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Ivanka Trump just can't get it right.
The US First Daughter has come under fire once again, after this time posting two tweets to "celebrate and honour the LGBTQ community" to mark the start of Pride Month.
Ivanka — who serves as an unpaid advisor to her father US President Donald Trump — posted the tweets to her 3.85 million followers early today, after taking a short break from social media to celebrate the Jewish festival Shauvot.
She tweeted: "Logging back on after Shavuot, wishing everyone a joyful #Pride2017. This month we celebrate and honor the #LGBTQ community."
But these words of support were not well received by the Twitter-sphere as users hit back that neither Ivanka nor her father were friends of the community.
Many users pointed to the actions of the president, who has stripped policies protecting transgender students' bathroom rights after getting into office, as well as to vice president Mike Pence, who openly opposed married equality and appears to support "conversion therapy".
"You don’t get to honor the LGBTQ community when the VP supports gay conversion therapy and your dad supports bathroom bills," wrote one user.
"You openly supported and campaigned for the most anti-LGBTQ+ presidential ticket in recent times. Your words mean nothing to us," wrote another.
Shortly after, Ivanka tweeted again: "I am proud to support my LGBTQ friends and the LGBTQ Americans who have made immense contributions to our society and economy."
But these words were met by similar disapproval from Twitter users, including well-known Hollywood actress Christina Applegate.
"Your dad is reversing the rights for this beautiful group of humans. You ok with that?" Applegate wrote.
"@IvankaTrump you aren't our friend," wrote another.
"Tread carefully dear. Your father is not a fan of the #LGBT, and your pandering doesn't make us appreciate your sentiment."
LGBT news site The Advocate's editor-in-chief Lucas Grindley wrote an op-ed responding to the tweets, claiming Ivanka's words "don't make her an LGBT ally".
"Something about those Pride tweets struck a nerve with LGBT people. We’re sick of being used by Ivanka Trump as a prop," he wrote.
"There are straight people who like to give themselves a very low bar for allyship and then pat themselves on the back for watching Modern Family without visibly wincing. The Trumps are exactly these kind of people," he added.
Ivanka has not responded to the online backlash.
Her father has yet to make any comment on Pride Month or any proclamation declaring June to be a month honoring LGBTQ people. |
MIAMI – Students from all over Miami-Dade County may have started school today, but two of the Miami Heat’s newest players have been in the classroom for about a month.
Derrick Walton Jr. and Matt Williams Jr. – along with fellow rookie Bam Adebayo – took part in the Heat’s ‘Back To School’ event this morning, distributing supplies to students at Jesse J. McCrary Jr. Elementary School. But since signing on July 24 these young players have been receiving their education in NBA 101 at the Heat’s facility where they are being taught by basketball professors Udonis Haslem, James Johnson, Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson among others.
“They’ve been pretty intense,” Williams said. “We do a lot of running, a lot of conditioning, a lot of shooting.
“In three or four weeks I’ve learned a lot.”
Walton, a 6-foot-1 point guard from Michigan who went undrafted this summer, is the first player in Heat history to sign a two-way deal. Williams, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Central Florida who also went undrafted, signed a deal that could be converted to a two-way contract.
Two-way contracts were added under the new collective-bargaining agreement that took effect on July 1 and allow for NBA teams to keep the rights to two players on their developmental league squads. Players under two-way contracts can spend up to 45 days with their NBA teams and the rest of the time must be spent with the NBA team’s G-League affiliate. Miami’s developmental affiliate is the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
The two players will be with the team when camp opens Sept. 26.
Walton, who is the only player in Michigan history to score at least 1,000 points, grab 500 rebounds and record 400 assists, says he is in a “unique” situation because of that contract.
“Being able to learn and grow my entire rookie year is all I’m focused on,” he said. “I’m in a unique situation but I’m in a unique situation as far as learning.”
Walton played in four summer league games for the Magic, where he averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game. He shot 46.9 percent from the field and 50 percent on 3 pointers.
The Heat then signed him.
“We had a mutual interest in joining each other and making something work out,” he said. “An opportunity presented itself.”
Walton will spend nearly the entire season with the Skyforce. And knowing the Heat’s reputation for developing players, Walton said he was told “just to be ready” when he enters camp.
“It’s been great,” Walton said about his first semester in Miami. “World class organization, great people, and we work. Pretty much everything I’m accustomed to.”
Williams set the UCF single-season school and conference records for 3-point field goals made (126) and set the Knights’ single-game record for 3-point field goals made (11).
But he’s looking to prove to the Heat he is more than a long-distance shooter.
“That’s big,” Williams said. “I’ve been working on that a lot. Coaches had me working on my ball handling, working on my conditioning, make sure I’m able to put the ball on the floor, make sure I’m able to go to the basket. Make sure I’m able to be a complete player.”
Williams was with the Heat during summer league but a sprained ankle prevented him from playing in Orlando. He returned to the court in Las Vegas and appeared in eight games, including six starts, and averaged 9.9 points while shooting 38 percent from the field and 39 percent on threes.
“I just wanted to go out and do what coach (Chris) Quinn asked me to do, shoot the ball when I’m open, play hard defense,” Williams said.
[Report: Heat to sign former Celtics forward Jordan Mickey]
[Mailbag: We look at the schedule and if the Heat can avoid another slow start; what players must show most improvement]
[Want more Heat news sent directly to your Facebook feed? Make sure to like our Heat Facebook page] |
Daniel Flores, a 17-year-old catcher who signed with the Boston Red Sox in July when the international amateur signing window opened, died Wednesday due to complications stemming from cancer treatment, the team announced.
Flores was signed out of Venezuela and was classified as the second-best prospect available, according to MLB.com. Flores was receiving treatments in Boston when he died.
"Everyone at the Red Sox was shocked to hear of Daniel's tragic passing," Dave Dombrowski, Boston's president of baseball operations, said in a statement. "To see the life of a young man with so much promise cut short is extremely saddening for all of us. On behalf of the Red Sox organization, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Daniel's family."
A switch-hitter, the 6-foot-1 Flores said during a July news conference in Caracas, Venezuela, that Salvador Perez was his idol, according to El Nacional.
"I hope I can have the [consistency] to play between 15 and 20 years in major league baseball. I hope I can get to the Hall of Fame."
Although he was several years away from the majors, Flores was already being hailed by scouts for his defense behind the plate, especially his arm strength and quick release. It's likely he would have ranked among the Red Sox's top five prospects by most projections heading into next season.
Manny Padron, one of Flores' coaches, told Hardball Scoop in July that the player was very mature for his age.
"He is a catcher with a great projection. He has a great ability with his glove," Padron told Hardball Scoop. "In the offense, he shows a lot of power in the right side and a lot of ability in the left side. He will improve -- he always does -- in every aspect of the game. But we are happy of his behavior in and off the field."
Flores signed for $3.1 million, according to Baseball America, which made him the third-highest-paid Venezuela prospect ever, according to MLB.com.
"Every member of our organization who got to know Daniel absolutely loved him. He was energetic, hard-working, and genuinely selfless, always with a smile on his face," said Eddie Romero, Boston's senior vice president/assistant GM. "He cared for his teammates and was a natural leader.
"I'm at a loss for words today. Daniel was an impressive young man with limitless potential, and his life was cut far too short. My condolences go out to Daniel's mother and sister. Though with us for a short time, Daniel will always be a part of the Red Sox family."
The team said it would have no further comment at this time out of respect for Flores' family. |
“Yesterday we shared that there was unauthorized access to payment card data at our U.S. stores. The issue has been identified and eliminated. We recognize this has been confusing and disruptive during an already busy holiday season. Our guests’ trust is our top priority at Target and we are committed to making this right.
We want our guests to understand that just because they shopped at Target during the impacted time frame, it doesn’t mean they are victims of fraud. In fact, in other similar situations, there are typically low levels of actual fraud. Most importantly, we want to reassure guests that they will not be held financially responsible for any credit and debit card fraud. And to provide guests with extra assurance, we will be offering free credit monitoring services. We will be in touch with those impacted by this issue soon on how and where to access the service.
We understand it’s been difficult for some guests to reach us via our website and call center. We apologize and want you to understand that we are experiencing unprecedented call volume. Our Target teams are working continuously to build capacity and meet our guests’ needs.
We take this crime seriously. It was a crime against Target, our team members, and most importantly, our guests. We’re in this together, and in that spirit, we are extending a 10% discount – the same amount our team members receive – to guests who shop in U.S. stores on Dec. 21 and 22. Again, we recognize this issue has been confusing and disruptive during an already busy holiday season. We want to emphasize that the issue has been addressed and let guests know they can shop with confidence at their local Target stores.” |
Oy. All the wackadoodles came out for Eileen Davidson‘s poker night on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills last night. Poor Eileen. And poor Kyle Richards for having to deal with both the drunk wackadoodle Brandi Glanville and the high wackadoodle Kim Richards. I think it’s safe to say that this is the episode which will set the tone for the rest of season five. Sadly. Kyle took to her blog to share her feelings about the turn of events.
Kyle said poker night felt “extremely uncomfortable” from the very beginning. “I could see Kim was ‘off’ but wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation. One thing that was very clear to me watching this is that Brandi is not my friend. Never has been. I have tried to give her the benefit of the doubt but always kept her at arms length. To see her pretending to be friends with me in the car ride to Eileen‘s then turning on me made things abundantly clear to me. Brandi can’t be a friend to anyone. Including my sister.”
CLICK CONTINUE READING FOR MORE!
Kyle went on to say that Brandi has mistaken concern for Kim as jealousy.
“Brandi clearly has been driving a wedge between my sister and me, which seems to have been her master plan from the beginning. Her comments about me always being jealous of Kim‘s career couldn’t be further from the truth. That is not how we were raised. My mom always taught us that any success the three of us had (Kathy, Kim, and Kyle) was a ‘feather in all our caps.'”
“As a child, you aren’t thinking of your career. In fact, often I would hate that I had to work, because I would be missing something like a friend’s birthday party. Brandi pretending she knows us, our history, or anything about our relationship is hurtful and frustrating. She is a new person in our lives whom we have no history with. She makes these comments to be mean and cause Kim to question her relationship with me. Apparently it’s working.”
About Kim‘s confession, Kyle admitted that she felt disappointed, but she was glad Kim was open and honest about it. “We hugged and left the bathroom, and I thought everything was OK between us. My sister has been under a lot of pressure taking care of her ex-husband, Monty. If she had slipped, it would have been understandable, and the fact that we had talked about it made me feel better. Next thing I know Kim says to me ‘thanks for doing that,’ says she is leaving, and is clearly upset with me.”
Kyle explained her side of the story on the physical altercation with Brandi.
“Kim being mad at me made no sense, which made me more concerned for the situation and her well-being. I wanted to pull her away from everyone to speak privately but Brandi wasn’t allowing us to, as though she somehow needed to ‘protect’ my sister from me, when clearly my sister needed a loved one to make sure she was OK. Brandi was putting her arm up and blocking me from being able to talk to my sister. Many things are going through my head at this point: concern for my sister and our relationship that we have worked so hard on and the fear that a manageable (yet concerning) situation might spiral out of control, because one person seemed to be using it to her advantage in a dangerous way.”
“I was extremely frustrated that this person, who is not family or anyone I consider close, is keeping me from my sister. She put her arm up to block me, and I first said, ‘Please don’t do that.’ I then pushed her arm down to stop her from blocking me from Kim. As Kim was leaving and Brandi was walking out with her and blocking me, I pulled her arm back to stop her from keeping Kim and me apart. I simply wanted to get to my sister out of concern. The last person I wanted Kim with was a drunk Brandi.”
“It is very clear to me that Brandi takes advantage of Kim when she is at her most vulnerable and wants her to believe that she is the only one that cares or understands her. Brandi also is using my sister to look like she is taking care of Kim and distracting us from Brandi’s own obvious issues,” concluded Kyle. “This was the end of Brandi’s and my friendship. And the beginning of another bumpy road in Kim’s and my relationship.”
Kyle made a lot of good points in her blog. I, too, believe Brandi manipulated Kim, and it makes me sick to my stomach. My father is an addict – never been sober my entire life – so I empathize with Kyle. It’s not easy. And the last thing anyone in that family needs is a manipulative, enabling, obnoxious drunk in the way. Shoo, Brandi! Shoo!
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH KYLE’S TAKE ON THE EPISODE?
Photo Credit: Charles Sykes/Bravo
REALITY TEA’S COMMENT POLICY |
American actor, writer, director and film producer
Rainn Dietrich Wilson (born January 20, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer. He is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office, for which he earned three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
A native of Seattle, Wilson began acting in college at the University of Washington, and later worked in theatre in New York City after graduating in 1986. Wilson made his film debut in Galaxy Quest (1999), followed by supporting parts in Almost Famous (2000), Steven Soderbergh's Full Frontal (2002), and House of 1000 Corpses (2003). He also had a recurring part as Arthur Martin in the HBO series Six Feet Under from 2003 to 2005.
Wilson was cast as Dwight Schrute in The Office in 2005, a role which he would play until the show's conclusion in 2013. Other film credits include lead roles in the comedies The Rocker (2008) and Super (2010), and supporting roles in the horror films Cooties (2014) and The Boy (2015). More recently, he has played a recurring role on Star Trek: Discovery (2017) as well as a supporting role in The Meg (2018). In addition to acting, Wilson published an autobiography, The Bassoon King, in November 2015, and also co-founded the digital media company SoulPancake in 2008.
Early life [ edit ]
Wilson was born at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington,[1] the son of Shay Cooper, a yoga teacher and actress, and Robert G. Wilson, a novelist, artist, and business consultant who wrote the science fiction novel Tentacles of Dawn.[2] Wilson has Norwegian ancestry.[3] From ages three to five, Wilson lived with his father and stepmother, Kristin, in Nicaragua before they returned to Seattle after their divorce.[4] He attended Kellogg Middle School and Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, Washington, where he played the clarinet and bassoon in the school band.[5] He transferred to and graduated from New Trier High School after his family moved to Wilmette, Illinois, to serve at the Bahá'í National Center.[1]
Wilson attended the University of Washington in Seattle, graduating with a bachelor's degree in drama in 1986.[1] He then enrolled in New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with a MFA in acting[6] and was a member of The Acting Company.[7] While acting in theatrical productions in New York City, he drove a moving van to make ends meet.[8]
Wilson worked extensively in the theater in his early career, performing with the Public Theater, Ensemble Studio Theater, Playwrights Horizons, The Roundabout, and The Guthrie Theater, among others. He was nominated for three Helen Hayes Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his work at the Arena Stage.
Career [ edit ]
Wilson first appeared onscreen in 1997 in an episode of the soap opera One Life to Live, followed by a supporting part in the television film The Expendables (2000).[9]
Wilson made his feature film debut in Galaxy Quest (1999), followed by a minor supporting role in Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000). In 2002, he was cast in a lead role in Rob Zombie's horror film House of 1000 Corpses (2003).[10] Beginning in 2003, Wilson played Arthur Martin, the intern at Fisher & Diaz Funeral Home in HBO's Six Feet Under, earning a Screen Actors Guild award for best drama ensemble for the series. He also had minor roles in America's Sweethearts (2001), and the Melvin van Peebles biopic Baadasssss! (2003).
Wilson guest-starred in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Entourage,[11] Monk, Numbers, Charmed, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job, and Reno 911!.
The Union at the 2011 Wilson attending the premiere ofat the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
In 2005, Wilson appeared in the comedy film Sahara,[12] as well as the independent mockumentary film The Life Coach.
The same year, Wilson was cast as Dwight Schrute, a neurotic office worker in the network series The Office.[13] He was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in 2007, 2008, and 2009. He won two SAG awards for best comedy ensemble on the series. In addition to acting on the series, Wilson also directed three episodes: season 6's "The Cover-Up", season 7's "Classy Christmas", and season 8's "Get the Girl".
On February 24, 2007, Wilson hosted Saturday Night Live, becoming the second cast member from The Office to host (after Steve Carell). During the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup, Wilson appeared in ads for the 2007 United States women's national soccer team as public relations manager "Jim Mike". In August 2010, Wilson appeared in the music video for Ferraby Lionheart's "Harry and Bess" and Andy Grammer's "Keep Your Head Up" as the "creepy elevator guy".
Wilson starred in the Fox Atomic comedy The Rocker, released on August 20, 2008.[14] In 2009 he lent his voice to DreamWorks Animation film Monsters vs. Aliens, as the villainous alien overlord Gallaxhar,[15] and was featured in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, in which he played a university professor. In 2010, he played the lead role as the unhinged protagonist in Super. In his review of the film, critic Roger Ebert praised Wilson's performance, writing: "[Wilson] never seems to be trying to be funny, and that's a strength," though he faulted the script's material.[16]
For his role of Paul, the bereft father, in Hesher (2011), Roger Ebert said of Rainn in his review: “He has that rare quality in an actor, an uncanny presence. There are a few like him (Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken, Bill Murray) who need only to look at something to establish an attitude toward it. Yes, they can get worked up, they can operate on high, but their passive essence is the point: dubious, wise, sadly knowledgable[sic], at an angle to the throughline. Other actors could sit on a sofa and watch TV, but Rainn Wilson makes it a statement. A statement of … nothing, which is the point."[17]
In 2014, Wilson had roles in the independent horror comedy Cooties and the thriller The Boy (2015).[18]
In the Fox crime-drama Backstrom, Wilson played Everett Backstrom, an offensive, self-destructive detective who is part of a team of eccentric criminologists. The series is based on Leif G. W. Persson's Swedish book series of the same name.[19] Wilson also served as the show's producer. It was cancelled by Fox after 13 episodes.[20] In 2016, he appeared in television as a guest star on Roadies.
In 2017, Wilson voiced the character of Gargamel in the 2017 animated reboot of The Smurfs: The Lost Village for Sony Pictures Animation.[21] He also starred in the independent comedy film Permanent as loving and funny father Jim Dickson alongside Patricia Arquette and Kira McLean. The film was directed by Colette Burson and produced by 2929 Entertainment.[22] Wilson starred in Shimmer Lake (2017) for Netflix and The Meg (2018) for Warner Brothers.[23]
Wilson was cast to play Harry Mudd in Star Trek: Discovery (2017).[24]
Other projects [ edit ]
Wilson founded the website and YouTube channel SoulPancake. The website was originally coded by the company ThinkBrilliant, led by Aviv Hadar.[25] Wilson and Hadar fell into a dispute which led to two years of litigation, which was resolved in December 2011 with a settlement and a statement by Wilson putting the matter to rest.[26][27] As of February, 20 2019 the channel has over 3 million subscribers, and over 557 million video views. SoulPancake has been featured on Oprah Winfrey's Satellite Radio Show and Super Soul Sunday.[28] The tagline of the brand is: "We make stuff that matters." They were named one of Fast Company's 10 Most Innovative Companies in Video for 2015.[1] More recently, SoulPancake was ranked #114 on the 2015 Inc. 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America List.[29] In October 2016, it was purchased by Participant Media.[30]
He co-wrote the New York Times Bestseller SoulPancake: Chew on Life's Big Questions and wrote a humorous memoir about his personal life, career and faith called The Bassoon King that was published in November 2015.[31]
Personal life [ edit ]
Wilson is married to writer Holiday Reinhorn. The couple met in an acting class at the University of Washington; Reinhorn had relocated to Seattle to attend the university from her native Portland, Oregon.[1] The couple married on the Kalama River in Washington in 1995, and have a son, born in 2004. They have a home outside of Sisters, Oregon and a house in Los Angeles. They have three pit bulls, Oona, Pilot, and Diamond;[32] two Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, Snorty and Amy; as well as a zonkey named Derek.[33] He and his family are members of the Baha'i Faith.[34][35][36] He hosts a podcast for the Baha'i blog called the Baha'i Blogcast, where he interviews notable people about the intersection of their faith and their work.[37]
On Bill Maher's Real Time, Wilson described himself as a diverse independent, voting for Republican, Green Party, and Democratic candidates.
Wilson's charitable works include fundraising for the Mona Foundation, a charity operating in developing countries.[38] In 2013, along with Dr Kathryn Adams, he co-founded Lidè Haiti, an educational initiative that uses the arts and literacy to empower adolescent girls in rural Haiti. They currently work in 13 locations with over 500 girls, providing scholarships to many of them.[39]
Filmography [ edit ]
Film [ edit ]
Television [ edit ]
Video game [ edit ]
Year Title Role Notes 2009 Monsters vs. Aliens Gallaxhar
Written publications [ edit ] |
Many people ask when I send them pictures of red and white corgi puppies and are surprised at how much black is on them are sometimes concerned the puppy is a sable and not actually a red and white. The truth is, ALL red and white puppies are born with a certain amount of black highlighting on them. Some have more than others, some not so much but the difference between their puppy color and adult color can be drastically different. This page shows you the progression from about 3 weeks of ago all the way to a year so you can see how they gradually change. Also note the changes in the white markings especially the blaze. Our first study is our very own diva, Java. Further down we'll also show a couple of simple before and after puppy/adult pics of puppies that have gone on to new homes.
6 Weeks 7 Weeks 4 Months 9 Months
3 Weeks Old 5 Weeks Old
8 Weeks Old 4 Months Old
6 Months 1 Year Old
This is Tobi at about 5 Weeks Old Then again at about a year |
It's a picturesque county known for barbecue and rolling hills, but back in June, one driver came face-to-face with an angry judge along a stretch of highway in Caldwell County.
Dash camera video obtained by KEYE TV shows the end of what a woman described as 7.5 miles of fear on the road.
"There's a guy that's been following me," she says on the video.
The man following her was Caldwell County Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Ben Brady.
Brady called police to pull the driver over after what he says was reckless driving. He tells KEYE TV she blew past him and two other cars on the stretch of highway. He was worried about people's safety in the county.
But what happened next, according to emails the woman wrote to the San Marcos Police Department, had the woman worrying about her own safety.
In the video, the police officer, who pulled the woman over, brings the two of them together just outside of the camera's view. After a brief back-and-forth, and a disagreement, Brady says: "Just hold on one second, okay, because if you don't, I'm going to find out where you are, I'm going to have you sworn in contempt, and I'll put you in jail for 72 hours - and I can do that."
On the video the woman tells the officer, "Give him whatever information, I'm not going to discuss it."
Then the judge responds, "If I see you again, I'm going to make sure that the county sheriff takes you to jail."
In the emails the woman wrote to the San Marcos Police Department and Caldwell County Officials she states, "This is a blatant misuse of authority."
Justices of the Peace have power in the courtroom.
But KEYE TV wanted to know if Judge Brady has the authority to threaten arrest.
KEYE TV asked the judge, was he elected to be a Justice of the Peace or a traffic officer?
"I'm not a traffic officer, but if I see an infraction that's endangering the people in Caldwell County, I'm going to follow up on that," he said.
In this case, the judge says he wanted to make sure the driver knew she broke the law. He says this was not the first time he had seen the vehicle driving what he says was recklessly in the county.
KEYE TV asked how the judge could put someone in jail for 72 hours for a traffic violation.
"Not for a traffic violation, for contempt, for being contemptuous to the judge," he said.
According to San Marcos Police, the Code of Criminal Procedure gives Texas Justices of the Peace authority over certain criminal cases including traffic violations which happen in their area.
Judges can also order a police officer to make an arrest when the violation happens in front of them.
Attorney Charlie Baird is former Travis County judge.
"Certainly has no authority to hold an individual in contempt unrelated to any court proceeding for speeding," said former Travis County Judge Charlie Baird.
Baird says judges do have the power of contempt in their court, but on the road there's very little they can do.
"Clearly this was not pursuant to a court proceeding and therefore it appears to me, really without any exception, that the judge has overstepped his bounds," said Baird.
Brady says he only followed the vehicle to get the driver's information in case he wanted to file a complaint. Something he hasn't done.
"Could I have worded it better? Yes. At the time I was tired, I was angry, I'm a human being. Did I make a mistake? Probably so, if I did, I won't do it again," Brady said.
The judge says he wants to do his job and do it well. This was about safety, he said.
Brady keeps law books on his desk and tells KEYE TV when you're a new Justice of the Peace you take 80 hours of education in the first year. He says he has exceeded that minimum and now has 120 hours of training.
If a complaint is forwarded to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct it could cost this first-year judge.
The commission says they can't comment on whether or not a complaint has been filed.
Follow us on Twitter @keyetv and LIKE us on Facebook for updates! |
shadow
Entrano nella scuola con i minibus, lasciati con le chiavi inserite e destinati al trasporto cittadino, che un paio d’ore prima avevano rubato dal deposito. Dopo aver sfondato la cancellata che dà sulla strada, «puntano» il portone all’ingresso di un istituto tecnico - il Meucci di Carpi, due studiano proprio lì - e lo buttano giù. Poi fanno avanti e indietro nell’ampia hall dell’edificio, come fossero sull’autoscontro, devastando tutto. E infine se ne vanno. Con il volto incappucciato o nascosto sotto dei cappelli. Verranno arrestati il giorno dopo il folle raid avvenuto nella notte di venerdì e ora si scopre che sono due tunisini ed uno del Senegal (due di sedici anni ed un diciassettenne) i fermati dai carabinieri per quella «bravata» - chiamiamola così - che ha lasciato sgomenta la cittadina di Carpi, nel Modenese. Dove tra l’altro per il 25 aprile è atteso il Capo di Stato Mattarella che si recherà in visita al campo di concentramento di Fossoli usato durante la guerra come «base» per la deportazione degli ebrei nei lager in Germania.
Scene da «Fast & Furious» Un paio d’ore prima di prendere come bersaglio la scuola il terzetto era entrato nel deposito cittadino dei bus scolastici rubandone due coi quali hanno letteralmente giocato agli autoscontri nel piazzale antistante, «danneggiandoli irrimediabilmente». Il peggio arriva ora: prendono altri tre bus - ognuno di loro ne guida uno - e percorrono una trentina di chilometri dentro e fuori Carpi. Scene da «Fast & Furious»: si tamponano, si sorpassano, distruggono cartelli stradali, rovinano cordoli sulla carreggiata e, a grande velocità, compiono una vera e propria gimcana in tangenziale, invadendo la corsia di marcia opposta. È un mezzo miracolo se non viene travolto nessuno. Non è finita. Anzi: è appena cominciata. C’è la scuola a distruggere. Quando arrivano davanti al Meucci uno sfonda il cancello principale, un altro quello pedonale e un terzo l’atrio dell’istituto. Se non un raid premeditato, poco ci manca. Il giovane lanciatosi contro l’ingresso poi scappa, «sale coi piedi sul cofano di un altro bus e poi i tre a bordo di un unico mezzo - raccontano gli investigatori - si dirigono a Cibeno (quartiere periferico di Carpi, ndr) dove faranno avanti e indietro per circa 15 minuti, ancora con gimkane pericolosissime, prima di lanciare il pulmino a oltre 90 chilometri orari in un canneto». A questo punto si dileguano.
Mezzo milione di danni Il gesto dei tre vandali ha procurato danni, secondo stime, di almeno 470mila euro. Si tratta di giovani di nazionalità italiana, immigrati di seconda generazione, due sono proprio studenti del Meucci, mentre il terzo frequenta il «Vallauri», altro istituto carpigiano.
Avrebbero agito «per noia» In base alle indagini condotte dai militari, i minorenni, ora in stato di fermo (le accuse sono furto aggravato e continuato, danneggiamento, guida senza patente e interruzione di pubblico servizio) avrebbero agito «per noia», stando a quanto da loro stessi riferito. I carabinieri della compagnia diretta dal capitano Alessandro Iacovelli sono arrivati a loro grazie, prevalentemente, a tre piste: nell’audio dei video registrati dal sistema di sorveglianza dei bus si sentono due dei loro nomi, nelle chat dei social network i tre hanno fatto riferimento a quanto accaduto, infine i test eseguiti su capelli e sudore rinvenuti sui bus confermano, attraverso il dna, che erano loro alla guida dei mezzi. Non mancano i vestiti utilizzati nel raid e rinvenuti nelle abitazioni oltre ai video registrati quella notte con i telefonini. «Non c’erano motivi di acredine contro l’istituto o i professori», spiega il capitano Iacovelli, mentre Giovanni Balboni, comandante provinciale dei carabinieri di Modena, parla di «un film agghiacciante». Nessun collegamento, scandiscono nettamente gli investigatori, con ipotesi in qualche modo riconducibili alla premeditazione. Men che meno il fatto di voler «punire» la scuola perchè a poche ore dal raid al Meucci sarebbe stato presentato un un libro di Chaimaa Fatihi, la ventitremenne originaria del Marocco e studentessa di Giurisprudenza a Modena, autrice del libro «Non ci avrete mai. Lettera aperta di una musulmana italiana ai terroristi».«Una banale casualità», dice uno degli investigatori semmai colpito dal fatto che mentre i tre venivano accompagnati al carcere minorile di Bologna, lasciando la caserma di Carpi, continuavano a ridere e scherzare, sfrontati e bulletti.
Gara ad alta velocità Prima di schiantarsi contro la scuola, i bus - come dimostrano le immagini delle telecamere - sono stati utilizzati per una vera e propria gara ad alta velocità lungo 30 chilometri, sempre a Carpi, con cartelli stradali abbattuti e semafori rossi «bruciati». I loro genitori si dicono sconvolti e molto dispiaciuti per quanto successo. L’indagine è coordinata dalla procura dei minori del tribunale di Bologna.
Il sindaco Bellelli: «Ora non scatti scontro tra tifoserie» Il sindaco di Carpi Alberto Bellelli sottolinea come sia necessario arrivare velocemente a un processo che porti all’emissione di una condanna commisurata alla gravità dei fatti compiuti. Verificato che per il Comune non sarà possibile costituirsi parte civile dal momento che il processo davanti al Tribunale minorile non contempla questa possibilità, «auspichiamo che la comunità possa ricevere una forma di risarcimento da parte dei responsabili per quanto da loro causato. Solo per un puro caso questi non hanno incrociato le pattuglie di polizia e carabinieri in servizio anche a quell’ora della notte. Le immagini ci dicono anche di quanto sia stato pericoloso quel gesto. Ora è il momento della fermezza e del rispetto dei ruoli di tutte le istituzioni coinvolte, dalle forze dell’ordine (che ringraziamo per la tempestività e l’impegno mostrato per arrivare alla soluzione del caso), all’istituzione scolastica, alla magistratura». «Il dibattito che si è scatenato nelle ultime ore soprattutto sui social network, – continua Bellelli - mostra come sia necessario su questa vicenda porre un punto fermo. Non con gli scontri tra tifosi, italiani contro stranieri, genitori contro figli, adulti contro giovani, si può pensare che la nostra comunità possa fare un passo avanti. Ripartiamo dai pensieri dei ragazzi del Meucci, dalla loro determinazione a ritornare al più presto a scuola. La nostra comunità deve riflettere su quanto accaduto, sulle motivazioni di questo gesto ma prima di tutto deve mostrarsi unita tanto nella condanna così come nel ribadire la pretesa della legalità». |
After 13 years of searching for the US Army’s next pistol, a successor to the Beretta M9 has been selected. However, with the selection of the SIG P320 as the M17 and M18 Modular Handgun System, many individuals in the industry have been compelled to cry foul and demand the Army retry the competition between the two finalists, Glock and SIG.
Although I personally prefer Glock pistols to those made by SIG, and I believe Glock’s pistol was very likely the better of the two weapons, I am going to have to come down against the side that believes the competition should be retried. Doing so, I believe, would be a risky waste of time and money on what is essentially known quantity. Re-opening the problem would extend an already shamefully long effort to find a successor to the Beretta M9 handgun, as well as make the program vulnerable to a significant risk of cancellation. If the latter happened, there would be no new handgun at all, until a new program could be begun.
The video embedded below was released by firearms expert Chris Bartocci, and serves as a basic summary of the complaints against the Modular Handgun System program’s conclusion, and the arguments for re-opening the competition:
A brief summary of the points raised in his argument are as follows:
The US Army did not conclude the testing laid out in the MHS RFP, and in doing so selected a winner prematurely after conducting a 12,500 round test. Because testing was not concluded, the Army does not know which pistol is the best one Also, for the same reason, maintenance schedules and spare parts packages cannot be developed for the handguns SIG’s Performance (sic) Verification Testing was conducted on the full-size pistol, with only 500 rounds through the compact variant No environmental/harsh conditions testing was conducted The military could see issues with the pistol after adoption, which testing would have uncovered SIG’s price is likely unsustainable, and he is skeptical about their spare parts bid as they submitted two separate pistols There is a lawsuit out on SIG from Steyr regarding the pistol’s chassis design, which is likely to be decided in Steyr’s favor – royalties from a favorable decision for Steyr would cost SIG even more on price The Government selected for “value” over “performance” The Army has a responsibility to complete this test It’s unfair to the companies who competed The US Army needs to provide the US serviceman with the finest weapon available, even if the weapon in question is just a pistol
Before I get into these arguments, I want to point out a couple of pieces of confusing language in the MHS RFP, the first being the difference between an Offeror and a Contractor. An Offeror is a competitor who has not yet won a contract. A Contractor has already won a contract. The MHS RFP has provision for up to 3 Offerors to become Contractors via contract award; but less than that could be chosen (in the event, only 1 was).
Second is the difference between the Bid Sample Test (BST) and the Product Validation Test (PVT) – which Bartocci accidentally refers to as the “Performance Verification Test”. The BST is a 49,300 round test involving sixteen sample firearms (out of a total of 36 sample firearms). Three of those firearms were each subjected to the 12,500 round test which Bartocci describes in his video, but also 3 more were each subjected to a 3,600 round high temperature test, and 10 more each subjected to a 1,000 round user evaluation.
Bartocci believes that the PVT was a “Phase II” of the program, however the RFP does not reflect this. Instead, it makes clear that the PVT is a test to ensure that the initial production handguns match the performance of the guns tested in the BST. From Section C of the RFP:
STATEMENT OF WORK FOR MODULAR HANDGUN SYSTEM C.1.1. Objectives The objective of this statement of work (SOW) is to define the requirements for the production and delivery of the Modular Handgun System (MHS) to the Government in accordance with the Governments MHS Purchase Descriptions, this SOW, and the associated product and data deliverables. The Contractor shall support and sustain the proposed handgun system to meet the Governments quantities required for the U.S. Army to test, operate, maintain and sustain the proposed MHS. This SOW is broken out into 4 parts to support handgun and ammunition Production Verification Testing (PVT) / Down-Select and Evaluation (DSE) and Production. The layout is as follows: HANDGUN Part A Handgun PVT/DSE Part B Handgun Production / Compact PVT AMMUNITION Part A Ammunition PVT/DSE Part B Ammunition Production NOTE: The entire statement of work (parts A & B) is applicable to the single Contractor selected as a result of the down-select evaluation.
[emphasis mine]
The confusion regarding the BST versus the PVT is probably the result of this section. The Down-Select Evaluation (DSE) was a secondary evaluation that would only occur in the event that more than one Offeror was awarded a contract. Note that the Statement of Work (SOW) only references “the Contractor”, and states that the SOW applies to a single Contractor as well.
With that out of the way, I will address Bartocci’s individual points as briefly as I can while doing them justice. Note that, while I disagree with Bartocci’s overall conclusions about the program, I do not always disagree with each individual point.
The MHS RFP did not guarantee a downselect to more than one pistol. The program manager had – as laid out in the RFP – a choice between downselecting to multiple pistols and running PVTs on all of them, or downselecting to just one, adopting the handgun, and then performing PVT. We can see that in the language of the RFP, below. From the Executive Summary:
The Government intends to award up to three (3) Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts based on the results of the initial evaluation of the proposal submission by following the evaluation procedure contained in section M of this RFP. The Government will then make a final down-selection to a single contractor by following the evaluation procedures contained in section H of this RFP. The period of performance of the base contract(s) will be ten (10) years for the handgun, accessories and spares and five (5) years for the ammunition. Each contract that is awarded will be issued a delivery order in the base year to meet the minimum guarantee for the contract. The minimum contract guarantee will consist of the weapon system component package (CLIN 0001), as described in the statement of work. The weapon system component package items, which will be due 60 days from receipt of order will be used as part of the down-select evaluation as described in section H of this RFP. The Contractors not selected to provide production units, as a result of the down-select evaluation will have their contracts considered complete with no further obligation required by the Government. All bid sample hardware received from unsuccessful Offerors, with the exception of ammunition, will be returned in an as tested condition. These items will be returned to the respective Offeror per the same address from which it was received. From Section M: SECTION M – EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARDM.1 BASIS FOR AWARDM.1.1 The Government intends to make up to three (3) base awards as a result of this RFP. Each contractor will receive an order for the Weapon System Component Package requirements in accordance with CLIN 1001 of the base contract and Statement of Work C.3.1 which will satisfy the minimum quantity guarantee of each of the ID/IQ contract. The Government will select for award the proposals that are most advantageous and represent the best value to the Government using the trade-off method, with the Source Selection Authority (SSA) giving the appropriate consideration to the nine (9) evaluation factors: Bid Sample Test – Technical, Bid Sample Test – Other, Written Technical, License Rights Ammunition, License Rights Handgun and Accessories, Production/Manufacturing, Price, Past Performance, and Small Business Participation. The Government will weigh the relative benefits of each proposal and award will be made based on an integrated assessment of the results of the evaluation. In making the integrated assessment of the evaluation results, the SSA will give due consideration to all of the Factors and Sub-Factors and their relative order of importance. Offerors that receive a final rating of Red/Unacceptable at any Factor/Sub-factor level are ineligible for award. These passages demonstrate that the contract allowed the Government to downselect to just 1 Offeror, and that a contract could be awarded on the basis of the initial Bid Sample Test (BST) and not the Product Validation Test (PVT).This fact is reflected in the opinion presented by the GAO in their rejection of Glock’s protest on the MHS contract.Further, the idea that the 12,500 round per gun (49,300 round per system) test was insufficient to determine which system was “the best” is unsupported. Bartocci cites the 35,000 rounds fired in the 1984 handgun trials that led to the Beretta 92FS being adopted as evidence that the MHS trials were insufficient. However, Bartocci fails to note that the 35,000 round figure was per system, not per gun. From the GAO report on the selection of the XM9:
As shown by the table, the majority of malfunctions were class I, minor Class II malfunctions were generally not a problem. Army systems analysts noted that none of the class III malfunction rates was high considering that about 35,000 rounds had been fired on each system. In fact, in the XM9 trials, no individual pistol was subjected to firing more than 10,000 rounds: Spare parts packages and maintenance schedules are the responsibility of the Contractor, as per the MHS RFP. From Section C:
C.3.2.11. MHS Rework and Repair
Rework and Repair Procedures, along with the associated inspection and acceptance procedures, shall be documented by the Contractor and submitted to the Government, DI-MGMT-81910 (CDRL A039) for review and written approval by the PCO prior to implementation. Also, spare parts packages and maintenance schedules were required to be provided by the Offerors during Bid Sample Testing (BST), as per Section L: L.1.5.6. Replacement Barrels and Spare and Repair Parts: Each Offeror shall provide replacement barrels, spare and repair parts, magazines, and spare supplies for the cleaning kits adequate to support the evaluation. NOTE: A sufficient number of replacement barrels, magazines, spare and repair parts as determined by the Offeror, is required to support the following tests. Bartocci is referring to the BST, not the PVT. Whether only 500 rounds were fired through the compact SIG XM18 or not is unknown, and probably irrelevant. The XM18 is just an XM17 with a shorter slide and barrel, and probably does not have significant performance differences. High temperature testing was conducted as part of the BST, as per Page 317 of the RFP. While no dust tests or other such tests were conducted, it is unlikely that these tests were needed. Every pistol submitted to the competition shared the same basic design, and in the harsh conditions testing conducted during the M9 trials, no pistol displayed an exceptional degree of performance in these conditions. All performed well. From the GAO report on the M9 trials:
Given that the designs tested in the MHS program were even more similar to each other than those of the XM9 trials, the absence of mud or salt water testing in the MHS program does not seem concerning. While it is possible that the military could see issues with the M17 post-adoption, these issues would almost certainly be due to manufacturing issues or easily changed design details, not due to issues with the fundamental design of the handgun. The fundamental operating mechanisms of all handguns tested in the MHS program are over 100 years old, their architecture over 40 years old, and they were all made by reputable manufacturers. This does not necessarily mean that these handguns will not have issues in service, but does suggest that any issues will be soluble and will not result in program termination.Further, it is the purpose of the PVT and First Article Testing (FAT) to establish that production articles are up to the standards established during the selection process. SIG’s bid is indeed very low, and the possibility that this price might come up in the future represents Bartocci’s strongest argument, by far. However, it is unclear how the Government would be supposed to justify the selection of the higher-priced competitor, over SIG, especially given that SIG’s bid was $100 million lower than Glock’s. If SIG’s price does rise in the future, that could be a matter of contention, but it does not seem to be a sound basis for selection of a different pistol, or for awarding more than one contract. I agree with Bartocci that Steyr’s lawsuit against SIG is – at least technically – on fairly firm ground. However, Steyr’s lawsuit came months after the MHS decision, so while it could possibly be justification for opening up bidding again, it is not a reason to determine that the MHS selection process was a failure. There does not appear to be any evidence that the Government selected for value over performance. The Government selected for value in the absence of any major performance differences – which is not a shock, given how similar the competitors were, and how mature modern handgun design is. The US Government will very likely complete both PVT and FAT testing, as per the requirements for the MHS program. If they did not, there would indeed be a scandal. Neither of these tests are intended to precede a contract award. Whether we like it or not, Glock competed, and lost. The US Government is under no obligation to award more than one contract. The US Army has an obligation to the taxpayer not to waste their money, as well. In the face of a $100 million price difference between the two bids, any performance differences between the SIG and Glock MHS submissions seem downright trivial, unless a major defect with one or the other is uncovered.
