoping for November. And unfortunately, you know, we had injuries and our bullpen got taxed and I think people know we’re building this with a lot of October baseball in mind.”
The Astros hit ten balls to Tal’s Hill this season for extra bases, all of which would be home runs in the renovated center field area. |
Now more than a week into training camp, the Ottawa Redblacks are looking at two Canadian Football League preseason games that could decide who stays and who goes.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are in Ottawa for a game Thursday night, and then the Redblacks will travel to Montreal to face the Alouettes on June 15.
“I’m not totally committing to this, but, if people are healthy, they’re dressing and they’re going to play,” Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell said after Monday’s practice. “We’ve had a bunched-up schedule in the pre-season in the past, but the spacing is a week apart (this year), so we’ll probably play everybody in both games.”
Campbell and the coaching staff had a chance to evaluate film after Saturday’s mock game.
“It’s kind of what I thought,” Campbell said. “We have guys who are enthusiastic and working hard. There are things we need to clean up. That’s part of training camp. Part of the trick to becoming a good team is you get better at things each day and check things off the list as you go.
“We want to reduce the penalties as much as possible. We’re trying to make sure guys know the scheme and know what we’re doing so we can play fast.”
Lineman Ceresna back for another shot
A year ago, fresh off from receiving a look from the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs, was hoping to earn a spot on the Redblacks roster.
Now, in 2017, it’s much the same for the big defensive lineman.
The 22-year-old Ceresna was released by the Redblacks last year after breaking a hand, a “freak accident” where he got tripped up.
After he left Ottawa and his hand healed, he received a call from the NFL’s New York Jets and agreed to sign. Near the end of the pre-season, he hurt an ankle in a pileup and was released.
He kept training and worked in a physical therapy clinic, waiting for another professional opportunity.
Ceresna participated in an NFL veterans combine in March, but that didn’t generate any solid offers, so he agreed to return to Ottawa.
“I’m getting good feedback so far,” he said Monday. “They like the way I’m playing. I’m just trying to make plays and keep doing everything I can to make this the best team possible.”
At 6-6 and 294 pounds, Ceresna was a beast in college football for State University of New York at Cortland. He recorded 142 tackles, 42 quarterback hurries and 14.5 sacks.
[email protected]
Twitter.com/TimCBaines |
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Do snakes sleep with their eyes open?
People have been spreading the rumor that snakes sleep with their eyes open for years - so which one is it, a myth or a fact?
Busted! This one’s a myth. If you’ve ever seen a snake in the wild coiled up and not moving, you are never sure whether or not he is sleeping, because his eyes appear to be open.
Snakes do not have legs, which means that they need to slither in order to get around, requiring them to be very close to the ground. The snake may come upon sharp grass, dirt, and debris, which can all affect his eye. In order to protect them, evolution has given snakes clear, transparent eyelids called brille.
Even when the snake closes its eyes, it can still see through these “glass” eyelids. This type of eyelid is made out of skin and sheds along with the rest of the snake. When the old skin grows old and tough, the snake begins to grow a new set of eyelids underneath the old one.
Source |
A first step can be hard, joyful and wobbly. It takes courage, faith, determination and pure grit. House Bill 1 is a bit of all these.
Once HB 1 is signed into law by the governor, Georgia families will be able to use the oil from marijuana plants in the treatment of certain medical conditions, bringing relief and hope to many. Cannabis oil with THC has shown excellent results treating childhood seizures and many other conditions, including pain and appetite loss from cancer, ALS, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and sickle cell anemia.
HB 1 is an incredible first step, and it was a hard one. Proponents, including the governor, Rep. Allen Peake and Sen. Renee Unterman, should be commended for helping Georgia take this step. With their thoughtfulness and leadership, the next step will be easier.
Georgia will create a limited drug study program and a commission of experts to help resolve some of the issues that were left on the table — namely, the use of inhalers, creams, patches and smokable forms of cannabis/marijuana; and expanding the list of illnesses that can be treated, such as to autism and fibromyalgia.
There will be limitations on the ability of physicians to prescribe marijuana except in severe or final-stage illnesses. Physicians are also limited on the appropriate delivery system of medical marijuana. Many patients who might benefit from the use of medical cannabis have difficulty ingesting the oil or taking shots. For them, the ability to use an inhaler or apply a topical cream might be the only appropriate delivery method. A doctor, not legislators, should have the ability to prescribe the best method based on a patient’s illness and need.
Possibly the largest step not taken in HB 1 is addressing the federal penalties that still apply. Marijuana remains a Schedule I drug. Transportation of cannabis oil across state lines remains illegal, with penalties of five years’ imprisonment or a $250,000 fine for an individual and up to $1 million for a corporation selling across state lines.
Federal authorities have indicated they would not pursue charges against individuals using cannabis or marijuana for medical reasons if they reside within the state in which the product is manufactured. HB 1 prohibits the manufacture of cannabis oil or marijuana leaf products in Georgia, and families continue to run the risk of federal criminal activity transporting it home.
The shortcomings of HB 1 are not problems of intention, but execution. To legally obtain cannabis oil, a family or individual would still need to travel to a state where manufacturing is legal. That requires money or the continued splintering of family residences.
My hope is the new commission will make recommendations to perfect Georgia’s law and face head-on the matter of cannabis production in Georgia. Doing so is the only solution to ensure our citizens protection under the federal guidelines, and to ease fears of researchers who worry about losing grant funding.
It is time to face old fears and stigmas attached to marijuana, recognizing marijuana has real medicinal benefits.
All Georgians, regardless of age, geography or income level, should be able to get the medical relief they need. We should not get caught up politics, but provide suffering Georgians access to potentially life-saving medicine in whatever form necessary. We should do this without having to turn them into federal drug traffickers. The stakes are too high for our families not to get this right.
State Sen. Curt Thompson, D-Norcross, is a lawyer. |
(Health.com) -- When Dina Khiry is feeling a bit down, she reaches for chocolate. "I like Reese's peanut butter cups, Hershey's bars, and chocolate cake batter," says the 24-year-old public relations associate. "I feel better in the moment -- and then worse later on, when I realize that I just consumed thousands of calories."
Khiry's emotional relationship with chocolate isn't uncommon, new research suggests. According to a study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, people who feel depressed eat about 55 percent more chocolate than their non-depressed peers. And the more depressed they feel, the more chocolate they tend to eat.
Although gorging on chocolate and sweets to beat the blues has become a cliché thanks to sitcoms and romantic comedies, there's been "little prior scientific literature linking chocolate and depression," says the lead author of the study, Dr. Beatrice Golomb, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine. The study, she says, provides evidence to support "the popular perception that when people need a pick-me-up, they pick up chocolate."
It's unclear, however, whether depressed people eat more chocolate simply because they crave it, or whether chocolate consumption itself somehow contributes to a depressed mood.
In the study, Golomb and her colleagues surveyed more than 900 people about their weekly chocolate consumption and their overall diet. They also gauged the moods of the participants using a standard questionnaire used to screen for depression. (People who were taking antidepressants were excluded from the study.)
Health.com: How to make chocolate a healthy indulgence
The men and women who were considered to be depressed ate 8.4 servings of chocolate per month, while their counterparts who weren't depressed consumed just 5.4 servings each month.
Study participants who scored higher on the depression scale ate even more chocolate, nearly 12 servings per month, the researchers found. (An average serving was defined as one small chocolate bar or one ounce of chocolate candy.)
To zero in on the chocolate-mood connection, the researchers took into account a range of other dietary factors, such as calorie, fat, and carbohydrate intake. These measures were similar in the depressed and non-depressed people, which suggests that the link between chocolate and depression is unique in some way, according to the researchers.
Health.com: 10 free ways to fight depression
While popular culture usually depicts women as emotional chocoholics, the study shows that men, too, may reach for chocolate when they're down and out. Seventy percent of the participants were men, and the results were similar in men and women.
Explaining the apparent link between chocolate and depression is a classic chicken-or-egg question, says Golomb. Eating chocolate -- which has been shown to improve mood in animal studies -- may be a form of self-medication for depressed people, she and her colleagues suggest, or chocolate may simply be a comfort food.
Health.com: America's healthiest superfoods for women
The link may run in the opposite direction, however. Like alcohol, chocolate may make depressed people feel better in the short term, but eating it regularly may have a negative effect on health and mood in the long run, the researchers say -- especially if the chocolate is in products such as candy bars that are filled with saturated fat and other unhealthy ingredients. Indeed, as Khiry suggests, overindulging in chocolate when you're down can sometimes leave you feeling even worse.
"There is some relation between chocolate and depression," says Scott Bea, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio. "Chocolate could be a fix for depression or it could work the other way, meaning that people who overly use chocolate could be prone to depression."
Susan Albers, a psychologist and colleague of Bea's at the Cleveland Clinic, says that chocolate raises levels of the brain chemical serotonin -- as do some antidepressants -- and also boosts blood-sugar levels, which can make you feel more energetic.
Health.com: 15 ways to breathe easier when eating
"Emotional chocolate eaters may be looking for an immediate change that exercise or antidepressants can bring," she says. But, she adds, a chocolate rush is often followed by a crash, and "The crash will make the depression worse."
Albers teaches chocoholics to stop and smell the chocolate -- literally.
"When we eat chocolate, we tend to think about the next piece before we finish the one we are eating," says Albers, the author of 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food. "I teach people to slow down the process by opening up the chocolate slowly, listening to it crinkle, and slowing down the whole process so they actually taste it and realize that a small amount can make them feel a lot better."
Khiry uses a similar strategy. To keep herself from eating too much chocolate, she sometimes tries to suck on each piece so it lasts longer.
The study had some important limitations, as the researchers note. It was not initially designed to investigate chocolate and mood, and the data was taken from a larger study on the effects of cholesterol-lowering statins. Furthermore, the study didn't distinguish between different types of chocolate (such as dark and milk chocolate, which contain different amounts of cocoa).
Health.com: Foods to boost your mood
And because the study simply took a snapshot of the participants at one moment in time, the results don't show how chocolate consumption and mood may change or interact over time.
Still, Bea says, the findings could serve as a red flag for people who may be drowning their sorrows in Hershey's.
"If you're depressed and eating lots of chocolate, look for more direct solutions such as psychotherapy and/or antidepressants," he says. "If you crave chocolate a lot, examine your mood state and deduce if depression is a factor in your life."
Copyright Health Magazine 2011 |
Liam Neeson Is Almost Done With Action Movies By Eric Eisenberg Random Article Blend Unknown, The Grey,
The Academy Award-nominee has recently been doing the press rounds for his latest action movie,
Maybe two more years. If God spares me and I’m healthy. But after that, I’ll stop [the action] I think.
While new potential projects can pop up at any moment, it's worth pointing out that right now Liam Neeson doesn't have any action films on his upcoming slate past Run All Night. His next film,
Of course, there is a big question left looming here: do we really want Liam Neeson to stop doing action movies? He's clearly still getting opportunities to do more serious/prestigious projects, and he's pretty damn great and believable as the gruff, kick-a-bad-guys-teeth-in protagonist. The opposite side of the argument is that he may not want the act to get too stale, and there's the matter of his personal health and physical abilities. It's worthy of debate!
Do you think Liam Neeson should starting exiting out of his action hero career, or do you want him to keep going forever? Answer our poll , and explain your point in the comments below. With the release of Taken in 2009, Liam Neeson wound up completely reinventing his career, fully embracing the role of the aging action hero. Finding incredible success with that movie, he has kept that money train rolling ever since, not only starring in two more Taken films, but also making features like The A-Team Non-Stop , and A Walk Among The Tombstones . But this extended run apparently now has a time limit on it, and Neeson has now declared that he will probably only keep it going for two more years.The Academy Award-nominee has recently been doing the press rounds for his latest action movie, Run All Night , and according to The Guardian he has admitted that he will probably stop doing so much cinematic ass-kicking when he hits the age of 64. Discussing the potential longevity of his career as an action star, Neeson said,While new potential projects can pop up at any moment, it's worth pointing out that right now Liam Neeson doesn't have any action films on his upcoming slate past Run All Night. His next film, Ted 2 , is a comedy that reunites him with Million Ways To Die In The West director Seth MacFarlane. He has also already completed work on A Monster Calls , a new drama from The Impossible director J.A. Bayona about a boy trying to cope with his mother's terminal illness. Most recently he has been playing a Jesuit priest in Martin Scorsese's heavy historical drama Silence - which reunites the actor and filmmaker for the first time since 2002's Gangs of New York. So if Neeson does plan on finishing out his action career in the next two years, he may want to start picking up some new titles.Of course, there is a big question left looming here: do we really want Liam Neeson to stop doing action movies? He's clearly still getting opportunities to do more serious/prestigious projects, and he's pretty damn great and believable as the gruff, kick-a-bad-guys-teeth-in protagonist. The opposite side of the argument is that he may not want the act to get too stale, and there's the matter of his personal health and physical abilities. It's worthy of debate!Do you think Liam Neeson should starting exiting out of his action hero career, or do you want him to keep going forever? Answer our poll , and explain your point in the comments below. Blended From Around The Web Facebook
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Sounds like pretty good advice, huh? Thankfully, Chuck Schumer has gone on record on this issue, insisting to the American Constitution Society that the Senate not only has the right but the duty to block Supreme Court nominees from a lame-duck President. Only with an extraordinary nominee should the Senate confirm such an appointment, Schumer insists (via Grabien and Gary Gross):
Of course Schumer aimed this at George W. Bush, but note that this speech took place in mid-2007, when Bush still had 18 months left in his presidency. That’s almost twice as much as Barack Obama has left in his own, and both presidents appointed two members to the court. Schumer complains about the supposed extremism of the two appointments, but Republicans can easily make the same complaint about both of Obama’s appointments. Gander, sauce … some assembly required.
The only differences between then and now are the party that controls the White House, and the small allowance Schumer holds out for potential cooperation. If an extraordinary candidate who could pass Democrats’ standards for “mainstream” came before the Senate for confirmation, then Schumer says they could consider approving him or her. Republicans are insisting that they won’t confirm anyone regardless of whom Obama appoints, which functionally amounts to the same threat Schumer made in mid-2007 but is a little harder to sell as a reasonable stand. If Obama nominated an Alito or Roberts, why would Republicans refuse to confirm him or her? Obama has no intention of replacing Scalia with another conservative, of course, but what if Obama agreed to confer with the Republican majority to give him three acceptable options for nominees and he appointed one of them? Would they still refuse to hold hearings?
The GOP would have been smarter to take the Schumer road, but it’s a little late for that now, and it really doesn’t make that much difference. Every time someone complains that Republicans are acting unconstitutionally, offer them Schumer’s 2007 declaration — and the American Constitution Society’s approving applause. |
Christopher Strong (Photo: Courtesy photo)
"I shot him. It was me," the man shouted to police.
Minutes earlier, he had intervened in a domestic dispute prosecutors say could have left him and his female neighbor dead. Prosecutors ruled he acted in self-defense last year when he wrestled a gun away from Christopher Strong, 27, and shot him with it.
None of that was immediately clear the night of Sept. 16. Police found the neighbor performing CPR on Strong when they arrived around 10 p.m. to the South Pine Street apartment where Strong lived with his girlfriend. Strong, shot once in the chest, died at the scene a short time later. Police handcuffed the neighbor, who at one point appeared on the verge of passing out and asked to speak to his pastor, according to police reports.
Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III ruled Strong's death a justifiable homicide late last year, he confirmed earlier this month.
The State Journal is not naming the woman or the neighbor because they were not charged with a crime.
'Call the police'
Strong had been drinking before arriving home that night, the girlfriend told police, and a fight ensued.
Strong kicked her leg and spit in her face, she told police. She dialed 911 when Strong refused to leave. That agitated Strong, who threatened her with a semi-automatic handgun loaded with hollow-point bullets, according to records. The gun was registered to Strong's ex-girlfriend, police said.
According to his then-girlfriend, Strong said: "If anyone shows up, no one is getting out of this apartment." She took that to mean he would kill her, her son and himself, she told police.
At 9:45 p.m, she texted the neighbor: "Can u come get (my son) hes at ur door please and call the police." The neighbor let her son inside.
At 9:51 p.m., the neighbor replied: "Can u leave safely."
The neighbor went to the couple's apartment and heard a gunshot after entering, he told police. An errant shot had been fired, according to police.
The neighbor told police he then attempted to wrestle the gun away from Strong, who struck him several times in the head with the butt of the gun. As the struggle continued, the neighbor got control of the gun and shot Strong, according to police. The neighbor told police he pulled the trigger because he feared Strong would overpower and kill him.
Contrary to the police report, Strong's brother, Lilton Montgomery Jr., said Strong would never threaten to shoot his girlfriend or her son. Montgomery said the neighbor took matters into his own hands and should have waited for police. He said police relied too heavily on the accounts of the girlfriend, the neighbor, and what tenants said they heard, and not enough on physical evidence.
"What we know of Chris, the story just doesn't add up," Montgomery said. "I think he was scared that night. He didn't know what to do."
"Outside of the police report, the family's concerns pertain to the police investigation itself," Strong's father, Lilton Montgomery Sr., said in an email. "The family maintains the feeling that justice has not been served in Chris' homicide case."
Strong's family moved from Detroit to Lansing in the 1990s to find a safer home, Montgomery Jr. said
Strong had recently started a job driving commercial trucks and hoped to drive around the country. His obituary said he volunteered frequently in the community for local nonprofits, get-out-the-vote campaigns and Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.
"This is our absolute worst case scenario that he would get shot," Montgomery Jr. said. "He had his issues, but he was a positive person."
Read or Share this story: http://on.lsj.com/1yCFwSO |
Copyright by WCMH - All rights reserved This photo released by the Texas Office of the Attorney General shows Carl Ferrer. State agents have raided the Dallas headquarters of adult classified ad portal Backpage and arrested Chief Executive Officer Ferrer. Texas Attorney General Ken...
Copyright by WCMH - All rights reserved This photo released by the Texas Office of the Attorney General shows Carl Ferrer. State agents have raided the Dallas headquarters of adult classified ad portal Backpage and arrested Chief Executive Officer Ferrer. Texas Attorney General Ken...
SACRAMENTO, CA (AP) - A California judge tentatively rejected pimping charges Wednesday against the operators of a major international website that advertises escort services.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman said the state attorney general's office cannot continue prosecuting Backpage.com's CEO Carl Ferrer and two former owners.
Bowman set a hearing on his ruling later Wednesday before making his decision final.
The men were charged by California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who called Backpage.com "the world's top online brothel."
The judge agreed with Ferrer and former owners Michael Lacey and James Larkin that the website's operators are protected by federal law related to freedom of speech.
Harris lacked authority to bring the charges because the federal Communications Decency Act, as a way of promoting free speech, grants immunity to website operators for content posted by users, the judge wrote in his seven-page tentative ruling.
"Congress has spoken on this matter and it is for Congress, not this court, to revisit," Bowman wrote, emphasizing the final sentence in boldface.
Ferrer, 55, was charged with pimping a minor, pimping and conspiracy to commit pimping. Lacey, 68, and Larkin, 67, both from Arizona, were charged with conspiracy to commit pimping.
Harris, a Democrat who was elected to the U.S. Senate last week, alleged that more than 90 percent of Backpage revenue - millions of dollars each month - comes from adult escort ads that use coded language and nearly nude photos to offer sex for money. |
Samurai Jack fans, this is not a drill. If you are one of the thousands of have been patiently awaiting the fifth season of Samurai Jack, then you should know that your wait is almost over. Thanks to Adult Swim, fans now know when the show’s new season will premiere, and it is sooner than you think.
UP NEXT: Adult Swim Adds Samurai Jack Back To Its Lineup
During its nightly run, the late-night program played a special social media bump where it answered fans’ questions. When one fans asked whether Samurai Jack’s new season was still happening, this is what Adult Swim had to say. “March 11th, 11:30 p.m. is what’s going on,” the bump wrote. Then, when another fans asked about the show, the bump simply asked, “What did we just say?”
Of course, fans were wondering is the show’s comeback was going to be done sooner rather than later. Not long ago, Samurai Jack was added back to Adult Swim’s line-up in a marathon fashion. On January 14th, the show was re-aired on the program, and fans were elated to see the critically acclaimed series back on their televisions. Airing on Adult Swim’s Toonami, the Samurai Jack comeback had fans hyped last year when the network announced its development. The original series ran for four seasons from 2001 until 2004 and featured the time-traveling samurai prince as he fought against the shape-shifting demon Aku. Following the demon through time, the character assumed the name Jack once he traveled to a dystopian version of Earth to kill Aku before he could unleash unspeakable evil upon the universe.
The premiere of the new season of Samurai Jack has finally been revealed. pic.twitter.com/qicRjJOYD4 — Nate (@CabooseJr) January 23, 2017 |
Kenya's electoral commission says it has moved the date of the country's repeat presidential elections to October 26.
The commission said in a statement on Thursday that plans to hold the vote on October 17 had to be scrapped because it needs more time to meet the requirements set by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
In its ruling, the court said the electoral commission had failed to properly verify the result of the August 8 vote that declared President Uhuru Kenyatta as the winner but was later invalidated.
It also said the electoral commission had not given the court access to its computer servers to disprove the charge by veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga that hackers infiltrated the commission's system and altered the results.
"There is no doubt that the judgement impacts on the election operations and in particular technology to be deployed," the commission said in its statement announcing the new date for the elections.
"In order to ensure that the Commission is fully prepared to deliver an election that meets the standards set out by the Supreme Court, we wish to notify the public and all stakeholders that the fresh presidential election shall now be held on Thursday, 26th October 2017," it added.
OPINION: Can Kenya pull off a second election within 60 days?
Kenyatta on Thursday denounced the nullification of his re-election as a blow to the democratic ideals Kenyans fought for, calling it "a judicial coup".
But in an interview with Al Jazeera, Odinga said that the Supreme Court was right to void the result.
"I know that I did not lose the election and the results were just manipulated," he said on Thursday.
"This is what we call injustice, and the court did the right thing after examining the evidence we placed before it." |
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The 10th week of the NFL season is in the books, which leaves us more than halfway through the 17-week schedule. Rookies have either carved out a role or are fighting to make an impact before the season ends. Our weekly rookie rankings continue to change based on recent play.
What is happening in the midst of their first seasons is still a potential indicator of how the next half-decade or so will play out. Players who impact their teams right away generally stick around and continue their positive influences. That shouldn’t take away from those who need more time to develop into solid players, though.
For this week’s rankings, we take a look at which players have performed the best to this point. Consideration has been given to where each rookie stands on his team’s depth chart, but the rankings aim to reflect how each player has performed thus far compared to what the expectations are. Production per snap is also important, since certain rookies have struggled to be good despite major opportunities.
Our rankings from even last week are now outdated, as Week 10 featured several standout performances. While some players are hitting their rookie wall, others are starting to hit their stride. Let’s take a look at the best rookies thus far. |
The Jon Jones business is picking up again.
Fresh off the announcement that his UFC suspension had been lifted, Jones has inked a new sponsorship deal with GAT, a leading manufacturer of sports nutrition products.
"I am very grateful to have such a terrific brand like GAT sponsor me as one of their athletes," Jones stated in a press release. "I look forward to working with TEAMGAT and to taking the GAT brand with me in becoming the number one name in MMA."
This is a significant milestone for Jones, who lost all of his sponsors, including newly-inked Reebok, following his arrest in April.
Slowly but surely, though, Jones has reemerged on social media, and while he has yet to do any interviews about the incident that led to his arrest earlier this year or his plea deal, it's clear that he is already gearing up for his comeback fight against Daniel Cormier later next year.
He'll now be doing so with a new sponsor by his side.
"I was thrilled when Malki Kawa called me to discuss TEAMGAT expanding to include MMA athletes and signing Jon Jones as our first," Mark Post, Vice President of GAT, stated. "I’ve been a fan of his since he entered the sport. Everyone at GAT is excited about signing Jon. The whole world will be watching when he gets back into action. TEAMGAT will be proud to be in his corner." |
A Houma man was arrested after authorities searched his apartment Monday and found a cache of weapons, fake law-enforcement ID badges and several suspected bombs that turned out to be fake, authorities said.
A Houma man was arrested after authorities searched his apartment Monday and found a cache of weapons, fake law-enforcement ID badges and several suspected bombs that turned out to be fake, authorities said.
An estimated 40 people were evacuated from four buildings at the Landing at Bayou Cane apartment complex, 1803 Martin Luther King Blvd., after police found the suspected bombs. The residents were allowed to return about 6 hours later after authorities took the suspected explosive devices to a secure location, where they were detonated and determined to be fake.
Michael Hebert, 61, a resident of the apartment complex, is charged with possession of an illegal weapon, 19 counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, 10 counts of unlawful possession of fraudulent documents and possession of a firearm with an erased serial number. He was in the Terrebonne jail this morning awaiting a bond hearing, the Sheriff's Office said.
The investigation was launched by the U.S. Secret Service after agents learned Hebert had bought counterfeit badges and credentials that represented him as a federal agent, the Sheriff's Office said today in a news release.
During a search of Hebert's apartment Monday afternoon, Secret Service agents and sheriff's deputies found several hundred counterfeit documents, badges and credentials that falsely identify him as belonging to law-enforcement agencies, including the FBI, CIA and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Sheriff's Office said.
Hebert had illegally acquired 19 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition, which were also confiscated, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Outside the apartment complex Monday evening, law-enforcement agents and residents gathered.
“The (deputy) at the gate told me there was a guy in an apartment with bombs and grenades, and stuff to make them,” said Laveda Johnson, 41, one of those evacuated from their apartments.
Residents said they were evacuated about 2 p.m. and were allowed back into their homes around 8 p.m.
As a felon, Hebert is barred by law from possessing firearms, the Sheriff's Office said. He was convicted in 1990 for possession and transfer of a machine gun and wire fraud. |
Tyrone Troutman was just a boy 25 years ago when he saw his dad stab his mom a dozen times in the chest and neck. His mom survived.
But history repeated itself at the family home Thursday night when an argument about his mother's stabbing all those years ago raised his father's ire again — this time with a deadly result, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.
Joseph Troutman grabbed a foot-long butcher knife from the kitchen and charged at his son with it, officials said. He knocked his son to the floor and stabbed him in the back around 11:30 p.m., they said.
His 40-year-old son, covered in blood, reached a neighbor's home for help. When the neighbor opened the door, Tyrone Troutman shouted, "My father stabbed me!"
He collapsed and later that night died at a hospital.
Joseph Troutman, 63, phoned 911 to say he had stabbed his son, officials said. He was arrested on a second-degree murder charge.
His son had witnessed his father's violence at a Deerfield Beach home on the night of April 10, 1989, when Joseph Troutman was arguing with his then-wife, Ora Troutman, records show.
Tyrone, then 15, saw his father with a knife in his hand and on top of his mother in the master bedroom. He saw his mother bleeding from the stab wounds his dad had inflicted.
The assault that day began while Ora Troutman was taking a shower, according to John Contini, the lawyer who represented Joseph Troutman in the case.
"He was wearing a ski mask over his head at the time and she was stabbed repeatedly and their son saved her life by jumping on his father's back" and pulling off the mask, Contini said. "This allowed her to get away, and she ran naked to a neighbor and survived."
Joseph Troutman later saw officers outside the home. When one officer asked his name, he spontaneously said, "We were fighting, and I cut her."
An officer found Ora Troutman on a couch inside the home. She was lying on her back, wrapped in a blanket. She was taken to a hospital.
Later that year, Joseph and Ora Troutman divorced, records show.
Joseph Troutman faced an attempted murder charge. But in March 1990, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and served about a third of a reduced seven-year sentence, according to Contini.
"He was respectful, courteous and seemingly remorseful and even likable," Contini said. "We all came to the same conclusion that the family supported the [reduced sentence] and the second chance for him, notwithstanding the horrific facts involved."
Relatives said Tyrone Troutman had been living with his father on and off and they had tried to reconcile their differences since the knife attack. Tyrone Troutman himself grew to have a temper, a relative said.
"Anyone going through that horror would have to be suffering from PTSD all this time, unless he had some real intervention and help," Contini said. "These are things that simply cannot be expunged from your memory."
A few months ago, Tyrone Troutman moved into his dad's North Lauderdale residence in the 6500 block of Harbour Road, the Sheriff's Office said. That's where Thursday's stabbing happened.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Joseph Troutman and his son were arguing, and the dispute soon became about Ora Troutman's stabbing.
Tyrone Troutman's girlfriend, Donna Lalor, told investigators that Joseph Troutman became enraged after his son grabbed a radio from the table and smashed it.
Joseph Troutman then grabbed a butcher knife, came at his son and stabbed him, Lalor told investigators.
She was able to get between the men while telling the elder Troutman to stop, an arrest report said.
Tyrone Troutman was able to run to the home of neighbor Diego Arias and bang on his door. Arias found Tyrone Troutman covered in blood. He asked him what had happened.
"I'm sure it was terrifying for him," sheriff's spokeswoman Dani Moschella said. "There was [Troutman], bloody and on the ground, saying his father had stabbed him. And then he becomes unresponsive."
Arias began CPR on the wounded man.
"He did everything he could," Moschella said.
Arias' niece, Catherine Arredondo, 18, and her grandmother were at Arias' home at the time.
Arredondo said Tyrone Troutman was drifting in and out of consciousness.
"First he was like gone, he just looked at us as if he was gone and my uncle just started putting pressure on his heart," she said. "It was scary."
Donna Lalor "was just hysterical," Arredondo said. "She was shocked."
North Lauderdale Fire Rescue took Tyrone Troutman to Broward Health North, where he was pronounced dead.
After Joseph Troutman called 911, he told detectives that he was acting in self defense, authorities said. But he also acknowledged his son was not armed, they said. Joseph Troutman was treated at Broward Health Medical Center for a cut on his hand, the Sheriff's Office said.
Contini was shaken by the news of Tyrone Troutman's death.
"He was a hero 25 years ago saving his mom and now he's dead," he said. "It's more than horrific, it's painfully sad beyond measure."
Staff researcher Barbara Hijek and staff writer Juan Ortega contributed to this report.
[email protected] or 954-356-4303
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this online article contained incorrect information about Joseph Troutman. Records that described a 1996 Georgia cocaine case had nothing to do with him. |
Believe it or not I was newly introduced to Nutella only a few months ago. I have no idea how someone with a sweet tooth as bad as mine could overlook something so delicious for so long but I did. These cookies are so cute with their little peaks of Nutella. This recipe will make 24-30 cookies. This recipe is adapted from one by Martha Stewart.
Nutella thumbprint cookies
12 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup Nutella
1 cup hazelnuts
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 2-3 baking trays with parchment paper.
Finely chop the hazelnuts. Set aside.
Using a hand or stand mixer, combine the butter and icing sugar. Beat for a few minutes until smooth.
Add the flour and mix until combined.
Form the dough into tablespoon sized balls. Roll each ball into the chopped nuts and place on the baking trays. Bake for ten minutes, remove from the oven and press a round teaspoon into the center into each cookie to make an indentation. Place back in the oven for another 7-10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned.
Place the cookies on a rack to cool.
Once the cookies are cool fill a pastry bag with the Nutella and pipe into the middle of each cookie. |
A “Tourtière” is a meat pie from Quebec, and is a classic part of the Christmas/Christmas Eve réveillon and New Year’s Eve meal (It’s also great when you are having a bunch of people over for dinner and you are sick of making “bangers in a cloud”, another great recipe that I will post soon). While meat pies are found in many cultures and parts of the world, the tourtiere gets its name from the the creature from which it was traditionally made, the “tourte,” or passenger pigeon. These days there is no one filling that makes a tourtiere what it is, it may be made from any type of meat, though the most common ones are made with pork, veal, beef, or a combination of meats (if you hunt dove, it might be an interesting way to prepare the bird, similar to the original recipe). In Quebec, serving this won’t turn heads, but in the US, tourtiere is not so common, and you may get some “what the… Meat pie?” type of comments. Ignore them, and remember… Knives are for threatening, too. This dish has a lot of flavor, and this is one of my favorite touriere recipes. When you try this, you will see why this is so popular up north.
Ingredients:
Pastry dough for a bottom and top crust (store-bought is fine)
1 tablespoon light olive or canola oil
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2/3 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons Cognac
1 teaspoon dried parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
1/16 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Roll out your pastry dough and cut into two equal circles, enough to fit a 9-inch pie pan, and line the bottom of the pan with one piece of the dough.
3. In a pan, heat the oil and saute onion, garlic, celery, and carrot briefly. Add the meat and cook until done.
4. Drain the excess oil and add the stock, herbs, spices, and cognac to the pan and simmer over a low to medium heat for about 15 minutes.
5. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes and then spoon the mixture into the pastry crust in the pie pan and cover with the remaining dough.
6. Seal the pie crust, cut a few vents in the top, and design however you please (if you please).
7. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake the tourtiere for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top turns a golden brown.
8. Let cool for a bit and serve while still warm.
This will easily serve 6 to 8 people and the proportions can be increased to be made in a larger pie mold (or pan). |
Whether in the digital world of Neverwinter or on pen ‘n’ paper, every character is a unique avatar to adventure with. In Neverwinter, when you first create your adventurer, you’ll have a wide range of options to customize both stats and appearance.
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Character creation in Neverwinter starts with the D&D standby of choosing a Race/Class/Gender combo. We’ve already revealed a number of the races, and we’ve previewed a few classes, including the Control Wizard and the Guardian Fighter.
Your choice of race will give you some bonuses to your core stats – Strength, Constitution, etc. In addition, races unlock racial abilities, like the Versatile Defense ability for Humans, granting a bonus to your Defense. With these racial abilities, you can customize your adventurer towards your play style, giving you a better Critical Hit chance if you like flashy attacks, or granting you the extra resilience to wade into the thick of it.
Your stats are also customizable, both through your choice of race and through rolling. When you reach the ability scores section, you’ll be able to roll or reroll your scores, allowing you to build a stat line that matches your character’s concept. If your adventurer was the village bully before finding the study of magic, you can roll up Strength 12 for your Control Wizard.
The key ability scores in Neverwinter match those of Dungeons and Dragons: Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. 10 in a stat is the adventurer’s average, with 18 (before racial bonuses) being the maximum for Level 1 characters.
Your choice of race also gives your stats some customization. Races give +2 to one primary stat, and +2 to one of two other stats. A Tiefling always gets +2 Charisma, for example, but you can choose whether to get an additional +2 to Constitution or to Intelligence. Build a well-rounded Control Wizard with Constitution, for instance, or specialize by adding it to Intelligence.
You’ll also be able to customize your character’s physical appearance. You’ll have the option of using several preset appearance packages or making deeper customizations. Page down for a list of customization options – please remember that this is not final, but it’ll help you get a sense of the scale of character customization.
If you’ve created a character in Champions Online or Star Trek Online, Cryptic Studios’ currently-live titles, you’ll have a sense of how many options you’ll have in Neverwinter. Make your character unique with tattoos, plenty of hairstyles, complexions and more – and that’s just in current test builds. When Neverwinter launches, your adventurer’s appearance can be as unique as her adventures.
With the dark and mysterious Tieflings, for example, character creation will let you really customize how infernal your character is. If she’s actively working to overcome her background, use some of the different horn variants and remove any tattoos and scars. You can also scale her eyes to be larger and more expressive, with a softer color.
Alternatively, if she’s embracing her bloodline’s cruelty, add some height with heels, plus slim and lengthen her hands for a classically knife-slender demi-demon. You can also set her up with a selection of tattoos, and you’ll be able to change their shape and color.
This is just the tip of the customization iceberg, too. Stay tuned for more Neverwinter news, including more about how you can craft your dream adventurer!
Appearance customization options:
Head Shape
Hair (shape and color)
Eyes (shape and color – some customizable per eye)
Eyebrows (fineness and color)
Facial Hair (shape and color)
Skin complexion and color – old/tan, weathered/black, etc.
(For certain races) Horn alignment
Facial tattoos and their color
Scar shapes
Sliders for your facial dimensions – neck length, cheek size, etc.
Sliders for your body dimensions – hand thickness, leg length, etc.
Read up on all of our recent Neverwinter info: |
BFI: Eyes Without a Face Blu-ray Detailed Posted July 9, 2015 04:56 PM by Webmaster
The British Film Institute has detailed its upcoming Blu-ray release of director Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face (1960), starring Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Juliette Mayniel, François Guérin, and Edith Scob. The release will be available for purchase on August 24.
Synopsis: Both cruel and tender, Eyes Without a Face, Georges Franju's unique blend of pulp, horror and poetry has been a major influence on filmmakers, from Jesús Franco to Pedro Almodóvar.
On 24 August 2015 the BFI brings it to Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, releasing it in a Dual Format Edition (Blu-ray and DVD discs) which also contains two short films by Franju, the 2009 documentary Les Fleurs maladives de Georges Franju, an interview with actress Edith Scob and an audio commentary by Tim Lucas.
Dr Genessier (Pierre Brasseur, Le Quai Des Brumes, Les Enfants du Paradis) is a brilliant and obsessive plastic surgeon driven by the need to restore his daughter's (Edith Scob, Judex) disfigured face. He is aided in this quest by his loyal assistant Louise (Alida Valli, Senso), who lures unwitting young women to the secret surgery in his secluded chateau.
Special Features: Monsieur et Madame Curie (Georges Franju, 1953, 14 mins): the life and work of the pioneering scientists, told through the words of Marie Curie
La Premiere nuit (Georges Franju, 1958, 20 mins): a 10-year-old boy spends a night in the Métro
Les Fleurs maladives de Georges Franju (Pierre-Henri Gibert, 2009, 50 mins): an overview of Georges Franju's career
For Her Eyes Only an interview with Edith Scob (LP Hugo, 2014, 17 mins): the actress talks about her work with Georges Franju and their friendship
Audio commentary by film critic Tim Lucas of Video Watchdog
Illustrated booklet featuring essays by Kate Ince, Isabel Stevens, Roberto Cueto Llera, Raymond Durgnat, Kevin Jackson, Michael Brooke and full film credits
Source: Blu-ray.com | Permalink | [Country settings]
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Top contributor rapta Jul 09, 2015 A shame they couldn't secure the rights for Le Sang des Bêtes which they had originally listed when this was announced last January, but glad we are FINALLY getting this! I wonder if we'll get a slipcover for waiting SO LONG for this to be released?
Sigmund100 Jul 10, 2015 Is Billy Idol in this?
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Buddenbrooks may be the precociously brilliant debut, Death in Venice the small-but-perfectly-formed novella, but for me, Mann's real masterpiece is his sprawling snowbound epic of 1924, The Magic Mountain. Set in a tuberculosis sanatorium during the years immediately prior to the Great War, this book is many things: a modernist classic, a traditional bildungsroman, a comedy of manners, an allegory of pre-war bourgeois Europe, and – perhaps most importantly this time of year – the ideal book to keep you company on the long winter nights, when whichever flu bug is doing the rounds has gained the upper hand and forced you into a sneezing retreat to your sickbed.
For The Magic Mountain is a work of sick-lit par excellence: a novel that convincingly portrays illness as a state of mind as well as of body (though Mann does not shy away from the more visceral aspects of the latter). This is a novel mystifyingly overlooked by Virginia Woolf in her 1926 essay On Being Ill, in which she bemoans literature's failure to make illness one of its "prime themes" alongside "love and battle and jealousy." Well, here illness is decidedly centre-stage, and the plot – what there is of it – almost incidental: Hans Castorp, a naive young engineer, travels to the International Sanatorium Berghof high up in the Swiss Alps to visit his ailing cousin, Joachim Ziemssen. What was intended as a stay of a few weeks stretches into months, and then years, as Hans himself is diagnosed tubercular and dutifully takes his place among the cast of coughing consumptives. There is a chilling ambiguity as to just how much of Hans's illness is genuine and how much the result of "going native". Indeed, Hans positively revels in his status as one of the "horizontal":
Hans Castorp stayed out on his balcony, looking down on the bewitched valley until late into the night… His splendid lounge chair with its three cushions and neck roll had been pulled up close to the wooden railing, topped along its full length by a little pillow of snow; on the white table at his side stood a lighted electric lamp, a pile of books, and a glass of creamy milk, the "evening milk" that was served to all the residents of the Berghof in their rooms each night and into which Hans Castorp would pour a shot of cognac to make it more palatable.
Ensconced in his lounge chair, miles away from the cut and thrust of life on the "flat lands", Hans finds himself questioning long-held notions of honour and mortality. Up here, the snow is "eternal", and time itself becomes slippery and can no longer be trusted to behave as one would expect. This is indeed another world: of never-ending soup and ritualised – almost fetishised – thermometer readings; of rest cures and lectures on love-as-a-disease; of petty rivalries and giddy flirtations (after all, these are individuals "feverish, with accelerated metabolism"); where death is the elephant in every room and only ever happens "behind the scenes". This gives the novel a lovely feeling of the sublime and the uncanny. Indeed, at times it almost slips into the realms of the supernatural. An x-ray machine, a visit to the cinema and a gramophone player are all treated with suspicious wonder; a central chapter, entitled "Snow", concerns its 50-odd pages with Hans's near-fatal expedition into the snowy wasteland surrounding the sanatorium, an expedition that culminates in a horrific hallucination which could have come straight out of the pages of HP Lovecraft. There is even a séance scene. (And I assume we're all in agreement here that any self-respecting Winter Read should have at least one séance scene?) All the while, unbeknownst to the inhabitants of the clinic, Europe inches towards a war that will destroy this rarefied way of life for ever.
If this all sounds a little grim, it is worth reiterating that The Magic Mountain is essentially a comic novel – albeit a comic novel dealing with the darkest of subjects. The entire work is suffused with a sly and gentle humour, making it an absolute delight to read. And, if you want to make the experience more delightful still, be sure to invest in the superior John E Woods translation, published – in hardback only, unfortunately – by Everyman's Library. What it loses in the beautiful cover artwork of the paperback it gains in lucid prose-style and readability. A book I return to every couple of years, The Magic Mountain is simply one of the greatest novels ever written. And an essential purchase for every sickbed this winter… |
Saying he’s grown frustrated with waiting for congressional Republicans, an angry President Barack Obama said Monday he will bypass Congress and act on his own to make changes to immigration policy by the end of the summer.
Obama spoke Monday from the Rose Garden, where he slammed House Republicans for being too accommodating to the conservative, anti-immigration wing of their party and chided House leadership for not working to pass a “darn bill.”
“They’re unwilling to stand up to the Tea Party and do what’s right for the country. And what’s worse — a bunch of them know better,” Obama said in the Rose Garden, where he was joined by Vice President Joe Biden.
A White House official said earlier Monday that Obama’s new moves came after House Speaker John Boehner told him last week the House will not vote on immigration-related legislation this year. Obama said Boehner informed him Republicans will not vote “at least for the remainder of this year.” The president has faced pressure from immigration advocates to stem the tide of deportations in lieu of waiting for congressional legislation.
Obama said he will direct Homeland Security Department Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder to present him with executive actions he can take without congressional approval by the end of the summer. He said he will implement them “without further delay.”
Obama also announced he will direct his administration to move enforcement resources from the interior to the border, amid a staggering humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border. Obama said the border crisis only underscores the need for Congress to pass legislation.
“The President will continue to make clear that regardless of the steps he takes through administrative action, nothing replaces Congress’s ability to pass commonsense immigration reform, and will continue to make the case for a comprehensive bill,” the White House official said early Monday.
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Spanish rider explains knee progress and reveals lingering elbow pain.
Dani Pedrosa’s road to recovery may have suffered a minor diversion when he collided with Alex de Angelis in Qatar, but the Spaniard believes that his fitness is steadily improving in the run-up to the Polini Grand Prix of Japan.
The injured star suffered a knock to his elbow when hit by the San Carlo Honda Gresini man in the opening race of the year, but Pedrosa is claiming improvement in the condition of his recently-operated knee.
“I’m looking forward to this weekend in Japan. My leg is improving all the time and the knee is gaining a little bit more mobility every day. I don’t have the full range of movement yet, but I think that by the time we get to Motegi I’ll have about ten degrees more of movement than in Qatar, which should make quite a big difference,” says the Repsol Honda rider as he previews the second race of the 2009 season.
“My elbow is also getting better after the hit De Angelis gave me in Qatar - there’s still some pain and stiffness but I hope it won’t be a problem in Japan. My priority is still to reach full fitness so that I can ride at 100 per cent, and then we must focus on the machine because I missed out on quite a lot of winter testing and we’re still not at the level we’d like to be. It’s a case of taking things one step at time - first to get full fitness and then improve the bike step-by-step.”
Pedrosa finished eleventh in the Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar, his lowest placing since the 2008 Czech Republic round. |
An accused al-Qaeda bomb-maker who went to college in Arizona has claimed to military officials at the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that he believed an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family was part of an effort to recruit him for violent extremist acts before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to a newly released transcript.
Ghassan Abdallah al-Sharbi said a religious figure in Saudi Arabia used the term "your highness" during a telephone conversation with a man, just before urging al-Sharbi to return to the U.S. and take part in a plot against the US that would involve learning to fly a plane.
The Sept. 11 commission found there was no evidence to indicate that the Saudi government as an institution or Saudi senior officials individually had supported the attacks, and the kingdom's government has consistently denied it had any role in the plot.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 $0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.
It was early 2001, and al-Sharbi had only recently returned from the United States, where he had taken some flight school courses in Phoenix with two men who would become hijackers in the 9/11 attacks.
Al-Sharbi described the conversation in June to the Periodic Review Board, which assesses whether Guantanamo prisoners can be released. The Pentagon on Thursday posted a transcript, with parts blacked out, on the website of the board, which includes representatives from six U.S. agencies and departments.
The statement is convoluted and lacks important details, such as whether the "religious figure" might be close to any Saudi officials. It does not indicate who the Saudi royal might be. The term can be used for thousands of members of the Saudi royal family; al-Sharbi did not say he met the man.
Al-Sharbi also appears to be struggling with illness. He tells the board he had just come from the detainee hospital, is "really exhausted, and nauseous and lethargic," and uses what is described as a "manual breathing device."
The Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the al-Sharbi transcript. In the past, the Saudis have pointed to the 9/11 Commission, FBI investigations and other probes that found no Saudi government or royal family involvement in the attacks.
Al-Sharbi says he listened as the "religious figure" spoke to the man -- whom al-Sharbi believes was a royal -- as they discussed al-Sharbi's qualifications for returning to the U.S. for jihad. "I remember, 'yes, your highness, yes your highness,' and he was talking to him about me," al-Sharbi said.
The prisoner's candor about his health may add to the plausibility of the statement, claimed Max Abrahms, an assistant political science professor at Northeastern University who studies terrorism. Mr Abrahms reviewed the transcript.
"He is very open that he is really struggling physically, that he's exhausted, that he has been under serious medication," Mr Abrahms said. "But on the other hand it lends additional credibility to his statement because it's not very deliberate and not memorised."
A Guantanamo spokesman, Navy Capt. John Filostrat, said the military does not disclose details about detainees' health. "Overall, the general health of detainees is good," he said.
Al-Sharbi attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, from 1999-2000, according to the review board website.
In the transcript, the prisoner described living with various Americans, including a Phoenix police officer, in Arizona and California before returning to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2000.
After telling the "religious figure" that he had some practice on a flight simulator and could learn to fly more easily than others, al-Sharbi says he agreed to return to the U.S and they began to discuss details. But al-Sharbi never went, for reasons that are unclear in the transcript.