All this rebuttal is not to suggest that the MHS program was not in some way unusual. In June of 2015, the US Army released its second draft of the MHS RFP, and with it, Colonel Scott Armstrong, then Project Manager of Soldier Weapons, was quoted as saying:
We expect to release the final solicitation in 2016; this will be followed by a phased down-select process that will run through 2017.
So in mid-2015, the MHS program was expected to run until 2018 before a selection was made. Yet, selection was in fact made in mid-January of 2017, virtually a full year ahead of schedule. Those familiar with military procurement know that this virtually never happens without major program restructuring, suggesting that something very unusual occurred during MHS’s selection process. Conveniently, I have a theory as to what that was, and it has to do with the timing of the announcement of SIG’s win:
The announcement was made the day before the inauguration of the new administration, which was expected to carry with it a massive change leadership. Specifically, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter would be replaced with General James Mattis. Mattis, a Marine known for being a tenacious and hard-nosed but fair leader, was already by that time expected to shake up the defense landscape as Secretary. With MHS already on the chopping block and Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley having publicly denounced the program’s lagging time schedule, it is not unreasonable to suggest that program management feared it would be cancelled outright. In that event, it’s likely that the program’s officers were searching for ways to end the program early and declare a winner, before it could be cancelled by a porkfat-boiling Secretary Mattis.
Assuming this theory is true (and it may not be), soliciting final bids and down-selecting to just one contract would be the perfect way to close out the program early while still having done due diligence. If this is how it went down, then I applaud the MHS team for making a selection and salvaging a 13 year old effort that might otherwise have been canceled with nothing to show for it. Although SIG would probably not have been my pick, it is very likely that the P320 will do just fine as a standard handgun, and I have nothing but congratulations for SIG for their big win.
It’s not all over for Glock, either. There will be other contracts – the other services are reportedly not entirely on-board with MHS yet – and Glock is still an extremely strong competitor on the market. And, if they’re listening, I hope they bring their XM17 to market, as it’s quite a slick little handgun. |
Exactly how many protesters flooded central Moscow last Saturday to demand a "Russia without Putin" is difficult to pin down. The police put the total at 10,000; protest leaders claim 25,000. I can say that in my particular square meter not far from the stage there were at least six people and one dog, and the chants echoing up the broad avenue suggested a very large crowd indeed. The turnout may have been low compared to the 100,000-strong demonstrations last December. But given that during the first 12 years of Vladimir Putin's rule, Russia never saw a single protest with more than a few dozen people, this was still a hefty display of displeasure about the March 4 election that installed Vladimir Putin as president once again, this time with 63 percent of the vote.
Walking toward the protest venue an hour before the event kicked off, I caught a whiff of revolution in the freezing air. The street was lined with buses full of riot police, demonstrators were converging from all corners, and coordinators were testing the PA system with Bob Dylan songs. But by the time I left -- after the coordinators declared the rally over, an hour ahead of schedule -- the mood was deflated. The protesters' hopes that a wave of mass discontent might push Putin from power had fizzled. Organizers discussed, in vague terms, plans of another protest in May.
The crowd receded, and the riot police passed around cigarettes, many of them looking relieved that they would not appear on the evening news whacking civilians with their truncheons. Opposition leaders all spoke of the "long, hard road ahead," of months or years of painstaking work building their movement and fighting on. But after three months of unprecedented agitation, they faced the frigid reality that Putin would soon embark on his third term as president, and there was nothing any person on the central Moscow streets could do about it.
The protest leaders had decided that ordinary election observers should take |
By Nicholas K. Geranios
Associated Press
PASCO, Wash. — Three police officers in Washington state who fatally shot a rock-throwing Mexican immigrant in February will not face criminal charges, a prosecutor announced Wednesday, saying there was no evidence the officers acted with malice.
The death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes, 35, was captured on cellphone video and sparked months of protests in Pasco, an agricultural center in eastern Washington. Witnesses said Zambrano-Montes fought with an officer, threw rocks and told officers to shoot him before they opened fire.
Related article Witness: Man killed in controversial Wash. OIS told cops 'shoot me' Related feature Protests, investigation after fatal Wash. OIS The deadly shooting of a suspect who threw rocks at officers during a disturbance call in Washington state sparked calls for a federal investigation and weeks of protests.
At a news conference repeatedly interrupted by protesters Wednesday, Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant said the evidence showed the officers used legal force as they tried to arrest a man who had assaulted them and was threatening to attack them further. Sant said he could not meet the high bar for criminal prosecution under Washington state law, which requires a showing that the officers acted with malice and without good faith that their actions were justified.
"The officers used legal force to prevent injuries to themselves and others," the prosecutor said. "Certainly there is no evidence of malice."
Gov. Jay Inslee immediately asked Attorney General Bob Ferguson to review the charging decision, saying he believes it important for people to have faith in it.
George Trejo Jr., a lawyer for Zambrano-Montes' wife and children, said in an email that he is disappointed.
"His claim that there is insufficient evidence to establish any crime beyond a reasonable doubt is a pretext for his decision to protect law enforcement from the very beginning of this case," Trejo wrote. "We are not surprised by this decision but disgusted and disappointed. This is precisely the reason why we continually asked for an independent criminal investigation."
One of the officers, Ryan Flanagan, has resigned to take another job in a move his lawyer said was unrelated to the shooting. The other two, Adam Wright and Adrian Alaniz, remain on paid leave.
The officers fired a total of 17 shots, striking Zambrano-Montes seven times.
An autopsy determined Zambrano-Montes was high on methamphetamine.
Cellphone video showed the three officers chasing the orchard worker from Mexico, who was in the country illegally. Zambrano-Montes was shot as he turned toward the officers.
Police and witnesses said Zambrano-Montes was holding a large rock and drew back his arm as if he was going to throw it when police officers opened fire and killed him, according to previously released court documents.
Wright has said he decided to shoot because he feared officers or members of the public would be injured or killed by the rock.
Police interviews with relatives of Zambrano-Montes portrayed him as a troubled man who suffered from depression and drug abuse, had made several suicide attempts and had run-ins with Pasco police in recent years.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press |
Though definitions vary, EQ always comprises intrapersonal and interpersonal skills – in particular, high adjustment, sociability, sensitivity, and prudence. However, there are downsides to any human trait. The drawbacks of higher EQ include lower levels of creativity and innovation potential. People with high EQ tend to be great at building relations and working with others but may lack the necessary levels of nonconformity and unconventionality to challenge the status quo. Because of their high interpersonal sensitivity, people with high EQ struggle to give negative feedback, and their cool-headedness and positivity means they also have difficulty receiving it. They can be reluctant to ruffle people’s feathers, which puts them at a disadvantage when they need to make unpopular choices or bring about change. High EQ individuals can also have a well-developed ability to manipulate others. They risk overusing their social skills by focusing heavily on the emotional aspects of communication while neglecting logical arguments. Lastly, these employees can have higher levels of conscientiousness and are therefore averse to risk. Although EQ is unquestionably a desirable and highly adaptive trait, obsessing over it can create an overly diplomatic workforce that fails to drive change and innovation.
Gemma is extremely caring and sensitive. She pays a great deal of attention to others’ emotions and is kind and considerate. Gemma is also quite optimistic. She is usually upbeat and remains positive even in the face of bad news. Her colleagues love working with her because they see her as a beacon of calm. No matter how much stress and pressure there is at work, Gemma is enthusiastic and never loses her cool.
Gemma’s manager enjoys dealing with her, as she rarely complains about anything, is reliable and dependable, and shows great levels of organizational citizenship. Indeed, Gemma is extremely trustworthy and ethical. Furthermore, Gemma’s personality also means that she is generally engaged at work, even when her boss is not doing a great job at managing her.
Who wouldn’t want to hire Gemma? In many ways, she seems like the ideal employee, someone with excellent potential for a career in management. If you agree, you are not alone: Most people would find Gemma’s personality a great asset, and not just in a work context. The main reason for this is Gemma’s high emotional intelligence (EQ), which explains all of the qualities described above.
Though definitions vary, EQ always comprises intrapersonal and interpersonal skills — in particular high adjustment, sociability, sensitivity, and prudence. Thousands of scientific studies have tested the importance of EQ in various domains of life, providing compelling evidence for the benefits of higher EQ with regards to work, health, and relationships. For example, EQ is positively correlated with leadership, job performance, job satisfaction, happiness, and well-being (both physical and emotional). Moreover, EQ is negatively correlated with counterproductive work behaviors, psychopathy, and stress proclivity.
But is higher EQ always beneficial? Although the downside of higher EQ remains largely unexplored, there are many reasons for being cautious about a one-size-fits-all or higher-is-always-better take on EQ. Most things are better in moderation, and there is a downside to every human trait. Let’s focus again on Gemma and explore some of the less favorable implications of her high EQ.
Lower levels of creativity and innovation potential. There is a negative correlation between EQ and many of the traits that predispose individuals toward creativity and innovation. Creativity has long been associated with attributes that are characteristic of low EQ: artistic moodiness, nonconformism, hostile impulsivity, and an excitable (“up-and-down”) personality. While it is of course possible for creative people to be emotionally intelligent, the more common pattern for people like Gemma is to be great at following processes, building relations, and working with others but to lack the necessary levels of nonconformity and unconventionality that can drive them to challenge the status quo and replace it with something new.
Difficulty giving and receiving negative feedback. At first glance, high EQ scorers like Gemma may seem to do well when it comes to giving and receiving feedback, for both involve social interaction. Scratch under the surface, however, and you will see that Gemma’s high interpersonal sensitivity and empathic concern may make it hard for her to deliver critical or negative feedback to others. In addition, high EQ scorers like Gemma can be so highly adjusted and cool-headed that they may be indifferent to any negative feedback they receive. Indeed, high EQ scores can be hard to shake up, since they are generally so calm, adjusted, and positive.
Reluctance to ruffle people’s feathers. One of the main reasons for the appeal of Gemma’s personality is that it epitomizes many of the qualities we look for in followers. Although people like Gemma are psychologically well-endowed for entry-level or midlevel management jobs, senior leadership roles will require the ability to make unpopular choices often, bring about change, and focus on driving results, even at the expense of sacrificing employee relations. Furthermore, senior leaders and executives will only have a substantial impact on their organizations if they can act entrepreneurially to pursue innovation and growth. This requires unpopular decisions, and people like Gemma, who are more focused on getting along than getting ahead, are less likely to make them.
A well-developed ability to manipulate others. Gemma’s high EQ may help her empathize and deliver a message that feels right to the audience — this is often a good thing. Taken too far, however, it can slide from influencing others to engaging in tactics of manipulation. The risk of overusing one’s social skills is in focusing heavily on the emotional aspects of communication while neglecting logical arguments and the more transactional aspects of communication. In that sense, the darker side of EQ is helping people with bad intentions to be overly persuasive and get their way. As with charisma, we tend to regard EQ as a positive trait, but it can be used to achieve unethical goals as well as ethical ones.
An aversion to risk. Most innovative ventures require a balance between risk taking and risk avoidance. People like Gemma are much more likely to play it safe and avoid bold choices. This is because high EQ is associated with higher levels of conscientiousness. In other words, the higher your EQ, the more likely it is that you resist your impulses and make measured decisions. EQ equates with more self-control, yet extreme levels of self-control will translate into counterproductive perfectionism and risk avoidance.
To be clear, Gemma is no doubt a highly desirable employee, but her extremely high EQ makes her more suited to roles where regulating her own emotions and being able to sense and adapt to the emotional needs of others are pivotal. Salespeople, real-estate agents, customer support reps, counselors, and psychologists all benefit from EQ like Gemma’s. In contrast, Gemma’s profile may not be advantageous, and may even be a handicap, in jobs focused on creativity, innovation, leading change, or taking risks. That is not to say that someone like Gemma couldn’t aspire to a senior leadership role. She could, but it would require a fair amount of self-coaching. For example, she would need to start seeking out negative feedback and take it seriously, stop being concerned about avoiding confrontation, and challenge the status quo (or recruit people who do and pay attention to them).
There is no question that EQ is a desirable and highly adaptive trait, and it is understandable that we generally prefer EQ to be high rather than low. However, obsessing over high EQ will create a workforce of emotionally stable, happy, and diplomatic people who potter along and follow rules enthusiastically instead of driving change and innovation. They will be great followers and good managers, but don’t expect them to be visionary leaders or change agents. |
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ANGRY former MG Rover workers have reacted withy fury at news their former bosses are to receive £1 million each.
And many said the shock windfall should be handed back to the 6,500 workforce who lost their jobs when the Longbridge car firm collapsed.
The Mail had told how the Phoenix Four – John Towers, Nick Stephenson, Peter Beale and John Edwards – and ex MG Rover chief executive Kevin Howe are to receive the huge payouts nearly a decade after the car firm closed with debts of more than £1 billion.
It follows a much-delayed agreement between the Pensions Regulator and liquidators Begbies Traynor.
Giovanni Esposito, 50, once a chassis design engineer who worked at Rover for 25 years, said: “If these people were even half decent they would put it back into the pension pot and say ‘We don’t deserve this.’
“Or they could distribute it between the workers. That’s £5 million between 5,000 employees – everyone would get a £1,000 Christmas bonus. But it won’t happen because they don’t care.”
After he lost his job the dad-of-two, from Rednal, went on to become Birmingham Poet Laureate for 2006/7 and has performed at Glastonbury twice. But many former Rover workers have struggled to find work.
Readers and ex-car workers responded to our story on Facebook and joined the wave of condemnation.
Andrew Graham said: “As an ex-employee I am angry to think that they are still benefitting from this whilst there are still employees out of work I’m still struggling but have a job.
“I think they could help those families with this money or donate it all to a charity.”
Brenda Davis-Bates said: “They should do the decent thing and hand it over to the workers. If they don’t then shame on them, and may they NEVER have another day’s peace of mind.”
And Carol Smith said: “A lot of people were left broke, in debt and everything else that comes with losing their job. Yet these four people can benefit from destroying families’ lives. Disgusting world we live in!!!!”
Heather Husler added: “What about the hard workers, like my hubby Lee Husler who was there for more than 15 years? Worked really hard and worked nights for years. Disgusting.”
And Patri Caines said: “We went through a rough time money wise when Rover closed we both lost our jobs. A little money would have helped.” |
Calls to deny visa to American anti-vaccination campaigner Sherri Tenpenny
Updated
A pro-vaccination group has asked Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to deny a controversial American anti-vaccination campaigner a visa to speak in Australia.
American osteopath Sherri Tenpenny is planning a speaking tour of the country to lecture against vaccination.
Dr Tenpenny believes vaccines cause autism, asthma, ADHD and auto-immune disorders.
"What is actually in those vaccines? There's a whole lot more coming through that needle than you can possibly imagine," said Dr Tenpenny.
The March series of seminars are aimed at parents of babies.
Seminar organiser Stephanie Messenger, of Brisbane, said the doctor was an "excellent speaker".
"She's only been to the CDC archives and got a lot of information - that's the Center for Disease Control in the US, so a government place - and got all the information and I think parents have a right to know what the Government knows and is not telling people," Ms Messenger said.
She said people calling for Dr Tenpenny's visa to be denied "clearly don't believe in freedom of speech".
"They do believe in censorship and they don't believe that parents have a right to have information," she said.
Talks target 'vulnerable parents'
Stop the Australian Anti-Vaccination Network member Dave Hawkes said he helped to start a petition calling for Mr Dutton to deny Dr Tenpenny a visa.
"I guess the thing is you're looking at the difference between people whose views you disagree with and people who are actually endangering people's health," Dr Hawkes said.
"By spruiking these seminars to tell people to not vaccinate, that's actually endangering their health."
National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance director Professor Peter McIntyre said he was concerned Dr Tenpenny was targeting vulnerable parents.
"People going along to a talk which is billed as being about raising healthy babies and children may well be very concerned about the best outcome for their children, but at the same time confused about some of the information," Professor McIntyre said.
"I think there's, yes, justified concern that someone in that situation might be misled by the sort of nonsense which Dr Tenpenny will be talking.
"We really want to see good quality and strongly-supported evidence being presented to people, not half-baked anecdotal sort of information which really doesn't help anybody."
Topics: vaccines-and-immunity, health, australia
First posted |
CARLTON'S Dylan Buckley has taken a giant step outside his father's shadow by being named the NAB AFL Rising Star nominee for round two.The son of Jim – a member of the Blues' Hall of Fame and a three-time premiership player - was one of Carlton's best in a 12-point loss to Richmond at the MCG last Thursday night.Buckley collected 18 disposals - including six contested - and used the ball at better than 94 per cent efficiency on a night when many of his teammates were wasteful, particularly in front of goal.The 21-year-old's performance across half-back was even more impressive given he was originally an emergency and only called into the 22 late on the day of his second AFL game.Buckley said he was stunned to be named this week's Rising Star."I was just pretty excited and pretty rapt. It didn't really even cross my mind," he told"To be nominated is obviously a huge honour and something that I never thought that I would be able to do."Buckley, who stands 179cm tall and looks as though he could be knocked over by a gentle breeze, made an immediate impression on his debut in round three last year against Geelong.Substituted on to the field in the second term, he snapped a brilliant left-foot goal on the run after just 18 seconds on the park.But that loss against the Cats would be the speedster's only senior appearance for the year.Buckley went back and played 15 VFL games before he injured his left shoulder and went under the surgeon's knife late in the season.The long wait between his debut and second match – and the fact he was overlooked in round one by coach Mick Malthouse after a strong pre-season – drove him to grab his chance against the Tigers with both hands."I was disappointed not to get a game (in round one), but that's footy and I just had to go back and play in the VFL and put my case forward," he said."Getting the call-up a week later I was just rapt and I suppose it did play a part in just trying to perform and keep my spot."Buckley credits Malthouse – and his mentors Kade Simpson and Heath Scotland - for developing the defensive side of his game."My first couple of years I played as a small forward and really struggled to play four quarters," Buckley said."I've just really found that I'm learning a lot now at half-back and it suits my sort of game just playing down there."I couldn't speak highly enough of Mick, he's been really good for me."I've had a lot of help from Kade Simpson and Heath Scotland. They're both terrific."I couldn't be learning from anyone better and they've been huge helps for my development."It means Jim Buckley has happily taken a back seat since his son has progressed from the Northern Knights into the AFL."He's always there if I need anything. If I have a good game he won't say too much, but if I struggle he'll let me know what I've done wrong," laughed Buckley, who was a father-son selection at pick No.62 overall in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft."It's a dream come true to play for Carlton. With dad playing at the club I've been around here for a while ... to put the jumper on means so much."I just want to be my own player, I don't want to be known as Jim Buckley's son."The round two Rising Star nomination - which sees Buckley become the first Carlton player to be nominated since Jeff Garlett in round 19, 2010 – suggests he's on the right track. |
Listen Hear the original spoken revelation: playpause Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin Download (right-click to download) As revealed to God’s Messenger
Marshall Vian Summers
on July 20, 2009
in Antakya, Turkey About this Recording What you are hearing in this audio recording is the voice of the Angelic Assembly speaking through the Messenger Marshall Vian Summers. Here, the original communication of God, which exists beyond words, is translated into human language and understanding by the Angelic Assembly who watch over the world. The Assembly then delivers God’s Message through the Messenger. In this remarkable process, the Voice of Revelation is speaking anew. The Word and the Sound are in the world. For the first time in history, the recording of the original spoken revelation is available to you and to the world to experience. May you be the recipient of this gift of Revelation and may you be open to receive its unique Message for you and for your life.
At this time and place, it is important to speak about the purpose of religion. Religion is part of the human experience, and any attempts that have been made to eradicate it or to minimize it have proven to be unsuccessful. For you cannot deny the reality of the human spirit. You cannot deny the fundamental reality that there is a greater spiritual need in people that must be expressed. But like all things in the world, that which is natural and essential can become distorted, misaligned and misused, allied with other purposes, particularly when these natural impulses become connected with governments and powerful forces in society.
Simply said, the purpose of religion is to cultivate the desire and the capacity to experience the Divine Presence in one’s life. All teachings and rituals, whether within large institutions or within the privacy of one’s home, are for this purpose. And the desire and capacity to experience the Divine Presence are to bring one to the power of Knowledge that the Creator of all life has placed within each human heart.
Yet when you look about, either at home or in foreign lands, you will find there is a great poverty, a great poverty in that people’s lives are not demonstrating this Presence and the power of this Knowledge. The look of disappointment and dissatisfaction, the sense of regret in the older people, the sense of hopelessness and discouragement in the young, is evidence that this power and this Presence are not being experienced. Religion has become now a yoke and a harness for people, requiring them to believe along certain prescribed lines of thought and to behave along certain prescribed lines of behavior. But this is far from the essence of what religion is really for.
To require either through inducement or threat, for people to adhere to a certain system of belief does not represent the essence and purpose of religion. Yet that is what is so manifest in the world today. Religion has become another form of government—a form of government that seeks power and domination, a form of government that seeks to overcome its competing rivals, the competing agendas of other religions and faiths. And so there is a contest and a kind of war exerted between the most radical elements of these systems of belief. But this is not what religion really is.
The Creator of all life has initiated all of the world’s religions, but they have all been altered by people and governments, by cultures and traditions and by the competition for power in the world. That is why there are so many people today in the world who though have genuine spiritual needs and yearnings are so put off by the manifestations of religion as it has become. Where can you find the cultivation of one’s inner life? Where is the emphasis on recognizing, following and embracing the power and the presence of Knowledge within the individual? Where is the emphasis on developing and encouraging the individual’s capacity and desire to experience the mystery of the Divine Presence—a mystery that defies all religious teachings and conventions? Where are such things being encouraged for the individual? You visit the church or the temple or the mosque and what is presented but an emphasis on upholding the ideology of religion, the institutions of religion [and] the demands of religion? This emphasis is out of context and out of relationship with the essential purpose of religion.
In essence, all religion is to teach The Way of Knowledge, to bring the individual into the direct experience of Knowledge, the deeper mind beyond the intellect, the mind that God has provided each person to guide them, to protect them and to lead them to a greater life and expression in the world. But you do not hear this emphasis. Instead, there is the encouragement to believe, to adhere, to follow the prescriptions of a religious tradition, however illogical and unreasonable those prescriptions may be within the context of modern life. And this is called “the Word of God,” God’s will for humanity. Of course there is great competition between competing powers over who has the ultimate and final claim of God’s will and prescription for humanity.
It is as if the unreligious have taken over the business of religion for their own purposes. Never having realized its essential purpose and meaning, they have turned it into something else. It is like now a political party, and of course religion has political aims as well.
This is so far apart from God’s initial impulse and intention for religion—to keep Knowledge alive in the world, to teach The Way of Knowledge, to encourage human responsibility and ethical behavior, not simply as a prescript or as a requirement for admission into Heaven or some other exalted future state. It is really a denial of the natural integrity and natural ethics that will arise with the person who has experienced this power and presence of Knowledge and is guided by its wisdom and its grace.
These individuals, no matter what part of the world they reside, no matter what tribe or group or culture they come from, will all uphold the same values because these are the values of Knowledge. And so you have a world that seems deeply religious, but is not practicing and emphasizing what religion is really for. And given the submission and oppression of peoples throughout human history, whatever sacred intent has been maintained has been maintained only for the elite, for the monastic, for the adept.
As a result, God’s true Messengers have had to break the chains of convention, have had to teach in opposition in the face of the prevailing religious beliefs and attitudes. They have had to become rebels and reformers, counteracting humanity’s tendency to turn what is sacred into what is profane. What is the intent of the true Messenger but to evoke the spiritual fire in the individual and to bring them in contact with the deeper conscience that exists within them—a conscience that is not the product of social conformation or social expectation, but a deeper conscience that is innate and essential to the human life.
So you have a world that is religious, but knows not of religion. You have a world where religious institutions and their advocates clash and compete with one another, not realizing that the Source of their faith is the same. They will have people demanding and expecting adherence to ideas and beliefs and admonitions, but who themselves have never received the real initiation into the mystery and the power of the Presence.
Religion has become concrete. It has become political. It has become an economic and social power that seeks to preserve its status and its power at whatever cost. So those who are truly responding to religion’s true purpose now find themselves in exile, now find themselves heretics and visionaries following the Mystery—a Mystery that has been lost to so many in the religious orders and institutions. It is as if religion has become the enemy of what religion is really for. It is now the religion of the state, religion of tradition, religion of history, religion of fixed ideas, fixed beliefs and exclusive claims of authority. So far this is from the desire and intent of the Creator to keep Knowledge alive in the world.
In certain cases, religion has become the enemy of Knowledge, declaring that only God has Knowledge and that people are foolish and must be corralled like animals, must be programmed and conditioned to believe—to believe things that are incredible and impossible, to believe things that run counter to the deeper experience that people have, things that are apart from the real mystery and the profound experience that is the essence of what religion really is.
Throughout the ages, the mystics, the wise amongst them, have kept this power and this Presence alive, but they were the outcasts, at the margin of religious institutions. They were the rebels and the reformers who, though disapproved of or distrusted by their authorities, actually gave life and substance and meaning to the empty religious practices that prevailed in human society.
So what does this mean for you? This means that there is a Greater Power in your life, a greater mystery in your life, and that your connection to God is through Knowledge, the deeper intelligence that God has placed within you, an intelligence that is beyond the realm and the reach of your intellect. This power is calling to you, and your response to it represents the deepest need of your soul—a need that is deeper than the need for survival and gratification, for education and opportunity, for friendship and partnership.
To find this need, you must realize that what the world is providing is inadequate. It meets social and psychological needs. It meets practical needs. But it does not meet the real need of the soul. That requires an engagement of an extraordinary kind.
The Creator of all life of course understands this predicament—that religion has become the problem and not the answer, that religion has become the impediment and not the pathway, that the true purpose and emphasis of religion has been lost in so many ways, that now only a very wise and exceptional teacher within a faith tradition can speak to the mystery and the power and refer to the deeper conscience within the individual. But such teachers are rare. They represent the minority of those who claim ecclesiastical powers and authorities. For how can you be allegiant to the church or to the mosque or the temple if your greatest allegiance is to Knowledge, which represents your allegiance to God? And if God is not bound by human thought, human philosophy and human theology, then you as a follower of Knowledge will not be bound by these either. This makes you free and uncontrollable. This makes you perceptive and more incorruptible. This makes you question the value of religious authority and the ethics and behavior of religious institutions—all things that religious institutions are prone to resist and to repress.
Therefore, it is necessary that you come back to what is essential, to the initial impulse and power of religion—not the religion of the state, not the religion of the traditional institutions necessarily, but to something much purer that can exist within them and beyond them.
Beware of beliefs that seem set in stone. Beware of proclamations of exclusive privilege or authority by religious leaders. Recognize that there are people who are freedom oriented and there are people who are control oriented, and the control oriented are afraid of freedom, and they are afraid of Mystery because they do not believe in the essential goodness of the human spirit. They have lost their faith in humanity and have placed all their faith in their ideology and their prescriptions that they believe have come from God. But God has only given recommendations through the great Teachers, not rules—recommendations for living, guidelines for living to help people orient their lives correctly and productively and beneficially.
Therefore, to find your real connection, you must come to learn The Way of Knowledge, for at the heart of every religion, there is The Way of Knowledge. This is not the way of belief. This is not the way of obedience. This is not the way of blindly following [the] prescriptions and precepts and admonitions of religious leaders and institutions. It is finding the power and the presence of Knowledge within you and learning over time and through instruction how to discern this power and presence from the other impulses and compulsions that exist within you as an individual.
God’s purpose in the world is to keep Knowledge alive so that human freedom, human justice [and] human compassion may be kept alive in the world. God’s purpose is not to exalt religious leaders or institutions, or to crown one over another. These are human creations and not God creations, and they are fallible and prone to corruption as a result.
God has provided a New Message into the world to clarify this picture and to provide a clear pathway for those who seek to have the real experience, and they can have this experience within their religious traditions or outside of them.
God’s New Revelation may conflict with political ideology and longstanding beliefs, but that is what happens when what is pure is contrasted with what has been altered and adapted. God is not bound by human creations, human beliefs and admonitions. God only provides what is real and essential to ignite the human heart and to give each individual a foundation for being inner directed rather than outer directed. Here your imam or your rabbi or your priest can help you if they are guided by Knowledge. But they will hinder you if they are not. You must learn to see the difference.
Religions are institutions that have to be maintained and protected. They are in competition with each other, so none of them that exist in the world today can really foster human peace and human unity, for they all claim special privileges, and only those few individuals within them that support a great ecumenical movement and the acceptance of all world’s religions can counteract this competition, which is inherently divisive and destructive.
In these words, we speak to the human heart, not to the intellect that wants to have everything figured out and wants to adhere to its notions, its beliefs and its traditions. There is nothing wrong with a tradition if it fulfills the basic purpose of religion, which is to inspire and expand people’s desire and capacity to experience the presence of God and to connect them with the deeper intelligence that God has placed within them that will be essential for their success and their well-being in the world. This is much more important than the teachings of the founder of a religious tradition. It is much more important than the religion’s official declarations of belief or doctrinaires.
People celebrate and worship and repeat endlessly the lives of the great Teachers, but can they really live the lives that these Teachers promoted? It is not merely human behavior that is important, for people can behave well for all the wrong reasons. People can fall in line with each other for social advantage, for economic advantage and to achieve social status and acceptance, but this is not religion.
You who seek to know your greater purpose in the world and the greater meaning of your life, means you are a religious person. Whether you belong to a church or a mosque or a synagogue or any other religious organization, that is secondary. Promoting a religious ideology in the world does not represent supporting God’s will and purpose here. It is only if this ideology and system of belief can meet the basic requirements of religion that they have real and lasting value and produce real benefit for people.
Likewise, no religious teaching should promote war and attack upon other groups. This represents competition for power between these groups, but this is not what religion is. Religion is bringing you to God and to what God has placed within you to guide you, to protect you and to lead you to your great accomplishments in life. Anything beyond this is an invention, a human invention, an adaptation. People will have to figure out what this means in terms of the application of law and the running of societies. God is not here to run societies or to carry out the intricacies of jurisprudence or the administration of the law. God is pointing you to the Mystery, not to the manifestation. God is calling you to the Mystery, not prescribing the manifestation. If you want to have more saints in the world, if you want to have truly inspiring individuals in the world, if you want humanity to have a higher standard that is born not out of an oppressive regime, but out of a natural understanding, then you must guide people to the power of the Mystery.
Religion, you see, does not have an answer for every social and political problem, but it does give people access to the deeper intelligence that can guide people effectively in meeting all these needs. Religion must be free of the state, [it] must be free of politics, which will only taint and corrupt it to the point where those who claim to be holy men will call for the execution of people.
This is the degree of distortion and aberrancy that has been established in the world today, and that is why there is a New Message from God—to restore the clarity and the purpose of religion, the meaning of spiritual practice and the nature of the Divine Revelation that must happen within each person. It is not enough to celebrate a great Teacher’s revelation if you cannot find access to your own. It is not enough to worship a great teacher or emancipator unless you can find this power and this presence within your life, which will apply itself in far more mundane and simple day-to-day circumstances.
Here the contrast is significant and must be comprehended. If you want religion to be a thing, you will lose its essence and its meaning and turn it into something that it was never meant to be. If you want to turn religion into a set of ideals or beliefs or a complex theology, you will lose what religion really is and what it is for. To argue whether Jesus or Mohammed is the greatest Teacher or provides the final word for humanity is so utterly ridiculous and so far from the nature and intent of religion as God intended it to be, that it represents a kind of pathetic diminishing and distortion of what religion really is.
To think that Mohammed gave the final Revelation is to misunderstand God’s purpose and presence, for God has many more things to say to the world, particularly at this great turning point when humanity is facing a declining world, a world of declining resources, when humanity is facing the reality of contact with intelligent life in the Universe—two great events that none of God’s previous Revelations are meant to address or that can address sufficiently [and] reasonably.
Religion has become overlaid with ideas, beliefs, institutions, laws and requirements that have become repressive to the people or abhorrent to people who are more freedom loving. They do not meet the deeper need of the soul. That is why you must come back to what is essential, to what is real. The temple, the mosque, the church and the tribal place of worship are the places to honor the Mystery and to evoke the Presence and the Power.
The Way of Knowledge, which is at the heart of all the world’s religions, must become its essential teaching, instead of a focus for clerics and monastics and exceptional individuals only. This is the challenge before you, or religion will be part of the problem for humanity and not its essential means of reconciliation, inspiration and a high ethical awareness. Let this be your understanding. |
Submitted by Pater Tenebrarum via Acting-Man.com,
Experts Agree: It Is Not 2008
If someone were to ask us what year it was, we would probably politely answer that it was 2016, curious to find out whether the inquirer was a) very confused, b) had only recently awoken from a coma and was still unsure of his when-abouts, or c) was a time traveler who got temporarily lost.
In the unlikely case that we should find ourselves unable to remember the year with sufficient precision to ensure a reliable answer, we’d probably consult a calendar. We recently found out that a great many people actually seem to be uncertain about what year it is. Or at least many mainstream media appear to think so, as they have launched an intense awareness campaign.
Specifically, numerous people seem to think it is still 2008. Wish that it were so – we’d be eight years younger. It all started on 24 August 2015, when two publications apparently discovered independently of each other that is was no longer 2008 and decided that this information should be urgently imparted to the rest of humanity. It all started with marketplace.org admonishing its readers to engage in mnemonic exercises so as not to forget:
If you repeat it often enough, remembering it will eventually become second nature…
On the very same day, NPR noted that a number of economists agreed: it was indeed no longer 2008. Incidentally, this was actually a correct estimate, as it was clearly 2015 at the time. It was presumably good though that some reassurance on the point was provided by experts – that is apparently helpful with averting panic attacks:
Lay your calendar-related phobias to rest pilgrims!
However, these efforts were evidently insufficient: general confusion about the precise year we are in must have promptly resurfaced in early 2016. In the interest of keeping the general population in the date-loop, USA Today had the following information on its January 8 front page:
Right on! By this time the arrow of time as measured by the Gregorian Calendar had in fact advanced to 2016…
Inside, the paper assured its readers that once again, “pros” agreed with this assessment. Phew!
Once again, well-informed experts are providing reassurance. What would we do without them?
It turns out that not everybody realized this at once. One day later, the National Interest felt it had to bring its readers up-to-date as well. In hindsight, the photograph it chose to mark the occasion seems somewhat inappropriate:
Good news true believers! You have not traveled back in time after all! Wrong animal though.
It took another three days for CNBC to catch on, but they needed a Mr. Mather from PIMCO to tell them (PIMCO seems to be running a sideline as a time-keeping company):
One has to admit that Mr. Mather was quite right: it was in fact already 2016. PIMCO should consider raising his bonus.
Another three days later, editors at the Wall Street Journal began to entertain doubts about the perception of time and date prevailing among the paper’s readers. Better safe than sorry, they must have thought. Someone’s got to tell them!
The headline seemed to indicate that they even knew why it was no longer 2008. But the sub-header betrays that there were still some uncertainties. As you can see, it says there: “US economy and financial system are in a very different place now”. Wrong! They’re in a different time. Oh well.
By now you’re probably wondering where Bloomberg was while all of this was happening. Did Bloomberg’s editors trust that its readers were aware of what year we are in? It seems they were waiting for an expert study before making a firm pronouncement on the matter. Such a study was finally forwarded to them by Citigroup on January 20:
Instead of urging readers to remember what the current year is, Citigroup seemed to prefer for everybody to forget 2008. This is no surprise, as the bank reportedly suffered a severe dancing accident in 2008. This was rumored to be due to problems with the CEO’s hearing aid. What he erroneously took to be music was actually the sound made by bankers and hedge fund managers falling past his window on the way down.
On the very same day, Business Insider finally decided to consult an expert as well. None other than the famous Nouriel Roubini! If anyone knows for sure what year it is, it is surely he. Not only that, he even had the presence of mind to make a very useful suggestion as to what needed to be done to help those who remained confused – although it should be noted that he himself seemed actually slightly confused about the flow of time:
Roubini appears to believe that the universe has begun to contract – how else are we to interpret his assertion that “it’s not 2008 yet”? Fortunately, his unerring statist instincts still seem to be in perfect working order: Governments will save us!
To make 100% sure that its readers really understood that time had moved on, Bloomberg offered additional commentary on the topic on January 22:
Good news! At least we know now for sure that there’s no time machine hanky-panky involved. Nothing has traveled back to 2008 for a visit. The time-line is safe! No need to call the time cops – they can stay in the 29th, resp. 31st century for now.
It took about one more week for Barron’s to decide to bring its readers abruptly into the present, which it did on January 30:
It appears from this that Barron’s has also discovered why exactly it is not 2008. We have our own guess actually (don’t take our word for it, do your own due diligence – we could be wrong): the most likely reason is that eight years have passed since then.
It took almost another week for the good news to travel all the way to South Africa, where a local paper advised its date & time-challenged readers on February 5 to keep calm in the face of this monumental discovery:
Or as it says on the cover of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”: Don’t Panic!
Finally, on February 10, Citigroup analysts felt sure they had at last found out what year it actually is and immediately informed Bloomberg of their theory. You will recall from further above that they previously were merely certain that it wasn’t the year of the Mazurka accident. Unfortunately, they haven’t gotten it quite right just yet. Perhaps someone should mail them a calendar?
Closer, but still no cigar. We are slightly baffled that no-one at Bloomberg thought to tell them that it isn’t 2011 anymore. If you look closely, you will see that Bloomberg itself is evidently aware of what year it is.
The whole thing is a bit of a head-scratcher to be honest. We feel pretty sure that it is 2016, but with so many different papers desperately hammering home the same message, one has to wonder a bit what is going on here. However:
It’s Actually True
A friend has provided us with evidence yesterday that shows convincingly that it is indeed not 2008. The experts have it right! Below you see a chart of the performance of major European bank stocks from the beginning of this year compared to their performance in the same time period in 2008. Clearly, it must be 2016:
European bank stocks, performance in 2016 (dark blue) vs. 2008 (light blue), via Thomson Reuters.
Conclusion
Normally we try to carefully avoid the following phrase due to the costs it reportedly tends to involve, but here goes anyway:
This time is different!
Addendum: More Good News
We are happy to report that it’s not only not 2008 for the markets. It seems Hillary Clinton is no longer stuck in 2008 either. This was discovered by MSNBC on January 16 already. Like the rest of us, she has apparently also arrived in 2016 – and it is said to be worse for her than 2008!
Hillary Clinton has also made the trip from 2008 to 2016… but she may not like it. |
Fourteen Year Old White Child Molester Was "Curious"
After it was discovered that Josh Duggar of the reality TV show "19 Kids And Counting" had sexually abused several young girls, including his sisters, when he was fourteen, Fox News went out of their way to avoid covering the story. There was hardly a mention of it on the network until Megyn Kelly succeeded in booking members of the Duggar family (not including Josh) for exclusive interviews. The pre-taped conversations were split up to air on two separate nights, multiplying the ratings possibilities for Kelly and Fox.
During the interviews Kelly, a lawyer prior to her work at Fox, acted more like the Duggar's defense attorney than a journalist. She repeatedly fed Josh's parents and sisters leading questions that contained the answers she was looking for. The Duggar family played along and joined Kelly in characterizing the controversy as a fabrication of the liberal, secular media that sought to defame their "strong Christian" family. The result was a narrative that cast Josh as "a young boy in puberty and a little too curious about girls."
So, nothing to see here. Never mind that a budding pedophile never faced criminal consequences for his unlawful acts, nor that he never received professional counseling for a severe psychological problem that is notoriously difficult to treat and is often repeated. And never mind that the parents failed to report Josh's behavior for a year, or that they agreed to launch a television show that delved into their personal lives knowing the awful secret they were concealing. If anyone was exploiting the media it was the Duggars on the cable show that was making them rich, and later on Fox News as they tried to salvage their slimy career.
Fourteen Year Old Black Girl Brutalized By Rogue Cop "Was No Saint"
After attending a pool party in McKinney, Texas, Dajerria Becton was caught up in one-man police rampage that resulted in her being savagely mistreated. The party dissolved as adults in attendance argued and may have fought over alleged racial slurs directed at African-American kids who were invited guests. When the police arrived witnesses reported that they targeted the black kids, ordered them to the ground, and placed them in handcuffs. Note that these were non-violent, unarmed kids who had broken no laws.
One officer in particular, Eric Casebolt, was noticeably out of control. He was chasing down kids who had done nothing wrong, and even drew his gun on a couple of boys who were clearly not threatening him or anyone else. Among his victims was Becton, a young girl in a swimsuit, who Casebolt grabbed by her hair and threw violently into the pavement. As she called out for someone to call her mother, Casebolt continued to brutalize her, forcing her face into the grass and kneeling with his full weight on her back. You have to wonder what ominous danger he thought she was capable of.
The coverage of this incident by Fox News predictably slanted toward the side of the police. And once again, it was Megyn Kelly who summarized the network's general take by baselessly slandering Becton saying that "the girl was no saint either." What did Kelly regard as her sinfulness that justified the beating she took? The only thing Kelly mentioned was that Becton was told to leave the area and she didn't immediately do so. Apparently Fox News considers that a sufficient crime to warrant throwing a child onto concrete by her hair and pinning to the ground.
Moral Equivalency?
Juxtaposing these two incidents, both involving fourteen year old kids, puts the repulsive biases of Fox News on display. It is inconceivable that a rational person would defend the young Josh Duggar as a curious, but essentially good kid who simply made some mistakes, while condemning young Dajerria Becton, who did nothing wrong, as a sinful delinquent who deserved what she got. Yet somehow, Fox News still regards itself as the spokes-network for conservative values including personal responsibility. I suppose they just mean personal responsibility for African-Americans, not white, right-wing Christians. |
A young MBA pass out has decided not to accept his degree at the first convocation of Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) in Kashmir from Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani as a protest against "diminishing freedoms" in the country.
"Though, for a student, receiving a master's degree is no less than any prestigious award. But on October 19, (the Convocation Day) I Sameer Gojwari won't accept it," Gojwari, who completed his MBA from the IUST in 2008, wrote on his Facebook page.
Gojwari's post came in response to unconfirmed reports that Irani will be giving out degrees to the pass outs of the IUST at the varsity's first ever convocation on Monday.
"When India's writers are returning literary awards to protest diminishing freedoms and 41 writers across the country have given back most prestigious awards; unofficial reports say that Islamic University of Science & Technology on its 1st Convocation have chaired a Minister from Central Ministry #BJP, most likely Mrs Smriti Irani," he said.
The Union HRD minister is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of Central University Kashmir complex at Ganderbal on Tuesday. |
Larry King: Was your biggest role “Community?”
Yvette Nicole Brown: I think so far, yeah. You know, I think “Community” had the most rabid fan base of anything I’ve ever done. I meet a “Community” fan like everyday. I met like, three “Community” fans on your staff. So you know, it’s something that just touched people’s hearts, or they watched it…
Larry King: Why?
Yvette Nicole Brown: I think it’s because we were a land of misfit toys. And I think the world is full of more misfits than the people that have it together. I was a misfit. You know I was an underdog in life. And I feel like when you find your tribe you hold on to them, and so I think the misfits of the world really found someone in that study group that reminded them of themselves, and they held on.
Larry King: Do you miss the show?
Yvette Nicole Brown: I do. I was going to say I miss my friends in the cast and crew but I actually see a lot of them so it’s not, it’s not as melancholy as it would seem, but we were together like 16 hours a day. And that time, you know when you’re in the midst of it you don’t realize how special it is and then when it’s gone it’s like, ‘dang, I’m never gonna be with that exact group of people ever again.’ So that part I really, really miss.
Larry King: Why was it always a struggle to stay on? Five years on NBC, a year on Yahoo.
Yvette Nicole Brown: You know, ratings matter, and I think that the cast – I mean the people that loved “Community” didn’t watch in traditional ways, I don’t think they were Nielsen families, so to speak. So I think they were watching on their computers or watching communally, on phones or on torrent streams, bitstream or whatever they call it where you download things. They weren’t watching in a traditional way so they couldn’t be counted. And I think, you know, networks want the numbers and I don’t think we ever really had ‘em.
Larry King: Keep in touch with the cast?
Yvette Nicole Brown: I do. I just actually texted Gillian this morning cause she did the show. I said, ‘I’m doing Larry, give me some pointers.’ So I just texted with her this morning and I just did an episode of Kim Jong’s show, Dr. Kim last week. And I text and talk to all of them – Alison’s birthday was last week so I sent her a text.
Larry King: Do you think it would make a movie?
Yvette Nicole Brown: We have to make a movie. I don’t think the fans would allow us not to make a movie. And I hope that I get to come back. Cause I didn’t do the last season on Yahoo cause I had to take care of my dad, who has dementia. And the hours were just too long, for him and for me. But if they did a movie and they would let me come back I would 100% do it.
Larry King: Watch new episodes of “Larry King Now” Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday on demand on Ora TV and Hulu. |
What an intervention will be, then, is a limited response to a specific act in defense of an international norm (though not, apparently, an international law). Carney made this plain Monday: "What we are talking about here, as Secretary Kerry made clear, is a response to the clear violation of an international norm. And it is profoundly in the interest of the United States and of the international community that that violation of an international norm be responded to .... It is important to make a distinction here when it comes to this violation of an international norm -- it's not just an incident that pertains only to Syria or to the region, it is a violation that pertains to the whole world."
In this, he echoed Kerry, who earlier said: "The meaning of this attack goes beyond the conflict on Syria itself. And that conflict has already brought so much terrible suffering. This is about the large-scale indiscriminate use of weapons that the civilized world long ago decided must never be used at all, a conviction shared even by countries that agree on little else."
And yet what Assad's forces did to the people of suburban Damascus (click-through warning: GRAPHIC) was not an assault on the world; it was an assault on individuals with real lives and particular histories. The chemical attack is something that happened to them, not to all of us, even if we are horrified by it.
Responding to the attack in defense of an abstract system of global norms may be necessary for preserving those norms, but has the odd effect of bleeding moral force out of the argument toward action and replacing it with self-interest.
It is a case for war as global administration, and using force against selected forms of prohibited atrocity in order to preserve a system we want in place for our own sake -- taking action on behalf of something that "is profoundly in the interest of the United States," as Carney put it.
It makes sense that the administration would foreground American interests at stake in the conflict, thanks to the complexity of the situation on the ground and Americans' wariness of intervening in Syria. Decisive majorities in three recent polls opposed all forms of intervention, and just 28 percent in a June CBS News/New York Times poll said that the U.S. has an obligation to do something about the war there.
But after more than a decade of ambitious wars with expansive aims, so narrow a reading of what the U.S. ought to do will surely disappoint hawks who want the U.S. to intervene robustly against Assad in the conflict. And also, perhaps, those who would be more supportive of an intervention if they thought it might actually hasten an end to the suffering in Syria.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected]. |
Workday CEO Aneel Bhusri. Greylock Partners Retaining talent is a top priority for any organization.
Silicon Valley's war for tech talent is already well documented, but even the general labor market is seeing record-high job openings, which means businesses need a better way to identify who is about to leave and how to keep them within the company.
HR software maker Workday has an innovative approach to solving this problem. With an application called Workday Talent Insights, which launched on Thursday, companies can get a better look into which employee is likely to quit, and what options need to be considered to retain that person.
For example, it sifts through years worth of HR data, ranging from time between promotions, time at current job, and number of job functions. It then combines that with job posting data from sites like Indeed.com to gauge the market demand rate for certain employees. Based on that, Workday can come up with the employees at risk of leaving and how much it would take to replace them.
On top of that, the new app can also give recommendations on what you need to do to keep those employees around. It can map out next suggested moves and positions that would best suit each one.
"It's not just a predictive model of what could happen next, but adding context, so you can then give something more prescriptive, like a recommendation," Dan Beck, Workday's senior VP of Technology Products, tells us.
The technology behind all this originally comes from Netflix's movie recommendation engine, Beck says. The app is a brainchild of Mohammad Sabah, a former Netflix data scientist who joined Workday when his previous company, Identified, was acquired last February.
"It's interesting to see some of these consumer web data science applications come to the enterprise. This is essentially how Netflix makes movie recommendations," Beck says.
In fact, this is a larger move towards what many call "Big Data," the broader term used for processing large amounts of data to analyze and predict future outcomes. Lots of tech companies are using data in all kinds of ways to keep an edge over others. Insidesales.com, for example, has built a business worth over $1 billion by offering software to increase sales efficiency, while Airbnb is working on a new feature that suggests the best photos for attracting more clicks, all based on previous data.
Here's what Workday's new app looks like: |
Average investors — those of us who don’t belong to an elite institutional class, for example — wanting to invest in a venture capital fund that supports emerging blockchain technologies will soon be able to do so.
Blockchain Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in blockchain technology companies, in collaboration with digital finance investment bank Argon Group, is about to issue its own Ethereum-based digital tokens called BCAP.
The move is part of a new liquidity-enhanced venture capital fund called Blockchain Capital III: a combination of a traditional limited partnership and the BCAP digital token, which will be sold in an upcoming initial token offering (ITO).
Brock Pierce, managing partner at Blockchain Capital, believes that with this move they are “democratizing access to an asset class traditionally only available to elite institutional investors.”
Democratizing Venture Capitalism
Here’s how it works. According to Pierce, Blockchain Capital is “providing the investor base across the globe with the opportunity to invest into a leading venture fund via a liquid, tradable, digital token.”
Traditionally, venture fund investment has been restricted to an elite class of investors, including wealthy university endowments and politically connected unions and pension funds. These typical venture fund investments are also highly illiquid, locking up funds for terms as long as 10 years.
During the initial token offering period, average investors who want to diversify and get exposure to the surging growth in blockchain startups can purchase BCAP tokens representing digital interests in the Blockchain Capital III VC fund, using bitcoin, ether or U.S. dollars.
Unlike traditional VC fund investments with their 10-year terms, liquidity barriers are overcome since these tokens will soon be able to be bought and sold on secondary markets via established digital currency exchanges. Those exchange partnerships have yet to be announced but are in the works.
In an interview with Bitcoin Magazine, managing partner Bart Stephens explained that BCAP tokens follow the SEC exemptions for unregulated securities — the same structure as bonds and high-yield debt — under Regulation D, allowing them to be sold in the U.S., as well as Regulation S, allowing them to be sold internationally.
“We’re playing within existing guidleines,” said Stephens, “but offering something new.”
Walking the Blockchain Walk
Launched in 2013, Blockchain Capital’s initial fund was the first venture capital fund dedicated to the Bitcoin and blockchain ecosystem. It was also the first fund to accept capital calls in bitcoin.
The Argon Group, which is collaborating with Blockchain Capital on this initiative, is a major player in the emerging digital currency and token-based capital markets.
“We are pioneering a groundbreaking moment in the history of venture capital by using blockchain technology to provide never-before-seen liquidity and access to investors,” said Stan Miroshnik, CEO of The Argon Group, to Bitcoin Magazine. “By investing in venture capital through a digital token, investors get liquidity, transparency, clear view on value and an ability to participate in an asset class previously reserved for elite institutions.”
Blockchain Capital’s current portfolio is comprised of 43 unique companies from its prior two funds. These include Bitfury, BitGo, BitPesa, BlockCypher, Blockstream, Chain, Coinbase, Gem, GoCoin, itBit, PeerNova, Ripple, Wave and Xapo, among other blockchain technology leaders.
This investment focus of the new fund is expected to further Blockchain Capital’s established reputation of identifying outstanding blockchain technology companies led by ambitious management teams and partnering with them to accelerate growth.
“I’ve never been more excited in my whole career,” said Stephens, an experienced fintech exective, hedge fund manager and venture capitalist. “We think it’s a great thing for the overall ecosystem. We think it’s a great thing for the hobby industry of venture capital. Venture capitalists like to talk about disruption and innovation but very few of them walk the walk. We are actually using blockchain technology to disrupt ourselves. It’s always a little uncomfortable but I’ve always said if we don’t do it someone else will.”
Full details of the offering will be disclosed in the offering memorandum, which is expected to be published on April 3, 2017, via vctoken.com. |
Patterns became the first of Linden Lab’s new products to be made available to the public with an initial debut on Thursday October 4th in what the Lab calls the “Genesis Release”. This has been (and remains) available at a discount price of $9.95 on the Patterns website. The “full” release of the product will apparently not be until “late” 2013 – presumably to give both users and Linden Lab plenty of time to add to the Patterns universe and make it something truly unique – and at a price of $19.95.
As I pre-ordered my copy back in September, I was quite keen to find out what Patterns is like – and provide some initial feedback.
Downloading and Installing
Patterns is being made available through Steam, so you’ll need to sign-up there if you’re planning to try the Genesis Release for yourself. To download the software, you’ll need an activation code, which will be e-mailed to you. Use this with the Product Activation process within the Steam client to initiate download and installation – full instructions accompany the activation key. Installation is an automated process, leaving you with the option of starting Patterns from your Steam Library, your desktop, via shortcut, your start menu, and so on. No fuss, no bother, as with all Steam installations (or all (three) that I’ve seen). In this lies a hint as to how Second Life will arrive on people’s computers once the SL / Steam link-up is completed.
Start-up and First Looks
Launching Patterns is somewhat similar to the first use of SL: the first thing you’re asked to do is to agree to a very familiar Terms of Service (although it has some notable and obvious exceptions, the term “boilerplate” sprang to mind reading it – but then, why should LL reinvent their legal wheel?). Confirming your acceptance of the ToS brings up the Patterns splash screen in full.
Clicking PLAY presents you with the options to RESUME, or start a NEW session. HELP displays some basic instructions for using Patterns (how to move, how to collect materials, how to build, etc.), while OPTIONS displays those setting you can tweak. The look of both these latter screens is perhaps best termed “retro”.
NEW gives you three options: 1, 2, 3. These refer to the number of individual game sessions you can create and save – so it is possible to have up to three sessions of Patterns ongoing, although you can only ever use one of them at a time.Start and save three sessions, however, and you’ll have to overwrite one of them the next time you select NEW.
Once you’ve started a session and the game has loaded, you’re inside a large pyramid, and need to break out. This is done by pressing and holding the right mouse button and “busting” some of the material comprising the pyramid’s walls. This breaks the material (“substance”, in Patterns parlance, which left me wondering if I was guilty of substance abuse when smashing up walls and objects…) into its component triangles, which you can then collect as you “fire” at them – they are added to the requisite substance counter at the top of the screen. You can then use any substances you have acquired (up to the total number collected) to build objects of your own.
Note that not all materials appear to be “bustable”; some may collapse as you fire at them, some may not (such as the “bedrock” supporting each of the floating platforms). Also note that “busting” objects and walls, etc., is range limited, with out-of-range objects being outlined in yellow, and those you can break-up in green.
Once outside, you’re in a platform-like world, where you can continue use the right mouse button to assist you in collecting a range substances you may wish to use for building later, differentiated by look and texture, each with differing properties to be discovered as you gain familiarity with the game.
In order to build, you must first start collecting shapes. This involves finding special “starene” objects in-world and then busting them. Building is done using the left mouse button to select a shape from your shape tray (or use the number keys), then selecting the preferred substance from the menu of substances at the top right of the screen (you can only use the substances you have collected). There are a couple of basic rules for building, which are square faces will only snap to square faces and triangles to other triangles. suitable surfaces are outlined in green. It’s here that the different properties of the substances come into their own: some are better suited to certain tasks / situation than others.
There is also the small matter of physics as well, which can make itself felt whatever you’re doing (try bridging a gap between platforms with the wrong materials, and you’ll see what I mean). Be wary of trying to jump between platforms, or stepping off the edge of the one you’re on. If you fall a decent distance, you’ll come to the shattering conclusion it may have been a mistake. Be careful of anything overhead as well, when building upwards.
Shapes can also be rotated using the R key. Shape placement is a matter of determining what you want to do, and manoeuvring the camera to a position where you can actually do it – and, use the green outline of shape faces as a guide. Here is where Patterns again follows the Second Life model: camera placement leaves a lot to be desired. You can toggle between views using TAB, and move the camera up/down, left/right by moving the cursor around the screen, but it is still something of a PITA – moreso if you’re an SL user, as the temptation is to tap ESC to try to reset the camera is strong; however, in Patterns, all it will do is display the main menu.
Nevertheless, with a little trial an effort, it is possible to start building things – as my first bridge between platforms shows, even if it did start sounding like the rock was about to collapse as it neared completion. Remember you can jump, so it’s not always necessary to completely bridge chasms.
Collecting shapes allows you to construct more complex objects, not all of which need be static – wheels can be pushed and rolled, for example. Existing objects, such as trees can, if “busted” correctly, can be made to fall and form stepping-stones. You can also create shapes of your own using a kind of “workbench” (for want of a better word), one (or more, I presume) of which can be found in-world for those who look.
Not everything is in plain sight, either, so be prepared to look up and down, and to break through walls.
There is probably far more to Patterns than this, with things I’ve likely missed in this first look; but for now, this will hopefully give a general look and feel for the product.
Initial Thoughts
Patterns is hard to quantify – again, something it shares in common with Second Life. It’s clearly not a game in the traditional sense. It is also a curious mix of the frustrating, the repetitive and the strangely addictive. My first 25 minutes didn’t go well at all; the camera positioning came close to driving me bonkers, and adjusting mouse sensitivity didn’t seem to help, either the camera would whip around in response to mouse movements, or it would crawl painfully slowly; even with very incremental adjustments to a slider, mouse/camera movement seemed to leap from one to the other. When trying to build, this became especially annoying, as even with the TAB option to swap between camera positions, I seemed to be spending a lot more time just trying to get to a position where I could actually do what I wanted, rather than actually build. This became especially tiresome when trying to bridge chasms or build complex stairways to reach between platforms, rather then building free-form.
That said, I admit to actually getting drawn-in to Patterns; whether this was 50% fascination / curiosity and 50% bloody mindedness (“I’ve started, so I’ll finish”), I’ve no real idea, All I do know is that when I saw a “starene” shape in the distance, I wanted to find out what it would give me shape-wise, and once I’d discovered the secret inside one structure, I was anxious to find out if others had anything hidden within. I also found that exploration aside, I did start experimenting with putting triangles together to make a wheel and then trying to combine triangles and cubes to make “organic” shapes and mimic the trees around me.
I also had a bit of fun simply being destructive, building and wrecking things, partly because I was curious as to when / how the physics engine would sit up and notice I was doing something Newton would demand it took action against, partly because it was actually fun. Three-o’clock-in-the morning-God-why-aren’t-I-in-bed fun, I’ll grant you, but fun.
But all that said, right now, Patterns is a lonely affair. You play on your own and there is no interaction. From the promotional blurb, it appears users will be able to “share” their creativity via Twitter, You Tube and Facebook, and Genesis Release users will be able to contribute directly to the development of Patterns in some way. Even so, it feels as if Patterns is already lacking something.
Part of the joy in “shared creativity” is showing-off what you’ve done to friends, and having them respond with, “Wow! But what if you / we did this…”, and then trying things together, sharing in the immediate feedback of the creative process. Patterns doesn’t have any of this. Whether such an ability is on the cards for future iterations, I’ve no idea; maybe there will be some form of server-based version in the future; although I think I’ll be surprised were that to prove to be the case. For now however, and allowing for the fact my familiarity with the share creative capabilities of SL may well be biasing my opinion, the Patterns universe already feels a slightly empty place, and in need of something more.
Looks-wise, it again falls into the curate’s egg category. It has very smooth graphics, and in-world views look reasonably good, with sunshine, shadows, and the like; even the Lego-ish clouds don’t really seem out-of-place. However, the main menu, options screen and help screen are unlikely to win fans. I’m not really a player of games, but even to me they look like something pulled out of the late 1990s and dropped into Patterns, fostering a complete “Bleah!” reaction.
Of course, the $64,000 question is – will Patterns be any kind of commercial success? Right now, that is impossible to answer; not so much because it has only just been launched, but because a lot depends on how well it develops between now and the formal launch in 2013. Part of me does feel that the Genesis Release has perhaps suffered the Humble effect and has been pushed out a little prematurely (rather like some recent SL releases of late); it’s as easy to become bored with it as it is to get drawn in – and boredom isn’t a good thing to instill among users. Hopefully the promised rapid iteration cycle will discourage the former and encourage the latter.
Even so, I’m not ready to pass judgement just yet, one way or the other. Patterns is going to need a little time, and I feel it is only fair that judgement is withheld until we’ve had the chance to see a few iterations and found out how we, as Genesis users, get to have input to enhancing it. I will say that after playing with it for a good couple of hours last night and again using it this morning (so much for the housework!), have left me feeling somewhat ambivalent towards it at this point in time.
Articles on Patterns in this blog
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MT. CRESTED BUTTE — The incense is burning. The waterfall trickles as the lava lamp bubbles. Outside, a windy chaos is blowing.
The radio crackles with calls about high winds toppling trees onto runs. Ski patrollers are calling from every corner of the steep Crested Butte ski area with warnings and observations.
Jim Harlan, the dispatcher for Crested Butte’s ski patrol for 19 years, draws some calming vibes from the tapestry-flanked collection of Peacemakers in his corner of the mountaintop patrol headquarters shack and answers the squawking with quiet ease, directing patrollers with chain saws, sleds and closure ropes across the area’s 1,400-plus acres.
“A lot of times I just have a weird sense where everyone is,” he says. “It’s just a feeling I get and I know what they need, what they are reporting, where they’re headed.”
The 47-year-old Harlan is the maestro of the patrol, conducting the mountain’s acclaimed red coats from a wheelchair he has rolled since the summer of 1983, when a dive into a swimming pool broke his neck and left him a quadriplegic. He’s the only full-time, professional ski patroller in the country who works from a wheelchair.
“I think I have one of the best jobs in the valley,” he says in a rare moment of radio silence. “It’s pretty hectic up here but exciting. It’s pretty cool to have a job that I really want to come to every day.”
Harlan’s wheels have hardly hindered his lifestyle. He monoskis Crested Butte’s gnarly steeps with grace and poise. He has raced with the U.S. Paralympic cycling team, earning several national and world titles. An avid artist, his engaging pencil drawings hang in the local bakery.
This spring he joined an able-bodied skier and set a world record for skiing the most named runs in a single day, traversing 64 runs at Crested Butte ski area.
“We worked pretty hard, and conditions were not too good,” he says. “Next year, I’m doing it again. I think I can get over 80 easy.”
While not a particularly competitive self-promoter, Harlan likes to push himself. He angles deep carves on his mono-ski, sometimes dragging his bucket seat as he arcs high-speed turns across the slopes.
His skills on the monoski can inspire both first-timers and experts who pass through Crested Butte’s vaunted Adaptive Sports Center. More than two decades ago, Harlan was one of the center’s first athletes as he transitioned from Smoky Hill High School track star with a full-ride scholarship to Gunnison’s Western State College to first-time monoskier.
“He gives our students a little better perspective,” said Christopher Hensley, the center’s executive director. “He’s been an important part of our program.”
Harlan doesn’t just work with skiers. He often travels back to Craig Hospital in Englewood, where he spent his first months after his life-altering injury. There, he meets with new residents and gives them what he calls a “pep talk.”
“I try to tell people to focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do,” he says. “There’s still a world of opportunity out there, and some of the opportunities I’ve had show that. I look at my life as a pretty good life. Full, fun, rewarding and challenging.”
Harlan’s tales of adventure on skis can captivates, as can his quirks. He hasn’t had a car for 12 years. He has never owned a cellphone and doesn’t watch television. He eschews e-mail and harbors a mistrust of government.
“I guess I’m anti a lot of stuff,” he says.
Harlan recently took a couple of days off from work. Upon his return, his patrol colleagues gave him a round of applause.
“People definitely notice when he’s gone,” patroller Karl Plambeck said. “He really does run the mountain.”
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374 or [email protected] |
Steven Salaita speaks at the Maryland AAUP’s conference on academic freedom, at John Hopkins University, 25 April. Mike Ferguson AAUP
Steven Salaita will not be reinstated under the terms of an out of court settlement with the University of Illinois.
The deal will pay Salaita $875,000 – about ten times the annual salary he would have received as a tenured professor in the American Indian Studies program at the university’s flagship Urbana-Champaign campus.
“This settlement is a vindication for me, but more importantly, it is a victory for academic freedom and the First Amendment,” Salaita said in a release from his legal counsel, the Center for Constitutional Rights and the law firm Loevy & Loevy.
The settlement brings an end to Salaita’s breach of contract lawsuit against university trustees and administrators over his August 2014 firing because of his tweets excoriating Israel’s attack on Gaza.
Salaita had sought reinstatement as well as financial damages.
The terms of the deal will come as a surprise to some supporters. His lawyers had said all along that Salaita was willing to settle, but that his primary goal would be to get his job back.
The university has been adamant, however, that it would not allow him into the classroom.
“This is an important victory, even if the bigger fight isn’t over,” Salaita added in a post on Facebook. “At this point I am ready to move beyond this particular matter and continue doing what I love – teaching, writing, organizing, and contributing in whatever way I can to struggles for justice.”
“The University believes that reaching a settlement with Dr. Salaita is the most reasonable option to fully and finally conclude all of the pending issues,” Urbana-Champaign Interim Chancellor Barbara Wilson said.
“Although the amount is significant, it is less than what we would spend if the case were to continue and proceed to trial over the next year,” she added.
The university statement said Salaita would receive a lump sum of $600,000, while the remaining amount would cover his legal fees.
Cause celebre
Salaita’s case became a cause celebre for academic freedom, highlighting the role of pro-Israel donors in pressuring university administrators.
Thousands of academics pledged to boycott the university until he was reinstated.
The Salaita affair devastated and demoralized the university’s celebrated American Indian Studies program, leading to the departure of several faculty.
His firing also earned the University of Illinois a formal censure from the American Association of University Professors for violating academic freedom, a rare rebuke and severe blow to its reputation.
“The petitions, demonstrations, and investigations, as well as the legal case, have reinvigorated American higher education as a place of critical thinking and rigorous debate, and I am deeply grateful to all who have spoken out,” Salaita’s statement said.
The university has undoubtedly paid a high price by bowing to Israel lobby pressure. The settlement with Salaita deals only with the legal aspects of the matter but not with questions of ethics and academic freedom which will tar the university’s reputation for years to come and could discourage academics and students from applying there.
Strong case
Salaita had scored successes in the early phases of his federal lawsuit.
In August, US District Judge Harry Leinenweber backed Salaita’s contention that he had a binding contract with the university.
Yet there was never a guarantee that even if he won at trial that the court would order his reinstatement.
In September, the judge found that university officials had destroyed emails that may have contained key evidence Salaita needed to prove his case.
This came after sensational revelations that top officials, including then Chancellor Phyllis Wise, had been using private email accounts to discuss the case and evade disclosure laws.
Wise and another official, Provost Ilesanmi Adesida, resigned in disgrace, adding to the disarray at the frequently scandal-plagued state university.
“Make no mistake: the size of this settlement is an implicit admission of the strength of Professor Salaita’s constitutional and contractual claims,” attorney Anand Swaminathan of Loevy & Loevy said.
“In the future, university administrators will have to think twice before they choose the interests of wealthy donors and alumni over upholding their constitutional obligations,” Swaminathan added.
In August, Salaita took up a year-long post as Edward W. Said Chair of American Studies at the American University of Beirut. |
For the arm sections in the body I used vac formed pieces (same as used on actual arms) and fitted them in with car body filler. The body was then lined with foil (this would reflect the light better once fitted)
Am access panel was cut into her back for fitting the neck etc.
For the neck once again is vac formed super clear styrene and frosted on the back. I laser cut stickers and stuck on a ring of angled squares that would be the neck glow. This was then attached in with car body filler.
In the head I used small pieces of styrene around the edges so that the face screen could be sat in but removable and lined with foil after spraying.
Everything was then primed with white primer and sprayed with several light layers of cellulose paint. To create the shine I didnt use lacquer as it can put a yellow tint on white things. I had put on several layers of paint so I could use 'micromesh', a super fine polishing sandpaper, to polish the whole head and body to a mirror shine (this took ages! but worth it).
The stickers were peeled off the neck.
Clear acrylic rods were fitted through the body to hold the head and arms.
A steel bar was fitted through the back so Eve could be attached to the wall to look like she was hovering.
Finally I put LED lights in her (Xmas lights for the body and a couple of small lantern torches in the head). The Xmas lights were great as they could be set to a pulse glow that was perfect for her. |
Estimated Republican Delegate Scorecard Tweet This Page
Bachmann Gingrich Huntsman Paul Perry Romney Santorum Total Delegates 0 132 2 145 0 1546 237
1,144 delegates to secure nomination
Republican Race Total delegates 2286 | Needed to win 1144 1144 Current Delegate Count: Bachmann 0 Gingrich 132 Huntsman 2 Paul 145 Perry 0 Romney 1546 Santorum 237 CBS News estimates 1144
Note: The total and state-by-state delegate counts above represent both pledged and unpledged Republican delegates. The delegates at stake underneath the state names on the left side of the chart reflect only the pledged delegates available in the primary or caucuses. There are 120 unpledged Republican delegates overall, who are Republican National Committee members, and are free to support any candidate they choose, representing 5 percent of the total number of delegates. Based on interviews with unpledged Republican delegates, CBS News estimates 83 unpledged delegates for Mitt Romney.
This material is solely intended for the personal reference of users of this site, and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed, or used for any commercial purpose whatsoever. |
Taiwan looking to ditch nuclear power?
The nuclear power industry turns out to be just as corrupt as Big Pharma
(NaturalNews) The Fukushima crisis continues to worsen by the day, with nuclear experts around the world finally realizing and admitting we've all been lied to. "I think maybe the situation is much more serious than we were led to believe," said Najmedin Meshkati of the University of Southern California, in a Reuters report ( http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/27/ja... ). That same article revealed that recent radiation readings at Fukushima show "contamination 100,000 times normal in water at reactor No. 2 and 1,850 times normal in the nearby sea."Massachusetts rainwater has also been found to be contaminated with low levels of radiation from Fukushima, indicating just how widespread the radioactive fallout has become. It's not just the West Coast of North America that's vulnerable, in other words: even the East Coast could receive dangerous levels of fallout if Fukushima suffers a larger release of radioactive material into the air.Rolling blackouts are now continuing throughout Japan due to the drop in power production from Fukushima diminishing Japan's electricity generating capacity ( http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/813... ). The only reason Japan isn't experiencingright now is because so many factories were damaged or swept away from the tsunami itself. Once a serious rebuilding effort gets underway, Japan is going to find itself critically short of electrical power.The radiation leaking from Reactor No. 2 is now measured at-- more than enough to cause someone's hair to fall out from a single exposure event. Radiation sickness can begin at just 100 millisieverts. The extremely high levels of radiation are, in fact, making it nearly impossible for workers to continue working at the reactor. "You'd have a lot of difficulty putting anyone in there," said Richard Wakeford, a radiation epidemiology expert at the Dalton Nuclear Institute in Manchester. "They're finding quite high levels of radiation fields, which is impeding their progress dealing with the situation." ( http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-27/... The worsening Fukushima situation is also starting to spook nearby nations such as, which also depends on nuclear power. The DPP opposition party there announced today that it wanted to see nuclear power phased out by 2025. Taiwan is a relatively small island nation, and a Fukushima-like catastrophe would leave most of the island residents with nowhere to go. And like Japan, Taiwan is also vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis (as well as hurricanes).In Germany, massive demonstrations (200,000 people in four large cities) have brought the nuclear safety issue to the forefront, contributing heavily to the defeat of Merkel and the rise to power of thein southwestern Germany ( http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/world/euro... ). Germans tend to have very strong opposition to nuclear power, in much the same way that most Europeans despise genetically modified foods.The truth is that, thanks to the corruption, cover-ups and outright deceptions that we're now finding out were behind the Fukushima power plant catastrophe. The nuclear industry, it turns out, is one bigwhere the regulators are deeply in bed with the very industry they're supposed to regulate ( http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527... ).Then again, what rich, powerful industryin bed with its regulators? It's true with Big Pharma and the FDA just as much as it is with the nuclear power industry and its corrupt regulators.That's why Big Government never really works: Most of the regulators who are supposed to protect the people inevitably end up operating as. This entire Fukushima incident is a direct result of that deep-rooted corruption coming back to haunt humanity.Watch for more reporting on this incident here at NaturalNews.com, and subscribe to our daily email alerts to be kept up to date on the situation: https://www.naturalnews.com/ReaderRegistratio... The Fukushima situation is nowhere near over. Now regulators are saying this might take not justorto sort out, but evento fully rectify.The half life of plutonium, it turns out, is a whole lot longer than the entire history of human civilization (24,000 years) ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium ). We would be wise to remember what we're playing with when we attempt to harness the power of fission. |
A British Airways aircraft controller based in London has posed with a grenade launcher in a photo uploaded to Facebook.
Mustafa Aziz, who works at BA's air nerve centre near Heathrow, was on a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan when he took the photo.
The 40-year-old told The Sun that the photo was taken in 2008, before he started working at BA, and he only posed with the weapon to 'look hard'.
Mustafa Aziz, who works as a British Airlines aircraft controller near Heathrow in London, was on a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan when he took the photo with a grenade launcher on a family farm in 2008
The photo of Aziz with the grenade launcher was shared alongside another of a Kurdish militant holding an assault weapon
The photo of Aziz with the grenade launcher was shared alongside another of a Kurdish militant holding an assault weapon.
Aziz has been based at BA's Waterside HQ in Harmondsworth, West London, since 2012.
When working for BA, Aziz is notified of all issues, including security and diversions, affecting planes in the region.
The married man said there is 'nothing menacing' about the photo, which was taken during a trip in 2008.
Aziz has been working for British Airways based at its Waterside HQ in Harmondsworth, West London, since 2012 (file photo)
'It was on a family farm, my uncle's land. They've got guns and stuff there, like any farmers do, and I was just posing, trying to look hard basically,' he told The Sun.
He added: 'That's just me being a Kurd, going back to the homeland, visiting family and just posing really. I do support the fight against ISIS and an independent Kurdistan.'
Aziz moved to the UK as a baby and denied all 'political ties to anything', adding that he loved where he lived and was 'loyal to democracy'.
A BA spokesman said of the photo: 'All employees who work at our headquarters undergo security, criminal record and referencing checks related to their specific roles.' |
Not long ago I made a post on 4chan (a disgustingly male-dominated websty whose only, like, redeemable quality is its ability to like spread ideas quickly). In this post I called on all feminists and social-justice activists to start spreading the hashtag #endfathersday because it’s a sexist holiday and fathers are nothing but filthy cum-donors.
When I woke up this morning I saw the hashtag everywhere on Twitter and I was like so blown away at how viral it had become. I’m seeing so many great, fierce, and empowered posts under the hashtag, something that makes me super-duper proud to be a feminist in this day and age. Some people however, are like saying that it’s only a joke-hashtag or something like that. This is 114% FALSE. I made that hashtag from my HEART cuz I, along with most feminists, truly believe fathers are totally evil creatures. Let me tell you why:
My own father was never in the picture. My mother told me that after their divorce, which happened I was really young, she had issued a restraining order against him. She told me that my father had been really persistent and had tried on like several occasions to see me and keep custody of me, but that she had never allowed it and legal action had been taken against him as a result. At the time, being a foolish, unfeminist little girl I really wanted to see him, the Patriarchy had subconsciously forced me to love him and so it seemed to my childish and uncritical eyes like he wanted to see me too.
Looking back, however, I am glad he never was a part of my life. I have come to realize now, after analyzing my childhood with fearless and smart Women’s Studies professors, that my father left us out of chauvinistic selfishness. He had never tried to see me and there had been no restraining order against him placed by my mother. What my mother had told me was just a white lie, a strong feminist way to protect me, to make me think he wanted me.
He had abandoned us, probably because he hated women and children, was too lazy to take care of us and wanted to play Call of Warfare instead.
My mother raised me great. She didn’t need him. I turned out more than great anyway. I became a strong, independent woman with a kind heart and really smart thoughts. That lowly knuckle-dragging male would probably have raped me anyway. People talk about “male influence” as if it’s a positive thing, oh yeah, so raping your daughters and teaching your son to rape is positive now? My teachers tell me most men wish they’ll have daughters so that they’ll get access to easy, carefree rapery inside the home—to them it’s like having rape delivered to their door which saves them going to a park at night to wait in a bush for a female passerby. This is true, just look at Joseph Schnitzel, the Nazi guy who locked his daughter in the basement closet (like in Harry Potter but with less magic a little more rape).
We need more single mothers. Single mothers are the best ever. Single mothers are the best judges of character in the world. They produce the most upstanding citizens, the least stupid people, and the most feminist women. (Just look at me—I am the perfect example of the product of a strong single mother.) I think that, like, the government should forbid any father from being around their children. Their role should be reduced to cum donor only, because men are not capable of being anything else to a child—just look at my father; he abandoned my mother and me after my mother kicked him out of the house.
Now on every Father’s Day, I think of him—my father, that is. He is totally the only parent I have after my mother died in a tragic fishing accident a few years back. I wonder what he does, where he lives, and who he is currently abusing. Mommy made sure that he would be deported from this county and sent to the Iraqi desert if he ever tried contacting me. She convinced a really powerful legal to promise that this would happen by giving him a rimjob. She made that sacrifice (she said she enjoyed it, but still) just to protect me from that monster. What a strong, independent woman.
I don’t want to think about him anymore and therefore this evil, patriarchal tradition—Father’s Day—must. be. stopped. Fathers are no good. I think we can all agree on that, so keep tweeting under my hashtag #EndFathersDay or better yet, step it up a notch and tweet under my new exclusive hashtag—you seen it first here, #PutAPistolToPapasPenis. |
A view of the United States during the total solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, showing the umbra (black oval), penumbra (concentric shaded ovals) and path of totality (red). This version includes images of the sun, showing the star's appearance in a number of locations, each oriented to the local horizon.
With 2017 right around the corner, it's time to start getting ready for the "Great American Total Solar Eclipse," NASA announced this week.
For the first time in nearly 100 years, a solar eclipse will sweep across the entire continental United States, happening on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most skywatchers, so don't miss out!
As the moon passes before the sun, it will cast a dark shadow that begins at 10:15 a.m. PDT (1:15 p.m. EDT) on the West Coast near Salem, Oregon, before traveling cross-country to Charleston, South Carolina, where it will end at 2:48 p.m. EDT, according to a NASA press release. [Total Solar Eclipse 2017: When, Where & How to See It (Safely)]
A view of the United States during the total solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, showing the umbra (black oval), penumbra (concentric shaded ovals) and path of totality (red). This version includes images of the sun, showing the star's appearance in a number of locations, each oriented to the local horizon. (Image: © NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio)
Viewers along the line between those two cities will experience a few seconds of totality, or complete darkness, while the rest of the country will be able to see the eclipse in its partial form. During a partial solar eclipse, the moon appears to have taken a bite out of the sun. The sky won't get nearly as dark as it does in the path of totality, and the partial eclipse will start earlier and end later than the total eclipse. [Total Solar Eclipse: What to Expect as Moon Blocks Sun (Photos)]
While skywatchers are making plans to see the eclipse in the best possible locations, researchers are preparing to do some serious science experiments during the event. At an American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday (Dec. 14), scientists from NASA, the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Hawaii gave presentations about the science of solar eclipses.
Graphic depicting the geometry of a total solar eclipse (Image: © NASA)
"An eclipse teaches us so many things, but the 2017 eclipse is especially unique because of the uninterrupted land masses it will pass over," Lika Guhathakurta, a NASA astrophysicist, said in a statement. "This will allow us to maximize our chance to collect data and connect the shadow of the moon to Earth science."
For example, a total solar eclipse provides an opportunity for scientists to look at the sun's corona, or outer atmosphere, which will appear as rays of white light surrounding the moon. The sun's corona can reveal information about solar flares, coronal mass ejections and the solar wind — a stream of charged particles constantly flowing out of the sun and into space.
"There is a whole spectrum of colors of light that our eyes cannot see," University of Hawaii astronomer Shadia Habbal said in the AGU meeting. "From these different colors, we can directly probe into the physics of the corona."
The sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, on March 29, 2006 was surprisingly full of structure even though the sun then was at its minimum activity. The corona displayed at least six long, beautiful streamers that extended almost symmetrically in opposite directions, like a bow tie or pair of butterfly wings, before tapering off into the deep, velvety-blue sky. Note how the prominent hairlike brushes delicately traced magnetic-field lines above the sun’s polar regions. (Image: © Imelda B. Joson and Edwin L. Aguirre)
You don't have to be a scientist to appreciate the sight of the Great American Total Solar Eclipse. But you do need to practice safe-viewing techniques to avoid damaging your eyes. It's never a good idea to look directly at the sun, even during a total or partial eclipse. We recommend finding a (cheap) pair of eclipse glasses, though these are not the only way to protect your eyes while watching an eclipse. For more tips on safe eclipse viewing, check out this Space.com infographic.
Email Hanneke Weitering at [email protected] or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. |
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan Wolverines sophomore receiver Amara Darboh will miss the 2013 season with a foot injury that will require him to have surgery, according to a news release.
Darboh, who played mostly on special teams as a freshman, had been lauded for his play during Michigan's spring and fall camps, when he became a consistent target for quarterback Devin Gardner.
"I love Amara, and just hate it for him, how hard he worked through the offseason and fall camp to earn a starting role," Michigan coach Brady Hoke said in the release. "We'll rally around him like a family does and help him get through this difficult time."
On Tuesday -- before the severity of Darboh's injury was revealed -- senior receiver Joe Reynolds said that senior Jeremy Gallon had stepped up his play during Darboh's absence, as had redshirt freshman Jehu Chesson. |
Edge of Eternity, the JRPG indie title being developed by Midgar Studio, has reached yet another funding goal. This latest milestone unlocks nekaroo breeding for the final release. In the game, “nekaroos” are giant feline creatures that run on their hind legs, and they are a major means of transport in the world of Heryon. Breeding these beasts will unlock new kinds of nekaroos, both in appearance and what skill bonuses they can afford the player. An example provided by Midgar Studio was of a nekaroo found on an ocean beach. Such nekaroos might give bonuses to swimming for the player. Certain kinds of these mounts will be necessary for the progression of the game. Others will be exceedingly rare, and require hours of careful breeding. When explaining where their inspirations came from, Midgar Studio stated that they took less cues from Final Fantasy 7’s chocobo breeding system, and more from Sonic Adventures Chao Garden.