The review board profile says al-Sharbi went to Afghanistan in the summer of 2001, trained with al-Qaeda and then went to Pakistan, where he learned how to make remote-controlled explosive devices and teach the skill to others. He was captured there in a house with Abu Zubaydah, whom the U.S. has called an al-Qaeda "facilitator." He, too, is confined at Guantanamo.
When captured, the FBI found a buried a cache of documents nearby, including an envelope from the Saudi Embassy in Washington that contained al-Sharbi's flight certificate, according to a document known as File 17, which was declassified earlier this year and names people the hijackers were in contact with in the United States before the attacks, including diplomats of the kingdom.
In July, the review board declined to approve his release from Guantanamo, where he is among 61 prisoners still held.
AP
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You finally found a couple of free hours for writing. Your head is full of ideas, and you can’t wait to get them out there. Perhaps you even have a word count you’re aiming for (e.g. the NaNoWriMo Challenge). You’re focused, energized, and you have a plan: you’re going to write a very fast first draft.
Two hours later, all you have is 3 odd paragraphs that you’re not even happy with. What happened?!
If you recognize this scenario, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Writing a lightning-speed draft is not an easy skill to master. However, for anyone who wants to write anything longer than an email, writing a fast draft is a crucial skill; and it’s not just about saving time. Fast writing is also about focus, clarity, and the freedom to experiment with competing ideas.
Here are 10 tips to help you write your drafts faster than you ever imagined possible.
Speed tip #1: Don’t worry about grammar
Don’t bother putting together well-constructed sentences. Just string words together to create content, and worry about form later on.
For example, Let’s take this sentence (just a random piece of text):
This very detailed training video demonstrates everything you need to know about writing a post in WordPress. All of the basics are covered, as well as some of the more advanced features that are hidden below the surface.
Here’s how I would speed-draft it:
Video shows what you need for WP post. Basics+hidden features covered.
Speed tip #2: Don’t look back
The best way to tangle yourself up with completely unimportant decisions for hours on end, is to edit your text while you’re writing it. If you want to write a lightining-speed first draft, you’ll have to just keep on writing. Imagine the arrow keys on your keyboard, as well as the [Backspace] and [delete] buttons, have been rigged to explode on touch. Don’t set them off!
>Speed tip #3: Write your fixes
Tip #2 may sound a bit impractical. What if you suddenly realize that your last few sentences have led you to a dead end? Or you’ve forgotten to make an important point three paragraphs earlier? Wouldn’t you HAVE to go back and fix stuff? Well maybe, but since your editing keys are now explosive, you probably shouldn’t. Simply write down your thoughts, and move on. If you want to start over, simply mark it with ‘***’ and keep going forward.
This is from my short story Smiling Widow. Spelling mistakes are from the original draft; I chose to leave them in.
Without a word Betty turned – slammed door behind. walked into gloom outside. (rain stopeed a little earlier?) + widow should yell at her: “and don’t come back to beg!”
Speed tip #4: use short sentences
Crafting a long, elaborate paragraph that strings together several ideas into a single long and winding sentence, can be confusing and vague not just for the writer but also for the poor reader. Don’t you agree?
Here’s how I’d speed-draft this last sentence:
Writing a long paragraph can take time. Not just for writer but also for reader.
Personally I have a tendency for too elaborate writing. This kind of writing also helps me fight that weakness.
Speed tip #5: Use bullets
Bullets are great for speed-writing. They allow you to toss in disjointed thoughts at random order, and worry about arranging and connecting them later on.
For example, this sentence:
This very detailed training video demonstrates everything you need to know about writing a post in WordPress. All of the basics are covered, as well as some of the more advanced features that are hidden below the surface.
Can be drafted with bullets like this:
Detailed training video – shows WP posting
Advanced/hidden features covered
Basics covered
Psychologically, I also find it easier to disregard grammar (tip #1) when I write like this.
>Speed tip #6: Use simple words
Forget your arsenal of fancy vocabulary. Later on you can furnish language, searching for just the right word for the particular undertone you wish to convey. For your speed draft, just use plain language. Remember that the first draft should be all about broad strokes, not subtle ornamentation.
Here’s how I drafted the above paragraph:
Don’t use nice words. Fix language later. First draft is broad strokes.
Words like ‘nice’ and ‘fix’ are very general, so I didn’t use them in the final sentence. For a draft, however, that kind of broadness is exactly what’s needed.
Speed tip #7: Use abbreviations, acronyms and codes
Get used to writing abbreviations (like ‘sth’ for ‘something’ or ‘vid’ for video) and acronyms (like like CW for ‘CreativityWise’). Even if you type really fast, this habit will speed you up considerably. It will also help you avoid fancy language in your drafts.
This very detailed training video demonstrates everything you need to know about writing a post in WordPress.
Quick:
This vid = all you need re:WP posts.
You can also use your own ‘codes’ to replace whole phrases, even entire paragraphs. My book ‘The Mechanics of Inspiration’ naturally includes many anecdotes and ideas I was already very familiar with. My first drafts were full of codes like ‘Asterix story’ or ‘stroll/trip’, which really helped me speed things up.
Speed tip #8: Turn off your phone, unplug your internet
For some of you, this is surely the most impractical and annoying advice in this post. What if something important happens and I’m not reachable to respond?
Do remember that the whole point is to be working FAST – so all we’re talking about here is 20-30 minutes of unplugged quietness. Can you not unplug for just 20 minutes? I think you can. Challenge yourself to get used to that. It really makes a huge difference in your ability to focus.
Speed tip #9: Go to the loo before you begin
Sorry if this sounds too silly, but when nature calls it’s no less distracting than when your mother-in-law calls; and unlike your mom in law, you can’t ignore the call or say “I’ll get back to you later, sorry”. If the secret of fast draft writing is focus and flow, then not even your own body should be allowed to interrupt.
Speed tip #10: Use a simple editor
Here’s a surprising piece of truth: word processors are really awful writing tools. They are excellent, amazing, phenomenal tools for editing; but they suck for writing, because they’re just mind-bogglingly distracting! They offer way too many options for stuff that isn’t purely writing: choosing fonts, designing headlines, finding synonyms, fixing grammar and spelling mistakes in one click (that’s one too many clicks!) and so on. In one gloriously embarrassing case, I found myself using Photoshop to design nice-looking bullets for my draft. Seriously.
One of the best writing tools is good old pen and paper. It also helps you avoid too much editing, making it physically difficult to do. If you’re happy with writing by hand, this should probably be your weapon of choice.
If you prefer typing (like I do), there are quite a few great writing programs that offer liberating simplicity. I often use the Q10 writer. If you’re using an iPad, try the iA Writer.
BONUS! Speed tip #11: Write in a series of short bursts
If you’re anything like me, a countdown clock starting with as little as 15 minutes will get you going like a demon. (Q10 actually has an internal countdown clock for exactly that reason). So light up that fire in your eyes, and start typing! You’ll be amazed how far you can get with a 15 to 30 minutes countdown. Try it!
Goodbye, procrastination!
Did procrastination ever steal your creative juice away? That’s probably because you had that feeling that ‘there’s no point starting – I’ll never finish this’. Or maybe you thought, ‘I know I’ll start criticizing myself and editing it to death, end up hating the result, and the whole thing is just going to be too painful. Better stick to watching funny videos of cats on the net’. Well guess what? If you can achieve something great in 20 minutes, and if you’re not even allowed to edit yourself – then its goodbye procrastination, farewell writing blocks, and hello creative flow!
Want to know more about the creative process?
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Italian bloggers are up in arms after ministers secretly resurrected their attempts to introduce a new law dubbed the “blog killer” by critics.
The proposed legislation would force online publications, whether large or small, to amend information on their sites within 48 hours of a complaint — or face fines of €12,000 ($15,700).
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The “ammazza blog” amendment was first mooted a few years ago by the government of Silvio Berlusconi, but ended up being crowded out by opponents who said it would be used to punish small publications, bloggers or even social networks.
A brief attempt to turn the proposals into law last year hit the same roadblock, yet this week it was discovered that the clause had been quietly reintroduced into a draft bill on wiretapping and gag laws.
Here’s Il Fatto Quotidiano:
The law provides that each site owner is required to rectify any content on the basis of a simple request from anyone who considers themselves wronged. There is no chance to reply: anyone who does not rectify what they have published within 48 hours will pay up to €12,0000 fine. An example could be this: a website could publish a story about somebody who had been arrested and was being held in jail, but if the individual’s lawyer wrote to say it was not true, the website would be forced to publish the correction or face the penalty.
Because the law does not seem to discriminate between complaints that have a basis in reality and those that are factually incorrect — or give publishers room to verify the truth, they are concerned that it could effectively gag bloggers, newspapers and magazines from ever publishing anything potentially controversial.
Bloggers worry that if they take a few days off they may end up being slapped with egregious fines, or could end up having to deal with constant queries from troublemakers intended to tie them up for fear of suddenly being hit with a penalty.
Unlike some arguments between bloggers and public officials, however, this is not some minor policy squabble — and has been picked up by the famous politician Antonio Di Pietro, who made his name as part of the anti-corruption investigation known as Mani pulite (“clean hands”) in the 1990s.
According to La Repubblica, Di Pietro came out all guns blazing. |
SEATTLE, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Cedar Grove Composting announced today that it is working with BioFerm Energy Systems, a German-based clean energy generation company owned by The Viessmann Group, to integrate anaerobic digestion into its composting process. The proposed technology employs a high-solids anaerobic digester that produces a usable biogas by enhancing natural processes to convert food scraps and yard clippings into a viable fuel. That biogas can then be used as either natural gas for auto and truck fuel or to produce electricity. Cedar Grove is in the engineering and design phase of this project.
"Cedar Grove is always seeking proven new technologies to bring waste materials to a higher use, for example, turning food waste into compost or energy," said Steve Banchero, Cedar Grove Composting CEO. "Cedar Grove is moving into the next realm of its development, the creation of green energy from food scraps that were once destined for a land fill. This is the closed loop business model that is our core competency and focus."
The project is one of the first and largest of its kind in the U.S. The digester will produce biogas by converting once wasted food and yard scraps into digestate that can then be combusted to produce electricity and heat, or be scrubbed to natural gas quality. These can be used as a renewable alternative to compressed natural gas applications, such as transportation fuel. Once operational, the digester will produce energy equivalent to the electricity usage of 400 homes or the fuel for 1,100 passenger vehicles per year.
"Like all of our sustainable business models, we need a healthy aftermarket for the products and by-products we produce in order for our programs to be viable," continued Banchero. "Our model is to continue to make quality products from materials that are otherwise destined for the landfill and sell them back into our local market. We are currently looking to secure contracts for sale of electricity or natural gas in order to complete our digester business plan."
"We have researched this technology in use in Europe and we are hopeful through our partnership with BioFerm that we can adapt it to U.S. standards and economics. We are excited about its potential to produce green energy from food scraps and yard waste," Banchero said. "Our plans are to start with a relatively small digester and expand the use of this technology when it has proven itself in our system."
By producing energy from food waste and reducing green house gases, Cedar Grove will help reduce landfill volumes, saving space for items that truly have no greater usage. Energy made from source separated food and yard waste is also a cleaner fuel than landfill derived methane.
About Cedar Grove Composting
Cedar Grove Composting is part of a family-owned 400-employee enterprise with roots in the waste management business going back to 1938. As the Pacific Northwest's leading organic recycling company, Cedar Grove transforms grass, leaves, yard trimmings, food waste and wood waste into the finest, nutrient-rich compost. Cedar Grove has developed a full line of healthy soils with a loyal following and has grown from humble beginnings to one of the largest urban composting facilities in the world. Check www.cgcompost.com or call 206-832-3000 for more information.
SOURCE Cedar Grove Composting |
If your idea of fun is having a leathery, shirtless, 66-year-old man sweat on you, then you needed to be near the stage at (Le) Poisson Rouge for Iggy Pop's afternoon public-radio showcase on April 28 with his band The Stooges.
And if that's not your idea of fun, then you really, really need to see Iggy Pop perform live, and soon.
Iggy & The Stooges played a mix of new songs from Ready to Die, as well as a handful of old favorites. If you weren't an Iggy Pop fan, you might have had trouble telling them apart, which is a pretty strong compliment for those new songs. Loud, fast, snotty and fun, the band ran through the proto-punk of "Raw Power" and "Fun House" as easily as it played new material like "Ready to Die" and "Job."
About that band: Original bassist Ron Asheton died a few years back, but Mike Watt, formerly of The Minutemen, is a great replacement. Scott Asheton is on the new disc, but Larry Mullins is the band's touring drummer. Steve Mackey plays sax, and James Williamson has reunited with Iggy Pop after many years to play guitar. I've seen numerous accounts in the press that say it's the first time Williamson and Pop have worked together in 40 years, since 1973's Raw Power, but that's not accurate. They played together on Kill City later in the '70s, as well as New Values in the early '80s, but it's been a while regardless.
Either way, the reunion is clearly working: One of the high points of this concert, a new ballad called "The Departed," features Williamson on slide guitar and Iggy Pop apparently singing about the late Ron Asheton. At the end of the song, Pop teased the crowd by singing, "Now I wanna..." a couple of times — finally pointing the microphone at the audience, which duly replied with "be your dog." It was just one instance of Iggy Pop working the crowd; I think he might have tried to marry a couple at the foot of the LPR stage at one point, singing them a NSFW version of the wedding march.
And, of course, Iggy Pop professed his gratitude to public radio on stage — in the process making sure that his stage banter and several of his songs would never make it onto the radio, public or otherwise. "Sex and death," he told us, were the themes of a major part of the show. But fun — irreverent, youthful, sometimes dangerous fun — is and always has been the focus of Iggy Pop's career.
Set List |
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COLUMBUS (WCMH) -- President Barack Obama is scheduled to stop in Columbus, on Tuesday, encouraging people to vote early and for Hillary Clinton.
The visit will be Obama's second to the area, in the matter of weeks.
On October 13, he served as the keynote speaker at the Ohio Democratic Party's state dinner.
Tuesday's campaign stop will be at the Capital University field house. Doors open at 2:30pm, with the event beginning at 4:30pm.
Members of the public interested in attending can RSVP here.
The field house is located at 2360 E. Mound St., Columbus OH 43209.
Tickets can be picked up at the following locations, according to Clinton's campaign:
Saturday, October 29
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Upper Arlington Ohio Together Office
1640 W. Lane Ave.
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
Sunday, October 30
10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Harry C. Moores Student Union Lobby
745 Pleasant Ridge Dr.
Columbus, OH 43209
Sunday, October 30
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Upper Arlington Ohio Together Office
1640 W. Lane Ave.
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
Monday, October 31
2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Columbus Ohio Together Office
975 Parsons Ave.
Columbus, OH 43206
Monday, October 31
2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Columbus Ohio Together Office
1574 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43201 |
BOSTON — If you’re able-bodied and can hit a jump shot, you had better keep your phone on. The Boston Celtics might need to give you a call to ask you to play soon.
Another one has possibly bitten the dust for the Celtics, as coach Brad Stevens told reporters at practice Friday that Gerald Wallace has been playing with bone spurs in his ankle and also has a torn meniscus in his knee. The ankle has been a season-long issue, but the knee could require season-ending surgery, according to Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge later confirmed Wallace is “done for the year.”
Wallace joins a growing list of injured Celtics players, with Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley already out. Sullinger is expected to play Saturday against the Indiana Pacers after suffering a concussion last Friday in Los Angeles, while Bradley is progressing well but won’t be re-evaluated until next week. Vitor Faverani also needs a second opinion on his tweaked knee.
The injuries contributed to the Celtics’ decision to sign D-Leaguer Chris Babb from the Maine Red Claws to a 10-day contract on Friday. If Sullinger is not available Saturday, the Celtics’ bench will consist of Chris Johnson, Phil Pressey, Joel Anthony and Babb. |
The man heard in a profanity-laden video berating Toronto police officers no longer works for the City of Toronto. "As you know, we do not address personnel matters, however, we can confirm that the individual in question is no longer an employee with the City of Toronto," city spokeswoman Wynna Brown wrote in an email to the Star.
The worker, who was never named, was employed by the solid waste management services division. He said he parked in a spot reserved for disabled motorists for about 45 seconds while running into a convenience store to buy a lottery ticket. The worker, who recorded the subsequent altercation with his cellphone, emerged from the store and suggested an officer used his vehicle to block him from getting into his car because he “thought I was just a regular n-----.” “You know this guy’s asked me for my driver’s licence and insurance over a f------ parking space,” the worker tells the cops who arrive on the scene, in the clip posted on a video-sharing website in August.
Article Continued Below
The incident apparently occurred in a strip plaza near Lawrence Ave. E. and the Don Valley Parkway. The former city worker repeatedly referred to the officer, who is apparently black, as an “Uncle Tom" - a derogatory term for “a black person who is eager to win the approval of white people and willing to co-operate with them,” according to Merriam-Webster. |
The Conservative government says it is overturning an RCMP decision to doff their muskrat hats in favour of more animal-friendly tuques.
A Canadian muskrat winter hat with ear and forehead flaps, as shown on a website opposed to the use of fur. The RCMP had confirmed plans to begin phasing out its version of the fur hats. (thefurbearers.com) Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq told the House of Commons that the public safety minister is directing the Mounties to reverse the move.
The RCMP recently wrote to an animal-rights group to say it had found a tuque that works well in very cold weather and would therefore begin buying them for officers.
The Association for the Protection of Fur Bearing Animals says muskrats are caught in body-gripping traps, which can leave them exposed to the elements, dehydration, starvation and predators before they die.
The association says a single fur hat like that traditionally worn by the RCMP requires at least three muskrat pelts.
Aglukkaq, who hails from Nunavut, is a staunch supporter of fur trappers.
The RCMP referred questions Tuesday to Public Safety Canada.
Interference?
Association spokesman Michael Howie heard the news with "a combination of shock and disgust."
"The RCMP made a decision based on facts, scientific testing and the collective attitudes of their members and the public," Howie said. "The government of Canada is clearly trying to pander to a dwindling industry and disregarding the rest of the country's views."
In the Commons, Conservative MP Robert Sopuck said the "egregious anti-fur decision by the RCMP" had threatened to devastate thousands of livelihoods.
"The fur trade is vital to the economy of many remote rural communities — communities who often have few other economic options."
Howie said the majority of Canada's fur cultivation actually takes place on factory farms where hundreds of thousands of mink and fox are kept in tiny cages and slaughtered for their skin.
The association has launched an online petition demanding the government honour the RCMP's original decision.
"Interfering with what the public clearly believes in is what is disrespectful here," Howie said. "And right now, we are disgusted with our government." |
The Monsanto product – the world’s most widely used herbicide – contains glyphosate, which may also be carcinogenic for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Roundup, the world’s most widely used weedkiller, “probably” causes cancer, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) – WHO’s cancer agency – said that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide made by agriculture company Monsanto, was “classified as probably carcinogenic to humans”.
It also said there was “limited evidence” that glyphosate was carcinogenic in humans for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, said scientific data did not support the conclusions and called on WHO to hold an urgent meeting to explain the findings. “We don’t know how IARC could reach a conclusion that is such a dramatic departure from the conclusion reached by all regulatory agencies around the globe,” said Philip Miller, Monsanto’s vice-president of global regulatory affairs.
Concerns about glyphosate on food have been widely debated in the US recently, and contributed to the passage in Vermont last year of the country’s first mandatory labelling law for genetically modified food.
The US government considers the herbicide to be safe. In 2013, Monsanto requested and received approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency for increased tolerance levels for glyphosate.
It is mainly used on crops such as corn and soybeans, which are genetically modified to survive it.
The weedkiller has been detected in food, water and in the air after it has been sprayed, according to the report from WHO. However, glyphosate use is generally low in and near homes where the general public would face the greatest risk of exposure, the report said.
The evidence for WHO’s conclusion was from studies of exposure, mostly agricultural, in the US, Canada, and Sweden that were published since 2001. |
The girl who wasn’t supposed to be there, Annie Kennedy, has been named to the national under-18 women’s rugby team despite not originally being invited to the tryouts.
“Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to make it because I was under-sized, I felt like the underdog,” Kennedy said Saturday. “Then I got the email and I couldn’t believe it.”
On Feb. 16, Rugby Canada announced that Kennedy and 23 other athletes were named to Canada’s under-18 women’s team. The group will travel to the United Kingdom for a tour, including two games against England’s national under-18 team at the beginning of April. Kennedy was also named to the Ontario Junior Storm Sevens, the provincial team that will compete in the National Under-18 Sevens Championships Tournament starting Thursday in Vancouver.
“The rugby aspect of the England tour is what I’m most excited for,” Kennedy said. “I’ve played with a ton of the girls that are on the Canada team right now, and I just love them all. It’ll be great to spend a week with them.”
Little did the 18-year-old fly half-turned-scrum half know that making a responsible choice in the spring of 2015 could have delayed her rugby career. Planning ahead for an easier courseload in her senior year at Regiopolis-Notre Dame in order to train and compete more, Kennedy attended summer school. This prevented her from being seen by scouts at major summer tournaments with the eastern Ontario team, the Ontario team and the Kingston Panthers. So she was overlooked and wasn’t added to the long list of athletes invited to the October tryouts.
Hearing the news, Brad Greenwood — Kennedy’s coach with Regiopolis, the Panthers club team and the eastern Ontario team — knew he had to do something.
“I called (national coach Dan Valley) and said, ‘I think you’re missing a premier rugby athlete from our area,’ and I wanted to know what we could do to get her into the trials to give her a shot,” Greenwood said. “I knew that Annie was a quality athlete, and I knew she would show well at a trial like that. She’s a good player … for me it was just getting her the opportunity to show her skills and she would have to do the rest from there.”
So with her videographers, better known as mom Lorraine and big sister Grace, Kennedy created a highlight reel. When Valley saw it, he knew he had to invite her.
“It’s pretty cool how it played out for her,” Valley said. “It was a pretty easy decision to invite her out to the tryout camps. Then she performed exceptionally well, and she’s done a lot of work in between those camps, and so I’m really excited for her. She certainly deserves the opportunity. She has a pretty cool career ahead of her hopefully.”
Many of the segments of the highlight reel, Valley said, showed Kennedy playing against high school athletes who were strong, but certainly not at a national calibre.
“I was really impressed how her strengths were able to transfer over so seamlessly,” Valley said. “She was still able to make people miss, and these were some really, really talented athletes. She was able to show them things they may or may not have experienced before, which was really interesting to watch.”
She may have been interesting, but Kennedy said she was nervous.
“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Kennedy said. “The first day was so tiring. I remember the first day (Valley) said he wanted us to get violent with each other. So it just all got thrown at us.”
When Kennedy started playing rugby in Grade 9, high school coach Maria Kerby had her at the wing that year because she was so fast. As the years went on, Kennedy’s confidence in the game grew and she was moved further inside and closer to the decision making.
“She’s a very quick thinker, a split-second decision maker,” Kerby said. “Depending on the position she’s playing, if she’s fly half she’s basically deciding what play the team is going to run and reading the defence and making those game-time decisions.
“But she’s also crazy fast. So we also like to get her out running with the ball because she’s a hard runner and she’s hard to tackle.”
Because of Kennedy’s skills, Valley isn’t sure where he is going to put her on the field. She’s a scrum half/fly half hybrid who is able to play both positions.
“Annie is quite interesting,” Valley said. “But on this tour I feel comfortable with her running out of any of the back positions to be totally honest … Annie’s skill-set lends itself really nicely to playing in any of those positions, which is rare. You don’t often have the ability to perform in each of them. Two or three maybe, but she could play in any of them.”
At five-foot-three, Kennedy admits she’ll need to spend some more time in the gym to add some weight. Valley agrees, especially if Kennedy would like to some day be on the senior women’s team.