The next funding goal at $95k unlocks an item craft system that will give the player the power to craft such items as weapons, armor, and potions. Given that Edge of Eternity still has a little under a month left on Kickstarter and shows no signs of slowing down, the prospect of them reaching this goal is highly likely. Already unlocked are the PS4 and Xbox One releases. Their top funding goal, at $150k, promises to bring in acclaimed video game music composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, who is known for his work on Chrono Trigger and Xenosaga.
To learn more about Edge of Eternity be sure to check out our previous coverage, as well as a playthrough of the demo. |
Donald Trump holds up a copy of the Union Leader at a rally at Pennichuck Middle School on Dec. 28, 2015, in Nashua, New Hampshire. Darren McCollester/Getty Images
The New Hampshire Union Leader, an influential conservative stalwart in the home of the critical first presidential primary, broke with the 100-plus-year-old tradition of backing the GOP nominee for president, and announced in a front-page editorial Wednesday its endorsement of Libertarian Gary Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld. “They would be worth considering under many circumstances. In today’s dark times, they are a bright light of hope and reason,” the paper’s publisher Joseph W. McQuaid wrote in the signed editorial.
The paper has been highly critical of Trump and Wednesday’s editorial was no different. “The man is a liar, a bully, a buffoon,” the editorial read. “He denigrates any individual or group that displeases him. He has dishonored military veterans and their families, made fun of the physically frail, and changed political views almost as often as he has changed wives.”
The paper sparred with Trump throughout the primary process and endorsed Trump rival turned supporter Chris Christie in the GOP primary in February. “Trump has shown himself to be a crude blowhard with no clear political philosophy and no deeper understanding of the important and serious role of President of the United States than one of the goons he lets rough up protesters in his crowds,” the paper wrote in the Christie endorsement. Accompanying the article was a picture of Biff Tannen, the bully from Back to the Future, alongside a picture of Trump. Trump responded as only he could calling it a “very dishonest newspaper” and the “lap dog” of Chris Christie. Trump was also the only Republican candidate to skip a candidate forum organized by the paper last July after it published a scathing editorial of Trump for his criticism of John McCain’s war record. Trump ultimately won New Hampshire by 19 points; Chris Christie finished sixth.
The Union Leader’s endorsement clearly was unable to dent the Trump whirlwind, but New Hampshire is a swing state in the general election and while the polling has consistently favored Hillary Clinton in head-to-head matchups, the race has tightened. A poll taken a week ago showed Gary Johnson with significant support, registering 15 percent of the vote. Clinton came in with 39 percent and Trump 37 percent.
Read more Slate coverage of the 2016 campaign. |
CLOSE Former President Bill Clinton visited Puerto Rico on Monday and met with many left homeless after Hurricane Maria struck the island in September. Clinton arrived with medical supplies and solar energy equipment donated by the Clinton Foundation. (Nov. 20) AP
Joe Conason (Photo: Creators Syndicate)
Suddenly, it has become fashionable again in liberal circles to flay Bill Clinton for his sexual misconduct, whether real, alleged or imagined.
Amid the national frenzy swirling around the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Roy Moore, prominent journalists and politicians are competing to display their dudgeon over the former president and things he is said to have done long ago.
On The New York Times op-ed page, new columnist Michelle Goldberg writes that the former president ought to be expelled from "decent society" because of Juanita Broaddrick's allegation that he raped her in 1978, under the headline "I Believe Juanita." In Politico, former ABC correspondent Jeff Greenfield pillories Democrats who supported Clinton for supposedly "brushing aside the serious questions ... of predatory sexual behavior" toward Broaddrick, Paula Jones and Kathleen Willey. And in The Atlantic, Caitlin Flanagan demands "a reckoning" of the way that "the Democratic Party protected Bill Clinton."
All these commentators, and a few more, seem to recollect a moment when Clinton blithely escaped accountability for awful sex offenses because the feckless liberals let him skip. But that is precisely the opposite of what happened.
Unlike Weinstein, Moore or any of the dozens of powerful men whose misdeeds have provoked a wave of justified fury, Clinton endured a series of official investigations of his alleged sexual misdeeds, litigated publicly all the way to the Supreme Court and the United States Senate. A zealous federal inquisitor with a team of relentless and experienced prosecutors, as well as the forensic services of the FBI, ran a wide-ranging sex probe that went back decades. The special prosecutor's name was Kenneth W. Starr.
The Starr investigation of Clinton's personal life unfolded rapidly after the independent counsel and his staff abandoned "Whitewater," a small-time land swindle whose principal victims turned out to be the Clintons themselves. Approached with a tip by lawyers for Paula Jones, the former Arkansas state employee who claimed then-Gov. Clinton had exposed himself to her in a Little Rock hotel room, Starr opened a new case to ensnare President Clinton in a perjury trap over his illicit consensual relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
The Lewinsky opening provided Starr with a license to intensify his scrutiny of Clinton's personal life. During the months leading up to impeachment in 1999, the Office of Independent Counsel deployed its full forensic authority to investigate every salacious claim or rumor about him. Included in that expansion of Starr's probe were the cases of Willey and Broaddrick.
Keen as Starr was to compile a thoroughly damning impeachment dossier against Clinton, both of those cases presented factual and legal problems that proved impossible for him to overcome. Under oath, two of Willey's closest friends directly contradicted her version of how Clinton aggressively "groped" her in the Oval Office despite her protestations.
During his investigation, Starr learned that Willey had lied to FBI agents after receiving a grant of transactional immunity from his office. He immunized her again, but by then, Willey was bereft of believability.
Starr also confronted vexing problems with Broaddrick's charge that Clinton had assaulted her in a hotel room in 1978. Before the independent counsel brought her in, she had sworn an affidavit in the Paula Jones case denying any sexual contact with Clinton, and then repeated that denial in a deposition under oath.
The FBI found five witnesses who insisted that Broaddrick had told them about the rape at the time. Two of those witnesses were sisters and close friends of Broaddrick, who hated Clinton for commuting the death sentence of their father's convicted killer. A third was Broaddrick's husband, David, with whom she had been conducting an illicit affair when the alleged incident occurred. Republican operatives who had pursued the rape rumors when Clinton first ran for president also cast doubt on her story and her motives.
Whether Clinton assaulted Broaddrick was impossible to know — or to prove — from the available evidence. That was why, in a footnote to his report, Starr described his findings about the woman called "Jane Doe #5" as "inconclusive."
As for Jones, various contradictions marred her testimony, notably the mythical "distinguishing characteristic" of Clinton's male equipment, which she evidently invented. Still, he agreed to pay her a settlement of $850,000, without any admission, to end the litigation.
That payment was the least of the indignities and injuries that befell Clinton. The investigations cost him tens of millions of dollars, a five-year suspension of his license to practice law, a searing scar upon his family, and a future obituary that will feature his status as the only president ever impeached over a sex lie.
Yet those who still feel an urge to flog Clinton, for whatever motive, should pursue that stern impulse with all the seriousness it deserves. This case isn't a current legal proceeding. It's history — and the facts, not fitting any easy storyline or moral fable, are available to those willing to deal with them.
You can contact Joe Conason at [email protected].
Read or Share this story: http://press.sn/2iNhNdV |
Israel Warns World War III May be Biblical War of Gog and Magog Ezra HaLevi | October 21, 2007
Arutz Sheva US President George W. Bush said a nuclear Iran would mean World War III. Israeli newscasts featured Gog & Magog maps of the likely alignment of nations in that potential conflict. Channel 2 and Channel 10 TV showed the world map, sketching the basic alignment of the two opposing axes in a coming world war, in a manner evoking associations of the Gog and Magog prophecy for many viewers. The prophecy of Gog and Magog refers to a great world war centered on the Holy Land and Jerusalem and first appears in the book of Yechezkel (Ezekiel). On one side were Israel, the United States, Britain, France and Germany. On the other were Iran, Russia, China, Syria and North Korea. US President Bush said Wednesday during a press conference that Iran attaining nuclear weapons raises the risk of "World War III." "If Iran had a nuclear weapon, it'd be a dangerous threat to world peace," Bush said. "So I told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested [in preventing a nuclear Iran] I take the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon very seriously." Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran Tuesday and slammed the US's refusal to rule out the use of force against Iran's nuclear project. "Not only should we reject the use of force, but also the mention of force as a possibility," he said. Russia has blocked tougher UN sanctions in the UN Security Council, where it has veto power. The Russian president asserts that there is no evidence Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons rather than a peaceful nuclear power program. Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni called for a new Security Council resolution against Iran at a press conference following her meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Wednesday. "I do believe there is a need for another Security Council resolution," she told reporters. "In the past, the need to get everybody on board - including Russia and China - led to some compromises on the nature of the sanctions. I hope this will not be the case this time." Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Wednesday a sudden trip to Moscow Thursday morning, where he will meet with Putin about Iran. Other topics of discussion will reportedly be Russia's continued supply of weapons to Syria, which have then made their way into the hands of various terrorist groups based there as well. The Internet leader in activist media - Prison Planet.tv . Get access to hundreds of special video reports, audio interviews, books and documentary films. Subscribers will be the first to view Alex Jones' new documentary blockbuster End Game in high quality streaming and download. Click here to subscribe. E-MAIL THIS LINK
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Researchers said MRI scans allowed them to target treatments in the body better, as well as potentially more quickly detect when cancer has spread. Photo by Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock
SHEFFIELD, England, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Researchers found they can target cell-based treatments at tumors using magnetic resonance imaging scanners, according to a new study with mice.
MRIs generally are used to take detailed pictures inside the body for doctors to use when diagnosing patients. Researchers at the University of Sheffield used MRI scanners to control tiny super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, or SPIOs, to primary and secondary tumors they said would ordinarily be impossible to reach by injection.
"This not only increases the therapeutic efficacy but also decreases the risk of unwanted side effects," said Dr. Munitta Muthana, a researcher at the University of Sheffield, in a press release. "The beauty of using the MRI scanner to administer the therapy is that you can also use it for its original purpose providing a real-time image-guide to ensure the treatment has gone where it is needed."
The researchers injected immune cells carrying SPIOs and the cancer killing oncolytic virus into mice with cancer, and directed to primary and secondary tumors in their bodies using an MRI scanner. The method result in an 800 percent increase in the therapy's effectiveness.
Targeting cancer treatment this could potentially result in treatment being more effective overall and smaller doses of drugs could be used in those treatments, researchers said.
The study is published in Nature Communications. |
The long-awaited opening of the NATO Liaison Office in Chisinau has polarized Moldovan society and sparked a new wave of discussion over where Moldova is headed. Yet again, Moldova is the field for the NATO-Russian information battle, which reveals mutual mistrust and confrontation.
Long-awaited office opens
On December 8 the government of Moldova, an eastern European country of three million inhabitants located between Romania and Ukraine, finally opened the NATO Liaison Office in Chisinau. NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller and the prime minister of Moldova, Pavel Filip, oversaw the opening that had seen delays for over two years.
"The office should have been opened in 2015," Moldovan political analyst Mihai Popsoi told Euronews, "but due to political instability and then because of some long technical delay, it was only inaugurated in December 2017. This prompted speculation that the government was not really inclined to open the office."
Recent public opinion polls showed rather low support for Moldova’s membership in NATO, with only 15.9% responders in favor of the idea. Due to this, Moldovan politicians avoided public discussions regarding building closer ties with NATO.
"At the same time, pro-Russian parties have long speculated on the matter," continues Mihai Popsoi, "sowing fear and anxiety about Moldova’s relations with NATO, even as Moldova’s cooperation with Alliance has benefited the country in many ways. The pro-Russian Party of Socialists has been the most vocal opponent of the NATO Liaison Office, staging numerous protests, but former Socialist leader and now President Igor Dodon failed to preclude the opening of the office."
During the opening, Rose Gottemoeller expressed hope that the liaison office will benefit Moldova. "It will also increase transparency about what NATO is and what NATO does here in Moldova. I hope that this will greatly increase the public’s understanding of our partnership," said Alliance Deputy Secretary-General.
Information and Documentation Centre on NATO from Moldova (IDC on NATO) has been working in Moldova since September 2006. Kate Baklitskaya
How does Moldova benefit from it?
"Opening of the NATO Liaison Office in Moldova is a positive step in strengthening Moldova’s good partnership with the Alliance", says Igor Munteanu, Chair of IDIS, a think tank active in the field of good governance and decentralization. "Many of us, Moldovan citizens believe that we will benefit more from strengthening ties with the Alliance than from isolating ourselves. Moldova has an excellent basis for boosting its bilateral relations with NATO, which allows the country to hold several forms of cooperative engagement with the Alliance, military exchanges as well as popular diplomacy, decontamination projects, training and other educational activities."
Despite the fact that Alliance mainly supports civilian programs in Moldova and the assurance that “NATO fully respects Moldova’s neutrality, independence, and sovereignty,” which Rose Gottemoeller expressed at the opening ceremony, not everyone in Moldova feels reassured.
In spite of having a personal meeting with Alliance Deputy Secretary-General, President Dodon expressed his concern about the opening of the NATO office on his Facebook page. "The haste with which the Moldovan government acts on this issue carries significant risks to the national security of the state. Such moves made by the government and the parliamentary majority are certainly aimed not at strengthening the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of the Republic of Moldova," said Igor Dodon.
Leonid Litra, senior research fellow of the New Europe center, a Kyiv-based think tank, says that Dodon is just using his usual politic narrative. "Igor Dodon is trying to gain some political points and consolidate the pro-Russian electorate in this way while the opening of the Liaison Office has no security threats to Moldova," thinks the expert.
"In another way, we can call it an embassy," continues Litra. "There are going to be several diplomats working there, just civilian personnel. I don't even think it's a breakthrough in the Moldova-NATO relationship. Dodon says that that NATO Liaison Office poses security threats to Moldova, but why doesn't he talk about the Russian troops in Transnistria, which are the real security threat to Moldova?"
Talking about the threats faced by Moldova, Igor Munteanu from IDIS agrees that the only undeniable factor of threat is the presence of the Russian troops in Moldova, deployed on the territory of Transnistria, a breakaway enclave that separated itself from Moldova in 1992 and has been heavily backed by regular Russian troops.
"It's a direct and major threat to the Moldovan state, and all talks about the mission of the regular troops to preserving peace in this region are purely speculative and false," says Munteanu. "In fact, Russia is trying to control Moldova by keeping under its full control the separatist enclave, and using its small territory as a springboard for vast operations of intelligence and disinformation campaign deep inside of Eastern European States, Romania, Bulgaria and, of course, Moldova."
"It also continues to supply large military and financial aid to separatist Transnistria. This show how much respect pays Kremlin in the relationship with its smaller nations and states," adds Munteanu.
Moldova’s pro-Russian electorate feels that the opening of the Liaison Office is a security threat for Moldova Kate Baklitskaya
What is Russia's take on it?
Andrey Devyatkov, a research fellow of the Institute of Economics, Russian Academy of Sciences says there's a different reason for the opening of the NATO Liaison Office in Moldova.
"NATO's main goal is to further strengthen its borders in the context of the confrontation with Russia, which is unfolding primarily in eastern Europe. Therefore, it is not a coincidence that NATO announced about a special program to improve the military potential of Moldova (as well as Georgia and Jordan) in September 2014 when the entire West was shocked by the events in Ukraine," he says.
"It's important for NATO to increase the military efficiency of the Moldovan army, which has decreased greatly since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and to ensure its operational compatibility with the troops of NATO countries. The NATO Office in Chisinau will coordinate the advisory and organizational support for the modernization of the Moldovan army," Andrey Devyatkov told Euronews.
"The second reason of increasing the NATO presence in Moldova is a possibility (even hypothetical one) of a conflagration of the Transnistrian conflict," he continues. "Alliance is concerned about the general unpredictability of the processes taking place in the region that arises not only and not that much because of Moscow, but because of the rhetoric and actions of Kyiv, Chisinau and Bucharest trying to use the current situation in the region to gradually push Russia out from Transnistria and Moldova as a whole."
Is neutrality still an option for Moldova?
Moldova is constitutionally neutral. But seeking closer partnership with NATO raises the question of where Moldova is heading.
"Formally, the status of neutrality is not affected by the opening of the NATO Liaison Office," says Deviatkov. "NATO countries do not deploy their troops or military personnel on the territory of Moldova, nor are they engaged in the supply of arms. However, the Alliance actually draws neutral countries into its orbit by conducting joint exercises, disseminating its military standards, exchanging military information, and actively promoting its positive image. This is a "smart" policy that does not throw a direct military challenge to any country, primarily Russia."
Moldovan political analyst Mihai Popsoi has a different opinion. "NATO has a fruitful cooperation with other neutral European countries such as Austria, Sweden, and Finland," says Popsoi. "Russian propaganda disseminated by pro-Russian forces in Moldova is conflating the NATO office and Moldova’s neutrality when the two issues are separate and unrelated."
Igor Munteanu is also confident that partnership with NATO will not lead to future confrontations. "Moldova is a neutral state by Constitution. We don’t fight to conquer foreign lands, and our only goal is to build up a prosperous future that our citizens deserve, based on norms and rules supported by our 1994 Constitution, fully in line with the international law," emphasized Munteanu.
"We should talk about why these goals could possibly sound provocative to someone who, having a hammer in his hands, sees everything around as nails."
The building of the Parliament of Moldova. The government of Moldova supported the opening of the NATO Liaison Office in Chisinau. Kate Baklitskaya
What does this mean for the European Union?
At the same time, all experts agree that closer ties with NATO will have little effect on Moldova-EU relations as it doesn't contradict the EU's interests in the region.
"Brussels and Washington are already working closely together to promote domestic reforms in the Eastern Partnership countries," says Deviatkov.
"They can share responsibilities in the other areas: EU will take care of ensuring Moldova's energy security and settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, and the US and NATO will take care of the military and political sphere."
By Kate Baklitskaya |
Want to get good at Latin? Studying for the AP exam? Brushing up for Paideia’s Living Latin in Rome? Master these ten points and watch yourself soar.
Remember the Future Less Vivid condition? Probably you were taught to translate it “should/would.” If so, get rid of it. The kids today don’t say that. They say “were to/would.” Example: Si tu mihi cervisiam des, libens accipiam means “If you were to give me a beer, I’d gladly take it.” Learn the word modo. It means “only” or “just,” so eam modo vidi means “I just saw her” and Tu modo ausculta means “You just listen” or “Just you listen” or “Just listen.” It’s common with imperatives. Get a grip on quidem. It’s a particle, one of the only ones in Latin. Either translate it “yes” or “(it’s) true” or don’t translate it at all. It implies or points forward to a contrast, usually marked by the word sed (but). For example, the sentence homo stultus quidem est, sed bonus means “The guy is an idiot, it’s true, but he’s good.” You could also translate that “The guy is an idiot, yes, but he’s good” or “The guy is an idiot, but he’s good.” Never translate it “indeed” since it doesn’t mean that in the English of 2016. Don’t know the meaning of a Latin word? If it’s a verb, try these three tricks: (1) Find the present participle and get the genitive. You should spot an English word right before the -is. (2) Find the 4th principle part; you’ll spot an English word there, too. (3) Try different prefixes until one hits on an English word. At least one of these three will always work, esp. if you combine them. Random examples: iacere (to lie). Tricks 1 and 3 get you the word adjacent. uti (to use). Tricks 1 and 2 get you abuse. referre (lots of meanings). Trick 1 gets you referent (reference, etc.), Trick 2 gets you relate, and Trick 3 gets you zillions of words (try ’em). Don’t know the meaning of a Latin word? If it’s a noun, it doesn’t matter. Just call it the same thing in English. You’ll figure it out from the context or you won’t, because you can’t. You generally can’t guess the meaning of nouns. Example: Ego tibi dabo hunc cadum = “I’ll give you this cadus.” What’s a cadus? It doesn’t matter — you got the rest of the sentence. Now move on.* Don’t know the meaning of a compound verb of ferre? Just replace the -fer- or -lat- part with -port- (from portare, a synonym). Bingo, there’s an English word: Relatus becomes “report.” So does referunt: “They report.” Translata becomes “transported,” infertur becomes “it’s imported,” and on and on. Learn the words verum and vero. At the start of a sentence or clause (the first word or two) they mean “but.” They have nothing to do with the truth. Learn equidem. It means “I myself” or “I personally” or “I”. It’s not really a compound of ego quidem (see #3) but the Romans thought it was and treated it like one. It’s often a synonym of ipse. Random example from Plautus: Audio, ere, equidem atque animum advorto: “I hear you, master, and I’m paying attention!” Did your teacher teach you to translate nam and enim “for”? If so, get rid of it. In the English of 2016 nam and enim mean “You see.” Example from Plautus: Non edepol habeo profecto, nam iam pridem vendidi, “Good lord, I really don’t have it; I sold it, you see, a long time ago.” The word eo has four meanings in Latin: (1) I am going, (2) to that place, (3) by/with/in him or it, and (4) as an untranslated word anticipating the word quod, “because.” You can learn all four by memorizing the sentence cum eo eo eo eo quod eum amo, “I’m going there with him because I love him.”
It’s the little words — quidem, equidem, nam, verum, modo, eo — that make Latin tough. Learn the ones listed here and you will get better at Latin, fast. Guaranteed. *P.S. A cadus is a wine jug.
By the way… If you liked these first ten hacks, don’t miss the sequel! |
[Creative Commons image by Jasoon]
Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, had a run-in today with a NY state senator today. Or, I guess, you could call it a near run in? Here’s his open letter to Senator Jeff Klein:
September 17, 2008
Senator Jeff Klein
Legislative Office Building
Room 313
Albany, New York 12247
Dear Senator Klein,
RE: My request, as a member of the board of Transportation Alternatives, to meet with you to discuss transportation policy as it relates to bicycle safety, carbon emissions, the cultivation of New York City quality of life, breathable air, and traffic congestion.
Though you may not know my name, you may recall that you and I met today under rather unpleasant circumstances on New York City’s Broadway, just north of City Hall. You were driving your black Mercedes. I was riding a small folding bicycle and wearing a purple helmet.
To refresh your memory:
Traffic was moving rather slowly and you were heading in the downtown direction, as was I. You were in the far left lane and I was riding on the curbside of that lane, near your rear passenger door. Suddenly, you began to veer your Mercedes to the left, potentially crushing me between your car and the cars parked on the side of the road.
With nowhere to go to get out of your way, and to avoid serious injury or death, in desperation, I chose to knock on your window to let you know that I was there and that you should avoid veering further in my direction.
At this point, you brought your vehicle to an abrupt halt, not to avoid hitting me, but because you apparently needed to communicate something to me. You rolled down your window and said, “Get your hands off my car, you [f***ing a**hole].”
I said, “You were veering into me and going to crush me.”
You said, “You better not touch other people’s cars. You might find that touching other people’s cars is more dangerous than traffic.”
This gave me the impression that you were threatening me.
I said, “I think my life is more precious than your car.”
You said, “I didn’t see you.”
I said, “If you’re driving a car, it’s your responsibility to see what’s in road space before you veer into it. That’s what your driver side mirror is for.”
You said, “I looked in my mirror.”
I said, “You should also turn and look over your shoulder since you know there could be a bicyclist.”
You said, “Yeah. Well, maybe you should watch where you’re going.”
I said, “Where was I supposed to go? I was there. And you were veering into me.”
I was about to remind you that, in the past week, two cyclists have been killed by automobiles in New York City, but you made a gesture which implied you considered this conversation a waste of time and drove off. That is when I saw that your car had special license plates proclaiming your membership of the New York State Senate.
A red light stopped you at the next intersection. I rode alongside you and, more cautiously, tapped again on your window. You rolled it down. I could tell by your face that you weren’t happy to be talking again to this particular New York State citizen, on whose behalf you govern.
I asked you, “What is your name, Senator?”
You said, “Senator Jeff Klein.” This is how I know it was you.
Now, the thing is, Senator, I don’t particularly call you to task for calling me a [f***ing a**hole]. If the roles had been reversed, and I had a big black Mercedes and you came up in a purple helmet, knocking on my window, and I didn’t realize I was on the verge of crushing your legs, I might have called you a [f***ing a**hole], too.
I’d like to point out, however, that, as mad as you were about my touching your car window with my hand, you could double or triple that strength of emotion when it comes to how frightening it is to be on the other side of the Mercedes driving wheel, especially when that particular Mercedes is coming toward you.
Weigh it up: “he might scratch my black Mercedes” against “he might cause my little girl to be left fatherless.”
Weigh it up again: One guy is riding a bike that weighs a grand total of 22 pounds and has a relatively small potential to harm others. The other guy is in charge of a powerful machine that weighs a couple of tons. Which person has the greater responsibility to watch out for the care and welfare of people who may get in their path, by their own fault or not?
As a State Senator, I’m sure you especially feel the weight of the obligation to look out for the welfare of others, no?
Again, this is not to say you did not act like many other humans in the same situation. But it is to say that transportation policy in New York City currently falls way too short of making sure that unintended confrontations like ours–and worse ones that end in fatalities–don’t occur.
Proper policy, which provided ubiquitous segregated bike lanes or which limited traffic congestion, could reduce such incidents without having to depend on drivers of black Mercedes, for example, remembering to look in their driver side mirror or over their shoulders.
It is for this reason that I hope you will honor my request to visit your office, along with Transportation Alternatives Executive Director Paul Steely White, to ask you to reconsider your current platforms on transportation and traffic congestion in New York City.
As you know, the United States’ dependence of foreign oil contributes significantly to our current economic crisis and is a matter of national security. Furthermore, the planet’s future ability to support human life is in peril because of global warming caused, in large measure, by the overuse of the same foreign oil.
At the same time, countless studies show that making the streets of New York and other cities safer and more convenient for bicyclists and pedestrians would reduce automobile use, dependence on foreign oil, carbon emissions, and traffic congestion while contributing to breathable air and livable streets, improved retail business, and the physical health of New Yorkers.
Yet, until now, your platform has presented obstacles to the adaptations that might bring these benefits to New York City. Not only did you oppose congestion pricing, a measure intended to decrease vehicular traffic, but you proposed eliminating the tolls on bridges and tunnels into Manhattan on holidays, which would bring more traffic into the City and further encourage automobile use, just when it should be decreased.
I hope you’ll consider that these policies are out of step with the current times. I hope, too, seeing, in the case of our confrontation, the result of your policies when it comes to impact on personal lives, in general, and the safety of bikers, in particular, might also give you cause to reconsider your position.
Policies that make New York City safe for bicyclists and pedestrians–the people who live on the streets as opposed to the people who just drive through them–is best, both for our citizens and the planet.
I look forward to hearing from you regarding my request to meet in person to discuss these issues.
Yours sincerely,
Colin Beavan
aka No Impact Man,
Board Member, Transportation Alternatives |
Insular biogeography[1] or island biogeography is a field within biogeography that examines the factors that affect the species richness of isolated natural communities. The theory was originally developed to explain the pattern of the species–area relationship occurring in oceanic islands. Under either name it is now used in reference to any ecosystem (present or past[2]) that is isolated due to being surrounded by unlike ecosystems, and has been extended to mountain peaks, oases, fragmented forest, and even natural habitats isolated by human land development. The field was started in the 1960s by the ecologists Robert H. MacArthur and E. O. Wilson,[3] who coined the term island biogeography in their theory, which attempted to predict the number of species that would exist on a newly created island.
Definitions [ edit ]
For biogeographical purposes, an insular environment or "island" is any area of habitat suitable for a specific ecosystem, surrounded by an expanse of unsuitable habitat.[citation needed] While this may be a traditional island—a mass of land surrounded by water—the term may also be applied to many nontraditional "islands", such as the peaks of mountains,[1] isolated springs or lakes surrounded by desert,[citation needed], and non-contiguous woodlands.[2] The concept is often applied to natural habitats surrounded by human-altered landscapes, such as expanses of grassland surrounded by highways or housing tracts[citation needed], and national parks.[4] Additionally, what is an insular for one organism may not be so for others, some organisms located on mountaintops may also be found in the valleys, while others may be restricted to the peaks.[5]
Theory [ edit ]
The theory of insular biogeography proposes that the number of species found in an undisturbed insular environment ("island") is determined by immigration and extinction. And further, that the isolated populations may follow different evolutionary routes, as shown by Darwin's observation of finches in the Galapagos Islands. Immigration and emigration are affected by the distance of an island from a source of colonists (distance effect). Usually this source is the mainland, but it can also be other islands. Islands that are more isolated are less likely to receive immigrants than islands that are less isolated.
The rate of extinction once a species manages to colonize an island is affected by island size; this is the species-area curve or effect. Larger islands contain larger habitat areas and opportunities for more different varieties of habitat. Larger habitat size reduces the probability of extinction due to chance events. Habitat heterogeneity increases the number of species that will be successful after immigration.
Over time, the countervailing forces of extinction and immigration result in an equilibrium level of species richness.
This diagram shows the effect of an island’s distance from the mainland on the amount of species richness. The sizes of the two islands are approximately the same. Island 1 receives more random dispersion of organisms, while island number two, since it is farther away, receives less random dispersion of organisms.
This diagram shows the effect of an island’s size on the amount of species richness. The diagram shows two islands equidistant from the mainland. Island 1 receives less random dispersion of organisms. While island 2 receives more of the arrows and therefore more random dispersion of organisms.
Modifications [ edit ]
In addition to having an effect on immigration rates, isolation can also affect extinction rates. Populations on islands that are less isolated are less likely to go extinct because individuals from the source population and other islands can immigrate and "rescue" the population from extinction; this is known as the rescue effect.
In addition to having an effect on extinction, island size can also affect immigration rates. Species may actively target larger islands for their greater number of resources and available niches; or, larger islands may accumulate more species by chance just because they are larger. This is the target effect.
Influencing factors [ edit ]
Total number of reptilian and amphibian species on seven small and large islands in the West Indies
Degree of isolation (distance to nearest neighbour, and mainland)
Length of isolation (time)
Size of island (larger area usually facilitates greater diversity)
The habitat suitability which includes: Climate (tropical versus arctic, humid versus arid, etc.) Initial plant and animal composition if previously attached to a larger land mass (e.g. marsupials, primates) The current species composition
Location relative to ocean currents (influences nutrient, fish, bird, and seed flow patterns)
Serendipity (the impacts of chance arrivals)
Human activity
Historical record [ edit ]
The theory can be studied through the fossils, which provide a record of life on Earth. 300 million years ago, Europe and North America lay on the equator and were covered by steamy tropical rainforests. Climate change devastated these tropical rainforests during the Carboniferous Period and as the climate grew drier, rainforests fragmented. Shrunken islands of forest were uninhabitable for amphibians but were well suited to reptiles, which became more diverse and even varied their diet in the rapidly changing environment; this Carboniferous rainforest collapse event triggered an evolutionary burst among reptiles.[2]
Research experiments [ edit ]
The theory of island biogeography was experimentally tested by E. O. Wilson and his student Daniel Simberloff in the mangrove islands in the Florida Keys.[6] Species richness on several small mangroves islands were surveyed. The islands were fumigated with methyl bromide to clear their arthropod communities. Following fumigation the immigration of species onto the islands was monitored. Within a year the islands had been recolonised. Islands closer to the mainland recovered faster as predicted by the Theory of Island Biogeography. The effect of island size was not tested, since all islands were of approximately equal size.
Research conducted at the rainforest research station on Barro Colorado Island has yielded a large number of publications concerning the ecological changes following the formation of islands, such as the local extinction of large predators and the subsequent changes in prey populations.[citation needed]
Applications in conservation biology [ edit ]
Within a few years of the publishing of the theory, its potential application to the field of conservation biology had been realised and was being vigorously debated in ecological circles.[7] The idea that reserves and national parks formed islands inside human-altered landscapes (habitat fragmentation), and that these reserves could lose species as they 'relaxed towards equilibrium' (that is they would lose species as they achieved their new equilibrium number, known as ecosystem decay) caused a great deal of concern. This is particularly true when conserving larger species which tend to have larger ranges. A study by William Newmark, published in the journal Nature and reported in the New York Times, showed a strong correlation between the size of a protected U.S. National Park and the number of species of mammals.
This led to the debate known as single large or several small (SLOSS), described by writer David Quammen in The Song of the Dodo as "ecology's own genteel version of trench warfare".[8] In the years after the publication of Wilson and Simberloff's papers ecologists had found more examples of the species-area relationship, and conservation planning was taking the view that the one large reserve could hold more species than several smaller reserves, and that larger reserves should be the norm in reserve design. This view was in particular championed by Jared Diamond. This led to concern by other ecologists, including Dan Simberloff, who considered this to be an unproven over-simplification that would damage conservation efforts. Habitat diversity was as or more important than size in determining the number of species protected.
Island biogeography theory also led to the development of wildlife corridors as a conservation tool to increase connectivity between habitat islands. Wildlife corridors can increase the movement of species between parks and reserves and therefore increase the number of species that can be supported, but they can also allow for the spread of disease and pathogens between populations, complicating the simple proscription of connectivity being good for biodiversity.
In species diversity, island biogeography most describes allopatric speciation. Allopatric speciation is where new gene pools arise out of natural selection in isolated gene pools. Island biogeography is also useful in considering sympatric speciation, the idea of different species arising from one ancestral species in the same area. Interbreeding between the two differently adapted species would prevent speciation, but in some species, sympatric speciation appears to have occurred.
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ] |
Image copyright PA Image caption Charles Green (left) and Craig Whyte face charges over their involvement with Rangers
Prosecutors have withdrawn six of 15 charges brought against six men in the alleged Rangers fraud case.
Indictments have been served on former Rangers owner Craig Whyte and ex-chief executive Charles Green.
Lawyer Gary Withey also faces charges along with David Whitehouse, Paul Clark and David Grier, who all worked for administrators Duff and Phelps.
The remaining nine charges are being heard at a preliminary hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Among the allegations dropped by the Crown was a charge that the joint administrators, David Whitehouse and Paul Clark, attempted to pervert the course of justice.
Amended charge
Prosecutors also withdrew a charge that the pair, along with Mr Whyte, Mr Withey and Mr Grier, agreed to do something that they knew or suspected or ought reasonably to have known or suspected would enable or further the commission of serious organised crime.
Image copyright Other Image caption (Clockwise from top left) Gary Withey, David Grier, Paul Clark and David Whitehouse
Mr Whitehouse, 50, Mr Clark, 51, were also taken out of an amended charge which now alleges that Mr Whyte, 45, Mr Withey, 51, and Mr Grier, 54, conspired together between 1 January in 2010 and 6 May in 2011 to obtain a controlling stake in the shareholding of the Ibrox club.
A further charge alleging that Mr Whyte, Mr Whitehouse, Mr Clark and Mr Green, 62, participated in a conspiracy to buy the business and assets of The Rangers Football Club plc in 2012 from the administrators at significantly below the true market value was also dropped.
Mr Whyte bought Rangers from Sir David Murray in 2011 for a nominal sum of £1 but it went into administration the following year.
A consortium led by Charles Green later bought Rangers' assets. |
Having recently moved into a new apartment, I have been presented with one of the great toils, but also great joys, of relocation: moving all my goddamn books. It’s a chore, to be certain, one so notoriously laborious it leads many bibliophiles to shed large portions of their libraries in the interest of avoiding the worst of it. But screw that, I say! I will cart these stupid things with me every place I live, and what’s more, my labor continually increases, as I now receive books in the mail on a daily basis from publishers, editors and even the writers themselves, and I still purchase books (mostly used, which pretty much translates to bulk). But I don’t care. The weight is worth the lifting.
But even for those who loathe the process of moving a library, once the boxes are firmly stacked in the new digs, you get to create a whole new one, and this is the great joy I referred to. Most literary types acquire so many new books that whatever system they’d installed in their old place inevitably breaks down and becomes overrun with precarious stacks of the dreaded unshelved. In a new home, though, we get to start afresh, create a new system. It can be tedious and tempestuous but it’s ultimately cathartic. At least for me, I mean, shit, I don’t know you.
Anyway, so I spent my Superbowl Sunday organizing the most important section of any critic’s collection: literary criticism and biography. Not only is this my favorite shit to read, but I also refer to them so often that they’re also the most practically necessary. After I finished, I posted a photo of the beautifully and temporarily full shelves (I’ve already pulled like six books off that I’m using for current pieces) on Twitter, and someone asked me if I had any particular favorites. I wasn’t at home when I got the tweet, so to even consider responding at the time was unthinkable. I pondered for a few seconds before immediately becoming overwhelmed. When I returned later and stared at the shelves, it occurred to me that I’ve been asked this question quite a few times. Perhaps this is because as a self-identifying literary critic there isn’t much else for people to ask me—this field doesn’t exactly make for the most riveting party talk. But whatever the reason, I thought I’d put together a list of the criticism that I most admire and to which I repeatedly refer. This is, of course, an extremely limited list, taken exclusively from books I own. Also for the sake of my sanity, I excluded all single-subject biographies and criticism on film or music; only fiction, poetry, and drama. Memoirs counted only if they directly involve other writers and/or the literary landscape of the era. It is in no way meant to be a list of the world’s indispensible literary criticism, only my own, and only so far.
So to that guy on Twitter, and to those who’ve asked me before, here is my belated reply.
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(NB: list is in alphabetical order by author, or subject for biographies, except for two anthologies at the start of the list, which are alphabetical by title.)
(also NB: this shit was hard. I initially wanted to do 50 but my first list stretched to nearly 175 titles. These 102 are, believe it or not, a compromise.)
102 Indispensible Volumes of Literary Criticism
A New Literary History of America, ed. Greil Marcus & Werner Sollors
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The Paris Review Interviews, Vols. 1—4, ed. Philip Gourevitch
White Girls, Hilton Als
Writing with Intent: Essays, Reviews, Personal Prose, 1983—2005, Margaret Atwood
Notes of a Native Son, James Baldwin
Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, Lester Bangs, ed. Greil Marcus
The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them, Elif Batuman
Illuminations: Essays and Reflections, Walter Benjamin, ed. Hannah Arendt, trans. Harry Zohn
Selected Non-Fictions, Jorge Luis Borges, ed. Eliot Weinberger
Between Parentheses: Essays, Articles, and Speeches, 1998—2003, Roberto Boláno, ed. Ignacio Echevarría, trans. Natasha Wimmer
Eminent Outlaws: The Gay Writers Who Changed America, Christopher Bram
Kafka Was the Rage: A Greenwich Village Memoir, Anatole Broyard
Passions of the Mind: Selected Essays, A.S. Byatt
Portraits and Observations: The Essays of Truman Capote, Truman Capote
Maps & Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands, Michael Chabon
Inner Workings: Literary Essays, 2000—2005, J.M. Coetzee
Notes of a Hanging Judge: Essays and Reviews, 1979—1989, Stanley Crouch
The Lifespan of a Fact, John D’Agata & Jim Fingal
The White Album, Joan Didion
Bound to Please: An Extraordinary One-Volume Literary Education: Essays on Great Writers and Their Books, Michael Dirda
Creationists: Selected Essays, 1993—2006, E.L. Doctorow
Otherwise Known as the Human Condition: Selected Essays and Reviews, Geoff Dyer
Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D.H. Lawrence, Geoff Dyer
Figures of Dissent: Critical Essays on Fish, Spivak, Zizek and Others, Terry Eagleton
Partial Payments: Essays on Writers and Their Lives, Joseph Epstein
How to Be Alone: Essays, Jonathan Franzen
How to Read a Novelist, John Freeman
Finding a Form: Essays, William H. Gass
The Signifying Monkey: Towards a Theory of Afro-American Literary Criticism, Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Bad Feminist: Essays, Roxane Gay
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, Stephen Greenblatt
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, Stephen Greenblatt
Scoundrel Time, Lillian Hellman
Arguably: Essays, Christopher Hitchens
Unacknowledged Legislation: Writers in the Public Sphere, Christopher Hitchens
Ten Years in the Tub: A Decade of Soaking in Great Books, Nick Hornby
Cultural Cohesion: The Essential Essays, 1968—2002, Clive James
No Other Book: Selected Essays, Randall Jarrell, Brad Leithauser, editor
Selected Essays from the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler, Samuel Johnson, W.J. Bate, editor
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King
Small Wonder: Essays, Barbara Kingsolver
The Wave in the Mind: Talks and Essays on the Writer, the Reader, and the Imagination, Ursula K. Le Guin
Reading for My Life: Writings, 1958—2008, John Leonard
The Ecstasy of Influence: Nonfictions, etc., Jonathan Lethem
Why I Read: The Serious Pleasure of Books, Wendy Lesser
Time Bites: Views and Reviews, Doris Lessing
About Burt Britton, John Cheever, Gordon Lish, William Saroyan, Isaac B. Singer, Kurt Vonnegut, and Other Matters, Morris Lurie
Mind of an Outlaw: Selected Essays, Norman Mailer
Forty-One False Starts: Essays on Artists and Writers, Janet Malcolm
Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice, Janet Malcolm
The Outermost Dream: Essays and Reviews, William Maxwell
Ideas and the Novel, Mary McCarthy
What We See When We Read, Peter Mendelsund
Echoes Down the Corridor: Collected Essays, 1944-2000, Arthur Miller
Sexual Politics, Kate Millett
Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination, Toni Morrison
Lectures on Literature, Vladimir Nabokov
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, Azar Nafisi
(Woman) Writer: Occasions and Opportunities, Joyce Carol Oates
Where I’ve Been, and Where I’m Going: Essays, Reviews, and Prose, Joyce Carol Oates
Mystery and Manner: Occasional Prose, Flannery O’Connor
A Collection of Essays, George Orwell
The Portable Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker, ed. Marion Meade
Where I’m Reading From: The Changing World of Books, Tim Parks
The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, Stephen Pinker
Under Review: Further Writings on Writers, 1946-1990, Anthony Powell
The Tale Bearers, V.S. Pritchett
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them, Francine Prose
Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine
In Praise of Messy Lives: Essays, Katie Roiphe
Roth Unbound: A Writer and His Books, Claudia Roth Pierpont
Reading Myself and Others, Philip Roth
Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism, 1981-1991, Salman Rushdie
Joseph Anton: A Memoir, Salman Rushdie
“What Is Literature?” and Other Essays, Jean-Paul Sartre
The Braindead Megaphone: Essays, George Saunders
The Novel: A Biography, Michael Schmidt
Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life, Dani Shapiro
A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx, Elaine Showalter
13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, Jane Smiley
Artful, Ali Smith
Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays, Zadie Smith
Men Explain Things to Me, Rebecca Solnit
Against Interpretation: And Other Essays, Susan Sontag
Regarding the Pain of Others, Susan Sontag
Lives of the Novelists: A History of Fiction in 294 Lives, John Sutherland
Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, Lewis Thomas
What Would Lynne Tillman Do?, Lynne Tillman
New Ways to Kill Your Mother: Writers and Their Families, Colm Tóibín
The Last Decade: Essays and Reviews, 1965—75, Lionel Trilling
Due Considerations: Essays and Criticism, John Updike
More Matter: Essays and Criticism, John Updike
The Ocean, the Bird, and the Scholar: Essays on Poets and Poetry, Helen Vendler
Both Flesh and Not: Essays, David Foster Wallace
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays, David Foster Wallace
The Eye of the Story: Selected Essays and Reviews, Eudora Welty
The Essential Ellen Willis, Ellen Willis, Nona Willis Aronowitz, editor
Axel’s Castle: A Study of the Imaginative Literature of 1870-1930, Edmund Wilson
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom Wolfe
How Fiction Works, James Wood
A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf
The Poet, the Lion, Talking Pictures, El Farolito, a Wedding in St. Roch, the Big Box Store, the Warp in the Mirror, Spring, Midnights, Fire & All, C.D. Wright |
The power structure of the Iranian government contains checks and balances, but also concentrates power in a few hands. It is not a dictatorship; I would describe it as a competitive oligarchy with unequal and shifting shares of power. Ayatollah Khamenei is the Supreme Leader, and he does exercise a great deal of influence, but his authority is not absolute. He is appointed by the Assembly of Experts, and they are an elected body. Hashemi Rafsanjani is the most influential, or powerful among the Assembly of Experts and he has resigned his post on the Expediency Council in protest on Saturday, but remains on the Assembly of Experts. He is reported to be in Qom (the Religious Center of Iran just south of Tehran), and there is speculation that he may be trying to undermine Khamenei's position among more moderate clerics. Here's a historical reference for these two men: think of Khamenei as Robespierre and Rafsanjani as Danton from the French Revolution. Khamenei is more of an ideologue and a purist who does not hesitate to exercise brutal authority, while Rafsanjani is an indulgent who has enriched himself and his family through his access to power. Unlike the French Revolution, this is 30 years later, and Rafsanjani has managed to keep his head, so far. To many Iranians, this election is also about these two men. Much of Ahmadinejad's support comes from revulsion to Rafsanjani. It was Rafsanjani who lost to Ahmadinejad in the runoff election of '05, and he lost resoundingly. This is why in much of Ahmadinjad's debate with Mousavi, he attacked Rafsanjani; he was trying to make this election about Rafsanjani and not Mousavi. We don't really know the results, this might have worked. Moreover, Rafsanjani's support for Mousavi may not be a good thing. He has power, but he is corrupt--so where does it go from there? What will Mousavi owe Rafsanjani if he successfully gets Khamenei voted out? (I am not saying that I think that is likely, I am just working through a hypothetical.) I am a strong Mousavi supporter, as my previous diaries clearly show. I watch for what he says and does in the next few days. He is no fool and he can take care of himself.
Another figure I am watching is Mohsen Makhmalbaf. He is an internationally acclaimed film director, whose film Kandahar was even viewed by W in the White House. He is a man who has worked tirelessly in Afghanistan on behalf of Afghani children. He has put his money where he mouth is and arranged to bring thousands of Afghani children to Iran to be able to go to school. His work reflects the complexity of Iran as a culture and society. He reveals a proud non-Western nation capable of charting their own course. I would also recommend Gabbeh to anyone not familiar with his work. He reported on behalf of Mousavi the story that Mousavi was contacted by an election official and told he had won, but that they should avoid saying anything until Saturday. Mousavi smelled a rat and announced immediately he had won. That was the point on Friday (Around 3:15 EDT), where I was happy, but worried. The polls were not even closed, and yet Mousavi made this announcement. Again, Mousavi is a serious and calm man--I believed he must have had his reasons. The unfolding events seemed to indicate that something was very wrong. SO, as I wrote on Saturday night, until I hear Mousavi's public and unrestrained statements on the subject, I wait to make final judgments.
At this point there is no way to know for certain what happened on Friday. Moreover, Khamenei's "Probe" will be a "Blue-Ribbon" Committee that will be "shocked, shocked to find gambling going on" as they are presented with their winnings. (I watched Casablanca late Friday night to escape.) Any action taken by Rafsanjani, however, will be suspect and come with strings attached. It is vital to keep in mind, that we view Ahmadinejad through the lens of foreign policy, and that distorts our vision. He has done a great deal for the poor and the remote villages of Iran, and much of the underclasses. Those people do not like Rafsanjani or what he represents, and they are correct in their assessment of him. If nothing else, this election indicates deep divisions in a country with a young government(30 years)--the situation is explosive. Tehran is around 12% of the country, but just as we are pretty ticked off at Wall Street right now and subsequently New York, many Iranians feel similarly about elites in Tehran. This is the reason that rioting in Tehran, North Tehran in particular, brutal as the suppression may be, does not necessarily reflect the mood of the country as a whole. The truth is, we are not really in a position to accurately gauge the meaning of much of what we are seeing.
If the United States had re-established diplomatic relations, we would have an embassy in Tehran and consulates in major cities around the country. I am not taking about spying here. I am talking about the regular activities and reports written by the diplomatic corps about what is going on. Many native speakers recording the attitudes of people and groups, and the political orientation of classes and other enclaves throughout the country. We don't have any of that, so our State Department is virtually flying blind in this incredibly important and volatile situation. Here are just a few of the questions we need accurate information on: 1) How many clerics appear to support Khamenei? 2) Is there division within the Revolutionary Guard on how to proceed? 3) Where do the regular Armed Forces stand? 4) What about the Basijis? Are they mostly unemployed kids, or do they really reflect the ideology of the Revolutionary Guard? and on on on... We need information and we need it to be accurate, and we need it now. One of my favorite Generals, Joseph Stilwell, who served in China during WW II, used to say, "Good news does not hurt me; I need to know the bad news yesterday." Sure we can find speculation about the answers to those questions on the Internet, but we need careful, thoughtful and informed analysis--not knee-jerk reactions.
No matter how things turn out--Iran is going to be a divided country in the near future. If Ahmadinejad and Khamenei prevail, they will have little choice but to become more dictatorial than ever. The suppression will not be pretty. If Rafsanjani prevails and gets Khamenei reversed or unseated, Mousavi ruling over a diverse nation with corrupt officials like Rafsanjani has major liabilities as well. The US needs to consider options carefully going forward. Regardless of the results, I think sanctions should be dropped. We need to stop talking about "Carrots and Sticks" as if our international adversaries are donkeys for us to ride. We need to stop punitive policies period. Sanctions tend to re-enforce the governments we do not like and punish the poorest in those countries. The people of Iraq suffered throughout the 90s; Saddam Hussein and his friends did not. Now at the same time we need to make our positions clear, and those positions need to be reasonable. We can stick to reasonable positions and if we can couple that with policies that don't put down entire nations we might find we make a bit of progress instead. I don't think anyone around here would say that our foreign policy of the last 30 years has been a raging success. (Before you start, don't give me any of that "We won the Cold War" stuff, The Soviet Union mostly collapsed on its own.) It's time to really try something new. |
Following the firing of veteran cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran, the question is obvious: Why would you do that, UFC?
In his latest edition of The Speed Bag, MMAjunkie columnist Ben Fowlkes discusses the news, which broke on Tuesday after Duran confirmed he was axed after speaking out against Reebok, which recently signed an apparel/sponsorship deal with the world’s most prominent fight promotion.
Duran, who has long worked corners for both MMA and boxing events, has been outspoken of Reebok’s new cutmen uniforms, both in form and function, as well as the loss of sponsorship revenue that resulted from them.
“It’s pretty generic,” Duran recently told MMAjunkie Radio after UFC 189 earlier this month. “The vests were generic. Twitter was going crazy. People were talking about it that it wasn’t me. Going way back to the vest – this goes way back to when I was starting with Tapout. (Tapout co-founder Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis Jr.) was literally the one who created the vest profile for me. I’ve carried that on to One More Round and to Bad Boy and all that. … I felt real naked with just the vest that I had.”
In the above video, Fowlkes explains how the UFC’s quick retribution simply made the matter worse and further compounded criticism of the Reebok deal. It’s also a real loss for the fighters who depend so heavily on officials like Duran.
Check it out above.
And for more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site. |
The German Bishops' Conference said in a press statement that rape victims treated in Catholic hospitals should "of course receive humane, medical, psychological and pastoral care."
"The administration of a 'morning-after pill' can be part of this so long as it has a preventative and not an abortive effect," added the bishops.
They specified: "Medical-pharmaceutical methods, which result in the death of an embryo, should continue not to be used."
German bishops said after a meeting in the western city of Trier that they trusted Catholic institutions to take the correct medical decisions "on the basis of this moral and theological guideline."
"In every case, the decision of the woman concerned must be respected," added the statement.
The bishops were considering the issue after a woman who had been raped was turned away by two Catholic hospitals in the western city of Cologne. The Catholic Church is fundamentally opposed to contraception or abortion.
AFP/mry |
Willie Adams, a Black farmer in Greene County, Ga., hailed President Obama’s $1.25 billion proposed settlement of a lawsuit by Black farmers demanding compensation for 80 years of racist discrimination in federal farm loan programs.
“It’s long overdue,” said Adams in a telephone interview with peoplesworld.org, Feb. 22. Adams grows beef cattle, poultry and vegetables on his organic farm where he was born. His grandfather bought the place in 1938 under a New Deal program initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Under the proposed settlement, announced by Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, Feb. 18, each Black farmer could receive $50,000 under an expedited settlement process or more if they fill out a more lengthy application.
“President Obama wants to settle this,” Adams said. “The administration has to get approval from the House and Senate. With all the cutbacks, I’m afraid. We have to let the lawmakers know that we want this settlement funded.”
Adams, active in the National Black Farmers Association (NBFA), was an initiator of the first lawsuit filed by 16,000 Black farmers in 1997. A federal judge ordered the Agriculture Department to pay $1 billion to Black farmers for decades of discrimination in which Black farmers suffered long delays or outright rejection of their applications for federal loans.
Adams application for that first settlement was denied. “I think the U.S. Department of Agriculture discriminated against us because we started the lawsuit,” he said. “I hope they pick up all those farmers who were excluded in the first settlement. I will go with the streamlined process to get the $50,000.”
NBFA President John W. Boyd Jr. said the settlement is not enough to restore Black farmers to the land they lost from discrimination “but it will help them have some comfort in their final years.”
Rep. Barbara Lee, D- Calif., voiced hope that the settlement will help stop the hemorrhage in which half the nation’s Black farmers have lost their farms in the past twenty years.
Adams pointed out that African Americans have tilled the soil, planted and picked the tobacco and cotton since they arrived in chains in this country in 1619. “We have been involved in agriculture since slavery,” he said. “We were promised forty-acres and a mule under Reconstruction which we never received. We were the sharecroppers.”
Millions of Black farmers have been driven from their farms by discrimination both private sector and government, Adams said. “Here in Greene County there were about 200 Black farmers in the 1930s and 1940s. Now there are two full-time Black farmers in my county.”
Adams expressed hope that with the surging popular demand for local, organic, food, more youth, including Black youth, decide to go into agriculture. “I hope we have a chance to visit First Lady Michelle Obama and see the garden she started at the White House, with her ideal of encouraging people to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.”
Adams stressed that a victory for Black farmers is a victory for all family and independent farmers. Encouraged by the success of the National Black Farmers Association, Native American Indians have filed suit against oil and mining companies charging these giants with swindling them of billions of dollars in royalties. Latino and women farmers are also suing the federal government for discrimination.
“I support the Native American Indians,” Adams said. “They should be made whole for the discrimination they suffered. The same for Hispanic and women farmers, all family farmers. We need to work together more. We gain strength from working together. We are all involved in food production.”
Photo: http://lawsuit by Black farmers / |
Your new friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is on his way to the big screen for his first solo movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That's right. Spider-Man: Homecoming is mere weeks away as we race toward the July 7 release date and we are finally going to see what a full movie with Tom Holland as Spidey looks like. Thanks to some newly revealed concept art, we actually have a slightly better idea of what it is going to be, as well as some excellent shots of the bad guy he'll be contending with, the Vulture.
The Spider-Man: Homecoming concept art comes to us via ComicBookMovie and is just the latest in a whole lot of new material from the movie to hit the web. The art features a couple of different looks at familiar shots from the trailers, such as Spider-Man fighting the bank-robbing Avengers crew, as well as him web-slinging in an elevator shaft. But there are also quite a few shots that give us a better idea of what his suit can do with all of the Stark tech he has at his disposal.
Additionally, we have some very nice action shots. One of which features Spidey and Vulture duking it out in a junkyard with very explosive results. Marvel hasn't exactly hidden Vulture, aka Adrian Toomes, from us in the Spider-Man: Homecoming trailers, but they do seem to be saving a lot of it for the movie. But if you want some great shots that give an idea of just how imposing he is going to be, this concept art does a very nice job of that. The shot of him perched like an actual vulture is especially menacing and gives a truly fantastic look at the amazing size of his wings.
Related: Far from Home Poster Has Spider-Man Ready for an International Adventure
Expectations are very high for this movie. Tom Holland's performance as Spider-Man was easily viewed as one of the best parts of Captain America: Civil War. That is definitely a good thing, but that has also put a lot of pressure on Spider-Man: Homecoming. It certainly doesn't hurt that Robert Downey Jr. is along for the ride as Tony Stark/Iron Man, and an Oscar-nominee in the form of Michael Keaton is playing Vulture, who is the main villain in the movie, alongside not one but two different Shockers. The supporting cast for the movie really ballooned with talent as well, so there is a lot going for Spider-Man: Homecoming on paper heading into the release.
Spider-Man: Homecoming should do very well at the box office as it is currently tracking for a possible opening weekend of $140 million domestically. That would make Marvel and Sony very happy and would help ensure we get a lot more Spider-Man in the MCU in the years to come. Be sure to check out the brand new Spider-Man: Homecoming concept art for yourself below.
SPIDER MAN HOMECOMING: Concept Art of VULTURE has been revealed!
(SOURCE: @ComicBook_Movie) pic.twitter.com/S9jGeEeVrm — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 12, 2017
SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING: Here is concept art of SPIDER-MAN beating up the robbers masked as Avengers.
(SOURCE: @ComicBook_Movie) pic.twitter.com/40TMxpMnRC — DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 12, 2017
Algunos concept art de #SpiderMan!!!
Que les parecen???
Quien ya quiere ver #SpiderManHomecoming? pic.twitter.com/yk7kj0WnOY — Is Time To Geek (@IsTimeToGeek) June 11, 2017 |
by Evan Bernick
On Tuesday, pressure cooker bombs designed to kill and maim transformed the Boston Marathon into what looked like a war zone. The cruel, calculating, and devastating character of this act of terror, together with evidence that the suspects hailed from a breeding ground of Islamist terror and were inspired by Islamist preaching and teachings, brought several Republican senators to argue against treating the surviving suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, like an ordinary criminal. In a letter, they contended that “we remain under threat from radical Islam,” and that enemy combatant status is appropriate for men who are, in effect, soldiers in an army whose ranks are ever-swelling.
Contrary to political rhetoric and popular belief, however, the U.S. is not now, and has never been, engaged in a “war on terror,” of Islamist or any other persuasion. For this reason, the Obama Administration was correct in its eventual decision to press charges against Dzhokhar in federal court.
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly discuss enemy combatants. However, there is a general consensus among legal scholars and historians that the Framers assumed customary international law would continue to govern the conduct of war. Accordingly, the Supreme Court has held that, although the executive has a great deal of discretion over the prosecution of war, it must adhere to customary international law. In The Prize Cases, the Court explained that “(f)rom the very beginning of its history this Court has recognized and applied the law of war as including that part of the law of nations which prescribes, for the conduct of war, the status, rights and duties of enemy nations as well as of enemy individuals.”
According to customary international law, enemy combatant’s legal rights, regardless of their citizenship or physical location, are radically different than those of civilians. Enemy combatants are not entitled to the process accorded civilians, regardless of their citizenship or location, until and unless they are detained. They can be killed in combat, while they are fleeing, while they are asleep, or while they are eating in a café. Once they are detained, they possess a bare minimum of procedural and substantive rights that nations are bound to respect. Nations that choose to accord them additional rights do so gratuitously.
The Framers were careful to ensure that the executive is not free to impose combatant status wherever it deems it useful. They limited the ability of the executive to brand individuals enemy combatants by expressly delegating to Congress the ability to declare war. Only individuals who fall within the scope of congressional declarations of war can be considered enemy combatants.
Absent a congressional declaration of war that encompasses the Tsaernevs, then, there is no constitutional basis for treating them as enemy combatants. The most attractive candidate is the Authorization for the Use of Military Force of 2001 (AUMF). While commentators have vigorously disputed the precise legal character of the AUMF, there is little dispute that (1) it authorizes the executive to use military force against variety of state and non-state actors and (2) its subjects can be treated as enemy combatants.
Close reading of the AUMF discloses that it is not a declaration of “war on terror.” The statute restricts the executive’s use of force to “those nations, organizations, or persons [that the president] determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons.” It requires any use of force to be rooted in 9/11. Insofar as “nations, organizations, or persons” that aided those attacks are still active, the executive may use military force against them. But there is no authority here for treating all Islamist terrorists as enemy combatants.
The AUMF cannot be plausibly construed to apply to the Tsaernevs. So far as it appears, their most substantive connection to “those nations, organizations, or persons” that plotted the 9/11 attacks came through the late Al-Qaeda preacher Anwar Al-Awlaki’s sermons. It may be that these men they saw themselves as engaged in a war with the U.S. But that does not transform them into enemy combatants. The proper analogy is thus not to Al-Awlaki, who allegedly not only preached but actively plotted terror on behalf of an organization that is described in the AUMF, but to Timothy McVeigh. As I have argued elsewhere, the killing of Al-Awlaki, absent the process that the Constitution guarantees to American civilians, was a lawful military action; a similar action that claimed the life of McVeigh would have been an unlawful assassination.
Assuming that the police have the right man, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is indeed no ordinary criminal, just as terrorism is no ordinary crime. His barbaric actions were an assault on civilized life itself, upon the human desire to converse, produce, exchange and relax. They are worthy of the harshest punishment that can be lawfully imposed. But until and unless Congress actually declares a “war on terror,” he must be tried and punished for his savagery under the same process as any other American citizen.
Evan Bernick is a Legal Associate at a DC think tank and a Legal Fellow with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. |
For too long, it appeared that many Democrats were trying to fight economic inequality with policies like the minimum wage while ignoring the 800-pound gorilla, Wall Street. But Rep. Chris Van Hollen on Monday unveiled legislation to cut taxes for those earning less than $200,000, while partially paying for the proposal with a financial transaction tax (FTT), projected to raise $1.2 trillion over the next decade. With this proposal, Van Hollen is recognizing that without reducing financial speculation, it’s impossible to address inequality or to leave Wall Street’s risky practices in the past.
The small FTT in this bill—which also includes provisions to boost stagnant wages and close lucrative tax loopholes—wouldn't burden longer-term investors. The tax is applied to every transaction—the sale and purchase of a stock, bond, or other financial instrument—so as long as the investor holds the investment for a decent period of time, the tax is a tiny percentage of their overall portfolio and won’t drastically alter their trading behavior. It’s the high-frequency traders who have fought this tax tooth and nail, and who will gear up to fight it now, because if you trade multiple times a millisecond then your tax burden will be higher.
High-frequency trading creates systemic risk. Taxing it would reduce the incentive for the financial sector to chase new bubbles, driving out "noise traders" who make markets more volatile without improving capital intermediation (the purpose of the financial system). This is the argument of economists including John Maynard Keynes, Lawrence Summers, Victoria P. Summers, and Joseph Stiglitz: that reducing the “whirlpools of speculation” is one of the best method for risk reduction. We’ve seen the results of volatility among such traders in the flash crashes, where huge amounts of speculative trading can crash very, very quickly.
Given the recent experience of Dodd-Frank (not to mention the mounting attacks on it), and the failure of regulators in the lead-up to the crisis to accurately understand what was occurring and put the brakes on it, market-based approaches like a FTT are crucial to making sure Wall Street speculation doesn’t bring down the economy again. There’s also lots of evidence that all of this increased trading hasn’t actually made the financial sector more efficient, and that it has been a main driver of economic inequality. Because stock ownership is concentrated at the top (the bottom 90 percent own only 9 percent of stocks and mutual funds), the benefits of finance have accrued to the one percent. A 2011 study finds that “financialization accounts for more than half of the decline in labor’s share of income, 10 percent of the growth in officers’ share of compensation, and 15 percent of the growth in earnings dispersion between 1970 and 2008.” Thomas Philipon estimates that inefficiencies in the financial sector cost the U.S. economy $280 billion every year. Other studies support the conclusion that much of the sector subsists on rent-seeking. |
This is my review of the Casino in Aachen. For more information on this casino, please click here.
The casino in Aachen was the second casino in my journey to all European casinos. The official name of the casino is “Spielbank Aachen“. I got there on the 29th of June, 2012, at around 19:00. This time I had company.
The casino is situated on the Monheimsallee, which is easy to reach by car. There is a parking garage right next to the casino. The casino is within walking distance from the city center. However, from the central train station you better take a cab.
The Casino Aachen is located in a very impressive building. The building’s façade resembles a Roman temple. There is a nice park on one side of the casino. The congress center “Eurogress” is located on the other side of the casino.
Slots moved to the city center
The first thing I noticed was the sign saying that the slots hall was moved from the Casino Aachen to the city center (Kapuzinercarree).
We then passed through the huge Roman columns of the grand entry to the casino. We got into the lobby area where we were welcomed by the friendly receptionist.
Entrance to the casino is five Euros. You have to be at least 18 to enter and present a valid ID or Passport. There is no real dress code at the Casino Aachen anymore. You can get in with jeans and a polo shirt. I even saw young guys on the poker tables wearing jeans and t-shirt but I saw no one wearing trainers.
Poker Cash Game at the Casino Aachen
The Casino Aachen is one floor. To the left of the entrance, there are three large and spacy poker rooms. Poker cash games only start at 20:00. The poker rooms were empty when we arrived, and so we were allowed to inspect and take picture of the rooms. We counted 13 poker tables. We didn’t have time to wait until 20:00 because we wanted to visit another casino that same evening. As we left the Casino Aachen around 20:00 the poker tables started to fill with relatively young guys.
Live Table Games at the Casino Aachen
The live table games area of the Casino Aachen is located to the right of the entrance. We counted 12 American Roulette tables. Four tabled were open when we arrived, with limits of between 2 and 7000 Euros. The maximu changes acording to the type of bet you make. If you bet on plain, your maximum is 250 Euros, if you bet on simple chances it is 7,000 Euros.
There are screens above the roulette tables showing the results of the last draws in columns of red and black. Several players where using these screens to play trend follow strategies.
There was also one open blackjack table. The limits were between 5 and 250 Euros.
Smoking is not allowed in the casino. There is a smoking area located next to the bar in the live table games area. I had a cigarette there and found the atmosphere to be nice. There is a little bit of a cigarettes smell from the smoking area in the live table games area but it is not too bad. My girlfriend, who is very sensitive to cigarette smoke, found it acceptable.
I wasn’t in a mood for blackjack but my girl friend wanted to play roulette before leaving the casino. I was surprised by the system. It is basically a coin based system. At the table, we exchanged our money into color chips. The chips are differentiated based on their color alone and they have no indication of their money value on them. After the game we had to again exchange the color chips at the table into normal money chips and those we could then cash out at the cashier. I find the system a bit too burdensome.
The dealer and controller were very friendly and explained the game rules to my girlfriend in fluent English. Indeed the impression we got during our visit to the Casino Aachen is that the staff there is particularly friendly and helpful (but they were still no match to the blackjack dealer I had at the Viage casino in Brussels. This girl could calculate and smile kindly at you at the same time).
We couldn’t check the Club Zero at the casino that only opens later at night. The bar at the casino was course open and friendly. The casino’s restaurant at the exit looked welcoming despite the fact that no one sat there. The casino was starting to really fill up as we left.
Conclusion
The Casino Aachen has a historic appearance from the outside, modern from the inside and the staff is friendly and professional. However, I think it is a shame that the slots hall was removed to a different location and slots and the table games to be in the same area.
I would have liked to stay for a couple of rounds of Texas Holdem poker but I wanted to check the casino in Spa, Belgium, that evening. If I had known what awaits me at the Casino Spa, I would have stayed in Aachen. |
The Eiffel Tower is the world's most photographed landmark... but London's Trafalgar Square comes a close second
Showing off your holiday snaps is part and parcel of a trip away. Now scientists have revealed the world's most photographed landmarks by studying millions of images using a supercomputer.
Experts at Cornell University analysed nearly 35million images posted by 300,000 users on the photo-sharing website Flickr.
The most photographed landmark in the top 20 most photographed European cities. London's Trafalgar Square, Manchester's Exchange Square, Bath Abbey and Edinburgh Castle were included
They discovered that while the Eiffel Tower in Paris was the most popular landmark, four of the top seven were in London.
Trafalgar Square, the Tate Modern and Big Ben managed second, third and fourth place, while the London Eye was sixth.
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Most photographed landmarks according to Flickr:
1. Eiffel Tower, Paris
2. Trafalgar Square, London
3. The Tate Modern, London
4. Big Ben, London
5. Notre Dame, Paris
6. London Eye, London
7. Empire State Building, New York
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Notre Dame in Paris was awarded fifth while the Empire States Building in New York was seventh.
Britain's capital city was the second most photographed city in the world after New York. San Francisco and Paris were third and fourth.
The researchers developed their technique using a supercomputer that crawled through a huge selection of photographs over a six-month period.
The most popular 20 landmarks in the British Isles
The image database was created after the computer picked a photographer on Flickr at random.
It downloaded any photos that were geotagged along with textual tags and geolocation. The photographers contact list was scanned and the process started again.
Popular landmarks were chosen by how many different photographers snapped them rather than by the total number of images in the database.
'It raises the intriguing possibility of an online travel guidebook that could automatically identify the best sites to visit on a vacation, as judged by the collective wisdom of the world's photographers,' a university spokesman said.
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10 most photographed cities according to Flickr:
1: New York, U.S
2: London, England
3: San Francisco, U.S
4: Paris, France
5: Los Angeles, U.S
6: Chicago, U.S
7: Washington, U.S
8: Seattle, U.S
9: Rome, Italy
10: Amsterdam, Holland
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They were able to breakdown the results to a regional level, revealing the 20 most popular photo stops in the British Isles.
The research, which was presented at the International World Wide Web Conference in Madrid, provides a new and practical way to automatically organize, label and summarize large-scale collections of digital images.
Director of the Cornell Centre for Advanced Computing David Lifka said: 'As the creation of digital data accelerates, supercomputers and high-performance storage systems will be essential in order to quickly store, archive, preserve and retrieve large-scale data collections.' |
Illustrations for a Chinese Lord of the Rings in Stunning “Glass Painting Style”
at 9:20 pm by - February 17, 20159:20 pm by Kelvarhin
Ringer kiwifan sent us this report of these beautiful illustrations for a Chinese version of the Lord of the Rings, they’ve been done in a gorgeous “glass painting style”.
These beautiful book covers are drawn by artist Jian Guo and are part of a competition held by the publisher of the new Chinese text as possible covers for the new books, the lovely, monochromatic illustrations draw on many of the design elements of Tolkien’s original paintings for the trilogy’s covers, elaborating on the iconic ring and towers with intricate Asian lines and flourishes. You can see The Fellowship of the Ring in green, The Two Towers in red, and, The Return of the King in blue.
[Read more] |
In prehistoric Celtic mythology the ovum anguinum, or “serpent’s egg”, was a mythical stone that had magical powers. Most of the information we have about it comes from the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who reported that he had actually handled such a stone. He acquired his information from the Gauls, but similar stones appear in Welsh, Irish, and Scottish legends.
The ovum anguinum was created by snakes who coiled together and generated it from their saliva and secretions and then lofted it into the air with their hissing breath. If a Druid adept leapt over the conclave of snakes, he could catch the stone in a cloth without allowing it to touch the ground. The snakes in their fury would pursue him, but if he succeeded in crossing a river that the snakes were unable to pass, he could return with the magic stone.
The serpent’s egg was said to give its owner protection from injury and defeat in battle. When held against one’s chest during a dispute or litigation, it guaranteed victory.
Ah, if only I could obtain one of those for use in the Blog Wars! No one would dare to contradict me…
Alas, the ovum anguinum is no more than a Celtic fantasy. As you can see from the 15th-century woodcut at the top of this post, the stone being snatched by the courageous Druid is a fossilized echinoderm, perhaps a sea urchin or something similar. 4,000-year old troves of fossilized sea urchins used as grave-goods have been discovered in Wales. Other examples of serpents’ eggs listed by skeptical scholars include seaworn shards of ancient glass from Roman bottles that had had holes drilled in them and were used as amulets among the Celts.
No, there will be no shortcuts to victory in these heated disputes over the existence of “moderate Muslims”. I find this species to be as fictive as the ovus anguinum — and not as harmless as a fossilized sea urchin.
I recognize, however, that not everyone agrees with me.
The conversation about the “moderate Muslim” began last week with V.K. Chatterjee’s exposé of Maajid Nawaz. We could just as easily have been discussing Tariq Ramadan or Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, whose silver-but-forked tongues have done at least as much as Mr. Nawaz’ to obscure the problem of Islam. All of them have sent non-Muslims haring down a blind alley in a desperate search for Moderate Islam. Mr. Ramadan, however, has tarnished his once-pristine reputation by making certain imprudent remarks before Muslim audiences on videotape that made their way into the public record. And Imam Rauf is more familiar to Americans than to Europeans, so the focus was on Maajid Nawaz as a prototypical taqiyya-artist at his most unctuously persuasive.
A comment by Oren deepened the discussion by suggesting that we might be doing our movement a disservice with our hostility towards Maajid Nawaz. Oren’s follow-up comment the next day provided additional points that deserve consideration.
His entire comment is below. Certain sections that merit further discussion in depth have been marked in bold:
Now that you have turned my comment into a post, please allow me to respond. First of all, let me begin by making clear that I am not a Muslim apologist, nor a “useful idiot” in the ranks of the left. I am an Israeli blogger and activist, who has been warning against the danger of the Islamization of the west for close to a decade now. However, I quickly realized that in order to have any impact, the anti-Jihad movement must have clear objectives. What is it that we wish to achieve? Waking up the large public is an important mile stone, but certainly not the end game. If your declared goal is simply to eradicate Jihad violence, and to prevent Sharia law from entering our legal system, then you have the potential to bring the public on board. As a part of this agenda you may advocate stopping further immigration to the west, but you will still have to suggest a reasonable solution for those Muslims already living in Europe and the US, one which the public opinion will be able to accept. The only such solution I can think of is integration. In other words, allowing them to stay, as long as they abide by western law and adopt western values. On the other hand, if your stated goal is to kick each and every Muslim out of Europe and the US, then I’m afraid you will probably only alienate the moderate sections of society, and supply ammunition to the hard core left, which constantly tries to vilify the anti-Jihad movement as “racist”.
Let’s imagine for a second an average European, who is not very knowledgeable about Islam, but is troubled by the recent attacks in Paris, for instance. He is looking for answers, which he can’t get from the main stream media. What would such a person think to himself, were he to stumble upon your blog and find it lampooning someone like Nawaz, which he believes to be the quintessential moderate Muslim? He would probably come to the conclusion the anti-Jihad movement really is extreme, and shy away. And so I believe that your recent piece was counter productive. I am not a psychic, and I can’t tell whether Nawaz’s intentions are pure or not (and mind you, misspelling the word Taqiyya is not a very compelling argument…). However, there are literally thousands of Islamic apologists out there who are openly preaching hatred and violence towards non Muslims, and whose intentions are proven beyond doubt. I believe we should direct our energies against them.
The above arguments display an apparent anxiety that many people in our movement share: an apprehension about alienating people in their own social class and cultural milieu who do not already support the basic arguments of the Counterjihad. In order to win over such people, we are advised to avoid the appearance of being “extremists”. Sometimes we must pull our punches and not say certain things because they will seem so distasteful, so radical, to those bien-pensants who have not already understood the catastrophic nature of the behemoth that is rapidly bearing down on us.
I’m not affluent enough to move in such circles, so I can’t testify personally to the effects of being a radical Counterjihadist in a crowd of moderates. However, others have reported their own experiences, to the extent that it is a recurring topic of conversation, one that has been discussed here more than once in the past.
The headings below are based on the bolded excerpts in what Oren had to say in the above comment.
Having an impact
The prospect of “having an impact” is a preoccupation for some Counterjihadists. But what constitutes having an impact? The answer varies from person to person. To some it means being invited to appear as a talking head on CNN or the BBC or Fox News. For others success may involve securing major funding from a foundation for their non-profit organization. Still others may long for a paid position as an advisor to a prominent political figure.
So “impact” will be determined by the “objectives” that Oren describes. And none of the examples he cites are congruent with my primary objective. Since the 910 Group was founded almost ten years ago, my main purpose and day-to-day preoccupation has been to create and extend a resilient network of Counterjihad-minded activists who are well-informed about the nature of Islam and willing to volunteer their services, using whatever talents and skills they may have, to roll back the Islamization of their countries over the long term.
That last phrase is crucial. This is going to be a long war. A very long war. I expect it to last at least two generations, which means it will continue for decades after I depart this vale of tears. What I’m working towards cannot be achieved in my lifetime. What I’ve watched being built over the past ten years will not bear fruit until after things go sideways.
Which they certainly will. And, judging by the accelerating successes of the Jihad, the days of “sideways” will arrive fairly soon. At that point it will no longer matter what the Gutmenschen think of us. Whether we are “radical” or “moderate” Counterjihadists will become irrelevant. The preoccupations of those grim days will be very different.
That’s when networks of seasoned volunteers will see service. The arena for action will no longer be on the panels of TV talk shows or on the floor of various parliaments.
It would not be prudent to describe in detail what I expect to happen, but useful skills in the days to come will not be the same as those required of, say, a presidential spokesman or a TV news anchor. We will be living in a different world.
Bringing the public on board
In my experience, to attempt to “bring the public on board” is to pursue a chimera. The general public tends not to climb on board until the crisis becomes up close and personal for them.
No matter how many ISIS atrocities are shown on television, the impact is not the same as the destruction of your neighborhood by violent Third-World gangs. Or being mugged and sent to the hospital by a Somali immigrant. Or having your daughter “groomed” and raped by a gang of Pakistanis. Or discovering the long-term effects of the construction of a mosque a block or two away from your house.
This is what galvanizes people into action. When they gain personal experience of what the Jihad means for them, suddenly they’re thinking just like us. They start reading and researching and talking to others who have had similar experiences. And the next thing you know, they’re indistinguishable from “radical” Counterjihadists.
All this can happen in the space of just a few weeks. But for most people, nothing can make it happen except the cold, hard experience of Reality.
Suggesting a reasonable solution for those Muslims already living in Europe and the US
This is the core problem for every Western country. The serious damage to our culture has already been done. It has been going on for decades — the current crisis is simply an acceleration of a two- or three-generation process. Our political leaders have been deliberately replacing their native populations with hostile foreigners, most of them Muslims. As Fjordman put it, “This is the greatest organized betrayal in Western history.”
There is no way to talk about possible (and likely) future scenarios without running into the wall of What May Not Be Discussed. El Inglés asked the question: “Surrender, Genocide… Or What?” And look what happened to us — we got booted out of Pajamas Media and cast into the Outer Darkness, where dwell the neo-Nazis and fascists and racists and all the other despised fringe elements. Here Be Monsters.
There is no way that meaningful solutions to the current mess can be suggested without something similar happening to the intelligent analyst who attempts it. Frank, realistic discussion of the options is ruled out in advance.
This is why the Moderate Muslim features so prominently in polite discourse. No matter that he is a phantasm; he is our only hope. Which leads us to…
Integration
It used to be that America required foreigners to “assimilate” rather than “integrate”. But Europe has never practiced assimilation as a matter of policy, and the United States has recently abandoned it. Both sides of the Atlantic pursue Multiculturalism instead. New arrivals are allowed and expected to retain all their foreign ways, and the elusive process of “integration” is supposed to permit them to live side-by-side with everyone else without conflict.
But this never happens. Despite all the outreach, and diversity seminars, and courses in Western “values”, the newcomers remain stubbornly foreign. This is especially true of Muslims, who remain implacably opposed to the values of their adopted society, and are more than eager to bite the hand that feeds them.
Abiding by Western law and adopting Western values
This is not going to happen. Yes, Hindus will adopt Western values and abide by the law. So will Sikhs and Buddhists. But not Muslims. Islam does not submit; it comes to dominate. The process of hijra followed by eventual domination is encoded in its core scriptures. No one who remains a faithful Muslim can pursue any other path.
We now have more than forty years of experience in Britain and France to demonstrate the accuracy of this distressing conclusion. The second and third generations of Muslim immigrants are typically more radical than their parents and grandparents. The older generations do not understand what has happened to their descendants. How did these kids become “radicalized”?
All it takes is a nearby mosque and a well-trained imam to turn “moderates” into “radicals”. Everything necessary to achieve this goal is already written in the Koran, the hadith, and the sira. All that remains is for it to be carefully explained to an interested boy or young man, and then off he goes down the road to Jihad.
As long as the mosques and imams remain in the West, there will be no general tendency to abide by Western law and adopt Western values.
Kicking each and every Muslim out of Europe and the US
This is what many Counterjihad people long for, but even a cursory glance at current realities will reveal the political impossibility of such an outcome. It just ain’t gonna happen.
Until some sort of collapse occurs, that is. And that collapse is coming. The arrival of thousands of mujahideen in Europe this year has accelerated its advance. And the central banks’ obstinate insistence on printing more money will hasten it even more.
When that happens, all the rules will change. Things that cannot be talked about now will be common topics of discussion. The possibility of removing Muslims from Europe and North America may well be considered then, and it may not involve simply physically relocating them to foreign climes.
But until those grievous days arrive, such matters may not be broached — not without the obligatory kick into that old familiar Outer Darkness.
Alienating the moderate sections of society
Ah yes, this is what we must avoid at all costs — alienating “moderate” sections of society. But which society are we talking about? Muslim? Or Western?
What would a “moderate” Westerner be?
Is a complete and utter hedonist a “moderate” or an “extremist”?
Is a believing Christian an “extremist” while an atheist is a “moderate”?
Who are we talking about here?
I find it hard to get a grip on what these “moderate sections of society” might consist of.
Supplying ammunition to the hard core Left (which constantly tries to vilify the Counterjihad as “racist”)
This is the game that we are always called upon to play. The rules were written by the Left. The playing field is Leftist turf. The referees and spectators are Leftists.
It’s a mug’s game, and we cannot win it. Winning can only occur when we admit the Left is right about Multiculturalism and immigration and racism etc blah yak. In other words, when we become Leftists ourselves.
Until we do that, we will always be called “racists” and “xenophobes” and “right-wing extremists”. There is no way around it. Those are the rules.
I’ve discussed this at length in “Declining to Play the Game”:
Don’t accept the rules. Don’t recognize the authority of the referee. Don’t call the toss. Don’t even go onto the field.
Convincing uncommitted people that the anti-Jihad movement really is extreme, who then shy away
But is it really my job to convince people that I’m not extreme?
Why am I required to make people aware of some quality in me (real or imagined), rather than to do my job properly?
My job is not to convince people that this movement is not extreme. My job is not to create a good impression, or present a pleasing exterior.
This is not a popularity contest.
In point of fact, if I do my job properly, many people will conclude that I am extreme. The rules of the game are rigged that way. Those who decide how we must play will label as “extreme” my view of what is facing us — unless I don the politically correct rose-colored glasses that everyone else is wearing and see what everyone else sees.