“Given her size, she doesn’t win the battle of physics all that often. Fortunately she makes up for it being quite strong and constantly improving technically,” Valley said. “But she’ll need to add a little bit of muscle to the frame in order to continue on this trajectory.”
Greenwood said it goes beyond rugby ability with Kennedy.
“She’s a quality individual and just a nice kid,” Greenwood said. “I’m happy this has happened for her.”
Despite being a group of athletes that will represent Canada in England, the team is pay-to-play. That means Kennedy and her teammates need to pay $3,500 apiece to represent their country. Thankfully, the team is able to raise funds online. To help Kennedy travel, go to donate.rugbycanada.ca/e/akennedy.
The under-18 Canadian women’s team will play in England on April 5 and April 9. Kickoff times and streaming details have yet to be announced. For more information, go to rugbycanada.ca.
[email protected]
Twitter.com/StephattheWhig |
How do the contemporary food magazines use photography? BJP speaks with five of the best to find out - Lucky Peach, Put A Egg On It, The Gourmand, Gather Journal, and Itineraries d'une cuisine contemporaine
When chef and Momofuku restaurants founder David Chang set up Lucky Peach in 2011, The New York Times called it “a glorious, improbable artifact”. It also predicted the venture would herald a new era of unconventional niche magazines featuring skinless chickens on their covers, eye-popping graphics and visuals, and a single theme per issue. Five years on, it seems The New York Times was right.
“It definitely was meant to push the boundaries of what, up until that point, defined food magazines, which tended to be very safe editorially and visually,” says Devin Washburn, the quarterly’s art director since September 2015.
A self-described non-foodie, Washburn was surprised by the sheer pace of food photography when he joined. “Ideas are very spur-of-the-moment, since you have to make the food on site and photograph it before it cools down, settles or loses its shape,” he says, adding that he also had to get an understanding of the cooking process, as everything that goes into making a dish has an effect on how it looks.
“I learned that each step – setting the ingredients, the prep work, the cooking – is equally important and interesting, whereas when I first started I was mostly interested in the final product.”
It sounds like a steep learning curve, but Washburn has something crucial in common with the Lucky Peach founder and team: a taste for taking risks. In the very first issue he worked on, for example, he accompanied a piece discussing taste as a matter of perception by having the food 3D-rendered in a crude, rough way.
When faced with illustrating a feature on Vietnamese desserts, he played up their monotone tan colours, asking Pete Deevakul to shoot straightforward, unprepossessing shots of even the most high-end recipes against a similarly bland background (including renowned pâtissier Pierre Hermé’s coffee macaron). The result is irreverent yet appetising, words that have come to define Lucky Peach’s brand.
“When you pick up Lucky Peach, you should expect to be in for something different visually,” says Washburn. “There’s a looseness and playfulness that is pretty unique. We’re not afraid of making mistakes. In fact, we avoid being too structured, which would make us boring. And we try not to take ourselves too seriously.
“Even the most beautiful piece needs to have a humorous note. Essentially, it needs to feel like it’s a magazine made by real people.”
He adds that Deevakul exemplifies what he looks for in a photographer when he’s scouring blogs and Instagram people who have a visual voice that is uniquely their own. Washburn is also on the lookout for individuals who have a strong personality, because he likes to know what to expect, and he is especially drawn to those who can turn seemingly mundane objects into art. “Pete can make a bottle of water look mesmerising,” he says, laughing.
And as much as he likes to work with long-term collaborators such as Deevakul, Washburn is also keen to use new photographers in every issue to help keep the magazine looking fresh. “Beyond that, we just try to push ourselves with each shoot,” he says.
“We want the process to be fun for us as well. Shooting with the same props would get quite boring. Each time, we try to figure out how to entertain ourselves.” And in the process, they’ve also worked out how to entertain their audience. |
Press Release
AMD EPYC™ Datacenter Processor Launches with Record-Setting Performance, Optimized Platforms, and Global Server Ecosystem Support
Dell, HPE, Lenovo, Mellanox, Samsung Electronics, Supermicro, VMware, Xilinx, and many others form strong global ecosystem for EPYC™ processors
AMD Launches EPYC for the Datacenter
AUSTIN, Texas, June 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AMD (NASDAQ:AMD), and a global ecosystem of server partners, today marked a new era in the datacenter with the launch of AMD EPYC™ 7000 series high-performance datacenter processors. AMD was joined by multiple customers and partners at the global launch event in presenting a wide array of systems, performance demonstrations, and customer testimonials. The innovative, record-setting AMD EPYC design, with up to 32 high-performance “Zen” cores and an unparalleled feature set, delivers greater performance than the competition across a full range of integer, floating point, memory bandwidth, and I/O benchmarks and workloads.
“With our EPYC family of processors, AMD is delivering industry-leading performance on critical enterprise, cloud, and machine intelligence workloads,” said Lisa Su, president and CEO, AMD. “EPYC processors offer uncompromising performance for single-socket systems while scaling dual-socket server performance to new heights, outperforming the competition at every price point. We are proud to bring choice and innovation back to the datacenter with the strong support of our global ecosystem partners.”
The world’s largest server manufacturers introduced products based on AMD EPYC 7000-series processors at today’s launch, including HPE, Dell, Asus, Gigabyte, Inventec, Lenovo, Sugon, Supermicro, Tyan, and Wistron. Primary hypervisor and server operating system providers Microsoft, Red Hat, and VMware showcased optimized support for EPYC, while key server hardware ecosystem partners Mellanox, Samsung Electronics, and Xilinx were also featured in EPYC-optimized platforms.
Leading Server OEM Platforms
“The EPYC processor represents a paradigm shift in computing and will usher in a new era for the IT ecosystem,” said Antonio Neri, EVP and general manager Enterprise Group, HPE. “Starting with the Cloudline CL3150 and expanding into other product lines later this year, the arrival of EPYC in HPE systems will be welcomed by customers who are eager to deploy the performance and innovation EPYC delivers.”
“As an industry leader, we are committed to driving IT transformation for our customers,” said Ashley Gorakhpurwalla, president, server solutions division at Dell EMC, “Our next generation of PowerEdge servers are the bedrock of the modern data center that are designed to maximize business scalability and intelligent automation with integrated security. The combination of PowerEdge and the AMD EPYC performance and security capabilities will create unique compute solutions for our customers to accelerate workloads and protect their business.”
Cloud Datacenter and Enterprise Customers
Datacenter and cloud service providers also welcomed EPYC to the market today. Members of the “Super 7” datacenter services providers, including Baidu and Microsoft Azure, as well as 1&1, Bloomberg, Dropbox and LexisNexis, all voiced their support at launch.
“As the world’s largest Chinese language search engine and leading AI-Tech company, Baidu prides itself on simplifying a complex world through technology,” said By Dr. Zhang Ya Qin, president of Baidu. “The AMD EPYC processor powered one-socket server can significantly increase our datacenter computing efficiency, reduce TCO and lower energy consumption. We will start deploying with the launch of AMD EPYC and I look forward to our cooperation leading to scaled EPYC adoption this year, and ongoing innovations.”
“We’ve worked to make Microsoft Azure a powerful enterprise grade cloud platform, that helps guide the success of our customers, no matter their size or geography,” said Girish Bablani, corporate vice president, Azure Compute, Microsoft Corp. “To power Azure, we require the most cutting-edge infrastructure and the latest advances in silicon which is why we intend to be the first global cloud provider to deliver AMD EPYC, and its combination of high performance and value, to customers.
Record-Setting EPYC Performance
The excitement around EPYC is driven by multiple record-setting server benchmarks achieved by EPYC-powered one-socket and two-socket systems.
AMD EPYC processors set several performance records, including:
• Two-Socket Server
AMD EPYC 7601-based system scored 2360 on SPECint®_rate2006, higher than any other two-socket system score1
• One-Socket Server
AMD EPYC™ 7601-based system scored 1200 on SPECint®_rate2006, higher than any other mainstream one-socket x86-based system score 2
AMD EPYC 7601-based system scored 943 on SPECfp®_rate2006, higher than any other one-socket system score3
All EPYC processors combine innovative security features, enterprise class reliability, and support a full feature-set. An AMD EPYC™ 7601 CPU-based one-socket system shifts expectations for single socket server performance, helping lower total-cost-of-ownership (TCO), providing up to 20% CapEx savings compared to the Intel Xeon E5-2660 v4-based two-socket system4. At every targeted price point for two-socket processors, EPYC outperforms the competition, with up to 70% more performance in the eight hundred dollar price band and up to 47% more performance at the high-end of the market of four thousand dollars or more5.
EPYC Product Overview
A highly scalable System on Chip (SoC) design ranging from 8-core to 32-core, supporting two high-performance threads per core
Industry-leading memory bandwidth across the line-up, with 8 channels of memory on every EPYC device. In a two-socket server, support for up to 32 DIMMS of DDR4 on 16 memory channels, delivering up to 4 terabytes of total memory capacity
Unprecedented support for integrated, high-speed I/O with 128 lanes of PCIe® 3 on every product
A highly-optimized cache structure for high-performance, energy efficient compute
AMD Infinity Fabric coherent interconnect linking EPYC CPUs in a two-socket system
Dedicated security hardware
EPYC Product Lineup
Model Core / Thread Base Freq. Max Boost TDP EPYC™ 7601 32 / 64 2.2 GHz 3.2 GHz 180W EPYC™ 7551P 32 / 64 2.0 GHz 3.0 GHz 180W EPYC™ 7501 32 / 64 2.0 GHz 3.0 GHz 155/170W EPYC™ 7451 24 / 48 2.3 GHz 3.2 GHz 180W EPYC™ 7401P 24 / 48 2.0 GHz 3.0 GHz 155/170W EPYC™ 7351P 16 / 32 2.4 GHz 2.9 GHz 155/170W EPYC™ 7301 16 / 32 2.2 GHz 2.7 GHz 155/170W EPYC™ 7281 16 / 32 2.1 GHz 2.7 GHz 155/170W EPYC™ 7251 8 / 16 2.1 GHz 2.9 GHz 120W
Press Release |
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) reacts to Native American protest song on Nov. 18, 2014 [youtube]
The Federal Reserve has been under fire of late — accused of coddling the Wall Street bankers it’s tasked with regulating.
In September, Jake Bernstein broke the story of Carmen Segarra’s revelations about the inner workings of the New York Fed for ProPublica and the public radio show, “This American Life.” Segarra had worked for the Fed as a special examiner to investigate Goldman Sachs, one of the most controversial of Wall Street’s “too-big-to-fail” financial institutions. She was fired after only seven months on the job — and lost a lawsuit in which she claimed that her dismissal was in retaliation for refusing to back down from a finding that Goldman didn’t have an adequate policy in place to prevent conflicts of interest.
But while her suit was unsuccessful, it revealed that Segarra had secretly recorded 46 hours of conversations with her supervisors and fellow inspectors. And the audio revealed a culture of deference to the banks the Fed was supposed to be supervising, and a clear pattern of “regulatory capture” — a type of corruption where those who are tasked with protecting the public interest instead work to advance private commercial interests.
On Friday, New York Fed President William Dudley appeared before the Senate Banking Committee, and was, as the Wall Street Journal put it, “lambasted” by a number of senators for his responses to questions about the Fed’s independence. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), told Dudley: “Good fences make good neighbors. There is the perception that are no fences between the [New York] Fed and the banks it regulates.”
As the Huffington Post noted, Dudley also conceded for the first time that the NY Fed views big Wall Street firms as “too-big-to-jail,” a charge long denied by officials.
But it was his statement that the Fed’s primary function as banking supervisors isn’t to act “like a cop on the beat” that really raised eyebrows. Dudley continued: “It’s more like a fire warden; make sure that the institution is well run so that, you know, it’s not going to catch on fire and burn down. And managed in a way that if the institution is stressed that it doesn’t collapse and threaten the rest of the financial system.”
As Rob Blackwell wrote for The American Banker, “Dudley reached for a metaphor with probably more meaning than he intended, and one with potentially disturbing implications.”
The job of a cop on the beat is pretty straightforward. They are there to keep the peace, look for wrongdoing, and punish offenders when necessary. But the role of a fire marshal is very different. A fire marshal’s job is to protect a building and its inhabitants — and save them at all costs, even from the consequences of their own errors. If a man lights his house on fire, the marshal’s job isn’t to punish him or even make sure it doesn’t happen again. The fire marshal’s role is instead to deal with the fire, rescue everyone, and put it out before it can spread. That sounds noble, and in real life it is. But when discussing bank regulation, it raises the uncomfortable specter of bailouts and other supervisory intervention taken not to prevent problems, but instead to contain them.
Last Thursday, after another critical hearing on Capitol Hill, the Fed’s Inspector General’s office announced that it was undertaking a a sweeping review of the agency’s supervisory capacity. As Gretchen Morgenson wrote for The New York Times, the move “looks an awful lot like damage control.”
A big part of the damage came during an exchange between Sen. Elizabeth Warren and William Dudley. Watch the video: |
On Oct. 15, 2010, Fenway Sports Group completed their purchase of Liverpool Football Club. Since, the Anfield outfit has sacked a pair of managers, spent a significant sum of money and nearly secured their first English top-flight trophy since 1990. Here are some key stats that illustrate FSG's ownership of Liverpool on their five-year anniversary.
The right signings?
Since FSG's takeover, Liverpool have been an active club in the transfer market. However, while the club has been aggressive in recruiting young talent with resale value, their success rate in recruitment has been suspect to say the least.
Sibling spending sprees
There can be little argument with the level of investment FSG have made in Liverpool personnel, parting with more than £300 million in five years. But when compared to the sums splashed out by FSG siblings the Boston Red Sox, ownership's outlay on Merseyside looks significantly less lavish.
Financially flourishing
Unfortunately for FSG, their takeover of the club coincided with a significant drop in performance from Liverpool's historically lofty heights. Despite that, the owners have managed to increase revenues and dramatically pay down the club's debt.
Dressed to impress
FSG has brokered two club-record kit deals. The first with Michigan-based Warrior coming in 2012, and the second announced in February with Warrior's parent club, Boston's New Balance.
This is Anfield
Liverpool have long flirted with the idea of leaving historic Anfield in search of a new home with more seats and greater ticket revenue. Under FSG, though, the club's historic home has grown by 8,500 seats. |
Haym Salomon (also Solomon; April 7, 1740 – January 6, 1785) was a Polish-born American Jewish businessman and political financial broker who immigrated to New York City from Poland during the period of the American Revolution. He helped convert the French loans into ready cash by selling bills of exchange for Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance. In this way he aided the Continental Army and was possibly, along with Morris, the prime financier of the American side during the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain.[1]
Early life and education [ edit ]
Haym Salomon (anglicized from Chaim Salomon) was born in Leszno (Lissa), Poland in 1740 to a Sephardic Jewish family descended from Spanish and Portuguese Jews who migrated to the Jewish communities of Poland as a result of Ferdinand and Isabella's expulsion of the Jews in 1492 and remained there for many generations. Although most Jews in Central and Eastern Europe spoke Yiddish (Judeo-German), some have claimed that because Salomon left Poland while still young, he could not read and write Yiddish. In his youth, he studied Hebrew.[2] During his travels in Western Europe, he acquired a knowledge of finance and fluency in several other languages, such as German.[3] He returned to Poland in 1770 but left for England two years later in the wake of the Polish partition. In 1775, he immigrated to New York City, where he established himself as a financial broker for merchants engaged in overseas trade.[4][5]
Revolutionary activity [ edit ]
Haym Salomon commemorative stamp (1975)
Sympathizing with the Patriot cause, Salomon joined the New York branch of the Sons of Liberty. In September 1776, he was arrested as a spy. The British pardoned him, but only after requiring him to spend 18 months on a British boat as an interpreter for Hessian soldiers – German troops employed by the British. Salomon used his position to help prisoners of the British escape and encouraged the Hessians to desert the war effort. In 1778 Salomon was arrested again and sentenced to death. Again, he managed to escape, making his way with his family to the rebel capital in Philadelphia.[6]
Financing of the American Revolutionary War [ edit ]
Once resettled, Salomon resumed his activities as a broker. He became the agent to the French consul as well as the paymaster for the French forces in North America. In 1781, he began working extensively with Robert Morris, the newly appointed Superintendent for Finance for the Thirteen Colonies.[7]
From the period of 1781–84, records show Salomon's fundraising and personal lending helped provide over $650,000 (approximately $18,035,722.16 in 2018 dollars [8]) in financing to George Washington in his war effort. His most meaningful financial contribution, however, came immediately prior to the final revolutionary war battle at Yorktown.[9]
In August 1781, the Continental Army had trapped Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis in the Virginian coastal town of Yorktown. George Washington and the main army and Count de Rochambeau with his French army decided to march from the Hudson Highlands to Yorktown and deliver the final blow. But Washington's war chest was completely empty, as was that of Congress. Without food, uniforms and supplies, Washington's troops were close to mutiny.[9] Washington determined that he needed at least $20,000 to finance the campaign. When Morris told him there were no funds and no credit available, Washington gave him a simple but eloquent order: "Send for Haym Salomon". Salomon raised $20,000, through the sale of bills of exchange. With that contribution, Washington conducted the Yorktown campaign, which proved to be the final battle of the Revolution.[5]
Salomon brokered the sale of a majority of the war aid from France and the Dutch Republic, selling bills of exchange to American merchants. Salomon also personally supported various members of the Continental Congress during their stay in Philadelphia, including James Madison and James Wilson. He requested below-market interest rates, and he never asked for repayment.[10]
Salomon is believed to have granted outright bequests to men that he thought were unsung heroes of the revolution who had become impoverished during the war. One example is Bodo Otto, a senior surgeon in the continental army. Otto joined the army at the age of 65 and served for the entire war. Among other things, he established the hospital at Valley Forge, where he often used his own funds to purchase medical supplies. Due to Salomon's bequest, Otto was able to rebuild his medical practice in Reading, Pennsylvania at war's end.
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the Revolutionary War but not the financial problems of the newly established nation. America's war debt to France was never properly repaid, which was part of the cascade of events leading to the French Revolution.
Jewish community [ edit ]
Pennsylvania Historical Marker, 44 N 4th Street, Philadelphia (July 2014)
Salomon was involved in Jewish community affairs, being a member of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia, and in 1782 made the largest individual donation toward the construction of its main building. In 1783, Salomon was among the prominent Jews involved in the successful effort to have the Pennsylvania Council of Censors remove the religious test oath required for office-holding under the State Constitution. These test laws were originally written to disenfranchise the Quaker majority (Quakers objected to taking oaths at all), but many were caught up in this anti-democratic ploy. It was Salomon's old friend Robert Morris who actually introduced legislation to end the test laws in Pennsylvania. In 1784, Salomon answered anti-Semitic slander in the press by stating: "I am a Jew; it is my own nation; I do not despair that we shall obtain every other privilege that we aspire to enjoy along with our fellow-citizens."
Death [ edit ]
The financier died suddenly and in poverty on January 8, 1785, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after contracting tuberculosis in prison. Due to the failure of governments and private lenders to repay the debt incurred by the war, his family was left penniless at his death at age 44.[9] The hundreds of thousands of dollars of Continental debt Salomon bought with his own fortune were worth only about 10 cents on the dollar when he died.
His obituary in the Independent Gazetteer read, "Thursday, last, expired, after a lingering illness, Mr. Haym Salomon, an eminent broker of this city, was a native of Poland, and of the Hebrew nation. He was remarkable for his skill and integrity in his profession, and for his generous and humane deportment. His remains were yesterday deposited in the burial ground of the synagogue of this city."
Legacy [ edit ]
The grave-site of Haym Salomon, Mikveh Israel Cemetery is located in the 800-block of Spruce Street in Philadelphia. Though unmarked, there are two plaque memorials. The east wall has a marble tablet that was installed by his great-grandson, William Salomon, and a granite memorial is set inside the cemetery gate. In 1980, the Haym Salomon Lodge #663 of the fraternal organization B'rith Sholom sponsored a memorial in the Mikveh Israel Cemetery on the north side of Spruce Street between 8th and 9th Streets in Philadelphia. A blue ribbon panel and committee, including Robert S. Whitman, Sidney Bruskin and Marvin Abrams, all lodge past presidents; and Philadelphia, PA residents, arranged for the renovation of the walls and walkways of the cemetery. They then arranged for and oversaw the installation of a large, engraved memorial marker of Barre Granite just inside the cemetery gates, inscribed "An American Patriot". A memorial bronze marker with an American flag was installed by Robert S. Whitman, marking the dedicated space for the American patriot.[11]
Commemoration [ edit ]
There is a legend that during the design process of the Great Seal, Washington asked what compensation Salomon wanted in return for his financial contributions to the American Revolutionary War. He replied that "he wanted nothing for himself but that he wanted something for his people". While there is no evidence, there is a theory that the 13 stars representing the colonies on the seal were arranged in the shape of the Star of David in commemoration of Solomon's contributions.[12] This appears to have little basis in fact, however, although it is oft-repeated.[13]
When Morris was appointed Superintendent of Finance, he turned to Salomon for help in raising the money needed to carry on the war and later to save the emerging nation from financial collapse. Salomon advanced direct loans to the government and also gave generously of his own resources to pay the salaries of government officials and army officers. With frequent entries of "I sent for Haym Salomon", Morris' diary for the years 1781–84 records some 75 transactions between the two men.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ] |
More than 8,000 academics are gathered at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., this week for the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, presenting papers on how we live, love, learn and clash. Over the coming days, the National Post will highlight some of the most compelling research. Today, Sarah Boesveld looks at how entitled university students could grow to become entitled — and very unhappy — employees.
University students who complain until they get a better grade and view their professors as employees are on the fast track to becoming dissatisfied and disgruntled once they land a job, suggests new research that links academic entitlement with inflated expectations in the workplace.
Amy Peirone, a phD candidate in sociology who this week will present her research at the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities conference in St. Catharines, Ont., surveyed more than 1,000 University of Windsor students, resulting in a research paper called “I Bought my Degree, Now I Want My Job!”
Ms. Peirone had the students answer a 94-item online survey about their own academic experiences, which asked them to agree or disagree with statements such as “It’s OK to make demands on a professor so he makes exceptions for me,” or “the tuition I pay entitles me to a passing grade.”
The tuition I pay entitles me to a passing grade
She found a correlation between students displaying a sense of academic entitlement and those who displayed a sense of entitlement when it comes to their future employment expectations, suggesting the attitude could carry over into the working world.
While the average level of academic entitlement was relatively low — 3.3 on a scale of one to 10 — Ms. Peirone found that graduate students tended to have higher levels of entitlement than undergraduates.
“Some professors we were talking [with] about academic entitlements said parents of graduate students have come to talk to them and complain about their grades,” said Ms. Peirone.
“When you’re in school, you’re sort of in a bubble. You don’t really know what the real world is like. If you’re completely cut off from that, your entitlement beliefs and what you’re used to, it’s not a far stretch in saying it would extend to the employee environment.”
Academic entitlement research is a relatively new field, and no one has studied how it may transfer from university to the workplace until now.
Previous studies show high levels of workplace entitlement are related to lower levels of job and life satisfaction. The entitled-in-the-workplace also tend to be less happy with their pay, less committed to their companies, have more tension with their bosses and more difficulty holding down jobs.
There may be very serious problems for a person with higher than average academic entitlement once they make it to the office — if they get there at all, Ms. Peirone’s findings suggest.
Those who researched and explored future careers tended to have higher levels of workplace entitlement — especially graduate students.
“A lot of graduate students, in my own personal [observations], are coming back for the graduate programs just because they couldn’t get the job with the undergraduate degree,” Ms. Peirone said. “Now we’re not looking at $25,000 worth of debt, you’re looking at 50 plus.” Universities also market their graduate programs as stepping stones to a solid career.
Education and Law students were the exception to this rule, perhaps because they have more exposure to the realities of the job market via co-ops and connections outside of school.
Overall, students have high expectations that their university degrees will amount to a job fairly soon after graduation — expectations that may not jibe with the job market.
When you’re in school, you’re sort of in a bubble. You don’t really know what the real world is like
Arts & Social Sciences students, a faculty with some of the toughest prospects out in the current workforce, made up 47.2% of her study sample.
To the statement “obtaining a post secondary degree ensures I will have a job in my field of study after graduation,” the average response was 4.57 out of 10 — meaning about half of the students strongly felt their degree would fairly easily score them work.
Ms. Peirone believes universities and even future employers should do a better job of conveying the realities of the job market. She recalls one professor telling her a graduate student’s expected pay grade for a job out of school: $80,000.
“That student had no experience,” she said.
Meanwhile, that professor had worked for a decade before making that kind of money.
National Post
• Email: [email protected] | Twitter: sarahboesveld |
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Donald Trump supporter Omarosa appeared on MSNBC tonight and engaged in a lot of excuse-making for the violence at Trump’s rallies, literally saying, “You get what’s coming to you.”
Chris Matthews repeatedly confronted her and Omarosa said Trump can’t be responsible for every person who engages in violence at his events.
She did, however, say, “You have a right to get into a closed, private event, and you get what’s coming to you. I do not condone violence, but if you go into an environment where you’re interrupting 13, 14 times, you do expect a hug or kumbaya?”
Matthews pointed out he’s egged it on a few times. Omarosa’s actual, real response was, “He’s a New Yorker, what do you want him to say?… He’s not gonna be pushed around, Chris.”
She complained that no one has covered protesters at Democrats’ rallies. Daily Mail reporter Francesca Chambers said there has been no violence at any Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders rallies.
Omarosa condescendingly told her, “Okay, thank you, Francesca, for that insight.”
Matthews said, “No, I think it’s called reporting.”
Watch above, via MSNBC.
[image via screengrab]
— —
Follow Josh Feldman on Twitter: @feldmaniac
Have a tip we should know? [email protected] |
Sixteen years after first allowing gays and lesbians to become priests and nine years after electing its first gay bishop, the Episcopal Church on Tuesday became the largest Christian denomination in the U.S. to offer religious blessings to same-sex couples.
The monumental decision, approved by a thick margin at the church's triennial General Convention in Indianapolis, means that priests in the 1.9 million-member church can officiate blessings to same-sex couples who are in long-term relationships beginning in December.
The church's House of Deputies voted 171 to 41, with nine people saying they were divided, to support a same-sex blessings liturgy that will be used during a three-year trial before the church meets again and decides if it should be permanent. The deputies' vote was done in two parts, with lay members approving the blessings by 78 percent and clergy members approving by 76 percent.
The vote followed Monday's decision by the church's House of Bishops supporting the measure by a 111 to 41, with three abstentions. Both groups have to approve new legislation.
Some Episcopal bishops currently allow same-sex blessings in their dioceses, but many have said they will not allow them unless the church has an official liturgy -- the words exchanged between a couple and a priest during the ceremony.
The new liturgy will not be mandatory. Bishops who do not approve of same-sex relationships will be allowed to bar its use in their dioceses. Priests who choose to not perform same-sex ceremonies will not face discipline.
The liturgy does not represent a religious marriage -- the church defines marriage as being between a man and a woman -- though some clergy in states that allow civil marriage officiate secular marriages in their churches.
During debate on Tuesday, many members of the church spoke in favor of same-sex blessings, while fewer spoke against them.
"I believe we are doing the loving thing, we are doing what Jesus would call on us to do," said the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, in an interview. "We are finding a way to to support and care for people who have shown lifelong care and love for each other," added Curry, who voted for the legislation and has been officiating same-sex marriages in his own diocese since 2004.
"This singular motion ... will result in the Episcopal Church of the United States marching not simply out of step with but completely out of line with the faith," said the Rev. David Thurlow of South Carolina, a deputy who planned to vote against the proposal.
Tuesday's vote followed the church's decision on Monday to allow the ordination of transgender people. That vote to change to the church's "nondiscrimination canons" to include "gender identity and expression" overwhelmingly passed the church House of Bishops and House of Deputies. It makes it illegal to bar from the priesthood people who were born into one gender and live as another or who do not identify themselves as male or female. It added to church rules against discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability and age.
The Episcopal Church is the U.S.-based wing of the Anglican Communion, an 85 million-member global denomination. In addition to its U.S.-based members, it has 173,000 members in other countries and territories, including the British Virgin Islands, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Taiwan and Venezuela.
Liberal trends in the church regarding the ordination of gay priests and bishops have increasingly strained its relations with its more conservative counterparts in the United Kingdom and Africa. The election in 2003 of its first gay bishop, the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, caused several dioceses to defect. The same day the Episcopal Church voted to allow transgender priests, the church's English counterpart, the Church of England, delayed until the fall a controversial vote on appointing women bishops.
The Episcopalians follow the 1.2 million-member United Church of Christ, which voted to approve same-sex marriage ceremonies in 2005. The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) also allow same-sex marriage ceremonies. In addition, Reform and Reconstructionist Jewish denominations allow same-sex blessings. In 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America let churches recognize same-sex relationships, but it did not endorse an official church policy or liturgy for blessings.
At its biennial national meeting in Pittsburgh last week, the Presbyterian Church (USA) narrowly rejected a measure that would have changed its definition of marriage from being a union between a man and a woman to one between "two people." In April at its General Conference in Tampa, the United Methodist Church also upheld its teaching on homosexuality, which does not recognize same-sex marriages or unions. |
US spied on presidents of Brazil, Mexico, documents from Snowden reveal
By Tom Eley
3 September 2013
The US National Security Agency eavesdropped on the communications of the presidents of Brazil and Mexico, according to documents gathered by whistleblower Edward Snowden and revealed by journalist Glenn Greenwald to the Brazilian television news program Fantastico.
The news program displayed a slide from the NSA with passages written by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto from June 2012, when he was a candidate for the presidency. The excerpts show Nieto discussing what ministers he might select should he win election. They make clear the NSA was reading Nieto’s e-mails.
A second slide showed an NSA analysis of internal communication patters between Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and leading advisers. The NSA also used a program to follow all internet content that Rousseff accessed, and deployed another that would have allowed them to read her e-mails.
Both slides were part of internal NSA demonstrations of the efficacy and potential of their spying programs and technologies.
“It was very clear in the documents that they had already carried out the spying,” Greenwald, speaking Portuguese, said of the Brazil revelations on Fantastico. “They aren’t talking about something they are planning, they are celebrating their spying successes.”
The new revelations follow the July release of documents showing that Brazil and all of Latin America are subject to a massive NSA spying program targeting all forms of telecommunications. The NSA has harvested billions of communications in Brazil alone (see: “NSA casts massive surveillance net over Latin America”).
In response to the publication of the new documents, Rousseff on Monday summoned US Ambassador Thomas Shannon for an explanation and called a top-level cabinet meeting that included the ministers of defense, justice, communications and foreign affairs “to discuss the espionage report,” according to the Associated Press.
The revelations “should be considered very serious and constitute a clear violation of Brazilian sovereignty,” said Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo. “This [spying] hits not only Brazil, but the sovereignty of several countries that could have been violated in a way totally contrary to what international law establishes.”
“If it’s confirmed it is very serious because a country cannot passively accept the violation of its sovereignty,” he said. “Any country that has its sovereignty violated has to react, take a position and use international law to put things in their place. And that’s what Brazil will do.”
Cardozo acknowledged the new documents show that the NSA spying is about more than combating terrorism—the constant refrain from the Obama administration—and had political targets and may have even gone as far as commercial espionage. Another Brazilian government official said that the revelations may lead Brazil to scrap plans for the purchase of 36 F-18 fighter jets from US manufacturer Boeing, a deal estimated at about $4 billion.
“I feel a mixture of amazement and indignation,” said Senator Ricardo Ferraco, chair of the Brazilian Senate’s foreign relations committee. “It seems like there are no limits. When the phone of the president of the republic is monitored, it’s hard to imagine what else might be happening. It’s unacceptable that in a country like ours, where there is absolutely no climate of terrorism, that there is this type of spying.”
There was no official comment from Mexico, but in July Nieto declared that it would be “totally unacceptable” for the US to have engaged in espionage against Mexico.
There has been no comment from the Obama administration.
It is noteworthy that when Edward Snowden was stranded at the international section of the Moscow airport seeking refuge from the persecution of the American state, both Brazil and Mexico ruled out granting him asylum. |
Though her Harry Potter costar Daniel Radcliffe has bared all in London and New York stage productions of Equus, Hermione Granger is content to remain the clean-cut belle of Hogwarts.
“I have no plans to do anything for the sake of it, or to shock people,” the actress, 18, tells the U.K.’s Mail on Sunday‘s Live magazine.
“I might be willing to take my clothes off for a Bernardo Bertolucci film, if it was a part that really made sense as part of my character. But I wouldn’t do it just to make a point, to move on from Hermione.”
Exposing her attitude about the demands of being a young star, Watson says, “I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do a photo-shoot people desperately want to change me – dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe [bangs].”
As for wearing revealing clothes for fashion shoots, “Personally, I don’t actually think it s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I m here with my boobs out and a short skirt have a look at everything I’ve got’?
“My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.” |
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All of you frequent fliers out there, you know the drill. Take off your shoes, because of Richard Reid, the "shoe bomber." Remove your hair gel from your backpack because of the bombers who targeted Heathrow using liquid hydrogen peroxide. When you get on a plane, you must also, from now on, be prepared to remove any blankets from your lap before landing -- too bad if you're asleep! -- because of the Christmas Day underwear bomber.
When someone invents a way to hide explosive powder inside a toothbrush case, prepare to remove your toothbrush. And while you're at it, throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder as you board the plane. But never, at any moment, imagine that the rigamarole of airport security is guaranteed to make you safer -- for no one knows which of these measures, if any, is actually necessary.
Worse, no one has any financial or political incentive to find out. The fact is, since the hurried and heavily politicized creation of the Department of Homeland Security and its junior partner, the Transportation Security Administration, neither their priorities nor their spending patterns has been subject to serious scrutiny. They have never been forced to make hard choices. On the contrary, both have been encouraged by their congressional funders to spend money in reaction to every perceived new threat, real or otherwise: Thus full-body scanners, unacceptable as recently as last summer, will now be rushed into use. In just a few years -- under a Republican administration and mostly Republican Congresses -- these institutions thus grew into vast, unruly bureaucracies, some of whose activities bear only a distant relationship to public safety.
So customary has it become to repeat old, familiar lists of ludicrous public projects that readers who cannot bear to read the litany one more time might want to skip to the next paragraph. For yes, it is true: Having started with 13 employees in January 2002, the TSA now employs 60,000, and in the process of its expansion the organization found it had money for all kinds of extras. As I wrote in 2005, some $350,000 of its $6 billion budget once was spent on a gym; $500,000 was spent on artwork and silk plants, and untold millions are annually spent in overhiring, since determining when there will be long security lines at an airport has never been the sort of thing at which the federal government excels.
As for the DHS, its 2010 budget came in at $55 billion, some of which (according to the economist Veronique de Rugy, writing in 2006) will invariably be spent on things like the $63,000 decontamination unit in rural Washington, where no one was trained to use it, more biochemical suits for Grand Forks, N.D., than the town has police officers to wear them and $557,400 worth of rescue and communications equipment for some 1,500 residents of the town of North Pole, Alaska. Not to mention what is spent on the "needs" of the constituents of other important members of Congress.
It is not actually DHS or TSA employees who are at fault for these kinds of decisions. From the very beginning, security experts and even the agencies' own inspectors general have pointed to the absurdity of TSA and DHS spending patterns, many of which are driven by the latest scare story (I wish I'd been at the celebratory New Year's Eve party undoubtedly thrown by the manufacturers of those full-body scanners). And from the very beginning, Congress has fought back against critics, repeatedly allocating funds to unnecessary local projects, reacting to sensational news stories, spending money in ways that suit its members and then declaring itself shocked -- shocked! -- to discover that our multibillion-dollar homeland security apparatus was unable to stop a clearly disturbed Nigerian from boarding a Detroit-bound plane.
Imagine if the TSA's vast budget were dedicated to the creation of a cutting-edge computer network that could have made security officers in Amsterdam instantly aware of the warning from the Detroit bombing suspect's father. Imagine that, instead of relying on full-body X-ray scanners or long-haul flight-blanket deprivation, we had highly paid and trained consular officers in places such as Nigeria. Even then security would not be perfect (and I'm not sure that airborne terrorism is even the worst thing we have to worry about). But it would make sense to have a smaller, less expensive and less wasteful system. It would make sense to have a system based on real risks and priorities, instead of the stories featured on cable news. It would make sense to fight the next battle, for once, instead of the last one. "Sense," though, is not the criterion by which public money is spent in this country -- and hasn't been for a long time.
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How it works
Prettier formats your code in three steps:
First it parses the code to its abstract syntax tree (AST), getting ride of (almost) all the original formatting. Then it transform the AST into another tree using some opinionated rules to group code fragments in a hierarchy that defines where new lines can be inserted if necessary. Finally, it prints the intermediate tree to a string, choosing the best places to add line-breaks based on the max line length (the default is 80).
Let’s see, for example, how var x = foooo + baaar gets formatted.
First the input string is parsed to AST. The AST looks something like this:
The AST include details about “var”, “x”, “+”, “foooo” and “baaar”, but nothing about spaces, line-breaks, semicolons or any other stylistic stuff that doesn’t matter at runtime. This AST is used as input for the next step that generates a document tree like this one:
Here you can see again “var”, “x”, “foooo”, mixed with some spaces, semicolons and a few Prettier commands. The structure of this tree depends on the stylistic opinions of Prettier.
In this case, three Prettier commands are being used. line indicates that a line-break can be inserted if its needed, if not, a space will be inserted. indent increases the level of indentation (only if the content is printed on a new line). group marks items which the printer should try to fit on one line, if it doesn’t fit it will break the outermost group and try again. There are more commands, for example hardline identifies a line that will always be included in the output. |
Migrants take shelter from the sun before disembarking an Italian coast guard ship at Augusta.
Criminal gangs are abusing Italy's Mare Nostrum migrants rescue mission, Gil Arias-Fernandez, executive director of EU border agency Frontex has admitted.
Speaking at meeting of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee, he said that while he had nothing but praise for the Italian operation, it was a fact that traffickers were finding it easier to do their business knowing that irregular migrants were picked up by Italian rescue boats when they left the Libyan coast.
“Since Mare Nostrum started, the number of detections of irregular immigrants increased drastically,” Mr Arias-Fernandez told MEPs.
“Criminals, of course, know about Mare Nostrum and so they are sending more people on less seaworthy vessels, supplying them with less fuel and food. Their operation has become cheaper,” he said. The number of voyages had increased too, he noted.
The result, he added, was that migrants faced higher risks if the Italian authorities did not make it in time to save them.
More on Times of Malta and the e-paper on timesofmalta.com Premium. |
European Union prepares for Greek state bankruptcy
By Peter Schwarz
8 October 2011
The European institutions have clearly changed course in relation to Greece. Instead of the “rescue” of the country, they are now discussing its bankruptcy, and reducing the risk of contagion. The euro rescue fund, supposed to guarantee Greece’s solvency, is being used to secure the creditor banks against the consequences of state bankruptcy.
The change of course has happened gradually, under the pressure of intense fluctuations on the stock exchanges and financial markets, the threat of bank failures and growing opposition to the austerity measures of the Greek government. But it follows unmistakeable class logic.
The fear of an uncontrollable chain reaction had previously prevented the EU from risking a collapse of Greece. They feared the bankruptcy of the largest creditor banks, which in turn would have drawn more banks into the abyss—like Lehman Brothers in the US after its bankruptcy in September 2008. Other heavily indebted countries such as Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy are also threatened with being cut off from access to credit if Greece, a member of the euro zone, goes bankrupt.
Under these circumstances, Greece’s billion-euro rescue packages serve to gain time. They have not benefited the Greek state, and certainly not the Greek population, but went directly into the coffers of the creditor banks, which received their loans repaid in full with all interest due. The European Central Bank also bought large quantities of Greek government bonds on the open market, thus relieving the risks banks faced from their additional papers.
The Greek rescue packages have been linked to drastic cost-cutting measures, which from the outset ruled out Greece’s mounting an economic recovery. Even to a layperson, it was obvious that the recession caused by the austerity measures would nullify any budgetary savings.
The purpose of the austerity measures was not so much to restructure the budget, but to ruin the working class. Under the dictates of the so-called troika—the European Central Bank, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund—the Greek government has cut pensions and incomes, destroyed tens of thousands of public sector jobs and driven the self-employed into bankruptcy by raising taxes, while the rich elite have hoarded their wealth in foreign bank accounts.
Meanwhile, protests against these measures are increasingly threatening the Greek government. This month alone there have been several general strikes and protest actions. The unions, which are working closely with the government, are finding it increasingly difficult to keep the resistance under control.
The representatives of the troika have concluded from this that the time has come to abandon Greece. State bankruptcy would mean that the government had no funds to pay salaries and pensions, as well as for other public spending. Just as US automotive firms exploited bankruptcy procedures to wipe out their financial obligations to the workforce in one stroke, the Greek government could effectively annul its existing contracts and legal arrangements. The question then would not be how many jobs would be eliminated and how far salaries were being cut, but who has a job at all.
Greek state bankruptcy would also be used to intimidate workers in the other European countries. It would represent an unequivocal threat, showing what awaits them if they do not accept the austerity measures being imposed by their own governments.
In Greece itself, state bankruptcy would provoke violent social unrest. But the EU expects to be able to isolate this with the help of the unions, who have so far refused to organise any international solidarity with the Greek workers. The Greek military has also spoken out again, and threatened to bring down the PASOK government. Under the rule of the “colonels”, the military suppressed the Greek working class from 1967 to 1974 with a bloody dictatorship.
The main concern of the EU at present is how to prevent a Greek state bankruptcy from bringing down international banks and other European countries. All the decisions and debates of the last weeks and days revolved around this question.
The euro zone governments had already agreed in June to increase the euro rescue fund (EFSF) and expand its powers. Rather than simply provide credit guarantees to ailing euro zone countries, the EFSF may now also buy up government bonds of vulnerable states on the open market and so remove the risks facing the banks.
Increasing the banks’ capital holdings with funds from the EFSF or other public monies is also now up for discussion. This was the central theme at the meeting of EU finance ministers on Tuesday last week. The ministers commissioned the European Banking Authority (EBA) to verify the resilience of the European banks if Greece were to default on its payments.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also agreed to this line. If banks urgently needed money, the European states should not delay financial aid because this would be “money reasonably invested”, she said after a meeting with EU President Jose Manuel Barroso and the leaders of the main international financial institutions.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank decided, in turn, to support threatened banks with large amounts of money.
In other words, instead of rescuing euro zone countries faced with bankruptcy, the funds of the euro rescue package and the ECB are now being used to bail out the banks when indebted countries go bankrupt.
Experts believe that the European banks need at least €200 billion to €300 billion of additional capital to survive a Greek state bankruptcy. Like the bank bailout in the 2008 financial crisis, these funds would be recouped again through austerity measures at the expense of working people.
Many politicians and media representatives now regard a Greek state bankruptcy as a certainty.
Spiegel Online commented on the events of last week, saying: “Now the financial institutions are to be supported with taxpayers’ money. That might be cheaper than rescuing countries in crisis.”
And Europe’s leading financial newspaper, the Financial Times, published a comment on Thursday under the headline “Save the euro—let Greece default”.
“Given its debt, its budget and current account deficits and its woeful lack of competitiveness, Greece cannot escape the debt trap”, it stated. “Austerity piled on austerity will simply kill the patient.”
To manage the country’s bankruptcy, the Financial Times calls for “a co-ordinated recapitalisation of the banks and a quadrupling to €2,000bn or so in the firepower of the European Financial Stability Facility.” The bill for these measures will have to be paid by working people throughout Europe, in the form of further cuts and austerity measures.
The preparations for Greek state bankruptcy mark a new stage in the offensive of the ruling financial elite against the working class. This offensive can only be answered by a common struggle of European workers on the basis of a socialist programme, which focuses on the expropriation of the banks and big corporations and the establishment of the United Socialist States of Europe. |
Novel [Ru(L)(Tpms)]Cl and [Ru(L)(TpmsPh)]Cl complexes (L = p-cymene, benzene, or hexamethylbenzene, Tpms = tris(pyrazolyl)methanesulfonate, TpmsPh = tris(3-phenylpyrazolyl)methanesulfonate) have been prepared by reaction of [Ru(L)(μ-Cl) 2 ] 2 with Li[Tpms] and Li[TpmsPh], respectively. [Ru(p-cymene)(Tpms)]BF 4 has been synthesized through a metathetic reaction of [Ru(p-cymene)(Tpms)]Cl with AgBF 4 . [RuCl(cod)(Tpms)] (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) and [RuCl(cod)(TpmsPh)] are also reported, being obtained by reaction of [RuCl 2 (cod)(MeCN) 2 ] with Li[Tpms] and Li[TpmsPh], respectively. The structures of the complexes and the coordination modes of the ligands have been established by IR, NMR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (for [RuL(Tpms)]X (L = p-cymene or HMB, X = Cl; L = p-cymene, X = BF 4 )) studies. Electrochemical studies showed that each complex undergoes a single-electron RuII → RuIII oxidation at a potential measured by cyclic voltammetry, allowing to compare the electron-donor characters of the tris(pyrazolyl)methanesulfonate and arene ligands, and to estimate, for the first time, the values of the Lever E L ligand parameter for TmpsPh, HMB, and cod. |
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Coming off the success of his directorial debut The Cabin in the Woods, which he also co-wrote with Joss Whedon, filmmaker Drew Goddard lined up a couple of exciting and massive filmmaking opportunities that unfortunately fell through. First he signed on to create, direct, and serve as showrunner on Marvel’s first Netflix series Daredevil. But after penning the first two scripts and working to conceive the series, Goddard got an opportunity he couldn’t pass up: writing and directing a Sinister Six movie as part of Sony’s Spider-Man universe. So he left his showrunner role on Daredevil to develop and write Sinister Six, but unfortunately after The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s release, Sony opted to scrap its interconnected universe plans and team up on a new reboot with Marvel Studios as a partner, effectively cancelling Goddard’s Sinister Six.
It hasn’t been all bad for Goddard—he was nominated for an Oscar for penning 2015’s blockbuster The Martian, he still serves as an executive producer on Daredevil, and he helmed the pilot of one of this year’s best new shows The Good Place—but it was a bummer to see his directorial projects fall apart. Luckily, Goddard is now lining up a new project to direct, and it’s a 100% original.
Per THR, Goddard just sold a secretive spec script titled Bad Times at the El Royale to 20th Century Fox which he will produce and direct. Details are being kept firmly under wraps, but it’s described as a contained thriller with either sci-fi or horror elements—which doesn’t sound dissimilar from Cabin in the Woods.
Indeed, Goddard kept this thing so close to the vest that when he was shopping the script to studios, it was only sent to top studio execs and they had to read it on an iPad that they’d then have to hand back to a courier, bypassing the normal reading process.
This is great news, not only that Goddard is getting back behind the camera, but that it’s an original project. We recently broke the news that Goddard is also working on the script for Deadpool 2, so the guy is certainly in demand. But Cabin in the Woods showed a confidence of vision as a filmmaker, and I can’t wait to see what surprises Bad Times at the El Royale has in store. |
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The University of California system said on Friday it will drop its roughly $30 million worth of investments in private prison companies following demands from a black student group.