There’s no sense in doing that.
To try to convince the world that you’re not an “extremist” is to jump the distancing stick described by Thor von Waldstein, which is part of the “salami tactics” used by our opponents:
Whoever jumps over every little distancing stick that is held out, only confirms thereby his political inferiority to the one holding the stick. He acknowledges its game rules and therefore voluntarily enters the playing field which the stick holder has laid out in advance so as to rule out a win, or even a small territorial gain.
The task of winning over people who think we’re extreme is essentially a trivial one, and not at all relevant to the job at hand, which is to face up to nature of the war that is rapidly approaching us.
The war that lies ahead will not be what we normally think of as war. It will be like 9/11, Beslan, the Bataclan, the Boston Marathon, and San Bernardino, lots and lots of them, all happening simultaneously. In addition to all the death, bloodshed, terror and general carnage, the economy of the West will be devastated. As the new wave of Jihad hits the West, the emergency services, police, forensic investigators, and judicial system will be tied down for months on end in order to “apprehend the perpetrators bring them to justice”. Lawyers, motions, discovery, stays, trials, and appeals for thousands of defendants, going on for months or years. Billions upon billions of dollars poured down politically correct rat holes. And that’s not even considering all the billions lost to commerce as ordinary people avoid airports, train stations, shopping malls, stadiums, street events, and public spaces in their day-to-day activities.
As our economies sink under the weight, Western leaders will eventually and reluctantly be forced to acknowledge that what they are dealing with is warfare, and not criminal acts. Warfare of a sort they’ve never seen before. And they will have to change their approach to how they deal with it. It will be a slow and painful process (painful for them and even more painful for us), but they will eventually have to put aside their cherished politically correct visions of Islam and accept its ghastly Reality.
One of the first PC luxuries to be abandoned will be the “moderate Muslim”. |
The new South Park RPG, The Fractured But Whole, is not coming to the Nintendo Switch, despite a tweet this week that suggested it might be.
"South Park: The Fractured But Whole won't be coming to [the Nintendo] Switch," a representative for the South Park studio told IGN. Ubisoft, which is developing game, declined to comment when approached by IGN.
Earlier this week, the official South Park Twitter account tweeted about Nintendo, kicking off rumors that The Fractured But Whole might be coming to the system. The tweet might have instead been a reference a Season 10 storyline regarding the Nintendo Wii.
In February, Ubisoft confirmed the latest delay for The Fractured But Whole. Previously set to come out in Q1 2017 (January-March, 2017), it is now slated to arrive sometime during Ubisoft's fiscal 2017-2018, which translates to April 2017-March 2018.
The game was originally set to come out in December 2016, but in September of that year, Ubisoft announced the delay to 2017 to "make sure the game experience meets the high expectations of fans."
The Fractured But Whole is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. It is being developed internally at Ubisoft San Francisco. 2013's South Park: The Stick of Truth was made by Fallout: New Vegas studio Obsidian Entertainment. |
What is the secret facility in the middle of Australia known as Pine Gap?
THE US is strengthening a network of secretive military bases across Australia that could be used for waging wars against our interests, it was claimed at a weekend summit.
Instead of fostering crucial relationships, we are allowing the US to create enemies for us with its growing strategic presence on our soil, say the academics, politicians and campaigners who gathered for the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) conference attended by news.com.au in Alice Springs this weekend.
Under a burning hot sun in the red centre, experts and citizens shared their fears over what is happening in the most remote parts of the country. These mysterious bases may be invisible to the majority of us living in the most populated regions along the coast, but could threaten the fabric of all our lives. Here’s what you need to know:
NORTH WEST CAPE — SPACE WARFARE
Perhaps the most frightening of all the bases, North West Cape is at the cutting edge of warfare — in space.
The monstrous structure sits on the northwest coast of Australia, where kilometres of wire surround a soaring central tower and others fanning off it, sucking up huge amounts of electricity.
North West Cape (also known as Harold E Holt Communications Station) was established as an American nuclear submarine communication station, with a very low frequency that could penetrate water, before being given back to Australia in the 1990s.
In 2008-10, the US and Australia agreed it would be upgraded with an advanced space radar and space telescope.
The radar was built in New Mexico by the US, with Australia paying for installation, and the space telescope comes from Antigua in the Caribbean and was once part of Cape Canaveral rocket range in Florida.
The telescope points at the sky, providing what the US calls “space situational awareness”. The rationale is that it will find space junk, as in the movie Gravity. In fact, its primary purpose will be looking for where adversaries’ satellites are in space and what they do, says Professor Richard Tanter from the School of Political and Social Studies at the University of Melbourne.
If a country like Russia, for example, was hiding a satellite’s purpose, the US might photograph or neutralise it.
Professor Tanter warns Australia could become enmeshed in anti-satellite warfare. If there was a war between US and China over the South China Sea and US could not bring a fleet near the coast any more, “the first thing they want to do is blind other side’s satellites”.
We are providing the US with extra capacity to make that happen, says Prof Tanter.
“Do we really want to be implicated in that?”
DARWIN — TROOPS ON THE GROUND
In 2011, President Barack Obama visited Darwin to announce US troops would begin making regular visits to the Northern Territory as part of the country’s “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific region.
The Gillard government agreed to the “permanent rotation of US marines and US air force aircraft”, meaning we have a constant flow of US soldiers on the ground in Australia. There are currently 1500, but this could rise to 2500.
It was this development that triggered the establishment of IPAN in 2012 as onlookers became alarmed at the move from “the invasion of nerd and computer freaks” to actual “troops in uniform with rifles”, Denis Doherty, national co-ordinator of the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign, told news.com.au.
Some of the world’s best fighters and bombers, and Osprey hybrid aircraft, now regularly fly into Darwin and nearby Shoal Bay Receiving Station and RAAF Tindal in Katherine, with huge ships coming down from a US base in Okinawa, Japan.
The purpose is officially for training, but IPAN delegates say Australia has also acquiesced to potential deployment.
A few thousand troops may sound like small beer but in conjunction with marines at US bases in Hawaii, Okinawa and Guam, it is a significant force.
PINE GAP — ‘THE POISONED HEART OF AUSTRALIA’
Pine Gap was established in Alice Springs in 1966 when the CIA came up with the idea of putting satellites 36,000 kilometres above the earth’s surface. These had giant antennae that could listen to very weak signals from Soviet missiles testing, allowing the agency to work out the capability of enemy weapons.
The spy base was placed in isolated Alice in the NT because at the time, the massive amount of data had to be collected over 130km of land.
Prof Tanter says Pine Gap rivals Uluru as the symbolic centre of Australia, with its strange, mysterious power.
“It’s the poisoned heart of Australia and it is increasingly having an effect on our defence policies and the way in which we conduct our foreign policy,” he says.
The establishment of Pine Gap heralded the start of the American early warning system, which involved powerful infra-red telescopes staring at the earth looking for the heat bloom of nuclear weapons. And it continues to grow in strength long after the Cold War, with the number of antennae growing from two or three in 1970 to 33 today.
It has also grown in capability — picking up satellite and mobile phone transmissions that are important for conducting war in Iraq and Afghanistan and monitoring people allegedly carrying out terrorist activities. It spots jet aircraft in the sky and explosions on the ground.
If a North Korean missile takes off, its trajectory can be rapidly beamed to the US, triggering a possible drone assassination. Prof Tanter says such behaviour makes Australia a target.
OTHER BASES
The Defence Satellite Communication Station at Geraldton in Western Australia, along with Kojarena 20km inland, was one of Australia’s spy bases. It is now shared with two large American operational military communication systems that pull down information on Indonesian and Chinese satellites from the sky. This is part of the Five Eyes surveillance system used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Kojarena is creating “battlefield conditions”, says Mr Doherty, providing data a soldier in Iraq can use to ascertain what’s behind a hill — the visual, weather and so on — making it “an American war fighting base”.
Australia paid $800 million for one of the satellites used by this system. But if America does not approve of an operation the Australian Defence Force requests, for example in Timor, it can turn off our access, says Prof Tanter.
The US also has access to the Delamere Air Weapons range and the Bradshaw Ranges (which are the size of Cyprus) in the NT, and the multinational training facility of Shoalwater Bay in Rockhampton, which boasts a mock town complete with pub, mosque and church.
America trains its troops in Australia in all conditions — jungle, savannah, woodland and desert.
Mr Doherty believes there are effectively almost 50 joint bases from Broome in WA to Richmond in NSW, since the US can use all Australian bases in a poorly defined “emergency”, and regularly does. The government insists there are only two joint bases, Pine Gap and North West Cape, since troops rotate out of Darwin — a claim Prof Tanter slams as “specious”.
“If it was built by the United States, if it was paid for by the United States, and if it can only function as part of an American global technology, then it’s an American base to which Australia might have some access; greater or lesser access as time goes on.”
AUSTRALIA’S PROBLEM
So why is the US using our bases a problem? Well, we aren’t just passive bystanders.
“Australia is very, very deeply involved,” says Prof Tanter.
Aussies work in every division of Pine Gap. The Aboriginal woman who introduced Friday night’s public forum revealed her mother worked there as a cleaner in the 1960s and knew nothing about its purpose. Even the hotel where the conference takes place is a supplier for the base, providing catering and accommodation for staff.
“At least we’re not locked out the way we were before, but with that comes culpability,” says Prof Tanter.
“The government seems to lack the ability to ask the question, ‘When do Australian and American interests coincide, and when do they not?’”
He suggests nuclear war or unethical activity in countries where we are not at war might be examples of that. We could be implicated in human rights offences.
“It is embedding us in global military operations for which there is little strategic benefit for Australia.”
The agreement seems “asymmetrical” to the professor. We have spent 13 years in Afghanistan and lost 40 soldiers and seen 250 seriously wounded, he notes.
“We’re an island a long way from anywhere. The most important thing is to get over this psychology of dependence.”
We find ourselves integrated with other US bases across Asia-Pacific, with bombing information from Delamere weapons range fed back to Canberra, Hawaii and then Washington.
Prof Tanter warns that when China looks at Australia, it will see Australia as an American base
“I think fundamentally we have to ask is that really the way we want to go. The signal we’re sending to Americans is that if they go to war with China, sure, we’ll be part of that.”
A Defence White Paper released in March emphasised the paramount importance of the US and its role in “global security”, stressing Australia’s desire to maintain strong military ties to America and increased “interoperability” of the two countries’ systems. The paper asserts the US “will continue to be Australia’s most important strategic partner”.
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam says the two main parties are strangely bipartisan when it comes to not criticising defence decisions.
“The Liberals don’t stand up and say, why has there been no discussion on Darwin.”
He believes our submission to US interests, particularly in the case of the Iraq invasion that ordinary Australians were against, “paved the way for IS”.
A Defence Department spokesman this week told news.com.au facilities like Pine Gap make an important contribution to national security.
He said it provides intelligence on priorities such as terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and foreign military capability and weapons developments. It also supports monitoring of compliance with arms control and disarmament agreements and provides ballistic missile early warning information.
We are told mass surveillance makes us safer and in our fear we accept growing militarisation — but the conference speakers contest that these facilities most likely don’t protect us, but put us at greater risk.
Where should the decision to deploy lie? Do we need to host these bases? Should they do all the things they do?
These are the questions we don’t discuss. |
President Obama, who has struggled to advance his vision for economic renewal at home, will take his pitch overseas this week to an audience of world leaders who could prove equally skeptical of his message at a time of global anxiety.
“It’s very hard for us to preach the economic gospel to Europe when they watched our debt-ceiling debate here and our [credit-rating] downgrade,” said Heather Conley, director of European programs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Obama is scheduled to depart Washington late Wednesday for a two-day trip to Cannes, France, where the heads of the world’s 20 largest economies will gather for the Group of 20 summit. Organizers said the meetings will focus on how to contain Europe’s debt crisis while also trying to forge consensus on a path to stimulating worldwide economic growth, even as many countries, including the United States, wrestle with painful budget cuts.
The trip, the first for Obama outside the United States since he attended a smaller summit in France in the spring, could provide a crucial test of whether his political problems at home have compromised his influence abroad.
In the five months since the last global summit, Obama has focused on the domestic economy, fighting with Congress over ways to reduce the deficit and crisscrossing the nation to promote his $447 billion American Jobs Act, which remains stalled on Capitol Hill.
At a series of bilateral meetings in France, the president is expected to lay out his growth proposals: a mix of immediate spending to create jobs and longer-term fiscal discipline to reduce U.S. deficits.
But Obama faces a tough challenge after pointedly criticizing Europe’s handling of its debt crisis. During a town-hall-style event in Mountain View, Calif., last month, Obama said the Europeans were “scaring the world.”
European leaders struck back, telling administration officials to butt out and focus on their own fiscal problems. The Austrian and German finance ministers chided U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner in September for intervening in Europe’s affairs, with Germany’s Wolfgang Schauble dismissing as “stupid” a bailout idea advanced by Geithner. White House officials counter that the bailout plan adopted last week by European nations to help cash-strapped countries such as Italy and Spain borrow at least a trillion dollars is similar to an idea that Geithner proposed.
“The president said Europe was scaring the world; Europe thinks the U.S. is scaring the world,” said CSIS’s Conley, who was deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs from 2001 to 2005. “We’re both finger-pointing at one another. I do not think the president has lost legitimacy, but it’s just very hard for us to tell other countries what to do.”
On his national jobs tour, Obama has consistently cited Europe’s economic malaise, along with the Japanese earthquake and the uprisings in the Middle East, as factors that have slowed the U.S. economic recovery. The president has called on Europe to take bold action to resolve its debt crisis.
But in an op-ed in the Financial Times last week, Obama vowed that the United States, as the world’s largest economy, “will continue to lead.”
“The single most effective thing we can do to get the global economy growing faster is to get the U.S. economy growing faster,” Obama wrote. “That’s why my highest priority is putting Americans back to work. It’s why I’ve proposed the American Jobs Act.”
Obama’s attempt to lead at a G-20 summit in Toronto in 2010, however, fell flat. While the president urged nations to continue spending to boost the fragile recovery, G-20 members instead approved an austerity plan aimed at halving deficits in three years.
Obama, weakened by the 2010 midterm elections that left Republicans in control of the House, has had similar difficulty imposing his will at home. His inability to convince the GOP to support his jobs package has left Washington in partisan gridlock, while the unemployment rate is stuck at 9.1 percent.
The president’s job approval ratings have slid dramatically, and his domestic focus has limited his ability to assert U.S. influence in global economic deliberations. Over the past 21 months, European leaders have held 14 economic summits, yet the debt crisis has worsened as nations have bickered over parochial interests.
“The standing of the U.S. internationally is simply not that great,” said Sebastian Mallaby, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who focuses on global economics. “U.S. leadership that in the past might have been helpful in pulling the Europeans together has eroded. The world’s natural postwar leader has its hands tied behind its back, and we’re not doing too well as a result.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney disputed the suggestion that Obama lacks leverage heading into the G-20 meetings because of his stalemate with Congress.
“While there is gridlock on jobs, we remain hopeful that that will change,” Carney said during a press briefing last week. Obama “carries with him to France the fact that we are pushing our Congress to act on these matters, and he comes as the leader of the largest economy in the world . . . so I think we continue to have a significant leading role to play.”
Further complicating matters for Obama, his trip to France will be followed a week later by a nine-day swing through Hawaii and Bali, Indonesia — for a pair of Asian economic summits — and a stop in Australia for a state visit.
The back-to-back international jaunts will disrupt the president’s weekly jobs tour, knocking him off message and placing him far from Washington as a bipartisan committee in Congress approaches a critical Nov. 23 deadline to agree on a plan to eliminate at least $1.2 trillion in U.S. debt.
Senior White House officials said other administration figures, such as Vice President Biden and Cabinet members, along with first lady Michelle Obama, will continue to push the jobs package across the country. And they predicted that in Asia, Obama will highlight how increased economic cooperation could boost U.S. exports and create middle-class jobs.
Still, the president is unlikely to get the kind of political boost from these trips that he did from his first G-20 summit in London in 2009. Then, the United States was in a recession and Obama, a new president, drew symbolic strength by standing for a photo with other heads of state as they pledged a multilateral response.
This go-round, that same “family-photo visual” won’t have the same emotive power, said Conley, the think tank analyst.
“How can that compare,” Conley asked, “to photos of Occupy Wall Street, the continued vigorous debate in Washington and our own questions about the unemployment rate?” |
Pre order the book from here
Kevin Cummins will be talking about his book at louder Than Words festival in Manchester on Saturday Nov 15th. Tickets and info here.
Kevin Cummings photos defined Manchester in punk and post punk but he didn’t stop there- working on the NME he was a key photographer in the next few decades as his shots of the Manic Street Preachers prove.
Featuring some of the finest photos of the photogenic band these pictures tell the story of a band with a strong identity and a strong rhetoric and are some of the finest rock n roll shots ever taken.
Published by Faber the book is out soon.
Faber told us the following…
In the early nineties, a group of fiercely political young men from the Welsh valleys exploded onto a British music scene. It was the legendary photographer Kevin Cummins who captured James, Sean, Richey and Nicky in their most uncompromising, glam-fixated early years.
Assassinated Beauty is a unique record of a band on a mission to reclaim rock ‘n roll through literature, image and thrilling guitar pop. Working at the NME and already famous for his association with the classic images of Joy Division, The Smiths and Stone Roses, Cummins was the ideal photographer to capture the essence of a band who understood and manipulated androgynous and decadent imagery.
These photographs document the period just before the release of Generation Terrorists (1992) up to Holy Bible (1995) and the subsequent disappearance of guitarist and lyricist, Richie Edwards. A revealing mix of studio shots and never-seen-before behind the scenes photographs and the ultimate portrait of one of the last great British rock n roll bands.
– See more at: http://www.faber.co.uk/catalog/assassinated-beauty/9780571312139#sthash.5fiE1bTR.dpuf |
Day-night Proteas Test 'incredibly exciting'
November's Adelaide Test against South Africa will be a day-night affair after Cricket South Africa agreed to play under lights and with the pink ball.
South Africa spearhead Dale Steyn told cricket.com.au earlier this year he would "love" to play in a day-night Test match before his stellar career is over and, form and fitness pending, will now get his wish when the Proteas tour for a three-Test Commonwealth Bank Series this summer.
The confirmation from CSA, expected to be officially announced later today, brings to a close months of behind-the-scenes negotiations with Cricket Australia and will see two day-night Tests played in Australia this summer.
Pakistan had already agreed to play the first Test of their three-match series against Australia under lights at the Gabba in December.
Australia captain Steve Smith welcomed the news and said the confirmation of a second day-night Test this summer was "incredibly exciting for all the fans".
Pink ball test match 🏏 Should bring some color to a already great game, exciting times #proteasvsaustralia A photo posted by DALE STEYN (@dalesteyn) on Jun 8, 2016 at 6:46am PDT
"It's going to be a little bit different (but) in the end it's still a Test match," Smith said from Guyana this morning, where Australia had just lost their second match of their ODI tri-series to the Proteas.
Quick Single: Aussie bats crumble in Guyana
"You just have to sometimes look at maybe some different tactics to go with the game … whether you want to declare a little bit earlier, while it's dark or the sun is going down, get the ball swinging around … different things like that.
"But it's a really exciting form of the game to be playing."
Smith has said there was 2mm too much grass left on the Adelaide pitch last summer and improvements needed to be made to the ball.
"From my point of view as long as we keep continuing to improve the ball … I think the seam was pretty hard to see last year," Smith said.
"They've made some amendments to that, they've made it a black seam now. Hopefully it's a bit easier to see and as long as we can continue to improve the ball, then I think it's going to be a great form of cricket."
Quick Single: Day-night Ashes unfancied by Smith
South Africa's initial reluctance stemmed from their lack of experience using a pink cricket ball. While Australia has been trialling the pink Kookaburra in Sheffield Shield for several years and played last summer's first ever day-night Test against New Zealand, the South Africans have had no such opportunity.
However, the Proteas squad will open their tour of Australia with a two-day practice match under lights and will play a second two-day match under lights between the second and third Tests to give them the maximum possible preparation time.
The pink Kookaburra will also be used in the first unofficial Test between South Africa A and Australia A at Brisbane's Allan Border Field starting July 30. However, this will not be a day-night fixture. Proteas contenders Temba Bavuma, Dean Elgar, Vernon Philander and Wayne Parnell are among those named in a strong South Africa A squad for the fixture.
Proteas skipper AB de Villiers said the South Africa players were now confident they would have adequate preparation.
"We were never against this exciting concept, but only wanted to give ourselves the best opportunity of competing in conditions that will be new and foreign to us," de Villiers said in a statement released by CSA.
"Two warm-up matches will hopefully give us an idea of what to expect and hopefully our preparations will help us to adapt accordingly.
"This will be the first time that our players in the Test squad will play pink-ball Test match cricket in front of such a large crowd and to be part of this novel concept will no doubt be a landmark moment in all of our careers."
Steyn told cricket.com.au in April he was confident "one, maybe two first-class games" with the pink ball would be more than enough preparation for a day-night Test match.
Quick Single: Steyn would 'love' to play day-night Tests
"I don't want to go through my whole career without playing a day-night game," Steyn told cricket.com.au exclusively in Rajkot.
"How cool are they? I thought it looked awesome when New Zealand and Australia played one.
"It looked entertaining, there was a big crowd.
"The ball is pink – it's something different. You want to test your skills with that whole thing and it's very exciting."
Despite their unfamiliarity with the pink ball, New Zealand almost pulled off an upset win in the inaugrual day-night match, falling gallantly to Australia by three wickets in the final session on day three.
A similar type of lead-up to what New Zealand enjoyed - the Black Caps played the Prime Ministers XI match with a pink ball, and a second two-day warm-up in WA - would be all South Africa would need to prime themselves for a day-night Test, according to Steyn.
"Absolutely," Steyn said when asked if a couple of first-class games would be enough to be ready for a twilight Test.
"I think maybe even one game so the boys can get accustomed to it.
"You can practice as much as you want in the nets but when you get out into the middle and there's pressure and all that kind of stuff you do tend to play differently.
"One first-class game, maybe two first-class games and it think the boys will be extremely into it."
Australia's domestic cricket schedule is yet to be confirmed but it is believed there will be another day-night Sheffield Shield round early in the summer.
CSA Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said providing adequate preparation for the touring Proteas was the key.
"Following careful consideration and engagement with all our Test players, and recognising the need to exploit the potential of playing day-night Test cricket, I am pleased to announce that we have agreed with Cricket Australia to proceed with this fixture.
"Our Proteas were initially hesitant to play such a key Test match without previous experience and adequate preparation but after working through all their concerns and possible options to prepare sufficiently, there is new-found excitement for this novel Test match.
"Our players deserve credit for the way they have worked through the issues which were clearly not insignificant."
CA Chief Executive James Sutherland celebrated the confirmation of the day-night fixture as a victory for fans.
"It's wonderful that the next day-night Test in Australia will be against South Africa," Sutherland said. "This announcement will further fuel the excitement about what promises to be a fascinating series between formidable rivals.
"I would like to acknowledge the open manner in which Cricket South Africa and the South African Cricketers Association have worked through this matter with us. We look forward to welcoming the South African players to Australia in late October and offering them the best possible preparation ahead of the series."
Tickets for the bulk of the 2016-17 international summer are already on sale and CA confirmed the day-night Adelaide Test would go on sale later this month.
Australian Cricket Family Gold members will be able to purchase tickets from June 21, and ACF Green members from 24 hours later. General public tickets will be on sale from noon on June 27. |
New Delhi: US-based radio taxi service Uber has been given a seven-day ultimatum by the Delhi government to remove deficiencies in its application for running cabs in the national capital, failing which its plea to procure licence will be rejected.
Government has also given a final opportunity to another app-based cab service provider 'Serendipity Infolabs Pvt Ltd' to remove deficiencies found in its application.
Uber, which was banned two-and-a-half months ago after one of its drivers allegedly raped a woman, had applied for licence on January 22 to operate app-based taxi booking service through its subsidiary Resource Expert India Pvt Ltd.
The government, however, had issued a 'deficiency memo' on January 24 asking it to furnish all details before it as mentioned in recently introduced 'Modified Radio Taxi Scheme (2006),' an official said.
The scheme was finalised on January 1 following the outrage over thr rape of a woman on December 5 inside the Uber cab.
App-based taxi operator 'Taxi For Sure' and another operator had also applied for licences and similar 'deficiency memo' were served to them as well.
"We have issued them a deficiency memo on January 24 and a reminder was also sent in this regard on February 11. Since no reply was received on any of the two communications, we have given them a final opportunity to Uber to furnish the details within seven days," said a senior transport department official.
However, Uber issued a statement later in the evening, saying, "Uber has been and will continue to work with the authorities. We are evaluating the perceived deficiencies in the time period provided to us by the government."
Sources said that the three app-based taxi providers in their applications did not provide full details for procuring a licence according to laid down rules.
"In Uber's application, certificate/undertaking for parking of radio taxis was not provided. They also did not mention telephone number, e-mail address and address proof of their registered office in Delhi.
"Besides, call centre management details were also not provided in the application," a top source said.
Sources also said that in the application of Taxi For Sure, details of drivers and undertaking of induction schedule were not provided.
"Certificate/undertaking for parking of radio taxis was not provided in Taxi For Sure's applications. Call centre arrangement details and print out of of web portal were also not provided," the source added.
The official said that besides Uber, a seven-day final ultimatum has been given to 'Serendipity Infolabs Pvt Ltd'.
US-based taxi booking firm Uber had recently announced resumption of its services in the city but Delhi government immediately said that the company cannot operate as the ban imposed on it has not been revoked.
The international app-based cab booking firm was banned by Delhi government on December 8.
Earlier this month, Delhi government had decided to continue with the ban on Uber and asked it to fulfill the conditions for taxi operations in the national capital before seeking revocation of punitive action.
According to the transport department, all taxi operators, including app-based cab service providers, will have to register themselves with the department.
PTI
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EDMONTON, ALBERTA, Jun 19, 2015 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- TELUS (T) TU, +0.58% is investing $1 billion in Edmonton to connect more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses directly to the company's state-of-the-art fibre optic network over the next six years.
The TELUS fibre optic network is among the most advanced communications infrastructure available in the world today. When the service is launched in Edmonton later this year, local residents and businesses will be able to take advantage of Internet speeds of up to 150 megabits per second - a dramatically faster service made possible by a direct fibre optic network connection. In coming years, TELUS plans to offer families and businesses in Edmonton increasingly higher speeds over this gigabit-enabled network. Importantly, local healthcare providers, educators and technology companies will also be able to draw upon the network to completely reimagine how they deliver existing services and develop entirely new solutions.
"Our $1 billion investment in Edmonton will create Canada's largest urban centre with nearly ubiquitous access to the fastest and most reliable Internet services to dramatically improve the way Edmontonians live, work and socialise in a digital world," said Darren Entwistle, TELUS' Executive Chair. "TELUS is committed to better connecting citizens by linking homes, hospitals, clinics, doctors, pharmacists, businesses, schools, libraries and municipal governments directly to our fibre optic network, bringing advanced broadband services and unparalleled security to the entire connected community. Indeed, with less than 10 per cent of North Americans currently linked to a fibre optic network, TELUS is providing a distinct advantage to the city and its citizens who will ultimately have superior access to economic growth opportunities, critical healthcare solutions, world-class education programs and exciting social applications to enhance their fast-moving consumer lifestyles."
"Today's announcement helps enhance Edmonton's reputation for being an innovative city and it will enable us to achieve more of the goals outlined in our Open City Initiative, including greater citizen engagement," said Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson. "We are excited about the economic development potential that fibre to the premises offers, including opportunities to build on Edmonton's strengths in the areas of new technology, health care and education."
"This investment represents a major vote of confidence in our economy that will help ensure Alberta remains a top choice for businesses to invest and create jobs, and for families to live, work and play," said Premier Rachel Notley. "Our government looks forward to working with the City of Edmonton to realize the full economic and quality-of-life potential of this new communications infrastructure."
Edmonton residents can expect to see the TELUS team across the city neighbourhood by neighbourhood, knocking on doors to discuss connecting homes and businesses directly to TELUS' fibre optic network and installing infrastructure. There is no requirement to be a current TELUS customer to be connected to the network, nor are there any conditions to purchase services once the network construction is complete.
This significant commitment is part of TELUS' plan to invest an additional $4.2 billion in Alberta through 2018. When combined with operational expenses, this will bring the total TELUS investment in Alberta over the next four years to more than $11 billion. By 2018, TELUS will have invested more than $45 billion in Alberta since 2000 to further extend advanced telecommunications infrastructure and services, ensuring sustained innovation and fueling economic growth.
TELUS' dedication to Edmonton extends well beyond the company's investments in operations and infrastructure. Since 2000 the TELUS team in Edmonton has volunteered 730,000 hours with its hearts and hands and contributed $38.5 million to numerous charitable and community organizations.
In celebration of today's announcement, on behalf of the company's more than 6,200 employees and retirees in Edmonton Mr. Entwistle also announced TELUS is making a $120,000 investment at the Edmonton Public Library. This investment will establish the TELUS Health Innovation Fund to help create healthier outcomes, and also provide needed funding for the library's "epl2go Literacy Vans," thus helping to ensure a brighter future for the community.
For more information on the TELUS Fibre Optic Network and how you and your community will benefit from it, visit telus.com/edmonton or call 1-855-595-5588. Business owners are invited to call 310-3100.
About TELUS
TELUS (T) TU, +0.58% is Canada's fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $12.1 billion of annual revenue and 13.9 million customer connections, including 8.3 million wireless subscribers, 3.1 million wireline network access lines, 1.5 million high-speed Internet subscribers and 937,000 TELUS TV customers. TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video, and is Canada's largest healthcare IT provider.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $396 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered over 6 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Created in 2005 by Executive Chairman Darren Entwistle, TELUS' 11 Canadian community boards and 4 International boards have led the company's support of grassroots charities and will have contributed more than $54 million in support of over 4,800 local charitable projects by the end of 2015, enriching the lives of more than 2.1 million children and youth. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.
For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.
Forward-looking statement:
This news release contains statements about expected future events, including TELUS' projected multi-year capital and operating expenditures, which are forward-looking. The investments described for 2015 through to 2018 are subject to the ongoing review and approval of TELUS' Board of Directors. By their nature, forward-looking statements require the Company to make assumptions and predictions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is significant risk that the forward-looking statements will not prove to be accurate. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of factors (such as regulatory and government decisions, the competitive environment, economic conditions, our ability to purchase spectrum licences through auctions or third-parties, and our earnings, free cash flow and financial position) could cause actual capital and operating expenditures to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, this news release is subject to the disclaimer and qualified by the assumptions (including the assumptions for our 2015 annual guidance, semi-annual dividend increases through 2016, ability to sustain and complete our multi-year share purchase program through 2016), qualifications and risk factors referred to in the 2014 Management's discussion and analysis, which are specifically incorporated by reference herein, and in other TELUS public disclosure documents and filings with securities commissions in Canada (on SEDAR at sedar.com) and in the United States (on EDGAR at sec.gov). Except as required by law, TELUS disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements.
Contacts: Shawn Hall TELUS Media Relations (604) 619-7913 [email protected]
SOURCE: TELUS Corporation
(C) 2015 Marketwire L.P. All rights reserved. |
Film fans have few stronger vices, I would submit, than the making of lists. But we can take some small measure of consolation from the fact that certain auteurs have occasionally done it too. Yes they make their own lists of favorite films. Quentin Tarantino has done it. So have Stanley Kubrick and Woody Allen. Same with Andrei Tarkovsky, Susan Sontag and Akira Kurosawa. And then there's one of the most interesting lists -- that of Federico Fellini, which originally appeared in Sight and Sound. It runs as follows:
Never a slave to restraint, Fellini bends the tacit rules of list-making in a few different ways here. He includes not one but three films, all by Charlie Chaplin, in the top spot, ranks the complete comedic works of both the Marx Brothers (whose 1928 The Circus you can watch above) and Laurel and Hardy in third place, and, in the most audacious act of all, adds a movie of his own to the list. Maybe the fact that he puts it at number ten scores him a humility point?
Then again, the director of La Dolce Vita, Satyricon, and Juliet of the Spirits could have found his distinctively grotesque and celebratory worldview realized nowhere but in his own work. And upon reflection, putting 8 1/2 in last place looks overmodest. "I have seen 8 1/2 over and over again, and my appreciation only deepens," wrote Roger Ebert in a piece on the film. "It does what is almost impossible: Fellini is a magician who discusses, reveals, explains and deconstructs his tricks, while still fooling us with them. He claims he doesn't know what he wants or how to achieve it, and the film proves he knows exactly, and rejoices in his knowledge." And he knew he was damn good.
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Related Content:
Andrei Tarkovsky Creates a List of His 10 Favorite Films (1972)
Ingmar Bergman Evaluates His Fellow Filmmakers — The “Affected” Godard, “Infantile” Hitchcock & Sublime Tarkovsky
Woody Allen Lists the Greatest Films of All Time: Includes Classics by Bergman, Truffaut & Fellini
Martin Scorsese Reveals His 12 Favorite Movies (and Writes a New Essay on Film Preservation)
Stanley Kubrick’s List of Top 10 Films (The First and Only List He Ever Created)
Roger Ebert’s Final List of His Top 10 Favorite Films (2012)
Colin Marshall hosts and produces Notebook on Cities and Culture as well as the video series The City in Cinema and writes essays on cities, language, Asia, and men’s style. He’s at work on a book about Los Angeles, A Los Angeles Primer. Follow him on Twitter at @colinmarshall or on Facebook. |
Arizona judges who perform wedding ceremonies are being told that they cannot turn away gay couples who want to marry.
An opinion issued by a state judiciary ethics advisory committee said rejecting same-sex couples would violate a judicial-conduct rule against bias or prejudice based on sexual orientation.
The decision generated outrage from a leading conservative lawmaker and organization opposed to gay marriage, which became legal in Arizona last October.
Arizona’s guidance marked the first time a state has issued a public, formal opinion on same-sex weddings to judges, said Cynthia Gray, director of Center for the Judicial Ethics at the National Center for State Courts.
However, Gray noted that Washington state in 2013 admonished a judge who said he wouldn’t perform same-sex marriages and that a North Carolina courts administrator in October told magistrates that they were duty-bound to marry same-sex couples.
More recently, legislatures in states such as Alabama and North Carolina are considering “religious freedom” bills to allow judges to opt out of performing same-sex marriages.
Arizona so far is not among those states, but the head of a powerful lobby for social conservatives said it objects to the decision and is looking at options that include asking the committee to reconsider the opinion. The same group was behind a failed bill last year in the Arizona Legislature that allowed business owners to refuse to serve gays in the name of religion.
Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, said the opinion tramples on judges’ religious rights and was approved without public comment.
The identities of judges and court officials requesting opinions are kept confidential, so it’s not known who made the request. The committee originally issued the opinion in February. A slightly revised version followed on March 9.
Dorothy Little, a Gila County justice of the peace and president of the Arizona Justice of the Peace Association, said she had heard that some justices of the peace are concerned about having to perform same-sex marriages but she wasn’t aware of any bubbling-over controversy.
The opinion noted that judges have no obligation to perform any marriages, but that if they do, they can’t exclude gays. They can opt to perform marriages only for relatives and friends, but still cannot discriminate against gay couples. And defining “friends” too broadly, such as by including all of a church’s members, “likely would undermine a judge’s ability to assert a non-discriminatory intent and the protection of this opinion in defense of a misconduct charge,” the opinion cautioned.
The advisory opinion also said a judge’s religious or other personal beliefs don’t make a difference, nor does it matter if the judge performs weddings at non-court locations.
State Sen. Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, said Monday he has serious issues with the opinion. He sponsored last year’s religious-rights proposal, Senate Bill 1062.
“Without having studied it, by reaction is ‘you’ve got to be kidding,'” Yarbrough said. “I think we’ve got some First Amendment issues that would instantly come to my attention.”
He said with only weeks left in the Legislature’s annual session, it’s unlikely a religious rights bill could be successfully shepherded through this year to address the issue.
George Reimer, the committee’s top staff aide, said its opinions are not binding on judges but could weigh against them in a disciplinary case if a judge doesn’t abide by it.
Officials of the Arizona Civil Liberties Union, which fought to make same-sex marriage legal, did not immediate respond to requests for comment.
//
Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee Opinion March 9, 2015 (PDF)
Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee Opinion March 9, 2015 (Text)
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CHICAGO -- Joakim Noah was back in his comfort zone Friday night.
Without Derrick Rose (knee) or Pau Gasol (illness), and with Taj Gibson going down with an ankle injury after just nine minutes, the remaining Bulls had to pull together and do a little more. For Noah, that meant he was back in a familiar role as a "point center," a role he played extremely well without Rose on the floor over the past two years. With Noah back at the high post, he looked more confident on the floor, as he racked up 11 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists in a 96-89 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"That's what Jo wants to do -- handle the ball," Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler said. "He makes great decisions when he's passing it, and he's aggressive when he gets it. Whenever you have a big man like that, it's hard to guard all five people on the floor."
Noah had much more space on the floor offensively, without Gasol down on the blocks. The pair know they need one another to reach their ultimate goal, but they have not played well together throughout much of this season. Noah thrives in a situation in which he can pass the ball in various sets from the high post.
"That part I think is innate," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said of Noah's passing ability. "He had great vision and decision-making ability. He's got a very unorthodox game in many ways. But he's got great vision, and if a guy's open just a little bit on a cut, he can get it there. So it's a big plus when you have a big guy that can pass like that."
For his part, Noah wasn't biting on how much fun he was having in his old role. He discussed how the Bulls run a read-and-react offense and try to find the open man.
"I enjoy winning," Noah said. "It was fun to win today. We just got to keep improving."
Noah's offensive game has taken a back seat to Gasol's throughout the season. Now that Noah is back to feeling like himself as he continues to shake off the lingering effects of offseason knee surgery, it's going to be interesting to see how his game responds once Gasol and Rose are back on the floor. In the meantime, Noah, like the rest of his teammates, is just hopeful Rose will be back sooner than later.
"It's tough when your best player is out," Noah said. "But I think today was positive news. Derrick's a warrior. He's going to fight as hard as he can to try his best to come back this year. We just got to keep building and keep getting better until he gets back." |
LAHORE (APP) – Veteran film, stage and TV star Irfan Khosat Friday said that there was shortage of good story-writers in Pakistani film industry.
In the past, the Indians used to copy Pakistani films, he said talking to APP here.
He said that he did not believe in quantity rather in quality, while signing the films. He said that there was no dearth of talent in Pakistan and the recently released hit films had proved it.
A film director used to be captain of the film in the past, but now the film producers try to dictate his viewpoint in every department of film, which badly affected the standard of movie, he added.
He suggested the producers not to interfere in every department of film without technical knowledge in the best interest of the movies. |
[By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times]
Of late, one of the more popular hat styles is to wear a wool hat with a pompom on it (for women, not men). The problem is that in a highly disproportionate amount of times, the thread connecting the pompom to the woolen hat is often linen. This is a Torah violation of Shatnez.
The issue is only a problem if the hat is wool. If it is made of acrylic it is not an issue.
How can one tell if it is wool?
It will usually indicate so on the label. Otherwise it might say “Dry Clean Only.” A third way to tell is the price.
The Torah (Dvarim 22:11) teaches about the prohibition of wearing a wool and linen mixture in the same article of clothing. This is the meaning of the pasuk, “You shall not wear combined fibers, wool and linen together.”
The term “Shatnez” is actually an acronym for the different aspects involved in processing cloths.
REASON
It is a Chok – which means a law in the Torah that we observe. This is the ratzon Hashem, and we do it. The Midrash Rabbah on Bereishis explains, however, that Kayin brought Hashem an offering of flax, while Hevel brought an offering of sheep. Kayin killed Hevel and we therefore observe Shatnez as a reminder of this horrible event – never to mix the two korbanos.
INTERESTING ASPECTS
Shatnez is forbidden miDeoraisah – by the Torah when it is worn as a normal garment.
Shatnez not worn but stepped upon is assur miderabanan (eg carpets, car upholstery). It is forbidden when there is the concern that the shatnez may come off and cling to the person’s body. The hats, if they contain the Shatnez, would be an issur d’oraisah.
Although one should check with his own Rav or Posaik, the prevalence of Shatnez in this case may be such that one should refrain from wearing the pompom wool hats until they are checked. Some may have linen threads attaching the pompom to the hat, others may not.
It should also be noted that Shaatnez has been found in the furry Russian hats worn by men.
The author may be reached at [email protected] |
Keith Law gets Twitter suspension over evolution argument with Curt Schilling
In a headline so improbable it seems like it could only come from a “Seinfeld” episode, ESPN suspended baseball analyst Keith Law from Twitter for getting into an argument with Curt Schilling about evolution, according to a report.
Last week, Schilling, who is also an analyst for ESPN, went on Twitter to discuss and disprove evolution. Schilling responded to many people arguing with him over Twitter, including Law, who tried to dispute Schilling’s beliefs.