The decision comes amid a wave of student protests against racism at college campuses across the country as well as the Black Lives Matter civil rights movement against the U.S. criminal justice system, which disproportionately impacts black people.
The UC system’s chief investment officer, Jagdeep Singh Bachher, made the decision after meeting with students of the Afrikan Black Coalition, university spokeswoman Dianne Klein said.
Klein said the UC system has a policy against “blanket divestment,” but made the decision after further review.
“This made sense given our conclusion that, based on risk over the next several years, these holdings were not a good investment for a long-term investor such as UC,” Klein said.
Klein said the amount invested was less than $30 million, a tiny fraction of the UC system’s $100 billion investment portfolio. Klein said she did not know exactly which private prison companies the system held shares in or exactly how much money was invested.
The coalition, a California-wide student group, said the UC system had $25 million invested in Corrections Corporation of America and The Geo Group.
Corrections Corporation spokesman Jonathan Burns said: “Frankly, we’re delighted to have a greater share of investors who are thoughtful about our business, can tell the difference between rhetoric and reality, and agree that the free market is a great creator of innovation and economic opportunity.”
The Geo Group could not be immediately reached for comment.
The student union also called on the UC system to divest some $425 million of investments in Wells Fargo & Co, which it said is a large investor in private prison firms and has been accused in courts across the country of practicing predatory lending against minorities.
Klein said the UC system has no plans to drop its Wells Fargo investments.
In July, Wells Fargo won a dismissal of lawsuits in Chicago and Los Angeles that alleged it violated the federal Fair Housing Act. The California city of Oakland filed its own lawsuit against the company in September. |
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which also acts as the Central Bank, promulgated a new document regulating the turnover of tokens in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act.
According to the text, tokens created for the ICO, subject to certain conditions, can be considered as securities. This category includes tokens that represent the products of capital.
Such tokens are determined in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Futures Act. For example, investment fund tokens can be considered as securities. On the other hand, the tokens of technical projects do not fall within the competence of MAS and can’t be considered as securities.
In addition, MAS is working on the development of a new set of documents aimed at combating money laundering and terrorism financing.
The Monetary Authority of the country also published a report on the Ubin state program, which actually transfers the gross settlement system to blockchain. Currently, three platforms are being tested: HyperLedger Fabric, Corda and Quorum.
The report indicates that such a reform will reduce the cost of performing daily payment transactions, as well as secure the financial ecosystem from the impact of problems within the Central Bank. The role of the Central Bank itself is reduced to monitoring the system operation and resolving disputes.
Discover more at ICO event Amsterdam! |
A Palestinian wearing what appeared to be an explosive belt stabbed a Border Police officer in the upper body, moderately wounding him, in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Friday during a violent Palestinian protest, police said.
“A terrorist approached Border Police officers who were responding to a riot at the Judea and Samaria Square in Ramallah, and stabbed one of them,” police said, adding that they were investigating the possibility that the terrorist was “mingling with journalists and posing as a one” in order to get close to the troops.
The assailant was shot by the other officers at the scene and was seriously wounded. He later died of his wounds, the Palestinian Authority health ministry said, naming him as Mohammed Aqal, 29.
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The apparent explosive belt did not go off. Police said they were investigating if it was a real bomb or only a device meant to look like one. The attacker, still wearing the apparent suicide bomb belt, was taken away from the scene for medical treatment by the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service. Later, Hadashot news said the suicide belt was a model that did not contain actual explosives.
The officer was treated at the scene and then taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where he was listed in “a moderate condition with two stab wounds in the upper body.” The hospital said his condition was stable and he was undergoing examinations before being operated on.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the security forces.
“I praise the work of the Border Police force that took out the terrorist,” Netanyahu tweeted, adding that he sends his wishes for a speedy recovery to the soldier who was wounded. “Thank you to our forces who protect us around the clock. Everybody salutes you.”
Once a mainstay of Palestinian terrorist tactics during the second intifada, suicide bombings have become exceedingly rare in recent years. The last suicide bombing occurred in April 2016, when a Palestinian terrorist blew up a bus in Jerusalem, killing himself and injuring 20 people, in an attack organized by Hamas.
Friday’s stabbing took place in the midst of a violent protest against US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last Wednesday.
Also Friday, a 30-year-old Israeli was lightly injured near the West Bank town of Hizme, outside Jerusalem, when Palestinians threw rocks at his car. He was treated at the scene by medics at the scene and taken to a Jerusalem hospital for treatment, the Magen David Adom emergency service said.
Palestinian media said that a number of protesters sustained light wounds after being hit by Israeli tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, but no serious injuries were reported as of Friday afternoon.
Following noon-time prayers, riots were reported in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Qalqilya and Nablus. Demonstrators burned tires and threw rocks at Israeli troops, who fired back at them with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Hundreds of Palestinians also took part in protests throughout the Gaza Strip, according to local media.
While widespread, the protests initially appeared to be less violent than the previous week’s, and had fewer participants.
Hundreds of additional IDF soldiers were deployed across the West Bank and on the Gaza border ahead of the demonstrations against Trump’s proclamation.
Clashes were also expected in Jerusalem but following relative clam in the capital last week, police did not to impose any age restrictions on Muslim worshipers praying on the Temple Mount. At times of expected violence, Israeli authorities sometimes limit access to the site for young men, who are more likely to clash with police. |
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A surprising report in Mexico’s Medio Tempo has claimed that the USA vs Mexico friendly scheduled for Wednesday may not proceed as planned due to the poor condition of temporary grass installed in the Alamodome.
The temporary sod is laid flat over concrete, and Mexico was unable to train today because the field was in bad condition. The grounds crew then heeded Mexico’s warnings and worked to improve the condition of the field.
The report says that Mexico instead practiced at the Trinity University field today, and the general manager of the Mexican Soccer Federation Hector Gonzalez Inarritu has floated the idea of refusing to play should Alamodome conditions not improve. It says they will assess the field conditions again today or tomorrow.
The game was scheduled in San Antonio to utilize the large 60,000-seat capacity of the Alamodome, despite sacrificing both home field advantage and logistics in the process. A pro-Mexican crowd has already sold out the match just 150 miles north of the USA-Mexico border, and now issues with the playing surface have arisen.
#SodUpdate: The pitch has been transported to San Antonio and installation is underway at the #Alamodome! pic.twitter.com/ok8yL6RtLu — U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) April 11, 2015
The scene for Miguel Herrera's makeshift press conference at Trinity University in San Antonio #USAvMEX pic.twitter.com/oVoWoEYQmr — John Strong (@StrongMLS) April 14, 2015
It’s unclear what would happen officially should Mexico refuse to play, with a forfeit and a flat out cancellation of the match both in play. The United States is scheduled to train at 5pm tonight on the surface. US Soccer has responded accordingly:
Regarding the USA-Mexico field conditions & reports, U.S. Soccer is confident the field will be ready or Wednesday’s #USMNT friendly. — Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) April 14, 2015
(1/2) More Buethe:"The field installation was not completed when the Mexico National Team representative saw it on Monday." #usmnt #USAvMEX — Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) April 14, 2015
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Representative Joe Barton of Texas introduced a bill Friday that would allow for the legalization of online poker in the United States. The bill, named the “Internet Gambling Prohibition, Poker Consumer Protection, and Strengthening UIGEA Act of 2011,” would allow individual states to choose whether they want to allow residents access to online poker rooms.
“Poker is an all-American game, and it’s a game that requires strategy and skill,” said Rep. Barton in a statement Friday. “Millions of Americans play poker online. Although it’s legal to play for money, it’s illegal to process the transactions that allow players to collect their earnings.”
“We want to have an iron-clad system to make sure that those who play for money are playing in an honest, fair system where they can reap the benefits of their winnings. To put it simply, this bill is about having the personal freedom to play a skill-based game you enjoy without fear of breaking the law. ”
The bill has 11 co-sponsors, including Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Rep. John Campbell (R-CA). Many parts of Barton bill look similar to the one drawn up by Frank last summer that never made its way through the Senate. Barton’s bill is fuzzy in some areas, but several regulations were drawn out regarding matters such as player age requirement, cheating, license eligibility, and deposit methods.
The bill would prohibit players from using credit cards for transactions and enforce an age limit of 21. Younger players would not be able to cash out any winnings, but would be responsible for any losses. Cheaters, meanwhile, could be charged with a federal crime, punishable by a fine and/or up to three years in prison. The bill mentions the use of bots as well as collusion as forms of cheating, but would not initially prohibit popular tracking programs such as PokerTracker or Hold’Em Manager.
Like versions of online poker bills of the past, this bill would allow for only U.S. residents to play against one another, isolating Americans from playing against players from other countries as they had been accustomed to on sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.
Players would also have the option of excluding themselves from playing on a particular site. Should they find a way to play during their self-exclusion, the same rules for under-aged players would apply for those caught in the act.
The legislation doesn’t have a timetable, but Barton and his supporters are in the process of moving it as quickly as possible. If passed, the bill would need to make its way through the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Treasury, and then the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The licensing framework would then begin under the supervision of the Department of Commerce. That department would have control over issuing licenses to online poker operators.
The Barton bill was met with overwhelming support Friday by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a Washington-based non-profit group formed to protect poker players’ rights. The PPA released a statement following the release of the bill:
“On behalf of the PPA membership and millions of poker players across the country, I thank Congressman Barton for his commitment to protecting Americans’ freedom to play poker on the Internet,” said former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the PPA. “As recent events have shown, the lack of clarity surrounding online poker has wreaked havoc on Americans who choose to play this great game both for fun and in some cases as their profession. Congressman Barton’s bill aims to bring clarity to the law, while implementing tough consumer protections and providing a mechanism for the Federal and state governments to collect billions of dollars in revenue. ”
Congressman Barton will make an appearance at the World Series of Poker Saturday to announce the ceremonial “Shuffle Up and Deal” for Event #43, a $1,500 No Limit Hold ’em tournament, at Noon PT. Players can voice their support of the bill to him in person at the Rio, or send a customized email to their member of Congress urging him or her to support the Barton bill. |
Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
Now that my blood pressure has returned to normal after responding to Dr. Trenberth, I returned to thinking about my earlier somewhat unsatisfying attempt to make a very simple emulation of the GISS Model E (herinafter GISSE) climate model. I described that attempt here, please see that post for the sources of the datasets used in this exercise.
After some reflection and investigation, I realized that the GISSE model treats all of the forcings equally … except volcanoes. For whatever reason, the GISSE climate model only gives the volcanic forcings about 40% of the weight of the rest of the forcings.
So I took the total forcings, and reduced the volcanic forcing by 60%. Then it was easy, because nothing further was required. It turns out that the GISSE model temperature hindcast is that the temperature change in degrees C will be 30% of the adjusted forcing change in watts per square metre (W/m2). Figure 1 shows that result:
Figure 1. GISSE climate model hindcast temperatures, compared with temperatures hindcast using the formula ∆T = 0.3 ∆Q, where T is temperature and Q is the same forcings used by the GISSE model, with the volcanic forcing reduced by 60%.
What are the implications of this curious finding?
First, a necessary detour into black boxes. For the purpose of this exercise, I have treated the GISS-E model as a black box, for which I know only the inputs (forcings) and outputs (hindcast temperatures). It’s like a detective game, trying to emulate what’s happening inside the GISSE black box without being able to see inside.
The resulting emulation can’t tell us what actually is happening inside the black box. For example, the black box may take the input, divide it by four, and then multiply the result by eight and output that number.
Looking at this from the outside of the black box, what we see is that if we input the number 2, the black box outputs the number 4. We input 3 and get 6, we input 5 and we get 10, and so on. So we conclude that the black box multiplies the input by 2.
Of course, the black box is not actually multiplying the input by 2. It is dividing by 4 and multiplying by 8. But from outside the black box that doesn’t matter. It is effectively multiplying the input by 2. We cannot use the emulation to say what is actually happening inside the black box. But we can say that the black box is functionally equivalent to a black box that multiplies by two. The functional equivalence means that we can replace one black box with the other because they give the same result. It also allows us to discover and state what the first black box is effectively doing. Not what it is actually doing, but what it is effectively doing. I will return to this idea of functional equivalence shortly.
METHODS
Let me describe what I have done to get to the conclusions in Figure 1. First, I did a multiple linear regression using all the forcings, to see if the GISSE temperature hindcast could be expressed as a linear combination of the forcing inputs. It can, with an r^2 of 0.95. That’s a good fit.
However, that result is almost certainly subject to “overfitting”, because there are ten individual forcings that make up the total. With so many forcings, you end up with lots of parameters, so you can match most anything. This means that the good fit doesn’t mean a lot.
I looked further, and I saw that the total forcing versus temperature match was excellent except for one forcing — the volcanoes. Experimentation showed that the GISSE climate model is underweighting the volcanic forcings by about 60% from the original value, while the rest of the forcings are given full value.
Then I used the total GISS forcing with the appropriately reduced volcanic contribution, and we have the result shown in Figure 1. Temperature change is 30% of the change in the adjusted forcing. Simple as that. It’s a really, really short methods section because what the GISSE model is effectively doing is really, really simple.
DISCUSSION
Now, what are (and aren’t) the implications available within this interesting finding? What does it mean that regarding temperature, to within an accuracy of five hundredths of a degree (0.05°C RMS error) the GISSE model black box is functionally equivalent to a black box that simply multiplies the adjusted forcing times 0.3?
My first implication would have to be that the almost unbelievable complexity of the Model E, with thousands of gridcells and dozens of atmospheric and oceanic levels simulated, and ice and land and lakes and everything else, all of that complexity masks a correspondingly almost unbelievable simplicity. The modellers really weren’t kidding when they said everything else averages out and all that’s left is radiation and temperature. I don’t think the climate works that way … but their model certainly does.
The second implication is an odd one, and quite important. Consider the fact that their temperature change hindcast (in degrees) is simply 0.3 times the forcing change (in watts per meter squared). But that is also a statement of the climate sensitivity, 0.3 degrees per W/m2. Converting this to degrees of warming for a doubling of CO2 gives us (0.3°C per W/m2) times (3.7 W/m2 per doubling of CO2), which yields a climate sensitivity of 1.1°C for a doubling of CO2. This is far below the canonical value given by the GISSE modelers, which is about 0.8°C per W/m2 or about 3°C per doubling.
The third implication is that there appears to be surprisingly little lag in their system. I can improve the fit of the above model slightly by adding a lag term based on the change in forcing with time d(Q)/dt. But that only improves the r^2 to 0.95, mainly by clipping the peaks of the volcanic excursions (temperature drops in e.g. 1885, 1964). A more complex lag expression could probably improve that, but with the initial expression having an r^2 of 0.92, that only leaves 0.08 of room for improvement, and some of that is surely random noise.
The fourth implication is that the model slavishly follows the radiative forcings. The model results are a 5-run average, so it is not clear how far an individual model run might stray from the fold. But since the five runs’ temperatures average out so close to 0.3 times the forcings, no individual one of them can be very far from the forcings.
Anyhow, that’s what I get out of the exercise. Further inferences, questions, objections, influences and expansions welcomed, politeness roolz, and please, no speculation about motives. Motives don’t matter.
w.
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Across the province people are feeling the ripple effect of the cuts being made by the provincial government. On Saturday, people from various walks of life joined together to protest.
“We’re all in this together. When you cut something it’s not just the people that are directly impacted by the jobs, it’s the people also that utilize the services,” said Darin Milo with the Regina and District Labour Council.
Approximately 150 people from various groups protested funding cuts and Bill 40, which would allow the government to sell off up to 49 per cent of crowns, at a rally in front of Finance Minister Kevin Doherty’s constituency office. The rally was organized by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour.
Representatives from Unifor, Students Mobilizing Against Cuts, and Public Pasture — Public Interest were among the speakers. This was one of many protests that have been happening across the province since the budget was released on March 22.
“Different organizations are going to have their different protests but what we’re also seeing are different groups attending protests of groups that they’re not normally associated with and it’s kind of all coming together that way,” Milo said.
Rick Ostlund, a Sasktel employee and Unifor member, spoke at the protest. Ostlund has attended various rallies and each time he has been reassured by the number of people attending.
“Its good to support the public on coming out and rising up against and letting the Sask Party know that what they’ve said and done over the last few years is a detriment to this province,” he said.
Ostlund said that during his years as a Sasktel employee, he has seen the impact the Saskatchewan Party’s policies has had on the crown corporation and now he is seeing those policies spill out to affect the rest of the province.
“Everybody sees the same thing, cuts that are hurtful. And so its reaffirmation of what we’ve known for quite a few years. So its good to see everybody else finally getting behind it and standing up against it,” he said.
Ostlund said he believes the protests are having an effect and are helping to make changes in the province.
“I think its changed the perception in this province of the current way that the government is running is not for the people, it’s for the business. The small changes one at a time will accumulate and add up to a lot,” he said.
NDP interim leader and leader of the official opposition, Trent Wotherspoon, also spoke at the rally.
“We’re going to fight for people in the legislature, we’re going to fight for people in the community, we’re going to rally and reach out … to fight to stop the cuts and to fight to stop the damaging sell-offs” he said.
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twitter.com/ashleymr1993 |
Everything is Hostile has been updated to version 2.4c
Every mod in the pack has been updated to the latest version
pack now runs on forge 1558
We are now including FTBUtils for land claiming and admin tools
The return of chromaticraft!
foresty 4.0 updates, lots of new stuff here
binnies removed (for now until he updates)
HQM upgraded to 4.4.4, required all new reward bags
new recipes including Extreme crafting
harder difficulty settings
remove geostrata
New mods:
Chromaticraft
deadly world as well, silverfish turned waaay down.
gadomancy
Agricraft
specialAI
Fragile Torches
Loginsheild
FTBUTils
Avaritia (ExtremeCrafting)
Added looking Glass util for live render of your mystcraft portals!
Runic Dungeons mod added
What are We looking at Mod
Our own custom BBTweaks mod has been added to the pack. This adds the option for an ingame currency system for use with the tradebooths. the /bb command will grant breakbit daily which can optionally be configured to be used as fuel for chunkloading.
In addition BBtweaks disabled the Drill of the dead in favor of a new Ritual of Culling. Ritual of Culling works similar to Drill of the dead but it "culls the weak". It will not kill enemies that are buffed with potion effects such as those spawned on cursed earth, UNLESS you empower the ritual with magicales.
It also adds the new ritual Nature's Leech which will consume trees, grass, flowers in a radius around the altar to create blood. It's slower than the drill but much less costly to get up and running helping to transition from early to mid game bloodmagic.
Orechid and blood magic meteros have been buffed with new oregen and radius increases respectively.
New oregen changes to allow for more rewarding manual mining.
Further balance tweaks within recipes and all dungeon loot completely revamped to be more rewarding, no more pieces of bread and string in your end strongholds!
Big trees world generation has been tweaked to be less dense and to allow for generation of BOP trees
As always more to come, please report any issues on our github tracker https://github.com/breakinblocks/everything-is-hostile/issues
this pack now includes Fastcraft, a mod made by player, this mod is designed to improve many aspects of game-play. Some mod developers may not accept errors with this mod installed, please test them again with out Fastcraft in you instance. More information can be found here - http://forum.industrial-craft.net/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=10820 |
While the Sioux nation has been in the spotlight almost daily for its opposition to construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, it has much more quietly been pursuing renewable energy development on the Standing Rock Reservation and other tribal lands across North and South Dakota.
Seven Sioux tribes in the Dakotas are developing what would be an enormous collection of wind farms on six reservations scattered across what is generally rated as one of the windiest areas in the country.
“The ultimate vision is to develop as much as 2 gigawatts, and potentially more,” said Caroline Herron, a consultant who’s been hired by the tribes to act as a project manager. Each of the reservations “can support a couple hundred megawatts, if not more. We’re recognizing that we’ll need to phase this in. We will probably start with a couple sites with a couple hundred megawatts each.”
The tribes four years ago formed the Oceti Sakowin Power Authority, the entity that is pursuing the wind projects. The group formed a corporation, received $400,000 in grants from a couple of private foundations and has done some preliminary planning work.
Lyle Jack, who represents the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the authority’s board, said the authority hopes to have the first turbines spinning within three years. The authority intends to issue municipal or power bonds to finance the purchase and installation of turbines.
The current challenge, however, is to identify $10 million in collateral so the authority can tap into a $10 million loan guarantee approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those funds would pay for cultural and environmental surveys aimed at assessing any harm the project might cause to bird populations, archaeological sites and other sensitive natural resources in the area.
If the authority cannot gather up $10 million in collateral in the form of, say, cash and grazing rights, Jack said it will look outside the tribes. That would mean the tribes would lose some control of the project, a specter that Jack said has hamstrung their efforts in the past.
For years, according to Jack, the South Dakota tribes “have been trying to do clean-energy projects, but we all run into the same problems, such as investors wanting to come in and own the project, and to just lease the land from the tribes. The tribes want to control their own energy resources.
“We do need the jobs and revenue that this project would create, and it also coincides with our culture in taking care of the earth and climate. To us, the wind is sacred. Also, it’s giving us a chance to do our part in reducing the carbon footprint, and to help slow down climate change.”
The wind resource in South Dakota generally is ranked as one of the top five among the 50 states, and Herron said preliminary assessments indicate that all six sites “have great wind resources.” Depending on the turbines they use, she said, the capacity factor could be “well over 50 or 60 percent. They’re really great capacity factors.”
More-detailed wind studies are needed before Herron and the tribes can approach potential investors.
The Oceti Sakowin Power Authority also will need to develop additional transmission to move the power from remote rural areas to populated regions with a hankering for more power.
“It’s the biggest issue in that whole area,” Herron said. The tribes know they’ll have to make significant investments in more transmission, and have included the cost of it in their financial projections, Jack said.
Herron pointed out that other wind farms — and transmission upgrades — have been developed near reservations in Nebraska, the Dakotas and Iowa.
“The nut’s been cracked before,” she said.
The tribes also have to find buyers for their power. Jack said they’ve spoken with interested potential customers, including utilities and corporations. He said he is prevented by a legal agreement from disclosing any details.
As wind measurements yield specifics about just how good the breezes are, Herron said, she and the power authority “will be able to take that to the next level of discussion with a potential power purchaser.”
Although many details remain cloudy, she and Jack are confident that the pieces will come together.
“I think (the tribes) have gotten through the most difficult challenges already, in deciding to work together and putting together a strong relationship,” Herron said. “They’ve got great resources. The rest of it is technical challenges that any project would have. It’s nothing that can’t be worked through.” |
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (CNN/Screenshot)
The office of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, a Republican and evangelical Christian, on Sunday deleted a tweet many saw as offensive and insensitive that was sent out shortly after the deadly attack on a gay nightclub in Florida.
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows,” read the Bible verse Patrick sent out on his official Twitter account a few hours after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history that left at least 50 dead.
His office was not immediately available for comment but has told local media, including the Dallas Morning News, that the tweet had been scheduled for release well before the shooting. The office, which regularly sends out a Bible verse on Sundays, has since deleted it and replaced with another passage, they said.
But the deleted tweet from a politician who has condemned same-sex marriage and fought against LGBT rights still raised the ire of those who accused Patrick of blaming the victims.
“You are a disgrace to your state in this time of national sorrow. You should resign,” prominent LGBT activist George Takei wrote on Twitter.
The Texas Democratic Party called on Patrick to apologize immediately.
“Make this right. We are better than this,” it said in a statement.
Patrick is currently out of the country and has not yet made comment to media about the tweet.
The new verse sent on his account reads: “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.”
(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Nick Zieminski) |
The Cincinnati Enquirer endorsed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race, breaking from a nearly century-long tradition of backing Republicans.
When considering their decision this year, the editorial board of the Enquirer said they didn’t take breaking their tradition of endorsing GOP candidates lightly.
“But this is not a traditional race, and these are not traditional times,” they wrote.