Below are some of the tweets:
@gehrig38 @zoowithroy You can't have fossils "between" two species if one didn't descend from the other – e.g., monkeys and humans. — keithlaw (@keithlaw) November 13, 2014
Seriously, if someone says evolution is wrong because there aren't fossils between monkeys and men, find a monkey and hit him with it. — keithlaw (@keithlaw) November 13, 2014
No, I won't. Science is infinitely more important. “@toddhampton: @keithlaw Getting into science now huh? Stick to baseball.” — keithlaw (@keithlaw) November 13, 2014
@gehrig38 @zoowithroy Yes. It's a strong, well-sourced article. Feel free to send refutations of those transitional fossils. — keithlaw (@keithlaw) November 13, 2014
@mro60 I haven't criticized or questioned anyone's faith. I oppose anti-science, that's all. — keithlaw (@keithlaw) November 13, 2014
What’s interesting is that Law is a prolific tweeter but has been silent on the platform since Wednesday. That is because Deadspin says ESPN asked him to take a little break from Twitter through Monday.
Though ESPN did confirm the suspension, it said in a statement that the suspension did not have to do with Law’s opinions on evolution.
“Keith’s Twitter suspension had absolutely nothing to do with his opinions on the subject,” ESPN said in a statement via Awful Announcing.
The reported reason for the punishment seems awfully bizarre. Law did not seem to be out of line or overly confrontational in his tweets to Schilling. About his only questionable tweet was telling folks to hit someone with a monkey.
Law is highly opinionated and typically confrontational, so this is not really new for him. It’s odd ESPN decided to suspend him. |
Weather phenomenon exposes how unprepared world is for economic, security and humanitarian impacts of global warming
By Ed King
El Nino years can be useful when you’re looking at risks associated with climate change.
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the 2015-2016 weather phenomena could be one of the strongest yet.
And while experts say this event is gradually dying down, it’s testing the ability of countries around the world to deal with extreme weather events.
The impacts left Indonesians facing a grim few months of forest fires and toxic haze; parts of Australia are facing their worst drought on record.
Lack of rain means 3 million in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are relying on food aid; too much rain caused the biggest floods in 50 years across Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
Aid workers at Oxfam say poor rains linked to El Nino afflict the horn of Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi, causing failed crops, famine and internal migration.
Record US temperatures over Christmas and some of the UK’s worst floods on record over the same period are also linked to the weather episode, say scientists at the UK Met Office.
The consequences of unexpected and especially severe weather events are clear: countries are as yet not prepared for the worst climate change could pose.
Flood defences have been overwhelmed, poor irrigation systems exposed. Resilience in the developed and developing world is being tested to its limits.
And that’s why there is an increasing volume of experts demanding governments start compiling and acting on thorough risk assessments based on the bleakest scenarios.
Daniel Schrag is director of the Harvard University Center of the Environment and sits on US President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
He tells Climate Home there need to be more discussions on not just what risks in a warming world are likely – but also those that will have the greatest impacts.
Without that information countries will be caught out when climate-linked events comparable to an El Nino hit.
“Even if it’s highly uncertain you need to talk about it. The probability of a terrorist exploding a nuclear weapon is very low and highly uncertain, but you can bet they [experts] absolutely spend time thinking about it.”
Many businesses have known of the threats extreme weather can cause for some time, says Celine Herweijer, a partner at consultancy PwC and an expert in climate risk.
Based in London, she advises firms here and abroad on how they can build resilience.
“It’s obvious in the UK that a certain number of our assets are linked internationally – our economy is very sensitive to extreme events all over the world,” she says.
“We feel the ripple effects and prices are impacted on the high street. We are going to see more of that in the future.”
One example she cites is bananas. Most export crops are grown within 30 degrees north and south of the equator: Latin America, the Caribbean, West Africa. All are regions deemed at exceptional risk from global warming.
There’s no simple answer for businesses – but Herweijer says there are precautions they can take.
New offices, warehouses and factories should be built to withstand more extreme conditions: not simply a 1/100 chance of a flood, but also steadily rising sea levels over a century.
Better access is needed to long term forecasts so businesses can stress test decisions, supply chains need to be diversified to allow business to cope if and when extreme weather hits.
Insurers are worried about the growing risk to their business model. Inge Beale is CEO of Lloyd’s of London, one of the world’s leading insurance markets.
“We are noticing some change. We can see we are being directly impacted by climate related events around the world. We see the amount of money we pay out in claims is going up,” she says.
Since the 1980s, Beale contends the levels of weather-related losses around the world have surged, from an annual average of US$10 billion in the 1980s to $50 billion in the 2000s.
Sea level rise may be laughed at among climate sceptics, but insurers take it dead seriously.
In 2011, Lloyd’s reported pre-tax losses of £516 million, a result its annual report said reflected the “frequency and severity of natural catastrophes.”
Making the link with man-made global warming, Beale cites a report that suggests damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 increased by 13% due to gradual rises in sea levels since the 1900s.
“We are under no illusion as insurers that climate related events are becoming more frequent and claims payout will increase accordingly… it doesn’t take much to dramatically affect money we payout,” she says.
As 2016 progresses, Oxfam is predicting reports of famine in East Africa and beyond could rise, such is the dramatic impact of poor rains.
That’s a concern to those in Ethiopia on the front line battling to keep their families fed, animals watered and to stay in their homes rather than move to the city.
It’s also a worry for military analysts and politicians in Europe, a continent already tackling an influx of migrants which could multiply if the drought intensifies.
Conservative MP Richard Benyon, a former UK environment minister and ex army officer says climate change could be the difference between a security challenge and full-blown conflict.
“If you overlay a map of water stressed areas of the world with a map of instability and observe the mass migration away from those areas it is perfectly obvious there is an evident link,” he says.
Many critics of UK spending on foreign aid are the same people who worry about migration overwhelming the country, he notes.
“My message is if you are concerned about migration now you ain’t seen nothing yet.
“Some people have short horizons, they move crisis to crisis, like the [2015] flooding in York. Long term sustainability solutions offer greater stability.”
Climate change is now a major part of defence policy, he argues, citing regular mentions by the Pentagon and the 2015 UK Strategic Defence and Security Review.
It’s a view backed by Neil Morisetti, a former British rear admiral and aircraft carrier skipper who takes a keen interest in the threat posed by rising greenhouse gas emissions.
He says military chiefs are having to adapt to a changing world where they are not simply called on to fight, but to deliver humanitarian supplies or kit to cope with extreme events.
“There’s a growing recognition in the UK and further afield that the military needs to be more involved in conflict prevention, not just resolution,” he says.
This means thinking long term, decades and perhaps even centuries into the future.
Obama adviser Schrag warns the level of greenhouse gas emissions pumped into the atmosphere due to burning of fossil fuels for the past 150 years make the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet almost inevitable.
That means 7 metres of sea level rise, according to a UK, US and Chinese climate risk study released last year.
It isn’t going to happen this decade, century or even next century. Oceans are rising on average by 3.4mm a year, but it’s a figure that is likely to accelerate. The question is timescale.
“If it’s 1000 years then probably no-one cares. But if it’s 300 we have a problem,” he says.
For Herweijer, it means government minimising the amount of infrastructure build in stupid places.
“We are still building in flood plains. There is still nothing that is mandating rebuild or new builds to happen that builds in future risk trajectory. We are locking in assets that are not going to protected,” she says.
For Beale, it’s extending insurance cover to the world’s poorest, offering them hope if their crops are wiped out or village washed away.
“We are working with governments to try and get them to buy insurance for people who have never bought it before,” she says.
And for Benyon it’s an ultimate challenge of horizons. Can political leaders think beyond their five-year mandates and make decisions that will show few immediate benefits?
“In 2010 we were told by the chief scientific advisor we needed to find policies alien to political nature and to think with a much longer time horizon. By 2030 the world could be suffering from food, energy and water shortages,” he says,
“But that’s tomorrow in the great scheme of things… if we are not able to make decisions today which will improve quality of life by 2030, we probably don’t deserve to be in power.” |
Ahead of MNUFC’s match this Saturday against the Houston Dynamo, Minnesota United has announced it has loaned defender Joe Greenspan to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL. MLS has entered into 2017 Standard USL Loan Agreement for Greenspan. This agreement contains a right of recall for MLS, which enables Greenspan to play for a USL club and a MLS club throughout the duration of the loan period (through end of 2017), subject to roster rules and compliance. Greenspan is expected to rejoin MNUFC in May.
Greenspan was acquired in December in a trade that sent Minnesota United’s third-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for the 6’6” center back.
A native of New Jersey, the 24-year-old Greenspan was drafted by the Rapids with the 26th pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and active member of the Navy, he split time among Colorado, fulfilling his Navy duties and on loan to teams including Switchbacks FC and the Charlotte Independence.
Minnesota United faces the Colorado Rapids on Sunday, April 23 at TCF Bank Stadium, presented by the Minnesota Corn Growers’ Association. Kickoff is at 5:00 p.m. and single match tickets are still available. It’s not too late to join the Itasca Society. Fewer than 700 spots remain in this exclusive club as we rapidly approach the inaugural season limit of 11,842 members — one for every lake in Minnesota. A portion of all proceeds from these season tickets are donated to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Loon Monitoring program. Both season and single match tickets are available now at MNUFC.COM or by calling 763.4SOCCER.
TRANSACTION: MLS has entered into 2017 Standard USL Loan Agreement for Greenspan. This agreement contains a right of recall for MLS, which enables Greenspan to play for a USL club and a MLS club throughout the duration of the loan period (through end of 2017), subject to roster rules and compliance. |
Waze defends its practice of rerouting motorists from congested highways through residential streets in nearby communities. And the company says it shares free traffic data with municipal planners nationwide who might, for instance, want to monitor the effectiveness of a new time sequence for a traffic signal.
Terry Wei, a spokeswoman for Waze, said the app benefited from a community of local volunteer editors who ensure that the maps stay up-to-date and reflect the local law. “If a road is legally reclassified into a private road,” she said, “our map editors will make that change. It is our goal to work holistically with our community of drivers, map editors and city contacts to improve the driving experience for all.”
While a number of communities have devised strategies like turn restrictions and speed humps that affect all motorists, Leonia’s move may be the most extreme response.
Leonia plans to issue residents yellow tags to hang in their cars, and nonresidents who use the streets in the morning and afternoon will face $200 fines. Its police department has already alerted the major traffic and navigation apps to the impending changes, which will take effect on Jan. 22 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Chief Rowe said the borough had tried closing only a handful of streets in the past, posting temporary signs and alerting the navigation apps, but with little success. Traffic either got pushed onto nearby streets or drivers simply disregarded the signs.
“It’s basically all or nothing,” Chief Rowe said. “It’s a very extreme measure for very extreme traffic. Would I prefer not to do this? Of course. But I would rather try something and fail than not try anything.” |
Abu Dhabi: Credit card fees charged at petrol stations for buying fuel has been abolished by the Ministry of Economy’s Higher Committee for Consumer Protection, it was announced on Tuesday.
The committee called the practice unjustifiable and directed all petrol stations not to add the fee.
A fee of Dh2 was being charged for every transaction at petrol stations.
The Ministry of Economy has discussed with several petrol stations working across the country cancelling credit card fees and adjusting the credit card machines so the fee is not deducted.
Dr Hashim Al Nuaimi, head of the Consumer Protection Department at the ministry, said the fee is unjustifiable especially after the announcement of deregulation of fuel prices.
“The move aims at lowering the burden on consumers and protecting the rights of consumers. Several complaints were received by the ministry on this matter,” he said. He added that a fee of Dh2 was being added for each transaction at some of the petrol stations across the UAE.
Abdullah Salem Al Daheri, CEO of Adnoc Distribution, has confirmed that the company does not charge any additional fee on credit or debit card purchases of fuel products or services and other merchandise at any of its service stations and outlets in the UAE.
Reiterating that Adnoc Distribution has never implemented such charges in the past as well, Al Daheri said in a statement, “We have always placed the interests of our customers as a top priority. Adnoc Distribution will continue to endorse this customer-focused approach for the benefit of all end-users across the UAE.”
Mohanish Agni, Visa’s Head of Merchant Sales and Solutions, Mena (Middle East North Africa), welcomed the directive from the ministry to revoke the credit card fees for fuel purchases.
“This exemplifies the UAE’s progressive leadership and consumer-friendly stance, and aligns with Visa’s objectives in this market — which is to offer easy, secure and convenient payment solutions that enhance the payment experience for consumers.”
“Visa believes that consumers should have the opportunity to choose the most convenient payment method, while surcharges on card transactions curb this freedom of choice and deter efficient cashless payments. We believe this move will be well received by card-holders in the UAE.”
A senior banking executive told Gulf News that petrol stations don’t have the right to add any kind of fees using the credit card. Calling it an illegal practice, he said the contract between the banks and the private businesses who use credit card machines in the UAE does not stipulate imposition of any kind of fee.
“If they [private businesses] do it, card-holders have a right to refuse and file a complaint against them,” he said.
Enoc/Eppco did not get back to Gulf News when asked for a comment. Emarat could not be contacted.
Al Nuaimi asked consumers to contact the Ministry of Economy or Consumer Protection Department by calling 8001222 or 600522225. |
Arsène Wenger has expressed his unhappiness at how Alexis Sánchez was used by Chile during the international break, describing it as unfortunate and saying that it represented a concern.
The Arsenal forward played for 85 minutes of his country’s 5-0 home win over Venezuela on Friday of last week while he completed the 90 minutes of the 2-1 home defeat by Uruguay on Wednesday night. Both matches were friendlies. Sánchez made the 15-hour return flight from Santiago to London on Thursday and Wenger saw him for the first time in training on Friday morning, as he finalised his preparations for Saturday evening’s visit of Manchester United to the Emirates Stadium.
“Unfortunate,” Wenger said, when Sanchez’s minutes against Venezuela and Uruguay were brought up. “It’s a concern, of course. He looked a bit jaded just before he went and I will have to check him before the United game. Don’t ask him the question because he will say he’s perfect.”
Wenger would happily ban all international friendlies and he is open to the accusation of double standards in that he has no problem in playing an in-form player all of the time. Before Sánchez departed for Chile, he had played in every minute of Arsenal’s six fixtures since the October international break – when he had completed the 90 minutes for Chile in both the friendlies against Peru and Bolivia.
Wenger, though, has long been unapologetic about his stance. The clubs pay the players’ wages, he has noted, and it is their prerogative to use them how they want. He is merely keen for a measure of common sense to be applied by the national teams, particularly when they are not playing in competitive ties.
Wenger was asked whether there had been any dialogue between himself and the Chile manager, Jorge Sampaoli. “No,” he replied. “I don’t even know him.”
Wenger is conscious of the dangers of burnout, especially for a player in his first season in winter break-free English football, and Sánchez has had a frenetic period since finishing the last campaign at Barcelona. He was one of the stars of Chile’s run to the last 16 of the World Cup, where they lost on penalties to Brazil – Sánchez missed his kick; his only blot – and, after joining Arsenal for £31m on 10 July, he has made light of the traditional settling-in difficulties, starting in all but two of the club’s 18 games in all competitions while he also began each of Chile’s friendlies in September, playing 85 minutes against Mexico in California and 86 minutes against Haiti in Florida.
His performances for Arsenal have been dynamic and the goals decisive – seven of his 12 have come at 0-0 in matches while he also scored at 1-1 against Manchester City in September. He opened the scoring for Chile against Venezuela and Uruguay. Sánchez always wants to play but there could come a time when Wenger has to remove him from the fray. |
Your eyes aren't deceiving you — if you spot a larger-than-life Rick trundling down a freeway in the next couple of months, it's real.
Wildly popular Adult Swim show Rick and Morty, has produced a Rick-shaped Rickmobile that's making its way across more than 40 locations in the U.S.
The Rickmobile is also a mobile store, and will carry merchandise for hungry fans.
It left Los Angeles on May 7, and its first stop is slated for Atlanta, Georgia on May 11. It'll end at the New York Comic Con on Oct. 8.
One guy couldn't believe what he was seeing.
There have been other sightings popping up on social media.
Rick and Morty!!! It's the #Rickmobile at #innout A post shared by Sandra Widmer (@clearlysandra) on May 6, 2017 at 12:32pm PDT
A post shared by @mckinleystreett on May 7, 2017 at 5:38pm PDT
And look at that vanity plate!
The show is hardly a stranger to vehicular shenanigans. There's that time Morty spontaneously turned into a car:
This time round though, it looks like it's Rick's turn to become a car instead. |
Richmond RCMP have stated the last reported sighting of missing 17-year-old Joshua Chamanya was near the intersection of No. 3 Road and Westminster Highway.
The last time he was seen was on Jan.18.
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"Our investigators have been following a number of possible leads and sightings," said Const. Adriana Peralta on Friday.
Richmond RCMP released the following information last Tuesday regarding the missing boy:
Richmond RCMP is seeking the public’s help in locating a missing Richmond resident.
Joshua Chamanya was reported missing this morning, but has not been seen since January 18, 2016.
Joshua is a 17 year old African-Canadian male, 5’ 7” tall (170 cm), weighing 150 Lbs (68 kg). He has short black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black hoodie with dark skateboarder style pants.
Corporal Dennis Hwang of the Richmond RCMP says, “Joshua is a good student and this behaviour is out of the norm for him. His family, friends, and police are concerned for his well-being.”
Anyone with information as to Joshua’s whereabouts is urged to contact their local police. |
A piece of rock broke off and fell from El Capitan that was as large as a building, a witness said
A climber who was above a deadly rockfall at Yosemite National Park says a hunk of granite “the size of an apartment building” fell off the mountainside.
Peter Zaybrok of Ontario, Canada, says he was on his sixth day of a climb up the popular El Capitan on Wednesday when he looked down and saw the rockfall.
El Capitan is one of the world’s largest granite monoliths towering vertically 1,219 meters from the Yosemite Valley floor.
Authorities say one person was killed and one was injured, and they are searching for more possible victims.
UPDATE: A viewer sent us a photo of the rock fall at El Capitan in #Yosemite that killed 1 person and injured more. https://t.co/pXouFj7ivH pic.twitter.com/bSJoRP9rQo — KSEE24 News (@KSEE24) September 28, 2017
Zaybrok says he would be dead if he’d been climbing at his usual leisurely pace.
The 57-year-old says that he doesn’t know how anyone who was below the rockfall could have survived.
Park Ranger Scott Gediman says rocks came crashing down on Wednesday at the height of climbing season with at least 30 climbers on the wall.
Gediman says the injured person was being taken to a hospital near the park. No identities were released.
Gediman said on Wednesday that witnesses made multiple calls reporting the rockfall around 2pm (local time). He estimates 30 or more climbers were on the wall at the time, but he could not confirm injuries or the size of the rockfall at the time.
Mountaineers worldwide travel to the park to scale the sheer face.
The rockfall happened along the Waterfall route on El Capitan’s eastern buttress. |
Play Ball: Wilton man passes on his love of baseball to Bhutan's youth
The Hour Online The Hour Online Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Play Ball: Wilton man passes on his love of baseball to Bhutan's youth 1 / 7 Back to Gallery
WILTON — A love of baseball has taken 30-year-old Matt DeSantis to a place about as far as one can go from his native Wilton, a place literally on the other side of the world.
In 2013, DeSantis was asked by Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck, the president of the Bhutan Olympic Committee -- whom he already knew -- to help develop baseball in the Southern Asia country at the eastern end of the Himalayas.
DeSantis, who is back in Wilton for two weeks before returning to Bhutan on Tuesday, took some time last Thursday to talk to The Hour about his experience.
Long before DeSantis even knew where Bhutan was on a map -- it is bordered to the north by China and to the south, east and west by India -- he was part of big baseball family in Wilton.
His three younger brothers --- Nick, Michael and Will -- all played for Tim Eagen at Wilton High School.
Will graduated last month and capped his career at Wilton by playing on the Warriors' team that won its first FCIAC baseball championship in 20 years.
However, Matt DeSantis attended Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, where he played baseball for four years and served as a captain during his senior year.
At Choate, DeSantis met Wangchuck, who also was a student there, while they were playing basketball and they became close friends.
With family in the New York area, Wangchuck -- the half brother of Bhutan's current King -- often was a guest at the DeSantis' home in Wilton.
"At a young age, he was a nice guy to open my eyes to the outside world," DeSantis said.
Wangchuck would tell DeSantis about how peaceful his native county was and over time, DeSantis became intrigued.
Finally, in 2010, DeSantis visited Bhutan for the first time, roaming around the country for two weeks strictly as a tourist, but something clicked inside.
"It's a very untouched part of the world," DeSantis said. "It's very protected from outside influence. They follow this motto called gross national happiness. Aside from GDP (Gross Daily Product), that's how they drive all of their government decisions.
"Does it meet the pillars of gross national happiness? Those consist of socioeconomic and environmental sustainability, so when you're there, you really feel this connection that they have with their own people and with their surroundings. It's pretty beautiful."
In 2006, based on a global survey, Business Week rated Bhutan as the happiest country in Asia and the eighth-happiest country in the world. Bhutan is believed to be the only nation in the world that has a happiness rating.
It seems that DeSantis' life has been guided by a spirit of adventure and before arriving back in Bhutan in September of 2013, he and a friend, Misha Greenberg, spent 41 days hiking through the Pyrenees Mountains in France and Spain, starting at the Atlantic Ocean and ending at the Mediterranean Sea.
They tried to follow a guide written by an individual who had hiked through the highest parts of the Pyrenees numerous times, but found the book was outdated.
"We'd go two weeks sometimes without seeing another human," DeSantis said. "Occasionally, you'd run into paths but for the most part we were going on our own trail."
After DeSantis returned to Bhutan, he started working for the Bhutan Olympic Committee.
Will DeSantis helped his older brother by organizing a fundraiser in which he collected old baseball equipment that was sent to Bhutan. Eagen also was involved in the effort.
Before DeSantis' arrival, a Japanese group had been teaching baseball in Bhutan to a group of about 20 kids every other week for six months.
Baseball was introduced into the country in the 1990s by a group of Bhutanese who would play pick-up games every other week but, according to DeSantis, the initiative only lasted about a year.
DeSantis found that many of the children he instructed were sons of the original founders of the sport in the country.
He and his group combined forces with the Japanese people to conduct coaching clinics every day for four months for about 400 kids ranging in ages from 6 to 18. The group also put together some exhibition games.
Archery is the national sport in Bhutan while soccer and basketball also are popular. Baseball, as one might imagine, is pretty primitive.
An early problem DeSantis encountered is that the balls would break because the clinics would be on concrete, or get thrown into a river.
To get more balls, camp organizers would have to travel to Bangkok in Thailand
Still, DeSantis thought the kids caught on the game quickly enough and in the spring of 2014, an adult league consisting of three clubs was formed, one of which was the Bhutanese national cricket team.
At that point, DeSantis was able to find a grass field about 10 minutes outside the capital city of Thimpu in which to play the games.
With Bhutan looking to be recognized by the International Baseball Federation, it was contacted by the Nepal national team, which was interested in playing a series of exhibition games.
DeSantis helped put together a national team, though the exhibition contests with Nepal were postponed until next year because of the civil unrest in that country.
Hitters are way ahead of the pitchers as there are no Matt Harveys or Jacob DeGroms in Bhutan.
Most of the members of the national team have batting averages in excess of .500, which is akin to slow pitch softball in the U.S.
"We're working on lowering the ERAs," DeSantis joked.
While DeSantis and his group have been training the national team members, those older players have been coaching the kids, creating more of a support system.
Largely through DeSantis' efforts, the inaugural Bhutan National Baseball League for youth players also began last July and now has eight teams.
The second season is set to get under way in August.
The government has granted the league land in a prime location in Thimphu, so the final piece is finding someone to build the first actual baseball field in Bhutan.
"We have everything but the group that wants to sponsor building the field," DeSantis said. "Once we get that, they'll become the lifetime partner of the baseball federation in Bhutan, and once that happens, the sport starts receiving government funding."
After receiving an economics degree from Holy Cross and an engineering degree from Columbia, DeSantis helped Bhutan from afar by providing high level IT management and consulting advice, which was his background since he spent five years working for Accenture, a technology services company.
"We taught and did the IT stuff, so it was refining the business processes of the BOC, and then coaching baseball," he said.
Initially, DeSantis figured he would stay three to six months but he branched out and now, in addition to teaching baseball, his efforts in Bhutan are geared toward social enterprise.
Last year, DeSantis started an organization called MyBhutan, a travel platform designed to support the philanthropic activities of the Tarayana Foundation, a non-profit organization in Bhutan founded by Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck.
"Our ultimate goal, aside from being the leader in providing philanthropic support to Bhutan, is to create a model to be used by other developing countries as policy framework to be implemented to prevent extreme wealth and income inequality as globalization continues to expand," DeSantis said.
During the week, DeSantis spends all his time working on the MyBhutan project, meaning coaching baseball is limited to the weekends. He and a few Bhutanese discussed their idea with the government.
Greenberg did not teach baseball and left Bhutan to return to the U.S. after helping out with the IT work for three months, but there are 30-40 internationals in Bhutan to assist DeSantis and his team.
"Tourism is the leading industry in Bhutan and the idea was that we could create social enterprises and this tourism platform that we're building would be one of them," DeSantis said. "We want to build this in Bhutan and show it as a model to other developing countries."
Still, it was baseball that led DeSantis to Bhutan in the first place.
"I personally believe that it was getting so connected to the kids through baseball that made me feel that Bhutan was a place I really wanted to help grow," he said
He's not sure if he's going to spend the rest of his life in Bhutan, but for now it is home.
The journey back home will take 22 hours, including a 17-hour flight to Bangkok, followed by a four-hour flight to Bhutan and a one-hour drive to his residence in Thimphu. |
Legalization of Cannabis in AR Presses Forward Copyright 2019 Cable News Network/Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Video Video
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The potential legalization of marijuana continues forward in Arkansas.
Last month Attorney General Leslie Rutledge approved a ballot title that could make medical and recreational marijuana legal in the state.
The Arkansas Cannabis Amendment outlines regulations, growth permits, even how the drug will be taxed to make money for the state, but as the idea of pot being legal in Arkansas gains traction with voters legislators are holding tight to their opinions.
"People in general probably shouldn't smoke it, but for medical reasons I'm all for it,"
Betty Harrison, Arkansas Voter said
The Arkansas Cannabis Amendment would allow doctors to prescribe medical marijuana, which US Congressional candidate Steve Isaacson argues would benefit people with chronic pain, cancer, even PTSD.
"The people with these disabilities need to be taken care of, this is a way to do it. No if's and's or but's about it. And I will fight it until my death," Steve Isaacson, Libertarian Candidate U.S. Congress, District 3, said.
"We already have a pharmacy system that's been working just fine for every other drug and an FDA Approval system that is working just fine for every other drug," State Representative Charlie Collins said.
The ACA would also let people 21 and over use marijuana for recreational purposes.
"My understanding is it isn't as threatening as drinking alcohol which you know people do without much thought it seems like in our state," Tim Hollis, Arkansas Voter said.
State Representative Charlie Collins said the legalization would send the wrong message to our kids.
"The truth is, as long as the federal government does not approve marijuana for legal use, if you are smoking marijuana, you are committing a crime against the federal law," Representative Collins said.
But some voters said with the right education the pros outweigh the cons.
"Just look at Colorado and these other states that have a surplus of money do do things with, now that they've made that decision."
Just last year the state of Colorado made $85 million in marijuana tax revenue.
The Arkansas Cannabis Amendment needs 85,000 signatures to be on the November ballot. It currently has over 20,000.
Don Lane, a former prison corrections officer and bo-write of the ballot title, says the ACA calls for the release of all non-violent marijuana offenders from prison.
"People in there doing 3 to 5 year stints for a simple possession of marijuana, and that ruins the rest of their lives, that felony conviction follows them around everywhere they go," Lane said.
State Representative Charlie Collins told us he agrees the prison system needs to be reformed, but not to that extreme. |
A woman is expected to step forward and tell her story about her experiences with Bill Clinton in Arkansas Kathleen Willey announced on her Facebook page Sunday night.
The woman was an Arkansas TV reporter and is expected to tell radio host Aaron Klein her story Sunday night. This is a developing story.
Willey is a former White House aide who, in 1998, claimed on “60 Minutes” that Bill Clinton had sexually assaulted her on November 29, 1993, during his first term as President.
*Update: The woman in question did not appear on Klein’s radio show Sunday night, but will appear next week on Klein’s show, Willey said in a FB post update.
From Kathleen Wiley’s FB page “A Scandal A Day”
Listen if you can. I already know her story pic.twitter.com/5JZ19w7Kxn — Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) October 2, 2016
Follow Kerry On Twitter |
When working hard simply is not enough. When you are told time and time again that you do not have the right qualifications for a job. When you are living with a child on food stamps and the majority of your government subsidized income is devoted to baby formula. These are the stories of Americans who cannot make ends meet even while working at jobs that pay the minimum hourly wage.
Read Joanne's story here.
"You plan on sending your kids to college. It's now out of the question."
Read Larry's story here.
Read Bernadette's story here.
"It's dirty work and often demeaning work, but at least it's work."
Read Vanessa's story here.
Read Kelly's story here.
"I'm always filling out applications, but I don't ever get called back."
Read DeAngelo's story here.
Read Carol's story here.
These stories are part of a Huffington Post series profiling Americans who work hard and yet still struggle to make ends meet. Learn more about other individuals' experiences here. |
On this episode of Life Lessons, Colton and Jay start off with some news, or something, before covering Chapter 35 of the manga. In which Kagura buys a bunch of stuff and Gintoki reveals the origins of his wooden sword, Lake Toya. Followed by a Life Lessons segment about shopping and returns and an Anime/Manga Comparison segment on the first half of Episode 29 of the anime. Then we round off with the most dragged out ending ever, enjoy!
DOWNLOAD HERE
0:00:00 Introduction
0:17:02 Manga Recap: Chapter 35
0:43:43 Life Lesson 35
0:53:55 Anime/Manga Comparison: Episode 29(a)
1:09:21 Outro
1:24:16 Outtakes
Show Notes
Buy Gintama Volume 5 and the rest of the manga on Amazon
Or on Rightstuf
Or tell Viz Media you want it available on vizmanga.com
Watch Episode 29(a) and the rest of the series on Crunchyroll
Or own it on DVD from Amazon
Or Rightstuf
Fill out aritzen’s 2015 Gintama Census
And follow her on Twitter
J-Stars Victory VS coming soon to the US
A certain something makes it return this April…
Now you can follow Jay on Twitter!
Listen to Episode Christmas!
Advertisements |
At very high densities, populations of the largest herbivores, such as elephants, have devastating effects on the environment. What prevented widespread habitat destruction in the Pleistocene, when the ecosystem sustained many species of huge herbivores? We use data on predator–prey body mass relationships to predict the prey size ranges of large extinct mammalian carnivores, which were more diverse and much larger than living species. We then compare these prey size ranges with estimates of young mammoth sizes and show that juvenile mammoths and mastodons were within predicted prey size ranges of many of the Pleistocene carnivores. From this and other fossil evidence we argue that, by limiting population sizes of megaherbivores, large carnivores had a major impact on Pleistocene ecosystems.
Abstract
Large mammalian terrestrial herbivores, such as elephants, have dramatic effects on the ecosystems they inhabit and at high population densities their environmental impacts can be devastating. Pleistocene terrestrial ecosystems included a much greater diversity of megaherbivores (e.g., mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths) and thus a greater potential for widespread habitat degradation if population sizes were not limited. Nevertheless, based on modern observations, it is generally believed that populations of megaherbivores (>800 kg) are largely immune to the effects of predation and this perception has been extended into the Pleistocene. However, as shown here, the species richness of big carnivores was greater in the Pleistocene and many of them were significantly larger than their modern counterparts. Fossil evidence suggests that interspecific competition among carnivores was relatively intense and reveals that some individuals specialized in consuming megaherbivores. To estimate the potential impact of Pleistocene large carnivores, we use both historic and modern data on predator–prey body mass relationships to predict size ranges of their typical and maximum prey when hunting as individuals and in groups. These prey size ranges are then compared with estimates of juvenile and subadult proboscidean body sizes derived from extant elephant growth data. Young proboscideans at their most vulnerable age fall within the predicted prey size ranges of many of the Pleistocene carnivores. Predation on juveniles can have a greater impact on megaherbivores because of their long interbirth intervals, and consequently, we argue that Pleistocene carnivores had the capacity to, and likely did, limit megaherbivore population sizes. |
And that idea is a smartphone that, when connected to a dock, results in a seamless desktop experience, thanks to an augmented version of Microsoft's Continuum. But this likely won't be the case with its successor, though, as today's rumor claims the company is actively experimenting with Android.
This is both good and bad news — the good is that HP is finally abandoning what is clearly a dead platform, but the bad is that similar attempts from other companies (the most recent example being Samsung's DeX ) have always suffered from poor, hacky solutions to Android's smartphone-oriented design decisions.
But this experimenting seems to still be in its early stages, so even if an Android-powered HP smartphone does eventually make its way out of the door, it likely won't be in the near future. Plus, the company will likely continue with its enterprise-oriented strategy — a wise decision, given how BlackBerry is now but a shadow of its former self.
HP's Elite X3 might just have been the best Windows 10 Mobile device nobody bought. Reasons for this include its considerably high price tag, its focus on the enterprise, as well as possibly its biggest problem: the fact it runs Windows. But even a company as badly mismanaged as HP (hey, remember that time they bought Palm and ran it right into the ground in just a year?) knows when it's got a good idea, and a recent rumor suggests the company is working on a successor. |
This post is about Facilitated Communication (FC). I can already hear the detractors going on and on about the lack of “scientific validation” of the method.
First, that’s not how science works. That’s not how human beings live, scoring 100% in everything, all the time.
Second, the detractors are bigots, and also arrogant.
I will give one example, among many others that happen to me – and others – all the time.
I have been using FC for a long time. I can also type using RPM (Rapid Prompt Method) – although I am not very good at it – but I prefer FC. Sometimes I don’t need any support to type a few words, or maybe a sentence, sometimes I need more support than just a light touch on my elbow.
I don’t know exactly why it is so hard for me to type independently all the time. I do know that when I do, I need to use much more energy to make my arm raise to a proper typing position, to stay there for the duration of what I want to type, and for my brain to slow down and be patient. When I have things to say, I see the words in my head, then I type them on the screen.
My arms hurt, my brain rushes, I end up exhausted.
Sometimes the CP symptoms take over. My arm gets stiff and heavy, and uncontrollable.
That’s me, my experience. People are different.
Recently I was contacted by someone who, I assume, has read my articles. She said she was looking forward to meeting me. We met during a conference but we didn’t talk.
I had had a sleepless night, followed by an early morning seizure. This is not uncommon and it has happened before, more than just a few times. Since I always prepare my presentations in a way that the computer just “speaks” what I typed, I decided that I would keep my self-imposed obligation to show up and present.
In a “solo” presentation, as the computer delivers my words, I pause a few times to answer questions and interact with the people present. In this conference, I was asked to respond to some questions in advance, maybe because of time constraints and for the translator to get used to the words. There were lots of non English-speaking people.
My friend read my answers because the attendees were having a hard time understanding the computer voice. The person conducting the panel stayed on script and didn’t ask me any “new” questions.
I had my iPad ready in case I wanted to type.
I looked tired and not very well.
I wanted to be there, being the disabled, tired, not good looking me.
By the second week after the conference, the same Autistic woman who had contacted me – in one instance joined by one other Autistic man who also shared the panel with me – had contacted two of my friends, expressing “concern” that my words weren’t mine.
This is when I call her a bigot.
She “admired” my words before she saw me. I don’t know if she knew I use FC but this is not a secret.
As soon as she saw me, very disabled, needing a lot of help, she assumed I was not a thinking person.
Without knowing me, she assumed I did not have a choice to be there, or a choice to skip the presentation.
Without approaching me, or trying to get to know me, she assumed my facial expression and my body language meant that I was being forced to be there.
She wanted to see me perform, behave, and look like her expectation of me. Or she wanted me to not be present because of her wrong assumption that I did not choose to be there.
She wanted me to comply with her idea of me: too disabled for coherent thoughts, too unattractive and kind of slouchy for her comfort, and of course, a FC user, therefore “a fraud”.
Remember, she never talked to me, she did not see me typing, other than a few words. She concluded I cannot be the author of what I type because of how I look.
She does not know my history, or anything about my facilitator.
She does not know about my training and my process.
She concluded I am to be pitied and “protected” and that my facilitator is certainly unethical. She probably thinks all facilitators are.
Bigots expect us to type what they want, when they want, in the way they want. Bigots want us to look and act in a way that makes them comfortable in our presence.
Bigots want us to validate their ableism and bigotry: to them, too disabled for self-care means unable to think and type.
Bigots don’t want to know us. They believe that the way they perceive us is who we are.
I don’t type on other people’s schedule.
I don’t perform for ableist people who feel that I need their “protection”.
I am not ashamed of how I look even if I look very tired and sick.
I have Cerebral Palsy that can make my body totally uncooperative in every way.
I am epileptic and my daily seizures can be very debilitating.
I am Autistic and my facial expressions and body language are atypical.
Most important though: I am a human being who is lucky enough to have found a way to make the rest of the world understand what I have to say, through typing, through FC.
I have self-determination and I decide everything concerning my life.
Bigots’ feelings, concerns and assumptions will not interfere with how I lead my life.
And no, bigots don’t have the right to demand “proof” of my competence, especially when they are dismissing my humanity by talking about me, without me.
I demand respect. |
I promised that I would publish a review of all the reusable baby food pouches that I’ve tested. I have been really pleased with the responses to my inquires. I’ve been introduced to some new companies & products that I have not heard of before and met some really wonderful people thorough this project. Since this first project also centers around two of my favorite things, cooking & my son, it has been especially enjoyable for me.
Because this was such an extensive project, and I’ve tried to provide as much information as I possible could in order to enable you to make an informed decision I have broken this post into three parts.
I tested all of the pouches with various thicknesses of purees in them to see how easy they were to fill and feed from. Each of the recipes I used are published on this site so you can reproduce them as well. I also tested some of the pouches with jarred baby food, a friend of mine has a 14 month old who spends a lot of time at my house and they always drop her off with jarred food to eat. Since it is difficult to feed two babies at once I use the reusable pouches and put her food into them so she can feed herself. She thinks it is more fun to eat from the pouch and it works quit well. She is on to advanced stages of purees so some of her food even has pieces of pasta etc, and I’ve had no problems with her getting the food out. You can’t use an attachable spoon if there are solid pieces, obviously, but she has no problem sucking right out of the pouches. So if you are a mom with your hands full with multiples or you babysit multiple children and need a solution to feeding everyone at once, you can use the pouches even if you aren’t making all your own baby food.
I rate the thickness of the purees that each pouch can hold as follows:
Thin – a very liquid puree like Pumpkin Yogurt Smoothies or Banana Yogurt
Medium-Thin – slightly thicker but more solid such as Banana & Avocado
Medium-Thick – thick puree with very little liquid such as Minty Green Peas or Applesauce
Thick – Very thick no liquid at all such as Sweet Potatoes
Thickness is important with the reusable pouches because if your puree is too thick for that type of pouch then you will have problems with the puree bursting out of the closure.
I have tried to provide as much information as possible on each item tested so that you can decide which one will fit your needs the best. A few items I might mention in the reviews I owned previous to starting this project but I want to thank the follow companies and people for providing me with items to test in exchange for this honest review:
Michelle with Squishy Snak Pak
Ali with BooginHead
Maggie with Little Green Pouch
Laura with ReSqueeze Reusable Food Pouch
And Nourish with Style Pouches
Additional information about this product test is provided in Part Two & Three of this review. |
The “Seinfeld” writer who brought Festivus to the world is baffled by Gretchen Carlson’s “outrage” over a Festivus pole going up at the Florida Capitol.
“Am I to understand that some humanoid expressed outrage that the baby Jesus was behind a pole made of beer cans?” Dan O’Keefe asked Mother Jones, which reached out to him for comment about the latest salvo in the network’s perceived “War on Christmas.”
Also read: Megyn Kelly Says Her ‘White Santa’ Critics Are Race-Baiting
The outrage began when an atheist erected a 6-foot Festivus pole made of Pabst beer cans to protest a privately funded nativity scene on public grounds at the capitol.
“I am so outraged by this,” Carlson said during a three-on-one Fox News debate Tuesday in which she, a rabbi and a Catholic laid into an atheist arguing for the separation of church and state.
“Why do I have to drive around with my kids to look for nativity scenes and be like, ‘Oh, yeah, kids, look. There’s Baby Jesus behind the Festivus pole made out of beer cans!” she said.
Also read: ‘Fox & Friends’ Interviews ‘Santa’ About Supposed War on Christmas
Festivus entered the public imagination with a 1997 “Seinfeld” episode co-written by Dan O’Keefe, whose father created Festivus. The tradition involved “weird decorations around our house and weird French ’60s music playing.” He and two co-writers created other Festivus traditions, including the pole.
“Both displays have equal right to be there,” O’Keefe said of the pole and nativity scene. “But, you know, the Fox News outrage machine kicked into high gear, and I’m sure there were some hair-sprayed talking heads bobbing up and down, being outraged about it.”
Jon Stewart: Fox News Lives ‘In a World of Pure Fear and Despair’
O’Keefe is a self-described progressive, and gave $100,000 in 2004 to a group formed in response to the anti-John Kerry group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. But he isn’t a huge fan of Festivus.
“Look, I’m looking at a Christmas tree right now, and no pole made of beer cans is going to come into my house and knock it down, at least that I’m aware of,” he said. “I don’t think it has the Mordor-like, sinister political significance that’s being attributed to it by right-wing talking heads…It’s a manufactured news event. The intention of the newscast is to feed the false War on Christmas narrative that is everywhere.”
Festivus only made it onto the show because one of his brothers mentioned it to someone else on the “Seinfeld” staff, who liked the idea.
“I didn’t pitch it. I fought against it,” O’Keefe says. “I thought it would be embarrassing and drag the show down, but… Jerry liked it.”
“I was honestly surprised anyone gave a flying f—,” he added. “For better or worse, this is the most recognizable thing I’ve ever done on TV…which is to say my career peaked at age 26, maybe…But I am honored to have this wart on a very lovely pair of buttocks in the pop-culture spectrum.”
And now, children, gather around the pole to hear the story of Festivus: |
OK, so, you know how we told you about FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn’s ridiculous assertion that Net Neutrality repeal would usher in a new era of racism? Remember how stupid that was?
Well, now that repeal has gone through, this hot take from GLAAD gives Clyburn a real run for her money:
The repeal of #NetNeutrality is an attack on the LGBTQ community
https://t.co/by6r9dtIY9 — GLAAD (@glaad) December 14, 2017
You guys. You guys:
“Stripping away net neutrality is the latest attempt by the Trump Administration to silence voices of already marginalized communities and render us invisible,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “The internet is a lifeline for LGBTQ people to build community support networks and access LGBTQ resources on history, suicide prevention, and health—allowing broadband providers to regulate access is a direct and unconscionable attack on freedom of expression.”
First of all, the LGBTQ community was able to do all that stuff before 2015. And second of all, repeal is not “a direct and unconscionable attack on freedom of expression.” But GLAAD’s take is definitely an attack on our brains.
This tweet is an attack on reasonable thought. — B. Miller (@BlaiseInKC) December 14, 2017
Totally.
Seems like a completely rational take that’s not at all reaching — Adam H. McGinnis (@ahmcginnis) December 14, 2017
LOL LOL LOL pic.twitter.com/1lqYWRXauM — MSgt Tom (@JTomBarber) December 14, 2017
GLAAD #beclowns itself with such nonsense — Senator Reprobate, but I repeat myself (@brianod61) December 14, 2017
Hottest take I've seen so far @C_J_Ledford — Brenden Hoy (@Brenden_H_) December 14, 2017 |
She died in the morning of February, 4, 2015, from cardiac arrest, on the operating table at Sunshine Hospital. Her mother, Allison Rees, has since led the campaign for stronger product safety laws to protect children from the lethal batteries. Lithium batteries are in a range of household objects including car keys, remote controls and musical birthday cards. When swallowed they can spark a chemical reaction that quickly burns through flesh. Choice and other consumer action groups have been campaigning for a mandatory standard to secure button batteries inside devices with a screw, rather than a plastic latch which can be opened by a child's hand. The Victorian State Coroner is currently considering whether to hold an inquest into Isabella's death, and whether to make any recommendations about strengthening safety laws – or about the way doctors check for button-battery related injuries.
Her story, as drawn from the brief of evidence before the coroner, has parallels to that of four-year-old Summer Steer. In 2013 the Sunshine Coast girl swallowed a button battery. Despite several visits to the hospital, and vomiting blood, she was wrongly diagnosed and sent home. She too died. On Thursday baby Isabella's tragic story was told to Victorian coroner Caitlin English. Isabella first presented at Sunshine Hospital Emergency Department last January 16, a Saturday, with crying and vomiting. Her father believes he told staff there that she had swallowed something – but this is not recorded in the hospital's medical records, the coroner heard. The vomiting stopped, and Isabella was sent home, where she ran a fever. Her mother brought her back to the hospital Monday; while there, she found the remnants of a broken water balloon in her nappy. The hospital told Isabella's mother her child had a urinary tract infection, and she was given a course of antibiotics. She finished that course and a hospital review on January 21 indicated that she appeared to be improving.
Fifteen days after the hospital visit, her mother found her in her cot, surrounded by a large amount of her own blood. Her clothes were saturated. Mum Allison rushed her to the hospital, where the baby vomited dark dry blood. It was only then that she was x-rayed – and a round object was spotted in her oesophagus. A little over three hours after arriving at the emergency department, Isabella passed away, the victim of multiple cardiac arrests. On Thursday, the ordered additional expert reports before she makes a decision on whether to hold an inquest. She said two key questions were still before her – when it was likely Isabella ingested the battery, as the family and the hospital gave differing accounts, and whether there were any preventative measures open to her to recommend. |
September 11 is a very important day for Glenn Beck. For one thing, the king of all right-wing media talks about it all the time -- more on that in a second. What's more, the horrors of Sept. 11, 2001, are pretty much what made the Fox News Channel host into the national lightning rod that he is today. It was the vehicle that caused him to complete his journey from a Morning Zoo "rodeo clown" to a political guy who suddenly was replacing the so-9/10 Laura Schlessinger on radio outlets coast to coast and then leading a series of transparently self-serving honoring-the-troops rallies for Clear Channel.
But Beck has talked a lot about 9/11 over nine years -- and with the highly notable exception of his bizarre September 2005 attack on the family members of victims of the terrorist attack, the emphasis has been on extreme reverence for that day in American history. When he was getting off the ground on FNC, he used the images of 9/11 to launch project he claimed would bring Americans back together.
As recounted in my new book The Backlash, he said of the attacks on his now infamous March 13, 2009, "We Surround Them" program:
"[t]he skies were filled with black clouds and our hearts were full of terror and fear. We realized -- for the first time -- how fragile we really were." As Beck addressed his coast-to-coast audience, viewers saw images of anguished, tearful women, head in hands, mouths agape, staring at the hellish fires of the World Trade Center, then a mother racing down a Manhattan byway pushing two children in a stroller, away from the deadly dust.
The 9/12 Project, which devolved in a matter of days into an anti-Barack Obama backlash movement, was described by Beck as aimed:
to bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001. The day after America was attacked we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States or political parties. We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the values and the principles of the greatest nation ever created.
In fact, Beck even told his much ballyhooed Restoring Honor rally in D.C. last month that 9/11 was a sign from the Almighty, presumably to turn Americans away from things like greed and back to the things that really matter:
BECK: He has been sending us wake-up calls, and you can send two kinds of wake-up calls. One through fear, like 9/11. Nine-eleven woke us up, and we stood shoulder-to-shoulder for a very short period of time. Politics didn't matter. Color didn't matter. It didn't matter if you were poor or if you were rich. We were Americans together. Beyond that, we were God's human creation standing together.
So, with that all as a backdrop, what matters the most to Glenn Beck on September 11, 2010, the ninth anniversary of the day that terrorists slaughtered nearly 3,000 innocent Americans and ripped apart the lives of their families and friends?
Cashing in, apparently.
In Palinland, of all places.
The spiritual guru of the 9-12 Project will be marking the anniversay of 9-11 along with his new best friend Sarah Palin with a high-priced (and as far as the actual program goes, somewhat mysterious) event at the Dena'ina Center in Anchorage, Alaska. The potential event has been rumored and discussed under the radar for days, possibly even as the launch of a Palin 2012 presidential bid.
But apparently, in the immortal words of Steve Martin in "The Jerk," it's yet another "profit deal" for the two leading high-def hucksters of the right wing. According to the Ticketmaster page, tickets for this solemn 9-11 commemoration run from a low of $73 to a top price of $130, and that's not all. There's also $225 for a special meet-and-greet with Beck (and possibly with Palin), so that die-hard (and not economically struggling) Beck fans can wish him a happy 9-11 in person.
If there's a contradiction or some sort of irony in cashing in over 9-11, that seems to have eluded the hosts. Palin wrote this week on her Facebook page: "We can count on Glenn to make the night interesting and inspiring, and I can think of no better way to commemorate 9/11 than to gather with patriots who will 'never forget.' "
Visa and MasterCard accepted.
Truth be told, outrageous as Beck's latest scheme is, it's almost hard to work up the outrage at this point because to those of us who aren't drinking the David Barton-fueled Kool-Aid, this is simply who Beck is: One of the most shameless businesspeople in America, who happens to be in the business of entertainment and warping some minds politically in the process. Beck has millions of fans -- and to him they are all walking ATM machines. He thinks nothing of selling the people who admire him overpriced gold coins or surivial seed banks and "Food Insurance" kits, none of which they need, and almost every Beck event not named "Restoring Honor" is designed around maximizing ticket prices.
That's why Glenn Beck made $32 million last year and Sarah Palin made $12 million in a matter of months.
The only difference is that this time it's 9/11.
And Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin are open for business 365 days a year. |
Donald Trump fired back at Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Tuesday after she took a number of swings at his campaign for president.
“I think it’s highly inappropriate that a United States Supreme Court judge gets involved in a political campaign, frankly,” Trump told the New York Times. “I think it’s a disgrace to the court, and I think she should apologize to the court. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.”
Early Wednesday morning, Trump escalated his attack against the Supreme Court justice. He tweeted that “her mind is shot” and called for her resignation:
Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot – resign! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2016
In recent interviews with The Times and Associated Press, Ginsburg repeatedly criticized Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee. Her comments stunned a number of observers as Supreme Court justices rarely comment publicly on presidential campaigns.
Among other things, the left-leaning jurist said she couldn’t imagine a Trump presidency, joked that she would move to New Zealand if he won and implied he would do lasting damage to the court.
But Ginsburg does not appear to be holding back. In a Tuesday interview with CNN, she doubled down on her criticism and called him a “faker.”
“He has no consistency about him,” Ginsburg said. “He says whatever comes into his head at the moment. He really has an ego. … How has he gotten away with not turning over his tax returns? The press seems to be very gentle with him on that.”
Trump told the Times that he “would hope that she would get off the court as soon as possible.” |
GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush on Tuesday said the next president should defund Planned Parenthood.
In an on-stage interview at the Southern Baptist Forum, Bush was asked if Republicans should make funding for Planned Parenthood an issue as more controversial videos about its practices are released.
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“We should, and the next president should defund Planned Parenthood,” he said, adding that he defunded the non-profit when he served as governor of Florida.
Bush said the argument against that effort would be that it’s a “war on women.”
“You could take dollar for dollar — although I’m not sure we need half a billion dollars for women’s health issues — but if you took dollar for dollar, there are many extraordinarily fine community health organizations that exist to provide quality care for women on a wide variety of health issues,” he said.
The U.S. government, or any government, shouldn’t fund abortions, Bush said. The Hyde Amendment bans federal funding from being used for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or when it's necessary to save a mother's life.
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, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, quickly fired back at Bush on Twitter for his remarks about the amount of federal funding for women's health services.
Democrats also pounced on the funding remark.
“Jeb Bush is sure about one thing — he wants to restrict access to affordable health care for women, which isn’t surprising considering his ‘shame and blame’ playbook. This backwards ideology isn’t only the exact opposite of what women need from their next president – it could put the health of millions of women in jeopardy,” said Kaylie Hanson, the director of women’s media for the Democratic National Committee.
On Capitol Hill, chatter has been growing about a possible government shutdown in October over Planned Parenthood funding. The White House has vowed that President Obama would veto any measure that cuts off the more than $500 million in federal funding the group receives each year.
“I don’t remember how many times we’ve had government shutdowns and budgets not passed,” Bush said Tuesday. “If I’m president, we’re going to respect the Constitution get back to regular order way where democracy works again where you submit a budget, you work with Congress, you pass a budget and in that budget, there will not be $500 million going to Planned Parenthood.”
His remark comes a day after GOP presidential frontrunner 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 said he'd be willing to force a government shutdown to defund Planned Parenthood.
On “The Hugh Hewitt” show, he was asked if he supports a shutdown, Trump said, “Well I can tell you this: I would. |
Melanie Oudin made the quarterfinals of the 2009 U.S. Open at 17 years old, beating two top 15 players and Maria Sharapova, then a three-time Grand Slam champ, along the way. Headlines during the tournament included Melanie Oudin: The U.S. Open’s Cinderella Story, Oudin’s Wild Ride Reaches the Quarterfinals and How Much is Oudin Worth?
Five years later, Oudin no longer was the talk of Flushing Meadows, but rather one of 32 players in the final round of the 2014 U.S. Open Qualifying tournament. There, she was attempting to earn her spot in the main draw of the season’s final Grand Slam.
Oudin had cruised through her first two matches in just over two hours total. In the third round the American was up a break early in the first set against 18-year-old Ashleigh Barty.
“I was playing well,” said Oudin, who had not made the main draw of a major in over a year. “I was playing confident.”
Then the night match on Court 13 became a blur. Oudin’s heart started pounding uncontrollably, and as she lost control over her heartbeat she lost control of the match. Oudin was able to force a tiebreaker in the 66-minute opening set, but lost it, and the second set quickly followed.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
“I was just pretty devastated that it happened during the match,” said Oudin, who was adamant that the attack was not an excuse. “It affected the way I played, the way I thought. It affected my whole body and it was really disappointing because even if I lost, I wanted to lose fair and square with me playing the best I could on that day.”
The match and her singles tournament were over, but her heartbeat kept thumping quickly. Oudin went back to her hotel where she could not eat. She could not sleep. For eight to ten hours, all she could do was hope that the thumping inside her chest would go away.
“It had been going so fast all night long and I had felt like I had just run a marathon or something,” Oudin said. “It was crazy. It was terrible.”
Then just 22 years old, she did not go to an emergency room, consult a doctor or tell anyone at all what was happening to her. She had felt the pounding before and during matches, but doctors who she had visited on the road told her she was having panic attacks. Tests showed that nothing was wrong with her heart. To Oudin, that meant the attacks were her fault. That long, disappointing night in New York was the worst it had ever been. It could not have been her fault. There was no way it was a panic attack.
“I’ve never felt anything like that in my entire life. I don’t wanna say that I felt like I was going to die, but I just felt like absolutely horrible,” Oudin said. “That was when I really knew, I really felt like something was wrong.”
Oudin was not as unknown as one would expect from a Cinderella at the 2009 U.S. Open. She reached as high as second in the world junior rankings by winning tournaments like the prestigious Easter Bowl and the Eddie Herr International Junior Championships—both as a 16-year-old.
“I think we only played maybe one time but I always looked up to her,” 2016 French Open quarterfinalist Shelby Rogers said. “She was an incredible junior player. I wanted to be that girl.”
Oudin broke into the top 100 of the WTA rankings at Wimbledon in 2009 when she made the fourth round, defeating World No. 6 Jelena Jankovic along the way. While Marcus Willis earned attention at the All England Club this year as the World No. 772, Oudin was No. 70 heading into the U.S. Open. She cruised by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round before coming back from a set down against fourth seed Elena Dementieva, Maria Sharapova and then 13th-seed Nadia Petrova, throwing Arthur Ashe Stadium into a frenzy each time.
“I remember just how inspired I was by that run,” former World No. 24 Christina McHale, who earned a wild card into the event as a 17-year-old, said. “I think like she beat so many top, amazing players and I just remember it was such an inspiration seeing someone who I grew up playing juniors with and stuff doing so well.”
After losing to eventual finalist Caroline Wozniacki, Oudin worked her way up to as high as No. 31 in the world. In 2011, she won the U.S. Open mixed doubles title with Jack Sock and later her lone WTA crown in 2012.
“I don’t want people to define me just by that U.S. Open in 2009,” Oudin said. “I just feel like there have been a lot of other good things in my career.”
Jared Wickerham/Getty Images for USTA
The success was short-lived, though. Oudin most recently fell out of the top 100 in June of 2013 when she failed to defend her lone title, which came on grass in Birmingham. The WTA lists Oudin at 5'6"—relatively undersized, as only five women in the top 20 are the same height or shorter. The sport has seen an increase in powerful baseliners, forcing smaller players like Oudin who may not have the strength to hit through opponents to find other ways to win.
“You can see the way she looks she won’t hurt you with a powerful serve, or she won’t hurt you with the killing shots,” former World No. 2 Vera Zvonareva once said of Oudin’s game. “She will make you play a lot of balls. She’s a good mover on the court. She’s one of those players that make you work to beat her.”
But working her way back up the rankings and to the level at which she proved she could play as a teenager was not just a matter of performance on-court.
“I had rhabdomyolysis, that crazy muscle condition,” Oudin said. “That was the first thing I really had at the end of 2012, the beginning of 2013.”
Rhabdomyolysis causes muscle weakness, fatigue and soreness—not ideal symptoms for a professional athlete who spends their time running around and hitting tennis balls for a living. But that was only the beginning.
Towards the end of 2012, Oudin felt chest pain during a couple of matches. The next year, it slowly started happening more often, whether she was ahead in a match or behind—it even happened once when she won a set 6-0. But still, Oudin told no one. That was until one incident in 2013.
“It was like spring, summer, the end of a match. I couldn’t stand up and just feel good,” Oudin said. “I had to lay down. I couldn’t take a shower. I couldn’t eat. I just felt like my whole body it was almost like numb and I almost was going to pass out, but I wasn’t sure.”
The sensations subsided, but she finally decided to tell her mother, Leslie.
“She was just like, ‘Keep an eye on it you know, but I’m sure it could just be the adrenaline and everything from the match,’” Oudin recalled.
At the time, she did not think much of the attacks. They were nuisances, but “it wasn’t a big deal.” Maybe they were panic attacks. But the more they happened, the more that did not make sense. Oudin says that she never really felt stressed out. Yet sometimes the pain would come during two matches in a tournament.
“We need to get you to a doctor,” Oudin recalls her mother telling her. “This has happened too many times now.”
But no doctors she saw had a tangible solution.
“I was diagnosed having panic attacks,” Oudin said. “I never told anyone because I was embarrassed by it.”
Tennis is a lonely sport as it is. Playing singles, there is nobody on court to help you but yourself. The WTA Tour allows for coaching timeouts once per set during which the designee can only provide their advice and no physical assistance of any kind. Players cannot call on their coaches during Grand Slams. For the most part, competitors are completely isolated. With nothing to blame—tests did not show any heart problem—Oudin could not help but think that she may be causing her own pain.
“[It’s] something for sure that she struggled with because she thought it was her fault,” Rogers said. “She thought it was something that she couldn’t control and it was her that was messing everything up.”
Time and time again, her heart would beat out of her chest during matches. All Oudin could think was that she could not do anything about it. All she knew was that doctors told her that she was having panic attacks.
“It definitely freaked me out a little bit because I had no idea when it was going to happen and of course that was the biggest thing in my head, ‘I hope it doesn’t happen now. I’m in the middle of a match. I’m playing great and I can’t control when it would happen or if it didn’t happen’,” Oudin said. “Sometimes I’d have a three-hour, toughest match ever and it wouldn’t happen so it was just very, very random and pretty scary how I had no control over the feeling.”
In the middle of 2014, Oudin managed to win 10 of 13 matches to jump inside the top 150, despite the attacks. But at the end of the summer when the American was just a match away from qualifying for the U.S. Open and re-entering the top 125 in the process, she had the worst night of her health struggle. Oudin was up all night in her hotel. She was terrified, guessing her heart ran at around 215 beats per minute. (Athletes may normally have a resting heart rate of 40 to 60 beats per minute.) Eventually, the attack did subside, but the disappointment did not.
“That match I probably thought more of ‘oh my gosh I can’t believe this is happening now’,” said Oudin, who wanted to focus on the match. “It didn’t happen. My body didn’t let me do that.”
Oudin did not visit another doctor. She trusted what was a consistent diagnosis—she was having panic attacks. The 24-year-old even competed in both women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the U.S. Open—she reached the second round of the mixed doubles draw alongside Rajeev Ram. But just over a month later, it happened again. Another tournament, another set of abnormal heart rhythms—this time at a $50,000 tournament in Oudin’s home state of Georgia. Oudin’s grandmother took her to an urgent care, where her pulse was recorded at around 220 beats per minute.
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
“They looked at me and right away they were like, ‘It’s not a panic attack’,” Oudin said. “The next day I brought my EKG [electrocardiogram] to a cardiologist, a different cardiologist and he said right away that I have a type of SVT and it’s not a panic attack.”
“SVT” stands for supraventricular tachycardia, a type of arrhythmia or abnormal heart rhythm. SVTs generally come from the top of the heart, as opposed to cardiac arrest or similar incidents stemming from abnormal rhythms in the bottom of the heart. SVTs can range from annoying to recurrent and debilitating. That is not a panic attack, as Oudin was told repeatedly.
“Generally speaking you don’t die from them. One situation where it could be dangerous is if it happens so often that the heart muscle starts to get weak because your heart rate is constantly running a marathon all the time,” says Maimonides Medical Center’s Associate Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology, Dr. Felix Yang.
Dr. Yang did not treat Oudin, but commented on her situation. "It’s pretty impressive to be able to play any kind of serious, competitive sport when your blood pressure is probably lower during these episodes when your heart’s racing and you’re just pushing through it. I mean most people are even just uncomfortable sitting with the palpitations so if she’s actually pushing through that’s pretty remarkable.”
Oudin required a catheter ablation—a procedure in which a catheter is advanced through the lower body and up to the heart to introduce adrenaline, which stimulates the heart and allows doctors to locate what is usually an extra electrical fiber. That is then burnt off, hopefully eradicating the issue.
In the same offseason Oudin also underwent a procedure to remove a growth from her eye, hoping that everything would be back to normal by the 2015 Australian Open.
But the heart problem persisted. Doctors told her to give it more time, that she had only endured a couple of incidents since the ablation. But when she continued to feel a rapid heartbeat, doctors did not know exactly what was wrong, giving Oudin more than just a health problem.
“Until they were able to figure out actually what was wrong, I wasn’t going to be able to play tennis,” Oudin said. “There was a chance of me not being able to play tennis again if they couldn’t figure out what was wrong because nobody would clear me to play. The WTA and ITF, they definitely wouldn’t clear me to play if I wasn’t cleared by the doctors. So that was definitely a little bit scary.”
Oudin became associated with the “BELIEVE” slogan that was engraved on her sneakers during her 2009 U.S. Open run. It is fitting that at her lowest point, belief is what she had to rely on—belief that one day this nightmare would end.
That offseason is when fellow players and friends began to find out what Oudin was going through.
“I remember I shed a few tears for her when I found out she was going through that,” Rogers said. “She’s one of my great friends and I’ve never really lost anyone close to me so it made me a little nervous for sure.”
2005 U.S. Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri—who also had a heart arrhythmia—underwent a similar procedure in 2013. On his recommendation, Oudin saw Dr. Jacob Blatt, who identified the issue right away and corrected it through the same procedure last April. Since then, Oudin has not had another heart-related episode.
But as much of Oudin’s still-young career has gone, she could not catch a break. While preparing for a Challenger level tournament—the equivalent of a minor league event—last October, Oudin’s right hand started bothering her. When she woke up the morning of her first round match it was “huge,” and she withdrew only to find out later that she tore a muscle in the hand. 11 tournaments. That was how many she was able to play issue-free before facing a new obstacle.
“I was out for like eight weeks of literally doing nothing,” Oudin said. “Obviously every time you hit a shot I’m like putting pressure on that muscle and you hit so many shots every practice so it just took forever to actually heal.”
Even after everything she went through—what she called a “crazy” muscle condition, apparent panic attacks that turned out to be an arrhythmia, a failed heart procedure and an eye procedure, Oudin was not quite done yet.
Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images
“Despite all of the health hardships, she never once spoke about quitting or even wanting to take time off,” World No. 70 Alison Riske said. “Her positivity is something I admire so much and her passion for tennis is unlike anything I have witnessed.”
In a sense, Oudin wishes that she caused her health issues by failing to stretch, eating improperly or doing something that she could fix. But in recent years she has had no control. What is in her control now is where she goes next.
“The beauty about this sport is that there’s always next week and then it’s about getting healthy and she’s still relatively young and so there’s opportunity out there and the fact that she’s been playing the Challengers to get her points up, get her ranking up to get back to the main tour, says a lot,” USTA President Katrina Adams said. “If there’s anybody that has a positive attitude about life, it’s Melanie."
In March, Oudin started yet another comeback in the qualifying draw of a $25,000 Challenger in Florida—a long way from the U.S. Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she earned thousands of fans seven years ago. In a sense, Oudin’s struggle to get healthy reflects her tennis game—those close to her described her as a battler. She reached the U.S. Open quarterfinal by fighting for every point, and she will have to do it once again to earn plenty of ranking points—Oudin currently ranks at No. 281; she was at No. 392 for that first tournament of the season.
“She’s not going to give up and she’s not going to stop,” Rogers said. “She’s not going to let something like that hold her back. I’m confident in that.”
Looking back at her topsy-turvy journey, all Oudin knows is that right now she is virtually starting over. While the memories of her titles and magical U.S. Open run are nice, they do nothing to help her as she plays Challengers. But as she gets ready to play in the U.S. Open once more—the USTA awarded Oudin a wild card into the 2016 qualifying draw; she will play her first match on Wednesday—there is one thing that has not changed throughout her struggle. Oudin believes that she can do more than simply play tennis again.
“I feel like all my health issues are out of the way and I feel like I can really put my head down and work really hard in the next couple of years to really, really get back to where I want to be,” Oudin said. “There’s a lot more tennis in me to come and it’s just going to take a little bit of time to get it back.” |
A social media campaign in Michigan is asking medical marijuana patients to share their experiences through various platforms. The effort is to raise awareness and reduce negative associations with the plant, showcasing the beneficial impact it’s made on some individuals lives.
The campaign was organized by three women-owned businesses in Michigan. Patients were asked to use the hashtags #bebraveforcannabis or #bettertogether. Because of the lingering national stigma surrounding cannabis, many patients fear speaking out about their cannabis usage for fear of judgment or recourse from work.
Related Story: The First National Cannabis Ad Just Aired On Cable
“Once people are able to talk about their medical marijuana use, they often find community and support,” said Roberta King, co-founder of Canna Communications. “We hope the campaign will help reinforce a sense of community.
Here are a few of the encouraging responses:
Today I am going to #bebraveforcannabis and I'm going to share my #cannabis story and support with the world! #bebrave #bettertogether #mmfla #shareyourstory #shareyoursupport A post shared by Jamie Cooper (@cannajamie) on Sep 12, 2017 at 3:57am PDT
“[Michigan] has the second largest medical marijuana patient registry in the country, yet many elected officials don’t realize it, because not enough people are coming out and sharing the stories about how it has changed their lives,” said Canna Media Works’ Jamie Cooper. “Many times it’s due to fear of legal issues or being judged by family and friends. In order for this to change, we have to speak up and present a unified voice.”
To learn more how medical marijuana works, click here. |
To understand why General Electric is plowing $1 billion into the idea of using software to transform industry, put yourself in the shoes of Jeff Immelt, its CEO.
As recently as 2004, GE had reigned as the most valuable company on the planet. But these days, it’s not even the largest in America. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all bigger. Software is king of the hill. And, as Immelt came to realize, GE is not that great at software.
Internal surveys had discovered that GE sold $4 billion worth of industrial software a year—the kind used to run pumps or monitor wind turbines. That’s as much as the total revenue of Salesforce.com. But these efforts were scattered and not always state-of-the-art. And that gap was turning dangerous. GE had always believed that since it knew the materials and the physics of its jet engines and medical scanners, no one could best it in understanding those machines. But companies that specialize in analytics, like IBM, were increasingly spooking GE by figuring out when big-ticket machines like a gas turbine might fail—just by studying raw feeds from gauges or vibration monitors.
This was no small thing. GE sells $60 billion a year in industrial equipment. But its most lucrative business is servicing the machines. Now software companies were looking to take a part of that pie, to get between GE and its largest source of profits. As Immelt would later say, “We cannot afford to concede how the data gathered in our industry is used by other companies.”
In 2012, GE unveiled its answer to these threats, a campaign it calls the “industrial Internet.” It included a new research lab across the bay from Silicon Valley, where it has hired 800 people, many of them programmers and data scientists.
“People have told companies like GE for years that they can’t be in the software business,” Immelt said last year. “We’re too slow. We’re big and dopey. But you know what? We are extremely dedicated to winning in the markets we’re in. And this is a to-the-death fight to remain relevant to our customers.”
Peter Evans, then a GE executive, was given the job of shaping what he calls the “meta-narrative” around GE’s big launch. Industrial companies, which prize reliability, aren’t nearly as quick to jump for new technology as consumers. So GE’s industrial-Internet pitch was structured around the huge economic gains even a 1 percent improvement in efficiency might bring to a number of industries if they used more analytics software. That number was fairly arbitrary—something safe, “just 1 percent,” recalls Evans. But here Immelt’s marketing skills came into play. “Not ‘just 1 percent’,” he said, flipping it around. GE’s slogan would be “The Power of 1 Percent.”
In a stroke, GE had shifted the discussion about where the Internet was going next. Other companies had been talking about connecting cars and people and toasters. But manufacturing and industry account for a giant slice of global GDP. “All the appliances in your home could be wired up and monitored, but the kind of money you make in airlines or health care dwarfs that,” Immelt remarked.
There is another constituency for the campaign: engineers inside GE. To them, operational software isn’t anything new. Nor are control systems—even a steam locomotive has one. But here Immelt was betting they could reinvent these systems. “You do embedded systems? My God, how boring is that? It’s like, put a bullet in your head,” says Brian Courtney, a GE manager based in Lisle, Illinois. “Now it’s the hottest job around.” At the Lisle center, part of GE’s Intelligent Platforms division, former field engineers sit in cubicles monitoring squiggles of data coming off turbines in Pakistan and oil rigs in onetime Soviet republics. Call this version 1.0 of the industrial Internet. On the walls, staff hang pictures of fish; each represents a problem, like a cracked turbine blade, that was caught early. More and more, GE will be using data to anticipate maintenance needs, says Courtney.
A challenge for GE is that it doesn’t yet have access to most of the data its machines produce. Courtney says about five terabytes of data a day comes into GE. Facebook collects 100 times as much. According to Richard Soley, head of the Industrial Internet Consortium, a trade group GE created this year, industry has been hobbled by a “lack of Internet thinking.” A jet engine has hundreds of sensors. But measurements have been collected only at takeoff, at landing, and once midflight. GE’s aviation division only recently found ways to get all the flight data. “It sounds crazy, but people just didn’t think about it,” says Soley. “It’s like the Internet revolution has just not touched the industrial revolution.”
GE is trying to close that gap. Its software center in San Ramon created an adaptation of Hadoop, big-data software used by the likes of Facebook. GE also invested $100 million in Pivotal, a cloud computing company. On the crowdsourcing site Kaggle, it launched public competitions to optimize algorithms for routing airline flights, which can save fuel.
All this could sound familiar to anyone who works with consumer Internet technology, acknowledges Bernie Anger, general manager of GE’s Intelligent Platforms division. But he says GE is thinking about what to do next to use connectivity, and more computers, to inject “new behavior” into machines. He gives the example of a field of wind turbines that communicate and move together in response to changes in wind. “We are moving into big data, but it’s not because we want to become Google,” he says. “It’s because we are dramatically evolving manufacturing.” |
Image copyright Getty Images
The UK could be facing a butter and cream shortage this Christmas, the boss of dairy giant Arla has warned.
"The first sign we will see of it, is that the price of butter rises very sharply," Peder Tuborgh, chief executive of the farmer-owned firm told the BBC.
There was insufficient milk being supplied by farmers to make the products, he said.
The National Farmers' Union dubbed his comments "scaremongering".
Arla Foods is a large European milk co-operative, owned by dairy farmers including British ones, and is the largest UK milk buyer.
Its brands include Anchor and Cravendale, and it has annual revenues of 9.6bn euros (£8.4bn).
Record high
Mr Tuborgh said the milk shortage had come about because producers "put the brakes on" in 2016, in the wake of previous overproduction of milk and consequently lower prices.
He said consumers would feel the impact across Europe in the coming months, suggesting that price rises would differ between European nations.
However, the Arla boss did not want to predict how much butter would cost later this year.
"At the moment, we are trying to get as much butter and cream out of our producers," he said.
It comes as global butter prices have hit an all-time high, according to figures released on Thursday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
The UN body said butter prices rose 14% last month because of higher demand for the fat and lower dairy exports from major producers.
What does it mean for farmers?
Image copyright Getty Images
Simon Clapp, from Brue Valley Farms near Glastonbury where they make butter and cheese for the likes of M&S, Waitrose and Aldi, told BBC Radio 5 live: "It's getting pretty tough, there's a shortage of fats across Europe and we're part of that.
"Since Brexit, the pound has weakened, so it's made products here more attractive, so cream is going abroad.
"We're seeing historic prices even above historic prices we've seen in the past - We've never been in this territory.
"This time last year, we'd spend 80p for cream to go into butter - now it's up to £2.50, £2.60."
The National Farmers' Union said the "constant boom-and-bust dairy market cycle" helped "no-one, most of all farmers".
A spokesman for industry body Dairy UK said there had been "significant increases" in wholesale prices for butter and cream recently.
It added: "To what degree price increases are transmitted to consumers is a matter for retailers."
It said the global oversupply of milk less than two years ago had resulted in a "difficult time for farmers".
"This illustrates the fact that dairy markets are inherently subject to fluctuations and a sudden surge in milk production, or unseasonable weather which depresses production, can have a significant effect on wholesale prices for commodity products like butter and cream," Dairy UK said.
Image copyright tiverylucky
The National Farmers Union said while there had been "record prices" for wholesale cream and butter in recent weeks, farm-gate prices had failed to keep up.
According to the union, the "lack of strong upward movement in farm-gate milk price" was "extremely concerning".
"That said, scaremongering about lack of milk supply going forward only serves to concern consumers," the union said.
"It's no surprise that milk buyers are worried about milk volumes falling," it added.
Confidence within dairy farming is at an all-time low - mistrust in the market dynamics and suspicion about how milk buyers are treating their supply base coupled with the lack of direction on the impact of Brexit on the dairy sector."
In a statement, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that while farm-gate milk prices had fallen by 0.6% per litre in May 2017 compared with the previous month, they had risen by 31% compared with May 2016.
It also said UK milk production increased by 4.7% in May compared with April, almost equalling production in May 2016.
Analysis
Image copyright Getty Images
Katie Prescott, Today business presenter
It's not the first time in recent years that we've had dark warnings of no cream with our mince pies. But hearing it from the boss of the world's fourth-largest dairy company carries some weight.
Speaking to the National Farmers' Union, the prospect of an actual shortage seems to be overblown.
But it's impossible to ignore the doubling in the price of cream and butter over the past year - though no one can quite pinpoint why it's happening.
Since butter featured on the front cover of Time Magazine in 2014, its popularity has soared and demand for it is strong. In America, McDonald's has recently switched from margarine to butter. And others are following suit.
We're drinking less skimmed milk, which means there is less cream which was taken from it.
There's speculation in the UK that manufacturers are stockpiling butter and cream as the price rises - pushing it up further.
On the supply side, the National Farmers' Union says farmers are wary of upping production too much because they fear another price crash - and the uncertainty caused by Brexit.
For consumers, the impact is there - but less dramatic. A 250g block of butter currently costs £1.49, and a year ago it was £1.35, according to the Office for National Statistics. |
Boasting 5 miles of trails, ramps and obstacles, this cavernous subterranean space sits 100 feet underground and totals 320,000 square feet. The wide-open footprint and copious mounds of dirt, able to be endlessly reformed into new types of terrain, lend themselves to this particularly fitting form of adaptive reuse.
Located in Louisville, Kentucky, and open as of yesterday, the Mega Underground Bike Park gains a number of advantages from being far below the surface, including a relatively consistent temperature and protection from wind, rain and other weather (without the typical costs of constructing a building to house these activities).
Originally a limestone mine, there were plans to create a highs-security business park in the space – while there are a few businesses actually occupying other parts of the underground complex of caves, the big idea fell through, replaced by a plan to create zip lines, challenge courses and now the biggest interior bike park on the planet.
Currently the space offers 45 trails with differing degrees of of difficulty as well as clever additions like cargo containers turned into ramps and overpasses. Most of the materials needed, though, were already in place – it was mainly a matter of lighting, accessing and shaping the space.
From their website: “Are you ready to experience a one of a kind Underground Bike Park? Over 320,000 square feet including over 45 trails, Jump Lines, Pump Tracks, Dual Slalom, BMX, Cross Country and Single Track all in a former limestone cavern 100 feet sub-surface. Enjoy the comfort of our 60 degree temperature year round. Come experience what the buzz is all about. You simply won’t believe what you see.” |
UCF women's soccer nearly swept all of the American Athletic Conference weekly awards as three players were honored.
Senior Tatiana Coleman was named offensive player of the week for her game-winning goal against No. 23 Long Beach State to give the Knights their first win over a top 25 team since 2012. She also assisted on two goals against Ole Miss, including the game-winner, which broke the Rebels three-game winning streak. This is the third time Coleman was named offensive player of the week as she netted honors during the week of Aug. 25th and Sept. 15th.
Coleman is ranked No. 2 in the conference with 16 points and has six goals and four assists on the season.
Senior Sophie Howard notched defensive player of the week honors as she helped hold Long Beach State to zero shots on goal and assisted Coleman on the game winner. Howard was instrumental in helping the Knights to four consecutive shutouts.
Finally, Connie Organ was named goalkeeper of the week as she's recorded four shutouts and has five total for the season.
UCF is 7-2 and ride a four-game win streak headed into Thursday's conference opener against Memphis on the road.
If you have news tips or would like to submit a story idea, please e-mail Shannon Owens-Green at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @osknights |
One man’s attempt to end his life turned into a pretty disastrous night for many others on the Braddell flyover of the Central Expressway (CTE) yesterday, The New Paper reports.
Due to the actions of a suicidal 38-year-old man, a chain reaction caused an accident between a van, a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) Red Rhino and an ambulance. Moments after that accident, a car crashed into the rear of a taxi nearby.
It all started when the SCDF and police were alerted to the case of attempted suicide on the CTE flyover around 2.45am last night. The Red Rhino light fire attack vehicle was parked on the road shoulder when a van collided into it, and an ambulance got damaged in the collision as well.
The impact also caused the van to skid before toppling on its side. Ten metres away from the crash site, a car ploughed into the back of a taxi in a separate accident.
A total of three people were injured — the 69-year-old van driver, a 20-year-old SCDF officer and a female passenger of the car. They all got treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
As you can imagine, it was total chaos, affecting four whole lanes on the CTE in the direction towards Seletar Expressway (SLE). The suicidal man who started it all was arrested by the police that night (and probably horrified at what he caused). |
DURHAM, N.C. – Just because your mother has turned 85, you shouldn't assume you'll have to take over her financial matters. She may be just as good or better than you at making quick, sound, money-making decisions, according to researchers at Duke University.
"It's not age, it's cognition that makes the difference in decision-making," said Scott Huettel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Duke Center for Neuroeconomic Studies. He recently led a laboratory study in which participants could gain or lose money based on their decisions.
"Once we accounted for cognitive abilities like memory and processing speed, age had nothing to do with predicting whether an individual would make the best economic decisions on the tasks we assigned," Huettel said.
The study was published in the Psychology and Aging journal, published by the American Psychological Association.
Duke researchers assigned a variety of economic tasks that required different types of risky decisions, so that participants could gain or lose real money. They also tested subjects' cognitive abilities – including both how fast they could process new information and how well they could remember that information. They worked with 54 older adults between 66 and 76 years of age and 58 younger adults between 18 and 35 years of age. .
The researchers used path analysis, a statistical method of finding cause-and-effect relationships, to determine whether age affected the economic decisions directly or whether it had indirect effects, such as age influencing memory, which in turn influenced decisions.
"The standard perspective is that age itself causes people to make more risky, lower-quality decisions – independent of the cognitive changes associated with age," said Huettel, who is also with the Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center. "But that isn't what we found."
The path analyses showed that age-related effects were apparently linked to individual differences in processing speed and memory. When those variables were included in the analysis, age was no longer a significant predictor of decision quality, Huettel said.
On a bell curve of performance, there was overlap between the younger and older groups. Many of the older subjects, aged 66 to 76, made similar decisions to many of the younger subjects (aged 18 to 35). "The stereotype of all older adults becoming more risk-averse is simply wrong," Huettel said.
"Some of the older subjects we studied were able to make better decisions than younger subjects who scored lower on tests of their cognitive abilities," Huettel said. "If I took 20 younger adults and 20 older adults, all of whom were above average on these measures, then on average, you could not tell them apart based on decisions. On the whole, it is true, more older people process slowly and has poorer memory. But there are also older people who do as well as younger people."
Huettel said that the findings suggest strategies to assist people, such as allowing more time for decisions, or presenting data in certain ways to assist people in making decisions.
"Decision scaffolding is the concept that you can give people structure for decision-making that helps them," Huettel said. "We should try to identify ways in which to present information to older adults that gives them scaffolding to make the best choices. If we can reduce the demand on memory or the need to process information very quickly that would be a great benefit to older adults and may push them toward making the same economically beneficial decisions as younger adults."
In reality, younger adults more often work to obtain credit cards with lower interest rates and lower interest rates on mortgages, for example. Huettel said that using surveys that track real-world behavior might help to identify who would benefit from getting information in one manner versus another.
"Some younger adults, too, may benefit from getting their information in a slow, methodical way, while others may not," Huettel said. "We may be able to predict that based on cognition." Self-recognition is important, too, so that if someone knows they process things well over time, they might ask for more time to make a decision rather than making an impulsive decision on the spot, he added.
Source: Duke University Medical Center |
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