The board called Clinton and her Republican rival, The board called Clinton and her Republican rival, Donald Trump , “the most unpopular pair of presidential candidates in American history.”
“Trump, despite all of his bluster about wanting to ‘make America great again,’ has exploited and expanded our internal divisions,” they wrote. “Clinton’s arrogance and unwillingness to admit wrongdoing have made her a divisive and distrusted figure as well.”
The board called Trump “a clear and present danger to our country,” citing his lack of foreign policy experience and exclusionary remarks about women and minorities as some of their “fears” about his candidacy. |
The Prison Industrial Complex
Only the most vile, degenerate and immoral person could feel good about the practice of for profit institutionalized slavery which dominated the southern economy for 300 years. What is even more unacceptable is that people who knew better, presumably Christian people with a conscience did little or nothing while evil was triumphing.
Today, America is witnessing the rebirth of institutionalized slavery within its borders and it is indeed a predominantly racist practice with Latinos and Blacks comprising the bulk of the new slaves. And we are also witnessing racist rates of incarceration within our juvenile justice system. This outrageous practice should be decried by every media outlet in the country, but this problem is all but ignored by the mainstream media (MSM). Why? Because the MSM is making money off of this unholy practice.
A Growing Customer Base
There are over two million inmates in American prisons, or one in 743 people. Communist China, which has five times the population of the United States, has 500,000 less inmates. The United States has only 5% of the world’s population, but has 25% of the world’s prison population.
In 1972, the U.S. had less than 300,000 inmates. By 1990, the incarceration rate had skyrocketed to one million and by today, the rate has more than doubled again. Again, I ask why? Because there is very big monied interests behind the growth industry of privatized prisons.
According to Charles Campbell, author of The Intolerable Hulks (2001), the privatization of the prisons movement has its origins in the Revolutionary War period. England began to put undesirables and prisoners in prison ships. The U.S. fully embraced the use of private prisons during the Reconstruction Period (1865-1876) in the south, following the Civil War. Plantation owners and business owners needed “free” replacements to compensate for the loss of their previous slave laborers. In 1868, convict leases were awarded to private business interests in order to bolster their labor workforce and the practice continued until the early 20th century.
Today, this practice has been taken over by private corporate interests who are increasingly taking over our prison system and this unholy practice is no less exploitative than the slave labor abuses of the past and as in all forms of slavery, it is being fueled by profit.
Prison for Profit
The Corrections Corporation of America is the largest private prison operator in the United States. The CCA procured its first private prison in, ironically, 1984.
Did you know that in many states, privatized prisons are guaranteed 90% occupancy rates by the government?
According to the California Prison Focus “The private contracting of prisoners for work fosters incentives to lock people up. Prisons depend on this income. Corporate stockholders who make money off prisoners’ work lobby for longer sentences, in order to expand their workforce. The system feeds itself,” says a study by the Progressive Labor Party, which accuses the prison industry of being “an imitation of Nazi Germany with respect to forced slave labor and concentration camps.”
The Impetus Behind the Prison Industrial Complex
According to public analysis from the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), the largest holder in Corrections Corporation of America is Vanguard Group Incorporated. Vanguard is a major player in controlling several media giants. Vanguard is the third largest holder in Viacom and AOL Time Warner. Vanguard is also the third largest holder in the GEO Group. The GEO group, second only in size to the CCA with regard to privatized prisons as it controls over 100 correctional facilities in the US, UK, Australia and South Africa. In addition to CCA’s unwarranted control over the media, the number-one holder of both Viacom and Time Warner is a company called Blackrock. Blackrock is the second largest holder in CCA, and the sixth largest holder in the GEO Group in this never-ending incestuous relationship.
The conclusion is inescapable. The people who control privatized prisons in the United States are also heavily vested in the media. This is why you don’t hear about the Prison Industrial Complex in the media and the installation of institutionalized slavery in our privatized prisons goes largely unreported in the media.
Vanguard Windsor II Investment Fund owns CCA. However, CCA is a minute part of the Vanguard Windsor II Funds. Vanguard Windsor is also invested in corporate giants like JP Morgan, IBM Pfizer and Conoco. This accounts for the Wall Street backing of privatized prisons and the subsequent lobbying for longer and stricter prison sentences which fuels this growth industry.
This makes the privatized prison industry a Wall Street backed growth opportunity.
Increasingly, the victims of this corrupt prison system are the youth of America.
Need A Job? Go to Prison, They’re Hiring
The Prison Industrial Complex is an impressive growth industry which is fueled by its Wall Street investors and leads to greatly overcrowded and inhumane prisons.
According to the Left Business Observer, the highly privatized federal prison industry produces “100% of all military helmets, ammunition belts, bullet-proof vests, ID tags, shirts, pants, tents, bags, and canteens. Thus, we see a partial marriage between private prisons and our government’s wars of occupation. Namely, prison slave labor is being used to produce the weapons and supplies of war.
America has found and antidote to the loss of manufacturing through the various free trade agreements (i.e. NAFTA, CAFTA). Unfortunately, prison slave labor is the solution. The Left Business Observer identifies private corporate interests benefiting from prison slave labor which includes the manufacturing of “93% of all paints and paintbrushes; 92% of stove assembly; 46% of body armor; 36% of home appliances; 30% of headphones/microphones/speakers; and 21% of office furniture.”
Go to School and End Up In Prison
There are almost 75,000 juveniles in prison and the rates are skyrocketing because of a phenomenon that is now being referred to as the school to prison pipeline in which schools are increasingly refusing to deal with even minor discipline issues and are placing juveniles in police custody.
In 2010, there were 5,574 school-based arrests of juveniles in the Chicago Public School. The juvenile arrests accounted for about one of every five juvenile arrests in the entire city of Chicago for all of 2010. The incarceration rates for Chicago’s juveniles are in line with most other metropolitan areas in the country. There is also a general trend of disproportionate rates of minority contact within the juvenile justice system, Black youth accounted for 74% of school-based arrests, and 22.5% of youth arrested were Latino. The enrollment of Chicago schools in was 45% Black and 41% Latino. These high arrest rates for so many of our minority youth, create potential slave laborers for the Prison Industrial Complex. Once a child is adjudicated in the justice system, society usually witnesses a straight line right to prison. These precious children are having their futures robbed from them before they can even get started. What are they being arrested for? The number one reason is fighting on school grounds.
As a child, I had fights on school grounds, but nobody tried to send me to prison. The number two reason why children end up in the justice system is for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
As a former mental health counselor, I am all too familiar with the devastation brought on by use of drugs. However, marijuana is not one of these drugs. If legalizing marijuana runs against everything you believe in, how about decriminalizing. In other words, we still make the drug illegal but nobody goes to prison for simple possession.
The federal authorities, controlled by the corporations will never allow such a common sense, liberalized approach to drug enforcement. The feds even arrest medical marijuana dispensers and users. Why? Because Wall Street wants prisoners to fill its increasingly privatized and for-profit prison system. This is the major reason why America has 25% of the world’s prison population.
Our minority youth, in the inner cities, are being conditioned by the system that going to prison is part of the life experience. And with extremely high recidivism rates, prison slave labor will never have any shortage of participants.
The Prison Industrial Complex and their lobbyists are responsible for zero tolerance policies, mandatory sentencing and the three strikes life sentencing that is so prominent in many of our states and unless we identify these abuses and stop them, it is only going to get worse.
These events are culminating to establish was has been dubbed as the School to Prison Pipeline
Increasingly, the youth of America are the main participants and as a result slavery has reared its ugly head in the modern era and it is racist and exploits many of our youth for profit. And that is the topic of Part two of the Prison Industrial Complex.
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After Mirko Caballero sent Lethal Design, (V12) He set his eyes on the infamous Meadow Lark Lemon (V13 stand start, V14 sit start). After battling the problem for a few days a foot hold breaks making Mirko have to change his beta. Meadow Lark pushes the kid to his max but with Shaun Raboutou's help he sees some new beta and redoubles his efforts. After another two-day battle he finally manages the standing start and not too longer after Mirko completed the sit start (V14, 8b+) making him, at age 13, the youngest person ever to climb the grade. Factoid: the next youngest person to climb V14 was Adam Ondra at age 15. A Kid Climbs one of the Coolest Problems in the USA | Caballero Confessions of a Kid Crusher, Ep. 5 |
Struggling steelmaker Arrium to be boosted by new import duties imposed on cheap Chinese steel
Updated
Import duties will be imposed on "unfairly priced" Chinese steel products by the Federal Government in a bid to help embattled South Australian steelmaker Arrium remain competitive.
Key points: Import duties now apply to two types of steel products from China
Duties are up to 53 per cent of the export price, and are intended to help Arrium
Australian Workers Union says the move will not help Whyalla
Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said duties of between 37 per cent and 53 per cent of the export price would apply to "rod in coil", and between 11 per cent and 30 per cent on reinforcing bar.
The move is intended to drive down oversupply of Chinese steel, and is based on recommendations by the Anti-Dumping Commission.
Pressure has been mounting on the Government to tighten anti-dumping measures as a result of the plight of Arrium.
The company is in voluntary administration with debts of $4 billion, and workers at the company's Whyalla steelworks are facing an uncertain future.
"Obviously we have relatively high production costs and China has relatively low production costs, and they have been potentially unfairly pricing their steel in Australia because of extra support from their Government," Mr Pyne said.
"This obviously assists Arrium who are producers of these kinds of goods.
"The Australian Government is working to sustain the local steel industry, while acting within World Trade Organisation rules."
Mr Pyne said the duties would apply as of April 22.
The Government said the exact duty would depend on the exporter, and "there would be an additional duty should the export price fall below a specified floor price".
The Australian Workers Union (AWU) said the measures would help parts of Arrium's business but did not go far enough.
"It's certainly not the fix for Whyalla," national secretary Scott McDine said.
"We need to boost local steel procurement for Government infrastructure projects up to 90 per cent... and we need to see co-investment in steelworks like Whyalla so we can upgrade them."
South Australian acting branch secretary Peter Lamps said Whyalla was mainly in the business of producing steel products other than those targeted by the new measures.
"Whyalla mainly produces structural steel and rail products," he said.
"That is just as much under stress, as far as the dumping of overseas products is concerned, as reo rod and bar."
SA Government offers free legal advice to Whyalla contractors
The Federal Government said Australia currently has 44 anti-dumping measures in place that apply to 12 steel products from 14 countries.
The union said the new duties do not breach Australia's obligations under its free trade agreement with China.
South Australian Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis visited Whyalla on Friday to meet with contractors receiving free legal advice from the State Government.
Debts to Arrium's suppliers have been frozen and it is not clear when they will be paid.
"We're also offering accounting services and consultation with the administrator to make sure they all get access to the appropriate financial advice," Mr Koutsantonis said.
Mr Koutsantonis said a 10-month high in iron ore prices would do little to help Arrium in the short term.
Topics: steel, industry, federal-government, unions, tax, trade, whyalla-5600, sa
First posted |
If you've arrived here too late and still want to subscribe to Year 2 of NF Magazine, you can do so directly through our online store by clicking right here! For a limited time after the conclusion of the campaign, subscriptions through the website will also qualify to receive the free print copy of Issue #1 that was unlocked as a stretch goal here! So get moving!
Below, the campaign page's contents from its final day, preserved:
Hey there, Kickstarter audience! Thanks for checking out NF Magazine, coming to you from the Nintendo Force. Maybe you've already heard of us, and maybe you haven't. But whether you've been with us from the beginning or you're just now jumping on board, this campaign is the place to join the Force for 2014!
Our funding goal has been achieved! We're now using the remaining days of our campaign to push forward and hit stretch goals to enhance our Year 2 issues and add bonuses to everyone's subscriptions!
Don't miss the new Update #12! You do want some free video games, don't you?
If you've already subscribed by making a pledge and choosing a tier, you might now want to consider adding on some add-ons! Add-ons are extra things that you can tag onto your existing subscription order, if you want to. They're optional, and not everyone will want or need to take advantage of them. But they're pretty snazzy enhancements to your Year 2 subscription if you do choose to go for them!
Here's how add-ons work:
STEP 1: Click the "Manage Your Pledge" button up near the top of the campaign page.
STEP 2: Increase your pledge amount by the number equivalent to the add-on(s) you want. Don't change your pledge tier! Add-ons aren't new tiers you're picking, they're just tagged on to the tier you already picked.
EXAMPLE: Say your pledge tier selection is the $25 Early Bird Print Subscription. If you want to upgrade that print subscription to first-class shipping speed, you'd add on $7 to your earlier pledge amount of $25, making it $32 instead. You'll then confirm with us in your backer survey after the campaign's over that you want the first-class add-on, and you're all set!
Got it? Here are your add-on options, starting with the one we just used for that example:
For more details about the first two add-ons, please read Update #6! It's got the full explanations for them. For the second pair of add-ons, check out the full explanations in Update #14. And if you've got more questions after that, hit us up using the Message function here and we'll answer them for you!
Here's where the fun really begins! We've already hit our bottom-line funding goal of $49,000, so we've raised enough money to pay for the printing, packaging and shipping costs of all of our Year 2 issues. But if we can now go above $49k, we can start enhancing those issues and offering our subscribers some fun bonuses too. Take a look:
Stretch Goal #1 has been hit! We'll celebrate the success of our Kickstarter campaign by giving all of our backers new desktop wallpaper versions of Thor's art seen in the campaign video above – the Mighty No. 9 cast illustration first published in Issue #6, and the "They Can Dig It!" piece that brought together Shovel Knight, Dig Dug, Drill Man and all of the rest of gaming's most notable digging characters in Issue #7.
Stretch Goal #2 has been achieved! We'll now be able to begin realizing one of our early dreams for the magazine – including physical, fold-out posters with original artwork, suitable for hanging on your wall. (Just like the classic Nintendo Power issues did, except that our posters won't be stapled into the issue, forcing you to rip them to remove them.) Thor is already hard at work on this first poster, and it will have a Mario Kart focus to tie in with Issue #8's coverage of Mario Kart 8. (Digital subscribers will get this art in desktop wallpaper form.)
Stretch Goal #3 has been smashed! This one wasn't a sexy instant gratification bonus for our backers, but it is essential for Year 2's issues to be able to be created with as much quality and care as possible – so far, all of NF Magazine's issues have been put together solely as a labor of love. But it's time to start paying this team, don't you think?
We did it! A full print run of Issue #1 has been funded by us hitting the $64,000 stretch goal, so a copy of our original debut issue will now be sent to every Year 2 subscriber for free!
We hit this last stretch goal with less than seven hours remaining in the campaign, so rather than us deciding what any extra money beyond $64k will go to support, we're going to let democracy determine how we use any surplus. After the campaign's over, we'll poll our backers and ask for your opinions about these three different Surplus Goal options:
If you want more posters beyond the one that will be included in Issue #8, let us know! If more consistent page count is your priority, vote for that! If you like us to explore the option of printing our issues on heavier stock, make your voice heard!
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Hit us up through the Get in Touch box at the bottom of the NFMagazine.com home page.
You guys rock!
Here's some background info for you. Back in December of 2012, Nintendo Power Magazine shipped its last issue. That got a lot of long-time Nintendo fans upset, as NP had been the one consistent and reliable print magazine covering Nintendo video games ever since the '80s. Some of us had been subscribers for over two decades, and there were still tens of thousands of active subscribers getting new issues delivered in the mail up until that final issue.
Well, we didn't want to see that legacy die. So we assembled a dream team of the most well known Nintendo journalists from around the world and launched a new magazine just a little over a year ago – the first issue went on sale on January 11, 2013, exactly one month after Nintendo Power ended.
Now, NF Magazine is not Nintendo Power. But we're carrying the torch forward into the future by paying homage to the best parts of NP's past while forging a new identity with an all-new team.
Want to check out some page previews, to see what NF Magazine has already done throughout the previous year? We've got a series of "Look Inside" pages available on NFMagazine.com for you to browse – clicking on any of the magazine covers below will let you jump over to our site and peek at several pages inside each one. You'll see some similarities to the old NP, and some things that are totally new and totally NF. All together, it's like a highlight reel of Year 1!
Nintendo Power’s final issue went on sale on newsstands on December 11, 2012. Exactly one month later, on January 11, 2013, the first issue of Nintendo Force went live. Made available only through the print-on-demand service of MagCloud and set at a steep price of $17.99 per copy (print-on-demand is expensive), the debut issue of Nintendo Force nonetheless overcame that obstacle of prohibitive cost and soared to shatter all of MagCloud’s sales records – it became the most successful single issue in the history of the site, with thousands upon thousands of copies sold (and more are still being added to that number daily). The incredible reception proved that an audience still existed hungry for Nintendo games coverage in magazine form, and propelled us to pursue subscriptions and enter production on a full year of follow-up issues.
How do you follow up such a huge success as our debut issue? By making a sequel issue that is itself all about sequels! Rather than just creating one magazine after another defined only by the time of their release, we established the practice of having an overall theme that guided the content of each new issue here with #2 – and the first theme was celebrating all the other #2s out there. We also featured Luigi as our cover star for the first time in “The Year of Luigi” (he’d go on to appear on two more covers before the end of 2013), and this issue was also the first to be offered to subscribers! Issue #1 was a standalone product, existing all by itself. Issue #2 is when subscriptions – both print and digital – first began, so anyone who signed up to join the Force in advance of #2′s release became a true NF Ambassador.
The team was really getting into the swing of making new magazine issues by the time we tackled our third, which appropriately featured the King of Swing himself on the cover. Donkey Kong’s connections to Hollywood’s legendary giant ape King Kong – along with the arrival of the 20th anniversary of the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie – inspired us to make our theme for this issue “Nintendo at the Movies.” This was also the issue that ushered in our NF Magazine iPad app, giving us a “third pillar” of distribution for new issues. (It was on like Donkey Kong.)
In the wake of a great showing for Nintendo at E3 2013, our hopes for the future of the 3DS and Wii U were high – so we embraced that spirit of looking ahead to tomorrow and combined it with a Mario & Luigi: Dream Team cover to create “Dreams for the Future” as our fourth NF Magazine issue theme. If you’ve been a fan of Nintendo for years and years like we have, you know that beyond actually playing Nintendo’s video games, the most fun you can have as a fan is speculating about what’s coming next from the company. What next sequel will be revealed? What developer will be the next to take on your favorite franchise? What crazy thing will Mr. Iwata say or do in the next Nintendo Direct video? Dreaming about the future is a blast, and we celebrated that fun in this edition.
With the simultaneous worldwide release of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y coming just around the corner, the Nintendo Force jumped straight into exploring what awaited trainers in the all-new Kalos region in our fifth issue, Pokémon Power! (We even went a little wild with the layout, as print issues featured a flippable cover – the mystical Fairy-type Xerneas represented Pokémon X on one side, while the destruction Dark- and Flying-type Yveltal posed menacingly on the opposite side.) You can check out both covers in more detail (along with page previews from inside the issue) by clicking the image above!
For our final issue of 2013, we were inspired by both the upcoming holiday season and the great variety of new multiplayer games that would be launching for Wii U and 3DS just in time to become Christmas presents for millions of Nintendo fans around the globe. So multiplayer became our focus, as we encouraged our readers to take advantage of the parties and family reunions that naturally happen around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s each year and enjoy some Nintendo game time with friends and family – playing games like Wii Party U, Mario Party: Island Tour and our cover game, Super Mario 3D World. |
CLOSE After over 80 years, the first crop of industrial hemp is planted in Broome County. Patrick Oehler/Staff Video
New York State Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Endwell, speaks about the new industrial hemp farm at Nanticoke Gardens in Endicott on Thursday, July 13, 2017. Lupardo is joined by, from left, Binghamton University's School of Pharmacy Dean Gloria Meredith, and farm co-owners Chip Shafer and Pete Shafer. (Photo: Patrick Oehler/Staff Photo)
ALBANY - New York is looking for industrial hemp growers.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that an application period is open to participate in the state's Industrial Hemp Agricultural Research Pilot Program.
The program is open to researchers, farmers and businesses who wish to research, grow, manufacture and produce industrial hemp in New York.
"By expanding industrial hemp research, we are opening the doors to innovative ideas that could provide a major boost to our farms and communities, creating new jobs, and laying the foundation for future economic growth," Cuomo said in a statement.
New York has passed a series of laws in recent years to promote and expand the industrial hemp industry, particularly in the Southern Tier and Catskills.
The pilot program was started in 2015, and earlier this year the cap on the number of participants in the program was lifted.
Currently, there are more than 20 licensed partners in the pilot program, leading to rapid growth in the amount of farmland used for industrial hemp production.
New York also created, in July, a $5 million industrial hemp processing grant program that can provide grants up to $500,000 to qualified applicants to help cover costs related to hemp production.
Industrial hemp can be used to make more than 25,000 different products including paper, clothing, construction materials and biofuels.
Applications to join the program will be accepted until Nov. 22.
For more information about the program or to apply, visit the state bureau of Agriculture and Markets website.
[email protected]
Natasha Vaughn is a staff writer with USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau.
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By Craig Masters
The photos are horrific. Groups of young Muslim girls gathered by their own mothers and other family members, held down and screaming in pain while the perverted followers of the political system called Islam mutilate their sex organs in a mass “ceremony” totally endorsed and practiced throughout the Muslim world. But Indonesia has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world and the government’s ability to even slow down this barbaric practice of mutilation of female genitalia has failed so miserably that the Ministry of Health finally decided to try to reduce the severity of these bloody mutilations by publishing approved “guidelines.”
According to a report published in the Jakarta Globe, guidelines on how to perform female genital mutilation/cutting issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Health could cause an increase in the practice, medical experts and rights groups fear. The “guidelines” are not an approval for the practice, but the hope is, “This will give doctors a new motivation to circumcise [girls] because now they can say the Ministry of Health approves of this, and the Indonesian Council of Ulema [MUI] approves of it,” said Jurnalis Uddin, a doctor and lecturer at Yarsi University in Jakarta.
The hope is that if a doctor performs the service, there might at least be some anesthetic relief and sterile instruments; unlike used razor blades and no effort at all to avoid infection. After all, according to the teachings of the founder of Islam, an openly homosexual zoophile named Muhammad, Muslim men are expected to ensure the sexual obedience of their women by mutilating them to the point of eliminating their ability to enjoy sexual pleasure.
Experts say there has been increasing support for the practice from Muslim groups since the downfall of authoritarian Indonesian leader, Suharto, in 1998, resulting in greater religious and political freedom, known as “Reformasi.”
“Before Reformasi, female genital mutilation/circumcision [FGM/C] was mostly done on an individual basis, but since Reformasi, it has been done in mass events,” said Siti Musda Mulia, an academic specializing in Islamic studies, who initially conducted research on the process during the Suharto era, and has conducted follow-up research since 1998.
According to a report published by the Huffington Post in February of 2011, the United Nations released an estimate of 90% of women in Egypt have been subjected to sexual organ mutilation. And the numbers are expected to be as high in at least a dozen more countries among the 28 countries currently identified as having widespread female mutilation practices. But worse news will probably come from within the previously closed societies of Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan where Islamic practices are compounded by centuries of in-breeding which have resulted in a population with a lower IQ than the rest of the world.
But the sexual deviancy of practicing Muslims has an economic impact as well as a mental one. Mental abuse resulting from the Islamic standard practice of sexual abuse of young boys has resulted in lack of both ambition, and the feeling of destitution. According to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency report on the economic output of the north African coastal region, the non-oil GDP of the entire region is less than the state of Georgia (2009, $395billion). This indicates that employment opportunities are non-existent. The lack of opportunity and hopelessness, combined with a genetically reduced IQ ,is the ideal breeding ground for terrorists convinced they can have more sex in their afterlife if they simply follow just one last order by an imam who may well have sexually abused then as young boys.
There is one beneficial aspect of the predictable sexual perversion of Muslim leaders. Al Qaeda leader, Abu al-Zarkawi, was attending a regularly scheduled Thursday night homosexual orgy that had become “legalized’ by the local Imam who had declared that Allah was busy on Thursdays so there would be no sin for the guy on the bottom. Remember, the man on top is not committing a sin, according to the Quran.
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Image caption Viola Beach were killed in a car crash as they travelled back from a festival in Sweden
Indie band Viola Beach have scored a number one album, six months after they were killed in a car crash.
The self-titled debut was compiled by the band's families, using live sessions and studio recordings, many of which were originally bound for an EP.
It outsold the number two album, ELO's All Over The World, The Very Best Of, by about 6,000 copies, said the Official Chart Company.
"I'm in shock," said Finn Reeves, whose brother River was the band's guitarist.
"I think they'd be absolutely thrilled. I can see the smiles on their faces.
"They made this happen. They did the hard work."
Viola Beach consisted of singer Kris Leonard, guitarist River, bassist Tomas Lowe and drummer Jack Dakin.
All four members of the Warrington band and their manager Craig Tarry died when their car plunged into a canal in Sweden in February.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "They are with us today" - relatives of Viola Beach react to news their album is number one in the album chart
The families of the band said: "The tragic circumstance that met Viola Beach and their manager Craig that fateful night in Sweden will not now define their lives.
"What will now define their lives and what they will be remembered for, forever, is the music they were so passionate about making together.
"For that, we will be eternally humbled and ever thankful to every single person who, by buying this glorious album, has invested in their lasting musical legacy."
Viola Beach had been championed by BBC Introducing, who invited them to play the Reading and Leeds festivals last year.
The young band's first single Swings & Waterslides reached number 11 in the wake of the tragedy, while Coldplay paid tribute by performing their song Boys That Sing at Glastonbury, hinting at what the future might have held.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Viola Beach play Swings & Waterslides in session for BBC Introducing
'Legacy lives on'
"They were just so talented and they had so much going for them," said Loren Dakin, elder sister of drummer Jack.
"If they would have come home from this, it would have just snowballed from there. They would have made it."
She said listening to the album took her back to the pubs and clubs where she watched Viola Beach play as they started to gain a foothold in the music industry.
"It's very sad - but it's also beautiful," she said. "I can hear my brother drumming, I can hear Chris singing. It's like their legacy lives on.
"Sometimes I am quite destructive with the music, because I'll listen to it when I'm sad and it'll make me feel worse.
"But a lot of times I'll listen to it with friends or when I'm in an upbeat mood and it's beautiful. It's great music and they wanted everyone to hear it."
Top five albums 1) Viola Beach Viola Beach 2) ELO All Over The World - The Very Best Of 3) Christine & The Queens Chaleur Humaine 3) Drake Views 4) Adele 25
Top five singles 1) Major Lazer feat Justin Bieber and MØ Cold Water 2) Calum Scott Dancing On My Own 3) Jona Blue feat JP Cooper Perfect Strangers 4) Chainsmokers feat Daya Don't Let Me Down 5) Drake feat Wizkid and Kyla One Dance
Elsewhere in the charts, Miami dance producer DJ Khaled's scores his first top 40 album with Major Key while BBC Sound of 2016 finalist Nao makes her chart debut at 17 with the summery funk of For All We Know.
Major Lazer, Justin Bieber and Danish singer MØ retain the number one spot in the singles chart with their dance track Cold Water, while MØ's own track Final Song becomes her biggest solo hit to date, climbing two places to number 15.
She is not to be confused with British girl band M.O, whose summer anthem Who Do You Think Of? climbs seven places to number 18, giving them their first top 20 hit.
US star Halsey - who rose to fame by parodying Taylor Swift on YouTube - scores her first Top 40 single as a featured artist on The Chainsmokers' Closer, while US band Fifth Harmony are a new entry at 36 with All In My Head (Flex).
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email [email protected]. |
Rockhounds follow lessons out in the wild, wilderness, desert and forest that are also valuable in the city. Rockhounds know to bring their own bags, backpacks, saddle bags or pouches with their gear, and also with their finds consisting of gems, minerals, fossils and other stones. For me, this also applies when I am out here in New York City. I bring a backpack, side-bag or saddle bag when I leave the apartment because I am a collector. Like most rockhounds, we are collectors, as well as adventurers and discoverers.
Hence, and the purpose and motivation of this essay, I find myself bothered when I buy a can of soda, or a few items from the grocery store, and the clerk insists on putting the items in a plastic bag. Even when I am carrying my rockhound bag, which is a Fred Perry airline bag, the stores in New York City automatically put your can of soda, or packet of peanuts even into a plastic bag! So now when I walk up to a counter, the first words I speak are “No bag please.” I have recently found myself saying, when asked “Do you want a bag?,” “No thank you. That would be such a waste.”
Now Joe and I have each, respectively been to Vietnam, but when I was there, a Vietnamese tour guide said to me that the plastic bag was the white man’s curse on his country. I saw that in Vietnam as well. We were on tours out in the Vietnamese forests, walking for miles, and then we would walk past a plastic bag, the same type of plastic bag passed out with every transaction in New York City.
The plastic bag is everyone’s curse on the environment here in America as well. New York City streets are littered with them, the trash cans are disproportionately filled with them, and the landfills will continue to grow in area with plastic bags.
American Geode is bothered by the amount of plastic bags that litter our forests and our cities. We hope that all readers will share this essay, follow our example to #banthebag, and refuse a plastic bag during your next shopping excursion, and treat every excursion like a rockhounding excursion, and carry your own bag!
For the most up to date events, check out our Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Newswire. |
Wild Blaze Mega Charizard M Charizard-EX
MリザードンEX MLizardonEX [[Image:{{{image}}}|180px]] Hit Points: 230 Wild Blaze
ワイルドブレイズ 300 Discard the top 5 cards of your deck. This Pokémon is both type If this Baby Pokémon is your Active Pokémon and your opponent tries to attack, your opponent flips a coin (before doing anything else required in order to use that attack). If tails, your opponent's turn ends without an attack. If this Baby Pokémon is your Active Pokémon and your opponent tries to attack, your opponent flips a coin (before doing anything else required in order to use that attack). If tails, your opponent's turn ends without an attack. You may have up to 4 Basic Pokémon cards in your deck with Unown in their names. You may have as many of this card in your deck as you like. When Pokémon-ex has been Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Put this card onto your Active Missingno.. Missingno. LV. X can use any attack, Poké-Power, or Poké-Body from its previous Level. Put this card from your hand onto your Bench only with the other half of Missingno. . Put this card from your hand onto your Bench only with the other half of Missingno. & Missingno. . When this Pokémon has been Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Attach this card to 1 of your Pokémon in play. That Pokémon may use this card's attack instead of its own. At the end of your turn, discard this card. You may attach this as an Energy card from your hand to 1 of your Pokémon. While attached, this card is a Special Energy card and provides Energy. You may attach this as an Energy card from your hand to 1 of your Pokémon that already has an Energy card attached to it. When you attach this card, return an Energy card attached to that Pokémon to your hand. While attached, this card is a Special Energy card and provides every type of Energy but 2 Energy at a time. (Has no effect other than providing Energy.) You can't have more than 1 Pokémon in your deck. You can't have more than 1 Shining Missingno. in your deck. This card can't evolve into Pikachu.
If this Baby Pokémon is your Active Pokémon and your opponent tries to attack, your opponent flips a coin (before doing anything else required in order to use that attack). If tails, your opponent's turn ends without an attack. When a Pokémon-EX has been Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. weakness
×2 resistance
None retreat cost
Battle Deck Mega Charizard M Charizard-EX
MリザードンEX MLizardonEX [[Image:{{{image}}}|180px]] Hit Points: 220 Crimson Dive
グレンダイブ 300 This Pokémon does 50 damage to itself. This Pokémon is both type If this Baby Pokémon is your Active Pokémon and your opponent tries to attack, your opponent flips a coin (before doing anything else required in order to use that attack). If tails, your opponent's turn ends without an attack. If this Baby Pokémon is your Active Pokémon and your opponent tries to attack, your opponent flips a coin (before doing anything else required in order to use that attack). If tails, your opponent's turn ends without an attack. You may have up to 4 Basic Pokémon cards in your deck with Unown in their names. You may have as many of this card in your deck as you like. When Pokémon-ex has been Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Put this card onto your Active Missingno.. Missingno. LV. X can use any attack, Poké-Power, or Poké-Body from its previous Level. Put this card from your hand onto your Bench only with the other half of Missingno. . Put this card from your hand onto your Bench only with the other half of Missingno. & Missingno. . When this Pokémon has been Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. Attach this card to 1 of your Pokémon in play. That Pokémon may use this card's attack instead of its own. At the end of your turn, discard this card. You may attach this as an Energy card from your hand to 1 of your Pokémon. While attached, this card is a Special Energy card and provides Energy. You may attach this as an Energy card from your hand to 1 of your Pokémon that already has an Energy card attached to it. When you attach this card, return an Energy card attached to that Pokémon to your hand. While attached, this card is a Special Energy card and provides every type of Energy but 2 Energy at a time. (Has no effect other than providing Energy.) You can't have more than 1 Pokémon in your deck. You can't have more than 1 Shining Missingno. in your deck. This card can't evolve into Pikachu.
If this Baby Pokémon is your Active Pokémon and your opponent tries to attack, your opponent flips a coin (before doing anything else required in order to use that attack). If tails, your opponent's turn ends without an attack. When a Pokémon-EX has been Knocked Out, your opponent takes 2 Prize cards. weakness
×2 resistance
None retreat cost |
Howdy Rift Runners,
What does this mean?
Why are you going Gold now?
Why aren’t you doing massive release marketing through normal channels?
Are my rankings going to be reset once Gold happens?
What about the future?
Tournaments
Sideboards
Best of 3 matches
Server Hosting for matches
We would like to announce to you loyal fans that the ‘Gold’ release date for Infinity Wars will be September the 3rd, 2014. You're going to want to read on, this is gonna get good.Well it actually means a lot of things. What's in this little section here hardly scratches the surface.However, in terms of this section, it means that the ‘beta’ tag will be removed from the game. That is all this means. We will not stop developing the game or bringing new features in, we want to reassure every one of that. We will continue to work hard to improve and grow Infinity Wars from this point. We have some really great things coming in the future that we want you to get excited for.We believe that the game is strong enough to stand on its own without hiding behind the crutch of the Beta tag while we continue to develop content and features for Infinity Wars.We're a small indie studio, with an extreme amount of passion. Unfortunately passion doesn't fix everything. Our size (or lack thereof) will always play a part in the decisions we make and the timeframe it takes for things to happen.So, as a company, we have decided that now is the right time to remove that tag. With the game in (mostly) proper working order, the game is ready to bring your friends to as we continue to work on everything that's necessary while continuing to improve the game every single day.One of the things we’ve learned from the various advertising strategies (and we have tried many of them), is our game really is tailored for the mid to hardcore audience. We work hard to increase the spectrum of gamers this title could appeal to, but from the metrics shown from mainstream gaming coverage, the best thing we can do now is target gamers like yourselves.As such we have targeted advertising and marketing being rolled out, but this game will grow best from us bringing our TCG mates into a working game, hosting tournaments, and continuing to balance cards and bring new exiting content and mechanics into the game.Short answer? No. Long answer? In the beginning, we had said that when the game went Gold, we would reset rankings. We have decided not to do that at this current time. The reasoning behind this is… *points to the next section* (No really, look down.)Our next major milestone of version 1.5 focuses on the following, and we're starting work on this project once we confirm all the major bugs are squashed:We have a hopeful timeframe for these of within 6 months of going Gold, but we cannot make any promises on that just yet. Our priority will still be on ensuring a smooth major bug free experience ongoing. We simply wanted to give you a roadmap that these are the things we're starting work on as we speak.We have decided to not reset any rankings until these modes are implemented into Infinity Wars as it wouldn't be right to reset anything prior to the formats/concepts themselves changing.Get excited, there is some seriously great stuff coming!The future also holds more sets, more cards & more Puffing Puffy than you can Puff a Puffy with!The future for Infinity Wars looks bright, and we have you guys, the amazing players and community to thank for it. You help us, on a daily basis, shape Infinity Wars into the amazing game that it’s becoming.Thank you all for being a part of Infinity Wars. See you on the battlefield!~ Elphie "Agent" Coyle, Ian "Tygris" Underwood, “Teremus”, “Schumisaurus” & on behalf of the rest of the Lightmare Team. |
Part of a series highlighting significant stories from the 2012 election
Dan Cox,
2012 candidate for
U.S. Senate in Montana
With the balance of power in the Senate at stake, the 2012 Republican and Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate in Montana spent an average of $41.61 per vote — one of the highest of any federal race in the country.
Libertarian Dan Cox found himself in the crossfire of the hotly contested campaign, where his Democratic and Republican opponents spent $18.8 million combined, according to OpenSecrets.org, in a state where just 486,066 votes were cast for U.S. Senate.
Republicans implored Dan Cox to withdraw from the race for fear his influence would cost their candidate, Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg, to lose to incumbent Democrat John Tester. In the end, Cox won 31,892 votes, or 6.6 percent, almost twice the 3.7 percent margin by which Democrat Tester prevailed over Rehberg, 236,123 (48.6 percent) votes to 218,051 (44.9 percent).
Cox seized the moment when he appeared in two debates and was covered by national media, including Mother Jones, the Washington Examiner, Politico, the Associated Press, Talking Points Memo, CQ Roll Call, the Wall Street Journal, and the Christian Science Monitor. He offered a bold, Libertarian agenda while exposing the Big Government track records of both of his opponents.
“I think people are starting to wake up to the fact that there’s really not that much difference at all between the Republicans and the Democrats,” Cox said.
On his Republican opponent, he said “he voted for every police-state big-brother bill he could get his hands on,” and added that Rehberg “voted to raise the debt ceiling 10 times.”
He had little confidence that the GOP was going to completely repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, when the Republicans began talking about “repeal and replace.”
High on Dan Cox’s once-in-office priority list was ending the Federal Reserve Banking System and repealing the National Defense Authorization Act. He let voters know that the Federal Reserve lent $16 trillion to foreign corporations and banks during and after the financial crisis of 2008.
He also showed voters how the Federal Reserve’s printing of money hurts everybody, pointing out that inflation is a hidden tax.
Dan Cox also ran on ending the Transportation Security Administration, protecting private property rights, and legalizing marijuana. He charged the federal government with overstepping its boundaries by cracking down on medical marijuana dispensaries, where they are legal in Montana, and sought to protect residents against Washington overreach.
“I think he’s one of the best candidates we’ve had in Montana,” said Dave Merrick, Ravalli County Libertarian Party chairman. “He’s well-grounded in libertarianism. He’s a good speaker.”
“He’s gotten more [votes] for our national race in Montana, more percentage of the votes, than anyone in a national race who has ever run here,” he continued.
Behind the scenes helping the campaign were Montana activists like Merrick, who put out ads for Cox and circulated his campaign literature. He also made calls to get Cox into the debates, and succeeded in getting him included in two, which, Merrick says, he won. In 2008, Cox successfully opposed the Ravalli County Growth Policy, a local zoning scheme that has been repealed, thanks to Cox’s signature-gathering efforts. He says that “there’s no countywide zoning.”
Cox also took interest in illuminating the federal government’s policy of importing foreign wildlife and releasing it on federal land, destroying native wildlife. He says the federal government “dumped a bunch of wolves” it had imported from Canada onto federal land, which interfered with elk hunting and “ravaged herds.”
Looking to the future, Cox says, “It’s possible I would run again. Of course, it really depends who the candidates are.” |
Welcome, Friends, to the 2017 releases table. This is an effort to keep a finger on the pulse of the world of psychedelic downtempo / psychill / psybient music and its many facets, and is meant to not only be an archive but also a news source for the latest releases. Updates are made at the end of every month.
Mostly downtempo ambient and dub styles are presented here.
If you know of any release that isn’t listed here, fill out the form at the bottom of this page and it will get added to the next month’s update, as long as it’s psychedelic and has at least some downtempo elements. Bandcamp links are preferred, soundcloud links will be ignored unless they have a download link.
We hope you will find something new and magic for your taste. Please support the artists and buy their music.
You can also visit these pages:
– a list of upcoming Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
– a list of 2019 Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
– a list of 2018 Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
– a list of 2017 Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
– a list of 2016 Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
– a list of 2015 Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
– a list of 2014 Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
– a list of 2013 Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
– a list of 2012 Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
– a list of 2011 Releases (Psychill, Ambient, Downtempo, IDM)
2017 Psychill , Ambient and Downtempo music catalog
Table Filtering / Sorting Instructions This table uses a filtering plug-in that creates drop down menus of unique values for specified table columns, and allows the table to be filtered by one or more of those values. Select a value from a menu to add a filter, and the filter tag will appear below the menu. Click the tag to remove the filter again. You can use multiple combinations of filters to help you find what you’re looking for. For example, you could filter the table to only show the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place poll winners from the month of August in the genres of psybient, psybass and psydub. Or make it only show the Name Your Price compilations. To see the latest releases, you can either filter the table by the most recent month or click the Release Date column header twice to sort the table by newest to oldest releases. Also you can always just search for any term by typing in the search box above the table.
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Please let us know about any missing releases using contact form |
If you have a Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone, then you will have noticed with certainty that there has no new Android version been released in the last months. This is strange, since Android 4.4.4 KitKat has been available for some time and Android L was also presented by Google.
+++ Now there is finally news about Android 4.4.4 KitKat and the Samsung Galaxy S5:
The Android 4.4.4 update KitKat is available for download since a few days ago in the USA and in Australia. So if you didn´t received the Update yet, when you have to check manually for a new Android Version. We show you now how this works:
Take your Samsung Galaxy S5 and the navigate from the home screen to: Menu --> Settings --> About device --> Software Update --> Update now
You need a working internet connection and it is advisable to use a W-Lan Network, since a new Firmware Update has a big Megabyte Volume. Your Samsung Galaxy S5 should now find the new Android Version KitKat 4.4.4. Acceppt the new firmware and it gets installed on your Samsung Galaxy S5 device.
Ready. After downloading and installing, which lasts about 20 minutes, you can use Android KitKat at your Samsung Galaxy S5. Enjoy! |
Reification is making something real, bringing something into being, or making something concrete.
Reification may also refer to:
Reification (Gestalt psychology), the perception of an object as having more spatial information than is present
Reification (Marxism), the consideration, in Marxism, of an abstraction of an object as if it had living existence and abilities (also sometimes called "objectification", but see below)
Reification (computer science), the creation of a data model
Reification (fallacy), the fallacy of treating an abstraction as if it were a real thing
Reification (knowledge representation), the representation of facts and/or assertions
Reification (linguistics), the transformation, in natural-language processing, of a natural-language statement such that actions and events represented by it become quantifiable variables
Reification (statistics), the use of an idealized model to make inferences linking results from a model with experimental observations
See also [ edit ] |
A fifth of all racist abuse reported last year occurred on public transport, while almost a third occurred while the victim was at work.
Latest figures on reports of racism to the Immigrant Council show 240 racist incidents were reported in 2015, up from 217 in 2014.
Of these, 37 reports involved physical violence, 99 instances involved verbal harassment and 68 were incidents of discrimination.
Twenty-one instances of property damage and racist graffiti were reported with 13 cases of written harassment also recorded.
There were 23 incidents of racism reported that took place in an educational institution.
The data shows that 19 incidents occurred on the street.
Four out of ten victims identified were from the Muslim community, while a third identified themselves as African.
The Immigrant Council of Ireland, the National Transport Authority and nationwide public transport providers have launched a stop racism campaign encouraging people to report racism when they witness it.
Last week, the European Network Against Racism Ireland said that the highest-ever number of racist assaults was reported in the second half of last year.
The network recorded 165 incidents in the second half of 2015 and ENAR Ireland director Shane O'Curry said that racism is a fact of everyday life for many people.
Author of the report Dr Lucy Michael of Ulster University described the number of assaults in this period as "deplorable". |
Popeye Village in Anchor Bay, taken from the hill overlooking the village (early 2000s).
Popeye Village, also known as Sweethaven Village, is a purpose-built film set village, now converted into a small attraction fun park, consisting of a collection of rustic and ramshackle wooden buildings. It is located at Anchor Bay, 3 kilometres (2 mi) from the village core of Mellieħa, Malta.
It was built as a film set for the production of the 1980 live-action musical feature film Popeye, produced by Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions starring Robin Williams. Today it is open to the public as an open-air museum and sea-side resort.
History [ edit ]
The construction of the film set began in June 1979. A construction crew of 165 working over seven months was needed to build the village, which consists of nineteen wooden buildings. Hundreds of logs and several thousand wooden planks were imported from the Netherlands, while wood shingles used in the construction of the roof tops were imported from Canada. Eight tons of nails and 2.5 cubic metres (2,000 US gal) of paint were also used in construction.
Popeye Village view
In addition, a 60–75 metre (200–250 ft) breakwater was built around Anchor Bay's mouth to protect the set from high seas during the shooting.
The set was completed in seven months, and filming commenced on January 23, 1980 and wrapped later that year on June 19. The film, based on the comic strips by E. C. Segar, is set around the fictional village of Sweethaven, where the sailor Popeye arrives in an attempt to find his long-lost father.
Although the film had mixed reviews, Popeye Village remains a popular tourist attraction.[1]
Attractions [ edit ]
Popeye Village is open to the public seven days a week and, apart from the film set itself, has a number of family attractions for the visitor to experience. There are shows, rides and museums, as well as play houses where children can climb and explore the village. Children may also get to meet the main characters from the show such as Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto and Wimpy.
Set dressings and props [ edit ]
Some of the houses in Popeye Village have been equipped with various items related to the filming, including props used in the film's production.
Boat trips [ edit ]
Popeye Village from pier in Anchor Bay
Every fifteen minutes when the weather permits, visitors can enjoy a fifteen-minute boat trip around Anchor Bay where one can photograph the scenery and view Popeye Village from the sea.
Cinema [ edit ]
Situated in the centre of Popeye Village's Lower Complex, visitors can see a 15-minute history and information audio-visual show which includes clips from the actual film and the set's construction. The cinema can accommodate approximately 40 people and has a show every hour.
Popeye Village hosts a variety of functions and activities at certain times of the year, including casual barbecue lunches and dinners.
Shows [ edit ]
Performers and animators provide regular entertainment for families while they are visiting the village, and many of these shows interact with the audience. They include:
Puppet Show . Featuring five Popeye characters and the Puppet Master, the story is fully interactive with the children in the audience.
. Featuring five Popeye characters and the Puppet Master, the story is fully interactive with the children in the audience. Figaro . The barber of Sweethaven creates his miraculous and artistic hairstyles whilst singing happily to classical music.
. The barber of Sweethaven creates his miraculous and artistic hairstyles whilst singing happily to classical music. Jerry Sprinjer Show . This performance investigates an old secret that has been lurking in Sweethaven. Two "bodyguards" are chosen, and the audience has a chance to ask questions to discover the story's conclusion.
. This performance investigates an old secret that has been lurking in Sweethaven. Two "bodyguards" are chosen, and the audience has a chance to ask questions to discover the story's conclusion. Popeye and his Friends . A play featuring some famous and not so famous singers, each dance has been choreographed with attention to detail. It is this show where all the Popeye characters gather on stage to sing the Popeye theme song.
. A play featuring some famous and not so famous singers, each dance has been choreographed with attention to detail. It is this show where all the Popeye characters gather on stage to sing the Popeye theme song. Doctor Graves. Doctor Graves picks a member of the audience to try his experiment on. The audience member is sent to Hollywood.
The show: The Wedding of Popeye and Olive Oyl
The show: The Wedding of Popeye and Olive Oyl
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Coordinates: |
Subsets and Splits
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